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

fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Ibn Ibrahim said to Al-Mihrjan, “Verily I found this poetry in a tale of the olden time.” So the King issued orders to smite his neck, when intercession was made for him by a Courtier hight T�‘il al-Wasf,[FN#267] whereupon the King commanded him to jail, whither he was taken forthright. But as Ibn Ibrahim was being locked up, he said to the gaoler, “Say me, canst thou bring for me a pencase and paper and pen?” and the other assented, fetching for him whatso he wanted. So he wrote to Prince Yusuf the following couplets,

 

“O Y�suf, master mine, for safety fly; * In sorest danger Ibrahim’s son doth lie:

When from thy side for house and home he sped * Forthright bade Al-Mihrjan to bring him nigh,

And ‘mid th’ Assembly highest stead assigned * A seat in public with a sleight full sly.

A writ thou wrotest bore he on his head * Which fell and picked it up the King to ‘spy:

‘Tis thus discovered he thy state and raged * With wrath and fain all guidance would defy.

Then bade he Ibrahim’s son on face be thrown * And painful beating to the bare apply;

With stripes he welted and he tare his sides * Till force waxed feeble, strength debility.

So rise and haste thee to thine own and fetch * Thy power, and instant for the tribe-lands hie;

Meanwhile I’ll busy to seduce his men * Who hear me, O thou princely born and high;

For of the painful stress he made me bear * The fire of bane I’ve sworn him even I.”

 

Now when Ibn Ibrahim had finished his verse, he said to the gaoler, “Do thou summon for me the son of my brother hight Mann�[FN#268] and thou shalt have from me one hundred gold pieces.” The man did his bidding, and when the youth came the uncle gave him the letter and bespake him as follows: “O son of my brother, take thou this paper and fare with it to the Castle of Al-Hayfa and swim the stream, and go up to the building and enter therein and commit this missive unto a youth whom thou shalt see sitting beside the Princess. Then do thou greet him with the salam from me, and inform him of all that I am in and what I have seen and what thou hast witnessed, and for this service I will give thee an hundred gold pieces.” The nephew took the uncle’s letter and set forth from the first of the night until he drew nigh the Castle. Such was the case with Ibn Ibrahim and his sending his nephew Manna’ on a mission to the Princess; but as regards King Al-Mihrjan, when the morning morrowed and showed its sheen and shone and the sun arose with rays a-lowland strown, he sent to summon Ibn Ibrahim; and, when they set him between his hands, he adjured him saying, “O thou! by the rights of the God unique in his rule for Unity; by Him who set up the skies without prop and stay and dispread the Earths firmly upon the watery way, unless thou inform me and apprise me rightly and truly I will order thy head to be struck off this very moment.” So the cup-companion related to the King the whole affair of Princess Al-Hayfa and Prince Yusuf, and all that had passed between the twain; whereupon Al-Mihrjan asked, “And this Yusuf from what land may he be?” “He is son to the Sovran of Sind, King Sahl,” quoth the other, and quoth Al-Mihrjan, “And is he still in the Palace, or hath he gone to his own country?” “He was therein,” replied Ibn Ibrahim, “but I know not whether he be yet there, or he be gone thence.” Hereupon Al-Mihrjan commanded his host at once to mount, and all took horse and rode forth making for the Castle of Al-Hayfa. Now, between Manna and King Al-Mihrjan was a march of only a single night, when the youth went up to the Palace of the Princess, where he knocked at the door and they opened and admitted him to the presence of Prince Yusuf. There he handed to him the letter, which the Prince opened and read; then he suddenly rose up crying upon Hilal, whom when he was fetched he bade forthwith bring out his steed. Hereat cried Al-Hayfa, “I ask thee by Allah, O my lord, what may be the news?” and he answered her, “Verily when Ibn Ibrahim fared from us to his folk he was summoned on his arrival by thy sire, and he went to him and informed him of all that hath befallen us, first and last.” So saying he put the letter into her hands, and she having read it exclaimed, “O my lord, do thou take me with thee lest haply he slay me.” Answered the Prince, “O end and aim of mine every wish, we have naught with us save this one steed who availeth not to carry three; therefore will thy father overtake us upon the road and will put us to death one and all. Now the rede that is right be this, that thou conceal thyself somewhere in the Palace and charge the slave-girls when thy sire shall come hither, to tell him that I have carried thee off to mine own country, and for the rest be thou assured that I will tarry away from thee but a few days.” So saying Yusuf took his horse with him and Hilal his page a-crupper and swam the river and made for his own land pushing his pace, and presently he drew within sight of the capital. Such was the case of Prince Yusuf, son to King Sahl; but as regards the matter of King Al-Mihrjan and his host, he ceased not marching them till such time as he came within sight of the Castle of his daughter Al-Hayfa; and this was soon after the departure of Yusuf. And when he had led hither his host, which was like unto a dashing sea, he dismounted upon the river-bank that all might free themselves of their fatigue, after which he summoned Sahlub and bade him swim the stream and walk up to the Castle and knock at the door. The youth did as he was bidden, and the handmaids opened to him and greeted him as he asked for Al-Hayfa—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 Ninety-eighth 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 when Sahlub went up to the Palace, he asked of Al-Hayfa, and the slave-girls told him that a youth had come thither and had taken her away and had carried her off to his own country. So he returned to Al-Mihrjan and informed him thereof, when the King took horse with all his host and pursued Yusuf with uttermost haste and hurry until there was between the twain less than a day’s march. But as the Prince drew near his capital on the tenth day he went in to his sire and told him whatso had befallen him from incept to conclusion, nor did he hide from him aught; whereupon King Sahl mustered his many (all who received from him royal solde and allowances), and bade them take horse with his son Yusuf. The troops did accordingly and the Prince rode a-van, and after a little while the two armies met. Now Ibn Ibrahim had made a compact with five of the nobles who were the chiefest men of King Al-Mihrjan’s reign and had promised them five hundred thousand dinars. So when the two hosts were about to engage, an Emir of the Emirs came forth (and he was one of those whom Ibn Ibrahim had appointed to watch over Yusuf) and said to the Prince, “O Son of the King, verily Ibn Ibrahim hath promised five of the nobles as many hundred thousand dinars of gold the which we may take and receive from thee.” Replied he, “The like sum shall be thine from me with all thou canst ask of us.” Presently the Emir returned from him to Al-Mihrjan and said to him, “Verily I have asked this youth that he make vain and void the battle between us twain, but he assented not and sware an oath that he would never return from affray until the enemies should meet and fight it out, and that he had with him a mighty host and a conquering whose van was not known from its rear.[FN#269] Now ‘tis my rede that thou strive to take him prisoner[FN#270] and then do whatso he may please, especially he being son to thee, King of the mighty Kings and with him a thousand thousand knights all mailed cap-a-pie and clothed in steel not one of whom hath any fear of fight.” King Al-Mihrjan waxed wroth at the Emir’s speech and cried, “What words be these? Shall the Kings of the Age remain saying of me that a man hath debauched the daughter of Al-Mihrjan and hath carried her away perforce despite the nose of her father? Never shall such thing be spoken of me; no, never!

