Classic Audiobook Collection - (Volume 4) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous ~ Full Audiobook [folklore]

Episode Date: August 29, 2023

(Volume 4) Arabian Nights - The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night by Anonymous audiobook. Genre: folklore This is a collection of stories collected over thousands of years by various authors, translators and scholars. They are an amalgam of mythology and folk tales from the Indian sub-continent, Persia, and Arabia. No original manuscript has ever been found for the collection, but several versions date the collection's genesis to somewhere between AD 800-900. The stories are wound together under the device of a long series of cliff-hangers told by Shahrazad to her husband Shahryar, to prevent him from executing her. Many tales that have become independently famous come from the Book, among them Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. This collection comes from the third of sixteen volumes translated by Burton. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 1 (00:20:54) Chapter 2 (00:38:24) Chapter 3 (00:57:00) Chapter 4 (01:21:06) Chapter 5 (01:49:17) Chapter 6 (02:15:19) Chapter 7 (02:35:00) Chapter 8 (03:00:24) Chapter 9 (03:32:51) Chapter 10 (04:00:41) Chapter 11 (04:20:50) Chapter 12 (04:42:42) Chapter 13 (04:58:14) Chapter 14 (05:13:04) Chapter 15 (05:26:35) Chapter 16 (05:40:00) Chapter 17 (06:01:58) Chapter 18 (06:17:38) Chapter 19 (06:38:25) Chapter 20 (07:03:41) Chapter 21 (07:28:22) Chapter 22 (07:48:16) Chapter 23 (08:08:06) Chapter 24 (08:30:42) Chapter 25 (08:44:57) Chapter 26 (09:03:13) Chapter 27 (09:21:31) Chapter 28 (09:39:08) Chapter 29 (10:13:26) Chapter 30 (10:30:58) Chapter 31 (10:57:48) Chapter 32 (11:16:14) Chapter 33 (11:34:31) Chapter 34 (11:57:27) Chapter 35 (12:15:39) Chapter 36 (12:31:30) Chapter 37 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 1, 238th night to 240th night. Niyama bin Al-Rabia and Naomi, his slave-girl. There lived once, in the city of Kufa, a man called Al-Rabia bin Hatim, who was one of the chief men of the town, a wealthy and a healthy, and heaven had vouchsafed him a son. whom he named Niamah Allah. One day, being in the slavebroker's mart,

he saw a woman exposed for sale with a little maid of wonderful beauty and grace on her arm. So he beckoned to the broker and asked him, How much for this woman and her daughter? He answered, fifty dinars. Quothel, Rabia, write the contract of sale and take the money and give it to her owner. Then he gave the broker the price and his brokerage,

and taking the woman and her child carried them to his house. Now when the daughter of his uncle, who was his wife, saw the slave, she said to her husband, Oh, my cousin, what is this damsel? He replied, of a truth, I bought her for the sake of the little one on her arm. For I know that when she groweth up there will not be her like for beauty, either in the land of the Arabs or the Ajams. His wife remarked,

Right was thy reed, and said to this woman, What is thy name? She replied, O my lady, my name is Toflik, And what is thy daughter's name? asked she. Answered the slave, Sa'ud, the happy, Rejoined her mistress,

Thou sayest sooth, thou art indeed happy, And happy is he who hath bought thee, Then quoth she to her husband, O my cousin, what wilt thou call her? And quoth he, Whatso thou choosies? So she said, Then let us call her Naomi.

And he rejoined, Good is thy device. The little Naomi was reared with Al Rabia's son, Niyama, in one cradle, so to speak, till the twain reached the age of ten, and each grew handsomer than the other. And the boy used to address her, Oh, my sister!

and she, oh my brother, till they came to that age, when Al-Rabia said to Niyama, O my son, Naomi is not thy sister, but thy slave. I bought her in thy name whilst thou wasst yet in the cradle, so call her no more sister from this day forth. Quoth Niyama, if that be so, I will take her to wife. Then he went to his mother and told her of this, and she said to him, O my son, she is thy handmaid. So he wedded, and went in unto Naomi and loved her. And two years passed over them whilst in this condition.

Nor was there in all Kufa, a fairer girl than Naomi, or a sweeter, or a more graceful. As she grew up, she learnt the Quran and read works of science and excelled in music and playing upon all kinds of instruments. And in the beauty of her singing, she surpassed all the folk of her time. Now one day, as she sat with her husband in the wine-chamber, she took the lute, tightened the strings, and sang these two couplets. While thou, my lord, whose bounties my estate, a sword whereby my woes to annihilate,

recourse I never need to Amru or Zate, nor aught save thee if way to me grow straight. Nyama was charmed with these verses and said to her, By my life, O Naomi, sing to us with the tambourine and other instruments. So she sang these couplets to a lively measure. By his life who holds my guarding rain, I swear, I'll meet on love-ground, parlous foe nor care. Good sooth, I'll vex revilers thee obey, and quit my slumbers and all joy for swear, and for thy love I'll dig in vitals mine, a grave, nor shall my vitals wheat tis there. And Yamah exclaimed, Heaven favoured art thou, O Naomi.

But whilst they led thus the most joyous life, behold, Al-Hajaj, the viceroy of Kufa said to himself, Needs must I contrive to take this girl named Naomi, and send her to the commander of the faithful Abdal Malik bin Marwan, for he hath not in his palace her like for beauty and sweet singing. So he summoned an old woman of the duenas of his wives, and said to her, Go to the house of Al-Rabia, and foregather with the girl Naomi, and combine means to carry her off, for her like is not to be found on the face of the earth. She promised to do his bidding. The next morning she donned the woolen clothes of a devotee, hung around her neck a rosary of beads by the thousand, and henting in hand a staff and a leather water bottle of Yamani manufacture. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of the day, and ceased to say her

permitted say. When it was the 238th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the old woman promised to do the bidding of al-Hajajaj. And when as it was mourning, she donned the woolen clothes of a devotee, and hung around her neck a rosary of beads by the thousand, and hent in hand a staff and a leather water-bottle of Eumani manufacture, and fared forth, crying, Glory be to Allah! Praise'd be Allah! There is no God but the God! Allah is most great! There is no majesty, and there is no might save in Allah, the glorious, the great! nor did she leave off her lords and her groaning in prayer whilst her heart was full of guile and wiles, till she came to the house of Niamabin al-Rabia at the hour of noon prayer, and knocked at the door.

The doorkeeper opened and said to her, What does thou want? Quoth she, I am a poor, pious woman, whom the time of noon prayer hath overtaken, and fief would I pray in this blessed place. answered the porter, oh old woman, this is no mosque nor oratory, but the House of Niamah, son of Al-Rabia. She replied, I know there is neither cathedral mosque nor oratory like the house of Niamah in Al-Rabia. I am a chamberwoman of the palace of the prince of true believers, and come out for worship and the visitation of holy places. But the porter rejoined, thou canst not enter, and many words passed between them, till at last she caught hold and hung to him, saying, Shall the like of me be denied admission to the house of Niyama bin al-Rabia,

I who have free access to the houses of emirs and grandees? Anon, out came Niyama, and hearing their loud language, laughed, and bade the old woman enter after him. So she followed him into the presence of Naomi, whom she saluted him. after the godliest and goodliest fashion, and when she looked on her, she was confounded at her exceeding seemliness, and said to her, O my lady, I commend thee to the safeguard of Allah who made thee and thy lord fellows in beauty and loveliness. Then she stood up in the prayer-nish, and betook herself to inclination and prostration and prayer, till day departed, a night darkened and starkened, when Naomi said to her,

Oh, my mother, rest thy legs and feet a while, replied the old woman, O my lady, whoso seeketh the world to come, let him weary him in this world, and whoso wearieth not himself in this world, shall not attain the dwellings of the just in the world to come. Then Naomi brought her food and said to her, eat of my bread and pray heaven to accept my penitence,

and to have mercy on me. But she cried, O my lady I am fasting. As for thee thou art but a girl, and it befitteth thee to eat and drink and make merry. Allah be indulgent to thee, for the Almighty saith, all shall be punished except him

who shall repent and believe and shall work a righteous work. So Naomi continued sitting with the old woman in talk, and presently said to Niamar, O my lord, conjure this ancient dame to sojourn with us a while, for piety and devotion are imprinted on her countenance. Quoth he, Set apart for her a chamber where she may say her prayers and suffer no one to go into her. Peradventure Allah extolled and exalted be he shall prosper us

by the blessing of her presence and never separate us. So the old woman passed her night in praying and reciting the Quran, and when Allah caused the morn to dawn, she went in to Niamar, Naomi, and giving them good morning, said to them, I pray Allah have you in his holy keeping, quothed Naomi. Wither away, O my mother, my lord hath bidden me set apart for thee a chamber, where thou mayst seclude thee for thy devotions, replied the old woman. Allah give him long life, and continue his favour to you both, but I would be able to you. have you charged the doorkeeper not to stay my coming into you, and, inshallah, I will go the round of the holy places, and pray for you too at the end of my devotions every day and night.

Then she went out, whilst Naomi wept for parting with her, knowing not the cause of her coming, and returned to al-Hajad, who said to her, as thou do my bidding soon thou shalt have of me abundant good quoth she i ask of thee a full month and quoth he take the month thereupon the old hag fell to daily visiting niama's house and frequented his slave-wife naomi and shahrazad perceived the dawn of the day and ceased saying her permitted say When it was the 239th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the old hag fell to visiting daily Niamma's house and frequenting his slave-wife, Naomi, and both ceased not to honour her,

and she used to go into the morning and evening, and all in the house respected her, till one day, being alone with Naomi, she said to her, Oh, my lady, by Allah, when I go to the, the holy places I will pray for thee, and I only wish thou were with me, that thou mightest look on the elders of the faith who resort thither, and they should pray for thee according to thy desire. Naomi cried, I conjure thee, by Allah, take me with thee, and she replied, ask leave of thy mother-in-law, and I will take thee.

So Naomi said to her husband's mother, Oh, my lady, ask my master to let us go forth, me and thee, one day with this my old mother, to prayer and worship with the fakirs in the holy places. Now when Niyama came in and sat down, the old woman went up to him, and would have kissed his hand but he forbade her. So she invoked blessings on him, and left the house. Next day she came in again, in the absence of Niyama, and she addressed Naomi saying,

We prayed for thee yesterday, but arise now and divert thyself, and return ere thy lord come home. So, Naomi said to her mother-in-law, I beseech thee for Allah's sake, give me leave to go with this pious woman, that I may sight the saints of Allah in the holy places, and return speedily, ere my lord come back. Quoth Niamma's mother, I fear lest thy lord know, but said the old woman, by Allah I will not let her take seat on the floor No, she shall look standing on her feet and not tarry So she took the damsel by guile

And carrying her to al-Hajajaj's palace Told him of her coming after placing her in a lonely chamber Whereupon he went into her And looking upon her saw her to be the loveliest of the people of the day Never had he beheld her like. Now when Naomi caught sight of him, she veiled her face from him, but he left her not till he had called his chamberlain whom he commanded to take fifty horsemen, and he bade him mount the damsel on a swift dromedary, and bear her to Damascus, and there deliver her to the commander of the faithful

Abd al-Malik bin Marwan. Moreover, he gave him a letter for the caliph, saying, bear him this letter, and bring me his answer and hasten thy return to me. So the Chamberlain, without losing time, took the damsel, and she tearful for separation from her lord, and setting out with her on adromagy gave not over-journeying till he reached Damascus. There he sought audience of the commander of the faithful, and when it was granted, the Chamberlain delivered the damsel and reported the circumstance. The Caliph appointed her a separate apartment, and going in to her, to his Harim, said to his wife, Al-Hajaj had bought me a slave-girl of the daughters of the kings of

Kufa for ten thousand dinars, and hath sent me this letter, and Shahar-Zad perceived the dawn of the day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the 240th night, she said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when the Caliph acquainted his wife with the story of the slave-girl, she said to him Allah increased to thee his favour Then the Caliph's sister went into the supposed slave girl And when she saw her she said by Allah Not unlucky is the man who hath thee in his house Where thy cost an hundred thousand dinars

And Naomi replied Oh fairer face what king's palace is this and what is the city She answered this is the city of Damascus And this is the palace of my brother the commander of the faithful Abd al-Malik bin Marwan. Then she resumed, didst thou not know all this? Naomi said, by Allah, oh my lady, I had no knowledge of it. When the other asked, and he who sold thee and took thy price,

did he not tell thee that the caliph had bought thee? Now when Naomi heard these words, she shed tears and said to herself, Verily I've been tricked and the trick hath succeeded. adding to herself, if I speak none will credit me, so I will hold my peace and take patience, for I know that the relief of Allah is near. Then she bent her head for shame, and indeed her cheeks were tanned by the journey and the sun.

So the Caliph's sister left her that day and returned to her on the morrow with clothes and necklaces of jewels, and dressed her, after which the Caliph came into her and sat down by her side, and his sister said to him, Look on this handmaid in whom Allah hath conjoined every perfection of beauty and loveliness. So he said to Naomi, draw back the veil from thy face, but she would not unveil, and he beheld not her face. However he saw her wrists, and love of her entered his heart, and he said to his sister,

I will not go in unto her for three days till she be cheered by thy converse. Then he arose and left her, but Naomi ceased not to brood over her case and sigh for her separation from her master, Niamar, till she fell sick of a fever during the night, and ate not nor drank, and her favour faded and her charms were changed. They told the caliph of this, and her condition grieved him. So he visited her with physicians and men of skill, but none could come at a cure for her. This is how it fared with her. But as regards Niyama, when he returned home, he sat down on his bed and cried, Ho! Naomi! But she answered not. So he rose in haste and called out, yet none came to him, as all the women in the house had hidden themselves for fear of him.

Then he went out to his mother whom he found sitting with her cheek on her hand, and said to her, Oh, my mother, where is Naomi? She answered, oh, my son. she is with one who is worthier than I to be trusted with her, namely the devout old woman. She went forth with her to visit devotionally the fakirs and return, quoth Niyama, since when hath this been her habit, and at what hour went she forth? Quoth his mother, she went out early in the morning. He asked, and how came'st thou to give her leave for this? And she answered, Oh, my son, to a she persuaded me. There is no majesty.

and there is no might save in Allah the glorious the great, exclaimed Niamma. And going forth from his home in a state of distraction he repaired to the captain of the watch to whom said he, "'Dest thou play tricks upon me and steal my slave-girl away from my house? I will assuredly complain of thee to the commander of the faithful,' said the chief of police. "'Who hath taken her?' And Niyama replied, an old woman of such and such a mien, clad in woolen raiment and carrying a rosary of beads numbered by thousands,

rejoined the other. Find me the old woman, and I will get thee back thy slave-girl. And who knows the old woman, retorted Niamer. And who knows the hidden things save Allah? May he be extolled and exalted, cried the chief, who knew her for al-Hajajaj's procure us. cried Niamer, I look to thee for my slave-girl, and al-Hajajaj shall judge between thee and me. And the master of the police answered, go to whom thou wilt. So Niyama went to the palace of al-Hajaj, for his father was one of the chief men of Kufa,

and when he arrived there, the chamberlain went into the governor and told him the case, whereupon Al-Hajajad said, hither with him, and when he stood before him inquired, what be thy business? said Niyama, such and such things have befallen me. And the governor said, bring me the chief of police and we will commend him to seek for the old woman now he knew that the chief of police was acquainted with her so when he came he said to him i wish thee to make search for the slave-girl of niama son of al-rabia and he answered none knoweth the hidden things save almighty allah rejoined al-hijaj there is no help for it but thou send out horsemen and look for the damsel in all the roads and seek for her in the towns. And Shah Razzard perceived the dawn of the day and ceased to say her permitted say. End of Section 1. Recording by Paul Newman, Sheffield, England. Storyfolk-Singer.co.uk.

Section 2 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is the Libre Fox recording. All Libre Fox recordings are in the public domain. more information or to volunteer, please visit liverfox.org. Recording by Philippa. The Book of a Thousand Nights in the Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 2.241st Night to 243rd Night. When it was the 241st Knight, she said, It hath reached me, O'er of Spacious King, that Al-Hajad said to the captain of the watch,

there is no help for it but thou send out horsemen, and look for the damsel on all roads and seek for her in the towns. Then he turned to Nimaha and said to him, And thy slave girl returned not. I will give thee ten slave girls from my house, and ten from that of the chief of police. And he again bade the captain of the watch. Go and seek for the girl.

So he went out, and Nimaha returned home, full of trouble and despairing of life. for he had now reached the age of fourteen, and there was yet no hair on his side cheeks. So he wept and lamented, and shut himself up from his household, and ceased not to weep and lament. He and his mother till the morning, when his father came into him and said, Oh, my son, of a truth, Al-Hajid hath put a cheat upon the damsel, and hath taken her, but from hour to hour Allah githeth relief.

However grief redoubt or doubled on him, O'Haw. so that he knew not what he said, nor knew he who came into him. And he fell sick for three months, his charms were changed, his father despaired of him, and the physicians visited him and said, there is no remedy for him save the damsel. Now as his father was sitting one day, behold he heard tell of a skillful person physician, whom the folks gave out for perfect medicine in astrology and geomancy. So Al-Rabia sent for him, and, seating him by his side, entreated him with honor and said to him, Look into my son's case.

Thereupon quoth he to Nimaha, Give me thy hand. The young man gave his hand, and he felt his pulse and his joints, and looked into his face. And he laughed, and turned into his father, said, Thy son's ailment is one of the heart, he replied. Thou say a sooth, sage, but apply thy skill to rest. estate and case, and equate me with the whole thereof, and hugged not for me of this condition. Quoth the Persian, of the truth he is enamoured of a slave-gole, and the slave-girl is either in Missouri or Damascus, and there is no remedy for him, but reunion with her, said El Rabaea,

and thou bringst them together, thou shalt live all thy life in wealth and delight. Answer the Persian, in good sooth this be an easy matter, and soon got a-rebiah. about, and he turned to Nimah and said to him, No hurt shall befall thee, so be of good cheer, and keep thine eyes cool and clear, and quoth he to ever bea, bring me forth a thousand dinars of your money. So he gave them to him, and added,

I wish to carry thy son with me to Damascus, and amati Allah willing, I will not return thence but with the damsel. Then he returned to the youth and asked, What is thy name? And he answered, Quote the Persian, O Nimaha, sit up and be of good heart, for Allah will you reunite thee with the damsel. And when he sat up the leech continued, be of good cheer, for we set out for Damascus this very day.

Put thy trust in the Lord, and eat and drink, and be cheerful, so as to fortify thyself for travel. Upon this, the Persian began making preparations of all things needed, such as presents and rarities, and he took to Arrabiya in the sum of the ten thousand dinars, together with horses and camels and beasts of burden and other requisites. The Nemahad farewelled his father and mother and journeyed with the physician to Aleppo. They could find no news of Naomi there, so they fared on to Damascus, where the abode three days, after which the person took a shop, and he adorned even the shells with vessels of costly porcelain, with covers of silver, and with gildings and stuff of price.

Moreover, he set before himself, vases and flagons of glass, full of all manner of ointments and ups, and he surrounded them with cups of crystal, and placing astrolabe and geomantic tablet facing him, he indoned a physician's habit and took his seat in the shop. Then he said Nimaha standing before him clad in a shirt and a gown of silk, and girding his middle with a silken kerchief golden-broil. He said to him, O Nimaha, henceforth thou art my son.

