Malayan Literature Part 21

The latter said to his minister, "O minister, where is the aethiopian whom they brought here?" The aethiopian robber was brought out, and prostrated himself before the King of Roum.

The King of Roum said to him: "aethiopian, return to your own country and change your mode of life. You will never see again the woman for whom you are seeking." And the prince gave him a _keti_ of gold.

Then the prince said: "O my minister, where is Biyapri? Let them bring him here." So they brought Biyapri. When he arrived he bowed low before the prince.

The prince said: "Biyapri, go back to your own country and change your conduct. The woman whom you seek you will never see again." And the prince made him a gift of two _keti_ of gold.

The King of Roum then said: "Let all a.s.semble. I am about to p.r.o.nounce judgment between the King of Bagdad and the minister of Damas." The minister and the officers a.s.sembled therefore in the presence of the King, together with many of his subjects.

The King of Roum said: "O my executioner, let the three children of the minister of Damas be all killed; such is the divine command." So the children of the minister of Damas were all three killed.

After they were dead the prince said: "Minister, return to the country of Damas, with a rag for your girdle, and during your last days change your conduct. If you do not know it, I am the princess Djouher-Manikam, daughter of the Sultan of Bagdad, wife of Chah Djouhou, my lord, and the sister of Minbah-Chahaz. G.o.d has stricken your eyes with blindness on account of your crimes toward me. It is the same with the cadi of the city of Bagdad."

The minister of Damas, seized with fear, trembled in all his limbs. He cast himself at the feet of the princess Manikam, and thus prostrated he implored pardon a thousand and a thousand times. Then he returned to Damas all in tears, and overwhelmed with grief at the death of his three sons. The cadi, covered with shame on account of his treachery to the Sultan of Bagdad, fled and expatriated himself.

The King of Roum commanded them to bring the King Chah Djouhou and give him a garment all sparkling with gold, and he sent him to dwell in the company of his father-in-law, the Sultan of Bagdad, and his brother-in- law, the prince Minbah-Chahaz.

Then the princess Djouher-Manikam retired. She entered the palace and returned clad in the garments of a woman. She then went out, accompanied by ladies of the court, and went to present herself to her father, the Sultan of Bagdad. She bowed before her father, her brother the prince Minbah-Chahaz, and her husband, the King Chah Djouhou. The princess said: "O all of you, lords and warriors of the country of Roum, know that I am a woman, and not a man. Behold my father, the Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid, King of Bagdad. Behold my brother, whose name is Minbah-Chahaz; and behold my husband, the King Chah Djouhou, who reigns over the country of Damas. From the time when you placed me upon the throne of Roum, if I have committed any fault by error or by ignorance, you must excuse me, for constantly the servants of G.o.d commit faults by error or ignorance. It is only G.o.d alone who forgets not, nor neglects, and is free from error or ignorance."

The grandees of the country of Roum said: "Never has your Majesty committed the least fault, either by ignorance or by error, during the time you have reigned over the country of Roum. Nevertheless, among the judgments just now rendered there was a fault committed by your glorious Majesty. The minister killed, the princess killed, both did it voluntarily. It was a fault of judgment for the princess Djouher- Manikam to have killed the children of the minister, just as the minister committed a fault in killing the children of the princess.

There was a likeness there. Still, if it pleases her Majesty to remain upon the throne of Roum, we should all be very glad of it."

The princess Djouher said: "I shall take leave of you, my lords. It is good that we should make the young prince king, and that he should replace me on the throne."

The ministers and the officers of Roum responded, "Whatever be the commands of your Majesty, we place them above our heads."

Then the princess made the royal prince her successor, and the ministers and officers and subjects all bowed low, placed their hands above their heads, and proclaimed him King.

The princess Djouher-Manikam said: "O my child, here are the last instructions your mother gives you: You must practise justice so that G.o.d will make strong your realm. To you, my ministers and officers, I confide my child. If he commits some faults by negligence or by ignorance, I pray you take them not too much to heart, for my child is young, and he has not yet attained all the maturity of his judgment."

The ministers and officers answered: "O your Majesty, may your prosperity grow forever! How could it be possible for us to disobey your commands?"

The princess replied: "O my child, above all must you observe justice and be patient and liberal toward your ministers and officers and all your subjects, so that the favors of G.o.d may increase upon your person and that your kingdom may be protected by G.o.d the most high by the grace of the intercession of the prophet Mahomet, the envoy of G.o.d (may the, peace and blessings of G.o.d be with him!). O my child, you must govern all your subjects with a spirit of justice, for in this world, until death, we ought to seek the truth. O my child, above all forget not my last instructions." Then, taking in her arms the royal child, she kissed him.

The Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid having told the Sultan of Roum that he wished to return to the country of Bagdad, the Sultan gave orders to his ministers to a.s.semble the grandees, the officers, and the soldiers, with elephants, horses, and instruments of music. All came with presents, for the Sultan of Roum wished to accompany the Sultan Haroun- er-Raschid as far as Bagdad and carry him the presents. The favorable moment having arrived, the Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid departed from Roum, directing his way to the country of Bagdad, from plain to plain, and from halting-place to halting-place. After journeying some time, they rejoicing all the way, they arrived at the country of Bagdad.

The ministers, the chiefs, and the soldiers came out to meet the Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid, and they entered the palace. Then the Queen hastened to find the Sultan and her daughter, the princess Djouher-Manikam.

Meeting her daughter, she pressed her in her arms and covered her with kisses. She said in tears: "Alas, my child! the fruit of my heart! I, your mother thought that she would never see you again." And she covered her body with tears and kisses, while she kept repeating, "Alas, my child! I thought you lost forever." Then the Queen bowed before the Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid. Her son, Minbah-Chahaz, then came to bow before his mother, but the latter pressed him in her arms and kissed him. Then her son-in-law, King Chah Djouhou, advanced and bowed before the Queen in his turn. And she pressed him in her arms and kissed him. All were in tears.

The Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid started for the hall of audience, and gave orders to one of his heralds to a.s.semble his ministers, his warriors, and his subjects. When they were all gathered together the Sultan said: "Now I wish to entertain the ministers, the chiefs, and the officers who escorted us here." When the Sultan had finished entertaining them they desired to take leave and return to the country of Roum. The Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid made them gifts of vestments of honor, to each according to his rank. They prostrated themselves at his feet, and then returned in peace to the country of Roum.

Afterward, the Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid ordered one of his heralds to a.s.semble his ministers, his officers, and his subjects. Once gathered together, the prince said: "O all of you, my ministers and my officers, you must build me a house of baths seven stories high, on the public square of Bagdad."

All responded, "O my lord, king of the world, whatever your commands may be, your servants place them above their heads." And all, ministers, officers, and subjects, gave themselves to the work, each of them doing what was directed by the architect. After some time, the palace of baths was finished. It was sumptuously adorned with curtains of silk, canopies, tapestries woven with gold and fringed with pearls.

Rugs embroidered with gold were stretched on the different floors, and there was a quant.i.ty of torches and lanterns.

Then the builders came before the King and said: "O my lord, king of the world, your slaves have finished their work according to the commands of your Majesty."

The King Haroun-er-Raschid gave thanks unto G.o.d the most high, worthy of all praise, the true Lord who accords to his servants all their needs.

Then the festivals began. For forty days and forty nights the bands never stopped playing. There were sports, banquets, amus.e.m.e.nts of all sorts. They gave themselves noisily to pleasure, because the Sultan was going to proceed to the ceremony of the bath of the two spouses, his children. When the watches were finished and the favorable moment had come, the Sultan was arrayed in a magnificent garment embroidered with gold, while the princess Djouher-Manikam was adorned by her mother with superb veils and vestments trimmed with jewels, with pearls and precious stones of an incomparable richness. The spouses thus adorned, the Sultan made them mount a palanquin. His son, Minbah-Cha-haz, was clad in a splendid costume.

The Sultan mounted his horse Sembaran, and his saddle was of carved gold. Surrounded by young princes and lords, by officers of his court and the standards, Haroun-er-Raschid marched at the head. He advanced, followed by princes, ministers, and officers. The wives of the grandees accompanied the Queen with her maids-of-honor, and all the musical instruments gave forth their harmonious sounds. Seven times they made the circuit of the city. When the two spouses had arrived at the foot of the Palace of Baths the Sultan made them ascend. Then came the spouses of the grandees with the Queen, who showered them with rice- powder mixed with amber and musk, and poured on their heads spikenard and _curc.u.ma_ (turmeric). They were both plunged into a bath of rose- water and extracts of all sorts of aromatic flowers, together with water from the sacred fountain of Zemzem.

The ceremonies of the bath finished, the two spouses went out of the Palace of Baths and went into the King's palace. On their arrival, they served a repast to the princes, the _orilemas_, the doctors of the law, the priests, the ministers, the officers, the common people, men and women. All without exception took part in the feast. When it was ended one of the doctors of the law recited the prayer asking G.o.d for perfect happiness, sheltered from all danger in this life and the next. Then he sprinkled showers of the most charming perfumes.

