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

after return in safety to his own country and expose our affairs to his people, wherefore our report will be bruited abroad among all the Kings of the quarters of the earth and the merchants will journey bearing tidings of us in all directions, saying, ‘A mortal entered the Isles of Wak and traversed the Land of the Jinn and the lands of the Wild Beasts and the Islands of Birds and set foot in the country of the Warlocks and the Enchanters and returned in safety?’ This shall never be; no, never; and I swear by Him who made the Heavens and builded them; yea, by Him who dispread the earth and smoothed it, and who created all creatures and counted them, that, an they be not his children, I will assuredly slay him and strike his neck with mine own hand!” Then she cried out at the old woman, who fell down for fear; and set upon her the Chamberlain and twenty Mamelukes, saying, “Go with this crone and fetch me in haste the youth who is in her house.”

So they dragged Shawahi along, yellow with fright and with side-muscles quivering, till they came to her house, where she went in to Hasan, who rose to her and kissed her hands and saluted her. She returned not his salam, but said to him, “Come; speak the Queen. Did I not say to thee: ‘Return presently to thine own country and I will give thee that to which no mortal may avail?’ And did I forbid thee from all this? But thou wouldst not obey me nor listen to my words; nay, thou rejectedst my counsel and chosest to bring destruction on me and on thyself.

Up, then, and take that which thou hast chosen; for death is near hand. Arise: speak with yonder vile harlot[FN#151] and tyrant that she is!” So Hasan arose, broken-spirited, heavy, hearted, and full of fear, and crying, “O Preserver, preserve Thou me! O

my God, be gracious to me in that which Thou hast decreed to me of Thine affliction and protect me, O Thou the most Merciful of the Mercifuls!” Then, despairing of his life, he followed the twenty Mamelukes, the Chamberlain and the crone to the Queen’s presence, where he found his two sons Nasir and Mansur sitting in her lap, whilst she played and made merry with them. As soon as his eyes fell on them, he knew them and crying a great cry fell down a-fainting for excess of joy at the sight of his children.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Eight Hundred and Fifteenth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan’s eyes fell upon his two sons, he knew them both and crying a great cry fell down a-fainting. They also knew him[FN#152] and natural affection moved them so that they freed themselves from the Queen’s lap and fell upon Hasan, and Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty,) made them speak and say to him, “O our father!” Whereupon the old woman and all who were present wept for pity and tenderness over them and said, “Praised be Allah, who hath reunited you with your Sire!” Presently, Hasan came to himself and embracing his children, wept till again he swooned away, and when he revived, he recited these verses, “By rights of you, this heart of mine could ne’er aby * Severance from you albeit Union death imply!

Your phantom saith to me, ‘A-morrow we shall meet!’ * Shall I despite the foe the morrow-day espy?

By rights of you I swear, my lords, that since the day * Of severance ne’er the sweets of lips enjoy�d I!

An Allah bade me perish for the love of you, * Mid greatest martyrs for your love I lief will die.

Oft a gazelle doth make my heart her browsing stead The while her form of flesh like sleep eludes mine eye: If in the lists of Law my bloodshed she deny, Prove it two witnesses those cheeks of ruddy dye.”

 

When Nur al-Huda was assured that the little ones were indeed Hasan’s children and that her sister, the Princess Manar al-Sana, was his wife, of whom he was come in quest, she was wroth against her with wrath beyond measure.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixteenth Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nur al-Huda was certified that the little ones were Hasan’s children and that her sister Manar al-Sana was his wife of whom he had come in quest, she raged with exceeding rage, too great to be assuaged and screamed in Hasan’s face and reviled him and kicked him in the breast, so that he fell on his back in a swoon. Then she cried out at him, saying, “Arise! fly for thy life. But that I swore that no evil should betide thee from me, should thy tale prove true, I would slay thee with mine own hand forthright!” And she cried out at the old woman, who fell on her face for fear, and said to her, “By Allah, but that I am loath to break the oath that I swore, I would put both thee and him to death after the foulest fashion!”; presently adding, “Arise, go out from before me in safety and return to thine own country, for I swear by my fortune, if ever mine eye espy thee or if any bring thee in to me after this, I will smite off thy head and that of whoso bringeth thee!” Then she cried out to her officers, saying, “Put him out from before me!” So they thrust him out, and when he came to himself, he recited these couplets,

 

“You’re far, yet to my heart you’re nearest near; * Absent yet present in my sprite you appear:

By Allah, ne’er to other I’ve inclined * But tyranny of Time in patience bear!