So call me not but sire, and I will call thee not but son. And he replied, I hear and obey. Thereupon the people of Damascus flotted to the Persian shop, that they might gaze on the youth's goodliness and the beauty of the shop and its contents. But the physician spoke to Nimaha in Persian, and he answered him in the same tongue, for he knew the language, after the want of the sons of the notables. So that Persian doctors soon became known among the town's folk, and they began to acquaint him with their ailments, and he to prescribe for them remedies. Moreover, they brought him the water the sick and vials, and he would test it and say,

He, whose water this is, is suffering from such and such a disease, and the patients would declare, Verily this physician say it's sooth, so he continued to do the occasions of the folk, and they flocked to him, till his fame spread throughout the city and into houses of the great. Now one day, as he said in his shop, behold there came upon an old woman riding on an ass with a stuffed saddle of brocade embroidered with jewels, and stopping before the Persian's shop, drew rein and beckoned him, saying,

Take my hand. He took her hand, and she alighted, and asked him, I thought the Persian physician from Iraq. Yes, he answered, and she said, I know that I have a sick daughter, then she brought out to him a file, and the person took it and said to her, Oh, my mistress, tell me that my daughter's name, that I may calculate her horoscope, and learn the hour in which it will benefit her to drink medicine. She replied, Oh, my brother the Persian, her name is Naomi, and Scheherazade perceived the dawn of the day, and ceased saying her permitted safe. When it was the 242nd night, she said, It hath reached me, O spacious king, that when the

person heard of the name of Naomi, he fell to calculating and riding on his hand, and presently said, Oh, my lady, I cannot prescribe a medicine for her till I know what countrywoman she is, because of the difference of climate, so tell me in what land was she brought up, and what is her age? The old woman replied, She is fourteen years old, and she was brought up in Kofa of the Rat. And he asked, and how long have she sojourned in this country? But a few months, she answered. Now when Nimaha heard the old woman's words, and recognized the name of a slave girl,

his heart fluttered, and he was lied to faint, then said the person, Such and such medicine will sue her case, and the old woman rejoined. Then make them up, and give me what thou hast mentioned, with the blessings of Almighty Allah. So saying she threw upon the shop, bore ten gold pieces. And he looked at Nimaha and bade him prepare the necessary drugs. Whereupon she also looked at the youth and exclaimed, Allah have thee and is keeping my son. Verily she favored thee in age and yen.

Then she said to the physician, Oh, my brother the Persian, is this thy slave or thy son? He is my son, answered he. So Nimaha put up the medicine and placing it in a little box, took a piece of paper and wrote thereupon these two couplets. If Normie blessed me with a single glance, Let Su da, Sue and Jamal joy too, they said, Forget her, twenty such thou find, but none is like her.

I will not forget. He pressed the paper into the box, and, sealing it up, wrote upon the cover the following words in Cufi characters. I am Nimaha of Al-Rabia of Kufa. then he said it before the old woman who took it and bade them farewell and returned to the callus palace and when she went up with the drunks to the damsel she placed a little box of medicine at her feet saying oh my lady know that there has lately come to our town a persian physician than whom i never saw a more skillful nor a better verse in matters of malady i told him thy name after showing him the water-bottle and forthwith he knew that ireman and besie that prescribed a remedy, then he bade his son make thee up this medicine. And there is not in Damascus a comelier or a seemlier youth than this lad of his,

nor hath any one a shop like this of his shop. So Naomi took the box, and seeing the name of her lord, and his father, written on the cover, changed color, and said to herself, doubtless, the owner of this shop is come in search of me. So she said to the old woman, Describe me this youth, answered the old woman. the old woman, his name is Nimaha. He had the mole in his right eyebrow, is richly clad, and is perfectly handsome, cried Naomi, give me the medicine, whereupon be the blessing and help

of Almighty Allah. So she drank off the potion, and she was laughing, and said, indeed, it is a blessed medicine, and then she sought in the box, and finding the paper, opened it, read it and understood it, and knew that this was indeed her lord, whereas her heart was solaced and she rejoiced. Now when the old woman saw her laughing, she exclaimed, this is indeed a blessed day, and Naomi said, O nurse, I have a mind for something to eat and drink. The old woman said to the serving woman, bring a tray of dainty viance for your mistress, whereupon they set food before her, and she sat down to eat.

And beholden came Caliph, who, seeing her siving her siving at meet, rejoiced, and the old woman said to him, O commander of the faithful, I give thee joy of thy hand made Naomi's recovery, and the cause is that there is lately come to this, our city, a physician than whom I never saw a better verse in diseases and their remedies. I fetched her medicine from him, and she is drunken of it, but once, and it is restored to health. quoth he take a thousand dinars and apply thyself to her treatment till she is completely recovered and he went away rejoicing in the damsel's recovery whilst the old woman betook herself to the person's house and delivered the thousand dinars giving him to know that she was become the caliph's slave and also handing him a letter which neel me had written he took it and gave the letter to nimaha who at first sight knew her hand and fell down in a swoon when he revived he opened the letter and found these words written therein from the slave despoiled of her nimha her delight her whose reason hath been beguiled and who is parted from the core of her heart

but afterwards of a truth thy letter hath reached me and hath rotten my breast and solace my soul even as sayeth the poet thy note came long lost hungers wrote that note so drop they sweetest sense for what they wrote that note so drop they sweetest sense for what they wrote T'was Moses to his mother's arms restored. T'was Jacob's eyes sighed by Joseph's coats. When Nimaha read these verses, his eyes ran over with tears, and the old woman said to him, What maketh thee to weep, my son? Allah never calls thang eyes to shed tears, cried the Persian. O my lady, how should my son not weep? Seeing that this is his slave girl, and he her lord, Nimaha son of Al-Rabia of Kufa.

and her health dependence on her seeing him for noth aileth her but loving him and shahrazah perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted save when it was the two hundred and forty-third knights she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the persian cried out to the old woman how shall my son not weep seeing that this is his slave-girl and he her lord nimaha son of al-rabiya of kufa and the health of his dam with dependence on her seeing him, and not aid of her, but loving him. So do thou, O my lady, take these thousand dinars to thyself, and thou shalt have of me, yet more than this? Only look on us with eyes of rush, for we know not how to bring this affair to a happy end, say through thee, then she said to Nimaha, say, are thou indeed her lord? He replied, yes, and she rejoined, thou sayeth sooth,

for she seeth not continually to name thee. Then he told her all that had passed from first to last, and she said, O youth, thou shalt owe me thy reunion with her to none but myself. So she mounted, and, at once, returning to Naomi, looked in her face and laughed, saying, It is just, oh, my daughter, that thou weep and fall sick for thy separation of thy master, Nimaha, son of al-Rabia of Kufa. Quoth Naomi, verily, the vail hath been withdrawn for thee, and the truth revealed to thee,

who joined the old woman, be of good cheer and take heart, for I will assuredly bring you together, though it cost me my life. Then she returned to Nimaha and said to him, I went to thy slave-girl, and conversed with her, and find that she longeth for thee yet more than thou for her, for although the commander the faithful is minded to become intimate with her, she refused, refuses herself to him. But if thou be stout of purpose and firm of heart, I will bring you together and venture my life for you, and play some trick, and make shift to carry thee into callous palace, where thou shall meet her, for she cannot come forth. And Nimaha answered, Allah required thee with good. Then she took leave of him, and went back to Naomi and said,

thy lord is indeed dying of love for thee, and would fain see thee and foregather with thee. What sayest thou? Naomi replied, And I too am longing for his sight and dying for his love, whereupon the old woman took a parcel of women's clothes and ornaments, and, repairing to Nimaha, said to him, Come with me into some place apart. So he brought her into the room behind the shop where she stained his hands and decked his wrist and plaited his hair.

after which she clad him in the slave-girl's habit and adorn him after the fairest fashions of women's adornment till he was as one of the hours of the garden of heaven and when she saw him thus she exclaimed best be he allah best of creators by allah thou art handsomer than the damsel now walk with thy left shoulder forth and thy right well behind and swayed thy hips from side to side so he walked before as she bade him and when she saw he had caught the trick of woman's gate she said to him expect me to-morrow night and allow willing i will take and carry thee to the palace but when thou seest the chamberlains and eunuchs be bold and bow thy head and speak not with any for i will prevent their speech and with allah is success accordingly when the morning dawn and she returned and carrying him to the palace entered before him and he after her step by step the chamberlain would have stopped his entering but the old woman said to him o most ill omen of slave this is the hair-made of naomi the caliph's favorite how durst thou stay her when she would enter then she said come in o dansell and the old woman went in and they ceased not faring on till they drew near the door leading to the inner piazza of the palace when she said to him o nimaha harden thyself and take courage and enter and turn to the left Then count five doors and pass through the sixth, for it is that of the place prepared for thee. Fear nothing, and if any, speak to thee, answer not, neither stop.

Then she went up with him to the door, and the chamber lay there on the garter coasted her, saying, What damsel is this? And Scheherazade perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted saying. End of Section 2. Recording by Philippa. of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Libervox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Recording by Jean Dauphrio. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Nights, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. section three two hundred and forty-fourth knights to two hundred and forty-sixth night when it was the two hundred and forty-fourth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that when the chamberlain accosted the old woman saying what damsel is this quoth the ancient dame our lady hath a mind to buy her and he rejoined none may enter save by leave of the commander of the faithful so do thou go back with her i cannot let her pass for thus am i commanded replied the old woman o chief chamberlain use thy reason thou knowest that naomi the caliph's slave-girl of whom he is enamored is but now restored to health and the commander of the faithful hardly yet crediteth her recovery she is minded to buy this handmaid, so oppose thou not her entrance, lest happily it come to Naomi's knowledge,

and she be wroth with thee and suffer a relapse, and this cause thy head to be cut off. Then said she to Niyama, enter, O damsel, pay no heed to what he saith, and tell not the queen consort that her chamberlain opposed thine entrance. So Niama bowed his head and entered the palace, and would have turned to the left, but mistook the direction, and walked to his right, and, meaning to count five doors, and enter the sixth, he counted six, and entering the seventh, found himself in a place whose floor was carpeted with brocade and whose walls were hung with curtains of gold-embroidered silk, and therein stood censers of alo's wood, and ambergris, and strong-scented musk, and at the upper end was a couch, besiex,

spread with cloth of gold on which he seated himself, marvelling at the magnificence he saw, and knowing not what was written for him in the secret purpose. As he sat musing on his case, the Caliph's sister, followed by her handmaid, came in upon him, and, seeing the youth seated there, took him for a slave-girl, and accosted him, and said, Who art thou, O damsel, and what is thy case, and who brought thee hither? he made no reply and was silent when she continued o damsel if thou be one of my brother's concubines and he be wroth with thee i will intercede with him for thee and get thee grace but he answered her not a word so she said to her slave-girl stand at the door and let none enter then she went up to niama and looking at him was amazed at his beauty and said to him O lady, tell me who thou art, and what is thy name, and how thou camest here.

For I have never seen thee in our palace. Still he answered not, whereat she was angered and, putting her hand on his bosom, found no breasts, and would have unveiled him, that she might know who he was. But he said to her, O my lady, I am thy slave, and I cast myself on thy protection. Do thou protect me? She said, No harm shall come to thee, but tell me who thou art, and who brought thee into this my apartment. Answered he, O princess, I am known as Niama bin Arabia, of Kufa, and I have ventured my life for the sake of my slave-girl, Naomi, whom Al-Hajajajh took by slight and sent hither.

Said she, Fear not, no harm shall befall thee. Then, calling her maid, she said to her, go to Naomi's chamber and send her to me. Meanwhile, the old woman went to Naomi's bedroom and said to her, Hath thy lord come to thee? No, by Allah, answered Naomi. And the other said, Be like he hath gone astray and entered some chamber other than nine, and lost himself.

So Naomi cried, There is no majesty, and there is no might save in Allah, the glorious, the great. Our last hour is come and we are all lost. And while they were sitting and sadly enough pondering their case, in came the princess's handmaid, and saluting Naomi, said to her, My lady biddeth thee to her banquet. I hear and obey, answered the damsel. And the old woman said,

Be like thy lord is with the caliph's sister, And the veil of secrecy hath been rent. So Naomi at once sprang up and betook herself to the princess, Who said to her, Here is thy lord sitting with me, it seemeth he hath mistaken the place but please allah neither thou nor he has any cause for fear when naomi heard these words she took heart of grace and went up to niama and her lord when he saw her and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and forty-fifth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that when niama saw his hand made Naomi. He rose to meet her and strained her to his bosom, and both fell to the ground

fainting. As soon as they came to themselves, the Caliph's sister said to them, Sit ye down and take we counsel for your deliverance from this your strait. And they answered, O our lady, we hear and obey, it is thine to command. Quoth she, By Allah, no harm shall befall you from us. Then she bade her handmaids, Bring meat and drink, which we was done, and they sat down and ate till they had enough, after which they sat drinking. Then the cup went round amongst them, and their cares ceased from them. But Niyama said, Would I knew how this will end? The princess asked, O Niyama, dost thou love thy slave, Naomi?

And he answered, of a truth it is my passion for her which hath brought me to this state of peril for my life. Then said she to the damsel. O Naomi, dost thou love thy lord Niama? And she replied, O my lady, It is the love of him which hath wasted my body and brought me to evil case. Rejoined the princess, By Allah, since ye love each other thus,

May he not be who would part you, Be of good cheer and keep your eyes cool and clear. At this they both rejoiced, and Naomi called for a lute, and when they brought it, she took it, and tuned it, and played a lively measure which enchanted the hearers and after the prelude sang these couplets when the slanderers cared but to partus twain we owed no blood-dead death could raise their ire and they poured in our ears all the din of war and aid failed in friends when my want was dire i fought them hard with mine eyes and tears with breath and swore with the stream and fire then naomi gave the lute to her master Niyama, saying, Sing thou to us some verses.

So he took it, And playing a lively measure, Entoned these couplets. Full moon if unfreckled would favour thee, And sun uneclipped would reflect thy blee. I wonder, but love is of wonders full, An ardour and passion and ecstasy. How short the way to my love I fare,

Which from her faring so long I see. Now, when he had made an end of his song, Naomi filled the cup and gave it to him, and he took it and drank it off. Then she filled again and gave the cup to the Caliph's sister, who also emptied it. After which the princess in her turn took the loot and tightened the strings, and tuned it and sang these two couplets. Grief Cork and care in my heart reside, and the fires of love in my breast,

my wasted form to all I show clear, for desire my body hath mortified. then she filled the cup and gave it to naomi who drank it off and taking the lute sang these two couplets o to whom i gave soul which thou tortures and in vain i'd recover from fair unfaith do grant thy favours my care to cure ere i die for this be my latest breath and they ceased not to sing verses and drink to the sweet sounds of the strings full of mirth and merriment and joy and jollity till behold in came the commander of the faithful now when they saw him they rose and kissed the ground before him and he seeing naomi with the lute in her hand said to her o naomi praised be allah who hath done away from thee sickness and suffering then he looked at niama who was still disguised as a woman and said to the princess o my sister what damsel is this by naomi's side she replied o commander of the faithful thou hast here a handmaid one of thy concubines and the bosom friend of naomi who will neither eat nor drink without her and she repeated the words of the poet two contraries and both concur in opposite charms and charms so contrari'd by contrast lovelier show quoth the caliph by allah omnipotent fairly she is as handsome as naomi and to-morrow i will appoint her a separate chamber beside that of her friend, and send her furniture and stuffs,

and all that befitteth her in honor of Naomi. Then the princess called for food and set it before her brother, who ate and made himself at home in their place and company. Then filling a cup, he signed to Naomi to sing. So she took the loot, after draining two of them, and sang these two couplets. Since my toper friend in my hand hath given, three cups that brim and bubble are since, I've trailed my skirts throughout night for pride, as though prince of the faithful I were thy prince. The prince of true believers was delighted, and filling another cup, gave it to Naomi, and bade her sing again. So after draining the cup, and sweeping the strings, she sang as follows. O most noble of men in this time astound, of whom none may both,

he is equal found, O matchless and greatness of souls and gifts, O thou chief, O thou king amongst all renowned, Lord, who dealest large boons to the lords of earth, Whom thou vexest not, nor dost hold them bound. The Lord preserve thee, and spoil thy foes, and now cease thy lot with good fortune crowned. Now when the Caliph heard these couplets he explained, By Allah, good, by Allah, excellent, Barely the Lord hath been copious to thee, O Naomi, how clever is thy tongue, and how dear is thy speech. And they ceased not their mirth and good cheer till midnight, when the Caliph's sister said to him,

Give ear, O commander of the faithful, to a tale I have read in books of a certain man of rank. And what is this tale, quoth he? Quoth she, know, O prince of the faithful, that there lived once in this city of Cuffa a youth called Niyama, son of Arabia, and he had a slave girl whom he loved and who loved him. They had been reared in one bed, but when they grew up and mutual love get hold of them, fortune smote them with her calamities, and time, the tyrant, brought upon them his adversity and decreed separation unto them. Thereupon designing and slanderous folk enticed her by slight fourth of his spouse, and, stealing her away from his home,

sold her to one of the kings for ten thousand dinars now the girl loved her lord even as he loved her so he left kith in kin and house and home and the gifts of fortune and set out to search for her and when she was found he devised means to gain access to her and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and forty-sixth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the caliph's sister said and niama ceased not absenting himself from his kith and kin and patrial stead that he might gain access to his handmae'n and he incurred every peril and lavished his life till he gained access to her and her name was Naomi, like this slave-girl. But the interview was short. They had not been long in company when in came the king, who had bought her of her kidnapper, and hastily ordered them to be slain

without doing justice by his own soul, and delaying to inquire into the matter before the command was carried out. Now what sayest thou, O commander of the faithful, of this king's wrongest conduct? Answered the Caliph. This was indeed a strange thing.

it behoved that king to pardon when he had the power to punish and he ought to have regarded three things in their favour the first was that they loved each other the second that they were in his house and in his grasp and the third that it befitteth a king to be deliberate in judging and ordering between folk and how much more so in cases where he himself is concerned wherefore this king thus did an unkingly deed then said his sister o my brother by the king of the heavens and the earth i conjure thee bid naomi sing and hearken to that she shall sing so he said o naomi sing to me whereupon she played a lively measure and sang these couplets beguileous fortune who are guile displace smiting the heart bequeathing thoughts that craze and part in lovers whom she made to meet till tears and torrent either chevaldice cheek displays they were and i was and my life was glad while fortune often joy'd to join our ways i will pour tear flood will rain gouts of blood thy loss be moaning through the nights and days 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 hath judged against thyself by this judgment then said she o niama stand up and do thou likewise upstand o naomi so they stood up and she continued o prince of true believers she who standeth before before thee is Naomi the stolen, whom al-Hajaj 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, Niyama, son of Arabiyah, and I beseech thee by the honor of thy pious forebearers, and by Hazma and Ukeo and Abbas, to pardon them both and overlook their offense, and bestow them one on the other, that thou mayest 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 judgment as thou sayest, and I am not one to pass

sentence and to revoke it. Then said he, O Naomi, say, be this thy lord? She answered, Even so, O commander of the faithful, then quoth he, No harm shall befall you, I give you each two other. Adding to the young man, O Niyama, who told thee where she was, and taught thee how to get at this place. He replied, O commander of the faithful, harken to my tale and give ear to my history, for, by the virtue of the pious forefathers, I will hide nothing from thee. And he told them all that had passed between me. 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 honor 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 Niyama and Naomi with gifts and honors and rewarded the old nurse,

and they abode with him seven days in joy and content and all delight of life when Niyama craved leave to return to Kufa with his slave girl. The caliph gave them permission and they departed and arrived in due course at Kufa, where Niyama was restored to his father and mother, and they abode in all the joys and jollities of life, till there came to them the destroy. 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. End of Section 3. Section 4 of the book A Thousand Nights in a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visitliborvox.org.

Recording by Philippa. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 4.247th night to 250th night. When it was the 247th night, She said, It hath reached me, O spacious king, that when Amjad and Ashad heard this story from Rahm, the magician, who had become a Muslim, they marvelled with extreme marvel and thus passed the night, and when the next morning dawned, they mounted, and riding to the palace, sought an audience with the king, who granted it and received them with high honor.

Now as they were sitting together talking, all of a sudden they heard the townful cry aloud, and shouted to one another and calling for help. And the chamberlame came into the king and said to him, Some king hath encamp before the city, he and his host, with arms and weapons displayed, And we know not their object in 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 the horse, and running forth from the city, repaired to the stranger's camp,

where he found the king, and with him a mighty many and mounted Malmaluks. When the guards saw him, they knew him for an envoy of the king from 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-fail, 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. if I find with you.

