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 Niamah, 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, Niamah, son of Al-Rabia; and I beseech thee, by the honour of thy pious forebears and by Hamzah and Ukayl and Abbas,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 befal you, I give you each to other; adding to the young man, O Niamah, 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 Niamah 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 Niamah 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 Niamah 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 Asad 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.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad and Asad 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 townsfolk 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, and we know not their object and aim. The King took counsel with his Wazir Amjad and his brother Asad; and Amjad said, I will go out to him and learn the cause of his coming. So he took horse and, riding forth from the city, repaired to the strangers camp, where he found the King and with him a mighty many and mounted Mamelukes. When the guards saw him, they knew him for an envoy from the King of the city; so they took him and brought him before their Sultan. Then Amjad kissed the ground before him; but lo! the King was a Queen, who was veiled with a mouth-veil, and she said to Amjad, Know that I have no design on this your city and that I am come hither only in quest of a beardless slave of mine, whom if I find with you, I will do you no harm; but if I find him not, then shall there befal sore onslaught between me and you. Asked Amjad, O Queen, what like is thy slave and what is his story and what may be his name? Said she, His name is Asad and my name is Marjanah, and this slave came to my town in company of Bahram, a Magian, who refused to sell him to me; so I took him by force, but his master fell upon him by night and bore him away by stealth and he is of such and such a favour. When Amjad heard that, he knew it was indeed his brother Asad whom she sought and said to her, O Queen of the age, Alhamdolillah, praised be Allah, who hath brought us relief! Verily this slave whom thou seekest is my brother. Then he told her their story and all that had befallen them in the land of exile, and acquainted her with the cause of their departure from the Islands of Ebony, whereat she marvelled and rejoiced to have found Asad. So she bestowed a dress of honour upon Amjad, and he returned forthright to the King and told him what had passed, at which they all rejoiced and the King went forth with Amjad and Asad to meet Queen Marjanah. When they were admitted to her presence and sat down to converse with her and were thus pleasantly engaged, behold, a dust-cloud rose and flew and grew, till it walled the view. And after a while it lifted and showed beneath it an army dight for victory, in numbers like the swelling sea, armed and armoured cap-à-pie who, making for the city, encompassed it around as the ring encompasseth the little finger;21 and a bared brand was in every hand. When Amjad and Asad saw this, they exclaimed, Verily to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return! What is this mighty host? Doubtless, these are enemies, and except we agree with this Queen Marjanah to fight them, they will take the town from us and slay us. There is no resource for us but to go out to them and see who they are. So Amjad arose and took horse and passed through the city-gate to Queen Marjanahs camp; but when he reached the approaching army he found it to be that of his grandsire, King Ghayur, father of his mother Queen Budur. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad reached the approaching host, he found it to be that of his grandsire, Lord of the Isles and the Seas and the Seven Castles; and when he went into the presence, he kissed the ground between his hands and delivered to him the message. Quoth the King, My name is King Ghayur and I come wayfaring in quest of my daughter Budur whom fortune hath taken from me; for she left me and returned not to me, nor have I heard any tidings of her or of her husband Kamar al-Zaman. Have ye any news of them? When Amjad heard this, he hung his head towards the ground for a while in thought till he felt assured that this King was none other than his grandfather, his mothers father; whereupon he raised his head and, kissing ground before him, told him that he was the son of his daughter Budur; on hearing which Ghayur threw himself upon him and they both fell a-weeping.22 Then said Ghayur, Praised be Allah, O my son, for safety, since I have foregathered with thee, and Amjad told him that his daughter Budur was safe and sound, and her husband Kamar al-Zaman likewise, and acquainted him that both abode in a city called the City of Ebony. Moreover, he related to him how his father, being wroth with him and his brother, had commanded that both be put to death, but that his treasurer had taken pity on them and let them go with their lives. Quoth King Ghayur, I will go back with thee and thy brother to your father and make your