The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume V Part 13

then he went to the mosque and prayed with the congregation and returned to his work. He did the same upon the call to mid- afternoon prayer, and when I saw him fall to work again thereafterward, I said to him, ?O my friend, verily the hours of labour are over; a workman's day is but till the time of afternoon-prayer.' But he replied, ?Praise to the Lord, my service is till the night.' And he ceased not to work till nightfall, when I gave him two dirhams; whereupon he asked ?What is this!'; and I answered, ?By Allah, this is but part of thy wage, because of thy diligence in my service.' But he threw them back to me saying, ?I will have no more than was agreed upon between us twain.' I urged him to take them, but could not prevail upon him; so I gave him the dirham and the danik, and he went away. And when morning dawned, I went to the station but found him not; so I enquired for him and was told, ?He cometh thither only on Sabbaths.' Accordingly, when Sat.u.r.day came, I betook me to the market and finding him there, said to him, ?Bismillah, do me the favour to come and work for me.' Said he, ?Upon the conditions thou wottest;' and I answered ?Yes!' Then carrying him to my house I stood to watch him where he could not see me; and he took a handful of puddled clay and laid it on the wall, when, behold, the stones ranged themselves one upon other; and I said, ?On this wise are Allah's holy ones.' he worked out his day and did even more than before; and when it was night, I gave him his hire, and he took it and walked away. Now when the third Sat.u.r.day came round, I went to the place of standing, but found him not; so I asked after him and they told me, ?He is sick and lying in the shanty of such a woman.' Now this was an old wife, renowned for piety, who had a hovel of reeds in the burial- ground. So I fared thither and found him stretched on the floor which was bare, with a brick for a pillow and his face beaming like the new moon with light. I saluted him and he returned my salam; and I sat down at his head weeping over his fair young years and absence from home and submission to the will of his Lord. Then said I to him, ?Hast thou any need?' ?Yes,' answered he; and I said, ?What is it?' He replied, ?Come hither to-morrow in the forenoon and thou wilt find me dead. Wash me and dig my grave and tell none thereof: but shroud me in this my gown, after thou hast unsewn it and taken out what thou shalt find in the bosom-pocket, which keep with thee. Then, when thou hast prayed over me and laid me in the dust, go to Baghdad and watch for the Caliph Harun al-Ras.h.i.+d, till he come forth, when do thou give him what thou shalt find in the breast of my gown and bear him my salutation.' Then he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the profession of the Faith and glorified his G.o.d in the most eloquent of words, reciting these couplets,

?Carry the trust of him whom death awaits *

To Al-Ras.h.i.+d and G.o.d reward thy care!

And say ?An exile who desired thy sight *

Long loving, from afar sends greeting fair.

Nor hate nor irk (No!) him from thee withdrew, *

Kissing thy right to Heaven brought him near.[FN#165]

But what estranged his soul, O sire, from thee *

Is that thy worldly joys it would not share!'

Then he betook himself to prayer, asking pardon of Allah'--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the youth then betook himself to asking pardon of Allah and to invoking prayer and praise upon the Apostle and the Lord of the Just and repeating verses of the Koran; after which he recited these couplets,

"O sire, be not deceived by worldly joys; *

For life must pa.s.s, and joy must learn to mourn; When thou art told of folk in evil plight, *

Think thou must answer for all hearts forlorn; And when thou bear thy dead towards the tombs, *

Know thou wilt likewise on that way be bourne."

Continued Abu the Basri, "Now when the youth had ended his charge and his verses I left him and went home. On the morrow, I returned, at the appointed hour, and found him indeed dead, the mercy of Allah be upon him! So I washed him and, unsewing his gown, found in the bosom a ruby worth thousands of gold pieces and said to myself, ?By Allah, this youth was indeed weaned from worldly things!' After I had buried him, I made my way to Baghdad and, going to the Caliph's palace, waited till he came forth, when I addressed him in one of the streets and gave him the ruby, which when he saw, he knew and fell down in a fainting- fit. His attendants laid hands on me, but he revived and said to them, ?Release him and bring him courteously to the palace.'

They did his bidding, and when he returned, he sent for me and carrying me into his chamber said to me, ?How doth the owner of this ruby?' Quoth I, ?Verily, he is dead;' and told him what had pa.s.sed; whereupon he fell a-weeping and said, ?The son hath gained; but the sire hath lost.' Then he called out, saying, ?Ho, such an one!'; and behold there came out to him a lady who, when she saw me, would have withdrawn; but he cried to her, ?Come, and mind him not.' So she entered and saluted, and he threw her the ruby, which when she saw and she knew, she shrieked a great shriek and fell down in a swoon. As soon as she came to herself, she said, ?O Commander of the Faithful, what hath Allah done with my son?'; and he said to me, ?Do thou tell her his case' (as he could not speak for weeping). Accordingly, I repeated the story to her, and she began to shed tears and say in a faint and wailing voice, ?How I have longed for thy sight, O solace of mine eyes![FN#166] Would I might have given thee to drink, when thou hadst none to slake thy thirst! Would I might have cheered thee, whenas thou foundest never a cheerer!' And she poured forth tears and recited these couplets,