I will do you no harm, but if I find him not, then shall there befall 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? She said, His name is Asad, and my name is Marjana, and this slave came to my town in company of Braham,

a majean who refused to sell him to me, so I took him by force, but his master fell up to him. upon him by night and bore him away by stealth and he is of such and such a favour when umjad heard that he knew it was indeed his brother usah whom she sought and said to her o queen of the age amadolia praise thee allah who hath brought us relief verily the 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 assad so she bestowed a dress of honour upon umjad and he returned forthright to the king and told him what had passed at which they all rejoiced and the king went forth with unjad and assad to meet the queen marjana when they were admitted to her presence and set down to converse with her and were thus pleasantly engaged behold a desk-clad rose and flew and grew till it walled the view and after a while it lifted and showed beneath it an army died for victory in numbers like the swelling sea armed and armored cap apier who making for the city encompassed it around as the ring encompasses the little finger

and a bare brand was in every hand when ahmed and assad saw this they exclaimed verily to allah we belong and to him we shall return What is this mighty host? Deadless, these are enemies. And except we agree with this Queen Marjana. 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 horses and passed through the city gate to Queen Marjana's camp. But when he reached the approaching army, he found it to be that of his grandsire.

King Gaiyur, father of his mother, Queen Bador, and Scheherazarazar. perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and forty-eight nights, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Amjad reached the approaching host, he found it to be that of his grand-sire, 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 Gaiyur, and I come wayfaring in quest of my daughter Boudur, whom fortune hath taken for me, for she left me, and returned not to me, nor have I heard any tidings of her or her husband,

Kamar al-Zazan. 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 mother's father, whereupon he raised his head and, kissing ground before him, told him that he was the son of his daughter Bador, on hearing which Gaiur threw himself upon him, and they both fell a-weeping. Then said Gawur, be praised Allah, O my son, for safety since I have foregathered with thee, and Amja told him that his daughter Badour was safe and sound, and her husband, Kumar al-Zaman, likewise, and acquainted him that both abode in the sea. city called the city of Ebony. Moreover, he related to him her his father, being wrothed 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 Ayur. I will go back with thee and thy brother to your father and make your peace before him. So Anjad kissed the ground before

him in a huge delight, and the king bestowed a dress of honor upon him, after which he returned smiling to the king of the city of the Magents and told him what he had learned from King Gaior. Whereat he wandered with exceeding wonder, then he dispatched guest gifts of sheep and horses and camels and forage and so forth to King Gaiur, and he did the like by Queen Marjana, 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 is another dust-cloud, and flew and grew till it walled the view, and blackened the days

in the bright hue, and under it they heard shouts and cries and neighing of steeds, and beheld sword glances, and the glint of leveled lance. When this new host drew near to the city, and saw the other two armies, they beat their drunks, and the king of the magents exclaimed, This is indeed not but a blessed day. Praise be Allah who have 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 Assad, Fairforth and fetch us news of these troops, for they are a mighty host,

Never saw I amadier. So they opened the city gates, which the king had shut for fear of the beleaguering armies, and Amjad and Assad went forth, coming to the new host found that it was indeed a mighty many but as soon as they came to behold it they knew that it was the army of the king of ebony islands wherein was their father king kamar al-zaman in person and when they looked upon him they kissed ground and wet 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 in exile, and they acquainted him with King Gaiur's arrival, whereupon he mounted with his chief officers, and taking with him his two sons, proceeded to that king's camp. As they drew near, one of the princes rode forward and informed King Gaiur of

Kumar Al-Sam's coming, whereupon he came out to meet him, and they joined company, marveling at these things and how they had chance to foregather in that place. Then the town-folk made them banquets of all manner of 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 dust-cloud arose, and flew till it walled the view, whilst earth trembled with the tramp of steed and tabr sounded like stormy winds. after a while the dust lifted and discovered an army clad in goats of mail and armed caperpiepie but all were in black garb and in their midst rode a very old man whose babe flowed down over his breast and he also was clad in black when the king of the city and the city folk saw this great host he said to the other kings praise me 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 are now meanwhile up came an envoy from the approaching host making for the city so they brought him before kamar al-zaman king ayur krimand 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 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 a jamland answered the envoy he is called king serriman lord of the caledan islands and he hath levied these troops in the lands traversed by him while seeking his son now when kamar alzman heard these words he cried out with a great cry and fell down in a fit which lasted a long while and anon coming to himself he brought bitter tears and said to amjad and assad go ye my sons with the herald salute your grandfather and my father king sirriman giving glad tidings for 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 wandered and going down with him from the city repaired to his father whom he saluted and they embraced and fell to the ground suddenless for excessive joy and when they revived after a while kamar al-zaman acquainted his father with all his adventures and the other king saluted shiriman then after having married marjana to assa they sent her back to her kingdom charging her not to seize correspondence with them so she took leave and went her way

moreover they married umjad to bostan brahoun's daughter and they all set out for the city of ebony when they arrived here kamar al saman went into his father and they married umjad to bostan brahahsda and they all set out for the city of ebony when they arrived here kamar al saman went into his father in-law, King Armannus, and told him all that had befallen him, and how he had found his sons, whereat Armanus rejoiced, and gave him a joy of his safe return. Then King Gaiyur went into his daughter, Queen Bador, and saluted her in quenched his longing for her company, and they all abode a full month's space in the city of Ebony, after which the king and his daughter returned to their own country, and Scheherazadeu perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to save her permit. to save her permitted save. When it was the 249th night, she said,

It hath reached me, O a spacious king, that King Gaiyur 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 Gaiyre was settled again in his kingdom, he made his grandson king in his stead. And as to Kumar al-Zaman, he also made Assad king in his room over the capital, of the ebony islands with the consent of his grandfather king armanes and set out himself with his father king shiramam till the two made the island sef caledan when the liegers decorated the city in their honor they ceased not to lead the drums for glad tidings a whole month nor did kamar alzman leave to govern in his father's place till there overtook them the destroyer of delights and the sunderer of societies and allow no

knoweth all things, quoth King Sayyar. O Shahrazad, this is indeed a most wonderful tale. And she answered, O king, it is not more wonderful than that of Allah, al-Din Abu al-Shama. What is that, he asked. And she said, It hath reached me that there lived in times of yore and years

and ages long ago before, a merchant of Cairo 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 maim luke's with great stores of money. Moreover, he was consul 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 the 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 Himam bath and made the total evolution, after which she came out and took the barber's glass and looked in it saying, I testify there is no God but the God, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. Then he considered his bear in, seeing that the white hair sin had covered the black, the thought himself that horiness is the harbinger of death now his wife knew the time of this coming home and had washed and made herself ready for him so when he came into 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 sob o my lord quoth he i will eat nothing and pushing the tray away with this foot turn his back upon her she asked why dost thy thus and what have vexed thee and he answered thou art the cause of my fixation and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and fifty of the night she said it hath reached me o spacious king that shamsaldin said to his wife thou art the cause of my fixation 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 father and i said to myself he who took thy sire will not spare thee now the night i first visited thee thou madest me swear that i would never take a second wife of thee nor a concubine abysian 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 fold lies with thee, for thy seed is thin, he asked, And what so the man whose semen is thin? As she answered, He cannot get women with child, nor beget children, Quoth he, What's thicken of the seed?

Tell me, and I will buy it. Happily it will thicken mine, Quoth she, inquire for it of the druggists. So he slept with her that night, And arose on the morning, repenting of having spoken angrily to her, and she also regretted her crosswards 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 inquired thou of my neighbour then shang saldine made the round till he had asked every one that they all laughed at him and he presently returned to his shop and sat down sore troubled Now there was in the Bissar, a man who was deputy cynic of the brokers, and was given to the use of opium an electorate and green hashish.

He was called Shaikh Mohammed Samsan, and being poor he used to wish Samsaldin good-morrow every day. So he came to him according to his custom and saluted him. The merchant returned his salute, but an ill-temper, and the other, seeing him vex, said, my lord what hath cross thee whereupon shamsaldin told him all that had occurred between himself and his wife adding these forty years i have been married to her yet she bore me neither son nor daughter and they say the cause of thy failure to get her of this child is the thinness of thy seed so i have been seeking a something wherewith to thicken my seaman but found it not go saig mohammed's o my lord i have a seed thickener but what wilt thou say to him who callseth thy wife to conceive by thee after these forty years have passed answered the merchant if thou do this i reward thy will and reward thee then give me a dinar rejoined the broker as shamsledin 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 she's of whom he bought two ounces of concentrated rumy opium and equal parts of chinese chewbebs cinnamon cloves cardamins ginger white pepper and marxam skink and pounding them all together bowed them in sweet olive oil

after which he added three ounces of male fraconsents and fragments and a cupful of coriander seed and macerating the whole made it into an electorary with roomy bee honey then he put the convection in the bowl and carried it to the merchant to whom he delivered saying here is the seed thickener and the manner of using it is this take of my electorate with a spoon after supping and wash it down with a sherbet made of rose conserved but first sup of mutton and house pigeon plentifully seasoned and hardly spiced so the merchant bought all this and send the meat and pigeons to his wife's saying dress them deftly and lay up the seed thickener until i wanted 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 bull and ate the electorate 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 coming from her and she knew that she was with child when the days of her pregnancy were accomplished the banks of labor took her and they raised la luoyans 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 him three days,

till they had made the mothering cakes of sugared bread and sweetmeats, and they distributed them on the seventh day. Then he sprinkled salt against the evil eye, and the merchant, going into his wife, gave her a joy of her safe delivery, and said, Where is the last 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 in 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 that is a boy so none shall name him but that now the people of that time used to name their children by omens and whilst the merchant and his wife were taken counsel of the man behold once said to his friend ho my lord allah al-din so the merchant said we will call him allah al-din abu al-shamat 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 walt up and walt up on the floor when he came to seven years old they put him in a chamber under a trapdoor for fear of the evil eye,

and his father said, You should not come out till his beard grow. So he gave him in charge to a handmaid and a blackmore. The girl dressed him as 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 Quran, 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 allah al-din came forth from the vault and went into his mother with whom was a company of women of rank as they said talking behold in came upon them the youth as they were a wide slave drunken for the excess of his beauty then when they saw him they veiled their faces and they veiled their faces and they said to his mother, Allah requite thee, O such a one, How canst thou let this strange mamelieu in upon us? No, is thou not that modesty is a point of the faith? She replied, Pronounced Allah's name, and cried Bismala,

This is my son, the fruit of my vitals, and the heir of consul Shamsaldin, the child of the nurse, and the collar, and the crust, and the crumb. Quote they, Never in our days knew we that thou hadst his son, and quoth she, Verily his father feared for him the evil eye

and veered him in an underground chamber, and Scheherazade perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 4. Recording by Philippa. Section 5 of the Book of a Thousand Nights in a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings were in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org, recording by Paul Adams. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 5, 251st night to 254 night. When it was the 251st night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Allah Aldine's mother, said to her lady friends, verily his father feared for him the evil eye, and reared him in an underground chamber, and haply the slave forgot to shut the door, and he fared forth, but we did not mean that he should come out before his beard was grown. The women gave her joy of him, and the youth went out from them into the courtyard, where he seated himself in the open sitting-room,

and behold, in came slaves with his father's she-mule, and he said to them, Whence cometh this mule? Quoth they, We escorted thy father when riding her to the shop, and we have brought her back. He asked, What may be my father's trade? And they answered, My father is consul of the merchants in the land of Egypt, and sultan of the sons of the Arabs. Then he went into his mother and said to her,

O my mother, what is my father's trade? Said she, O my son, thy sire as a merchant, and consul of the merchants in the land of Egypt, and sultan of the sons of the Arabs. His slaves consult him not in selling aught, whose price is less than one thousand gold pieces, but merchandise worth him a hundred and less they sell at their own discretion,

nor cloth any merchandise whatever, little or much, leave the country without passing through his hands, hands, and he disposedeth of it as he pleaseth. Nor is a bail-packed and sent abroad amongst folk, but what is under his disposal. And, Almighty Allah, O my son, hath given thy father money's past comte. He rejoined, O my mother, praised be Allah, that I am son of the Sultan of the sons of the Arabs, and that my father is consul of the merchants. But why, O my mother, do you put me in the underground chamber, and leave me prisoner there." Quoth she, O my son, we imprisoned thee not save for fear of folk's eyes, the evil eye is a truth,

and most of those in their long homes are its victims. Quoth he, O my mother, and where is a refuge place against fate? Verily care never made destiny for bear, nor is their flight from what is written for every white. He who took my grandfather will not spare myself nor my father, for, though he lived today, he shall not live tomorrow. And when my father dieth and I come forth and say, I am Allah Ardine, son of Shams al-Din the merchant, none of the people will believe me, but men of years and standing will say, In our lives never saw we a son or a daughter of Shams-al-Din, then the public treasury will come down and take my father's estate, and Allah have mercy on him, who said,

The noble dieth, and his wealth passeth away, and the meanest of men take his women. Therefore, O my mother, speak thou to my father, that he carry me with him to the bazaar, and open for me a shop, so may I sit there with my merchandise, and teach me to buy and sell, and take and give. answered his mother, O my son, As soon as thy sire returneth, I will tell him this.

So when the merchant came home, he found his son, Allah al-Aldine, Abul Ashemat, sitting with his mother, and said to her, Why hast thou brought him forth of the underground chamber? She replied,

O son of my uncle, it was not I that brought him out, but the servants forgot to shut the door and left it open. So, as I sat with a cup, company of women of rank, behold, he came forth and walked into me. Then she went on to repeat to him his son's words, so he said, O my son, to-morrow, inshalla, I will take thee with me to the bazaar. But, my boy, sitting in markets and shops, demandeth good manners and courteous

carriage in all conditions. Al-Aldine passed the night rejoicing in his father's promise, and, when the morrow came, the merchant carried him to the hammond, and clad him in a suit worth a mint of money. As soon as they had broken their fast and drunk their sherbet, Shams Aldeen mounted his she-mule, and putting his son upon another, rode to the market, followed by his boy. But when the market-folk saw their consul making towards them, foregoing a youth as he were a slice of the full moon on the fourteenth night, they said, one to another, See thou yonder boy behind the consul of the merchants? Verily we thought well of him, but he is like the leek, grey of head and green at heart. And Sheikh Mohammed Sam Sam,

deputy syndic of the market, the man before mention, said to the dealers, O merchants, we will not keep the like of him for our Sheikh, no, never. Now, it was the custom anent the consul when he came from his house of a morgue. and sat down in his shop, for the deputy syndic of the market to go and recite to him, and to all the merchants assembled around him, the fatihar, our opening chapter of the Quran, after which they accosted him one by one, and wished him good morrow, and went away, each to his business place. But when Shamsaldeen seated himself in his shop that day as usual, the traders came not to him as accustomed. So he called the deputy and said to him, not the merchants together as usual? Answered Muhammad Sampson,

I know not how to tell thee these troubles, for they have agreed to depose thee from the shak-ship of the market, and to recite the fatia to thee no more. Asked Shams al-Din, what may be their reason? And asked the deputy, What boy is this that sitteth by thy side, and thou a man of years and chief of the merchants? Is this lad a maim-luke, or a man?

kin to thy wife. Verily, I think thou lovest him, and inclines lootly to the boy. Thereupon the consul cried out at him, saying, Silence! Allercse thee, genus and species! This is my son! Rejoined the deputy, Never in our born days have we seen thee with a son. And Shams al-Din answered, When thou gaves to me the seed-thickner, my wife conceived and bear this, youth, but I reared him in a sue terrain for fear of the evil eye, nor was it my purpose that he should come forth till he could take his beard in his hand. However, his mother would not agree to this, and he, on his part, begged I would stock him a shop, and teach him to sell and buy. So the deputy

syndic returned to the other traders, and acquainted them with the truth of the case, whereupon they all arose to accompany him, and going in a body to Shams al-Din's shop, stood before him and recited the opener of the Quran, after which they gave him joy of his son, and said to him, The Lord prosper, root and branch! But even the poorest of us, when son or daughter is born to him, needs must cook a panful of custard, and bid his friends and kith and kin, yet hast thou not done this? Quoth he, This I owe you, be our meeting in the garden. And Sharazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and fifty-second night, her sister Juniazad said to her,

Pray continue thy story for us, as thou be awake and not inclined to sleep. Quoth she, with pleasure and good will, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the consul of the merchants promised them a banquet, and said, be our meeting in the garden. So when morning dawned he dispatched the carpet-layer to the saloon of the garden pavilion, and bat him furnished the two. Moreover, he sent thither all that was needed for cooking, such as sheep and clarified butter and so forth, according to the requirements of the case, and spread two tables, one in the pavilion, and another in the saloon. Then Shams al-Dine and his boy girded themselves, and he said to Allah al-Din,

O my son, when as a grey beard entereth, I will meet him, and seat him at the table in the pavilion, and do thou, in like manner, receive the beardless youths, and seat them at the table in the saloon? He asked, O my father, why dost thou spread two tables, one for men and another for youths? And he answered, O my son, the beardless is ashamed to eat with the bearded. and his son thought this his answer full and sufficient so when the merchants arrived shams al-dean received the men and seated them in the pavilion whilst allah al-dean received the youths and seated them in the saloon then the food was set on and the guests ate and drank and made merry and sat over their wine whilst the attendants perfumed them with the smoke of scented woods and the elders fell to conversing of matters of science and traditional of the prophet. Now, there was amongst them a merchant called Mahmoud of Balk, a professing muslin,

but at heart a Magian, a man of lewd and mischievous life, who loved boys. And when he saw Allah al-Din, from whose father he used to buy stuffs and merchandise, one sight of his face sent him a thousand sighs, and Satan dangled the jewel before his eyes, so that he was taken with love-longing and desire and affection, and his heart was filled with mad passion for him. Presently he arose and made for the youths, who stood up to receive him. And at this moment, Allah al-Din, being taken with an urgent call of nature, withdrew to make water, whereupon Mahmoud turned to the other youths and said to them, If ye will incline Allah-Aldine's mind to journeying with me, I will give each of you a dress worth a power of money.

Then he returned from them to the men's party, and as the youths were sitting, Allah al-Aldine suddenly came back, when all rose to receive him and seated him in the place of highest honour. Presently, one of them said to his neighbour, O my lord Hassan, tell me whence came to thee the capital, whereon thou trades. He replied, When I grew up and came to man's estate, I said to my sire, Oh, my father, give me merchandise. he, O my son, I have none by me, but go thou to some merchant, and take of him money,

and traffic with it, and so learn to buy and sell, give and take. So I went to one of the traders, and borrowed of him a thousand dinars, wherewith I bought stuffs, and carrying them to Damascus, sold them there to profit of two for one. Then I bought Syrian stuffs, and carrying them to a lepo, made a similar gain of them, after which I bought stuffs of Aleppo, and repaired with them to Baghdad, where I sold them with like result, two for one. Nor did I cease trading upon my capital till I was worth nigh ten thousand ducats. Then each of the others told his friends some such tale, till it came to Aladin's turn to speak, when they said to him, and thou, O my lord Aladin, quoth he, I was brought to you. I was brought to you.

up in a chamber underground, and came forth from it only this week, and I do but go to the shop, and return home from the shop. They remarked, "'Thou art used to wone at home, and what is not the joys of travel? For travel is for men only.' He replied, "'I reck not of voyaging and wayfaring cloth not tempt me.' Whereupon quoth one to the other, "'This one is like the fish. When he leaveth the water, dieth. Then they said to him, O Allah al-Din, the glory of the sons of the merchants is not, but in travel for the sake of gain. Their talk angered him, so he left them weeping-eyed and heavy-hearted, and mounting his mule, returned home. Now his mother saw him in tears and in bad

temper, and asked him, What hath made thee weep, O my son? And he answered, truth, all the sons of the merchants put me to shame, and said naught is more glorious for a merchant's son than travel for gain and to get him gold. And Shara Zad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and fifty-third night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Allah al-Din said to his mother, of a truth all the sons of the merchants put me to shame and said, "'Nort is more honourable for a merchant's son than travel for game. "'O my son, hast thou a whine to travel?

