The Thousand and One Nights Volume I Part 24

[260] El-Jabartee's History, vol. i., obituary of the year 1188.

[261] Mir-at ez-Zeman, events of the year 291.

[262] Mir-at ez-Zeman, events of the year 291.

[263] Idem, events of the year 218.

[264] Idem, events of the year 334.

[265] Nuzhet el-Mutaammil, &c., sect. 4.

[266] These are two very celebrated welees.

[267] The opening chapter of the ?ur-an.

[268] El-Jabartee's History, vol. iii., events of the month of Sha?ban, 1215 (A.D. 1800-1801).

[269] Singers of religious odes.

[270] El-Jabartee's History, vol. ii., obituary of the year 1207, and events of Rejeb, 1200; and vol. iii., events of Rabee? eth-Thanee, 1214.

[271] El-Is-?a?ee, reign of El-Mutawekkil.

[272] De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i. pp. 122, 123, 2nd.

ed.

[273] "'Ajab el-Makhloo?at."

[274] Mir-at ez-Zeman, events of the year above mentioned.

[275] Sketches of Persia, vol. ii. p. 129.

CHAPTER IV.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE EIGHTEENTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH.

THE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c.[IV_1]

One night, after the adventure above described, the Khaleefeh Haroon Er-Rasheed said to Ja?far, his Wezeer, We will go down to-night into the city, and inquire respecting the affairs of those who are at present in authority, and him against whom any one shall complain we will displace.

Ja?far replied, I hear and obey:--and when the Khaleefeh had gone forth with him and Mesroor, and they had pa.s.sed through several of the market-streets, they proceeded along a lane, and saw there an old man, with a net and basket upon his head, and a staff in his hand, walking at his leisure, and reciting these verses:--

They say to me, Thou shinest among mankind, by thy knowledge, like the moonlight night: But I answer, Abstain from thus addressing me, since there is no knowledge without power: For if they would p.a.w.n me, and my knowledge with me, and all my papers and inkhorn too, For one day's food, they would never find the pledge accepted to the day of judgment.

As for the poor, and his condition, and his whole life, how full of trouble!

In the summer he fails to earn his food, and in winter he warms himself over the fire-pot.[IV_2]

The dogs follow him wherever he goes, and any reviler, and he cannot repel him.

If he states his case, and proves himself wronged, the judge will not admit his plea.

Such, then, being the poor man's life, his fittest place is in the burial-ground.[IV_3]

The Khaleefeh, when he heard his recitation, said to Ja?far, Observe this poor man, and consider these verses; for they indicate his necessity. Then approaching the man, he said to him, O sheykh, what is thine occupation?--O my master, answered the old man, I am a fisherman, and have a family to maintain, and I went forth from my house at noon, and have remained until now, but G.o.d hath allotted me nothing wherewith to obtain food for my household; therefore I have hated myself, and wished for death.--Wilt thou, said the Khaleefeh, return with us to the river, and station thyself on the bank of the Tigris, and cast thy net for my luck? If thou wilt do so I will purchase of thee whatever cometh up for a hundred pieces of gold.--The fisherman rejoiced when he heard these words, and said, On my head be your commands: I will return with you.--So he went again to the river, and cast his net, and, having waited till it sank, drew the cords, and dragged back the net, and there came up in it a chest, locked and heavy. When the Khaleefeh saw it, he felt its weight, and found it to be heavy; and he gave a hundred pieces of gold to the fisherman, who went away, while Mesroor, a.s.sisted by Ja?far, took up the chest, and conveyed it, in company with the Khaleefeh, to the palace, where they lighted the candles, and placed the chest before the Khaleefeh. Ja?far and Mesroor then broke it open, and they found in it a basket of palm-leaves sewed up with red worsted; and they cut the threads, and saw within it a piece of carpet, and, lifting up this, they found beneath it an izar,[IV_4] and when they had taken up the izar they discovered under it a damsel like molten silver, killed, and cut in pieces.

