Malayan Literature Part 18

"O Asraf-el-Kaum, the woman has gone. But just a moment ago I saw her from afar, seated at the oratory, and now she has suddenly disappeared." The prince added: "O Asraf-el-Kaum, perhaps, as with the prophet Zachariah (upon whom be blessings!), her prayer has been answered and she has entered this tree."

Then he offered this prayer to G.o.d the most high and worthy, of all praise: "O G.o.d, if thou wilt permit that this woman be united to thy servant, then grant her to him."

The prayer of the King Chah Djouhou was heard, and a woman of dazzling beauty appeared before his eyes. He desired to seize her, but the princess Djouher-Manikam p.r.o.nounced these words: "Beware of touching me, for I am a true believer." Hearing these words the King Chah Djouhou drew back, a little ashamed. Then he said:

"Woman, what is your country? Whose child are you, and what is your name?"

The princess answered: "For a long time I have dwelt here, and I have no father nor mother. My name is Djouher-Manikam."

The King, hearing these words of the princess Djouher-Manikam, took off his cloak and gave it to the princess, who covered all her body with it. Then she got up and descended to the ground. Then King Chah Djouhou, dismounting from his horse, received her, put her on his horse, and took her to the country of Damas.

Asraf-el-Kaum then said to the King: "O my lord, sovereign of the world, you made a promise to your servant. Be not careless nor forgetful, my lord."

"Asraf-el-Kaum, be not disturbed. I will fulfil my promise to you. If it pleases G.o.d, when I have arrived in our own country, I shall certainly give you all that I promised you."

King Chah Djouhou set out for the country of Damas.

After a certain time on the way, the prince came to the city of Damas and entered his palace. He commanded one of his pages to summon the cadi, and a page went promptly to call him. The latter, in all haste, entered the presence of the King. Chah Djouhou said: "O cadi, marry me to the princess Djouher-Manikam." And the cadi married them. After the celebration of the marriage the prince Chah Djouhou gave to Asraf-el- Kaum 1,000 dinars and some of his slaves, both men and women. King Djouhou and Princess Djouher-Manikam were happy and full of tenderness for each other. Within a few years the princess had two sons, both very beautiful. The prince loved these children very fondly. But above all he loved his wife. He was full of tender solicitude for her, and bore himself with regard to her with the same careful attention that a man uses who carries oil in the hollow of his hand. Some time later Princess Djouher-Manikam had another son of great beauty. The prince loved this third child tenderly. He gave him a great number of nurses and governesses, as is the custom for the children of the greatest kings. And he never ceased to bestow upon him the most watchful care.

It happened one day that the ministers, the chiefs, and the courtiers of the King, all gathered in his presence, were enjoying all sorts of sport and amus.e.m.e.nts. The prince showed himself very joyous, and the princess herself played and amused herself with the three children. Her countenance shone with the brightness of rubies; but happening to think of her father, her mother, and her brother, she began to weep and said: "Alas, how unhappy I am! If my father, mother, and brother could see my three children, necessarily their affection for me would be greater."

And the princess Djouher-Manikam burst into sobs. The prince, who was not far from there, heard her, and as the princess did not stop weeping he asked her: "O princess, why do you weep thus? What do I lack in your eyes? Is it riches or physical beauty or n.o.ble birth? Or is it the spirit of justice? Tell me what is the cause of your tears?"

Princess Djouher-Manikam answered: "Sovereign of the world, your Majesty has not a single fault. Your riches equal those of Haroun. Your beauty equals that of the prophet Joseph (peace be upon him!). Your extraction equals that of the envoy of G.o.d (Mahomet). May the benediction of G.o.d and blessings rest upon him! Your justice equals that of King Rouchirouan. I don't see a single fault in you, my lord."

King Chah Djouhou said: "If it is thus, why then does my princess shed tears?"

Princess Djouher-Manikam answered: "If I wept thus while playing with my three children, it is because I thought that if my father, my mother, and my brother should see my three children, necessarily their affection for me would be greater. And that is why I shed tears."

King Chah Djouhou said to her: "O my young wife, dear princess, are your father and mother still living? What is your father's name?"

Princess Djouher-Manikam answered, "O my lord, my father is named Haroun-er-Raschid, King of Bagdad."

Clasping her in his arms and kissing her, the prince asked her: "Why, until this day have you not told the truth to your husband?"

And the princess answered: "I wished to avow the truth, but perhaps my lord would not have had faith. It is on account of the children that I tell the truth."

King Chah Djouhou answered: "Since it is so, it is fitting that we should start, and make a visit upon King Haroun-er-Raschid."

He called his ministers, ordered them to make all the preparations, and commanded them to place in order ingots of gold and ingots of silver on which were graven the name of King Haroun-er-Raschid; and his ministers' vestments woven of goats' hair and fine wool, stuffs of price, many kinds of superb precious stones of various colors, formed the burden of forty camels, which bore these presents to the King, his father-in-law, in the city of Bagdad.

During the night Princess Djouher thought in her heart: "If the two kings meet, there will necessarily be discord, and at the end separation." Having thus thought she said to her husband: "O sovereign of the world, do not set out at the same time with me, for in my opinion the meeting of the two kings would have as a final result a disagreement. Permit me therefore to start first with the three children, that I may present them to my father and mother. Give the command to conduct me to the country of Bagdad, near my father, to whomsoever you shall judge worthy of your confidence for this mission."

