The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 8 - Sir Richard Francis Burton (best e reader for epub .TXT) 📗

say, “Naught troubleth me save love of a damsel,” lest they should deny and disavow him: so he was silent and would tell them nothing of his case. Then his sister came forward and said to them, “He hath caught a bird from the air and would have you help him to tame her.” Whereupon they all turned to him and cried, “We are at thy service every one of us and whatsoever thou seekest that will we do: but tell us thy tale and conceal from us naught of thy case.”

So he said to his sister, “Do thou tell them, for I am ashamed before them nor can I face them with these words.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-first Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan said to his sister, “Do thou tell them my tale, for before them I stand abashed nor can I face them with these words.” So she said to them, “O my sisters, when we went away and left alone this unhappy one, the palace was straitened upon him and he feared lest some one should come in to him, for ye know that the sons of Adam are light of wits. So, he opened the door of the staircase leading to the roof, of his loneliness and trouble, and sat there, looking upon the Wady and watching the gate, in his fear lest any should come thither. One day, as he sat thus, suddenly he saw ten birds approach him, making for the palace, and they lighted down on the brink of the basin which is in the pavilion-terrace. He watched these birds and saw, amongst them, one goodlier than the rest, which pecked the others and flouted them, whilst none of them dared put out a claw to it. Presently, they set their nails to their neck-collars and, rending their feather-suits, came forth therefrom and became damsels, each and every, like the moon on fullest night. Then they doffed their dress and plunging into the water, fell to playing with one another, whilst the chief damsel ducked the others, who dared not lay a finger on her and she was fairest of favour and most famous of form and most feateous of finery. They ceased not to be in this case till near the hour of midafternoon prayer, when they came forth of the basin and, donning their feather-shifts, flew away home. Thereupon he waxed distracted, with a heart afire for love of the chief damsel and repenting him that he had not stolen her plumery. Wherefore he fell sick and abode on the palace-roof expecting her return and abstaining from meat and drink and sleep, and he ceased not to be so till the new moon showed, when behold, they again made their appearance according to custom and doffing their dresses went down into the basin. So he stole the chief damsel’s feather-suit, knowing that she could not fly save therewith, hiding himself carefully lest they sight him and slay him. Then he waited till the rest had flown away, when he arose and seizing the damsel, carried her down from the terrace into the castle.” Her sisters asked, “Where is she?”; and she answered, “She is with him in such a chamber.” Quoth they, “Describe her to us, O our sister:” so quoth she, “She is fairer than the moon on the night of fullness and her face is sheenier than the sun; the dew of her lips is sweeter than honey and her shape is straighter and slenderer than the cane; one with eyes black as night and brow flower-white; a bosom jewel-bright, breasts like pomegranates twain and cheeks like apples twain, a waist with dimples overlain, a navel like a casket of ivory full of musk in grain, and legs like columns of alabastrine vein. She ravisheth all hearts with Nature-kohl’d eyne, and a waist slender-fine and hips of heaviest design and speech that heals all pain and pine: she is goodly of shape and sweet of smile, as she were the moon in fullest sheen and shine.” When the Princesses heard these praises, they turned to Hasan and said to him, “Show her to us.” So he arose with them, all love-distraught, and carrying them to the chamber wherein was the captive damsel, opened the door and entered, preceding the seven Princesses. Now when they saw her and noted her loveliness, they kissed the ground between her hands, marvelling at the fairness of her favour and the significance which showed her inner gifts, and said to her, “By Allah, O daughter of the Sovran Supreme, this is indeed a mighty matter: and haddest thou heard tell of this mortal among women thou haddest marvelled at him all thy days. Indeed, he loveth thee with passionate love; yet, O King’s daughter, he seeketh not lewdness, but desireth thee only in the way of lawful wedlock. Had we known that maids can do without men, we had impeached him from his intent, albeit he sent thee no messenger, but came to thee in person; and he telleth us he hath burnt the feather dress; else had we taken it from him.” Then one of them agreed with the Princess and becoming her deputy in the matter of the wedding contract, performed the marriage ceremony between them, whilst Hasan clapped palms with her, laying his hand in hers, and she wedded him to the damsel by consent; after which they celebrated her bridal feast, as beseemeth Kings’ daughters, and brought Hasan in to her. So he rose and rent the veil and oped the gate and pierced the forge[FN#74] and brake the seal, whereupon affection for her waxed in him and he redoubled in love and longing for her. Then, since he had gotten that which he sought, he gave himself joy and improvised these couplets,

 

“Thy shape’s temptation, eyes as Houri’s fain And sheddeth Beauty’s sheen[FN#75] that radiance rare: My glance portrayed thy glorious portraiture: Rubies one-half and gems the third part were:

Musk made a fifth: a sixth was ambergris * The sixth a pearl but pearl without compare.

