Book: Supplemental Nights, Volume 1

R >> Richard F. Burton >> Supplemental Nights, Volume 1




I'll ne'er forget them since what day each wight
Hied and withdrew fro' me his well-loved sight
And yet I weep this parting-blow to dree.
I vow an Heaven deign my friends return
And cry the crier in mine ears that yearn
"The far is near, right soon their sight shalt see!"
Upon their site my cheeks I'll place, to sprite
I'll say, "Rejoice, thy friends return to thee!"
Nor blame my heart when friends were lief to flee:
I rent my heart ere rent my raimentry."

He sat weeping for the severance of his wife and children till
the morning, when he went forth wandering at a venture, unweeting
what he should do, and ceased not walking along the sea-shore
days and nights, unknowing whither he went and taking no food
save the herbs of the earth and seeing neither man nor wildling
nor other living thing, till his wayfare brought him to a
mountain-top. He sojourned in the highland and abode awhile there
alone, eating of its fruits and drinking of its founts; then he
came down thence and trudged along the high road three days, when
he hit upon tilled fields and villages and gave not over going
till he made a great city on the shore of the salt sea and came
to its gate at the last of the day. The gatekeepers allowed him
no admission; so he spent his night anhungered, and when he arose
in the morning, he sat down hard by the portal. Now the king of
the city was dead and had left no son, and the citizens fell out
anent who should be ruler over them: and their words and redes
differed, so that civil war was like to befal them thereupon. But
it came to pass that, after long jangle, they agreed to leave the
choice to the late king's elephant and that he unto whom he
consented should be king and that they would not contest with him
the sway. So to this they sware and on the morrow, they brought
out their elephant and fared forth to a site within sight of the
city; nor was there man or woman but was present at that moment.
Then they adorned the elephant and raising the throne on his
back, gave him the crown in his trunk; and he went round about
examining the countenances of the folk, but stopped not over
against any of them till he came at last to the forlorn King, the
exile who had lost his children and his wife, when the beast
prostrated himself to him and placing the crown on his head, took
him up and set him upon his back. Thereupon the people all
prostrated themselves and gave mutual joy of this and the
drums[FN#516] of good tidings beat before him, and he entered the
city and went on till he reached the House of Justice and the
Audience-hall of the Palace and sat down upon the throne of the
kingdom, crown on head; whereat the lieges entered to
congratulate him and to bless him. Then he addressed himself, as
was his wont in the kingship, to forwarding the affairs of the
folk and ranging the troops according to their ranks and looking
into their affairs and those of all the Ryots. He also released
those who were in the dungeons and abolished the custom-dues and
gave honourable robes and lavished great gifts and bestowed
largesse and conferred favours on the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords
of the realm, and the Chamberlains'[FN#517] and Nabobs presented
themselves before him and did him homage. So the city people
rejoiced in him and said, "Indeed, this be none other than a King
of the greatest of the kings." And presently he assembled the
sages and the theologians and the sons of the Sovrans and
conversed with them and asked them subtile questions and
casuistical problems and talked over with them things manifold of
all fashions that might direct him to rectitude in the kingship;
and he questioned them also of mysteries and religious
obligations and of the laws of the land and the regulations of
rule and of that which it beseemeth the liege lord to do of
looking into the affairs of the lieges and repelling the foe and
fending off his malice with force and fight; so the subjects'
contentment redoubled and their exultation in that which Allah
Almighty had vouchsafed them of his kingship over them. On such
wise he upheld the ordinance of the realm, and the affairs abode
stablished upon the accepted custom and local usage. Now the late
king had left a wife and two daughters, and the people would fain
have married the Princess royal to the new king that the rule
might not pass clean away from the old rulers. Accordingly, they
proposed to him that he should wed her or the other of the
deceased king's daughters, and he promised them this, but he put
them off from him, of his respect for the covenant he had made
with his former wife, his cousin, that he would marry none other
than herself. Then he betook himself to fasting by day and
praying through the night, multiplying his alms-deeds and
beseeching Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) to reunite him
with his children and his wife, the daughter of his father's
brother. When a year had elapsed, there came to the city a ship,
wherein were many merchants and much merchandise. Now it was
their custom from time immemorial that the king, whenever a ship
made the port, sent to it such of his pages as he trusted in, who
took agency of the goods, to the end that they might be first
shown to the Sovran, who bought as much of them as befitted him
and gave the merchants leave to sell whatso he wanted not. So he
commissioned, according to his custom, a man who should fare to
the ship and seal up the bales and set over them one who could
watch and ward them. Meanwhile the Queen his wife, when the
Magian fled with her and proffered himself to her and lavished
upon her abounding wealth, rejected him and was like to kill
herself[FN#518] for chagrin at that which had befallen and for
concern anent her separation from her husband. She also refused
meat and drink and resolved to cast herself into the sea; but the
Magian chained her and straitened her and clothed her in a coat
of wool and said to her, "I will continue thee in wretchedness
and humiliation till thou obey me and accept me." So she took
patience and looked for the Almighty to deliver her from the hand
of that accursed; and she ceased not travelling with him from
country to country till he came with her in fine to the city
wherein her husband was king and his goods were put under seal.