When the prince heard these words of the princess whom he loved so tenderly and whose wishes he granted, he ordered his ministers and chiefs to arrange the transport of the princess and her children.

Addressing the ministers he said as follows: "O you my ministers, whom among you can I charge to conduct safely my wife and three children to Bagdad, near their ancestor King Haroun-er-Raschid?"

No one among them dared approach and speak. All held silence. Then the prince, addressing the oldest minister of all, said:

"O my minister, it is you to whom, following the dictates of my heart, I can trust to accompany my wife and three children. For I have always found you loyal and faithful to me. Beside, you are older than the other ministers. And you have the fear of G.o.d the most high and worthy of all praise as well as respect for your King."

The minister said: "O my lord, it is in all sincerity that your servant puts above his head the commands of your Majesty. I shall do my whole duty in conducting the princess and her children to the King Haroun-er- Raschid."

So the King Chah Djouhou trusted his wife and his three children to this perfidious minister, reposing upon the promise he had made. Forty camels were laden with presents, forty nurses for the children, one hundred ladies in the suite of the princess, a thousand cavaliers, well armed and well equipped, formed the escort. The princess took leave of her husband. He held her clasped in his arms, and, weeping, covered her and his three children with kisses. He bade her to present his homage to her father the Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid, his salutations to her elder brother Minbah-Chahaz, and to place at the feet of their majesties a thousand and a thousand apologies, and to make his excuses to her brother Minbah-Chahaz. Then the prince said to the wicked minister:

"O my minister, you must go now, and lead the camel of my wife, for I have perfect confidence in you. Above all, guard her well."

But the King did not lean upon G.o.d the most high and worthy of all praise, and that is why G.o.d punished him.

When the prince had finished speaking to the minister the latter said: "O my lord, King of the world, your servant bears your command on his head." So the cavalcade started on the march. Princess Djouher-Manikam mounted her camel with her three children. A body-guard held the van.

She proceeded accompanied by the wretched minister and all the escort, wending from day to day toward the city of Bagdad. They had reached one of the halting-places when day was turning into night. The minister then erected a tent so that the princess might repose in it. The people put up their tents all about. Princess Djouher-Manikam dismounted from her camel and entered the tent, with her three children. The tents of the nurses and ladies-in-waiting surrounded the tent of the princess in a circle. In the middle of the night a violent rain began to fall. Then the wretched minister, stirred by Satan, was stirred in his heart. He thought: "The King's wife is most beautiful; beautiful, indeed, as her name, Djouher-Manikam. I must marry her."

So the rebel minister started, and entered the tent of the princess, and asked her to marry him. He found her seated by her three children, occupied in chasing away the mosquitoes. When the princess saw him enter her tent she asked him: "O my minister, what brings you to my tent at this hour in the middle of the night?"

The minister answered, "I have come to beg you to marry me."

The princess then said: "Is that what brings you here? And it was to you that the King intrusted me on account of your great age, and as if you were my father. It was in you that he put all his confidence that you would take us safely, me and my children, to my venerable father, King Haroun-er-Raschid. What must be your nature, that you should so betray his trust?"

The wretched minister replied: "If you refuse to marry me, I will kill your children."

"Never," said the princess, "never shall I consent to marry you. And if you kill my children, what can I do against the decree of G.o.d, save to invoke his name?"

The minister killed one of the children. When it was dead, he made the same demand on the princess for the second time, and she answered: "Never shall I consent to marry you."

The minister said: "If you refuse, I shall kill another of your children."

The Princess Djouher-Manikam answered: "If you slay my child, it is by the decree of G.o.d, and I submit to his will."

The minister killed the second child.

"No," repeated the princess. "Never shall I consent to wed you."

The wretched minister said: "Then I will kill your third child."

"If you kill him, what can I do but to submit to the will of G.o.d, and invoke his name?" The third son of the King was killed.

Questioned anew, the princess said again, "Never shall I marry you."

And the wicked minister said: "If you will not marry me, I will kill you, too."

Then the princess thought in her heart: "If I do not appear to yield, he will kill me, too, without a doubt. I must employ a trick." Then she said: "Await me here, until I wash from my clothes and my body the stains of my children's blood."

The minister accursed of G.o.d replied: "Very well. I await you here."

Then the princess Djouher went out of her tent. The rain was falling in torrents. The princess, fleeing precipitately, walked during the whole night, not knowing where she was going. She had walked many hours when day broke. The princess arrived thus near a tree in the midst of the plain, and, having measured its height with her eyes, she climbed into it. At this moment there pa.s.sed along the road a merchant who had made his sales and was returning to the city of Ba.s.srah. His name was Biyapri. Pa.s.sing beneath the tree he raised his eyes and beheld a woman seated in the tree.

"Who are you?" he said; "are you woman or djinn?"

"I am neither demon nor djinn, but a descendant of the prophet of G.o.d (may blessings rest upon him), a disciple of the prophet Mahomet, envoy of G.o.d."

Biyapri climbed up the tree, put her on his camel, and taking up his journey conducted her to the country of Ba.s.srah. Arriving at his house he desired to marry her. But she put him off saying: "Wait, for I have made a solemn vow before G.o.d not to look upon the face of a man for forty days. When the time expires, that will be possible. But if these forty days have not yet run I should surely die." So Biyapri installed her on his latticed roof and lavished attention and care upon her.