"'Even so!' "'And whither wilt thou go? "'To the city of Baghdad, for their folk make double the cost price on their goods. "'O my son, thy father is a very rich man, "'and if he provide thee not with merchandise, I will supply it out of my own monies. The best favour is that which is soonest bestowed. If this kindness is to be, now is the time.'

So she called the slaves and sent them for cloth-packers, then, opening a storehouse, brought out ten loads of stuffs, which they made up into bales for him. Such was his case, but as regards his father, Shamzaldean, he looked about and failed to find Allah, Aldine in the garden, and inquiring after him, was told that he had mounted mule and gone home. So he too mounted and followed him. Now when he entered the house, he saw the bales ready-bound, and asked what they were. Whereupon his wife told him what had chanced between Allah-Aldean

and the sons of the merchants, and he cried, "'Oh, my son, Alice Mallison, on travel and strangerhood, verily, Allah's apostle, whom the Lord bless and preserve, hath said, It is of a man's happy fortune that he eat his daily bread in his own land, and it was said of the ancients leave travel, though but for a mile. Then quoth he to his son, Say, art thou indeed resolved to travel, and wilt thou not turn back from it? Quoth the other, There is no help for it, but that I journey to Baghdad. add with merchandise, else will I doff clothes and don dervish gear and fairer wandering over the

world.' Shams Aldine rejoined, I am no penniless pauper, but have great plenty of wealth. Then he showed him all he owned of monies and stuffs and stock in trade and observed, with me a stuffs and merchandise befitting every country in the world. Then he showed him among the rest forty bales ready bound, with the prize, with the price a thousand dinars written on each and said, O my son, take these forty loads,

together with the ten which thy mother gave thee, and set out under the safeguard of almighty Allah. But, O my child, I fear for thee a certain wood in thy way, called the lion's copse, and a valley hives the veil of dogs, for their lives are lost without mercy. He said, how so, O my father? and he replied, Because of the Badawi bandit named Adlan,

Quoth Allah al-Din, Such is Allah's luck, If any share of it be mine, No harm shall hap to me. Then they rode to the cattle bazaar, Where, behold, A camelear alighted from his she-mule, And kissing the consul's hand, said to him,

O my lord, it is long by Allah Since thou hast employed us in the way of business. He replied, every time hath its fortune and its men and allah have truth on him who said and the old man crept o'er the worldly ways so bowed his beard o'er his knees down floweth quoth i what gars thee so doubled go quoth he as to me his hands he showeth my youth is lost in the dust it lieth and see i bend me to find my youth Now when he had ended his verses, he said, O chief of the caravan, it is not I who am minded to travel, but this my son. Quoth the camelier,

Halla save him for thee. Then the consul made a contract between Allah al-Din and the man, appointing that the youth should be to him as a son, and gave him into his charge, saying, Take these hundred gold pieces for thy people. Moreover, he bought his son three-score mules and a lamp and a tomb covering, for the side Abid al-Qadir of Gilaan, and said to him, O my son, while I am absent, this is thy sire in my stead.

Whatsoever he biddeth thee, do thou obey him? So saying, he returned home with the mules and servants, and that night they made a kitmar, or perfection of the Koran, and held a festival in honour of the Sheikh Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani. And when the morrow dawned, the consul gave his son ten thousand dinars, saying, O my son, when thou comest to Baghdad, if they'll find stuff's easy of sale, sell them. But if they be dull, spend of these dinars. Then they loaded the mules, and, taking leave of one another,

or the wayfarer setting out on their journey, marched full. forth from the city. Now, Mahmud of Balk had made ready his own venture for Baghdad, and had moved his bales and set up his tents without the walls, saying to himself, thou shalt not enjoy this youth but in the desert, where there is neither spy nor Marplot to trouble thee. It chanced that he had in hand a thousand dinars which he owed to the youth's father, the balance of a business transaction between them. So he went and badgered farewell to the consul who charged him give the thousand dinars to my son allah al-dean and commended the lad to his care saying he is as it were thy son accordingly allah al-deen joined company with marmald of buck and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and fifty-fourth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that al-a-a-a-o al-aldean joined company with Marmoud of Balk, who, before beginning the march, charged the youth's cook

to dress nothing for him, but himself provided him and his company with meat and drink. Now he had four houses, one in Cairo, another in Damascus, a third in Aleppo, and a fourth in Baghdad. So they set out and ceased not journeying over waste and wold till they drew near Damascus, when Marmoud sent his slave to Allah al-Din, whom he found sitting and reading. He went up to him and kissed his hands, and Allah-Al-Din, having asked him what he wanted, he answered, My master saluted thee, and craveth thy company to a banquet at his palace. Quoth the youth, not till I consult my father Camel-Al-Din, the captain of the caravan. So he asked advice of the Macadam, who said, do not go. Then they left Damascus and journeyed on, till they came to Aleppo, where Mahmud made a second

entertainment and sent to invite Allah al-Din, but he consulted the chief camellia, who again forbad him. Then they marched from Aleppo and fared on, till there remained between them and Baghdad only a single stage. Here Marmoud prepared a third feast and sent to bid Al-Adin to it. Camel Al-Din once more forbade his accepting it, but he said, I must needs go. So he rose, and, slinging a sword over his shoulder, under his clothes, repaired to the tent of Mahmud of Balch, who came to him and saluted him. Then he set before him a sumptuous repast, and they ate and drank. and washed hands. At last, Mahmud bent towards Allah al-Aldine to snatch a kiss from him, but the youth received the kiss on the palm of his hand, and said to him,

What wouldst thou be at? Quoth Marmud, In very sooth I brought thee hither, that I might take my pleasure with thee in this jousting ground, and we will comment upon the words of him who saith, Say, canst not come to us one momentling, Like milk of eukin or aught glistening, And eat what liketh thee of dainty cake, And take thy dew of fee in silverling, And bear what so thou wilt, without mislike, Of spanling, fistling, or a span-long thing. Then, Mahmud of Balch would have laid hands on Allah al-Din to ravish him, But he rose, And bearing his brand, said to him,

on thy grey hairs hast thou no fear of allah and he of exceeding awe may he have mercy on him who saith preserve thy hoary hairs from soil and stain for whitest colours are the easiest stained and when he ended his verses he said to marmod al-Balk verily this merchandise is a trust from allah and may not be sold if i sold this property to other than thee for gold i would sell it to thee for silver but by a "'O filthy villain! I will never again company with thee. No, never!' Then he returned to Camel Aldine the guide, and said to him, "'Yonder man is a lewd fellow, and I will no longer consort with him, nor suffer his company, by the way.' He replied, "'Oh, my son, did I not say to thee, go not near him? But if we part company with him, I fear destruction for ourselves. So let us still make one caravan, But Allah al-Din cried, It may not be that I ever again travel with him.

So he loaded his beasts and journeyed onwards, he and his company, till they came to a valley, where Allah al-Aidem would have halted. But the chamelear said to him, Do not halt here. Rather let us fare forwards and press our pace, so happily we make Baghdad before the gates are closed, for they open and shut them with the sun,

in fear lest the rejectors should take the city. and throw the books of religious learning into the Tigris. But Allah Aldine replied to him, O my father, I came not forth from home with this merchandise or travelled hither for the sake of traffic, but to divert myself with the sight of foreign lands and folks. And he rejoined, O my son, we fear for thee and for thy goods from the wild Arabs.

Whereupon the youth answered, Hark ye fellow, art thou master, or man. I will not enter Baghdad till the morning, that the sun to the city may see my merchandise and know me. "'Do as thou wilt,' said the other, "'I have given thee the wisest advice, but thou art the best judge of thine own case.' Then Allah al-Din bade them unload the mule, and pitched the tent. So they did his bidding and abode there till the middle of the night, when he went out to a bay of call of nature, and suddenly saw something gleaming, are far off. So he said to Camel Aldine, "'Oh, Captain, what is yonder glittering?'

The camellia sat up, and, considering it straightly, knew it for the glint of spearheads and the steel of Badawi weapons and swords. And lo and behold, this was a troop of wild Arabs under a chief called Ilan Abu Nib, Sheikh of the Arabs. And when they neared the camp and saw the bales and baggage, they said to one another, O knight of lute! Now, when Camel Al-Din heard these their words, he cried, "'Avon to vilest of Arabs!' But Abu Nib so smote him with his throw-spear in the breast,

that the point came out gleaming from his back, and he fell down dead at the tent door. Then cried the water-carrier, "'Avvvvon to foulest of Arabs!' and one of them smote him with a sword upon the shoulder that it issued shining from the tendons of the throat and he also fell down dead and all this while allah al-aldean stood looking on then the badderwind surrounded and charged the caravan from every side and slew allah al-dean's company without sparing a man after which they loaded the mules with the spoil and made off quoth allah al-dean to himself nothing will slay thee save thy mule and thy dress so he arose and put off his gown and threw it over the back of a mule remaining in his shirt and bag trousers only after which he looked towards the tent door and seeing there a pool of gore flowing from the slaughtered wallowed in it with his remaining clothes till he was as a slain man drowned in his own blood thus it fared with him

But as regards the Sheikh of the Wild Arabs, Adjlan, he said to Hezbanditi, Oh, Arabs, was this caravan bound from Egypt for Baghdad, or from Baghdad for Egypt? And Shara Zad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 5, recording by Paul Adams, www.jorn guy.com Section 6 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org.

Recording by John Hogarth. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 6. 255th night to 257th night. When it was the 255th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That when the Badawi asked his banditti, O Arabs, Was this caravan bound from Egypt for Baghdad, or from Baghdad for Egypt? They answered,

Twas bound from Egypt for Baghdad, and he said, Return ye to thee slain. for methinks the owner of this caravan is not dead. So they turned back to this lane and fell to prodding and slashing them with lance and sword till they came to Allah Aldin, who had thrown himself down among the corpses. And when they came to him, Quothay,

thou dost but feigned thyself dead. But we will make an end of thee, and one of the Badawin leveled his javelin and would have plunged it into his breast when he cried out. save me, O my lord, Abd al-Qadir, O saint of Killan, and behold, he saw a hand turn the lance away from his breast, so that if Kamal al-Din, the camelir, so that it pierced him and spared himself, then the Arabs made off, and when Allah al-Din saw that the birds were flown with their godsend, he sat up, and finding no one, rose and sat off running. But behold, Abu Naib, the Badawi looked back and said to his troop, I see somewhat moving afar off, O Arabs. So one of the bandits turned back and said, spying Allah al-Aldin running, call out to him, saying, Flight shall not forward thee, and we after thee, and he smote his mare, and with his heel,

and she hastened after him, then Allah al-Din, seeing before him a watering-tank, and a cistern beside it, climbed up into a niche in the cistern, and stretching himself at full length, feigned to be asleep and said, O gracious protector, cover me with the veil of thy protection, which may not be torn away. And lo, the Badawi came up to the cistern, and standing in his stirrup irons, put out his hand to lay hold of Allah Aldine,

but he said, O my lady Nathasa, now is thy time, And behold, a scorpion stung the Badoie in the palm, and he cried out saying, Help, O Arabs, I am stung, and he alighted from his mare's back. So his comrades came up to him and mounted him again, asking, What hath befallen thee? Where too, he answered, a young scorpion stung me. So they departed, with the caravan.

Such was their case. But as regards, Allah al-Din, he tarried in the niche. Emma Maud of Bulk bellowed his beasts And ferred forwards till he came to the lion's copse Where he found Allah al-Din's attendants all lying slain And this he rejoiced and went on till he reached the cistern in the reservoir Now his mule was a thirst and turned aside to drink But she saw Allah al-Din shadow in the water and shied and started

Whereupon Mommad raised his eyes and Seeing Allah al-Din lying in the niche Stripped to his shirt and bag trousers said to him What man this deed to thee hath dight, and left thee in this evil plight? Answered Allah al-Din, the Arabs, and Mahad said, O my son, the mules, and the baggage were thy ransom, so do thou comfort thyself with this saying who said, If thereby man can save his head from death.

His good is worth him, but a slice of nail. But now, O my son, come down in fear no hurt, Thereupon he descended from the sister niche, and Mamad mounted him on a mule, and they fared on until they reached Baghdad, where he brought him to his own house and carried him to the bath, saying to him, the goods and money were the ransom of thy life, O my son, but if thou will hearken to me, I will give thee the worth of that thou hast lost, twice told. When he came out of the bath, Mamad carried him into a saloon, decorated with gold with four raised floors, and bade them bring a tray with all manner of meats. So they ate and drank,

and Mamad bent towards Allah al-Din to snatch a kiss from him. But he received it upon the palm of his hand and said, What dost thou persist in thy evil designs upon me? Did I not tell thee that, where I won't to sell this merchandise to other than thee for going, I would sell it thee for silver. Quoth, Mahmud, I will give thee neither merchandise nor mule nor clothes save at this price, for I am gone mad for love of thee, and bless him who said, Told us ascribing to his sheikhs, our sheik, Abu Bilal, these words they want to utter,

unhealed the lover wones of love desire, by kiss and clip, his only cures to futter. Allah al-Din replied, of a truth this may never be. Take back thy dress and thy mule, and open the door that I may go out. So he opened the door, and Allah al-Din fared forth and walked on, with the dogs barking at his heels, and he went forwards through the dark, when behold, he saw the door of a mosque, standing open and, entering the vestubial, there took shelter and concealment, and suddenly a light approached him, and on examining it, he saw that it came from a pair of lanthorns borne by two slaves, before two merchants. Now one was an old man of comely face, and the other a youth,

and he heard the younger say to the elder, O my uncle, I conjure thee by Allah, give me back my cousin. The old man replied, did I not forbid thee? Many a time, when the oath of divorce was always in thy mouth, as it were a holy writ. Then he turned to his right, and, seeing Allah al-Din, as he were a slice of the full moon, said to him, Peace be with thee. Who art thou, O my son? Quothi, returning the salutation of peace, I am Allah al-Din, son of Shams al-Din,

consul of merchants for Egypt. I besought my father for merchandise, so he packed me fifty loads of stuffs and goods. And Shah Rizid perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the 256 night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king,

that Allah al-Din continued, so he packed me fifty loads of goods and gave me ten thousand dinars wherewith i set out for bagdad but when i reached the lion's copse the wild arabs came out against me and took all my goods and monies so i entered the city knowing not where to pass the night and seeing this place i took shelter here quoth the old man oh my son what saith thou to my giving thee a thousand dinars and a suit of clothes and a mule worth other two thousand Allah Aldin asked, To what end will thou give me these things, oh my uncle? And the other answered, This young man who accompanieth me as the son of my brother, and an only son,

and I have a daughter called Zubaydah, the ludist, an only child who is a model of beauty and loveliness, so I married her to him. Now he loveth her, but she loathe him. And when he chanced to take an oath of triple divorcement, and broke it forthright she left him, whereupon he egged on all the folk to intercede with me to restore her to him, but I told him that this could not lawfully be saved by an intermediate marriage, and we have agreed to make some stranger the intermediary, an order that none may taught

and shame him with this affair. So as thou art a stranger, come with us, and we will marry thee to her. Thou shall lie with her tonight, and on the morrow, divorce her, and we will give thee what I said, quote Allah Aldin to himself. By Allah, to buy the night with a bride on a bed in a house, it's far better than sleeping in the streets and vestubules. So he went with them to the Kazi, whose heart, as soon as he saw Allah al-Din, was moved to love him, and who said to the old man,

What is your will? he replied. We wish to make this young man an intermediary, husband for my daughter. But we will write a bond against him, binding him to pay down by way of marriage settlement, 10,000 gold pieces. Now, if after passing the night with her, he divorce her in the morning, we will give him a mule and dress each worth a thousand dinars and a third thousand of ready money. But if he divorce her not, he shall pay down the 10,000 dinars according to contract. So they agreed to the agreement, and the father of the bride to be received his bond for the marriage settlement. Then he took Allah al-Din, and, clothing him anew, carried him to his daughter's house, and there he left him standing at the door,

whilst he himself went in to the young lady and said, take the bond of thy marriage settlement, for I have wedded thee to a handsome youth by name Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat. So do thou use him with the best of usage. Then he put the bond into her hands and left her. It went to his own lodging. Now the lady's cousin had an old duena,

who used to visit Zubaydah, and he had done many a kindness to this woman. So he said to her, O my mother, if my cousin Zubayda see this handsome young man, she will never after accept my offer. So I would fain have thee contrive some trick to keep her and him apart. She replied, by the life of thy youth, I will not suffer him to approach her.

Then she went to Allah al-Din and said to him, O my son, I have a word of advice to give thee. For the love of Almighty Allah, and do thou accept my counsel, as I fear for thee men, this young woman, better thou let her lie alone, and feel not her person, not draw thee near to her, he asked. Why so? And she answered, Because her body is full of leprosy, and I dread lest she infect thy fair and seemly youth, Quoth he, I have no need of her. Thereupon she went to the lady and said the like to her of Allah Aldine, and she replied, I have no need of him, but we'll let him lie alone, and on the morrow

he shall gang his gate. Then she called the slave girl and said to her, take the tray of food and set it before him, and that he may sup. So the handmaid carried him the tray of food and said it before him, and he ate his fill, after which he sat down and raised his charming voice and fell to reciting the chapter called Y.S. The lady listened to him and found his voice as melodious as the Psalms of David sung by David himself, which when she heard, she exclaimed, All had disappointed the old Hague, who told me that he was affected with leprosy. Surely this is not the voice of one who had such a disease, and all was a lie against him. Then she took a lute of India land workmanship, and, tuning the strings, saying to it in a voice so sweet,

its music would stay the birds in the heart of heaven and began these two couplets. I love a fawn with gentle white black eyes whose walk the willow wand with envy kills. Forbidding me, he bids for rival mine. Tis all his grace who grants to whom he wills. And when he heard or chant these lines, he ended his recitation of the chapter,

and began also to sing and repeated the following couplet. my salam to the faun in the garments concealed, and to roses and gardens of cheek revealed. The lady rose up, and when she heard this, her inclination for him redoubled, and she lifted the curtain, and Allah al-Din, seeing her, recited these two couplets. She shineth forth, a moon and bends a will-a-wond, and breathes out ambergris and gazes a gazelle. Me seems as if grief loved my heart, and when from her, estrangement I abide possession to it fell. Thereupon she came forward, swinging her haunches and gracefully swaying a shape the handiwork of him whose boons are hidden, and each of them stole one glance of the eyes that cost

them a thousand sighs. And when the shafts of these two regards, which met rankled in his heart, he repeated these two couplets. She spied the moon of heaven. Reminding me of nights when met we in the metals leon. True, both saw moons, but soothed to say, It was her very eyes, I saw, and she, my eine. And when she drew near him, And there remained but two paces between them, He recited these two couplets.

She spread three tresses of unplated hair one night, and showed me nights, not one but four, and faced the moon of heaven with her brow, and showed me two-fold moons in single hour, and as she was hard by him he said to her, Keep away from me lest thou infect me. Whereupon she uncovered her wrist to him, and he saw that it was cleft, as it were in two halves, by its veins and sinews, and its whiteness was as whiteness of virgin silver.