Now the woman was in a chest and two youths of the late king's
pages, who were now in the new King's service, were those who had
been charged with the watch and ward of the craft and her
cargaison. When the evening evened on them, the twain began
talking and recounted that which had befallen them in their days
of childhood and the manner of the faring forth of their father
and mother from their country and kingdom when the wicked
overcame their realm, and how they had gone astray in the forest
and how Fate had severed them from their parents; for short, they
told their tale from first to last. When the woman heard their
talk, she knew that they were her sons and cried out to them from
the chest, "I am your mother, Such-an-one, and the token between
you twain and me is thus and thus." The young men knew the token
and falling upon the chest, brake the lock and brought out their
mother, who seeing them, strained them to her bosom, and they
fell upon her and fainted away, all three. When they came to
themselves, they wept awhile and the people assembled about them,
marvelling at that they saw, and questioned them of their case.
So the young Princes vied each with other who should be the first
to discover the story to the folk; and when the Magian saw this,
he came up, crying out, "Alack!" and "Ruin!" and said to them,
"Why and wherefore have ye broken open my chest? Verily, I had in
it jewels and ye have stolen them, and this damsel is my
slave-girl and she hath agreed with you both upon a device to
take my wealth." Then he rent his raiment and cried for aid,
saying, "I appeal to Allah and to the just King, so he may quit
me of these wrongous youths!" They both replied, "This is our
mother and thou stolest her:" whereupon words waxed manifold
between them and the folk plunged into talk with many a "he said"
and "'twas said" concerning their affair and that of the
pretended slave-girl, and the strife increased between them, so
that at last they carried them all four to the King's court. When
the two young men presented themselves between his hands and
stated their case to him and to the folk and the sovran heard
their speech, he knew them and his heart was like to fly for joy:
the tears poured from his eyes at their sight and the sight of
his wife, and he thanked Allah Almighty and praised Him for that
He had deigned reunite them. Then he bade the folk who were
present about him be dismissed and commanded the Magian and the
woman and the two youths be to morrow committed to his
armoury[FN#519] for the night, ordering that they should keep
guard over them all until the Lord should make the morning to
morrow, so he might assemble the Kazis and the Justiciaries and
Assessors and determine between them, according to Holy Law, in
the presence of the four judges. So they did this and the King
passed the night praying and praising Allah of All-might for that
which he had vouchsafed him of kingship and power and victory
over the wight who had wronged him and thanking Him who had
reunited him with his own. When the morning morrowed, he
assembled the Kazis and Deputies and Assessors[FN#520] and
summoning the Magian and the two youths and their mother,
questioned them of their case; whereupon the two young men began
and said, "We are the sons of King Such-an-one and foemen and
lewd fellows gat the mastery of our realm; so our sire fled forth
with us and wandered at haphazard, for fear of the foe." And they
recounted to him all that had betided them, from beginning to
end.[FN#521] Quoth he, "Ye tell a marvel-tale; but what hath Fate
done with your father?" Quoth they, "We know not how Fortune
dealt with him after our loss." And he was silent. Then he
bespake the woman, "And thou, what sayst thou?" So she set forth
to him her case and all that had betided her and her husband,
from the beginning of their hardships to the end, and recounted
to him their adventures up to the time when they took up their
abode with the old man and woman who dwelt on the sea-shore. Then
she reported that which the Magian had practised on her of fraud
