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

and Naomi called for a lute and, when they brought it, she took it and tuned it and played a lively measure which enchanted the hearers, and after the prelude sang these couplets, “When the slanderers cared but to part us twain, * We owed no blood-debt could raise their ire And they poured in our ears all the din of war, And aid failed and friends, when my want was dire: I fought them hard with mine eyes and tears; With breath and sword, with the stream and fire!”

 

Then Naomi gave the lute to her master, Ni’amah, saying, “Sing thou to us some verse.” So he took it and playing a lively measure, intoned these couplets,

 

“Full Moon if unfreckled would favour thee, * And Sun uneclipsed would reflect thy blee:

I wonder (but love is of wonders full * And ardour and passion and ecstasy)

How short the way to my love I fare, * Which, from her faring, so long I see.”

 

Now when he had made an end of his song, Naomi filled the cup and gave it to him, and he took it and drank it off; then she filled again and gave the cup to the Caliph’s sister who also emptied it; after which the Princess in her turn took the lute and tightened the strings and tuned it and sang these two couplets, “Grief, cark and care in my heart reside, * And the fires of love in my breast

My wasted form to all eyes shows clear; * For Desire my body hath mortified.”

 

Then she filled the cup and gave it to Naomi, who drank it off and taking the lute, sang these two couplets, “O to whom I gave soul which thou tortures”, * And in vain I’d recover from fair Unfaith

Do grant thy favours my care to cure * Ere I die, for this be my latest breath.”

 

And they ceased not to sing verses and drink to the sweet sound of the strings, full of mirth and merriment and joy and jollity till behold! in came the Commander of the Faithful. Now when they saw him, they rose and kissed the ground before him; and he, seeing Naomi with the lute in her hand, said to her, “O Naomi, praised be Allah who hath done away from thee sickness and suffering!” Then he looked at Ni’amah (who was still disguised as a woman), and said to the Princess, “O my sister, what damsel is this by Naomi’s side?” She replied, “O Commander of the Faithful, thou hast here a handmaid, one of thy concubines and the bosom friend of Naomi who will neither eat nor drink without her.” And she repeated the words of the poet,

 

“Two contraries, and both concur in opposite charms, * And charms so contraried by contrast lovelier show.”

 

Quoth the Caliph, “By Allah Omnipotent, verily she is as handsome as Naomi, and tomorrow I will appoint her a separate chamber beside that of her friend and send her furniture and stuffs and all that befitteth her, in honour of Naomi.” Then the Princess called for food and set it before her brother, who ate and made himself at home in their place and company. Then filling a cup he signed to Naomi to sing; so she took the lute, after draining two of them and sang these two couplets, “Since my toper-friend in my hand hath given * Three cups that brim and bubble, e’er since

I’ve trailed my skirts throughout night for pride * As tho’, Prince of the Faithful, I were thy Prince!”

 

The Prince of True Believers was delighted and filling another cup, gave it to Naomi and bade her sing again; so after draining the cup and sweeping the strings, she sang as follows:—

 

“O most noble of men in this time and stound, * Of whom none may boast he is equal-found!

O matchless in greatness of soul and gifts, * O thou Chief, O

thou King amongst all renowned: Lord, who dealest large boons to the Lords of Earth, Whom thou vexest not nor dost hold them bound The Lord preserve thee, and spoil thy foes, And ne’er cease thy lot with good Fortune crowned!”

 

Now when the Caliph heard these couplets, he exclaimed, “By Allah, good! By Allah, excellent! Verily the Lord hath been copious[FN#19] to thee, O Naomi! How clever is thy tongue and how dear is thy speech!” And they ceased not their mirth and good cheer till midnight, when the Caliph’s sister said to him, “Give ear, O Commander of the Faithful to a tale I have read in books of a certain man of rank.” “And what is this tale?” quoth he.

Quoth she “Know, O Prince of the Faithful that there lived once in the city of Cufa a youth called Ni’amah, son of Al-Rabi’a, and he had a slave-girl whom he loved and who loved him. They had been reared in one bed; but when they grew up and mutual-love get hold of them, Fortune smote them with her calamities and Time, the tyrant, brought upon them his adversity and decreed separation unto them. Thereupon designing and slanderous folk enticed her by sleight forth of his house and, stealing her away from his home, sold her to one of the Kings for ten thousand dinars. Now the girl loved her lord even as he loved her, so he left kith and kin and house and home and the gifts of fortune, and set out to search for her and when she was found he devised means to gain access to her”.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-sixth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph’s sister said, “And Ni’amah ceased not absenting himself from his kith and kin and patrial-stead, that he might gain access to his handmaid, and he incurred every peril and lavished his life till he gained access to her, and her name was Naomi, like this slave-girl. But the interview was short; they had not been long in company when in came the King, who had bought her of her kidnapper, and hastily ordered them to be slain, without doing justice by his own soul and delaying to enquire into the matter before the command was carried out. Now what sayest thou, O Commander of the Faithful, of this King’s wrongous conduct?”

