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

cheeks flushed rosy-red, and presently she went hastily in the direction of the entrance, whilst her women still looked down from the terrace upon the doorway and saw Yusuf a-foot before it. They cried out to their lady, “Verily there standeth below a youth lovely in his youthfulness, with his face gladdening as the crescent moon of Sha’aban.”[FN#204] But when Al-Hayfa heard the words of the women she was glad and gave herself joy and sensed an oppression of pleasure, whilst her vitals palpitated and she perspired in her petticoat-trowsers.[FN#205] Then she went down to the gateway which she bade be thrown open, and seeing Prince Yusuf she smiled in his face and welcomed him and greeted him. He returned her salam with sweetness of phrase and softness of words, when said she to him, “Well come and welcome and good cheer to thee, O thou who dost visit us and takest refuge in our demesne[FN#206] and in our presence, for that here thou hast immunity and impunity and civility;” presently adding, “Enter into this guarded stead and feel thou no fear from any foe, for thou hast wrought thy wish and hast attained thine aim and hast won thy will, O fair of face and o perfect of form, O thou whose countenance excelleth the new moon: here thou hast preserved thy life and art saved from foeman’s strife.” Thereupon she mounted the staircase and he behind her, while the slave-girls surrounded the twain, and she conversed with him and cheered him with fair words and welcomed him once more till they had entered the Castle saloon, when she took his hand and seated him at the head of the hall. But as Yusuf looked upon the fortalice and the beauty of its building and the excellence of its ordinance and the high degree of its decorations which made it like unto the Palaces of Paradise, and as he beheld that furniture and those couches, with what was over them of hangings, and the gems and jewels and precious metals which abounded there, he magnified the matter in his mind and said to himself, “This place belongeth to none save to a mighty monarch!” Then Al-Hayfa bade her women bring a bundle of clothing, and when they had set it between her hands, she opened it and drew forth a suit of Daylakian[FN#207] garments and a caftan of Coptick stuff (fine linen of Misraim purfled with gold), and bestowed them upon him, and she bound around his head an or-fringed Shash[FN#208] with either end gem-adorned. And when he donned the dress his countenance became brilliant and its light shone afar, and his cheeks waxed red as rose, and she seeing this felt her wits bewildered and was like to faint.

However, she soon recovered herself and said, “This is no mortal: verily he is naught but of the Hur’s of Heaven. Then she bade her women bring food—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 on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

 

The Six Hundred and Seventy-fourth 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 Al-Hayfa bade her women bring the food trays, and when they obeyed her bidding and placed them between the hands of Yusuf he considered them and saw that one was made of Yam�n� onyx and another of red carnelian and a third of rock crystal, and they bore platters of gold and silver and porcelain and jasper. Upon them were ranged dishes furnished with the daintiest food which perplexed the wits, and sweetmeats and sumptuous meats, such as gazelle’s haunch and venison and fatted mutton and flesh of birds, all the big and the small, such as pigeon and rock-pigeon, and greens marinated and viands roasted and fried of every kind and colour and cheeses and sugared dishes. Then she seated Yusuf beside her and served him with all manner cates and confections and conjured him to fall-to and morselled him until he had eaten his sufficiency; after which they twain sat together in laughter and enjoyment each conjoined to other and both cast in the mould of beauty and loveliness and brilliancy and stature and symmetric grace as though in the likeness of a rattan-palm. All this and Al-Hayfa rejoiced in Yusuf, but ever and anon she took thought anent her sire King Al-Mihrjan and his works and she kept saying in her mind, “Would Heaven I wot will he wed me to this youth so charming of inner grace; and, if my father be not satisfied therewith, I will marry my lover in despite of him.” And the while Yusuf quoth to himself “Would Heaven I wot how my sire will act in the business of the concubine whose pucelage I did away, and would Heaven I knew if he have ridden forth in search of me, or he have lost sight of me and never asked of me.” On this wise either of the twain spoke to themselves, and neither of them believed in safety, all unknowing what was predestined to them by Him who saith to a thing, “Be” and it becometh. So Al-Hayfa and Yusuf sat drowned in the depths of thought, withal their joyance and enjoyment made them clean forget that writ for them by Fate; and the Prince gazing upon the greater tray saw graven upon its edge these couplets,

 

“For the gathering of friends and familiars design’d * Between hands of Kings and Wazirs I’m shrin’d: Upon me is whatever taste loves and joys * Of flesh and viands all kinds combin’d:

From me fill thee full of these cates and praise * Thy Lord, the Maker of all mankind.”

