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

the Caliph heard her, his wits were wildered, and he rent that was upon him of raiment, and he fell fainting to the floor until Ibrahim the Cup-companion and the ten handmaidens deemed him dead. But as he revived after an hour of time he said to the handmaiden, “O Muhjat al-Kulub, ask and it shall be granted to thee. “I pray,” quoth she, “first of Allah and then of the Commander of the Faithful that he restore us, all the ten, unto our lord;” and he granted her request after he had gifted them all and largessed them.[FN#300] He also wrote to their owner, King Yusuf, a royal Rescript appointing him Sultan over all the kingdoms that were in and about the land of Al-Sind; and moreover that whenas the Caliph might be absent from his good city of Baghdad, Yusuf should take his place in bidding and forbidding and ordering and governing. This ended, he despatched the ten slave-girls with a body of his Chamberlains after giving them wealth galore and of presents and rarities great store; and they fared forth from him and ceased not faring till they reached the city of Al-Sind. Now when the ten handmaidens drew nigh thereto they sent to inform King Yusuf of their coming, and he commissioned his Wazir Mohammed bin Ibrahim to meet and receive them, and he caused them enter the Palace, wondering the while that his ten bondswomen had not found favour with the Prince of True Believers. So he summoned them to his presence and asked them thereanent, and they answered by relating all that had befallen them; and presently Muhjat al-Kulub presented to him the Royal Rescript, and when he read it he increased in joy and delight.[FN#301] Now[FN#302] when supper was over the Prince of True Believers said to Ibn Ahyam, “Needs must thou relate unto us a story which shall solace us; and said the other, “O Commander of the Faithful, I have heard a tale touching one of the Kings.”

“What is that?” asked the Caliph, whereupon Ibn Ahyam fell to relating the adventures of

 

THE THREE PRINCES OF CHINA.[FN#303]

 

Whilome there was a King in the land of Al-S�n and he had three male children to whose mother befel a mysterious malady. So they summoned for her Sages and leaches of whom none could understand her ailment and she abode for a while of time strown upon her couch. At last came a learned physician to whom they described her disorder and he declared, “Indeed this sickness cannot be healed save and except by the Water of Life, a treasure that can be trove only in the land Al-‘Ir�k.” When her sons heard these words they said to their sire, “There is no help but that we make our best endeavour and fare thither and thence bring for our mother the water in question.” Hereupon the King gat ready for them a sufficiency of provaunt for the way and they farewelled him and set forth intending for Barbarian-land.[FN#304] The three Princes ceased not travelling together for seven days, at the end of which time one said to other, “Let us separate and let each make search in a different stead, so haply shall we hit upon our need.” So speaking they parted after dividing their viaticum and, bidding adieu to one another, each went his own way. Now the eldest Prince ceased not wending over the wastes and none directed him to a town save after a while when his victual was exhausted and he had naught remaining to eat. At that time he drew near to one of the cities where he was met at the entrance by a Jewish man who asked him saying, “Wilt thou serve, O

Moslem?” Quoth the youth to himself, “I will take service and haply Allah shall discover to me my need.” Then said he aloud, “I will engage myself to thee;” and said the Jew, “Every day thou shalt serve me in yonder Synagogue, whose floor thou shalt sweep and clean its mattings and rugs and thou shalt scour the candlesticks.” “�Tis well,” replied the Prince, after which he fell to serving in the Jew’s house, until one day of the days when his employer said to him, “O Youth, I will bargain with thee a bargain.” “And what may that be?” asked the young Prince, and the man answered, “I will condition with thee for thy daily food a scone and a half but the broken loaf thou shalt not devour nor shalt thou break the whole bread; yet do thou eat thy sufficiency and whoso doth contrary to our agreement we will flay[FN#305] his face. So, an it be thy desire to serve, thou art welcome.” Now of his inexperience the Prince said to him, “We will serve thee;”

whereupon his employer rationed him with a scone and a half and went forth leaving him in the Synagogue. When it was noon the youth waxed anhungered so he ate the loaf and a half; and about midafternoon the Jew came to him and finding that he had devoured the bread asked him thereanent and the other answered, “I was hungry and I ate up all.” Cried the Jew, “I made compact with thee from the beginning that thou shouldst eat neither the whole nor the broken,” and so saying he fared forth from him and presently brought a party of Jews, who in that town numbered some fifty head, and they seized the youth and slew him and bundling up the body in a mat[FN#306] set it in a corner of the synagogue.