When the Khaleefeh beheld this, tears ran down his cheeks, and, looking towards Ja?far, he exclaimed, O dog of Wezeers, shall people be murdered in my time, and be thrown into the river, and become burdens upon my responsibility? By Allah, I must retaliate for this damsel upon him who killed her, and put him to death!--Then said he to Ja?far, By the truth of my descent from the Khaleefehs of the sons of El-'Abbas, if thou do not bring to me him who killed this woman, that I may avenge her upon him, I will crucify thee at the gate of my palace, together with forty of thy kinsmen![IV_5] And the Khaleefeh was enraged.--Grant me, said Ja?far, a delay of three days.--I grant thee the delay, replied the Khaleefeh. Ja?far then went forth from his presence, and took his route through the city, sorrowful, and saying within himself, How shall I discover him who killed this damsel, that I may take him before the Khaleefeh? And if I take to him any other person, he will become a weight upon my conscience. I know not what to do.--For three days he remained in his house, and on the fourth day the Khaleefeh sent to summon him, and, when he had presented himself before him, said to him, Where is the murderer of the damsel?--O Prince of the Faithful, answered Ja?far, am I acquainted with things hidden from the senses, that I should know who is her murderer? The Khaleefeh, incensed at this answer, gave orders to crucify him at the gate of his palace, and commanded a crier to proclaim through the streets of Baghdad, Whosoever desireth to amuse himself by seeing the crucifixion of Ja?far El-Barmekee, the Wezeer of the Khaleefeh, and the crucifixion of his kinsmen, at the gate of the Khaleefeh's palace, let him come forth and amuse himself.--So the people came forth from every quarter to see the crucifixion of Ja?far and his kinsmen; and they knew not the cause of this. The Khaleefeh then gave orders to set up the crosses; and they did so, and placed the Wezeer and his kinsmen beneath, to crucify them, and were awaiting the Khaleefeh's permission, while the people wept for Ja?far and his relatives.

But while they were thus waiting, a handsome and neatly-dressed young man came forward quickly through the crowd, and, approaching the Wezeer, said to him, Safety to thee from this predicament, O chief of Emeers, and refuge of the poor! It was I who killed the woman whom ye found in the chest: kill me therefore for her, and retaliate her death upon me.--When Ja?far heard these words, he rejoiced for his own deliverance, and grieved for the young man: but while he was speaking to him, lo, an old sheykh pressed hastily through the crowd to him and the young man, and, having saluted them, said, O Wezeer, believe not the words of this young man, for no one killed the damsel but myself; therefore retaliate her death upon me. The young man, however, said, O Wezeer, this is an old man, imbecile through age; he knoweth not what he saith: it was I who killed her; avenge her therefore upon me.--O my son, said the sheykh, thou art young, and wilt find pleasure in the world; and I am old, and satiated with the world: I will be a ransom for thee and for the Wezeer and his kinsmen; and no one killed the damsel but myself: by Allah, therefore, hasten to retaliate upon me.

On witnessing this scene, the Wezeer was astonished; and he took the young man and the sheykh to the Khaleefeh, and said, O Prince of the Faithful, the murderer of the damsel hath come.--Where is he? said the Khaleefeh. This young man, answered Ja?far, saith, I am the murderer;--and this sheykh accuseth him of falsehood, and saith, Nay, but _I_ am the murderer.--The Khaleefeh, looking towards the sheykh and the young man, said, Which of you killed this damsel? The young man answered, No one killed her but myself:--and the sheykh said also, No one killed her but myself. The Khaleefeh therefore said to Ja?far, Take them both and crucify them.--If the murderer be one, replied Ja?far, to kill the other would be unjust. The young man then said, By Him who raised the heavens and spread out the earth, it was I who killed the damsel:--and he gave an account of the manner of his killing her, and described what the Khaleefeh had found. The Khaleefeh therefore was convinced that the young man was he who had killed the damsel; and he was astonished, and said, What was the cause of thy killing this damsel unjustly, and of thy confessing the murder without being beaten,[IV_6] and thy saying, Retaliate her death upon me? The young man answered as follows:--

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that this damsel was my wife, and the daughter of my uncle: this sheykh was her father, and is my uncle. I married her when she was a virgin, and G.o.d blessed me with three male children by her; and she loved me and served me, and I saw in her no evil. At the commencement of this month she was attacked by a severe illness, and I brought to her the physicians, who attended her until her health returned to her; and I desired them to send her to the bath; but she said to me, I want something before I enter the bath, for I have a longing for it.--What is it? said I. She answered, I have a longing for an apple, to smell it, and take a bite from it. So I went out immediately into the city, and searched for the apple, and would have bought it had its price been a piece of gold: but I could not find one.