Then said she, Keep away from me, thou, for thou art stricken with leprosy, and maybe thou will infect me. He asked, who told thee i was a leper and she answered the old woman so told me quoth he twas she told me also that thou wast inflicted with white scurvy and so saying he bared his forearms and showed her that his skin was also like virgin silver thereupon she pressed him to her bosom and he pressed her to his bosom and the twain embraced with closest embrace then she took him and lying down on her back let down her pettico trousers, and in an instant, which his father had left him, rose up in rebellion against him, and he said, go it, O sheath, Zachary of Shagri, O father of veins. And putting both hands to her flanks, he set the sugar stick to the mouth of the cleft and thrust on till he came to the wicket

called pectin. His passage was by the gate of victories, and therefrom he entered the Monday market, and those of Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, and finding the carpet after the measure of the day's floor. He plied the box within its cover till he came to the end of it. And when morning dawned, he cried to her, alas, for delight which is not fulfilled, the raven taketh it and flyeth away. She asked, what meaneth this saying? And he answered, Oh, my lady, I have but this hour to abide with thee. quoth she, who saith so, and quoth he, thy father made me give him a written bond to pay ten thousand dinars to thy wedding settlement,

and, except I pay it this very day, they will imprison me for debt in the Kazi's house, and now my hand lacketh one half-durum of the sum. She asked, O my lord, is the marriage bond in thy hand or in theirs? And he answered, O my lady, in mine, but I have nothing. she rejoined. The matter is easy. Fear thou nothing. Take these hundred dinars, and I had more. I would give thee what thou lacketh. But of a truth, my father. Of his love for my cousin hath transported all his goods. Even to my jewelry from my lodging to his, but when they send thee a surgeon of the ecclesiastical court, and Shahrazid perceive the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the 257th night, she said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That the young lady rejoined to Allah al-Din, And when they send thee at an early hour, A sergeant of the ecclesiastical court, And the Qazi and my father bid thee divorce me, Do thou reply? But what law is lawful, and right, That I should marry at nightfall and divorce in the morning,

Then kiss the Qazi's hand and give him a present? and in like manner kiss the assessor's hands, and give each of them ten gold pieces. So they will all speak with thee, and if they ask thee, Why dost thou not divorce her and take the thousand dinars in the mule and suit of clothes? According to contract duly contracted, do thou answer, Every hair of her head is worth a thousand ducats, to me, and I will never put her away, neither will I take a suit of clothes nor aught else. and if the Khadzee say to thee,

Then pay down the marriage settlement, Do thou reply, I am short of cash at this present, whereupon he and thecessors will deal in friendly fashion with thee And allow thee time to pay. Now whilst they were talking, Behold, the Khazzi's officer knocked at the door. So Allah al-Din went down,

And the man said to him, Come, speak thee offendi. For thy father-in-law, summeth thee, So Allah al-Din gave him five dinars and said to him, O summoner, by what law am I bound to marry at nightfall and divorce next morning? The surgeon answered, By no law of ours at all, at all. And if thou be ignorant of the religious law, I will act as thine advocate.

Then they went to the divorce court, and the kazi said to Allah al-Din. Why dost thou, not put away the woman, and take what falleth to thee by the contract? hearing this he went up to the Khadzi and kissing his hand put fifty dinars in it and said oh our lord the Khadzi by what law is it lawful and right that i should marry at nightfall and divorce in the morning in my own despite the kazi answered divorce as compulsion and by force is sanctioned by no school of the Muslims then said the young lady's father if thou wilt not divorce pay me the ten thousand dinars her marriage settlement. Quoth Allah al-Din, give me a delay of three days. But the cause he said, three days is not enough. He shall give thee ten. So they agreed to this,

and bound him after ten days either to pay the dowry or to divorce her. And after consenting, he left them and taking meat and rice and clarified butter, and what else a food he needed, returned to the house and told the young woman all that had passed. Whereupon, she said, Twix night and day Wonders may display And Allah bless him for his say Be mild when rage Shall come to afflict thy soul

Be patient when calamity breeds ire Look ye The knights are big With child by time Whose pregnancy bears wondrous things And dire Then she rose and made ready food And brought the tray

And they two ate and drank And were merry and mirthful presently Allah al-Din besought her to let him hear little music so she took the lute and played a melody and had made the hardest stone dance for glee and the strings cried out in present ecstasy oh loving one after which she passed from the adagio into the presto in a livelier measure as they thus spent their leisure and joy and jollity and mirth and merriment behold there came a knocking at the door and she said to him go see who has was at the door. So he went down and opened it, and finding four dervishes standing without, said to them, what want ye? They replied, O my lord, we are foreign and wandering religious mendicants, the vines of whose souls are music and dainty verse, and we would fain take our pleasure with thee this night till morning cloth appear, when we will wend our way, and with Almighty Allah be thy reward. for we adore music, and there is not one of us but knoweth by heart, store of odes and songs, and Rittornellos.

He answered, There is one I must consult, and he returned and told Sabida, who said, Open the door to them. So he brought them up, and made them sit down and welcomed them. Then he fetched them food, but they would not eat and said, Oh, our Lord, our meat is to repeat Allah's name in our hearts and to hear music with our ears. And bless him, who saith, Our aim is only converse to enjoy, And eating joyeth only cattle kind. And just now, we heard pleasant music in thy house. But when we entered, it seized,

And fain would we know whether the player was a slave girl, white or black, Or a maiden of good family, he answered. It was this my wife, and told them all that had befallen him, adding, Verily, my father-in-law hath bound me to pay a marriage settlement of ten thousand, dinars for her. And they have given me ten days' time, said one of the dervishes. Have no care and think of naught but good, for I am sheik of the convent and have forty dervishes under my orders. I will presently collect from them the ten thousand dinars, and thou shall pay thy father-in-law the wedding settlement. But now, bid thy wife make us music,

that we may be gladdened and pleasured, for to some folk music is meat, to others' medicine, and to others refreshing as a fan. Now the four dervishes were none other than the Caliph, Haran al-Rashid, his Oziar Jafer, La Burmaseid, Abu al-Nawaz, Al-Hassan, son of Hany, and Mazur, the sorter, and the reason of their coming to the house was that the caliph, being heavy at heart,

had summoned his minister and said, O wazir, it is our will to go down to the city and pace its streets, for my breast is sore straightened. So they all four dawned dervous dress, and went down and walked about, till they came to that house where, hearing music, they were minded to know the cause. They spent the night in joints and harmony, and telling tale after tale until morning dawned, when the caliph laid in hundred gold pieces under the prayer carpet, and all taking leave of Allah al-Din went their way.

Now, when Zabai Da'a lifted the carpet, she fell beneath it the hundred dinars, and she said to her husband, take these hundred dinars which I have found under the prayer carpet. Assuredly the dervishes, when about to leave us, laid them there without our knowledge. So Allah al-Din took the money and, repairing to the market, bought therewith meat and rice and clarified butter, and all they required. And when it was night, he lit the wax candles and said to his wife, The mendicates, it's true. Have not brought the ten thousand dinars which they promised me.

But indeed, they are poor men. As they were talking, behold, the dervishes knocked at the door, and she said, Go down and open to them. So he did her bidding, and bringing them up, said to them, Have you brought me the ten thousand dinars you promised me? They answered, we have not been able to collect aught thereof as yet, but fear nothing. Inshallah, tomorrow we will compound for thee some alchemical cookery, but now bid thy wife play us her very best pieces and gladden our hearts, for we love music.

So she took her loot and made them such melody that had caused the hardest rocks to dance with glee, and they passed the night in mirth and merriment, converse and good cheer, till morn appeared with its sheen and shone, when the caliph laid in hundred gold pieces under the prayer carpet and all, after taking leave of Allah al-Aldian, went their way. and they seized not to visit him thus every night for nine nights, and each morning the caliph put in hundred dinars under the prayer carpet till the tenth night when they came not. Now the reason of their failure to come

was that the caliph had sent to a great merchant, saying to him, bring me fifty loads of stuffs, such as come from Cairo, and Shahrazid perceived the dawn of day and seize saying her permitted say. End of section six. Recording by John Hogarth, Beijing, China. Section 7 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous.

This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Griffin. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 7, 258th night to 260th night. When it was the 258th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king,

That the prince of true believers, said to that merchant, Bring me fifty loads of stuff such as come from Cairo, And let each one be worth a thousand dinars, And write on each bale its price, And bring me also a male Abyssinian slave. The merchant did the bidding of the Caliph, who committed to the slave, a basin and ewer of gold and other presents, together with the fifty loads, and wrote a letter to Allah al-Din as from his father, Shamsa al-Din, and said to him, take these bales and what else is with them, and go to such and such a quarter wherein dwelleth the provost of the merchants, and say, where be Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat, till folk direct thee to his quarter and his house. so the slave took the letter in the goods and what else and fared forth on his errand such was his case but as regards zubeda's cousin and first husband he went to her father and said to him come let us go to allah al-deen and make him divorce the daughter of my uncle so they set out both together and when they came to the street in which the house stood they found fifty he-mules laden with bales of stuff and a blackmoor riding on a she-mule so they sat out both together and when they came to the street in which the house stood they found fifty he-mules ladenws laden with bales of stuff and a blackamoire riding on a she-mule so they

So they said to him, "'Whose loads of these?' he replied. "'They belong to my lord Allah al-Addin Abu al-Shammat, for his father equipped him with merchandise and sent him on a journey to Baghdad's city, but the wild Arabs came forth against him and took his money and goods and all he had. So when the ill news reached his father,

he dispatched me to him with these loads, in lieu of those he had lost. Besides a mule laden with fifty thousand dinars, a parcel of clothes worth a power of money, a robe of sables, and a basin and ewer of gold. Whereupon the lady's father said, He whom thou seekest is my son-in-law, and I will show thee his house. Meanwhile, Allah al-Din was sitting at home in huge concern.

When lo, one knocked at the door, and he said, O Zubidah, Allah is all-knowing, but I fear thy father hath sent me an officer from the Qazi, or the chief of police. Quoth she, go down and see what it is. So he went down, and, opening the door, found his father-in-law, the provost of the merchants, with an Abyssinian slave, dusky complexioned and pleasant of favor, riding on a mule. When the slave saw him, he dismounted, and kissed his hands, and Al-A-Aldin said,

What dost thou want? He replied, I am the slave of my lord Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat, son of Shamsal-Din, consul of the merchants for the land of Egypt, who hath sent me to him with this charge. Then he gave him the letter, and Al-Din opening it, found written what followeth. O thou my letter, when my friend shall see thee, kiss thou the ground and bus his sandal-shun. Look thou high softly, and thou hasten not. My life and rest are in those hands so boon. After hearty salutations and congratulations, and high estimation, from Shams al-Din to his son, Abu al-Shammat,

No, O my son, the news hath reached me of the slaughter of thy men and the plunder of thy monies and goods. So I send thee herewith fifty loads of Egyptian stuffs, together with a suit of clothes, and a robe of sables, and a basin and ewer of gold. Fear thou no evil, and the goods thou hast lost with a ransom of thy life, so reggae. them not, and may no further grief befall thee. Thy mother and the people of the house are doing well in health and happiness, and all greet thee with abundant greetings. Moreover, O my son, it hath reached me that they have married thee, by way of intermediary, to the Lady Zubida the lootest, and they have imposed on the marriage settlement of ten thousand dinars, wherefore I send thee also fifty thousand dinars by the slave Salim. Now when Allah al-Din had made an end of reading

the latter, he took possession of the loads, and, turning to the provost, said to him, O my father-in-law, take the ten thousand dinars, the marriage-settlement of thy daughter, Zubai-da, and take also the loads of goods and dispose of them, and thine be the profit, only returned to me the cost-price. He answered, Nay, by Allah, I will take nothing, and, as for thy wife's settlement, do thou settle the matter with her. Then, after the goods had been brought in, they went to Zubaydah, and she said to her sire, "'Oh, my father, whose loads are these?' He said,

"'These belong to thy husband, Allah al-Din. His father hath sent them to him, instead of those whereof the wild Arabs spoiled him. Moreover, he hath sent him fifty thousand dinars with a parcel of clothes, a robe of sables, a she-mule for riding, and a basin and ewer of gold. As for the marriage settlement, that is for thy reckoning.' Thereupon, Allah-Lah, al-Din rose, and, opening the money-box, gave her her settlement, and the lady's cousin said,

Oh, my uncle, let him divorce to me my wife! But the old man replied, This may never be now, for the marriage tie is in his hand. Thereupon the young man went out, sore afflicted and sadly vexed, and, returning home, fell sick, for his heart had received its death blow, so he presently died. but as for allah al-deen after receiving his goods he went to the bazaar and buying what meats and drinks he needed made a banquet as usual against the night saying to zubada see these lying dervishes they promised us and broke their promises quoth she thou art the son of a consul of the merchants yet was thy hand short of half a dirham how then should it be with poor dervishes quoth he almighty allah hath enabled us to do without them but if they come to us never again will i open the door to them she asked why so when as their coming footsteps brought us good luck and moreover they put in hundred dinars under the prayer carpet for us every night perforce thou must open the door to them and they come. So when they departed with its light, and in gloom came night,

they lighted the wax candles, and he said to her, rise, Zubidah, make us music. And behold, at this moment someone knocked at the door, and she said, Go and look who is at the door. So he went down and opened it, and seeing the dervishes said, Oh, fair welcome to the liars, come up. Accordingly they went up with him, and he seated them and brought them the tray of food, and they ate and drank and became merry and mirthful, and presently said to him, O my lord, our hearts have been troubled for thee. What hath passed between thee and thy father-in-law? He answered, Allah compensated us beyond and above our desire. Rejoined they, by Allah we were in fear for thee. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day,

And ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and fifty-ninth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That the dervishes thus addressed Allah al-Din. By Allah we were in fear for thee, And not kept us from thee, but our lack of cash and coin. Quoth he, Speedy relief hath come to me from my lord,

for my father has sent me fifty thousand dinars and fifty loads of stuff, each load worth a thousand dinars, besides a riding-mule, a robe of sables, an Abyssinian slave, and a basin and hewer of gold. Moreover, I have made my peace with my father-in-law, and my wife hath become my lawful wife, by my paying her settlement. So laud Allah for that. Presently the caliph rose to do a necessity, whereupon Ja'afar bent him towards Allah al-Din and said, look to thy manners for thou art in the presence of the commander of the faithful asked he how have i failed in good breeding before the commander of the faithful and which of you is he quoth ja'afar he who went out but now to make water is the commander of the faithful harun ah a rashid and i am the wazir ja'afar and this is mazrour the executioner and this other is abu noas hassan bin And now, O Allah al-Din, use thy reason, and bethink thee, how many days' journey is it between Cairo and Baghdad?

He replied, five-and-forty day's journey. And Jaffa rejoined, Thy baggage was stolen only ten days ago. So how could the news have reached thy father, and how could he pack up other goods and send them to thee five-and-forty day's journey in ten days' time? Quoth Allah-Al-Din, "'Oh, my lord! And whence then came they?' "'From the commander of the faithful,' replied Jafar, "'of his great affection for thee.'

"'As they were speaking, lo, the caliph entered, "'and Allah al-Din rising, kissed the ground before him, "'and said, Allah keep thee, O prince of the faithful, "'and give thee long life, "'and may the liegers never lack thy bounty and beneficence.' "'Replied the caliph, "'Oh, Allah al-Din, let's be it. Zubai Da play us an air, by way of house-warming for thy deliverance.

Thereupon she played him on the lute, so rare a melody, that the very stones shook for glee, and the strings cried out for present ecstasy, O loving one! They spent the night after the merriest fashion, and in the morning the caliph said to Allah al-Din, Come to the divan to-morrow. He answered, Harkening and obedience, O commander of the faithful, so Allah will and thou be well and in good case.

On the morrow he took ten trays, and, putting on each a costly present, went up with them to the palace, and the caliph was sitting on the throne, when, behold, Allah al-Din appeared at the door of the divan, repeating these two couplets, honour and glory wait on thee each morn, thine envious noses in the dust be set,

ne'er cease thy days to be as white as snow, thy foeman's days to be as black as jet. Welcome, O Allah al-Din, said the Caliph, and he replied, O commander of the faithful, the prophet, whom Allah bless and assain, was wont to accept presents, and these ten trays, with what is on them, are my offering to thee.

The Caliph accepted his gift, and, ordering him a robe of honour, made him provost of the merchants, and gave him a seat in the divan. And as he was sitting, behold his father-in-law came in, and seeing Al-A al-Din seated in his place, and clad in a robe of honour, said to the Caliph, O, king of the age, why is this man sitting in my place and wearing this robe of honour? Quoth the Caliph, I have made him provost of the merchants, for offices are by

investiture, and not in perpetuity, and thou art deposed, answered the merchant, thou hast done well, commander of the faithful, for his hours and one of us. Allah make the best of us the managers of our affairs. How many a little one have become great. Then the Caliph wrote Allah al-Din a firman of investiture, and gave it to the governor, who gave it to the crier, and the crier made proclamation in the divan, saying, none is provost of the merchants, but Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat, and his word is to be heard, and he must be obeyed with due respect paid, and he meritedth honor and homage and high degree. Moreover, when the divan broke up, the governor went down with the crier before Al-A-Al-Din, and the crier repeated the proclamation, and they carried Al-Din through the thoroughfares of Baghdad,

making proclamation of his dignity. Next day, Al-Aldin opened a shop for his slave Salim and set him therein to buy and sell, whilst he himself rode to the palace and took his place in the Caliph's divan. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and sixty-th night, she said, It hath reached me, oh auspicious king, that Allah al-Din rode to the palace and took his place in the Caliph's divan. Now it came to pass one day, when he sat in his stead, as was his wont, Behold, one said to the Caliph, O commander of the faithful, may thy head survive such an won the cup companion,

for he is gone to the mercy of Almighty Allah, but be thy life prolonged. Quoth the Caliph, where is Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat? So he went up to the commander of the faithful, who had once clad him in a splendid dress of honour, and made him his boon companion, appointed him, him a monthly pay and allowance of a thousand dinars. He continued to keep him company, till one day, as he sat in the divan, according to his custom, attending upon the Caliph,

lo and behold, an emir came up with sword and shield in hand, and said, O commander of the faithful, may thy head long outlive the head of the sixty, for he is dead this day, whereupon the Caliph ordered Allah al-Din address of honour, and made him chief of the sixty, in place of the other, who had neither wife nor son nor daughter. So Allah al-Din laid hands on his estate, and the caliph said to him, bury him in the earth, and take all he hath left of wealth and slaves and handmaids. Then he shook the handkerchief and dismissed the divan, whereupon Allah al-Din went forth, attended by Ahmed al-Danaf, captain of the right, and Hassan Shuman, captain of the left, riding at his either stirrup, each with his forty men.

presently he turned to hassan shuman and his men and said to them plead ye for me with the captain ahmad al-danaf that he pleased to accept me as his son by covenant before allah and ahmad assented saying i and my forty men will go before thee to the divan every morning now after this allah al-din continued in the caliph's service many days till one day it chanced that he left the divan and returning home dismissed ahmad al-danah and his men, and sat down with his wife Zubai-da, the lute-player, who lighted the wax candles and went out of the room upon an occasion. Suddenly he heard a loud shriek, so he rose up, and running in haste to see what was the matter, found that it was his wife who had cried out. She was lying at full length on the ground, and when he put his hand to her breast, he found her dead.

Now her father's house faced that of Allah al-Aldin, and he, hearing the shriek, came in and said, What is the matter, O my Lord Al-Al-Din? He replied, O my father, may thy head outlive thy daughter, Zubidah. But, O my father, honour to the dead is burying them. So when the morning dawned, they buried her in the earth, and her husband and father condoled with and mutually consoled each other. Thus far concerning her, but as regards Al-Aldin, he dawned morning dress and decline the divan, abiding tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted at home. After a while, the Caliph said to Ja'afar, O wazir, what is the cause of Al-A al-Din's absence from the divan?

The minister answered, O commander of the faithful, he is in mourning for his wife Zubida and is occupied in receiving those who come to console him. And the Caliph said, It behooveth us to pay him a visit of condolence. i hear and i obey replied ja'afar so they took horse the caliph and the minister and a few attendants and rode to allah al-deen's house and as he was sitting at home behold the party came in upon him whereupon he rose to receive them and kissed the ground before the caliph who said to him allah make good thy loss to thee answered allah al-deen may allah preserve thee to us o commander of the faithful Then said the Caliph, O Allah al-Din, why hast thou absented thyself from the divan? And he replied, because of my warning for my wife, Subaida, O commander of the faithful. The Caliph rejoined, Put away grief from thee.