?I weep for one whose lot a lonely death befel; *

Without a friend to whom he might complain and moan: And after glory and glad union with his friends, *

He woke to desolation, friendless, lorn and lone; What Fortune hides a while she soon to all men shall show; *

Death never spared a man; no, not a single one: O absent one, my Lord decreed thee strangerhood, *

Far from thy nearest friends and to long exile gone: Though Death forbid my hope of meeting here again, *

On Doom-day's morrow we shall meet again, my son![FN#167]

Quoth I, ?O Commander of the Faithful, was he indeed thy son?'

Quoth he, ?Yes, and indeed, before I succeeded to this office, he was wont to visit the learned and company with the devout; but, when I became Caliph, he grew estranged from me and withdrew himself apart.[FN#168] Then said I to his mother, ?Verily this thy son hath cut the world and devoted his life to Almighty Allah, and it may be that hard times shall befal him and he be smitten with trial of evil chance; wherefore do thou given him this ruby, which he may find useful in hour of need.' So she gave it him, conjuring him to take it, and he obeyed her bidding.

Then he left to us the things of our world and removed himself from us; nor did he cease to be absent from us, till he went to the presence of Allah (to whom be Honour and Glory!), pious and pure.' Then said he, ?Come, show me his grave.' So, I travelled with him to Ba.s.sorah and showed him his son's grave; and when he saw it, he wept and lamented, till he fell down in a swoon; after which he recovered and asked pardon of the Lord, saying, ?We are Allah's and unto Him we are returning!'; and involved blessings on the dead. Then he asked me to become his companion, but I said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, verily, in thy son's case is for me the most momentous of admonitions!' And I recited these couplets,

"?Tis I am the stranger, visited by none; *

I am the stranger though in town my own: ?Tis I am the stranger! Lacking kith and son, *

And friend to whom I mote for aidance run.

I house in mosques which are my only home; *

My heart there wones and shall for ever wone: Then laud ye Allah, Lord of Worlds, as long *

As soul and body dwell in union!'"

And a famous tale is told of

THE UNWISE SCHOOLMASTER WHO FELL IN LOVE BY REPORT

Quoth one of the learned, "I pa.s.sed once by a school, wherein a schoolmaster was teaching children; so I entered, finding him a good-looking man and a well-dressed; when he rose to me and made me sit with him. Then I examined him in the Koran and in syntax and prosody and lexicography; and behold, he was perfect in all required of him, so I said to him, ?Allah strengthen thy purpose!

Thou art indeed versed in all that is requisite,' thereafter I frequented him a while, discovering daily some new excellence in him, and quoth I to myself, ?This is indeed a wonder in any dominie; for the wise are agreed upon a lack of wit in children's teachers.' Then I separated myself from him and sought him and visited him only every few days, till coming to see him one day as of wont, I found the school shut and made enquiry of his neighbors, who replied, ?Some one is dead in his house.' So I said in my mind, ?It behoveth me to pay him a visit of condolence,' and going to his house, knocked at the door, when a slave-girl came out to me and asked, ?What dost thou want?' and I answered, ?I want thy master.' She replied, ?He is sitting alone, mourning;' and I rejoined, ?Tell him that his friend so and so seeketh to console him.' She went in and told him; and he said, ?Admit him.' So she brought me in to him, and I found him seated alone and his head bound with mourning fillets. So I said to him, ?Allah requite thee amply! this is a path all must perforce tread, and it behoveth thee to take patience;' adding, ?But who is dead unto thee?' He answered, ?One who was dearest of the folk to me, and best beloved.' ?Perhaps thy father?' ?No!'

?Thy brother?' "No!' "One of thy kindred?' ?No!' Then asked I, ?What relation was the dead to thee?'; and he answered, ?My lover.' Quoth I to myself, ?This is the first proof to swear by his lack of wit.' So I said to him, ?a.s.suredly there be others than she and fairer;' and he made answer, ?I never saw her, that I might judge whether or no there be others fairer than she.'

Quoth I to myself, ?This is another proof positive.' Then I said to him, ?And how couldst thou fall in love with one thou hast never seen?' He replied ?Know that I was sitting one day at the window, when lo! there pa.s.sed by a man, singing the following distich,

?Umm Amr',[FN#169] thy boons Allah repay! *

Give back my heart be't where it may!'"

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the schoolmaster continued, " ?When I heard the man humming these words as he pa.s.sed along the street, I said to myself ?Except this Umm Amru were without equal in the world, the poets had not celebrated her in ode and canzon.' So I fell in love with her; but, two days after, the same man pa.s.sed, singing the following couplet,

?a.s.s and Umm Amr' went their way; *

Nor she, nor a.s.s returned for aye.'

