The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume VIII Part 17

As he made an end of his recitation, he found himself walking adown in Zayn al-Mawasif's street and smelt the sweet savour of the pastiles wherewithal she had incensed the house; wherefore his vitals fluttered and his heart was like to leave his breast and desire flamed up in him and distraction redoubled upon him; when lo, and behold! Hubub, on her way to do her lady's errand suddenly appeared at the head of the street and he rejoiced with joy exceeding. When she saw him, she went up to him and saluting him, gave him the glad news of her mistress's return, saying, "She hath sent me to bid thee to her." Whereat he was glad indeed, with gladness naught could exceed; and she took him and returned with him to the house. When Zayn al-Mawasif saw him, she came down to him from the couch and kissed him and he kissed her and she embraced him and he embraced her; nor did they leave kissing and embracing till both swooned away for stress of affection and separation. They lay a long while senseless, and when they revived, Zayn al-Mawasif bade Hubub fetch her a gugglet of sherbet of sugar and another of sherbet of lemons. So she brought what she desired and they sat eating and drinking nor ceased before nightfall, when they fell to recalling all that had befallen them from commencement to conclusion. Then she acquainted him with her return to Al-Islam, whereat he rejoiced and he also became a Moslem. On like wise did her women, and they ail repented to Allah Almighty of their infidelity. On the morrow she made send for the Kazi and the witnesses and told them that she was a widow and had completed the purification period and was minded to marry Masrur. So they drew up the wedding-contract between them and they abode in all delight of life. Meanwhile, the Jew, when the people of Adan released him from prison, set out homewards and fared on nor ceased faring till he came within three days' journey of the city. Now as soon as Zayn al-Mawasif heard of his coming she called for her handmaid Hubub and said to her, "Go to the Jews' burial-place and there dig a grave and plant on it sweet basil and jessamine and sprinkle water thereabout. If the Jew come and ask thee of me, answer, ?My mistress died twenty days ago of chagrin on thine account.' If he say, show me her tomb, take him to the grave and after weeping over it and making moan and lament before him, contrive to cast him therein and bury him alive."[FN#373] And Hubub answered, "I hear and I obey." Then they laid up the furniture in the store closets, and Zayn al-Mawasif removed to Masrur's lodging, where he and she abode eating and drinking, till the three days were past; at the end of which the Jew arrived and knocked at the door of his house. Quoth Hubub, "Who's at the door?"; and quoth he, "Thy master." So she opened to him and he saw the tears railing down her cheeks and said, "What aileth thee to weep and where is thy mistress?" She replied, "My mistress is dead of chagrin on thine account." When he heard this, he was perplexed and wept with sore weeping and presently said, "O Hubub, where is her tomb?" So she carried him to the Jews' burial-ground and showed him the grave she had dug; whereupon he shed bitter tears and recited this pair of couplets,[FN#374]

"Two things there are, for which if eyes wept tear on tear * Of blood, till they were like indeed to disappear, They never could fulfil the t.i.the of all their due: * And these are prime of youth and loss of loveling dear."

Then he wept again with bitter tears and recited these also,

"Alack and Alas! Patience taketh flight: * And from parting of friend to sore death I'm dight: O how woeful this farness from dear one, and oh * How my heart is rent by mine own unright!

Would Heaven my secret I erst had kept * Nor had told the pangs and my liverblight: I lived in all solace and joyance of life * Till she left and left me in piteous plight: O Zayn al-Mawasif, I would there were * No parting departing my frame and sprite: I repent me for troth-breach and blame my guilt * Of unruth to her whereon hopes I built."

When he had made an end of this verse, he wept and groaned and lamented till he fell down a-swoon, whereupon Hubub made haste to drag him to the grave and throw him in, whilst he was insensible yet quick withal. Then she stopped up the grave on him and returning to her mistress acquainted her with what had pa.s.sed, whereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy and recited these two couplets,

"The world sware that for ever 'twould gar me grieve: *Tis false, O world, so thine oath retrieve[FN#375]!

