One Thousand and One Nights, page 359
When it was night, Ikrimeh took four thousand dinars and laid them in one purse; then, bidding saddle his beast, he mounted and rode privily to Khuzeimeh’s house, attended only by one of his servants, carrying the money. When he came to the door, he alighted and taking the purse from the servant, made him withdraw afar off; after which he went up to the door and knocked. Khuzeimeh came out to him, and he gave him the purse, saying, ‘Better thy condition with this.’ He took it and finding it heavy, put it from his hand and laying hold of the bridle of Ikrimeh’s horse, said, ‘Who art thou? My soul be thy ransom!’ ‘O man,’ answered Ikrimeh, ‘I come not to thee at the like of this time desiring that thou shouldst know me.’ Khuzeimeh rejoined, saying, ‘I will not let thee go till thou make thyself known to me.’ And Ikrimeh said, ‘I am Jabir Athrat el Kiram.’ Quoth Khuzeimeh, ‘Tell me more.’ But Ikrimeh answered, ‘No,’ and went away, whilst Khuzeimeh went in to his wife and said to her, ‘Rejoice, for God hath sent us speedy relief; if these be but dirhems, yet are they many. Arise and light the lamp.’ But she said, ‘I have not wherewithal to do this.’ So he spent the night handling the coins and felt by their roughness that they were dinars, but could not credit it.
Meanwhile, Ikrimeh returned to his own house and found that his wife had missed him and enquiring for him, had been told of his riding forth, wherefore she misdoubted of him and said to him, ‘The governor of Mesopotamia rideth not abroad, unattended and secretly, after such an hour of the night, save to a wife or a concubine.’ ‘God knows,’ answered he, ‘that I went not forth to either of these.’ ‘Tell me then,’ said she, ‘wherefore thou wentest forth?’ and he, ‘I went not forth at this hour save that none should know it.’ But she rejoined, saying, ‘I must needs be told.’ Quoth he, ‘Wilt thou keep the matter secret, if I tell thee?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’ So he told her the state of the case, adding, ‘Wilt thou have me swear to thee?’ ‘No, no,’ answered she; ‘my heart is set at ease and trusteth in that which thou hast told me.’
As for Khuzeimeh, as soon as it was day, he made his peace with his creditors and set his affairs in order; after which he made ready and set out for the Court of the Khalif, who was then sojourning in Palestine. When he came to the royal palace, he sought admission of the chamberlain, who went in and told the Khalif of his presence. Now he was renowned for his beneficence and Suleiman knew of him; so he bade admit him. When he entered, he saluted the Khalif after the usual fashion, and the latter said to him, ‘O Khuzeimeh, what hath kept thee so long from us?’ ‘Evil case,’ answered he. Quoth the Khalif, ‘What hindered thee from having recourse to us?’ And he said, ‘My infirmity, O Commander of the Faithful!’ ‘And why,’ asked Suleiman, ‘comest thou to us now?’ ‘Know, O Commander of the Faithful,’ replied Khuzeimeh, ‘that I was sitting one night late in my house, when one knocked at the door;’ and he went on to tell him of all that had passed between Ikrimeh and himself. ‘Knowest thou the man?’ asked Suleiman. ‘No, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered Khuzeimeh, ‘he was disguised and would say nought but “I am Jabir Athrat el Kiram.”’ When Suleiman heard this, his heart burned within him to know the man, and he said, ‘If we knew him, we would requite him his generosity.’ Then he tied Khuzeimeh an ensign and made him governor of Mesopotamia, in the stead of Ikrimeh; and he set out for El Jezireh.
When he drew near the city, Ikrimeh and the people of the place came forth to meet him and they saluted each other and went on into the town, where Khuzeimeh took up his lodging in the government house and bade take security for Ikrimeh and that he should be called to account. So an account was taken against him and he was found to be in default for much money, whereupon Khuzeimeh required him of payment; but he said, ‘I have no means of paying aught.’ Quoth Khuzeimeh, ‘It must be paid;’ and Ikrimeh answered, saying, ‘I have it not; do what thou hast to do.’ So Khuzeimeh ordered him to prison and sent to him again, to demand payment of the money; but he replied, ‘I am not of those who preserve their wealth at the expense of their honour; do what thou wilt.’ Then Khuzeimeh bade load him with irons and kept him in prison a month or more, till imprisonment began to tell upon him and he became wasted.
