The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 15 - Sir Richard Francis Burton (world best books to read txt) 📗

for a day; but on the next she returned in her wonted state and when she came to my shop she said, ‘O Manjab, arise and mount thy mule in weal and good health!’ So I left my store and mounted my she-mule.”—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you in the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night, and that was

 

The Six Hundred and Forty-second Night, Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth Manjab said to the Prince of True Believers, “So I mounted my she-mule and I went with the old woman until I came to a mansion built of stone and wide of gates; so we dismounted, I and she, and entered the door, I following after her until we came to the great hall. There I found, O Prince of True Believers, carpets of fine silk and embroidered hangings and mattresses of gold-cloth and vases of the same kind all golden and fine brocades and jars of porcelain and shelves of crystal; in fine I saw things which I may not describe to thee, O Commander of the Faithful. And at the side of the mansion within were four bench-seats of yellow brass, plain and without carving, and the old woman seated me upon the highest mattress and she pointed out to me a porch where stood pourtrayed all manner birds and beasts, and hills and channels were limned. Now as I cast my eye over these paintings suddenly a young lady accosted us speaking with a delicate voice demure and words that the sick and sorry would cure and she was behind a hanging and saying, ‘Whoso hath let down this curtain let him receive one hundred stripes.’ Then she bade withdraw it and they removed it and behold, I felt as though the lightning were gleaming and glittering and it took away my sight until my head was near striking the ground, for there stood before me a young lady of lance-like stature and a face like the morning bright as though she were a chandelier a-hanging amid the cressets. She was dressed in sumptuous raiment and was even as said of her the poet,

 

‘To us she bent whenas Night hung her veil * And nigh went she my sense to turn from right;

And rang her anklets and her necklace chimed * With dainty music to my tearful plight.

Showed me that her face a four-fold charm, * Water and fire and pitch and lamping light.’

 

Then, O Commander of the Faithful, she cried out to the slave girls, ‘Woe to you, where is the Nurse,’ and when she was fetched between her hands she asked her, ‘Hast thou brought the jeweller;’ and the other answered, ‘Yea, verily, O lady of loveliness, and here he is sitting like the full moon when it easteth.’ The young lady cried, ‘O old woman, is this he or is it his servant?’[FN#128] Whereto she replied, ‘No, ‘tis he himself, O lady of loveliness.’ Quoth the other, ‘By the life of my youth,[FN#129] thou deservest naught for this[FN#130] save whatso thou fanciest not and thou hast raised me from before my food[FN#131] while yet I fancied that he merited rising up to him.’ Then she considered me and cried, ‘Am I then in this fashion become[FN#132] a bundle of dirty clothes all of poverty, and say me now, hast thou not even washed thy face?’ But I, O

Prince of True Believers, was still as I came forth from the Hammam and my countenance was shining like unto lightning. Hereat I made myself exceeding small and it mortified me to hear how she had found fault with my face and befouled my dress, scorning me till I became between her hands smaller than the very smallest.

Then she fixed her sight upon me and she said to me, ‘Thou art Manjab hight, thou dogs’ trysting-site or gatherer of friends as saith other wight, but by Allah how far be familiars and friends from thy sight, O thou Manjab hight! Now, however, do thou look upon me, O Jeweller man, the while I eat and when my meal shall end there will be talk.’ Hereupon, O Commander of the Faithful, they brought her a crystal platter in a golden basin and therein were the thighs of fowls; so she took seat before me and fell to eating without shyness or difficulty as though in her presence I were other than a son of Adam. And I stood looking at her and whenever she raised her wrist to take up a morsel, the dimple[FN#133] became manifest from without, and upon the skin was a tattoo of green colour and about it jewelled ornaments[FN#134] and armlets of red gold and a pink dye appeared upon the whiteness of her hand: so glory be to Him who created her and she was naught but a seduction to whoso espied her and blessed be Allah the best of Creators. May the Almighty have ruth upon the poet who said concerning the beauty of his lover these couplets,

 

‘Rise and pass me the wine, O thou son of Mans�r; And for stopping it hope not my pardon forsure: Let it come by the hand of a fair white maid As though she had fared from the Heav’n of the H�r:

When we see the figure her wrist adorns * ‘Tis a musk grain lying on limestone pure.’

