One Thousand and One Nights, page 1143
Richard Francis Burton’s translation: detailed table of contents
Story of the Second Lunatic.102
“O my lord,” quoth the young man, “my case is marvellous, and haply thou wilt desire me to relate it in order continuous;” and quoth the Sultan, “Let me hear it.”?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the second youth said:?O my lord the Sultan, I am by calling a merchant man and none of the guild was younger, I having just entered my sixteenth year. Like my fellows I sold and bought in the Bazar every day till, one day of the days, a damsel came up to me and drew near and handed to me a paper which I opened; and behold, it was full of verses and odes in praise of myself, and the end of the letter contained the woman’s name professing to be enamoured of me. When I read it I came down from my shopboard, in my folly and ignorance, and putting forth my hand seized the girl and beat her till she swooned away.103 After this I let her loose and she went her ways and then I fell into a brown study saying to myself, “Would Heaven I wot whether the girl be without relations or if she have kith and kin to whom she may complain and they will come and bastinado me.” And, O our lord the Sultan, I repented of what I had done whenas repentance availed me naught and this lasted me for twenty days. At the end of that time as I was sitting in my shop according to my custom, behold, a young lady entered and she was sumptuously clad and sweetly scented and she was even as the moon in its fullness on the fourteenth night. When I gazed upon her my wits fled and my sane senses and right judgment forsook me and I was incapable of attending to aught save herself. She then came up and said, “O youth, hast thou by thee a variety of metal ornaments?” and said I, “O my lady, of all kinds thou canst possibly require.” Hereupon she wished to see some anklets which I brought out for her, when she put forth her feet to me and showing me the calves of her legs said, “O my lord, try them on me.” This I did. Then she asked for a necklace104 and I produced one when she unveiled her bosom and said, “Take its measure on me:” so I set it upon her and she said, “I want a fine pair of bracelets,” and I brought to her a pair when, extending her hands and displaying her wrists to me she said, “Put them on me.” I did so and presently she asked me, “What may be the price of all these?” when I exclaimed, “O my lady, accept them from me in free gift;” and this was of the excess of my love to her, O King of the Age, and my being wholly absorbed in her. Then quoth I to her, “O my lady, whose daughter art thou?” and quoth she, “I am the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islám.”105 I replied, “My wish is to ask thee in marriage of thy father,” and she rejoined, “’Tis well: but, O youth, I would have thee know that when thou askest me from my sire he will say, ‘I have but one daughter and she is a cripple and deformed even as Satíh was.106 Do thou, however, make answer that thou art contented to accept her and if he offer any remonstrance cry, ‘I’m content, content!’” I then enquired, “When shall that be?” and she replied, “Tomorrow about undurn hour107 come to our house and thou wilt find my sire, the Shaykh al-Islam, sitting with his companions and intimates. Then ask me to wife.” So we agreed upon this counsel and on the next day, O our lord the Sultan, I went with several of my comrades and we repaired, I and they, to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam, whom I found sitting with sundry Grandees about him. We made our salams which they returned and they welcomed us and all entered into friendly and familiar conversation. When it was time for the noon-meal the tablecloth108 was spread and they invited us to join them, so we dined with them and after dinner drank coffee. I then stood up saying, “O my lord, I am come hither to sue and solicit thee for the lady concealed and the pearl unrevealed, thy daughter.” But when the Shaykh al-Islam heard from me these words he bowed his head for awhile groundwards?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth resumed:?Now when the Shaykh al-Islam heard from me those words he bowed his brow groundwards for a while in deep thought concerning the case of his daughter who was a cripple and wondrously deformed. For the damsel who had told me of her had played me a trick and served me a sleight, I all the time knowing nothing about her guile. Presently he raised his head and said to me, “By Allah, O my son, I have a daughter but she is helpless.” Quoth I, “I am content;” and quoth he, “An thou take her to wife after this description, ’tis on express condition that she be not removed from my house and thou also shalt pay her the first visit and cohabit with her in my home.” I replied, “To hear is to obey;” being confident, O King of the Age, that she was the damsel who had visited my shop and whom I had seen with my own eyes. Thereupon the Shaykh al-Islam married his daughter to me and I said in my mind, “By Allah, is it possible that I am become master of this damsel and shall enjoy to my full her beauty and loveliness?” But when night fell they led me in procession to the chamber of my bride; and when I beheld her I found her as hideous as her father had described her, a deformed cripple. At that moment all manner of cares mounted my back and I was full of fury and groaned with grief from the core of my heart; but I could not say a word, for that I had accepted her to wife of my own free will and had declared myself contented in presence of her sire. So I took seat silently in a corner of the room and my bride in another, because I could not bring myself to approach her, she being unfit for the carnal company of man and my soul could not accept cohabitation with her. And at dawntide, O my lord the Sultan, I left the house and went to my shop which I opened according to custom and sat down with my head dizzy like one drunken without wine; when lo! there appeared before me the young lady who had caused happen