The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume V Part 6

Was faint with joys her love had made me drain: We toyed and joyed and on each other lay; *

Then fell to wine and soft melodious strain: And for excess of joyance never knew, *

How went the day and how it came again.

Fair fall each lover, may he union win *

And gain of joy like me the amplest gain; Nor weet the taste of severance' bitter fruit *

And joys a.s.sain them as they us a.s.sain!"

Then they went forth and distributed to the folk alms and presents of money and raiment and rare gifts and other tokens of generosity; after which Rose-in-Hood bade clear the bath for her[FN#80] and, turning to Uns al-Wujud said to him, "O coolth of my eyes, I have a mind to see thee in the Hammam, and therein we will be alone together." He joyfully consented to this, and she let scent the Hammam with all sorts of perfumed woods and essences, and light the wax-candles. Then of the excess of her contentment she recited these couplets,

"O who didst win my love in other date *

(And Present e'er must speak of past estate); And, oh! who art my sole sufficiency, *

Nor want I other friends with me to mate: Come to the Hammam, O my light of eyes, *

And enter Eden through Gehenna-gate!

We'll scent with ambergris and aloes-wood *

Till float the heavy clouds with fragrant freight; And to the World we'll pardon all her sins *

And sue for mercy the Compa.s.sionate; And I will cry, when I descry thee there, *

'Good cheer, sweet love, all blessings on thee wait!'"[FN#81]

Whereupon they arose and fared to the bath and took their pleasure therein; after which they returned to their palace and there abode in the fulness of enjoyment, till there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and the Sunderer of societies; and glory be to Him who changeth not neither ceaseth, and to whom everything returneth! And they also tell a tale of

ABU NOWAS WITH THE THREE BOYS AND THE CALIPH HARUN AL-RAs.h.i.+D[FN#82]

Abu Nowas one day shut himself up and, making ready a richly-furnished feast, collected for it meats of all kinds and of every colour that lips and tongue can desire. Then he went forth, to seek a minion worthy of such entertainment, saying, "Allah, my Lord and my Master, I beseech Thee to send me one who befitteth this banquet and who is fit to carouse with me this day!" Hardly had he made an end of speaking when he espied three youths handsome and beardless, as they were of the boys of Paradise,[FN#83] differing in complexion but fellows in incomparable beauty; and all hearts yearned with desire to the swaying of their bending shapes, even to what saith the poet,

"I pa.s.sed a beardless pair without compare *

And cried, 'I love you, both you ferly fir!'

'Money'd?' quoth one: quoth I, 'And lavish too;' *

Then said the fair pair, 'Pere, c'est notre affaire.'"

Now Abu Nowas was given to these joys and loved to sport and make merry with fair boys and cull the rose from every brightly blooming check, even as saith the bard,

Full many a reverend Shaykh feels sting of flesh, *

Loves pretty faces, shows at Pleasure's depot: Awakes in Mosul,[FN#84] land of purity; *

And all the day dreams only of Aleppo.[FN#85]

So he accosted them with the salutation, and they returned his greeting with civility and all honour and would have gone their several ways, but he stayed them, repeating these couplets,

"Steer ye your steps to none but me *

Who hath a mine of luxury:- Old wine that s.h.i.+nes with brightest blee *

Made by the monk in monastery; And mutton-meat the toothsomest *

And birds of all variety.

Then eat of these and drink of those *

Old wines that bring you jollity: And have each other, turn by turn, *

Shampooing this my tool you see."[FN#86]

Thereupon the youths were beguiled by his verses and consented to his wishes,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three hundred and Eighty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abu Nowas beguiled the youths with his wishes, saying, "We hear and obey;" and accompanied him to his lodging, where they found all ready that he had set forth in his couplets. They sat down and ate and drank and made merry awhile, after which they appealed to Abu Nowas to decide which of them was handsometh of face and shapliest of form. So he pointed to one of them and, having kissed him twice over, recited the following verses,

"I'll ransom that beauty-spot with my soup; *

Where's it and where is a money-dole?[FN#87]

Praise Him who hairless hath made that cheek *

And bid Beauty bide in that mole, that mole!"

Then he pointed to another and, kissing his lips, repeated these couplets,

"And loveling weareth on his cheek a mole *

Like musk, which virgin camphor ne'er lets off it: My peepers marvel such a contrast seeing; *

And cried the Mole to me, 'Now bless the Prophet.'"[FN#88]

Then he pointed to the third and, after kissing him half a score times repeated these couplets,

"Melted pure gold in silvern bowl to drain *

The youth, whose fingers wore a winey stain: He with the drawers[FN#89] served one cup of wine, *

And served his wandering eyes the other twain.

A loveling, of the sons of Turks,[FN#90] a fawn *

Whose waist conjoins the double Mounts Honayn.[FN#91]

Could Eve's corrupting daughers[FN#92] tempt my heart *

Content with two-fold lure 'twould bear the bane.

Unto Diyar-I-Bakr ('maid-land '[FN#93] this one lures; *

That lures to two-mosqued cities of the plain."[FN#94]

Now each of the youths had drunk two cups, and when it came to the turn of Abu Nowas, he took the goblet and repeated these couplets,

"Drink not strong wine save at the slender dearling's hand; *

Each like to other in all gifts the spirt grace: For wine can never gladden toper's heart and soul, *

Unless the cup-boy show a bright and sparkling face."

Then he drank off his cup and the bowl went round, and when it came to Abu Nowas again, joyance got the mastery of him and he repeated these couplets,

"For cup-friends cup succeeding cup a.s.sign, *

Br.i.m.m.i.n.g with grape-juice, brought in endliess line, By hand of brown-lipped[FN#95] Beauty who is sweet *

At wake as apple or musk finest fine.[FN#96]

Drink not the wine except from hand of fawn *

Whose cheek to kiss is sweeter than the wine."

Presently the drink got into his noddle, drunkenness mastered him and he knew not hand from head, so that he lolled from side to side in joy and inclined to the youths one and all, anon kissing them and anon embracing them leg overlying leg. And he showed no sense of sin or shame, but recited these couplets,

"None wotteth best joyance but generous youth *

When the pretty ones deign with him company keep: This sings to him, sings to him that, when he wants *

A pick-me-up[FN#97] lying there all of a heap: And when of a loveling he needeth a kiss, *

He takes from his lips or a draught or a nip; Heaven bless them! How sweetly my day with them sped; *

A wonderful harvest of pleasure I reap: Let us drink our good liquor both watered and pure, *