peace with him. So Amjad kissed the ground before him in huge delight and the King bestowed a dress of honour upon him, after which he returned, smiling, to the King of the City of the Magians and told him what he had learnt from King Ghayur, whereat he wondered with exceeding wonder. Then he despatched guest-gifts of sheep and horses and camels and forage and so forth to King Ghayur, and did the like by Queen Marjanah; and both of them told her what chanced; whereupon quoth she, I too will accompany you with my troops and will do my endeavour to make this peace. Meanwhile behold, there arose another dust-cloud and flew and grew till it walled the view and blackened the days bright hue; and under it they heard shouts and cries and neighing of steeds and beheld sword glance and the glint of levelled lance. When this new host drew near the city and saw the two other armies, they beat their drums and the King of the Magians exclaimed, This is indeed naught but a blessed day. Praised be Allah who hath made us of accord with these two armies; and if it be His will, He shall give us peace with yon other as well. Then said he to Amjad and Asad, Fare forth and fetch us news of these troops, for they are a mighty host, never saw I a mightier. So they opened the city gates, which the King had shut for fear of the beleaguering armies, and Amjad and Asad went forth and, coming to the new host, found that it was indeed a mighty many. But as soon as they came to it behold, they knew that it was the army of the King of the Ebony Islands, wherein was their father, King Kamar al-Zaman in person. Now when they looked upon him, they kissed ground and wept; but, when he beheld them, he threw himself upon them weeping, with sore weeping, and strained them to his breast for a full hour. Then he excused himself to them and told them what desolation he had suffered for their loss and exile; and they acquainted him with King Ghayurs arrival, whereupon he mounted with his chief officers and taking with him his two sons, proceeded to that Kings camp. As they drew near, one of the Princes rode forward and informed King Ghayur of Kamar al-Zamans coming, whereupon he came out to meet him and they joined company, marvelling at these things and how they had chanced to foregather in that place. Then the townsfolk made them banquets of all manner meats and sweetmeats and presented to them horses and camels and fodder and other guest-gifts and all that the troops needed. And while this was doing, behold, yet another cloud of dust arose and flew till it walled the view, whilst earth trembled with the tramp of steed and tabors sounded like stormy winds. After a while, the dust lifted and discovered an army clad in coats of mail and armed cap-à-pie; but all were in black garb, and in their midst rode a very old man whose beard flowed down over his breast and he also was clad in black. When the King in the city and the city-folk saw this great host, he said to the other Kings, Praised be Allah by whose omnipotent command ye are met here, all in one day, and have proved all known one to the other! But what vast and victorious army is this which hemmeth in the whole land like a wall? They answered, Have no fear of them; we are three Kings, each with a great army, and if they be enemies, we will join thee in doing battle with them, were they three times as many as they now are. Meanwhile, up came an envoy from the approaching host, making for the city. So they brought him before Kamar al-Zaman, King Ghayur, Queen Marjanah and the King of the city; and he kissed the ground and said, My liege lord cometh from Persia-land; for many years ago he lost his son and he is seeking him in all countries. If he find him with you, well and good; but if he find him not, there will be war between him and you and he will waste your city. Rejoined Kamar al-Zaman, It shall not come to that; but how is thy master called in Aiam land? Answered the envoy, He is called King Shahriman, lord of the Khalidan Islands; and he hath levied these troops in the lands traversed by him, whilst seeking his son. Now when Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, he cried out with a great cry and fell down in a fainting fit which lasted a long while; and anon coming to himself he wept bitter tears and said to Amjad and Asad, Go ye, O my sons, with the herald, salute your grandfather and my father, King Shahriman, and give him glad tidings of me, for he mourneth my loss and even to the present time he weareth black raiment for my sake. Then he told the other Kings all that had befallen him in the days of his youth, at which they wondered and, going down with him from the city, repaired to his father, whom he saluted, and they embraced and fell to the ground senseless for excess of joy. And when they revived after a while, Kamar al-Zaman acquainted his father with all his adventures and the other Kings saluted Shahriman. Then, after having married Marjanah to Asad, they sent her back to her kingdom, charging her not to cease correspondence with them; so she took leave and went her way. Moreover they married Amjad to Bostan, Bahrams daughter, and they all set out for the City of Ebony. And when they arrived there, Kamar al-Zaman went in to his father-in-law, King Armanus, and told him all that had befallen him and how he had found his sons; whereat Armanus rejoiced and gave him joy of his safe return. Then King Ghayur went in to his daughter, Queen Budur,23 and saluted her and quenched his longing for her company, and they all abode a full months space in the City of Ebony; after which the King and his daughter returned to their own country. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Ghayur set out with his daughter and his host for his own land, and they took with them Amjad and returned home by easy marches. And when Ghayur was settled again in his kingdom, he made his grandson King in his stead; and as to Kamar al-Zaman he also made Asad king in his room over the capital of the Ebony Islands, with the consent of his grandfather, King Armanus and set out himself, with his father, King Shahriman, till the two made the Islands of Khalidan. Then the lieges decorated the city in their honour and they ceased not to beat the drums for glad tidings a whole month; nor did Kamar al-Zaman leave to govern in his fathers place, till there overtook them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies; and Allah knoweth all things! Quoth King Shahryar, O Shahrazad, this is indeed a most wonderful tale! And she answered, O King, it is not more wonderful than that of
ALA AL-DIN ABU AL-SHAMAT. 24
What is that? asked he, and she said, It hath reached me that there lived, in times of yore and years and ages long gone before, a merchant of Cairo25 named Shams al-Din, who was of the best and truest-spoken of the traders of the city; and he had eunuchs and servants and negro-slaves and handmaids and Mamelukes and great store of money. Moreover, he was Consul26 of the Merchants of Cairo and owned a wife, whom he loved and who loved him; except that he had lived with her forty years, yet had not been blessed with a son or even a daughter. One day, as he sat in his shop, he noted that the merchants, each and every, had a son or two sons or more sitting in their shops like their sires. Now the day being Friday; he entered the Hammam-bath and made the total ablution: after which he came out and took the barbers glass and looked in it, saying, I testify that there is no god but the God and I testify that Mohammed is the Messenger of God! Then he considered his beard and, seeing that the white hairs in it covered the black, bethought himself that hoariness is the harbinger of death. Now his wife knew the time of his coming home and had washed and made herself ready for him, so when he came in to her, she said, Good evening, but he replied I see no good. Then she called to the handmaid, Spread the supper-tray; and when this was done quoth she to her husband, Sup, O my lord. Quoth he, I will eat nothing, and pushing the tray away with his foot, turned his back upon her. She asked, Why dost thou thus? and what hath vexed thee?; and he answered, Thou art the cause of my vexation. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Night,She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shams al-Din said to his wife, Thou art the cause of my vexation. She asked, Wherefore? and he answered, When I opened my shop this morning, I saw that each and every of the merchants had with him a son or two sons or more, sitting in their shops like their fathers; and I said to myself: He who took thy sire will not spare thee. Now the night I first visited thee,27 thou madest me swear that I would never take a second wife over thee nor a concubine, Abyssinian or Greek or handmaid of other race; nor would lie a single night away from thee: and behold, thou art barren, and having thee is like boring into the rock. Rejoined she, Allah is my witness that the fault lies with thee, for that thy seed is thin. He asked, And what showeth the man whose semen is thin? And she answered, He cannot get women with child, nor beget children. Quoth he, What thickeneth the seed? tell me and I will buy it: haply, it will thicken mine. Quoth she, Enquire for it of the druggists. So he slept with her that night and arose on the morrow, repenting of having spoken angrily to her; and she also regretted her cross words. Then he went to the market and, finding a druggist, saluted him; and when his salutation was returned said to him, Say, hast thou with thee a seed-thickener? He replied, I had it, but am out of it: enquire thou of my neighbour. Then Shams al-Din made the round till he had asked every one, but they all laughed at him, and presently he returned to his shop and sat down, sore troubled. Now there was in the bazar a man who was Deputy Syndic of the brokers and was given to the use of opium and electuary and green hashísh.28 He was called Shaykh Mohammed Samsam and being poor he used to wish Shams al-Din good morrow every day. So he came to him according to his custom and saluted him. The merchant returned his salute, but in ill-temper, and the other, seeing him vexed, said, O my lord, what hath crossed thee? Thereupon Shams al-Din told him all that occurred between himself and his