Nights pass while still I love you and they end, * And burns my breast with flames of fell Sa’ir;[FN#153]

I was a youth who parting for an hour * Bore not, then what of months that make a year?

Jealous am I of breeze-breath fanning thee; * Yea jealous-mad of fair soft-sided fere!”

 

Then he once more fell down in a swoon, and when he came to himself, he found himself without the palace whither they had dragged him on his face; so he rose, stumbling over his skirts and hardly crediting his escape from Nur al-Huda. Now this was grievous to Shawahi; but she dared not remonstrate with the Queen by reason of the violence of her wrath. And forthright Hasan went forth, distracted and knowing not whence to come or whither to go; the world, for all its wideness, was straitened upon him and he found none to speak a kind word with him and comfort him, nor any to whom he might resort for counsel or to apply for refuge; wherefore he made sure of death for that he could not journey to his own country and knew none to travel with him, neither wist he the way thither nor might he pass through the Wady of the Jann and the Land of Beasts and the Islands of Birds.

So giving himself up for lost he bewept himself, till he fainted, and when he revived, he bethought him of his children and his wife and of that might befal her with her sister, repenting him of having come to those countries and of having hearkened to none, and recited these couplets,

 

“Suffer mine eye-babes weep lost of love and tears express: *

Rare is my solace and increases my distress: The cup of Severance-chances to the dregs I’ve drained; * Who is the man to bear love-loss with manliness?

Ye spread the Carpet of Disgrace[FN#154] betwixt us twain; * Ah, when shalt be uprolled, O Carpet of Disgrace?

I watched the while you slept; and if you deemed that I Forgot your love I but forget forgetfulness: Woe’s me! indeed my heart is pining for the love Of you, the only leaches who can cure my case: See ye not what befel me from your fell disdain? * Debased am I before the low and high no less.

I hid my love of you but longing laid it bare, * And burns my heart wi’ fire of passion’s sorest stress: Ah! deign have pity on my piteous case, for I * Have kept our troth in secresy and patent place!

Would Heaven I wot shall Time e’er deign us twain rejoin! * You are my heart’s desire, my sprite’s sole happiness: My vitals bear the Severance-wound: would Heaven that you * With tidings from your camp would deign my soul to bless!”

 

Then he went on, till he came without the city, where he found the river, and walked along its bank, knowing not whither he went. Such was Hasan’s case; but as regards his wife Manar al-Sana, as she was about to carry out her purpose and to set out, on the second day after the departure of the old woman with her children, behold, there came in to her one of the chamberlains of the King her sire, and kissed ground between his hands,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventeenth Night, She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Manar al-Sana was about to set out upon the journey, behold, a chamberlain of the King, her sire, came in to her and kissing the ground before her, said, “O Princess, the Supreme King, thy father saluteth thee and biddeth thee to him.” So she rose and accompanied the chamberlain to learn what was required by her father, who seated her by his side on the couch, and said to her, “O my daughter, know that I have this night had a dream which maketh me fear for thee and that long sorrow will betide thee from this thy journey.” Quoth she, “How so, O my father, and what didst thou see in thy dream?” and quoth he, “I dreamt that I entered a hidden hoard, wherein was great store of monies, of jewels, of jacinths and of other riches; but ‘twas as if naught pleased me of all this treasure and jewelry save seven bezels, which were the finest things there. I chose out one of the seven jewels, for it was the smallest, finest and most lustrous of them and its water pleased me; so I took it in my hand-palm and fared forth of the treasury. When I came without the door, I opened my hand, rejoicing, and turned over the jewel, when, behold, there swooped down on me out of the welkin a strange bird from a far land (for it was not of the birds of our country) and, snatching it from my hand, returned with it whence it came.[FN#155]

Whereupon sorrow and concern and sore vexation overcame me and my exceeding chagrin so troubled me that I awoke, mourning and lamenting for the loss of the jewel. At once on awaking I summoned the interpreters and expounders of dreams and declared to them my dream,[FN#156] and they said to me: ‘Thou hast seven daughters, the youngest of whom thou wilt lose, and she will be taken from thee perforce, without thy will.’ Now thou, O my girl, art the youngest and dearest of my daughters and the most affectionate of them to me, and look’ye thou art about to journey to thy sister, and I know not what may befal thee from her; so go thou not; but