I pa.s.sed the next night full of thought, and when the morning came I quitted my house again and went about to all the gardens, one after another; yet I found none in them. There met me, however, an old gardener, of whom I inquired for the apple, and he said to me, O my son, this is a rare thing, and not to be found here, nor anywhere except in the garden of the Prince of the Faithful at El-Ba?rah, and preserved there for the Khaleefeh. I returned therefore to my wife, and my love for her so constrained me that I prepared myself and journeyed fifteen days, by night and day, in going and returning, and brought her three apples which I purchased of the gardener at El-Ba?rah for three pieces of gold; and, going in, I handed them to her; but she was not pleased by them, and left them by her side. She was then suffering from a violent fever, and she continued ill during a period of ten days.

After this she recovered her health, and I went out and repaired to my shop, and sat there to sell and buy; and while I was thus occupied, at mid-day there pa.s.sed by me a black slave, having in his hand an apple, with which he was playing: so I said to him, Whence didst thou get this apple, for I would procure one like it?--Upon which he laughed, and answered, I got it from my sweetheart: I had been absent, and came, and found her ill, and she had three apples; and she said to me, My unsuspecting husband journeyed to El-Ba?rah for them, and bought them for three pieces of gold:--and I took this apple from her.--When I heard the words of the slave, O Prince of the Faithful, the world became black before my face, and I shut up my shop, and returned to my house, deprived of my reason by excessive rage. I found not the third apple, and said to her, Where is the apple? She answered, I know not whither it is gone. I was convinced thus that the slave had spoken the truth, and I arose, and took a knife, and throwing myself upon her bosom, plunged the knife into her: I then cut off her head and limbs, and put them in the basket in haste, and covered them with the izar, over which I laid a piece of carpet: then I put the basket in the chest, and, having locked this, conveyed it on my mule, and threw it with my own hands into the Tigris.[IV_8]

And now, continued the young man, I conjure thee by Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, to hasten my death in retaliation for her murder, as I dread, otherwise, her appeal for vengeance upon me on the day of resurrection:[IV_9] for when I had thrown her into the Tigris without the knowledge of any one, I returned to my house, and found my eldest boy crying, though he knew not what I had done to his mother: so I said to him, What maketh thee cry?--and he answered, I took one of the apples that my mother had, and went down with it into the street to play with my brothers, and a tall black slave s.n.a.t.c.hed it from me, and said to me, Whence came this to thee? I answered him, My father made a journey for it, and brought it from El-Ba?rah, for the sake of my mother; for she is sick: he bought three apples for three pieces of gold:--but he took it from me and beat me, and went away with it; and I am afraid that my mother may beat me on account of the apple.--When I heard my son's story, I discovered that the slave had forged a lie against the daughter of my uncle, and found that she had been killed unjustly; and as I was weeping bitterly for what I had done, this sheykh, my uncle and her father, came to me, and I informed him of the event; and he seated himself by me, and wept. We wept until midnight, and continued our mourning for her five days, ceasing not to the present day to bewail her death. By the honour of thine ancestors, therefore, hasten my death, to retaliate her murder upon me.

The Khaleefeh wondered at the young man's story, and said, By Allah, I will not put to death any but the wicked slave; for the young man is excusable. Then looking towards Ja?far, he said to him, Bring before me this wicked slave who hath been the cause of the catastrophe; or, if thou bring him not, thou shalt be put to death in his stead. So the Wezeer departed weeping, and saying, Whence shall I bring him? Not every time that the jar is struck doth it escape being broken! I have no stratagem to employ in this affair: but He who delivered me in the first case may deliver me in the second. By Allah, I will not go out from my house for three days; and the Truth, whose perfection be extolled, will do what He willeth!--So he remained in his house three days, and on the fourth day he caused the ?a?ee to be brought, and made his testamentary arrangements; and as he was bidding farewell to his children, and weeping, lo, the messenger of the Khaleefeh came and said to him, The Prince of the Faithful is in a most violent rage, and hath sent me to thee; and he hath sworn that this day shall not pa.s.s until thou art put to death if thou do not bring to him the slave.