to me that mishap. She came up and salam’d to me but I arose with sullenness and abused her and cried, “Wherefore, O my lady, hast thou put upon me such a piece of work?” She replied, “O miserable,109 recollect such a day when I brought thee a letter and thou after reading it didst come down from thy shop and didst seize me and didst trounce me and didst drive me away.” I replied, “O my lady, prithee pardon me for I am a true penitent;” and I ceased not to soften her with soothing110 words and promised her all weal if she would but forgive me. At last she deigned excuse me and said, “There is no harm for thee; and, as I have netted thee, so will I unmesh thee.” I replied, “Allah! Allah!111 O my lady, I am under thy safeguard;” and she rejoined, “Hie thee to the Aghá of the Janákilah,112 the gypsies, give him fifty piastres and say him, ‘We desire thee to furnish us with a father and a mother and cousins and kith and kin, and do thou charge them to say of me, This is our cousin and our blood relation.’ Then let him send them all to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and repair thither himself together with his followers, a party of drummers and a parcel of pipers. When they enter his house and the Shaykh shall perceive them and exclaim, ‘What’s this we’ve here?’ let the Agha reply, ‘O my lord, we be kinsmen with thy son-in-law and we are come to gladden his marriage with thy daughter and to make merry with him.’ He will exclaim, ‘Is this thy son a gypsey musician?’ and do thou explain, saying, ‘Aye, verily I am a Jankali;’ and he will cry out to thee, ‘O dog, thou art a gypsey and yet durst thou marry the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam?’ Then do thou make answer, ‘O my lord, ’twas my ambition to be ennobled by thine alliance and I have espoused thy daughter only that the mean name of Jankali may pass away from me and that I may be under the skirt of thy protection.’” Hereat, O my lord the Sultan, I arose without stay and delay and did as the damsel bade me and agreed with the Chiefs of the Gypsies for fifty piastres.113 On the second day about noon lo and behold! all the Janákilah met before the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and they, a tom-toming and a-piping and a-dancing, crowded into the courtyard of the mansion.?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth continued:?So the Janákilah entered the house of the Shaykh al-Islam all a-drumming and a-dancing. Presently the family came out and asked, “What is to do? And what be this hubbub?” The fellows answered, “We are gypsey-folk and our son is in your house having wedded the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam.” Hearing these words the family went up and reported to its head, and he, rising from his seat, descended to the courtyard which he found full of Jankalis. He enquired of them their need and they told him that the youth, their kinsman, having married the daughter of the house, they were come to make merry at the bride-feast. Quoth the Shaykh, “This indeed be a sore calamity that a gypsey should espouse the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam. By Allah, I will divorce her from him.” So he sent after me, O our lord the Sultan, and asked me saying, “What is thy breed and what wilt thou take to be off with thyself?” Said I, “A Jankali; and I married thy daughter with one design namely to sink the mean name of a gypsey drummer in the honour of connection and relationship with thee.” He replied, “’Tis impossible that my daughter can cohabit with thee: so up and divorce her.” I rejoined, “Not so: I will never repudiate her.” Then we fell to quarrelling but the folk interposed between us and arranged that I should receive forty purses114 for putting her away. And when he paid me the moneys I gave her the divorce and took the coin and went to my shop, rejoicing at having escaped by this contrivance. On the next day, behold, came the damsel who had taught me the sleight and saluted me and wished me good morning. I returned her salam and indeed, O our lord the Sultan, she was a model of beauty and loveliness, stature and symmetrical grace and my heart was enmeshed in her love for the excess of her charms and the limpid flow of her speech and the sweetness of her tongue. So I said to her, “And when this promise?” and said she, “I am the daughter of Such-andsuch, a cook in such a quarter; and do thou go ask me in marriage of him.” So I rose up with all haste and went to her father and prayed that he would give her to me. And presently I wedded her and went in unto her and found her as the full moon of the fourteenth night and was subjugated by her seemlihead. Such, then, is the adventure which befel me; but, O my lord the Sultan, the Story of the Sage Such-an-one and his Scholar is more wonderful and delectable; for indeed ’tis of the marvels of the age and among the miracles which have been seen by man. Thereupon the Sovran bade him speak, and the Second Lunatic proceeded to recount the
Richard Francis Burton’s translation: detailed table of contents
Story of the Sage and the Scholar.115
There was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a learned man who had retired from the world secluding himself in an upper cell of a Cathedral-mosque, and this place he left not for many days save upon the most pressing needs. At last a beautiful boy whose charms were unrivalled in his time went in to him and salam’d to him. The Shaykh returned the salute and welcomed him with the fairest welcome and courteously entreated him seating him beside himself. Then he asked him of his case and whence he came and the boy answered, “O my lord, question me not of aught nor of my worldly matters, for verily I am as one who hath fallen from the heavens upon the earth116 and my sole object is the honour of tending thee.” The Sage again welcomed him and the boy served him assiduously for a length of time till he was twelve years old. Now on one day of the days117 the lad heard certain of his fellows saying that the Sultan had a daughter endowed with beauty whose charms were unequalled by all the Princesses of the age. So he fell in love with her by hearsay.?