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

other speak; Yet would my soul within outflow in foods of brine: Beauty’s own prophet, he is all a miracle * Of heavenly grace, and greatest shows his face for sign.[FN#201]

To prayer Bil�l-like cries that Mole upon his cheek * To ward from pearly brow all eyes of ill design:[FN#202]

The censors of their ignorance would my love dispel * But after Faith I can’t at once turn Infidel.’

 

We were ravished by the sweet music she made striking the strings, and the beauty of the verses she sang; and the other damsels went on to sing and to recite one after another, till ten had so done; when the Lady Dunya took the lute and playing a lively measure, chanted these couplets, ‘I swear by swayings of that form so fair, * Aye from thy parting fiery

Pity a heart which burneth in thy love, * O bright as fullest moon in blackest air!

Vouchsafe thy boons to him who ne’er will cease * In light of wine-cup all thy charms declare, Amid the roses which with varied hues * Are to the myrtle-bush[FN#203] a mere despair.’

 

When she had finished her verse I took the lute from her hands and, playing a quaint and not vulgar prelude sang the following verses,

 

‘Laud to my Lord who gave thee all of loveliness; * Myself amid thy thralls I willingly confess: O thou, whose eyes and glances captivate mankind, * Pray that I ‘scape those arrows shot with all thy stress!

Two hostile rivals water and enflaming fire * Thy cheek hath married, which for marvel I profess: Thou art Sa’�r in heart of me and eke Na’�m;[FN#204] * Thou agro-dolce, eke heart’s sweetest bitterness.’

 

When she heard this my song she rejoiced with exceeding joy; then, dismissing her slave women, she brought me to a most goodly place, where they had spread us a bed of various colours. She did off her clothes and I had a lover’s privacy of her and found her a pearl unpierced and a filly unridden. So I rejoiced in her and never in my born days spent I a more delicious night.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-second Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Mohammed bin Ali the Jeweller continued: “So I went in unto the Lady Dunya, daughter of Yahya bin Kh�lid the Barmecide, and I found her a pearl unthridden and a filly unridden. So I rejoiced in her and repeated these couplets,

 

‘O Night here stay! I want no morning light; * My lover’s face to me is lamp and light:[FN#205]

As ring of ring-dove round his necks my arm; * And made my palm his mouth-veil, and, twas right.

This be the crown of bliss, and ne’er we’ll cease * To clip, nor care to be in other plight.’

 

And I abode with her a whole month, forsaking shop and family and home, till one day she said to me, ‘O light of my eyes, O my lord Mohammed, I have determined to go to the Hammam to day; so sit thou on this couch and rise not from thy place, till I return to thee.’ ‘I hear and I obey,’ answered I, and she made me swear to this; after which she took her women and went off to the bath.

But by Allah, O my brothers, she had not reached the head of the street ere the door opened and in came an old woman, who said to me, ‘O my lord Mohammed, the Lady Zubaydah biddeth thee to her, for she hath heard of thy fine manners and accomplishments and skill in singing.’ I answered, ‘By Allah, I will not rise from my place till the Lady Dunya come back.’ Rejoined the old woman, ‘O

my lord, do not anger the Lady Zubaydah with thee and vex her so as to make her thy foe: nay, rise up and speak with her and return to thy place.’ So I rose at once and followed her into the presence of the Lady Zubaydah and, when I entered her presence she said to me, ‘O light of the eye, art thou the Lady Dunya’s beloved?’ ‘I am thy Mameluke, thy chattel,’ replied I. Quoth she, ‘Sooth spake he who reported thee possessed of beauty and grace and good breeding and every fine quality; indeed, thou surpassest all praise and all report. But now sing to me, that I may hear thee.’ Quoth I, ‘Hearkening and obedience;’ so she brought me a lute, and I sang to it these couplets, ‘The hapless lover’s heart is of his wooing weary grown, And hand of sickness wasted him till naught but skin and bone Who should be amid the riders which the haltered camels urge,

But that same lover whose beloved cloth in the litters wone: To Allah’s charge I leave that moon-like Beauty in your tents *

Whom my heart loves, albe my glance on her may ne’er be thrown.

Now she is fain; then she is fierce: how sweet her coyness shows; * Yea sweet whatever cloth or saith to lover loved one!’

