Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night (Arabian Nights) Volume 09 — Night 947 - 948

When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-seventh Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Caliph arose from his seat with Ja'afar and the rest of the party, all entered the wardrobe, where they donned merchant's gear.

Then they went down to the Tigris and embarking in a gilded boat, dropped down with the stream, till they came to the place they sought, when they heard the voice of a damsel singing to the lute and chanting these couplets, "To him when the wine cup is near I declare, * While in coppice loud shrilleth and trilleth Hazár, 'How long this repining from joys and delight?

* Wake up for this life is a borrowed ware!'

Take the cup from the hand of the friend who is dear * With languishing eye-lids and languorous air.

I sowed on his cheek a fresh rose, which amid * His side-locks the fruit of granado-tree bare.

Thou wouldst deem that the place where he tare his fair cheek[FN#278] * Were ashes, while cheeks hues incendiary wear.

Quoth the blamer, 'Forget him!

But where's my excuse * When his side-face is growing the downiest hair?

[FN#279]'"

When the Caliph heard this, he said, "O Ja'afar, how goodly is that voice!"

; and the Wazir replied, "O our lord, never smote my hearing aught sweeter or goodlier than this singing!

But, good my lord, hearing from behind a wall is only half hearing; how would it be an we heard it from behind a curtain?"

Quoth the Caliph, "Come, O Ja'afar, let us play the parasites with the master of this house; and haply we shall look upon the songstress, face to face;" and quoth Ja'afar, "I hear and I obey."

So they landed and sought admittance; when behold, there came out to them a young man, fair of favour, sweet of speech and fluent of tongue, who said to them, "Well come and welcome, O lords that honour me with your presence!

Enter in all comfort and convenience!"

So they went in (and he with them) to a saloon with four faces, whose ceiling was decorated with gold and its walls adorned with ultramarine.

[FN#280] At its upper end was a daïs, whereon stood a goodly row of seats[FN#281] and thereon sat an hundred damsels like moons.

The house-master cried out to them and they came down from their seats.

Then he turned to Ja'afar and said to him "O my lord, I know not the honourable of you from the more honourable: Bismillah!

deign he that is highest in rank among you favour me by taking the head of the room, and let his brethren sit each in his several stead."

So they sat down, each according to his degree, whilst Masrur abode standing before them in their service; and the host asked them, "O my guests, with your leave, shall I set somewhat of food before you?"

and they answered, "Yes."

Hearing this he bade his handmaids bring food, whereupon four damsels with girded waists placed in front of them a table, whereon were rare meats of that which flieth and walketh earth and swimmeth seas, sand-grouse and quails and chickens and pigeons; and written on the raised edge of the tray were verses such as sorted with the entertainment.

So they ate till they had enough and washed their hands, after which said the young man, "O my lords, if you have any want, let us know it, that we may have the honour of satisfying it."

They replied, "'Tis well: we came not to thy dwelling save for the sake of a voice we heard from behind the wall of thy house, and we would fain hear it again and know her to whom it belongeth.

So, an thou deem right to vouchsafe us this favour, it will be of the generosity of thy nature, and after we will return whence we came."

Quoth the host, "Ye are welcome;" and, turning to a black slave-girl, said to her, "Fetch me thy mistress such an one."

So she went away and returning with a chair of chinaware, cushioned with brocade, set it down: then withdrew again and presently returned with a damsel, as she were the moon on the night of its full, who sat down on the chair.

Then the black girl gave her a bag of satin wherefrom she brought out a lute, inlaid with gems and jacinths and furnished with pegs of gold.

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

When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-eighth Night, She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the damsel came forward, she took her seat upon the chair and brought out from its case a lute and behold, it was inlaid with gems and jacinths and furnished with pegs of gold.

Then she tuned its strings, even as saith the poet of her and her lute in these lines, "She sits it in lap like a mother fond * And she strikes the strings that can make it speak: And ne'er smiteth her right an injurious touch * But her left repairs of her right the wreak.

[FN#282]"

Then she strained the lute to her bosom, bending over it as mother bendeth over babe, and swept the strings which complained as child to mother complaineth; after which she played upon it and began improvisng these couplets, "An Time my lover restore me I'll blame him fain, * Saying, 'Pass, O my dear, the bowl and in passing drain The wine which hath never mixed with the heart of man * But he passes to joy from annoy and to pleasure from pain.'

Then Zephyr arose to his task of sustaining the cup: * Didst e'er see full Moon that in hand the star hath ta'en?

[FN#283]

How oft I talked thro' the night, when its rounded Lune * Shed on darkness of Tigris' bank a beamy rain!