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night, and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the lad who served the Sage fell in love with the Sultan’s daughter by hearsay. Presently he went in to his master and told him thereof adding, “O my lord, verily the King hath a daughter beautiful and lovesome and my soul longeth to look upon her an it be only a single look.” The Shaykh asked him saying, “Wherefore, O my son? What have the like of us to do with the daughters of Sovrans or others? We be an order of eremites and selfcontained and we fear the Kings for our own safety.” And the Sage continued to warn the lad against the shifts of Time and to divert him from his intent; but the more words he uttered to warn him and to deter him, the more resolved he became to win his wish, so that he abode continually groaning and weeping. Now this was a grievous matter to the good Shaykh who loved him with an exceeding love passing all bounds; and when he saw him in this condition he exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great.” And his heart was softened and he had ruth upon the case of his scholar and pitied his condition, and at last said to him, “O my son, dost thou truly long to look but a single look at the Sultan’s daughter?” Quoth he, “Yes, O my lord,” and quoth the other, “Come hither to me.” Accordingly he came up to him and the Shaykh produced a Kohl-pot and applied the powder to one of his scholar’s eyes, who behold, forthright became such that all who saw him cried out, “This is a half-man.”118 Then the Sage bade him go about the city and the youth obeyed his commands and fared forth; but whenas the folk espied him they cried out, “A miracle! a miracle! this be a half-man!” And the more the youth walked about the streets the more the folk followed him and gazed upon him for diversion and marvelled at the spectacle; and as often as the great men of the city heard of him they sent to summon him and solaced themselves with the sight and said, “Laud to the Lord! Allah createth whatso He wisheth and commandeth whatso He willeth as we see in the fashioning of this half-man.” The youth also looked freely upon the Harims of the Grandees, he being fairer than any of them; and this case continued till the report reached the Sultan who bade him be brought into the presence, and on seeing him marvelled at the works of the Almighty. Presently the whole court gathered together to gaze at him in wonderment and the tidings soon reached the Queen who sent an Eunuch to fetch him and introduce him into the Serraglio. The women all admired the prodigy and the Princess looked at him and he looked at her; so his fascination increased upon him and he said in his secret soul, “An I wed her not I will slay myself!” After this the youth was dismissed by the Sultan’s Harim and he, whose heart burned with love for the King’s daughter, returned home. The Shaykh asked him, “Hast thou, O my son, seen the Princess?” and he answered, “I have, O my master; but this one look sufficeth me not, nor can I rest until I sit by her side and fill myself with gazing upon her.” Quoth he, “O my child, we be an ascetic folk that shun the world nor have we aught to do with enmeshing ourselves in the affairs of the Sultan, and we fear for thee, O my son.” But the youth replied, “O my lord, except I sit by her side and stroke her neck and shoulders with these my hands, I will slay myself.” Hereupon the Sage said in his mind, “I will do whatso I can for this good youth and perchance Allah may enable him to win his wish.” He then arose and brought out the Kohl-pot and applied the powder to his scholar’s either eye; and, when it had settled therein, it made him invisible to the ken of man. Then he said, “Go forth, O my son, and indulge thy desire; but return again soon and be not absent too long.” Accordingly the youth hastened to the Palace and entering it looked right and left, none seeing him the while, and proceeded to the Harem where he seated himself beside the daughter of the Sultan. Still none perceived him until, after a time, he put forth his hand and softly stroked her neck. But as soon as the Princess felt the youth’s touch, she shrieked a loud shriek heard by all ears in the Palace and cried “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the stoned!” At this proceeding on the girl’s part all asked her saying, “What is to do with thee?” Whereto she answered, “Verily some Satan hath this instant touched me on the neck.” Upon this her mother was alarmed for her and sent for her nurse119 and when informed of what had befallen the girl the old woman said, “If there be aught of Satans here naught is so sovereign a specific to drive them away and keep them off as the smoke of camel’s dung.”120 Then she arose and brought thereof a quantity which was thrown into the fire and presently it scented and pervaded the whole apartment. All this and the Youth still sat there without being seen. But when the dung-smoke thickened, his eyes brimmed and he could not but shed tears, and the more smoke there was the more his eyes watered and big drops flowed till at last all the Kohl was washed off and trickled down with the tears. So he became visible a-middlemost the royal Harem; and, when the dames descried him, all shrieked one shriek, each at other, upon which the Eunuchry rushed in; then, finding the young man still seated there, they laid hands upon him and haled him before the Sultan to whom they reported his crime and how he had been caught lurking in the King’s Serraglio a-sitting beside the Princess. Hearing this, the Sovran bade summon the Headsman and committed to him the criminal bidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit bepatched with flamecolour;121 then, to set him upon a camel and, after parading him through Cairo city and all the streets, to put him to death. Accordingly the executioner took the Youth.?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