and how he had carried her off in the craft and everything that
had betided her of humiliation and torment; all this while the
Kazis and judges and Deputies hearkening to her speech as they
had lent ear to the others' adventures. When the King heard the
last of his wife's tale, he said, "Verily, there hath betided
thee a mighty grievous matter; but hast thou knowledge of what
thy husband did and what came of his affair?" She replied, "Nay,
by Allah; I have no knowledge of him, save that I leave him no
hour unremembered in righteous prayer, and never, whilst I live,
will he cease to be to me the father of my children and my cousin
and my flesh and my blood." Then she wept and the King bowed his
head, whilst his eyes welled tears at her tale. Presently he
raised his head to the Magian and cried to him, "Say thy say,
thou also." So the Magian replied, "This is my slave-girl, whom I
bought with my money from such a land and for so many dinars, and
I made her my betrothed[FN#522] and loved her exceedingly and
gave my monies into her charge; but she falsed me in my substance
and plotted with one of my lads to slay me, tempting him by a
promise that she would kill me and become his wife. When I knew
this of her and was assured that she purposed treason against me,
I awoke from my dream of happiness and did with her that which I
did, fearing for my life from her craft and perfidy; for indeed
she is a trickstress with her tongue and she hath taught these
two youths this pretence, by way of sleight and of her guile and
her malice: so be you not deluded by her and by her talk." "Thou
liest, O accursed," cried the King and bade lay hands on him and
iron him. Then he turned to the two youths, his sons, and
strained them to his breast, weeping sore and saying, "O all ye
people who are present of Kazis and Assessors and Lords of the
land, know that these twain are my sons and that this is my wife
and the daughter of my father's brother; for that whilome I was
king in such a realm." And he recounted to them his history from
commencement to conclusion, nor is there aught of fruition in
repetition; whereupon the folk cried out with weeping and wailing
for the stress of what they heard of marvellous chances and that
wondrous story. As for the king's wife, he bade carry her into
his palace and lavished upon her and upon her sons all that
befitted and beseemed them of bounties, whilst the lieges flocked
to offer up prayers for him and give him joy of his reunion with
his wife and children. When they had made an end of blessings and
congratulations, they besought the king to hasten the punishment
of the Magian and heal their hearts with tormenting and abasing
him. So he appointed them for a day on which they should assemble
to witness his requitement and that which should betide him of
torment, and shut himself up with his wife and two sons and abode
thus private with them three days, during which they were veiled
from the folk. On the fourth day the King entered the Hammam, and
faring forth, sat down on the throne of his kingship, crown on
head, whereupon the folk came in to him, according to their
custom and after the measure of their several dignities and
degrees, and the Emirs and Wazirs entered, and eke the
Chamberlains and Nabobs and Captains of war and the Falconers and
Armbearers and Commanders of the body-guard. Then he seated his
two sons, one on his right and the other on his left hand, whilst
the subjects all stood before him and lifted up their voices in
thanksgiving to Allah the Most High and glorification of Him and
were instant in orisons for the king and in setting forth his
virtues and excellent qualities. He answered them with the most
gracious of answers and bade carry the Magian outside the city
and set him on a high scaffold which had been builded for him
there; and he said to the folk, "Behold, I will torture him with
torments of all kinds and fashions." Then he began telling them
that which he had wrought of villainy with his cousin-wife and
what he had caused her of severance between her and her husband