 

Then the attendants placed bread upon the trays, and the Prince found writ in moulded letters upon the loaves the couplets that follow,

 

“And a loaf new-born from the flour of wheat, * White and piping hot from the oven-heat:

Quoth to me my chider, Be wise and say * Soothe my heart and blame not, O friend I greet.”

 

Presently the handmaidens piled upon the trays platters of silver and porcelain (whereof mention hath been made) containing all that lip and tongue gratify of the meat of muttons in fry and Kat�-grouse and pigeon-poults and quails and things that fly of every kind and dye which hungry men can long to espy, and Yusuf saw inscribed upon the china dishes the following couplets, “Platters of china fair That all men’s eyne ensnare, None seeth in this our town China of mould so rare.

 

Then he looked upon the silver plate and found it graven with these lines,

 

“Plate worked in silver of the brightest white * In height of beauty, O thou joy to sight,

When fully finisht and when perfect made * Becometh chargers peerless in delight.”

 

And portrayed upon the porcelain were all that grow and fly of geese and poultry. Anon a handmaid brought in hand a knife wherewith to carve the meats, and Yusuf looking at the blade saw upon it letters gold-inlaid and forming these verses, I am blade of finest grain Wherefrom comes naught of bane: Fro’ my friends all harm I ward And thy foes by me be slain!”

 

Hereupon the handmaids ended the ordinance of the table and set everything in its own stead; after which the Princess took seat beside the Prince and said to him, “O my lord, hearten our heart and deign grace to us and honour us by eating with us: this indeed be a day of joy for my union with thee and for thy lighting this my lodging with the splendour of thy semblance so bright and thy beauty so rare and for thine alighting at my home and thine opportune kindness and thine inner graciousness,[FN#209] O thou unique one of the Age and the Time, and O thou who hast no peer in our day and our tide.” Now when Yusuf heard the words of Al-Hayfa he said to her, “Wallahi, O

thou who the moons adornest and who the sun and the daylight shamest, O lady of brow flower-bright and of stature elegant-slight, O thou who passest in beauty and comeliness all mortal beings, O thou with smile like water sweet and mouth-dews like purest spring and of speech the softest, I wot thou art the lady of goodness and excellence and generosity and liberality.”

Then she again fell to morselling the Prince until they both had a sufficiency of food, whereupon she bade them fetch water for washing their hands after meat. And they brought to Yusuf a basin of glittering gold, when he rejoiced with exceeding exultation the while he was sunk in meditation, and at times he gazed upon Al-Hayfa and his wits were bewildered and his senses seduced him to something he would do with her for the abundance that was in her of beauty and loveliness. But his reason forbade to him his passion, and quoth he in his mind, “To everything its own time,”— 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 Seventy-sixth 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 Yusuf said, “To everything its own time, and soothly sayeth the old saw, Whoso hurrieth upon a matter ere opportunity consent shall at last repent. Now when they brought the basin before him and therein stood an ewer of crystal garnished with gold, he looked at it and saw graven thereupon the following couplets, “I’m a Basin gold beautifies * For the hands of the great and the wise:

Abased[FN#210] for the cleansing of palms, * Washing hands with the water of eyes.”

 

Thereat he considered the ewer and saw inscribed upon it these lines,

 

“O rare the Ewer’s form whereon must dote * Our hearts and pupils of our eyes fain gloat:

Seems ferly fair to all admiring orbs * You seemly body wi’ the slender throat.

 

And when he had finished washing his hands and had dried them with the napkins he pointed at them and spoke these couplets, “Groweth my love a-heart and how to hide * When o’er the plains of cheek tear-torrents glide?

I veil what love these sobs and moans betray * With narrowed heart I spread my patience wide.

O Farer to the fountain,[FN#211] flow these eyes * Nor seek from other source to be supplied:

Who loveth, veil of Love his force shall reave, * For tears shall tell his secrets