 

When I had finished my song she said to me, ‘Allah assain thy body and thy voice! Verily, thou art perfect in beauty and good breeding and singing. But now rise and return to thy place, ere the Lady Dunya come back, lest she find thee not and be wroth with thee.’ Then I kissed the ground before her and the old woman forewent me till I reached the door whence I came. So I entered and, going up to the couch, found that my wife had come back from the bath and was lying asleep there. Seeing this I sat down at her feet and rubbed them; whereupon she opened her eyes and seeing me, drew up both her feet and gave me a kick that threw me off the couch,[FN#206] saying, ‘O traitor, thou hast been false to thine oath and hast perjured thyself. Thou swarest to me that thou wouldst not rise from thy place; yet didst thou break thy promise and go to the Lady Zubaydah. By Allah, but that I fear public scandal, I would pull down her palace over her head!’ Then said she to her black slave, ‘O Saw�b, arise and strike off this lying traitor’s head, for we have no further need of him.’ So the slave came up to me and, tearing a strip from his skirt, bandaged with it my eyes[FN#207] and would have struck off my head;”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-third Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Mohammed the Jeweller continued: “So the slave came up to me and, tearing a strip from his skirt, bandaged with it my eyes and would have struck off my head, but all her women, great and small, rose and came up to her and said to her, ‘O our lady, this is not the first who hath erred: indeed, he knew not thy humour and hath done thee no offence deserving death.’ Replied she, ‘By Allah, I must needs set my mark on him.’ And she bade them bash me; so they beat me on my ribs and the marks ye saw are the scars of that fustigation. Then she ordered them to cast me out, and they carried me to a distance from the house and threw me down like a log. After a time I rose and dragged myself little by little to my own place, where I sent for a surgeon and showed him my hurts; and he comforted me and did his best to cure me. As soon as I was recovered I went to the Hammam and, as my pains and sickness had left me, I repaired to my shop and took and sold all that was therein. With the proceeds, I bought me four hundred white slaves, such as no King ever got together, and caused two hundred of them to ride out with me every day. Then I made me yonder barge whereon I spent five thousand gold pieces; and styled myself Caliph and appointed each of my servants to the charge of some one of the Caliph’s officers and clad him in official habit.

Moreover, I made proclamation, ‘Whoso goeth a-pleasuring on the Tigris by night, I will strike off his head, without ruth or delay;’ and on such wise have I done this whole year past, during which time I have heard no news of the lady neither happened upon any trace of her.” Then wept he copiously and repeated these couplets,

 

“By Allah! while the days endure ne’er shall forget her I, Nor draw to any nigh save those who draw her to me nigh Like to the fullest moon her form and favour show to me, Laud to her All-creating Lord, laud to the Lord on high, She left me full of mourning, sleepless, sick with pine and pain * And ceaseth not my heart to yearn her mystery[FN#208] to espy.”

 

Now when Harun al-Rashid heard the young man’s story and knew the passion and transport and love lowe that afflicted him, he was moved to compassion and wonder and said, “Glory be to Allah, who hath appointed to every effect a cause!” Then they craved the young man’s permission to depart; which being granted, they took leave of him, the Caliph purposing to do him justice meet, and him with the utmost munificence entreat; and they returned to the palace of the Caliphate, where they changed clothes for others befitting their state and sat down, whilst Masrur the Sworder of High Justice stood before them. After awhile, quoth the Caliph to Ja’afar, “O Wazir, bring me the young man’—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

 

When it was the Two hundred and Ninety-fourth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the Caliph to his Minister, “Bring me the young man with whom we were last night.” “I hear and obey,” answered Ja’afar and, going to the youth, saluted him, saying, “Obey the summons of the Commander of the Faithful, the Caliph Harun al-Rashid.” So he returned with him to the palace, in great anxiety by reason of the summons; and, going in to the King, kissed ground before him; and offered up a prayer for the endurance of his glory and prosperity, for the accomplishment of his desires, for the continuance of his beneficence and for the cessation of evil and punishment; ordering his speech as best he might and ending by saying, “Peace be on thee, O Prince of True Believers and Protector of the folk of the Faith!” Then he repeated these two couplets,

 

“Kiss thou his fingers which no fingers are; * Keys of our daily bread those fingers ken:

And praise his actions which no actions are, * But precious necklaces round necks of men.”

 

So the Caliph smiled in his face and returned his salute, looking on him with the eye of favour; then he bade him draw near and sit down before him and said to him, “O Mohammed Ali, I wish thee to tell me what befel thee last night, for it was strange and passing strange.” Quoth the youth, “Pardon, O Commander of the Faithful, give me the kerchief of immunity, that my dread may be appeased and my heart eased.” Replied the Caliph, “I promise thee safety from fear and woes.” So the young man told him his story from first to last, whereby the Caliph knew him to be a lover and