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

and secure against the misways of nights and days, and they passed the dark hours after the goodliest fashion, fearing naught, in their joys love-fraught, from excess of talk and prate. As saith of them the right excellent poet,[FN#483]

 

“Go, visit her thou lovest, and regard not The words detractors utter; envious churls Can never favour love. Oh! sure the merciful Ne’er make a thing more fair to look upon, Than two fond lovers in each other’s arms, Speaking their passion in a mute embrace.

When heart has turned to heart, the fools would part them Strike idly on cold steel. So when thou’st found One purely, wholly thine, accept her true heart, And live for her alone. Oh! thou that blamest The love-struck for their love, give o’er thy talk How canst thou minister to a mind diseased?”

 

When the morning morrowed in sheen and shone, Nur al-Din awoke from deep sleep and found that she had brought water:[FN#484] so they made the Ghusl-ablution, he and she, and he performed that which behoved him of prayer to his Lord, after which she set before him meat and drink, and he ate and drank. Then the damsel put her hand under her pillow and pulling out the girdle which she had knitted during the night, gave it to Nur al-Din, who asked, “Whence cometh this girdle?”[FN#485] Answered she, “O my lord, ‘tis the silk thou boughtest yesterday for twenty dirhams.

Rise now and go to the Persian bazar and give it to the broker, to cry for sale, and sell it not for less than twenty gold pieces in ready money.” Quoth Nur al-Din, “O Princess of fair ones how can a thing, that cost twenty dirhams and will sell for as many dinars, be made in a single night?”; and quoth she, “O my lord, thou knowest not the value of this thing; but go to the market therewith and give it to the broker, and when he shall cry it, its worth will be made manifest to thee.” Herewith he carried the zone to the market and gave it to the broker, bidding him cry it, whilst he himself sat down on a masonry bench before a shop. The broker fared forth and returning after a while said to him, “O my lord, rise take the price of thy zone, for it hath fetched twenty dinars money down.” When Nur al-Din heard this, he marvelled with exceeding marvel and shook with delight. Then he rose, between belief and misbelief, to take the money and when he had received it, he went forthright and spent it all on silk of various colours and returning home, gave his purchase to the damsel, saying, “Make this all into girdles and teach me likewise how to make them, that I may work with thee; for never in the length of my life saw I a fairer craft than this craft nor a more abounding in gain and profit. By Allah, ‘tis better than the trade of a merchant a thousand times!” She laughed at his language and said, “O my lord, go to thy friend the druggist and borrow other thirty dirhams of him, and tomorrow repay him from the price of the girdle the thirty together with the fifty already loaned to thee.” So he rose and repaired to the druggist and said to him, “O Uncle, lend me other thirty dirhams, and tomorrow, Almighty Allah willing, I will repay thee the whole fourscore.” The old man weighed him out thirty dirhams, wherewith he went to the market and buying meat and bread, dried fruits, and flowers as before, carried them home to the damsel whose name was Miriam,[FN#486] the Girdle-girl. She rose forthright and making ready rich meats, set them before her lord Nur al-Din; after which she brought the wine-service and they drank and plied each other with drink. When the wine began to play with their wits, his pleasant address and inner grace pleased her, and she recited these two couplets,

 

“Said I to Slim-waist who the wine engraced * Brought in musk-scented bowl and a superfine, ‘Was it prest from thy cheek?’ He replied ‘Nay, nay! * When did man from Roses e’er press the Wine?’”

 

And the damsel ceased not to carouse with her lord and ply him with cup and bowl and require him to fill for her and give her to drink of that which sweeteneth the spirits, and whenever he put forth hand to her, she drew back from him, out of coquetry. The wine added to her beauty and loveliness, and Nur al-Din recited these two couplets,

 

“Slim-waist craved wine from her companeer; * Cried (in meeting of friends when he feared for his fere,) ‘An thou pass not the wine thou shalt pass the night, * A-banisht my bed!’ And he felt sore fear.”

 

They ceased not drinking till drunkenness overpowered Nur al-Din and he slept; whereupon she rose forthright and fell to work upon a zone, as was her wont. When she had wrought it to end, she wrapped it in paper and doffing her clothes, lay down by his side and enjoyed dalliance and delight till morn appeared.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

 

When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night, She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Miriam the Girdle-girl, having finished her zone and wrapped it in paper doffed her dress and lay down by the side of her lord; and then happened to them what happened of dalliance and delight; and he did his devoir like a man. On the morrow, she gave him the girdle and said to him, “Carry this to the market and sell it for twenty dinars, even as thou soldest its fellow yesterday.” So he went to the bazar and sold the girdle for twenty dinars, after which he repaired to the druggist and paid him back the eighty dirhams, thanking him for the bounties and calling down blessings upon him. He asked, “O my son, hast thou sold the damsel?”; and Nur al-Din answered, “Wouldst thou have me sell the soul out of my body?” and he told him all that had passed, from commencement to conclusion, whereat the druggist joyed with joy galore, than which could be no more and said to him, “By Allah, O my son, thou gladdenest me! Inshallah, mayst thou ever be in prosperity!