 

Then, O Prince of True Believers, she fell to conversing with me hending in hand a broidered kerchief wherewith whenever she had eaten a morsel she wiped her lips and when her sleeve fell from off her wrist she tucked it up even as the poet said of such, ‘She hideth her face from the folk, * With a wrist whereon Ottars abound;

And to eye of watcher it seems * Gold shaft on Moon’s silvern round.’

 

Now when she had eaten, O Commander of the Faithful, I gazed at her face and she cried, ‘O ye women, behold how Manjab looketh upon me and I am eating till my nature cry enough;’ presently adding, ‘O Manjab, what calamity hath befallen thee that thou comest not forward and eatest not of this food?’ So I drew anigh and ate with her, but I was dazed of my wits and sore amazed at her ways.”—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

 

The Six Hundred and Forty-third Night, Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating that Manjab continued to the Caliph, “Verily I came forward and ate with her, but I was so dazed of my wits and so sore amazed at her beauty and loveliness that as I took up a mouthful to carry it to my mouth behold, I would carry it to my eyes in consequence of what befel me from seeing that was in this young lady. And presently she fell to laughing at me and inclining towards me in her haughtiness and in beauty’s pride, saying at the same time, ‘By Allah, indeed this man is a maniac and a Bahlul:[FN#135] where is thy mouth and how far from thine eye?’ So said I, ‘By Allah, O

lady of loveliness, I am nor a madman nor a Bahlul, but whilst looking at thy beauty my wits have fled and I am in condition of unknowing how I ate.’ Then she asked me, ‘Do I please thee, O

Manjab?’ and I answered her ‘Yes! Wall�hi, O my lady, indeed thou dost.’ Quoth she, ‘What should be the penalty of him who owning me and my white beauties[FN#136] shall then forsake me to take other than myself?’ and quoth I, ‘His award should be a thousand stripes upon his right side and as many upon his left ribs, together with the cutting off of his tongue and his two hands and the plucking out of either eye.’ She cried, ‘Wilt thou marry me upon this condition?’ and I replied, ‘O my lady, dost thou mock and laugh at me?’ Said she, ‘No, by Allah, my word is naught save a true word’; and said I, ‘I am satisfied and I accept this compact; however do thou make haste and delay not.’ But when she looked at me and heard mine intent regarding the marriage she shook with joy and pride and she inclined towards me as she sat before me and my senses were like to take flight. Then she rose up and left me for an hour and came back dressed in sumptuous garments and fairer than before, and perfumes reeked from her sides as she walked between four handmaidens like unto the refulgent moon. But I, when I looked upon her in this condition, cried out with a loud outcry and fell fainting to the ground for what befel me from her beauty and perfection: and she had no design therein, O Commander of the Faithful, save her favour for me. When I came to myself she said, ‘O Manjab, what dost thou say of my beauty and comeliness?’ and I replied, ‘By Allah, O lady of loveliness, there is none in this time can be thy peer.’ Then quoth she, ‘An I please thee thou wilt be content with these conditions?’ whereto quoth I, ‘Content! CONTENT!! CONTENT!!!’

Thereupon she bade summon the Kazi and the assessors who came without stay or delay and she said to the Judge ‘Do thou listen to the condition of this marriage and write from his word of mouth a bond on oath and under penalty for breaking it, to the effect that if he betray me and mate with other or by way of right or of unright, I will smite him a thousand stripes on his right side and as many on his left ribs and I will cut off his tongue and his two hands and I will pluck out his either eye.’

Said the Kazi to me, ‘Shall we bear witness against thee with this condition?’ and when I answered ‘Yes,’ he wrote out, O

Commander of the Faithful, his testimony together with the penalty, while I hardly believed in all this. Presently, she brought out a tray, whereupon were a thousand miskals of gold and a thousand dirhams of silver which she scattered among the Kazi and witnesses; so they took them and went their ways having duly tied the marriage-knot and indited the penalty thereto attached.

Then they served up food and we ate and drank and I lay with her that