After this, news of his plight came to his wife, who was sore troubled thereat and sending for a freedwoman of hers, a woman of great wit and judgment, said to her, ‘Go forthwith to the Amir Khuzeimeh’s gate and say, “I have a counsel for the Amir.” If they ask what it is, say, “I will not tell it save to himself;” and when thou winnest to him, ask to see him in private and say to him, “What is this thou hast done? Hath Jabir Athrat el Kiram deserved of thee no better requital than to be cast into strait prison and laden with irons?”’ The woman did as she was bidden, and when Khuzeimeh heard her words, he cried out at the top of his voice, saying, ‘Alas, the shame of it! Was it indeed he?’ And she answered, ‘Yes.’ Then he bade saddle his beast forthright and summoning the chief men of the city, repaired with them to the prison and opening the door, went in with them to Ikrimeh, whom they found sitting in evil case, worn out and wasted with blows and misery. When he saw Khuzeimeh, he was abashed and hung his head; but the other bent down to him and kissed his face; whereupon he raised his head and said, ‘What maketh thee do this?’ ‘The generosity of thy dealing,’ replied Khuzeimeh, ‘and the scurviness of my requital.’ And Ikrimeh said, ‘God pardon us and thee!’
Then Khuzeimeh bade the jailor strike off Ikrimeh’s shackles and clap them on his own feet; but Ikrimeh said, ‘What is this thou wilt do?’ Quoth the other, ‘I have mind to suffer what thou hast suffered.’ ‘I conjure thee by Allah,’ cried Ikrimeh, ‘do not so!’ Then they both went out and returned to Khuzeimeh’s house, where Ikrimeh would have taken leave of him and gone his way; but he forbade him and Ikrimeh said, ‘What is thy will of me?’ Quoth Khuzeimeh, ‘I wish to change thy case, for my shame before the daughter of thine uncle is yet greater than my shame before thee.’ So he caused clear the bath and entering with Ikrimeh, served him, himself, after which he bestowed on him a splendid dress of honour and mounted him and gave him much money. Then he carried him to his house and asked his leave to make his excuses to his wife and did so.
After this, he besought him to accompany him to the Khalif, who was then abiding at Remleh and he agreed. So they journeyed thither and when they reached the palace, the chamberlain went in and acquainted the Khalif with Khuzeimeh’s coming, whereat he was troubled and said, ‘Is the governor of Mesopotamia come without our order? This can only be on some grave occasion.’ Then he bade admit him and said to him, before he could salute him, ‘What is behind thee, O Khuzeimeh?’ ‘Good, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered he. ‘What bringeth thee?’ asked Suleiman; and he answered, saying, ‘I have discovered Jabir el Athrat el Kiram and thought to gladden thee with him, knowing thine excessive desire for his acquaintance and thy longing to see him.’ ‘Who is he?’ asked the Khalif and Khuzeimeh said, ‘He is Ikrimeh el Feyyaz. So Suleiman called for Ikrimeh, who approached and saluted him as Khalif; and the prince bade him welcome and making him draw near to his sitting place, said to him, ‘O Ikrimeh, thy good deed to him hath brought thee nought but trouble. But now write in a scroll all thy needs and that which thou desirest.’ He did so and the Khalif commanded to do all that he asked and that forthright. Moreover, he gave him ten thousand dinars and twenty chests of clothes over and above that he sought, and calling for a spear, tied him an ensign [and made him governor] over Armenia and Azerbijan and Mesopotamia, saying, ‘Khuzeimeh’s case is in thy hands; if thou wilt, continue him in his office, and if thou wilt, depose him.’ And Ikrimeh said, ‘Nay, but I restore him to his office, O Commander of the Faithful.’ Then they went out from him and ceased not to be governors under Suleiman ben Abdulmelik all the days of his Khalifate.
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
YOUNUS THE SCRIBE AND THE KHALIF WELID BEN SEHL.