After that the Chah Djouhou went to find the Sultan, and said to him: "O my lord, king of the world, I have to ask your Majesty a favor and pardon. I wish to take leave of your Majesty and return to the country of Damas, for the country of Damas is forsaken, O my lord."

The Sultan said, "It is well, my lord. Your country, truly, is separated from its King. If it were not for your kingdom I would wish never to be separated from you, now that I have my daughter back again.

But if I am inclined to commit a fault, do not comply with it."

Radja Chah Djouhou answered; "Your daughter is like a soul which has entered my body. That is how I feel. But the countless favors of your Majesty to me, I place them above my head."

The Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid then said to his prime minister: "O my minister, get ready to start 3,000 soldiers and 300 hors.e.m.e.n. And have elephants or horses well equipped to transport my two children, husband and wife." When the escort was ready, then the Sultan commanded them to open the place where his treasures were stored, and forty-four camels were laden with riches, with vestments of woven gold and precious objects such as are found only in the palaces of kings.

All these preparations being finished, Radja Chah Djouhou took leave of his father-in-law, his mother-in-law, and his brother-in-law, Minbah- Chahaz. The latter all held in their arms and covered with kisses the princess Djouher-Manikam, as well as Radja Chah Djouhou. He and his brother-in-law Minbah-Chahaz wept as they embraced, and the people of the palace burst into sobs with a noise like that of the waves breaking on the seash.o.r.e. Finally the princess Djouher and the King Chah Djouhou, after bowing before their father, mother, and brother, set out for the country of Damas, to the imposing sound of all the instruments of music. The Sultan Haroun-er-Raschid and his son, Minbah-Chahaz, conducted them outside of the fortifications. When they were far off, the Sultan went back to his palace, walking sadly with his son, Minbah- Chahaz, and praying G.o.d to bless his children.

After some time on the journey, the King Chah Djouhou arrived at the country of Damas. The officers and the soldiers sallied from the fortifications of Damas and went to meet the prince. The ministers and the officers bowed low at his feet, all rejoicing over the happy return and perfect health of the King and Queen. The prince entered his palace, and the two spouses lived full of tenderness for each other.

I will not prolong this story of the princess Djouher-Manikam, which has become celebrated in all countries to windward and to leeward. I close it here, giving my best wishes to those who shall read or hear it, and particularly to those who shall copy it!

MAKOTA RADJA-RADJA;

OR,

THE CROWN OF KINGS

[_Translated by Aristide Marre and C. C. Starkweather_]

Kings who are of the true faith, who have wisdom and follow justice, cause men worthy of their confidence to travel through their kingdom, to serve as their eyes and ears, and to make reports on the state and condition of their subjects, so that, knowing the cause, they may examine for themselves the conduct of the servants of G.o.d. But there are kings who do not rest contented with the report of their servants, and go themselves by night to see the condition and hear the complaints of subjects. Then they make by day a thorough examination of the matters thus come to their knowledge, in order to regulate them with justice and equity.

A story will ill.u.s.trate this. Zeyd Ibries Selam tells what follows: The prince of the believers, the Caliph Omar (may G.o.d be satisfied with him!), judged the servants of G.o.d with equity during the day, and after p.r.o.nouncing his judgments he went out of the city on the side toward the cemetery called Bakia-el-Gharkada. There he cut stone to gain money enough for the maintenance of his house, and when night had come he went through the city to know the good and evil of the servants of G.o.d.

One night, says Zeyd Ibries Selam, "I accompanied the prince of the believers, Omar. When he was outside of Medina, he perceived a fire in an out-of-the-way place, and turned his steps thither. Scarcely had he arrived when he heard a woman with three children, and the latter were crying. The woman said: 'O G.o.d the most high, I beseech thee, make Omar suffer what I am suffering now. He sleeps satiated with food, while I and my children are starving.' The prince of the believers, Omar, hearing these words, went to the woman, and with a salutation said, 'May I approach?'

"The woman answered, 'If it be by way of goodness, come.'

"He approached her and questioned her about her situation.

"The woman said: 'I come from a far place; and as it was dark when I arrived here, I could not enter the city. So I stopped at this place.

My children and I are suffering from hunger and we cannot sleep.'

"The Caliph inquired, 'What is there in this kettle?'

"The woman answered: 'Nothing but water. I put it in the kettle so that the children should imagine that I was cooking rice--perhaps, then, they would go to sleep and stop crying so loudly.'