Indeed I wish thee well by reason of my affection for thy ather and the continuance of my friendship with him.” Then Nur al-Din left the Shaykh and straightway going to the market, bought meat and fruit and wine and all that he needed according to his custom and returned therewith to Miriam. They abode thus a whole year in eating and drinking and mirth and merriment and love and good comradeship, and every night she made a zone and he sold it on the morrow for twenty dinars, wherewith he bought their needs and gave the rest to her, to keep against a time of necessity. After the twelvemonth she said to him one day, “O my lord, whenas thou sellest the girdle tomorrow, buy for me with its price silk of six colours, because I am minded to make thee a kerchief to wear on thy shoulders, such as never son of merchant, no, nor King’s son, ever rejoiced in its like.” So next day he fared forth to the bazar and after selling the zone brought her the dyed silks she sought and Miriam the Girdle-girl wrought at the kerchief a whole week, for, every night, when she had made an end of the zone, she would work awhile at the kerchief till it was finished.

Then she gave it to Nur al-Din, who put it on his shoulders and went out to walk in the market-place, whilst all the merchants and folk and notables of the town crowded about him, to gaze on his beauty and that of the kerchief which was of the most beautiful. Now it chanced that one night, after this, he awoke from sleep and found Miriam weeping passing sore and reciting these couplets,

 

“Nears my parting fro’ my love, nigher draws the Severance-day *

Ah well-away for parting! and again ah well-away!

And in tway is torn my heart and O pine I’m doomed to bear * For the nights that erst witnessed our pleasurable play!

No help for it but Envier the twain of us espy * With evil eye and win to us his lamentable way.

For naught to us is sorer than the jealousy of men * And the backbiter’s eyne that with calumny affray.”

 

He said, “O my lady Miriam,[FN#487] what aileth thee to weep?”; and she replied, “I weep for the anguish of parting for my heart presageth me thereof.” Quoth he, “O lady of fair ones, and who shall interpose between us, seeing that I love thee above all creatures and tender thee the most?”; and quoth she, “And I love thee twice as well as thou me; but fair opinion of fortune still garreth folk fall into affliction, and right well saith the poet,[FN#488]

 

‘Think’st thou thyself all prosperous, in days which prosp’rous be,

Nor fearest thou impending ill, which comes by Heaven’s decree?

We see the orbs of heav’n above, how numberless they are, But sun and moon alone eclips’d, and ne’er a lesser star!

And many a tree on earth we see, some bare, some leafy green, Of them, not one is hurt with stone save that has fruitful been!

See’st not th’ refluent ocean, bear carrion on its tide, While pearls beneath its wavy flow, fixed in the deep, abide?’”

 

Presently she added, “O my lord Nur al-Din, an thou desire to nonsuit separation, be on thy guard against a swart-visaged oldster, blind of the right eye and lame of the left leg; for he it is who will be the cause of our severance. I saw him enter the city and I opine that he is come hither in quest of me.” Replied Nur al-Din, “O lady of fair ones, if my eyes light on him, I will slay him and make an example of him.” Rejoined she, “O my lord, slay him not; but talk not nor trade with him, neither buy nor sell with him nor sit nor walk with him nor speak one word to him, no, not even the answer prescribed by law,[FN#489] and I pray Allah to preserve us from his craft and his mischief.” Next morning, Nur al-Din took the zone and carried it to the market, where he sat down on a shop-bench and talked with the sons of the merchants, till the drowsiness preceding slumber overcame him and he lay down on the bench and fell asleep. Presently, behold, up came the Frank whom the damsel had described to him, in company with seven others, and seeing Nur al-Din lying asleep on the bench, with his head wrapped in the kerchief which Miriam had made for him and the edge thereof in his grasp, sat down by him and hent the end of the kerchief in hand and examined it, turning it over for some time. Nur al-Din sensed that there was something and awoke; then, seeing the very man of whom Miriam had warned him sitting by his side, cried out at him with a great cry which startled him. Quoth the Frank, “What aileth thee to cry out thus at us? Have we taken from thee aught?”; and quoth Nur al-Din, “By Allah, O accursed, haddest thou taken aught from me, I would carry thee before the Chief of Police!” Then said the Frank, “O

Moslem, I conjure thee by thy faith and by that wherein thou believest, inform me whence thou haddest this kerchief;” and Nur al-Din