wife, adding, These forty years have I been married to her yet hath she borne me neither son nor daughter; and they say: The cause of thy failure to get her with child is the thinness of thy seed; so I have been seeking a something wherewith to thicken my semen but found it not. Quoth Shaykh Mohammed, O my lord, I have a seed-thickener, but what wilt thou say to him who causeth thy wife to conceive by thee after these forty years have passed? Answered the merchant, If thou do this, I will work thy weal and reward thee. Then give me a dinar, rejoined the broker, and Shams al-Din said, Take these two dinars. He took them and said, Give me also yonder big bowl of porcelain. So he gave it to him and the broker betook himself to a hashish-seller, of whom he bought two ounces of concentrated Roumi opium and equal parts of Chinese cubebs, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, ginger, white pepper and mountain skink29; and, pounding them all together, boiled them in sweet olive-oil; after which he added three ounces of male frankincense in fragments and a cupful of coriander-seed; and, macerating the whole, made it into an electuary with Roumi bee-honey. Then he put the confection in the bowl and carried it to the merchant, to whom he delivered it, saying, Here is the seed-thickener, and the manner of using it is this. Take of my electuary with a spoon after supping, and wash it down with a sherbet made of rose conserve; but first sup off mutton and house-pigeon plentifully seasoned and hotly spiced. So the merchant bought all this and sent the meat and pigeons to his wife, saying; Dress them deftly and lay up the seed-thickener until I want it and call for it. She did his bidding and, when she served up the meats, he ate the evening meal, after which he called for the bowl and ate of the electuary. It pleased him well, so he ate the rest and knew his wife. That very night she conceived by him and, after three months, her courses ceased, no blood came from her and she knew that she was with child. When the days of her pregnancy were accomplished, the pangs of labour took her and they raised loud lullilooings and cries of joy. The midwife delivered her with difficulty, by pronouncing over the boy at his birth the names of Mohammed and Ali, and said, Allah is Most Great!; and she called in his ear the call to prayer. Then she wrapped him up and passed him to his mother, who took him and gave him the breast; and he sucked and was full and slept. The midwife abode with them three days, till they had made the mothering-cakes of sugared bread and sweetmeats; and they distributed them on the seventh day. Then they sprinkled salt against the evil eye and the merchant, going in to his wife, gave her joy of her safe delivery, and said, Where is Allahs deposit? So they brought him a babe of surpassing beauty, the handiwork of the Orderer who is ever present and, though he was but seven days old, those who saw him would have deemed him a yearling child. So the merchant looked on his face and, seeing it like a shining full moon, with moles on either cheek, said he to his wife, What hast thou named him? Answered she, If it were a girl I had named her; but this is a boy, so none shall name him but thou. Now the people of that time used to name their children by omens; and, whilst the merchant and his wife were taking counsel of the name, behold, one said to his friend, Ho my lord, Ala al-Din! So the merchant said, We will call him Ala al-Din Abú al-Shámát.30 Then he committed the child to the nurse, and he drank milk two years, after which they weaned him and he grew up and throve and walked upon the floor. When he came to seven years old, they put him in a chamber under a trap-door, for fear of the evil eye, and his father said, He shall not come out, till his beard grow. So he gave him in charge to a handmaid and a blackamoor; the girl dressed him his meals and the slave carried them to him. Then his father circumcised him and made him a great feast; after which he brought him a doctor of the law, who taught him to write and read and repeat the Koran, and other arts and sciences, till he became a good scholar and an accomplished. One day it so came to pass that the slave, after bringing him the tray of food went away and left the trap-door open: so Ala al-Din came forth from the vault and went in to his mother, with whom was a company of women of rank. As they sat talking, behold, in came upon them the youth as he were a white slave drunken31 for the excess of his beauty; and when they saw him, they veiled their faces and said to his mother, Allah requite thee, O such an one! How canst thou let this strange Mameluke in upon us? Knowest thou not that modesty is a point of the Faith? She replied, Pronounce Allahs name32 and cry Bismillah! this is my son, the fruit of my vitals and the heir of Consul Shams al-Din, the child of the nurse and the collar and the crust and the crumb.33 Quoth they, Never in our days knew we that thou hadst a son; and quoth she, Verily his father feared for him the evil eye and reared him in an under-ground chamber; And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.