Thereupon I knew she was dead and mourned for her. This was three days ago, and I have been mourning ever since. So I left him, (concluded the learned one) and fared forth, having a.s.sured myself of the weakness of the gerund-grinder's wit." And they tell another and a similar tale of

THE FOOLISH DOMINIE[FN#170]

Once upon a time, a schoolmaster was visited by a man of letters who entered a school and, sitting down by the host's side, entered into discourse with him and found him an accomplished theologian, poet grammarian, philologist and poet; intelligent, well bred and pleasant spoken; whereat he wondered, saying in himself, "It cannot be that a man who teacheth children in a school, should have a perfect wit." Now when he was about to go away, the pedant said to him, "Thou are my guest to-night;" and he consented to receive hospitality and accompanied him to his house, where he made much of him and set food before him. They ate and drank and sat talking, till a third part of the night was past when the host spread his guest a bed and went up to his Harim. The stranger lay down and addressed himself to sleep, when, behold, there arose a great clamour in the women's rooms.

He asked what was the matter and they said, "A terrible thing hath befallen the Shaykh and he is at the last gasp." Said he, "Take me up to him"; so they took him up to the pedagogue whom he found lying insensible, with his blood streaming down. He sprinkled water on his face and when he revived, he asked him, "What hath betided thee? When thou leftest me, thou wast in all good cheer and whole of body," and he answered, "O my brother, after I left thee, I sat meditating on the creative works of Almighty Allah, and said to myself: ?In every thing the Lord hath created for man, there is an use; for He (to Whom be glory!) made the hands to seize, the feet to walk, the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the p.e.n.i.s to increase and multiply; and so on with all the members of the body, except these two ballocks; there is no use in them.' So I took a razor I had by me and cut them off; and there befel me what thou seest." So the guest left him and went away, saying, "He was in the right who said, ?Verily no schoolmaster who teacheth children can have a perfect wit, though he know all the sciences.'" And they tell a pleasant tale of the

ILLITERATE WHO SET UP FOR A SCHOOLMASTER

There was once, among the menials[FN#171] of a certain mosque, a man who knew not how to write or even to read and who gained his bread by gulling folk. One day, it occurred to him to open a school and teach children; so he got together writing-tablets and written papers and hung them up in a high place. Then he greatened his turband[FN#172] and sat down at the door of the school; and when the people, who pa.s.sed by, saw his huge head- gear and tablets and scrolls, they thought he must be a very learned pedagogue; so they brought him their children; and he would say to this, "Write," and to that "Read"; and thus the little ones taught each other. Now one day, as he sat as of wont, at the door of the school, behold, up came a woman letter in hand, and he said in his mind, "This woman doubtless seeketh me, that I may read her the missive she hath in her hand: how shall I do with her, seeing I cannot read writing?" And he would fain have gone down and fled from her; but, before he could do this, she overtook him and said to him, "Whither away?" Quoth he, "I purpose to pray the noon-prayer and return." Quoth she, "Noon is yet distant, so read me this letter." He took the letter and turning it upside down, fell to looking at it, now shaking his head till his turband quivered, then dancing his eyebrows and anon showing anger and concern. Now the letter came from the woman's husband, who was absent; and when she saw the dominie do on this wise, she said to herself, "Doubtless my husband is dead, and this learned doctor of law and religion is ashamed to tell me so." So she said to him, "O my lord, if he be dead, tell me;" but he shook his head and held his peace. Then said she, "Shall I rend my raiment?" "Rend!" replied he. "Shall I beat my face?" asked she; and he answered, "Beat!" So she took the letter from his hand and returned home fell a-weeping, she and her children. Presently, one of her neighbours heard her sobbing and asking what aileth her, was answered, "Of a truth she hath gotten a letter, telling her that her husband is dead."

Quoth the man, "This is a falsehood; for I had a letter from him but yesterday, advising me that he is whole and in good health and will be with her after ten days." So he rose forthright and going in to her, said, "Where is the letter which came to thee?"

She brought it to him, and he took it and read it; and lo! it ran as follows, "After the usual salutations, I am well and in good health and whole and will be with you all after ten days.

Meanwhile, I send you a quilt and an extinguisher."[FN#173] So she took the letter and, returning to the schoolmaster, said to him, "What induced thee to deal thus with me?" And she repeated to him what her neighbour had told her of her husband's well- being and of his having sent her a quilt and an extinguisher.

Answered he, "Thou art in the right, O good woman; for I was, at the time"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the pedagogue replied, "Verily I was at that time fashed and absent- minded and, seeing the extinguisher wrapped up in the quilt, I thought that he was dead and they had shrouded him." The woman, not smoking the cheat, said, "Thou art excused," and taking the letter, went her ways.[FN#174] And they relate a story of