But do thou know, ho thou the Emir, that an ye have no taste for fray nor avail for fight and ye have no training save for bibbing of wine and ease at home, I have sworn and swear by Him who lighted the lucident fires of the Sun and the Moon, none shall sally forth to do single combat with this youth save I myself.”

But when so saying he knew not that was hidden from him in the World of Secrets. Presently he rushed into the field of fight with reins floating upon his courser’s neck and he renowned it, showing himself between the foremost files, and he played with the edge of glaive and spit of spear until men’s wits were bewildered and he improvised the while and cried out the following couplets,

 

“Ibn Sahl, ho scion of tree abhorr’d! * Rise, meet me in mellay and prove thee lord:

My daughter hast snatched, O thou foul of deed, * And approachest me fearing the Lion of the horde.

Hadst come in honour and fairly sued * I had made her thine own with the best accord;

But this rape hath o’erwhelmed in dishonour foul * Her sire, and all bounds thou hast overscor’d.”

 

Now when King Al-Mihrjan finished his verse, Yusuf rushed out to him, and cried at him with a terrible cry and a terrifying, and garred his own steed bound upon the battle-plain, where he played with brand and lance until he cast into oblivion every knight, reciting in the meantime the following verses, “I am son to Al-Sahl, O of forbears vile! * Come forth and fight me sans guile or wile;

Thou hast hurt my heart; O of deed misdone, * So thou com’st to contend with this rank and file.”[FN#271]

 

King Al-Mihrjan re-echoed his war-cry, but hardly had he ended when Yusuf drawing near him answered it with a shout which enquaked his heart and ravished