There lived in the reign of the Khalif Hisham a noted [man of letters] called Younus the Scribe, and he set out one day on a journey to Damascus, having with him a slave girl of surpassing beauty and grace, whom he had taught all that was needful to her and whose price was a hundred thousand dirhems. When they drew near Damascus, the caravan halted by the side of a lake and Younus went aside with his damsel and took out some victual he had with him and a leather bottle of wine. As he sat at meat, there came up a young man of goodly presence and dignified aspect, mounted on a sorrel horse and followed by two servants, and said to him, ‘Wilt thou accept me to guest?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Younus. So the stranger alighted and said, ‘Give me to drink of thy wine.’ Younus gave him to drink and he said, ‘If it please thee, sing us a song.’ So Younus sang this verse:
Charms, never in one mortal yet combined compriseth she, And tears and wakefulness are sweet, for love of her, to me.
At which the stranger rejoiced exceedingly and Younus gave him to drink again and again, till drunkenness got the better of him and he said, ‘Bid thy slave-girl sing.’ So she sang this verse:
A houri, by whose charms my heart confounded is, ah me! Nor wand nor sun nor moon, indeed, may evened with her be.
The stranger was much pleased with this and they sat drinking till nightfall, when they prayed the evening-prayer and the youth said to Younus, ‘What brings thee hither?’ He answered, ‘[I come in quest of] wherewithal to discharge my debts and better my case.’ Quoth the stranger, ‘Wilt thou sell me this thy slave-girl for thirty thousand dirhems?’ ‘I must have more than that,’ answered Younus. ‘Will forty thousand content thee?’ asked the other; but Younus said, ‘That would only pay my debts, and I should remain empty-handed.’ Quoth the stranger, ‘I will take her of thee at fifty thousand dirhems and give thee a suit of clothes to boot and the expenses of thy journey and make thee a sharer in my estate, as long as thou livest.’ ‘I sell her to thee on these terms,’ answered Younus. Then said the young man, ‘Wilt thou let me take her with me and trust me to bring thee the money to-morrow, or shall she abide with thee till I bring thee her price?’ And the fumes of the wine and shamefastness and awe of the stranger led Younus to reply, ‘I will trust thee; take her and may God bless thee in her!’ Whereupon the stranger bade one of his servants take her up before him on his beast, and mounting his own horse, took leave of Younus and rode away.
Hardly had he left him, when Younus bethought himself and knew that he had erred in selling her and said in himself, ‘What have I done? I have delivered my slave-girl to a man with whom I am unacquainted, neither know I who he is; and grant that I did know him, how am I to get at him?’ So he abode absorbed in anxious thought, till the morning, when he prayed the appointed prayers and his companions entered Damascus, whilst he sat, perplexed and knowing not what to do, till the sun scorched him and he misliked to abide there and thought to enter the city, but said in himself, ‘If I enter Damascus, I cannot be sure but that the messenger will come and find me not, in which case I shall have sinned against myself a second time.’ So he sat down in the shade of a wall that was there, and towards end of day, up came one of the servants whom he had seen with the young man, at sight of whom great joy possessed Younus and he said in himself, ‘I know not that aught hath ever given me more delight than the sight of this servant.’ When the man reached him, he said to him, ‘O my lord, we have kept thee long waiting;’ but Younus said nothing to him of the anxiety he had suffered. Then said the servant, ‘Knowest thou the man who bought the girl of thee?’ ‘No,’ answered Younus, and the servant said, ‘It was Welid ben Sehl the Heir Apparent.’ And Younus was silent.
Then the other made him mount a horse he had with him and they rode till they came to a house, where they dismounted and entered. Here Younus found the damsel, who sprang up at his sight and saluted him. He asked her how she had fared with him who had bought her and she said, ‘He lodged me in this apartment and ordered me all I wanted.’ Then he sat with her awhile, till one of the servants of the master of the house came in and bade him rise and follow him. So he followed the servant into the presence of his yesternight’s guest, whom he found seated on his couch and who said to him, ‘Who art thou?’ ‘I am Younus the Scribe,’ answered the other. ‘Welcome to thee, O Younus!’ rejoined the prince. ‘By Allah, I have long wished to look on thee; for I have heard of thy report. How didst thou pass the night?’ ‘Well,’ answered Younus; ‘may God the Most High advance thee!’ ‘Peradventure,’ said the prince, ‘thou repentedst thee of that thou didst yesterday and saidst in thyself, “I have delivered my slave-girl to a man whom I know not, neither know I his name nor whence he cometh?”’ ‘God forbid, O Amir,’ replied Younus, ‘that I should repent over her! Had I made gift of her to the prince, she were the least of the gifts that are given unto him, for indeed she is not worthy of his rank.’ ‘By Allah,’ rejoined Welid, ‘but I repented me of having taken her from thee and said in myself, “This man is a stranger and knows me not, and I have taken him by surprise and acted inconsiderately by him, in my haste to take the damsel!” Dost thou recall what passed between us?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Younus. Quoth Welid, ‘Dost thou sell her to me for fifty thousand dirhems?’ And Younus said, ‘I do.’