Eve never bare a daughter evening thee * Nor breathes thy like in Khuld’s[FN#76] celestial air.

An thou would torture me ‘tis wont of Love * And if thou pardon ‘tis thy choice I swear:

Then, O world bright’ner and O end of wish! * Loss of thy charms who could in patience bear?”

 

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

 

When it was the Seven Hundred and Ninety-second Night, She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan went in unto the King’s daughter and did away her maidenhead, he enjoyed her with exceeding joy and affection for her waxed in him and he redoubled in love-longing for her; so he recited the lines aforesaid. Now the Princesses were standing at the door and when they heard his verses, they said to her, “O

King’s daughter, hearest thou the words of this mortal? How canst thou blame us, seeing that he maketh poetry for love of thee and indeed he hath so done a thousand times.”[FN#77] When she heard this she rejoiced and was glad and felt happy and Hasan abode with her forty[FN#78] days in all solace and delight, joyance and happiest plight, whilst the damsels renewed festivities for him every day and overwhelmed him with bounty and presents and rarities; and the King’s daughter became reconciled to her sojourn amongst them and forgot her kith and kin. At the end of the forty days, Hasan saw in a dream, one night, his mother mourning for him and indeed her bones were wasted and her body had waxed shrunken and her complexion had yellowed and her favour had changed the while he was in excellent case. When she saw him in this state, she said to him, “O my son, O Hasan, how is it that thou livest thy worldly life at thine ease and forgettest me? Look at my plight since thy loss! I do not forget thee, nor will my tongue cease to name thy name till I die; and I have made thee a tomb in my house, that I may never forget thee. Would Heaven I knew[FN#79] if I shall live, O my son, to see thee by my side and if we shall ever again foregather as we were.” Thereupon Hasan awoke from sleep, weeping and wailing, the tears railed down his cheeks like rain and he became mournful and melancholy; his tears dried not nor did sleep visit him, but he had no rest, and no patience was left to him. When he arose, the Princesses came in to him and gave him good-morrow and made merry with him as was their wont; but he paid no heed to them; so they asked his wife concerning his case and she said, “I ken not.” Quoth they, “Question him of his condition.” So she went up to him and said, “What aileth thee, O my lord?”

Whereupon he moaned and groaned and told her what he had seen in his dream and repeated these two couplets, “Indeed afflicted sore are we and all distraught, * Seeking for union; yet we find no way:

And Love’s calamities upon us grow * And Love though light with heaviest weight doth weigh.”

 

His wife repeated to the Princesses what he said and they, hearing the verses, had pity on him and said to him, “In Allah’s name, do as thou wilt, for we may not hinder thee from visiting thy mother; nay, we will help thee to thy wish by what means we may. But it behoveth that thou desert us not, but visit us, though it be only once a year.” And he answered, “To hear is to obey: be your behest on my head and eyes!” Then they arose forthright and making him ready victual for the voyage, equipped the bride for him with raiment and ornaments and everything of price, such as defy description, and they bestowed on him gifts and presents which pens of ready writers lack power to set forth.

Then they beat the magical kettledrum and up came the dromedaries from all sides. They chose of them such as could carry all the gear they had prepared; amongst the rest five-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver; and, mounting Hasan and his bride on others, rode with them three days, wherein they accomplished a march of three months. Then they bade them farewell and addressed themselves to return; whereupon his sister, the youngest damsel, threw herself on Hasan’s neck and wept till she fainted. When she came to herself, she repeated these two couplets,

 

“Ne’er dawn the severance-day on any wise * That robs of sleep these heavy-lidded eyes.

From us and thee it hath fair union torn * It wastes our force and makes our forms its prize.”

 

Her verses finished she farewelled him, straitly charging him, whenas he should have come to his native land and have foregathered with his mother and set his heart at ease, to fail not of visiting her once in every six months and saying, “If aught grieve thee or thou fear aught of vexation, beat the Magian’s kettledrum, whereupon the dromedaries shall come to thee; and do thou mount and return to us and persist not in staying away.” He swore thus to do and conjured them to go home.

So they returned to the palace, mourning for their separation from him, especially the youngest, with whom no rest would stay nor would Patience her call obey, but she wept night and day.

Thus it was with them; but as regards Hasan and his wife, they fared on by