The blamer is dead and my love's in my arms: * Rise to herald of joys and tuck high thy sleeve[FN#376]!"

Then she and Masrur abode each with other in eating and drinking and sport and pleasure and good cheer, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and Sunderer of societies and Slayer of sons and daughters. And I have also heard tell the following tale of

ALI NUR AL-DIN AND MIRIAM THE GIRDLE-GIRL[FN#377]

There was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before in the parts of Cairo, a merchant named Taj al-Din who was of the most considerable of the merchants and of the chiefs of the freeborn. But he was given to travelling everywhere and loved to fare over wild and wold, waterless lowland and stony waste, and to journey to the isles of the seas, in quest of dirhams and dinars: wherefore he had in his time encountered dangers and suffered duresse of the way such as would grizzle little children and turn their black hair grey. He was possessed of black slaves and Mamelukes, eunuchs and concubines, and was the wealthiest of the merchants of his time and the goodliest of them in speech, owning horses and mules and Bactrian camels and dromedaries; sacks great and small of size; goods and merchandise and stuffs such as muslins of Hums, silks and brocades of Ba'allak, cotton of Mery, stuffs of India, gauzes of Baghdad, burnouses of Moorland and Turkish white slaves and Abyssinian castratos and Grecian girls and Egyptian boys; and the coverings of his bales were silk with gold purfled fair, for he was wealthy beyond compare. Furthermore he was rare of comeliness, accomplished in goodliness, and gracious in his kindliness, even as one of his describers doth thus express,

"A merchant I spied whose lovers * Were fighting in furious guise: Quoth he, 'Why this turmoil of people?' * Quoth I, 'Trader, for those fine eyes!'"

And saith another in his praise and saith well enough to accomplish the wish of him,

"Came a merchant to pay us a visit * Whose glance did my heart surprise: Quoth he, 'What surprised thee so?' * Quoth I, 'Trader, 'twas those fine eyes.'"

Now that merchant had a son called Ali Nur al-Din, as he were the full moon whenas it meeteth the sight on its fourteenth night, a marvel of beauty and loveliness, a model of form and symmetrical grace, who was sitting one day as was his wont, in his father's shop, selling and buying, giving and taking, when the sons of the merchants girt him around and he was amongst them as moon among stars, with brow flower-white and cheeks of rosy light in down the tenderest dight, and body like alabaster-bright even as saith of him the poet,

"'Describe me!' a fair one said. * Said I, 'Thou art Beauty's queen.'

And, speaking briefest speech, * 'All charms in thee are seen.'"

And as saith of him one of his describers,

"His mole upon plain of cheek is like * Ambergris-crumb on marble plate, And his glances likest the sword proclaim * To all Love's rebels 'The Lord is Great!'"[FN#378]

The young merchants invited him saying, "O my lord Nur al-Din, we wish thee to go this day a-pleasuring with us in such a garden."

And he answered, "Wait till I consult my parent, for I cannot go without his consent." As they were talking, behold, up came Taj al-Din, and his son looked at him and said, "O father mine, the sons of the merchants have invited me to wend a-pleasuring with them in such a garden. Dost thou grant me leave to go?" His father replied, "Yes, O my son, fare with them;" and gave him somewhat of money. So the young men mounted their mules and a.s.ses and Nur al-Din mounted a she-mule and rode with them to a garden, wherein was all that sould desireth and that eye charmeth. It was high of walls which from broad base were seen to rise; and it had a gateway vault-wise with a portico like a saloon and a door azure as the skies, as it were one of the gates of Paradise: the name of the door-keeper was Rizwan,[FN#379] and over the gate were trained an hundred trellises which grapes overran; and these were of various dyes, the red like coralline, the black like the snouts of Sudan[FN#380]-men and the white like egg of the pigeon-hen. And in it peach and pomegranate were shown and pear, apricot and pomegranate were grown and fruits with and without stone hanging in cl.u.s.ters or alone,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sons of the merchants entered the vergier, they found therein all that soul desireth or eye charmeth, grapes of many hues grown, hanging in bunches or alone, even as saith of them the poet,

"Grapes tasting with the taste of wine * Whose coats like blackest Raven's s.h.i.+ne: Their sheen, amid the leaf.a.ge shows, * Like women's fingers henna'd fine."