Verily she is dead and gone to the mercy of Almighty Allah, and mourning will avail thee nothing, no nothing. But Allah al-Din said, O commander of the faithful, I shall never leave more. for her till I die, and they bury me by her side. Quoth the Caliph, In Allah is compensation for every decease, and neither device nor riches can deliver from death, and divinely gifted was he who said,

All sons of woman, I'll be long preserved, are born upon the bulging beers some day. How then shall joy man, joy or taste delight, upon whose cheeks shall rest the dust and clay? When the Caliph had made an end of condoling him, he charged him not to absent himself from the divan, and returned to his palace. And Allah al-A-Al-Din, after a last sorrowful night, mounted early in the morning, and, riding to the court, kissed the ground before the commander of the faithful, who made a movement as if rising from the throne, to greet and welcome him, and bade him take his appointed place in the divan, saying, O Allah al-Din, thou art my guest tonight.

So presently he carried him into his serralio, and calling a slave-girl named Kut al-Kulub, said to her, Allah al-Din had a wife called Zubada, who used to sing to him and solace him of carc and care, but she has gone to the mercy of Almighty Allah, and now I would have thee play him an air upon the lute. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say.

End of Section 7. Recording by Griffin. Section 8 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librivox.org, reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 8, 261st Knight to 263rd night. When it was the 261st knight, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Caliph said to the damsel, Kut al-Colo, I would have thee play him upon the lute and air of fashion, sweet, sweet,

and rare, that he may be solast of his kark and care. So she rose and made sweet music, and the Caliph said to Allah al-Din, What say'st thou of this damsel's voice? He replied, Verily, O commander of the faithful, Subaida's voice was the finer, but she skilled in touching the lute cunningly, and her playing would make a rock dance with glee. The caliph asked, doth she please thee? And he answered, She duff, of commander of the faithful, Whereupon the king said,

By the life of my head, And the tombs of my forefathers, She is a gift from me to thee, She and her waiting women. Allah al-Din fancied that the caliph was jesting with him, But on the morrow, the king went in to Kut al-Kulub and said to her, I have given thee to Allah al-Din, whereat she rejoiced for she had seen and loved him then the caliph returned from his serralio palace to the divan and calling porter said to them set all the goods of kut al kulub and her waiting-women in a litter and carry them to allah al-din's home

so they conducted her to the house and showed her into the pavilion whilst the caliph sat in the hall of audience till the dose of day when the divan broke up and he retired to his harem. Such was his case, but as regards Kutalculub, when she had taken up her lodging in Al-Al-Din's mansion, she and her women, fought in all, besides the unigree, she called two of these caponized slaves and said to them, Sit ye on stools, one on the right and another on the left hand of the door. And when Al-Aldin cometh home, both of you kiss his hands and say to him, Our mistress Kudal Kulub requested thy presence in the pavilion, for the Caliph hath given her to thee, her and her women. They answered, We hear and obey, and did as she bade them.

So when Al-Al-Al-Din returned, he found two of the Caliph's eunuchs sitting at the door, and was amazed at the matter, and said to himself, Surely this is not my own house, or else what can have happened? now when the eunuch saw him they rose to him and kissing his hands said to him we are of the caliph's household and slaves to kudalculub who saluteth thee giving thee to know that the caliph hath bestowed her on thee her and her women and requested thy presence Pot Allah al-Din. Say ye to her, thou art welcome. But so long as thou shalt abide with me, I will not enter the pavilion wherein thou art, for what was the master should not become the man's, and, furthermore, ask her, what was the sum of thy day's expenditure in the Caliph's palace? So they went in and did his errand to her, and she answered, An hundred dinars a day. whereupon quoth he to himself there was no need for the caliph to give me kut al kulub that i should be put to such expense for her but there is no help for it so she bode with him awhile and he assigned her daily an hundred dinars for her maintenance till one day he absented himself from the divan and the caliph said to ja'afar o vasir i gave not cutal kulub unto al-din but that she might console him for his wife why then doth he still hold a loaf from us answered ja'afar O, commander of the faithful, he spake sooth, who said, Whoso findeth his fear, forgetteth his friends.

Rejoined the caliph, happily he hath not absented himself without excuse, but we will pay him a visit. Now some days before this, Al-Aldin had said to Jafar, I complained to the caliph of my grief and mourning for the loss of my wife Subbaida, and he gave me Kutalculub, and the minister replied, except he loved thee, he had not given her to thee. Say hast thou gone in unto her, O Allah, al-Din. He rejoined. No, by Allah, I know not her length from her breadth. He asked, And why? And he answered, O Vasir, what befitteth the lord, befitteth not the leech? Then the Caliph and Jafar disguised themselves, and went privily to visit Allah al-Din, but he knew them, and rising to them kissed the hands of the caliph, who looked at him and saw signs of sorrow in his face. So he said to him, O al-Din, whence cometh this sorrow wherein I see thee,

Has thou not gone in unto Kutalculub? He replied, O commander of the faithful, what befitteth the lord, befitteth not the thrall? No, as yet I have not gone in to visit her, nor do I, know her length from her breadth, so pray quit me of her, quoth the Caliph. I would fain see her and question her of her case. And quoth Al-A al-Din, I hear and I obey, O commander of the faithful. So the Caliph went in, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the 262nd night, she said. said, It hath reached me, auspicious king, that the caliph went in to Kutal Khulub,

who rose to him on sighting him, and kissed the ground between his hands, when he said to her, Hath Al-Aldin gone in unto thee? And she answered, No, O commander of the faithful, I sent to bid him come, but he would not. So the caliph bade carry her back to the harem, and saying to Allah al-Din, Do not absent thyself from us, return to his palace. Accordingly next morning, Al-Aaldin mounted and rode to the divan, where he took his seat as chief of the sixty. Presently the Caliph ordered his treasurer to give the Basir Ja'afar ten thousand dinars, and said when his order was obeyed, I charge thee to go down to the bazaar, where handmaidens are sold,

and buy Al-Aaldin a slave-girl with his son. So in obedience to the king, Ja'afar took Al-Din and went down with him to the bazaar. Now, as chance would have it, that very day the emir Khalid, whom the caliph had made governor of Baghdad, went down to the market to buy a slave-girl for his son. And the cause of his going was that his wife, Katun, my name, had borne him a son called Habsalam, and the same was foul of favor and had reached the age of twenty without learning to mount horse albait his father was brave and bold a doughty rider ready to plunge into the sea of darkness and it happened that on a certain night he had a dream which caused nocturnal pollution

whereof he told his mother who rejoiced and said to his father i want to find him a wife as he is now ripe for wedlock quoth caled the fellow is so foul of favor and with also rank of odor so sordid and beastly that no woman would take him as a gift and she answered we will buy him a slave-girl so it befell for the accomplishing of what allah almighty had decreed that on the same day ja'afar and al-al-din the governor calid and his son went down to the market and behold they saw in the same day ja'affar and al-al-din the governor calid and his son went down to the market and behold they saw in the hands of a broker, a beautiful girl, lovely-faced and of perfect shape, and the vassir said to him, O broker, ask her owner if he will take a thousand dinars for her. And as the broker passed by the governor with a slave, Hassalam Basasa cast at her one glance of the eyes which entailed for himself one thousand sighs, and he fell in love with her, and passion got hold of him, and he said, O my father, buy me, yonder slave girl!

So the emir called the broker, who brought the girl to him, and asked her name. She replied, My name is Shasmin, and he said, To Hasalam Basasa, O my son, as she pleased thee, do thou bid higher for her? Then he asked the broker, What hath been bidden for her? And he replied, A thousand dinars, said, the governor's son. She is mine for a thousand pieces of gold, and one more, and the broker passed on to Al-A-A-Al-Din who bid two thousand dinars for her, and as often as the emir son bid another dinar, Allah al-Din bid a thousand. The ugly youth was vexed at this, and said, O broker, who is it that outbidieth me for the slave-girl? answered the broker. It is the

Vasir Ja'afar who is minded to buy her for Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat. And Allah al-Din continued till he brought her price up to ten thousand dinars, and her owner was satisfied to sell her for that sum. Then he took the girl and said to her, I give thee thy freedom for the love of Almighty Allah, and forthwith wrote his contract of marriage with her and carried her to his house. Now, when the broker returned after having received his brokerage, the emir son summoned him and said to him, Where is the girl?

Quothi. She was bought for ten thousand dinars by Allah al-Din, who hath set her free and married her. At this that young man was greatly vexed and cast down and sighing many a sigh, returned home sick for love of the damsel. And he threw himself on his bed and refused food for love and long. were sore upon him now when his mother saw him in this plight she said to him heaven assain thee o my son what aileth thee and he answered buy me chasmine o my mother quoth she when the flower-cellar passeth i will buy thee a basket full of chasmine quoth he it is not the chasmine one smells but a slave girl named chasmin whom my father would not buy for me so she said to her husband why and wherefore didst thou not buy him the girl and he replied what is fit for the lord is not fit for the liege and i have no power to take her no less a man bought her than allah al-din chief of the sixty then the youth's weakness redoubled upon him till he gave him up sleeping and eating and his mother bound her head with the fillets of mourning and while in her sadness she sat at home lamenting over her son behold came in to her an old woman known as the mother of ahmad kamakim the arch thief

a knave who would bore through a middle wall and scale the tallest of the toll and steal the very call of the eyeball from his earliest years he had been given to these malpictim the male practices till they made him captain of the watch, when he stole a sum of money, and the chief of police coming upon him in the act carried him to the Caliph, who bade put him to death, on the common execution ground. But he implored protection of the vassir, whose intercession the Caliph never rejected. So he pleaded for him with the commander of the faithful who said, How canst thou intercede for this pest of the human race? Ja'afar answered, O commander of the faithful, do thou imprison him, who so built the first jail was a sage, seeing that a jail is the grave of the living and a joy for the foe.

So the caliph bade him lay him in Bilbo's and right thereon, appointed to remain here until death and not to be loosed but on the corpse-washers bench, and they cast him fettered into limbo. Now his mother was a frequent visitor to the house, of the emir Khalid who was governor and chief of police and she used to go into her son in jail and say to him did I not warn thee to turn from thy wicked ways and he would always answer her Allah decreed this to me but oh my mother when thou visitest the emir's wife make her intercede for me with her husband so when the old woman came into the lady Katun

she found her bound with the fillets of mourning, and said to her, Wherefore dost thou mourn? She replied, For my son, Habsalam Basasa, and the old woman exclaimed, Heaven assain thy son, what hath befallen him? So the mother told her the whole story, and she said, What thou say of him, who should achieve such a feat, as would save thy son? Ask the lady, and what feat will thou be thou, do quoth the old woman i have a son called ahmed kamakim the arch thief who lieth chained in jail and on his billbows is written appointed to remain till death

so do thou don thy richest clothes and trick thee out with thy finest jewels and present thyself to thy husband with an open face and smiling mien and when he seeketh of thee what men seek of women put him off and balk him off his will and say, by Allah, tis a strange thing, when a man desireth a thought of his wife, he doneeth her till she doth it, but if a wife desire ought of her husband, he will not grant it to her. Then he will say, What dost thou want, and do thou answer? First swear to grant my request. If he swear to thee by his head or by Allah, say to him, swear to me, the oath of divorce, and do not deal to him, except he do this. And when, as he has thorn to thee, the oath of divorce say to him, thou keepest in prison a man called Ahmad Kamakim, and he hath a poor old mother, who has set upon me, and who urgeth me in the matter, and who saith, let thy husband intercede

for him with the caliph, that my son may repent, and thou gain heavily gerdon. And the lady Cattoon replied, I hear and obey. So, when her husband came into her, and Shara'rsad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and sixty-third night she said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the governor came into his wife, who spoke to him as she had been taught, and made him swear the divorce oath before she would yield to his wishes. He lay with her that night, and when morning dawned after he had made the Gusel ablution, and prayed the dawn prayer, he repaired to the prison and said, O Ahmad Kamakim, O thou arch, thief, dost thou repent of thy works? Whereto he replied,

I do indeed repent and turn to Allah, and say with heart and tongue, I ask pardon of So the governor took him out of jail and carried him to the court, he being still in Bilbo's, and approaching the Caliph, kissed ground before him. Quoth the king, O Emir Khalid, what seekest thou? Whereupon he brought forward Ahmed Kamakim, shuffling and tripping in his fetters, and the caliph said to him, What art thou yet alive, O Kamakim? he replied o commander of the faithful the miserable are long lived quoth the caliph to the emir why hast thou brought him hither and quoth he o commander of the faithful he hath the poor old mother cut off from the world who hath none but this son and she hath had recourse to thy slave imploring him to intercede with thee to strike off his chains for he repenteth of his evil

courses and to make him captain of the watchers before. The Caliph asked Ahmad Kamakim, Dost thou repent of thy sins? I do indeed repent me to Allah, O commander of the faithful, answered he, whereupon the Caliph called for the blacksmith, and made him strike off his irons on the corpse-washers' bench. Moreover, he restored him to his former office, and charged him to walk in the waves of godliness and righteousness.

So he kissed the Caliph's hands and being invested with the uniform of Captain of the Watch. He went forth whilst they made proclamation of his appointment. Now for a long time he abode in the exercise of his office, till one day his mother went in to the governor's wife, who said to her, "'Craised be Allah who hath delivered thy son from prison, and restored him to health and safety. But why dost thou not bid him contrive some trick to him, contrived some trick to get the girl Shasmin for my son Hassalam Basasa.

That will I, answered she, and going out from her, repaired to her son. She found him drunk with wine and said to him, Oh, my son, no one caused thy release from jail but the wife of the governor, and she would have thee find some means to slay Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat and get his slave-girl, Chasmin, for her son. Hapsalam Basasa. He answered, That will be the easiest of things,

and I must need set about it this very night. Now this was the first night of the new month, and it was the custom of the Caliph to spend that night with the lady Subbaida for the setting free of a slave-girl or a mameluk or something of the sort. Moreover, on such occasions, he used to doff his royal habit together with his rose and dagger-sword and royal signet, and set them all upon a chair in the sitting-salloon.

And he had also a golden lanthorn, adorned with three jewels strung on a wire of gold, by which he set great stall, and he would commit all these things to the charge of the eunuchery, whilst he went into the Lady Sobaidah's apartment. So Archtheaf Ahmed Kamakim waited till midnight, when Canopus shone bright, and all creed to sleep were dyed whilst the creator veiled them with a veil of night. Then he took his drawn sword in his right and his scrapling hook in his left, repairing to the Caliph's sitting saloon, planted his scaling ladder and cast his crappinal onto the side of the terrace room. Then, raising the trapdoor, let himself down into the saloon where he found

the eunuchs asleep. He dragged them with hemp fumes and taking the Caliph's dress. dagger rosary cachive signetering and the lanthorn whereupon were the pearls returned whence he came and betook himself to the house of allah al-din who had that night celebrated his wedding festivities with jasmin and had gone in unto her and gotten her with child so arch thief ahmed kamakim climbed over into his saloon and raising one of the marble slabs from the sunken part of the floor dug a hole under it and laid the stolen things therein all save the lanthorn which he kept for himself then he plastered down the marbleslav as it before was and returning whence he came went back to his own house saying i will now tackle my drink and set this lanthorn before me and quaff the cup to its light now as soon as it was dawn of day the caliph went out into the sitting-cham and seeing the eunuch struck with hemp aroused them then he put his hand to the chair and found neither dress nor a signet nor rosary nor dagger-sword nor kerchief nor lanthorn whereat he was exceeding wrath and donning the dress of anger which was a scarlet suit, sat down in the divan. So the vassir, Ja'afar, came forward, and kissing the ground before him said,

Allah averred all evil from the commander of the faithful, answered the caliph, O Vasir, the evil is passing great, Ja'afar asked, what has happened? So he told him what had occurred, and behold, the chief of police appeared with Ahmed Kamakim, the robber at his stirrup, when he found the commander of the faithful sore enraged. As soon as the Caliph saw him, he said to him, O Emir Khalid, how goes Baghdad? And he answered, safe and secure, cried he, thou liest. How so, O prince of true believers, asked the emir.

So he told him the case and added, I charge thee to bring me back all the stolen things, things, replied the emir. Oh, commander of the faithful, the vinegar worm is of and in the vinegar, and no stranger can get at this place. But the caliph said, except thou bring me these things, I will put thee to death. Quoth he, ere thou slay me, slay Ahmed Kamakim, for none should know the robber and the traitor but the captain of the watch. Then came forward Ahmed Kamakim and said to the Caliph. Except my intercession for the chief of police, and I will be responsible to thee for the thief, and will track his trail till I find him. But give me two casis and two assessors,

for he who did this thing feareth thee not, nor doth he fear the governor nor any other. Answered the Caliph, Thou shalt have what thou wantest, but let search be made first in my palace, and then in those of the Vassir and the chief of the sixty. Rejoined Ahmed Kamakim, thou say'st well, O commander of the faithful, Be like the man that did this ill deed, be one who hath been read in the king's household, or in that of one of his officers, cried the Caliph. As my head liveth, whosoever shall have done the deed, I will assuredly put him to death, be it mine own son.

Then Ahmed Kamakim received a written warrant to enter and purport searched the houses, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. End of Section 8, read by Lars Rolander. Section 9 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Livrebox recording. All Libre Box recordings are in the public domain. for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox dot org reading by lars rolander the book of a thousand knights and a night volume four translated by richard burton section nine two hundred and sixty fourth knight to two hundred and sixty-six night when it was the two hundred and sixty-fourth night she said it hath reached me auspicious king that a

Ahmad Kamakim got what he wanted, and received a written warrant to enter and perfor search the houses, so he fared forth, taking in his hand a rod made of bronze and copper, iron, and steel, of each three equal parts. He first searched the palace of the Caliph, then that of the Vassir Djaafar, after which he went the round of the houses of the Chamberlains and the Viceroy's, till he came to that of Allah Aldin. Now when the chief of the sixty heard the clamor before his house, he left his wife, Jasmine, and went down and opening the door, found the master of police without, in the midst of a tumultuous crowd.

