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

Let me but see you in my sleep, belike * Shall clear my cheeks of tears that lovely sight.”

Then a fourth recited the following couplets, “Dumb is my tongue and scant my speech for thee * And Love the direst torture gars me dree:

O thou full Moon, whose place is highest Heaven, * For thee but double pine and pain in me.”

And a fifth these,[FN#370]

“I love a moon of comely shapely form * Whose slender waist hath title to complain:

Whose lip-dews rival must and long-kept wine; * Whose heavy haunches haunt the minds of men:

My heart each morning burns with pain and pine * And the night-talkers note I’m passion-slain; While down my cheeks carnelian-like the tears * Of rosy red shower down like railing rain.”

And a sixth the following,

“O thou who shunnest him thy love misled! * O Branch of B�n, O

star of highmost stead!

To thee of pine and passion I complain, * O thou who fired me with cheeks rosyred.

Did e’er such lover lose his soul for thee, * Or from prostration and from prayers fled?”

And a seventh these,

“He seized my heart and freed my tears to flow * Brought strength to Love and bade my Patience go.

His charms are sweet as bitter his disdain; * And shafts of love his suitors overthrow.

Stint blame, O blamer, and for past repent * None will believe thee who dost Love unknow!”

And on like wise all the rest of the monks shed tears and repeated verses. As for Danis, the Prior, weeping and wailing redoubled on him, for that he found no way to her enjoyment, and he chanted the following couplets[FN#371], “My patience failed me when my lover went * And fled that day mine aim and best intent.

O Guide o’ litters lead their camels fair, * Haply some day they’ll deign with me to tent!

On parting-day Sleep parted from my lids * And grew my grieving and my joy was shent.

I moan to Allah what for Love I dree’d * My wasted body and my forces spent.”

Then, despairing of her, they took counsel together and with one mind agreed to fashion her image and set it up with them, and applied themselves to this till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and Severer of societies. Meanwhile, Zayn alMawasif fared on, without ceasing, to find her lover Masrur, till she reached her own house. She opened the doors, and entered; then she sent to her sister Nasim, who rejoiced with exceeding joy at the news of her return and brought her the furniture and precious stuffs left in her charge. So she furnished the house and dressed it, hanging the curtains over the doors and burning aloes-wood and musk and ambergris and other essences till the whole place recked with the most delightful perfumes: after which the Adornment of Qualities donned her finest dress and decorations and sat talking with her maids, whom she had left behind when journeying, and related to them all that had befallen her first and last. Then she turned to Hubub and giving her dirhams, bade her fetch them something to eat. So she brought meat and drink and when they had made an end of eating and drinking,[FN#372]

Zayn alMawasif bade Hubub go and see where Masrur was and how it fared with him. Now he knew not of her return; but abode with concern overcast and sorrow might not be overpast;—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-third Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Zayn alMawasif entered her house she was met by her sister Nasim who brought her the furniture and stuffs wherewith she furnished the place; and then she donned her finest dress. But Masrur knew naught of her return and abode with concern overcast and sorrow might not be overpast; no peace prevailed with him nor was patience possible to him. Whenas pine and passion, desire and distraction waxed on him, he would solace himself by reciting verse and go to the house and set him its walls to buss. It chanced that he went out that day to the place where he had parted from his mistress and repeated this rare song, “My wrongs hide I, withal they show to sight; * And now mine eyes from sleep to wake are dight.

I cry when melancholy tries my sprite * Last not, O world nor work more despight;

Lo hangs my soul ‘twixt hardship and affright.

Were the Sultan hight Love but fair to me, * Slumber mine eyes’

companion were to me,

My Lords, some little mercy spare to me, * Chief of my tribe: be debonnair to me,

Whom Love cast down, erst rich now pauper-wight!

Censors may blame thee but I look beyond * Mine ears I stop and leave their lies unconned

And keep my pact wi’ those I love so fond: * They say, �Thou lov’st a runaway!’ I respond,

�Whist! whenas Fate descends she blinds the sight!’”

Then he returned to his lodging and sat there weeping, till sleep overcame him, when he saw in a dream as if Zayn alMawasif were come to the house, and awoke in tears. So he set off to go thither, improvising these couplets,

“Shall I be consoled when Love hath mastered the secret of me *

And my heart is aglow with more than the charcoal’s ardency?

I love her whose absence I plain before Allah for parting-stower * And the shifts of the days and doom which allotted me Destiny:

When shall our meeting be, O wish O’ my heart and will? * O

favour of fullest Moon, when shall we Reunion see?”