And as saith another on the same theme,

"Grape-bunches likest as they sway * A-stalk, my body frail and snell: Honey and water thus in jar, * When sourness past, make Hydromel."

Then they entered the arbour of the garden and say there Rizwan the gate-keeper sitting, as he were Rizwan the Paradise-guardian, and on the door were written these lines,

"Garth Heaven-watered wherein cl.u.s.ters waved * On boughs which full of sap to bend were fain: And, when the branches danced on Zephyr's palm, * The Pleiads shower'd as gifts[FN#381] fresh pearls for rain."

And within the arbour were written these two couplets,

"Come with us, friend, and enter thou * This garth that cleanses rust of grief: Over their skits the Zephyrs trip[FN#382] * And flowers in sleeve to laugh are lief."[FN#383]

So they entered and found all manner fruits in view and birds of every kind and hue, such as ringdove, nightingale and curlew; and the turtle and the cushat sang their love lays on the sprays.

Therein were rills that ran with limpid wave and flowers suave; and bloom for whose perfume we crave and it was even as saith of it the poet in these two couplets,

"The Zephyr breatheth o'er its branches, like * Fair girls that trip as in fair skirts they pace: Its rills resemble swords in hands of knights * Drawn from the scabbard and containing-case."[FN#384]

And again as singeth the songster,

"The streamlet swings by branchy wood and aye * Joys in its breast those beauties to display; And Zephyr noting this, for jealousy * Hastens and bends the branches other way."

On the trees of the garden were all manner fruits, each in two sorts, amongst them the pomegranate, as it were a ball of silver-dross,[FN#385] whereof saith the poet and saith right well,

"Granados of finest skin, like the b.r.e.a.s.t.s * Of maid firm-standing in sight of male; When I strip the skin, they at once display * The rubies compelling all sense to quail."

And even as quoth another bard,

"Close prest appear to him who views th' inside * Red rubies in brocaded skirts bedight: Granado I compare with marble dome * Or virgin's b.r.e.a.s.t.s delighting every sight: Therein is cure for every ill as e'en * Left an Hadis the Prophet pure of sprite; And Allah (glorify His name) eke deigned * A n.o.ble say in Holy Book indite.[FN#386]

The apples were the sugared and the musky and the Damani, amazing the beholder, whereof saith Ha.s.san the poet,

"Apple which joins hues twain, and brings to mind * The cheek of lover and beloved combined: Two wondrous opposites on branch they show * This dark[FN#387]

and that with hue incarnadined The twain embraced when spied the spy and turned * This red, that yellow for the shame designed."[FN#388]

There also were apricots of various kinds, almond and camphor and Jilani and 'Antabi,[FN#389] wereof saith the poet,

"And Almond-apricot suggesting swain * Whose lover's visit all his wits hath ta'en.

Enough of love-sick lovers' plight it shows * Of face deep yellow and heart torn in twain."[FN#390]

And saith another and saith well,

"Look at that Apricot whose bloom contains * Gardens with brightness gladding all men's eyne: Like stars the blossoms sparkle when the boughs * Are clad in foliage dight with sheen and s.h.i.+ne."

There likewise were plums and cherries and grapes, that the sick of all diseases a.s.sain and do away giddiness and yellow choler from the brain; and figs the branches between, varicoloured red and green, amazing sight and sense, even as saith the poet,

"'Tis as the Figs with clear white skins outthrown * By foliaged trees, athwart whose green they peep, Were sons of Roum that guard the palace-roof * When shades close in and night-long ward they keep."[FN#391]

And saith another and saith well,