So he said, What is the matter, O emir Khalid? Thereupon the chief told him the case, and Allah al-Din said, enter my house and search it the governor replied pardon o my lord thou art a man in whom trust is reposed and allah forfend that the trusty turn traitor quoth allah al-din there is no help for it but that my house be searched so the chief of police entered attended by the kasi and his assessors whereupon ahmad kamakim went straight to the depressed floor of the saloon and the and came to the slab under which he had buried the stolen goods and let the rod fall upon it with such violence that the marble broke in sunder and behold something glittered underneath then said he bismillah in the name of allah mashalah what so allah willeth by the blessing of our coming a hoard hath been hit upon wait while we go down into this hiding-place and see what is therein so the kasi and the cessars looked into the hole and finding there the stolen goods drew up a statement of how they had discovered them in allah al-din's house to which they set their seals then they bade cease upon allah al-al-din and took his turban from his head and officially registered all his monies and effects which were in the mansion meanwhile arch thief ahmad kamakim laid hands on jasmi

who was with child by Allah Aldin, and committed her to his mother, saying, Deliver her to Katun, the governor's lady. So the old woman took her and carried her to the wife of the master of police. Now as soon as Habsalam Basasa saw her, health and heart returned to him, and he arose without stay or delay, enjoyed with exceeding joy, and would have drawn near her, but she plucks a dagger from her girdle and said, Keep off from me, or I will kill thee and kill myself after! exclaimed his mother, O strumpet, let my son have his will of thee. But Jasmine answered, O bitch, by what law is it lawful for a woman to marry two men,

and how shall the dog be admitted to the place of the lion? With this the ugly youth's love-longing redoubled, and he sickened for journing, and unfulfilled desire, and refusing food returned to his pillow. Then said his mother to her, O Harlot, how canst thou make me thus to sorrow for my son? Needs must I punish thee with torture, and as for Allah al-Din, he will assuredly be hanged. And I will die for love of him, answered Jasmine. Then the governor's wife arose, and stripped her of her due. and silken raiment and clothing her in petticoat trousers of sackcloth and a shift of haircloth sent her down into the kitchen and made her a scullery wench saying

the reward for thy constancy shall be to break up firewood and peel onions and set fire under the cooking-pots quoth she i am willing to suffer all manner of hardships and servitude but i will not suffer the sight of thy son However, Allah inclined the hearts of the slave-girls to her, and they used to do her service in the kitchen. Such was the case with Jasmine, but as regards Allah al-Din, they carried him together with the stolen goods to the divan where the caliph still sat upon his throne. And behold, the king looked upon his effects and said, Where did ye find them? They replied, In the very middle of the house, Belongued. to Allah al-Din, Abu al-Shammat, whereat the Caliph was filled with wrath, and took the things, but found not the lanthorn among them, and said, O al-Aldin, where is the lanthon? He answered, I stole it not. I know not of it. I never saw it. I can give no information about it.

said the caliph o traitor how cometh it that i brought thee near unto me and thou hast cast me out afar and i trusted in thee and thou betray'st me and he commanded to hang him so the chief of police took him and went down with him into the city whilst the crier preceded them proclaiming aloud and saying this is the reward and the least of the reward he shall receive who doth reason against the caliphs of true belief, and the folk flocked to the place where the gallows stood. Thus far concerning him, but as regards Ahmad al-Dhanaf, Al-Al-Din's adopted father, he was sitting, making merry with his followers in a garden, and carousing and pleasuring, when lo, in came one of the water-carriers of the divan, and, kissing the hand of Ahmad al-Danaf, said to him, O Captain Ahmad, O Danath, thou sittest at thine ease, with water flowing at thy feet, and thou know's not what hath happened? asked Ahmed, what is it? And the other answered,

They have gone down to the gallows with thy son, Allah al-Din, adopted by a covenant before Allah. Quoth Ahmad, what is the remedy here, O Hassan Shu-uman, and what say'st thou of this? He replied, assuredly Al-A-A-Al-Din is innocent, and this blame hath come to him from someone enemy. Quoth Ahmad, what counselest thou? And Hassan said, we must rescue him, insala. Then he went to the jail and said to the jailer, Give us someone who deserveth death. So he gave him one that was likest of men to Allah al-Din, Abu al-Shammat,

and they covered his head and carried him to the place of execution between Ahmad al-Danaf and Ali al-Syibak of Cairo. Now they had brought Al-Aldin to the gibbet to hang him, but Ahmad al-Dhanf came forward and set his foot on that of the hangman who said, Give me room to do my duty. He replied, O, accursed, take this man and hang him in Al-Aldin's stead, for he is innocent. and we will ransom him with this fellow. Even as Abraham ransomed Ishmael with the ram. So the hangman seized the man and hanged him in lieu of Allah al-Din, whereupon Ahmad and Ali took Al-Aldin and carried him to Ahmed's quarters, and when there Al-Aldin turned to him and said,

O my sire and chief, Al-Ari quit thee with the best of good, quoth he, O Allah! Al-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A. al-din. And Shahrazad preceded the dawn of day, and ceased saying, her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and sixty-fifth night she said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that calamity Ahmad cried, O Allah al-Din, what is this deed thou hast done? The mercy of Allah be on him who said, who so trusteth thee, betray him not, e'en if thou be a traitor. Now the Caliph set thee in high place about him, and styled thee trusty and faithful. How then couldst thou deal thus with him, and steal his goods? By the most great name, O my father and chief, replied Al-Aldin, I had no hand in this, nor did I such deed, nor know I who did it. Quoth Ahmad, of assurity none did this, but a manifest enemy, and whoso doth ought shall be requitted for his deed. But, O, Allah al-Din,

thou canst sojourn no longer in Baghdad, for kings, O my son, may not pass from one thing to another, and when they go in quest of a man, ah, longsome is his travail. Whither shall I go, O my chief? asked Al-A-al-Din, and he answered, O my son, I will. I will. I will. I will. I bring thee to Alexandria, for it is a blessed place, its threshold is greened, and its sojourn is agreeable. And al-al-Din rejoined, I hear and I obey, O my chief. So Ahmad said to Hassan Shuruman, be mindful, and when the caliph asketh for me say, he is gone touring about the provinces. Then, taking Al-A-Din, he went forth of Baghdad, and stayed not going till they came to the outlying vineyards and gardens, where they met two Jews of the Calistak's gatherers, riding on mules.

Quoth Ahmad al-Danaf to these. Give me the blackmail, and quoth they, why should we pay thee blackmail, whereto he replied, Because I am the watchman of this valley, so they give me the blackmail, and quoth they. gave him each and hundred gold pieces, after which he slew them, and took their mules, one of which he mounted, whilst Al-Al-Al-Din bestrowed the other. Then they rode on till they came to the city of Ayas, and put up their beasts for the night at the Khan. And when morning dawned, Al-Aldin sold his own mule, and committed that of Ahmad to the charge of the doorkeeper of the Karavan-Seri, after which they took ship from Ayas' port

and sailed to Alexandria. Here they landed and walked up to the bazaar, and behold, there was a broker crying a shop, and a chamber behind it for nine hundred and fifty dinars. Upon this al-Aldin bid a thousand, which the broker accepted, for the premises belonged to the treasury, and the seller handed over to him the keys and the buyer opened the shop, and found the inner parlor furnished with carpets and Cushions. Moreover, he found there a storeroom full of sails and masts, cordage and seamen's chests, bags of beads and cowrie shells, stirrups, battle axes, mazes, knives, scissors, and such matters, for the last owner of the shop had been a dealer in second-hand goods. He took his seat in the shop, and Ahmad al-Danaf said to him,

o my son the shop and the room and that which is therein are become thine so tarry thou here and buy and sell and repie not at thy lot for almighty allah blesseth trade after this he abode with him three days and on the fourth he took leave of him saying abide here till i go back and bring thee the caliph's pardon and learn who hath played thee this trick Then he shipped for Ayas, where he took the mule from the inn, and returning to Baghdad met Pestilens Hassan at his followers, to whom he said, Hath the Caliph asked after me, and he replied, No, nor hast thou come to his thought. So he resumed his service about the Caliph's person, and set himself to sniff about for news of Al-Aldin's case. Till one day he heard the caliph say to the vassir, See, O Jafar, how Al-Al-Din dealt with me, replied the minister. O commander of the faithful, thou hast requited him with hanging, and hath he not met with his reward, quoth he,

O Vassir, I have a mind to go down and see him hanging, and the vassir answered, Do what thou wilt, O commander of the faithful, so the caliph accompanied by ja'afar went down to the place of execution and raising his eyes saw the hanged man to be other than al-aldin abo al-shamath surnamed the trustee and said O Vasir, this is not Al-A-A-Al-Din. How know'st thou that it is not he? asked the minister. And the Caliph answered. Al-A-A-A-A-Din was short and this one is tall.

Quoth Jahafar, hanging stretcheth! Quoth the Caliph. Al-A-Aldin was fair, and this one's face is black, said Ja'afar. Know'st thou not, O commander of the faithful, that death is followed by blackness. Then the Caliph may take down the body from the gallows tree, and they found the names of the two sheikhs, Aberbacher and Omar, written on its heels, whereupon cried the Caliph. O Vasir, Al-Adin was a son-it, and this fellow is a rejecter, a Shia. He answered, Glory be to Allah, who knoweth the hidden things, while we know not whether this was Al-Aldin,

or other than he. Then the Caliph bid bury the body, and they buried it, and Allah al-Din was forgotten as though he never had been. Such was his case, but as regards Hapsalam Basasa, the Emir Khalid son, he ceased not to have languish for love and longing till he died, and they joined him to the dust. And as for the young wife, Jasmine, she accomplished the months of her pregnancy, and, being taken with labour pains, gave birth to a boy-child like unto the moon. And when her fellow-slave-girls said to her, What wilt thou name him? She answered. Were his father well he had named him, but now I will name him as lan. She gave him suck for two successive years, then weaned him, and he crawled and walked. Now it's so

came to pass that one day, whilst his mother was busied with the service of the kitchen, the boy went out and seeing the stairs, mounted to the guest-chamber, and the emir Khalid, who was sitting there, took him upon his lap, and glorified his lord, for that which he had had created and fashioned, then closely eyeing his face, the governor saw that he was the likest of all creatures to Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat. Presently his mother, Jasmine, sought for him, and finding him not, mounted to the guest-chamber, where she saw the emir seated with a child playing in his lap, for Allah had inclined his heart to the boy. And when the child espied his mother, he would have thrown himself upon her,

but the emir held him tight to his bosom and said to Jasmine, Come hither o damsel, so she came to him when he said to her, whose son is this? And she replied, He is my son and the fruit of my vitals. And who is his father? asked the emir. And she answered, His father was Al-Aldin Abu al-Shammat, but now he has become thy son. Quoth Khalid, in very sooth al-Din was a traitor. Quoth she, Allah deliver him from treason, the heavens forfend and forbid that the trustee should be a traitor. Then said he, When this boy shall grow up and reach man's estate and say to thee,

Who is my father? Say to him, Thou art the son of Emir Khalid, governor and chief of police. And she answered, I hear and I obey. Then he circumcised the boy and reared him with a goodliest rearing, and engaged for him a professor of law and religious science and an expert penman who taught him to read and write so he read the koran twice and learnt it by heart and he grew up saying to the emir oh my father moreover the governor used to go down with him to the tilting-ground and assemble horsemen and teach the lad the fashion of fight and fray and the place to plant lance trust and sabre stroke, so that by the time he was fourteen years old, he became a valiant white and accomplished knight, and gained the rank of emir.

Now it chanced one day that Aslan fell in with Ahmad Kamakim, the arch thief, and accompanied him as cup-companion to the tavern, and behold, Ahmad took out the jeweled lanthorn he had stolen from the Caliph, and setting it before him pledged the wine-cup to its light, till he became drunken. So Aslan said to him, O captain, give me this lanthon, but he replied, I cannot give it to thee, asked Aslan, why not? And Ahmad answered, because lives have been lost for it, whose life inquired Aslan? And Ahmad rejoined, there came hither a man. There came hither a man who was made chief of the sixty. He was named Al-A-Al-Din Abu al-Shamat, and he lost his life through this lanthorn. Quoth Aslan. And what was that story? And what brought about his death?

Quoth Ahmad Kamakim. Thou hadst an elder brother by name Hasalam Basasa, and when he reached the age of sixteen and was ripe for marriage, thy father would have bought him a slave-girl named Jasmine, and he went on to tell him the whole story from first to last of Hapsalam Basasa's illness, and what befell Al-Al-Al-Din in his innocence. When Aslan heard this, he said in thought, happily this slave-girl was my mother, Jasmine, and my father was none other than al-A-Al-Din Abu al-Shammat. So the boy went out from him. sorrowful and met calamity Ahmad, who at sight of him exclaimed, Glory be to him unto whom none is like, asked Hassan the pestilence,

Where dost thou marvel, O my chief? And Ahmad the calamity replied, at the make of Jondervoy Aslan, for he's the likest of human creatures to al-al-Din Abu al-Shamat. Then he called the lad and said to him, O Aslan, what is thy mother's name? To which he replied, she is called the damsel Jasmine, and the other said, Harki, Aslan, be of good cheer, and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for thy father was none other than al-al-Din Abu al-Shamat, but, oh, my son, go thou into thy mother and question her of thy father. He said, harkening and obedience, and go

Going in to his mother put the question, whereupon quoth she, Thy Cyrus the Emir Khalid. Not so, rejoined he, my father was none other than Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat. At this the mother wept and said, Who acquainted thee with this, O my son? And he answered, Ahmad al-Danaf, captain of the guard. So she told him the whole story, saying, O my son, the true hath prevailed, and the false has failed.

Know that Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat was indeed thy sire, but it was none save the emir Khalid, who reared thee and adopted thee as his son. And now, O my child, when thou seest Ahmad al-Danaf the captain, do thou say to him, I conjure thee by Allah, O my chief, take my blood revenge on the murderer of my father a la al-ddin abo al-shamat so he went out from his mother and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and sixty-sixth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that aslan went out from his mother and betaking himself to calamity ahmad kissed his hand quoth the captain what aileth thee o aslan and quoth he i know now for certain that my father was allah al-din abu al-shamat and i would have thee take my blood revenge on his murderer he asked and who was thy father's murderer

where to aslan answered ahmad kamakim the arch thief who told thee this inquired he and aslan rejoined i saw in his hand the jewelled lanthon which was lost with the rest of the caliph's gear and i said to him give me this lanthon but he refused saying lives have been lost on account of this and told me it was he who had broken into the palace and stolen the articles and deposit them in my father's house then said ahmad al-danaf when thou seest the emir kalid don his harness of war say to him equip me like thyself and take me with thee then do thou go forth and perform some feat of provest before the commander of the faithful and he will say to thee ask a boon of me o aslan and do thou make answer i ask of thee this boon that thou take my blood revenge of my father's murderer if he say thy father is yet alive and is the emir kalid the chief of the police answer thou my father was al-ddin abo al-shamat and the emir calid hath a claim upon me only as the foster-father who adopted me then tell him all that passed between thee and ahmad kamakim and say o prince of true believers order him to be searched and i will bring the lanthon forth from his bosom. Thereupon said Aslan to him, I hear and obey, and returning to the emir Khalid, found him making ready to repair to the Caliph's court and said to him, I would fain have the arm

and harness me like thyself, and take me with thee to the divan. So he equipped him and carried him thither. Then the caliph sailed forth of Baghdad with his troops, and they pitch tents and pavilions without the city, whereupon the host divided into two parties, and forming ranks fell to playing polo, one striking the ball with a mall, and another striking it back to him. Now there was among the troops a spy who had been hired to slay the Caliph, so he took the ball, and smiting it with a bat, row it straight at the Caliph's face, when behold, Aslan fended it off, and catching it, draw it back at him, who smote it, so that it struck it, him between the shoulders, and he fell to the ground. The Caliph exclaimed, Allah bless thee,

Oaslan, and they all dismounted and sat on chairs. Then the Caliph bade them bring the smiter of the ball before him and said, Who tempted thee to do this thing, and art thou friend or foe? Quoth he, I am thy foe, and it was my purpose to kill thee. Asked the Caliph, and wherefore art not a moslem replied the spy no i'm a rejector so the caliph bade them put him to death and said to aslan ask a boon of me quoth he i ask of thee this bone that thou take my blood revenge of my father's murderer he said thy father is alive and there he stands on his two feet and who is he asked and the caliph answered he is the emir calid chief of police rejoined asland o commander of the faithful he is no father of mine save by right of fosterage my father was none other than all al-din abo al shamat then thy father was a traitor cried the caliph allah forbid o commander of the faithful rejoined aslan that the trust he should be a traitor but how did he betray thee quoth the caliph he stole my habit and what was therewith aslan retorted o commander of the faithful allah forfend that my father should be a traitor but o my lord when thy habit was lost and found

didst thou likewise recover the lanthon which was stolen from thee? Answered the Caliph. We never got it back, and Aslan said, I saw it in the hands of Ahmad Kamakim, and begged it of him, but he refused to give it me saying, Lives have been lost on account of this. Then he told me of the sickness of Hapsalam Basasa, son of the emir Khalid,

by reason of his passion for the damsel, Drasmin, and how he himself was released from bonds, and that it was he who stole the habit and the lamp. So do thou, O commander of the faithful, take my blood revenge for my father on him who murdered him? At once the caliph cried, Seize ye Ahmad Kamakim, and they seized him, whereupon he asked, Where be the captain Ahmed al-Danaf? And when he was summoned, the caliph bade him. search Kamakim, so he put his hand into the thief's bosom, and pulled out the lanthon. Said the caliph, come hither thou traitor, whence hadst thou this lanthon? And Kamakim replied, I bought it, O commander of the faithful. The caliph rejoined,

Where didst thou buy it? Then they beat him till he owned that he had stolen the lanthon, the habit and the rest, and the Caliph said, What moved thee to do this thing, O traitor, and ruin al-A-Din Abu al-Shammat, the trusty and faithful? Then he bade them lay hands on him and on the chief of police, but the chief said, O commander of the faithful, indeed I am unjustly treated, thou badest me hang him, and I had no knowledge of this trick, for the plot was

untried between the old woman and Ahmad Kamakim and my wife. I craved thine intercession, O Aslan. So Aslan interceded for him with the caliph who said, What hath Allah done with this youngster's mother? answered Khalid. She is with me. And the caliph continued. I command that thou order thy wife to dress her in her own clothes and ornaments, and restore her to her former degree, a lady of rank. And do thou remove the seals from Al-Aldin's house, and give his son possession of his estate? I hear and obey, answered Khalid, and going forth gave the order to his wife, who clad Shasmin in her own apparel, whilst he himself removed the seals from Al-Aldin's house, and gave Aslan the keys. Then said the Caliph, ask a boon of me,

O Asland, and he replied, I beg of thee the boon to unite me with my father, whereat the Caliph wept and said, Most like thy sire was he that was hanged, and is dead, but by the life of my forefathers, Whoso bringeth me the glad news, that he is yet in the bondage of this life, I will give him all he seeketh. Then came forward Ahmed al-Danaf, and kissing the ground, between his hands said, Grant me indemnity, O commander of the faithful. Thou hast it, answered the Caliph. And Calamette Ahmad said,

I give thee the good news that Al-Aul-Shammat the trust in the faithful is alive and well. Quoth the Caliph, what is this thou sayest? Quoth al-Danath. As thy head liveth, I say'stuth, for I ransomed him with another of those who deserve death, and carried him to Alexandria, where I opened for him a shop, and set him up as a dealer in second-hand goods. Then said the prince of true believers.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 9, read by Lars Rolander. 10 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Griffin The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 10, 267th Night to 269th Night.

When it was the two hundred and sixty-seventh night she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Caliph ordered Calamate Ahmad, saying, I charge thee fetch him to me, and the other replied, to hear is to obey, whereupon the Caliph bad them give him ten thousand gold pieces, and he fared forth for Alexandria. On this wise it happened with Aslan.

But as regards his father, Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat, He sold in course of time all that was in his shop, accepting a few things, and amongst them a long bag of leather. And happening to shake the bag, there fell out a jewel which filled the palm of his hand, hanging to a chain of gold, and having many facets, but especially five, whereon were names and talismanic characters, as they were ant-tracks. So he rubbed each face, but none answered him, and he said to himself, doubtless it is a piece of variegated onyx, and then hung it up in the shop. And behold, a consul passed along the street, and, raising his eyes, saw the jewel hanging up.

So he seated himself over against the shop, and said to Allah al-Din, "'Oh, my lord, is the jewel for sale?' he answered, "'All I have is for sale.' Thereupon the Franks said, "'Willst thou sell me that same for eighty thousand dinars?' "'Alla open,' replied Allah al-al-al-Din. the frank asked wilt thou sell it for an hundred thousand dinars and he answered i sell it to thee for a hundred thousand dinars pay me down the monies quoth the consul i cannot carry about such a sum as its price for there be robbers and sharpers in alexandria but come with me to my ship and i will pay thee the price and give thee to boot a bale of angora wool a bale of satin a bale of velvet and a bale of broadcloth so allah al-ddin rose up and locked up his shop after giving the jewel to the frank and committed the keys to his neighbour saying keep these keys in trust for me whilst i go with this council to his ship and return with the price of my jewel

if i be long absent and there come to the ahmed al-danaf the captain who established me in this shop give him the keys and tell him where i am then he went with the consul to his ship and as sooner had he boarded it than the frank set him a stool and making him sit down, said to his men, bring the money. So they brought it, and paid him the price of the jewel, and gave him the four bales he had promised him, and won over, after which he said to him, O my lord, honour me by accepting a bite or a sup. And Allah al-A-Din answered, If thou have any water, give me to drink. So the Frank called for sherbots, and they brought drink, drugged with bung, of which no sooner had Allah al-Al-Din drunk, Then he fell over on his back, whereupon they stowed away the chairs, and shipped the shoving poles, and made sail. Now the wind blew fair for them, till it drove them into blue water, and when they were beyond sight of the land, the captain bade bring Allah al-Din up out of the hold, and made him smell the counter-drug of Bun.

Whereupon he opened his eyes and said, Where am I? He replied, Thou art bound and in my power, and if thou hadst said, Allah open, to a hundred thousand dinners for the jewel, I would have bidden thee more. What art thou? asked Al-Din. And the other answered, I am a sea-captain, and mean to carry thee to my sweetheart. Now, as they were talking, behold, a strip-hove in sight carrying forty Muslim merchants. So the Frank captain attacked the vessel, and made fast to it with grappling irons. Then he boarded it with his men, and took it and plundered it, after which he sailed on with his prize till he reached the city of Genoa.

