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

I mourn for them[FN#61] while they heart-freest sleep And winds of love on me their plaything blow: Free I bestow my tears, my wealth, my heart My wit, my sprite:�

most gain who most bestow!

The worst of woes and banes is enmity * Beautiful maidens deal us to our woe.

Favour they say’s forbidden to the fair * And shedding lovers’

blood their laws allow;

That naught can lovesicks do but lavish soul, * And stake in love-play life on single throw:[FN#62]

I cry in longing ardour for my love: * Lover can only weep and wail Love-lowe.”

When the sun rose he opened the door, went forth of the chamber and mounted to the stead where he was before: then he sat down facing the pavilion and awaited the return of the birds till nightfall; but they returned not; wherefore he wept till he fell to the ground in a fainting-fit. When he came to after his swoon, he dragged himself down the stairs to his chamber; and indeed, the darkness was come and straitened upon him was the whole world and he ceased not to weep and wail himself through the livelong night, till the day broke and the sun rained over hill and dale its rays serene. He ate not nor drank nor slept, nor was there any rest for him; but by day he was distracted and by night distressed, with sleeplessness delirious and drunken with melancholy thought and excess of love-longing. And he repeated the verses of the love-distraught poet, “O thou who shamest sun in morning sheen The branch confounding, yet with nescience blest; Would Heaven I wot an Time shall bring return And quench the fires which flame unmanifest,—

Bring us together in a close embrace, * Thy cheek upon my cheek, thy breast abreast!

Who saith, In Love dwells sweetness? when in Love * Are bitterer days than Alo�s[FN#63] bitterest.”

—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-eighty Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan the goldsmith felt love redouble upon him, he recited those lines; and, as he abode thus in the stress of his love-distraction, alone and finding none to cheer him with company, behold, there arose a dust-cloud from the desert, wherefore he ran down and hid himself knowing that the Princesses who owned the castle had returned. Before long, the troops halted and dismounted round the palace and the seven damsels alighted and entering, put off their arms and armour of war. As for the youngest, she stayed not to doff her weapons and gear, but went straight to Hasan’s chamber, where finding him not, she sought for him, till she lighted on him in one of the sleeping closets hidden, feeble and thin, with shrunken body and wasted bones and indeed his colour was changed and his eyes sunken in his face for lack of food and drink and for much weeping, by reason of his love and longing for the young lady. When she saw him in this plight, she was confounded and lost her wits; but presently she questioned him of his case and what had befallen him, saying, “Tell me what aileth thee, O my brother, that I may contrive to do away thine affliction, and I will be thy ransom!”[FN#64] Whereupon he wept with sore weeping and by way of reply he began reciting,

“Lover, when parted from the thing he loves, * Has naught save weary woe and bane to bear.

Inside is sickness, outside living lowe, * His first is fancy and his last despair.”

When his sister heard this, she marvelled at his eloquence and loquent speech and his readiness at answering her in verse and said to him, “O my brother, when didst thou fall into this thy case and what hath betided thee, that I find thee speaking in song and shedding tears that throng? Allah upon thee, O my brother, and by the honest love which is between us, tell me what aileth thee and discover to me thy secret, nor conceal from me aught of that which hath befallen thee in our absence; for my breast is straitened and my life is troubled because of thee.”

He sighed and railed tears like rain, after which he said, “I fear, O my sister, if I tell thee, that thou wilt not aid me to win my wish but wilt leave me to die wretchedly in mine anguish.”

She replied, “No, by Allah, O my brother, I will not abandon thee, though it cost me my life!” So he told her all that had befallen him, and that the cause of his distress and affliction was the passion he had conceived for the young lady whom he had seen when he opened the forbidden door; and how he had not tasted meat nor drink for ten days past. Then he wept with sore weeping and recited these couplets,

“Restore my heart as ‘twas within my breast, * Let mine eyes sleep again, then fly fro’ me.

Deem ye the nights have had the might to change * Love’s vow?

Who changeth may he never be!”

His sister wept for his weeping and was moved to ruth for his case and pitied his strangerhood; so she said to him, “O my brother, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for I will venture being and risk existence to content thee and devise thee a device wherewith, though it cost me my dear life and all I hold dear, thou mayst get possession of her and accomplish thy desire, if such be the will of Allah Almighty.