And when Luna sank in the West 'twas as though she'd wave * O'er the length of the watery waste a gilded glaive."

When she had made an end of her verse, she wept with sore weeping and all who were in the place wept aloud till they were well-nigh dead; nor was there one of them but took leave of his wits and rent his raiment and beat his face, for the goodliness of her singing.

Then said Al-Rashid, "This damsel's song verily denoteth that she is a lover departed from her beloved."

Quoth her master, "She hath lost father and mother;" but quoth the Caliph, "This is not the weeping of one who hath lost mother and father, but the yearning of one who hath lost him she loveth."

And he was delighted with her singing and said to Isaac, "By Allah, never saw I her like!"

; and Isaac said, "O my lord, indeed I marvel at her with utterest marvel and am beside myself for delight."

Now Al-Rashid with all this stinted not to look upon the house-master and note his charms and the daintiness of his fashion; but he saw on his face a pallor as he would die; so he turned to him and said, "Ho, youth!"

and the other said, "Adsum!

--at thy service, O my lord."

The Caliph asked, "Knowest thou who we are?"

; and he answered, "No." Quoth Ja'afar, "Wilt thou that I tell thee the names of each of us?"

; and quoth the young man "Yes;" when the Wazir said, "This is the Commander of the Faithful, descendant of the uncle of the Prince of the Apostles," and named to him the others of the company; after which quoth Al-Rashid, "I wish that thou acquaint me with the cause of the paleness of thy face, whether it be acquired or natural from thy birth-tide."

Quoth he, "O Prince of True Believers, my case is wondrous and my affair marvellous; were it graven with gravers on the eye-corners it were a warner to whoso will be warned."

Said the Caliph, "Tell it to me: haply thy healing may be at my hand."

Said the young man, "O Commander of the Faithful, lend me thine ears and give me thy whole mind."

And he, "Come; tell it me, for thou makest me long to hear it."

So the young man began,--"Know then, O Prince of True Believers, that I am a merchant of the merchants of the sea and come from Oman city, where my sire was a trader and a very wealthy trader having thirty ships trafficking upon the main, whose yearly hire was thirty thousand dinars; and he was a generous man and had taught me writing and all whereof a wight hath need.

When his last hour drew near, he called me to him and gave me the customary charge; then Almighty Allah took him and admitted him to His mercy and may He continue the Commander of the Faithful on life!

Now my late father had partners trading with his coin and voyaging on the ocean.

So one day, as I sat in my house with a company of merchants, a certain of my servants came in to me and said, 'O my lord, there is at the door a man who craveth admittance to thee!'

I gave leave and he came in, bearing on his head a something covered.

He set it down and uncovered it, and behold it was a box wherein were fruits out of season and herbs conserved in salt and fresh, such as are not found in our land.

I thanked him and gifted him with an hundred dinars, and he went away grateful.

Then I divided these things amongst my friends and guests who were present and asked them whence they came.

Quoth they, 'They come from Bassorah,' and praised them and went on to portray the beauties of Bassorah and all agreed that there was naught in the world goodlier than Baghdad and its people.

Then they fell to describing Baghdad and the fine manners of its folk and the excellence of its air and the beauty of its ordinance, till my soul longed for it and all my hopes clave to looking upon it.

So I arose and selling my houses and lands, ships and slaves, negroes and handmaids, I got together my good, to wit, a thousand thousand dinars, besides gems and jewels, wherewith I freighted a vessel and setting out therein with the whole of the property, voyaged awhile.

Then I hired a barque and embarking therein with all my monies sailed up the river some days till we arrived at Baghdad.

I enquired where the merchants abode and what part was pleasantest for domicile and was answered, 'The Karkh quarter.'

So I went thither and hiring a house in a thoroughfare called the Street of Saffron, transported all my goods to it and took up my lodging therein for some time.

At last one day which was a Friday, I sallied forth to solace myself taking with me somewhat of coin.

I went first to a cathedral-mosque, called the Mosque of Mansur, where the Friday service was held, and when we had made an end of congregational prayers, I fared forth with the folk to a place hight Karn al-Sirat, where I saw a tall and goodly mansion, with a balcony overlooking the river-bank and pierced with a lattice- window.

So I betook myself thither with a company of folk and sighted there an old man sitting, handsomely clad and exhaling perfumes.

His beard forked upon his breast in two waves like silver-wire, and about him were four damsels and five pages.

So I said to one of the folk, 'What is the name of this old man and what is his business?'

; and the man said, 'His name is Táhir ibn al-Aláa, and he is a keeper of girls: all who go into him eat and drink and look upon fair faces.'

Quoth I, 'By Allah, this long while have I wandered about in search of something like this!'

"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.