Then the prince called to one of his servants, to bring him fifty thousand dirhems and a thousand and five hundred dinars to boot, and gave them all to Younus, saying, ‘The thousand dinars are for thy fair thought of us and the five hundred for the expenses of thy journey and what thou shalt buy for thy people. Art thou content?’ ‘I am content,’ answered Younus and kissed his hands, saying, ‘By Allah, thou hast filled my eyes and my hands and my heart!’ Quoth Welid, ‘By Allah, I have as yet had no privacy of her nor have I taken my fill of her singing. Bring her to me.’ So she came and he bade her sit, then said to her, ‘Sing.’ And she sang these verses:
Thou that comprisest all charms of every kind, O sweet of nature and great of amorous grace,
In Turks and Arabs are beauties all; but none Like thee, my loveling, doth all in all embrace.
O bless thy lover, my fair, with thy promised sight, Though but in visions of dreams, that flit apace!
Sweet are the sleepless nights, for thy sake, to me And goodly even abasement and disgrace.
I’m not the first one distraught for thee; ere me, How many a mortal thou’st slain with that fair face!
Thou, as my portion o’ th’ world, wouldst me content; To me thou’rt dearer than life and goods and place.
When he heard this, he was greatly delighted and praised Younus’s excellent teaching of her and the fair education he had given her. Then he bade his servants bring him a hackney, with its trappings and furniture, for his riding, and a mule to carry his gear, and said to him, ‘O Younus, when thou hearest that the Khalifate has fallen to me, come thou to me, and by Allah, I will fill thy hands with good and advance thee to honour and make thee rich as long as thou livest!’ So Younus took his goods and departed; and when he heard that Welid had succeeded to the Khalifate, he repaired to him; and by Allah, he kept his promise to him and entreated him with exceeding munificence. Then Younus abode with him in all content and honour and his affairs prospered and his wealth increased and goods and farms became his, such as sufficed him and his heirs after him; nor did he cease to abide with Welid, till he was slain, the mercy of God the Most High be on him!
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
THE KHALIF HAROUN ER RESHID AND THE ARAB GIRL
The Khalif Haroun er Reshid was walking one day with Jaafer the Barmecide, when he espied a company of girls drawing water and went up to them, having a mind to drink. As he drew near, one of them turned to her fellows and recited the following verses:
Bid thou thy spright from my couch, I pray, At the season of slumber turn away,
So I may rest me and eke the fire In my bones that rages may have allay.
For me, the love-lorn, whom passion’s hands Turn on the carpet of sickness aye,
Thou knowest well how it is with me: Doth thy favour last for a single day?
The Khalif marvelled at her beauty and eloquence and said to her, ‘O daughter of nobles, are these verses thine own or a quotation?’ ‘They are my own,’ answered she. ‘If thou say sooth,’ rejoined the Khalif, ‘keep the sense and change the rhyme.’ So she said:
Bid thou thy phantom forswear my stead At the season of sleep and drowsihead,
So I may rest me and eke the fire Be quenched in my body that rages red.
For me, a sick one, whom passion’s hands Turn on affliction’s unrestful bed,
Thou knowest well how it is with me: Can aught of thy favours stand in stead?
Quoth the Khalif, ‘This also is stolen.’ ‘Nay,’ replied she, ‘it is my own.’ ‘If it be indeed thine own,’ said Er Reshid, ‘change the rhyme again and keep the sense.’ So she recited the following:
Bid thine image hold off from my place of repose, What time in slumber men’s eyes do close,
So I may rest me and eke the fire Be quenched in mine entrails that ever glows.
For me, a sick one, whom passion’s hands Turn on the carpet of wake and woes,
Thou knowest well how it is with me: Are thy favours bought with a price, who knows?
Quoth Er Reshid, ‘This too is stolen.’ ‘Not so,’ said she; ‘it is mine.’ ‘If it be so,’ rejoined he, ‘change the rhyme once more.’ And she recited as follows:
