The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 4 - Sir Richard Francis Burton (robert munsch read aloud txt) 📗

thee Ahmad al-Danaf, the Captain who stablished me in this shop, give him the keys and tell him where I am.” Then he went with the Consul to his ship and no sooner had he boarded it than the Prank set him a stool and, making him sit down, said to his men, “Bring the money.” So they brought it and he paid him the price of the jewel and gave him the four bales he had promised him and one over; after which he said to him, “O my lord, honour me by accepting a bite or a sup.” And Ala al-Din answered, “If thou have any water, give me to drink.” So the Frank called for sherbets and they brought drink drugged with Bhang, of which no sooner had Ala al-Din drunk, than he fell over on his back; whereupon they stowed away the chairs and shipped the shoving-poles and made sail. Now the wind blew fair for them till it drove them into blue water, and when they were beyond sight of land the Kapt�n[FN#117] bade bring Ala al-Din up out of the hold and made him smell the counter-drug of Bhang; whereupon he opened his eyes and said, “Where am I?” He replied, “Thou art bound and in my power and if thou hadst said, Allah open! to an hundred thousand dinars for the jewel, I would have bidden thee more.” “What art thou?” asked Ala al-Din, and the other answered, “I am a sea-captain and mean to carry thee to my sweetheart.” Now as they were talking, behold, a strip hove in sight carrying forty Moslem merchants; so the Frank captain attacked the vessel and made fast to it with grappling-irons; then he boarded it with his men and took it and plundered it; after which he sailed on with his prize, till he reached the city of Genoa. There the Kaptan, who was carrying off Ala al-Din, landed and repaired to a palace whose pastern gave upon the sea, and behold, there came down to him a damsel in a chin-veil who said, “Hast thou brought the jewel and the owner?” “I have brought them both,” answered he; and she said, “Then give me the jewel.” So he gave it to her; and, returning to the port, fired his cannon to announce his safe return; whereupon the King of the city, being notified of that Kaptan’s arrival, came down to receive him and asked him, “How hath been this voyage?” He answered, “A right prosperous one, and while voyaging I have made prize of a ship with one-and-forty Moslem merchants.” Said the King, “Land them at the port:” so he landed the merchants in irons and Ala al-Din among the rest; and the King and the Kaptan mounted and made the captives walk before them till they reached the audience-chamber, when the Franks seated themselves and caused the prisoners to pass in parade order, one by one before the King who said to the first, “O Moslem, whence comest thou?”

He answered, “From Alexandria;” whereupon the King said, “O

headsman, put him to death.” So the sworder smote him with the sword and cut off his head: and thus it fared with the second and the third, till forty were dead and there remained but Ala al-Din, who drank the cup of his comrades’ sighs and agony and said to himself, “Allah have mercy on thee, O Ala al-Din Thou art a dead man.” Then said the King to him, “And thou, what countryman art thou?” He answered, “I am of Alexandria,” and the King said, “O headsman, strike off his head.” So the sworder raised arm and sword, and was about to strike when behold, an old woman of venerable aspect presented herself before the King, who rose to do her honour, and said to him, “O King, did I not bid thee remember, when the Captain came back with captives, to keep one or two for the convent, to serve in the church?” The King replied, “O my mother, would thou hadst come a while earlier! But take this one that is left.” So she turned to Ala al-Din and said to him, “Say, wilt thou serve in the church, or shall I let the King slay thee?” Quoth he, “I will serve in the church.” So she took him and carried him forth of the court and went to the church, where he said to her, “What service must I do?” She replied, “Thou must rise with the dawn and take five mules and go with them to the forest and there cut dry firewood and saw it short and bring it to the convent-kitchen. Then must thou take up the carpets and sweep and wipe the stone and marble pavements and lay the carpets down again, as they were; after which thou must take two bushels and a half of wheat and bolt it and grind it and knead it and make it into cracknels[FN#118] for the convent; and thou must take also a bushel of lentils[FN#119] and sift and crush and cook them. Then must thou fetch water in barrels and fill the four fountains; after which thou must take three hundred and threescore and six wooden bowls and crumble the cracknels therein and pour of the lentil-pottage over each and carry every monk and patriarch his bowl.” Said Ala al-Din,[FN#120] “Take me back to the King and let him kill me, it were easier to me than this service.” Replied the old woman, “If thou do truly and rightly the service that is due from thee thou shalt escape death; but, if thou do it not, I will let the King kill thee.”

And with these words Ala al-Din was left sitting heavy at heart.

Now there were in the church ten blind cripples, and one of them said to him, “Bring me a pot.” So he brought it him and he cacked and eased himself therein and said, “Throw away the ordure.” He did so, and the blind man said, “The Messiah’s blessing be upon thee, O servant of the church!” Presently behold, the old woman came in and said to him, “Why hast thou not done thy service in the church?” Answered he, “How many hands have I, that I should suffice for all this work?” She rejoined, ‘Thou fool, I brought thee not hither except to work;” and she added, “Take, O my son, this rod (which was of copper capped with a cross) and go forth into the highway and, when thou meetest the governor of the city, say to him, ‘I summon thee to the service of the church, in the name of our Lord the Messiah.’ And he will not disobey thee. Then make him take the wheat, sift, grind, bolt, knead, and bake it into cracknels; and if any gainsay thee, beat him and fear none.”

“To hear is to obey,” answered he and did as she said, and never ceased pressing great and small into his service; nor did he leave to do thus for the space of seventeen years. Now one day as he sat in church, lo! the old woman came to him and said, “Go forth of the convent.” He asked, “Whither shall I go?” and she answered, “Thou canst pass the night in a tavern or with one of thy comrades.” Quoth he, “Why dost thou send me forth of the church?” and quote she, “The Princess Husn Maryam, daughter of Yohann�,[FN#121] King of this city, purposeth to visit the church and it befitteth not that any abide in her way.” So he made a show of obeying her orders and rose up and pretended that he was leaving the church; but he said in his mind, “I wonder whether the Princess is like our women or fairer than they! At any rate I will not go till I have had a look at her.” So he hid himself in a closet with a window looking into the church and, as he watched, behold, in came the King’s daughter. He cast at her one glance of eyes that cost him a thousand sighs, for he found her like the full moon when it cometh swimming out of the clouds; and he saw with her a young lady,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ala al-Din looked at the King’s daughter, he saw with her a young lady to whom he heard her say, “Thy company hath cheered me, O

Zubaydah.” So he looked straitly at the damsel and found her to be none other than his dead wife, Zubaydah the Lutist. Then the Princess said to Zubaydah, “Come, play us an air on the lute.”

But she answered, “I will make no music for thee, till thou grant my wish and keep thy word to me.” Asked the Princess, “And what did I promise thee?”; and Zubaydah answered, “That thou wouldst reunite me with my husband Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the Trusty, the Faithful.” Rejoined the Princess, “O Zubaydah, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; play us a piece as a thank-offering and an ear-feast for reunion with thy husband Ala al-Din.” “Where is he?” asked Zubaydah, and Maryam answered, “He is in yonder closet listening to our words.” So Zubaydah played on the lute a melody which had made a rock dance for glee; and when Ala al-Din heard it, his bowels yearned towards her and he came forth from the closet and, throwing himself upon his wife Zubaydah, strained her to his bosom. She also knew him and the twain embraced and fell to the ground in a swoon. Then came forward the Princess Husn Maryam and sprinkled rose water on them, till they revived when she said to them, “Allah hath reunited you.” Replied Ala al-Din, “By thy kind of offices, O

lady.” Then, turning to his wife, he said to her, “O Zubaydah, thou didst surely die and we tombed thee in the tomb: how then returnedst thou to life and camest thou to this place?” She answered, “O my lord, I did not die; but an Aun[FN#122] of the Jinn snatched me up and dew with me hither. She whom thou buriedst was a Jinniyah, who shaped herself to my shape and feigned herself dead; but when you entombed her she broke open the tomb and came forth from it and returned to the service of this her mistress, the Princess Husn Maryam. As for me I was possessed[FN#123] and, when I opened my eyes, I found myself with this Princess thou seest; so I said to her, ‘Why hast thou brought me hither?’ Replied she, ‘I am predestined to marry thy husband, Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat: wilt thou then, O Zubaydah, accept me to co-consort, a night for me and a night for thee?’

Rejoined I, ‘To hear is to obey, O my lady, but where is my husband?’ Quoth she, ‘Upon his forehead is written what Allah hath decreed to him; as soon as the writing which is there writ is fulfilled to him, there is no help for it but he come hither, and we will beguile the time of our separation from him with songs and playing upon instruments of music, till it please Allah to unite us with him.’ So I abode all these days with her till Allah brought us together in this church.” Then Husn Maryam turned to him and said, “O my lord, Ala al-Din, wilt thou be to me baron and I be to thee femme?” Quoth he, “O my lady, I am a Moslem and thou art a Nazarene; so how can I intermarry with thee?” Quoth she, “Allah forbid that I should be an infidel! Nay, I