Such was his case; but as regards the Cadet Prince, he ceased not wayfaring and wending from town to town until Fate at last threw him into the same place where his brother had been slain and perchance as he entered it he found the same Jew standing at the Synagogue-door. The man asked him, “Wilt thou serve, O Moslem?”

and as the youth answered “Yea verily,” he led the new comer to his quarters. After this the Jew had patience for the first day and the second day—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 Seven Hundred and Eleventh 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 which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King’s son tarried with the Jewish man the first day and the second day, after which his employer did with him even as he had done by his brother before him; to wit, he slew him and wrapping him in a mat placed his corpse beside that of the eldest Prince.

On this wise it happed to these twain; but as regards the youngest of the three, he ceased not travelling from town to town and enduring excessive fatigue and hunger and nakedness until by decree of Destiny and by determination of the Predestinator he was thrown into the hands of the same Jew whom he found standing at the Synagogue-door. Here the man accosted him, saying, “Wilt thou serve, O Moslem?” and the Youth agreeing he imposed upon him the same pact which he had made with his two brothers, and the Prince said “‘Tis well, O Master.” Then quoth the Jew, “Do thou sweep the Synagogue and cleanse it and shake out the mats and rugs;” and quoth the other, “Good!” But when the Prince left him and went into the building, his glance fell upon the two bundles of matting wherein were wrapped the corpses of his brothers, so he drew near to them and, raising a corner of the covering, found the bodies stinking and rotten. Hereat he arose and fared forth the Synagogue and opening a pit in the ground took up his brothers (and he sorrowing over them and weeping) and buried them. Then he returned to the building and, rolling up the mats, heaped them together and so with the rugs, after which he built a fire under them until the whole were burnt and after he took down the candlesticks one and all and brake them to bits. Now when it was midafternoon behold, the Jew came to the Synagogue and found a bonfire and all the furniture thereof lying in ashes and when he saw this he buffeted his face and cried, “Wherefore, O Moslem, hast thou done on such wise?” Replied the youth, “Thou hast defrauded me, O Master,” and rejoined the Jew, “I have not cheated thee of aught. However, O Moslem, hie thee home and bid thy mistress slaughter a meat-offering and cook it and do thou bring it hither forthright.” “�Tis well, O my Master,” said the Prince. Now the Jew had two boy children in whom he delighted and the youth going to his house knocked at the door which was opened to him by the Jewess and she asked, “What needest thou?” Quoth the Prince to the Jew’s wife, “O my mistress, my master hath sent me to thee saying, ‘Do thou slaughter the two lambs that are with thee and fifty chickens and an hundred pair[FN#307] of pigeons,’

for all the masters are with him in the Synagogue and ‘tis his desire to circumcise the boys.”[FN#308] The Jew’s wife replied to him, “And who shall slaughter me all this?” when he rejoined, “I will.” So she brought out to him the lambs and the chickens and the pigeons and he cut the throats of all. The Jewess hereupon arose and cried upon her neighbours to aid her in the cooking until the meats were well done and all were dished up. Then the youth hending the ten porcelain plates in hand went with them to a house in the Ghetto[FN#309] and rapped at the door and said, “My Master hath sent all these to you.” Meanwhile the Jew was in the Synagogue unknowing of such doings; and as the Prince was setting down the last of the plates which he carried with him, behold! the Jew came to that house because he had noticed his servant’s absence, so he repaired thither to see concerning the business of the meat offering wherewith he had charged him. He found his home in a state of pother and up-take and down-set and he asked the folk, “What is the matter?” They related the whole to him and said, “Thou sentest to demand such-and-such,” and when he heard this case he beat his face with his brogue[FN#310]—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 Seven Hundred and Twelfth 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