and how he had required her person of her, but she had sought
refuge for her chastity against him with Allah (to whom belong
honour and glory) and chose abasement rather than obedience to
him, despite stress of torture: neither recked she aught of that
which he lavished to her of monies and raiment, jewels and
ornaments. When the King had made an end of his story, he bade
the bystanders spit in the Magian's face and curse him; and they
did this. Then he bade cut out his tongue and on the next day he
bade lop off his ears and nose and pluck out both his eyes. On
the third day he bade hew off his hands and on the fourth his
feet; and they ceased not to dismember him, limb after limb, and
each member they cast into the fire, after its amputation, before
his face, till his soul departed, after he had endured torments
of all kinds and fashions. Then the King bade crucify his trunk
on the city wall for three days; after which he gave orders to
burn it and reduce its ashes to powder and scatter them abroad in
air. And when this was done, the King summoned the Kazi and the
Witnesses and commanded them marry the old king's daughter and
her sister to his own sons; so the youths wedded them, after the
King had made a bride-feast three days and displayed their brides
to them from nightfall to day-dawn. Then the two Princes went in
unto their brides and abated their maidenheads and loved them and
were vouchsafed issue by them. As for the King their sire, he
abode with his cousin-wife, their mother, what while Allah (to
whom be honour and glory) willed, and they rejoiced in reunion
each with other. The kingship endured unto them and high degree
and victory, and the sovran continued to rule with justice and
equity, so that the lieges loved him and prayed for him and for
his sons length of life and durance of days; and they lived the
most delightsome of existences till there came to them the
Destroyer of delights and Severer of societies, the Depopulator
of palaces and Garnerer of graves; and this is all that hath come
down to us of the story of the King and his Wife and Sons. "Nor,"
continued the Wazir, "if this story be a solace and a diversion,
is it pleasanter or more diverting than the tale of the Youth of
Khorasan and his mother and sister." When King Shah Bakht heard
this story, it pleased him and he bade the Minister hie away to
his own house.

The Twenty-seventh Night of the Month.

When evening came, the king Shah Bakht bade fetch the Wazir; so
he presented himself before him and the King ordered him to tell
the tale. So he said, "Hearkening and obedience. Give ear, O
sovran, to




The Tale of Salim, the Youth of Khorasan, and Salma, his
Sister.



Know, O king (but Allah alone knoweth His secret purpose and is
versed in the past and the foredone among folk bygone) that there
was once, in the parts of Khorasan, a man of its affluent, who
was a merchant of the chiefest of the merchants[FN#523] and was
blessed with two children, a son and a daughter.[FN#524] He was
diligent exceedingly in rearing them and they were educated with
the fairest of education; for he used to teach the boy, who
taught his sister all that he learnt, so that, by means of her
brother, the damsel became perfect in the knowledge of the
Traditions of the Prophet and in polite letters. Now the boy's
name was Salim and that of the girl Salma. When they grew up and
were fully grown, their father built them a mansion beside his
own and lodged them apart therein and appointed them slave-girls
and servants to tend them and assigned to each of them pay and
allowances and all that they needed of high and low; meat and
bread; wine, dresses, and vessels and what not else. So Salim and
Salma abode in that palace, as they were one soul in two bodies,
and they used to sleep on one couch and rise amorn with single
purpose, while firmly fixed in each one's heart were fond
affection and familiar friendship for the other. One night, when
the half was spent, as Salim and Salma sat recounting and
conversing, they heard a noise on the ground floor; so they
looked out from a latticed casement which gave upon the gate of