As he made an end of his recitation, he found himself walking adown in Zayn alMawasif’s street and smelt the sweet savour of the pastiles wherewithal she had incensed the house; wherefore his vitals fluttered and his heart was like to leave his breast and desire flamed up in him and distraction redoubled upon him; when lo, and behold! Hubub, on her way to do her lady’s errand suddenly appeared at the head of the street and he rejoiced with joy exceeding. When she saw him, she went up to him and saluting him, gave him the glad news of her mistress’s return, saying, “She hath sent me to bid thee to her.” Whereat he was glad indeed, with gladness naught could exceed; and she took him and returned with him to the house. When Zayn alMawasif saw him, she came down to him from the couch and kissed him and he kissed her and she embraced him and he embraced her; nor did they leave kissing and embracing till both swooned away for stress of affection and separation. They lay a long while senseless, and when they revived, Zayn alMawasif bade Hubub fetch her a gugglet of sherbet of sugar and another of sherbet of lemons. So she brought what she desired and they sat eating and drinking nor ceased before nightfall, when they fell to recalling all that had befallen them from commencement to conclusion. Then she acquainted him with her return to Al-Islam, whereat he rejoiced and he also became a Moslem. On like wise did her women, and they ail repented to Allah Almighty of their infidelity. On the morrow she made send for the Kazi and the witnesses and told them that she was a widow and had completed the purification period and was minded to marry Masrur. So they drew up the wedding-contract between them and they abode in all delight of life. Meanwhile, the Jew, when the people of Adan released him from prison, set out homewards and fared on nor ceased faring till he came within three days’ journey of the city. Now as soon as Zayn alMawasif heard of his coming she called for her handmaid Hubub and said to her, “Go to the Jews’ burial-place and there dig a grave and plant on it sweet basil and jessamine and sprinkle water thereabout. If the Jew come and ask thee of me, answer, �My mistress died twenty days ago of chagrin on thine account.’ If he say, show me her tomb, take him to the grave and after weeping over it and making moan and lament before him, contrive to cast him therein and bury him alive.”[FN#373] And Hubub answered, “I hear and I obey.” Then they laid up the furniture in the store closets, and Zayn alMawasif removed to Masrur’s lodging, where he and she abode eating and drinking, till the three days were past; at the end of which the Jew arrived and knocked at the door of his house. Quoth Hubub, “Who’s at the door?”; and quoth he, “Thy master.” So she opened to him and he saw the tears railing down her cheeks and said, “What aileth thee to weep and where is thy mistress?” She replied, “My mistress is dead of chagrin on thine account.” When he heard this, he was perplexed and wept with sore weeping and presently said, “O Hubub, where is her tomb?” So she carried him to the Jews’ burial-ground and showed him the grave she had dug; whereupon he shed bitter tears and recited this pair of couplets,[FN#374]

“Two things there are, for which if eyes wept tear on tear Of blood, till they were like indeed to disappear, They never could fulfil the Tithe of all their due: And these are prime of youth and loss of loveling dear.”

Then he wept again with bitter tears and recited these also, “Alack and Alas! Patience taketh flight: * And from parting of friend to sore death I’m dight:

O how woeful this farness from dear one, and oh * How my heart is rent by mine own unright!

Would Heaven my secret I erst had kept * Nor had told the pangs and my liverblight:

I lived in all solace and joyance of life * Till she left and left me in piteous plight:

O Zayn alMawasif, I would there were * No parting departing my frame and sprite:

I repent me for troth-breach and blame my guilt * Of unruth to her whereon hopes I built.”

When he had made an end of this verse, he wept and groaned and lamented till he fell down a-swoon, whereupon Hubub made haste to drag him to the grave and throw him in, whilst he was insensible yet quick withal. Then she stopped up the grave on him and returning to her mistress acquainted her with what had passed, whereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy and recited these two couplets,

“The world sware that for ever ‘twould gar me grieve: *Tis false, O world, so thine oath retrieve[FN#375]!

The blamer is dead and my love’s in my arms: * Rise to herald of joys and tuck high thy sleeve[FN#376]!”

Then she and Masrur abode each with other in eating and drinking and sport and pleasure and good cheer, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and Sunderer of societies and Slayer of sons and daughters. And I have also heard tell the following tale of

ALI NUR AL-DIN AND MIRIAM THE

GIRDLE-GIRL[FN#377]

There was once in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before in the parts of Cairo, a merchant named T�j al-D�n who was of the most considerable of the merchants and of the chiefs of the freeborn. But he was given to travelling everywhere and loved to fare over wild and wold, waterless lowland and stony waste, and to journey to the isles of the seas, in quest