But I charge thee, O my brother, keep the matter secret from my sisterhood and discover not thy case to any one of them, lest my life be lost with thy life. An they question thee of opening the forbidden door, reply to them, ‘I opened it not; no, never; but I was troubled at heart for your absence and by my loneliness here and yearning for you.’”[FN#65] And he answered, “Yes: this is the right rede.” So he kissed her head and his heart was comforted and his bosom broadened. He had been nigh upon death for excess of affright, for he had gone in fear of her by reason of his having opened the door; but now his life and soul returned to him. Then he sought of her somewhat of food and after serving it she left him, and went in to her sisters, weeping and mourning for him. They questioned her of her case and she told them how she was heavy at heart for her brother, because he was sick and for ten days no food had found way into his stomach. So they asked the cause of his sickness and she answered, “The reason was our severance from him and our leaving him desolate; for these days we have been absent from him were longer to him than a thousand years and scant blame to him, seeing he is a stranger, and solitary and we left him alone, with none to company with him or hearten his heart; more by token that he is but a youth and may be he called to mind his family and his mother, who is a woman in years, and bethought him that she weepeth for him all whiles of the day and watches of the night, ever mourning his loss; and we used to solace him with our society and divert him from thinking of her.” When her sisters heard these words they wept in the stress of their distress for him and said, “Wa’ll�hi—‘fore Allah, he is not to blame!” Then they went out to the army and dismissed it, after which they went into Hasan and saluted him with the salam. When they saw his charms changed with yellow colour and shrunken body, they wept for very pity and sat by his side and comforted him and cheered him with converse, relating to him all they had seen by the way of wonders and rarities and what had befallen the bridegroom with the bride.

They abode with him thus a whole month, tendering him and caressing him with words sweeter than syrup; but every day sickness was added to his sickness, which when they saw, they bewept him with sore weeping, and the youngest wept even more than the rest. At the end of this time, the Princesses having made up their minds to ride forth a-hunting and a-birding invited their sister to accompany them, but she said, “By Allah, O my sisters, I cannot go forth with you whilst my brother is in this plight, nor indeed till he be restored to health and there cease from him that which is with him of affliction. Rather will I sit with him and comfort him.” They thanked her for her kindness and said to her, “Allah will requite thee all thou dost with this stranger.” Then they left her with him in the palace and rode forth taking with them twenty days’ victual;—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night, She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Princesses mounted and rode forth a-hunting and a-birding, after leaving in the palace their youngest sister sitting by Hasan’s side; and as soon as the damsel knew that they had covered a long distance from home, she went in to him and said, “O my brother, come, show me the place where thou sawest the maidens.” He rejoiced in her words, making sure of winning his wish, and replied, “Bismillah! On my head!” Then he essayed to rise and show her the place, but could not walk; so she took him up in her arms, holding him to her bosom between her breasts; and, opening the staircase-door, carried him to the top of the palace, and he showed her the pavilion where he had seen the girls and the basin of water, wherein they had bathed. Then she said to him, “Set forth to me, O my brother, their case and how they came.” So he described to her whatso he had seen of them and especially the girl of whom he was enamoured; but hearing these words she knew her and her cheeks paled and her case changed. Quoth he, “O my sister, what aileth thee to wax wan and be troubled?”; and quoth she, “O my brother, know thou that this young lady is the daughter of a Sovran of the Jann, of one of the most puissant of their Kings, and her father had dominion over men and Jinn and wizards and Cohens and tribal chiefs and guards and countries and cities and islands galore and hath immense wealth in store. Our father is a Viceroy and one of his vassals and none can avail against him, for the multitude of his many and the extent of his empire and the muchness of his monies. He hath assigned to his offspring, the daughters thou sawest, a tract of country, a whole year’s journey in length and breadth, a region girt about with a great river and a deep; and thereto none may attain, nor man nor Jann. He hath an army of women, smiters with swords and lungers with lances, five-and-twenty thousand in number, each of whom, whenas she mounteth steed and donneth battle-gear, eveneth a thousand knights of the bravest. Moreover, he hath seven daughters, who in valour and prowess equal and even excel their sisters,[FN#66] and he hath made the eldest of them, the damsel whom thou sawest,[FN#67] queen over the country aforesaid