their father's mansion and saw a man of fine presence, whose
clothes were hidden under a wide cloak. He came straight up to
the gate and laying hold of the door-ring, rapped a light rap;
whereupon the door opened and behold, out came their sister, with
a lighted taper, and after her their mother, who saluted the
stranger and embraced him, saying, "O dearling of my heart and
light of mine eyes and fruit of my vitals, enter." So he went in
and shut the door, whilst Salim and Salma abode amazed. The youth
turned to the girl and said to her, "O sister mine, how deemest
thou of this trouble and what advice hast thou to offer?" She
replied, "O my brother, indeed I know not what I shall say anent
the like of this; but he is not disappointed who divine direction
seeketh, nor doth he repent who counsel taketh. One getteth not
the better of the traces of burning by haste, and know that this
is an affliction that hath descended[FN#525] on us and a calamity
foreordained to us; so we have need of wise rede to do it away
and contrivance which shall wash our shame from our faces." And
they ceased not watching the gate till daybreak, when the young
man opened the door and their mother farewelled him; after which
he went his way and she entered, she and her handmaid. Hereat
said Salim to his sister, "Know thou I am resolved to slay this
man, an he return the next night, and I will say to the folk, He
was a robber, and none shall weet that which hath befallen. Then
I will address myself to the slaughter of whosoever knoweth what
is between the fellow and my mother." But Salma said, "I fear
lest an thou slay him in our dwelling-place and he be not
convicted of robberhood, suspicion and ill-fame will revert upon
ourselves, and we cannot be assured that he belongeth not to a
tribe whose mischief is to be feared and whose enmity is to be
dreaded, and thus wilt thou have fled from hidden shame to open
shame and to disgrace public and abiding." Asked Salim: "What
then is it thy rede to do?" And she answered, "Is there no help
but thou kill him? Let us not hasten unto slaughter, for that the
slaughter of a soul without just cause is a mighty grave matter."
When Shahban[FN#526] heard this, he said within himself, "By
Allah, I have indeed been hasty and reckless in the slaying of
women and girls, and Alhamdolillah--lauded be the Lord--who hath
occupied me with this damsel from the slaughter of souls, for
that the slaughter of souls is a grave matter and a grievous! By
the Almighty if Shah Bakht spare the Wazir, I will assuredly
spare Shahrazad!"[FN#527] Then he gave ear to the story and heard
her say to her sister:--Quoth Salma to Salim, "Hasten not to slay
him, but overthink the matter and consider the issue whereto it
may tend; for whoso considereth not of actions the end hath not
Fortune to friend." Then they arose on the morrow and busied
themselves with contriving how they should turn away their parent
from that man, and the mother forefelt mischief from them, for
what she saw in their eyes of change, she being wily and keen of
wit. So she took precaution for herself against her children and
Salma said to Salim, "Thou seest what we have fallen upon through
this woman, and very sooth she hath sensed our purpose and
wotteth that we have discovered her secret. So, doubtless, she
will plot against us the like of that which we plot for her; for
indeed up to now she had concealed her affair, and from this time
forth she will become harsh to us; wherefore, methinks, there is
a thing forewritten to us, whereof Allah (extolled and exalted be
He!) knew in His foreknowledge and wherein He carrieth out His
commandments." He asked, "What is that?" and she answered, "It is
that we arise, I and thou, and go forth this night from this land
and seek us a town wherein we may wone and witness naught of the
doings of yonder traitress; for whoso is absent from the eye is
absent from the heart, and quoth one of the poets in the
following couplet:[FN#528]--

'Tis happiest, best for thee, the place to leave, * For then no
eye can see, nor heart can grieve."