Answered the Caliph; “This was indeed a strange thing: it behoved that King to pardon when he had the power to punish; and he ought to have regarded three things in their favour. The first was that they loved each other; the second that they were in his house and in his grasp; and the third that it befitteth a King to be deliberate in judging and ordering between folk, and how much more so in cases where he himself is concerned! Wherefore this King thus did an unkingly deed.” Then said his sister, “O my brother, by the King of the heavens and the earth, I conjure thee, bid Naomi sing and hearken to that she shall sing!” So he said “O Naomi, sing to me;” whereupon she played a lively measure and sang these couplets,

 

“Beguiled us Fortune who her guile displays, Smiting the heart, bequeathing thoughts that craze And parting lovers whom she made to meet, Till tears in torrent either cheek displays:

They were and I was and my life was glad, * While Fortune often joyed to join our ways;

I will pour tear flood, will rain gouts of blood, * Thy loss bemoaning through the nights and days!”

 

Now when the Commander of the Faithful heard this verse, he was moved to great delight and his sister said to him, “O my brother, whoso decideth in aught against himself, him it behoveth to abide by it and do according to his word; and thou hast judged against thyself by this judgement.” Then said she, “O Ni’amah, stand up and do thou likewise up stand, O Naomi!” So they stood up and she continued, “O Prince of True Believers, she who standeth before thee is Naomi the stolen, whom Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Sakafi kidnapped and sent to thee, falsely pretending in his letter to thee that he had bought her for ten thousand gold pieces. And this other who standeth before thee is her lord, Ni’amah, son of Al-Rabi’a; and I beseech thee, by the honour of thy pious forebears and by Hamzah and Ukayl and Abbas,[FN#20] to pardon them both and overlook their offence and bestow them one on the other, that thou mayst win rich reward in the next world of thy just dealing with them; for they are under thy hand and verily they have eaten of thy meat and drunken of thy drink; and behold, I make intercession for them and beg of thee the boon of their blood.” Thereupon quoth the Caliph, “Thou speakest sooth: I did indeed give judgement as thou sayst, and I am not one to pass sentence and to revoke it.” Then said he, “O Naomi, say, be this thy lord?” And she answered “Even so, O Commander of the Faithful.” Then quoth he, “No harm shall befall you, I give you each to other;” adding to the young man, “O Ni’amah, who told thee where she was and taught thee how to get at this place?” He replied, “O Commander of the Faithful, hearken to my tale and give ear to my history; for, by the virtue of thy pious forefathers, I will hide nothing from thee!” And he told him all that had passed between himself and the Persian physician and the old nurse, and how she had brought him into the palace and he had mistaken the doors; whereat the Caliph wondered with exceeding wonder and said, “Fetch me the Persian.” So they brought him into the presence and he was made one of his chief officers. Moreover the King bestowed on him robes of honour and ordered him a handsome present, saying, “When a man hath shown like this man such artful management, it behoveth us to make him one of our chief officers.” The Caliph also loaded Ni’amah and Naomi with gifts and honours and rewarded the old nurse; and they abode with him seven days in joy and content and all delight of life, when Ni’amah craved leave to return to Cufa with his slave-girl. The Caliph gave them permission and they departed and arrived in due course at Cufa, where Ni’amah was restored to his father and mother, and they abode in all the joys and jollities of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies. Now when Amjad and As’ad heard from Bahram this story, they marvelled with extreme marvel and said, “By Allah, this is indeed a rare tale!”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Two Hundred and Forty-seventh Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad and As’ad heard this story from Bahram the Magian who had become a Moslem, they marvelled with extreme marvel and thus passed that night; and when the next morning dawned, they mounted and riding to the palace, sought an audience of the King who granted it and received them with high honour. Now as they were sitting together talking, of a sudden they heard the towns folk crying aloud and shouting to one another and calling for help; and the Chamberlain came in to the King and said to him, “Some King hath encamped before the city, he and his host, with arms and weapons displayed,