On hearing this, Ja?far wept, and his children wept with him; and when he had bidden them all farewell except his youngest daughter, he approached her for the same purpose. He loved her more than all his other children; and he pressed her to his bosom, and wept at the thought of his separation from her; but, in doing this, he felt something round in her pocket, and said to her, What is in thy pocket? She answered, O my father, it is an apple; our slave Rey?an[IV_10] brought it, and I have had it four days; he would not give it me until he had received from me two pieces of gold.--At this mention of the slave and the apple, Ja?far rejoiced, and exclaimed, O ready Dispeller of trouble![IV_11]--and immediately he ordered that the slave should be brought before him. He was therefore brought in, and he said to him, Whence came this apple?--O my master, he answered, I went out five days ago, and, entering one of the by-streets of the city, I saw some children playing, and one of them had this apple: and I s.n.a.t.c.hed it from him, and beat him; and he cried, and said, That belongs to my mother, and she is sick: she wanted my father to bring her an apple, and he made a journey to El-Ba?rah, and brought back for her three apples which he bought for three pieces of gold; and I took this to play with it:--then he cried again; but, paying no regard to him, I took it away and brought it hither; and my little mistress bought it of me for two pieces of gold.--When he heard this story, Ja?far was filled with wonder at discovering that this distressing event, and the murder of the damsel, had been occasioned by his slave; and he took the slave and went with him to the Khaleefeh, who ordered that the story should be committed to writing, and published.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Ja?far then said to him, Wonder not, O Prince of the Faithful, at his tale, for it is not more extraordinary than the story of the Wezeer Noor-ed-Deen, and Shems-ed-Deen, his brother.--What story, said the Khaleefeh, can be more wonderful than this?--O Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja?far, I will not relate it to thee unless on the condition that thou exempt my slave from the punishment of death. The Khaleefeh said, I give thee his blood:--and Ja?far, thereupon, commenced the relation of the story as follows:--

THE STORY OF NOOR-ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, AND OF SHEMS-ED-DEEN AND HIS DAUGHTER.

Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that there was, in Cairo,[IV_12] a Sul?an,[IV_13] just and beneficent, who had a wise and well-informed Wezeer, possessing a knowledge of the affairs of the world, and of the art of government. This minister was an aged man, and he had two sons, like two moons: the name of the elder was Shems-ed-Deen, and that of the younger, Noor-ed-Deen;[IV_14] and the latter was more distinguished than the former by handsomeness and comeliness: there was no one in his day more handsome, so that the fame of his charms spread through the neighbouring regions, and some of the inhabitants of those parts travelled to his country merely to obtain a sight of him. And it came to pa.s.s that their father died, and the Sul?an mourned for him, and, turning his regards towards the two sons, took them into his favour, invested them with robes of honour, and said to them, Ye two are instated in your father's office:--at which they rejoiced, and kissed the ground before him. They observed the ceremonies of mourning[IV_15]

for their father during a period of a whole month, and entered upon the office of Wezeers, each of them discharging the duties of this station for a week at a time; and whenever the Sul?an had a desire to go forth on a journey, he took one of them with him.

Now it happened, one night, that the Sul?an purposed commencing a journey on the following morning; and it was the turn of the elder Wezeer to accompany him; and as the two brothers were conversing together that night, the elder said, O my brother, it is my wish that we should both marry on one night.--Do, O my brother, as thou desirest, answered the younger; and I will comply with that which thou shalt say.

So they agreed to do this. The elder then said to his brother, If G.o.d so decree that we obtain the betrothal of two maidens, and accomplish our marriage on the same night, and they give birth to children on the same day, and G.o.d will that thy wife have a son, and my wife have a daughter, we will marry them to each other, for they will be cousins.--And what, O my brother, said Noor-ed-Deen, wilt thou require of my son as the dowry of thy daughter? He answered, I will require of thy son, as the dowry of my daughter, three thousand pieces of gold, and three gardens, and three farms; for if the young man make any other contract than this, it will not be proper. But when Noor-ed-Deen heard this proposal, he exclaimed, What is this dowry that thou imposest upon my son? Dost thou not know that we are two brothers, and that we are both Wezeers, of one dignity?