Quoth Salim to her,[FN#529] "'Tis for thee to decide and right is
thy rede; so let us do this, in the name of Allah the Almighty,
trusting in Him for guiding and grace." Accordingly they arose
and took the richest of their raiment and the lightest of that
which was in their treasuries of gems and things of price and
gathered together much matter. Then they equipped them ten mules
and hired them servants of other than the people of the country;
and Salim bade his sister Salma don man's dress. Now she was the
likest of all creatures to him, so that, when she was clad in
man's clothing, the folk knew no difference between them--
extolled be the perfection of Him who hath no like, there is no
god but He! Then he told her to mount a mare, whilst he himself
took another, and they set out under cover of the night; nor did
any of their family or household know of them. So they fared on
into Allah's wide world and gave not over going night and day for
a space of two months, at the end of which they came to a city on
the sea-shore of the land of Makran,[FN#530] by name Al-Sharr,
and it is the first city in Sind.[FN#531] They lighted down
within sight of the place and when they arose in the morning,
they saw a populous city and a goodly, seemly of semblance and
great, abounding in trees and rills and fruits and wide of
suburbs which stretched to the neighbouring villages. So the
young man said to his sister Salma, "Tarry thou here in thy
place, till I enter the city and make proof of it and its people
and seek us out a stead which we may buy and whereto we may
remove. An it befit us, we will make us a home therein, otherwise
will we take counsel of departing elsewhere." Quoth she, "Do
this, trusting in the bounty of Allah (to whom belong honour and
glory) and in His blessing." Accordingly he took a belt, wherein
were a thousand gold pieces, and girding it about his waist,
entered the city and ceased not going round about its streets and
bazars and gazing upon its houses and sitting with those of its
citizens whose aspect showed signs of worth and wealth, till the
day was half spent, when he resolved to return to his sister and
said to himself, "Needs must I buy what we may eat of
ready-cooked food; I and my sister." Hereupon he addressed a man
who sold roast meat and who was clean of person, albe foul in his
way of getting a living, and said to him, "Take the price of this
dishful and add thereto of fowls and chickens and what not else
is in your market of meats and sweetmeats and bread and arrange
it in the plates." So the Kitchener took the money and set apart
for him what he desired, then calling a porter, he laid it in the
man's crate, and Salim, after paying the price of provisions and
porterage in fullest fashion, was about to go away, when the Cook
said to him, "O youth, doubtless thou art a stranger?" He
replied, "Yes;" and the other rejoined, "'Tis reported in one of
the Traditions that the Apostle said, Loyal admonition is a part
of religion; and the wise and ware have declared counsel is of
the characteristics of True Believers. And verily that which I
have seen of thy ways pleaseth me and I would fain give thee a
warning." Rejoined Salim, "Speak out thy warning, and may Allah
strengthen thy purpose!" Then said the Cook, "Know, O my son,
that in this our city, when a stranger entereth and eateth of
flesh-meat and drinketh not old wine upon it, 'tis harmful to him
and disturbeth his body with disorders which be dangerous.
Wherefore, an thou have provided thee somewhat of wine it is
well, but, if not, haste to procure it, ere thou take the meat
and carry it away." Quoth Salim, "Allah requite thee with weal--
Canst thou shew me where liquor is sold?" and quoth the Cook,
"With me is all thou seekest. The youth asked, "Is there a way
for me to see it?" and the Cook sprang up and answered, "Pass
on." So he entered and the man showed him somewhat of wine; but
he said, "I desire better than this;" whereupon he opened a door
and entering, said to Salim, Come in, and follow me." Accordingly
Salim followed him till he brought him to an underground chamber
and showed him somewhat of wine that suited him. So he occupied
him with looking at it and taking him unawares, sprang upon him
from behind and threw him to the ground and sat upon his breast.
Then he drew a knife and set it to his jugular; whereupon there
betided Salim that wherewith Allah made him forget all that He
had decreed to him,[FN#532] and he cried to the Cook, "Why dost
thou this thing, O good fellow? Be mindful of the Almighty and
fear Him. Seest thou not I am a stranger man? And knowest thou
not I have behind me a forlorn defenceless[FN#533] woman?
Wherefore wilt thou kill me?" Quoth the Kitchener, "Needs must I
kill thee, so I may take thy money;" and quoth Salim, "Take my
money, but kill me not, neither enter into sin against me; and do
with me kindness, for indeed the taking of my coin is more venial
than the taking of my life." The Cook replied, "This is nonsense.
Thou canst not deliver thyself herewith, O youth, because in thy
deliverance is my destruction." Cried Salim, "I swear to thee and
give thee the bond of Allah (to whom belong honour and glory) and
His covenant, which He took of His prophets that I will not
discover thy secret; no, never." But the Kitchener replied,
"Away! Away! Alas! Alas! To this there is no path." However,
Salim ceased not to conjure him and humble himself to him and
weep, while the Cook persisted in his intent to cut his throat:
then he shed tears and recited these couplets;[FN#534]

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