It were inc.u.mbent on thee to offer thy daughter to my son as a free gift, without any dowry; for thou knowest that the male is more honourable than the female, and my child is a male, and by him shall our memory be preserved: not by thy daughter.--What sayest thou of her?

asked his brother.--That our memory will not be preserved by her among the n.o.bles, answered Noor-ed-Deen. But thou desirest, added he, to act with me according to the opinion of him who saith, If thou desire to drive away a person who would buy, demand of him a high price.--I see thee, replied Shems-ed-Deen, to have committed a fault, in making thy son more honourable than my daughter: thou art doubtless deficient in judgment, and dest.i.tute of good disposition, seeing that thou mentionest the partnership in the office of Wezeer, when I admitted thee not to share it with me excepting in my pity for thee, and that thou mightest a.s.sist me: but talk as thou wilt: since thou hast said this, by Allah, I will not marry my daughter to thy son, though thou offer me her weight in gold.--On hearing these words of his brother, Noor-ed-Deen was enraged, and said, I will not marry my son to thy daughter.--I will not accept him as a husband for her, replied Shems-ed-Deen; and if I were not purposing a journey, I would do to thee deeds that should serve as warnings to others: however, when I return, G.o.d will do what He willeth.--When Noor-ed-Deen heard this, he was full of anger, and became unconscious of existence: but he concealed his feelings; and each of the two brothers pa.s.sed the night apart from the other; and in the morning the Sul?an set out on his journey, and, crossing over to the island,[IV_16] proceeded towards the Pyramids, accompanied by the Wezeer Shems-ed-Deen.

Noor-ed-Deen pa.s.sed that night in a state of the utmost rage; and when the morning came he arose, and, having performed the morning-prayers, went to his closet and took out from it a pair of small saddle-bags, which he filled with gold; and as he reflected upon the words of his brother, and the contempt which he had shewn him, and the pride that he had manifested towards him, he repeated these verses:--

Travel. Thou wilt find a friend in the place of him thou leavest; and fatigue thyself; for by labour are the sweets of life obtained.

To a man of intelligence and education there is no glory in a constant residence: therefore quit thy native place, and go abroad.

I have observed that the stagnation of water corrupteth it; if it floweth, it becometh sweet; but otherwise, it doth not.

If the full moon never set, the eye of the contemplative would not on every occasion pay regard to it: The lions, if they left not the forest, would capture no prey; and the arrow, if it quitted not the bow, would not strike the mark: The grains of gold upon their native bed are regarded as mere dust; and the aloes-wood, where it groweth, is a kind of firewood: If exported, it becometh an object of high demand; but if not, it attaineth no kind of distinction.

He then ordered one of his young men to saddle for him a dapple mule, tall, and of quick pace; and he did so, placing upon her a saddle adorned with gold, with stirrups of Indian steel, and housings of the velvet of I?pahan; and she resembled a bride displayed before her husband. He ordered him also to place upon her a carpet of silk, and a prayer-carpet,[IV_17] and to put the saddle-bags beneath the latter; and when this was done, he said to the young man and the slaves, I have a desire to take a ride for my amus.e.m.e.nt outside the city, towards the province of ?alyoob, and shall be absent three nights; and let none of you follow me, for my heart is contracted.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Having thus said, he mounted his mule in haste, and, taking with him a small supply of food, departed from the city, turning his face towards the open country. The hour of noon overtook him not until he entered the city of Bilbeys, where he alighted to repose himself and rest his mule, and ate; after which he took from this place what he required for himself, and some provender for his mule, and, having placed these provisions upon her, went forth again into the plain, and before noon on the second following day, he entered Jerusalem.[IV_18] Here he alighted again, and rested himself and his beast, and ate: he then placed his saddle-bags under his head, and spread his carpet, and slept, still overcome by anger. He pa.s.sed the night in this place; and in the morning he remounted, and he continued to urge on his mule until he arrived at Aleppo,[IV_19] where he alighted at a ?han, and remained three days to give rest to himself and his mule, and to enjoy the air of the place: which having done, he determined to prosecute his journey, and mounted his mule, and went forth. He knew not whither to direct his course; but travelled on until he arrived at the city of El-Ba?rah; and scarcely was he aware that the night had overtaken him, when he alighted there at a Khan, where he took off the saddle-bags from the mule, and spread the prayer-carpet, committing the mule, with her equipage, to the care of the door-keeper, and ordering him to walk her about a little.