There the captain, who was carrying off Al-A al-Din, landed and repaired to a palace whose pastern gave upon the sea, and behold, there came down to him a damsel in a chin-vail, who said, hast thou brought the jewel and the owner? I have brought them both, answered he, and she said, then give me the jewel. So he gave it to her, and returning to the port, fired his cannon. to announce his safe return, whereupon the king of the city, being notified of the captain's arrival, came down to receive him, and asked, How hath been this voyage?

He answered, a right prosperous one, and while voyaging, I had made prize of a ship with one and forty Muslim merchants. Said the king, land them at port. So he landed the merchants in irons, and Allah al-Din among the rest, and the king and the captain mounted and made the captain, and made the captain, walk before them, till they reached the audience chamber, when the Franks seated themselves and caused the prisoners to pass in parade order, one by one before the king, who said to the first, O Muslim, whence comest thou? He answered, from Alexandria, whereupon the king said, O headsman, put him to death. So the sorter smote him with the sword and cut off his head,

and thus it fared with the second and the third, till forty were dead, and there remained but Allah al-Din, who drank the cup of his comrade's size and agony, and said to himself, Allah have mercy on thee, O Allah al-Din, thou art a dead man. Then said the king to him, and thou, what countrymen art thou? He answered, I am of Alexandria. And the king said, O headsman, strike off his head! So the sorter raised arm and sword, and was about to strike when, behold, an old woman, a venerable aspect, presented herself before the king.

who rose to do her honour, and said to him, O king, did I not bid thee remember when the captain came back with the captives to keep one or two for the convent to serve the church? The king replied, Oh, my mother, would thou hadst come a while earlier, but take this one that is left. So she turned to Allah al-Din and said to him,

Say, wilt thou serve in the church, or shall I let the king slay thee? Quoth he, I will serve in the church. church. So she took him, and carried him forth of the court, and went to the church, where he said to her, What service must I do? She replied, Thou must rise with the dawn, and take five mules, and go with them to the forest, and there cut dry firewood, and saw it short, and bring it to the convent kitchen. Then thou thou must take up the carpets, and sweep, and wipe the stone and marble pavements, and lay the

carpets down again as they were, after which thou must take two bushels and a half of wheat, and bolt it and grind it and knead it, and make it into cracknels for the convent, and thou must take also a bushel of lentils, and sift and crash and cook them. Then thou must fetch water in barrels, and fill the four fountains, after which thou must take three hundred and three score and six wooden bowls, and crumble the cracknels therein, and pour of the lentil porridge, over each, and carry every monk and patriarch, and carry every monk and patriarch his bull. Said Al-Al-Din, take me back to the king and let him kill me.

It were easier to me than this service, replied the old woman. If thou do truly and rightly the service that is due from thee, thou shalt escape death. But if thou do not, I will let the king kill thee. And with these words, Al-Al-Din was left sitting heavy at heart. Now there were in the church ten blind cripples, and one of them said to him, "'Bring me a pot.' So he brought it to him, and he cacked, and eased himself therein, and said, "'Throw away the odour.'

He did so, and the blind man said, "'The Messiah's blessing be upon thee, O servant of the church.' "'Presently behold, the old woman came in and said to him, "'Why hast thou not done thy service in the church?' "'answered he, how many hands have I that I should suffice for all this work?' She rejoined, Thou fool I brought thee not hither except to work. And she added, Take, O my son, this rod, which was of copper, capped with a cross, and go forth into the highway, and, when thou meetest the governor of the city, say to him,

I summon thee to the service of the church, in the name of our lord the Messiah, and he will not disobey thee. Then, make him take the wheat, sift, grind, bolt, knead, and bake it into cracknals, and if any gainsay thee beat him and fear none. To hear is to obey, answered he, and did as she said, and never ceased pressing great and small into his service, nor did he leave to do thus for the space of seventeen years.

Now one day, as he sat in church, lo, the old woman came to him and said, Go forth of the convent. He asked, Whither shall I go? And she answered, Alkins passed the night in a tavern or with one of thy comrades. Quoth he,

Why dost thou send me forth of the church? And quoth she, The princess Husun Mariam, daughter of Johanna, king of this city, purposeth to visit the church, and it befiteth not that any abide in her way. So he made a show of obeying her orders, and rose up and pretended that he was leaving the church. But he said in his mind,

I wonder whether the princess is like our women, or fairer than they. At any rate, I will not go till I have had a look at her. So he hid himself in a closet with a window looking into the church. And, as he watched, behold, in came the king's daughter. He cast at her one glance of his eyes that cost him a thousand sighs, for he found her like the full moon when it cometh swimming out of the clouds. And he saw with her a young lady, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and sixty-eighth night, she said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when Allah al-Din looked at the king's daughter, he saw with her a young lady, to whom he heard her say, Thy company hath cheered me, O Zubai-da. So he looked straightly at the damsel, and found her to be none other than his dead wife, Zubida the lootist. Then the princess said to Zubida, come, play us an air on the lute.

But she answered, I will make no music for thee till thou grant my wish, and keep thy word to me. Ask the princess, and what did I promise thee? And Zubida answered, That thou wouldst reunite me

with my husband, Allah al-Din Abu al-Shemat, the trusty, the faithful. Rejoined the princess, O Zubida, be of good cheer, and keep thine eyes cool and clear. Play us a piece as a thank-offering,

and an ear feast for reunion with thy husband Allah al-Din. Where is he? asked Zubaydah, and Mariam answered, he is in yonder closet, listening to our words. So Zubida played on the lute, a melody which had made a rock dance for glee. And when Allah-Al-Din heard it, his bowels yearned towards her, and he came forth from the closet, and, throwing himself upon his wife Zubida, strained her to his bosom. She also knew him, and the twain embraced and fell to the ground in a swoon.

Then came forward the princess Husun Mariam, and sprinkled rosewater on them, till they revived, when she said to them, Allah hath reunited you. Replied Allah al-Din, by thy kind offices, O lady. Then, turning to his wife, he said to her, O Zubidah, thou didst surely die, and we tomb thee in the tomb. How then returneth thou to life, and cam'st thou to this place? She answered, O my lord, I did not die, But an a-on of the jinx snatched me up, and flew with me hither.

She whom thou buriedst was a genia, Who shaped herself to my shape, and feigned herself dead. But when you entombed her, she broke open the tomb, And came forth from it, and returned to the service of this her mistress, The princess Husen-Maria. As for me, I was possessed, and when I opened my eyes I found myself with this princess thou seest. So I said to her,

Why hast thou brought me hither? Replied she, I am predestined to marry thy husband, Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat. Wilt thou then, O Zubai-da, accept me to co-consort, A knight for me and a knight for thee? Rejoined I, to hear is to obey, O my lady, but where is my husband? Quoth she, upon his forehead is written what Allah hath agreed to him. As soon as the writing which is their writ is fulfilled to him, there is no help

for it, but he come hither, and we will beguile the time of our separation from him, with songs and playing upon instruments of music, till it please Allah to unite us with him. So I abode all these days with her till Allah brought us together in this church. Then Hussein turned to him and said, O my lord, Allah al-Din, wilt thou be to me, baron, and I to thee, Thoufam, quoth he, O my lady, I am a Muslim, and thou art a Nazarene, so how can I intermarry with thee? Quoth she, Allah forbid that I should be an infidel. Nay, I am a moslema, for these eighteen years I have held fast the faith of al-Islam, and I am pure of any creed other than

that of the Islamite. Then said he, O my lady, I desire a return to my native land, and she replied, know that I see written on thy forehead, things which thou must need to accomplish, and then thou shalt win thy will. Moreover, be fief and fain, O Allah al-Din, that there hath been born to thee as son named Aslan, who now being arrived at the age of discretion, sitteth in thy place with the Caliph. Know also that truth hath prevailed,

and that falsehood not availed, and that the Lord hath withdrawn the curtain of secrecy from him who stole the Caliph's goods, that is Ahmad Kamakim the arch thief and traitor, and he now lieth bound and in jail. And no further, twas I who sent thee the jewel, and had it put in the bag where thou foundest it. And twas I who sent the captain, that brought thee in the jewel, for thou must know, that the man is enamoured of me, and seeketh my favours, and would possess me. But I refuse to re-yield to his wishes, or to let him have his will of me.

And I has said him, thou shalt never have me till thou bring me the jewel and its owner. So I gave him an hundred purses and dispatched him to thee in the habit of a merchant, whereas he is a captain and a warman. And when they led thee to thy death, after slaying the forty captives, I also sent thee this old woman to save thee from slaughter. Said he, Allah requite thee for us with all good. Indeed, thou hast done well. Then Husun Mariam renewed at his hands her profession. of al-Islam. And when he was assured of the truth of her speech, he said to her, O my lady, tell me what are the virtues of this jewel, and whence cometh it?

She answered, This jewel came from an enchanted horde, and it hath five virtues which will profit us in time of need. Now my lady-grandmother, the mother of my father, was an enchantress and skilled in solving secrets, and finding hidden treasures, one of which came the jewel into her hands. And as I grew up and reached the age of 14, I read the Evangel and other books, and I found the name of Muhammad, whom Allah bless and preserve, in the four books, namely the evangel, the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the Koran. So I believed in Muhammad and became a Muslima, being certain and assured that none is worship worthy, save Allah Almighty, and that to the Lord of all mankind no faith is acceptable, save that of us.

al-islam. Now when my lady-grandmother fell sick, she gave me this jewel and taught me its five virtues. Moreover, before she died, my father said to her, take thy tablets of geomancy, and throw a figure, and tell us the issue of my affair and what will befall me. And she foretold him that the far-off one should die, slain by the hand of a captive from Alexandria. So he swore to kill every prisoner from that place, and told the captain of this, saying, there is no help for it, but thou fall in the ships of the Muslims and seize them, and whomesoever thou findest of Alexandria, kill him or bring him to me. The captain did his bidding, until he had slain as many in number as the hairs of his head.

Then my grandmother died, and I took a geomantic tablet, being minded and determined to know the future, and I said to myself, let me see who will wed me. whereupon I threw a figure and found that none should be my husband, save one called Allah al-Din Abu al-Shammat, the trusty, the faithful. At this I marvelled, and waited till the times were accomplished, and I foregathered with thee. So Allah al-Din took her to wife, and said to her, I desire to return to my own country. Will she, if it be so, rise up and come with me?

Then she took him, and, hiding him in a closet of her palace, went into her father, who said to her, Oh, my daughter, my heart is exceeding heavy this day. Sit down, and let us make merry with wine, I and thou. So she sat down with him, and he called for a table of wine, and she plied him till he lost his wits, when she drugged a cup with bung and he drank it off, and fell upon his back.

Then she brought Allah al-Din out of the closet, and said to him, come, verily thine enemy lieth prostrate, for I made him drunk, and I drugged him, so do thou with him as thou wilt. Accordingly, Allah al-Din went to the king, and, finding him lying, drugged and helpless, pinioned him fast, and manacled and fettered him with chains. Then he gave him the counter-drug, and he came to himself. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and sixty-ninth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Allah al-Din gave the antidote of Bun to the king Johanna,

father of Husun Mariam, and he came to himself, and found Allah al-Din and his daughter sitting on his breast. So he said to her, Oh, my daughter, dost thou deal thus with me? She answered, If I be indeed thy daughter, become a Muslim, even as I become, a Muslimat, for the truth was shown to me and I attested it, and the false, and I deserted it. I have submitted myself and to Allah, the Lord of the three worlds, and impure of all faiths contrary to that of al-Islam in this world and in the next world. Wherefore, if thou wilt become a Muslim, well and good, if not, thy death were better than thy life.

Al-Aldin also exhorted him to embrace the true faith, but he refused and was contumacious. So, Allah al-Aardine drew a dagger and cut his throat from ear to ear. Then he wrote a scroll, setting forth what had happened, and laid it on the brow of the dead, after which they took what was light of load and weighty of worth, and turned from the palace, and returned to the church. Here the princess drew forth the jewel, and, placing her hand upon the facet, where it, rubbed it, and behold a couch appeared before her, and she mounted upon it with Allah al-Din and his wife Zubaydah the lootist, saying, I conjure thee by the virtue of the names and talismans and caracts engraved on this jewel.

Rise up with us, O couch! And it rose with them into the air and flew, till it came to a wadi, wholly bear of growth, when the princess turned earthwards the facet on which the couch was figured, and it sank with them to the ground. Then she turned up the face whereon was fashioned a pavilion, and tapping it, said, Let a pavilion be pitched in this valley. And there appeared a pavilion, wherein they seated themselves.

Now this wadi was a desert waste, without grass or water. So she turned a third face of the jewel towards the sky, and said, By the virtue of the names of Allah, let trees up grow here, and a river flow beside them. And forthwith trees sprang up, and by the virtue of the name of Allah, and by the virtue of the names of Allah, let trees up sprang up, and by their side ran a river plashing and dashing. They made ablution, and prayed, and drank of the stream, after which the princess turned up the three other facets, till she came to the fourth, whereon was portrayed a table of good, and said, By the virtue of the names of Allah, let the table be spread.

And behold, there appeared before them a table, spread with all manner of rich meats, and they ate and drank, and made merry and were full of joy. Such was their case. But as regards Hus and Mariam's father, his son went in to waken him and found him slain, and seeing Al-Din's scroll took it and read it, and readily understood it. Then he sought his sister, and finding her not, betook himself to the old woman in the church, of whom he inquired for her, but she said, Since yesterday I have not seen her. So he returned to the troops and cried out, saying, To horse ye horsemen! Then he told them what had to have. happened, so they mounted and rode after the fugitives, till they drew near the pavilion.

Presently Hus and Mariam arose, and looked up, and saw a cloud of dust which spread till it walled the view. Then it lifted and flew, and lo stood disclosed to her brother and his troops, crying aloud, Whither will ye fly and we on your track? Then, said she to Allah al-Din, are thy feet firm in fight? He replied, even as the stake in bran, I know. No, not war nor battle, nor swords nor spears. So she pulled out the jewel and rubbed the fifth face, that on which were graven a horse and his rider. And behold, straightway a cavalier appeared out of the desert,

and ceased not to do battle with the pursuing host, and smite them with his sword, till he routed them and put them to flight. And the princess asked Allah al-Din, "'Will thou go to Cairo or to Alexandria?' And he answered, to Alexandria. So they mounted the couch, and she pronounced over it the conjuration, whereupon it set off with them, and in the twinkling of an eye, brought them to Alexandria.

They alighted without the city, and Allah al-Din hid the women in a cavern, whilst he went into Alexandria and fetched them out her clothing, wherewith he covered them. Then he carried them to his shop, and, leaving them in the ben, walked forth to fetch them the morning meal. And behold, he met Kalamati Ahmad, who chanced to be coming from Baghdad. He saw him in the street, and received him with open arms, saluting him and welcoming him. Whereupon Ahmed al-Danaf gave him the good news of his son Azlan, and how he was now come to the age of twenty,

and Allah al-Din in his turn told the captain of the guard all that had befallen him from first to last, whereat he marveled with exceeding marvel. Then he brought him to his shop and sitting-room, where they passed the night. And next day he sold his place of business and laid its price with other monies. Now Ahmed al-Danaf had told him

that the Caliph sought him, but he said, I am bound first for Cairo to salute my father and mother and the people of my house. So they all mounted the couch and it carried them to Cairo the God-guarded, and here they alighted in the street called Yellow,

where stood the house of Shams'aldin. Then Allah al-Din knocked at the door, door and his mother said, who is at the door, now that we have lost our beloved for evermore? He replied, Tizai, Allah al-Din, whereupon they came down and embraced him. Then he sent his wives and baggage into the house, and entering himself with Ahmed al-Danaf, rested there three days, after which he was minded to set out for Baghdad. His father said, abide with me, oh, my son. But he answered, I cannot bear to be parted from my child.

Azlan. So he took his father and mother and fared forth for Baghdad. Now when they came thither, Ahmed al-Danaf went into the caliph and gave him the glad tidings of Allah Al-Din's arrival, and told him the story, whereupon the king went forth to greet him, taking the youth Aslan, and they met and embraced each other. Then the commander of the faithful summoned the arch thief Ahmed Kamakim, and said to Al-Aldin, Up and at thy foe! So he drew up. He drew up. So he drew his sword and smote off Ahmad Khmerkim's head. Then the Caliph held festival for Allah al-Din, and, summoning the kazis and witnesses, wrote the contract and married him to the princess Husun Mariam, and he went in unto her and found her an unpierced pearl. Moreover, the caliph

made Azlan chief of the sixty, and bestowed upon him and his father's sumptuous dresses of honor, and they abode in the enjoyment of all joys and joyance of life, till there came to them the destroyer of delights and the sunderer of societies. But the tales of generous men are manifold, and amongst them is the story of Hatim of the tribe of Tai. It is told of Hatim of the tribe of Tai that when he died they buried him on the top of a mountain, and set over his grave two troughs, hewn out of two rocks, and stone girls with disheveled hair. At the foot of the hill was a stream of running water, and when wayfarers camped there, they heard loud crying and keening in the night, from dark till daybreak, but when they arose in the morning, they found nothing but the girls

carved in stone. Now when Zul Kuraa, king of Himyar, going forth of his tribe, came to that valley, he halted to pass the night there. And Shahrazadazad perceived, the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. Burton. Section 11, 270th night to 272nd night. When it was the 270th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when Zulukuraah passed by the valley, he righted there, and when he drew near the mountain, he heard the keening and said, What lamenting is that on yonder hill?

They answered him, saying, Verily, this be the tune of Hatim Altaic. over which are two troughs of stone and stone figures of girls with disheveled hair, and all who camp in this place by night hear this crying and keening. So he said jestingly, O Hatim of Thai, we are thy guests this night, and we are lank with hunger. Then sleep overcame him, but presently he woke in a fright and cried out, saying, Help, O Arabs, look to my beast! So they came to him, and finding his shepherds,

she-cammle struggling and struck down. They stabbed her in the throat and roasted her flesh, and ate. Then they asked him what had happened, and he said, when I closed my eyes, I saw in my sleep Khatim of Thai, who came to me sword in hand and cried, thou comest to us and we have nothing by us. Then he smote my she-cammel with his sword, and she had surely died, even though he had not come to her and slaughtered her. Now when morning dawned, the king-mast, the king-mast. mounted the beast of one of his companions, and, taking the owner up behind him, set out and fared on till midday, when they saw a man coming towards them, mounted on a camel and leading another, and said to him, Who art thou? He answered, I am Adi, son of Hattim of Thai.

Where is Zulukuraa, emir of Himyar? replied they, this is he. And he said to the prince, take this she-camel in place of thy beast, which my father slaughtered for thee. Asked Zulukuraa, who told thee of this? And Adi answered, My father appeared to me in a dream last night, and said to me, Hark ye Adi, Zulukuraa, king of Himyar, sought the guest-ride of me, and I, having not to give him, slaughtered his she-cammel that he might eat. So do thou carry him a she-cammel to ride, for I have nothing. Anzulukura took her, marvelling at the generosity of Khatim of Thai, alive and dead.

And amongst instances of generosity is the tale of Ma'an the son of Zaida. It is told of Ma'an bin Zaida, that, being out one day a chasing and a hunting, he became a thirst, but his men had no water with them. And while thus suffering, behold, three damsels met him, bare and, three skins of water, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and seventy-first night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that three girls met him, bearing three skins of water. So he begged drink of them, and they gave him to drink. Then he sought of his men somewhat to give the damsels, but they had no money.

so he presented to each girl ten golden piled arrows from his quiver whereupon quoth one of them to her friend well a day these fashions pertain to none but ma'an bin so let each one of us say somewhat a verse in his praise then quoth the first he heads his arrows with piles of gold and while shooting his foes in his bounty dold affording the wounded a means of cure and a sheet for the bider beneath the mould and quoth the second a warrior showing such open hand his boons all friends and all foes enfold the piles of his arrows of ore are made so that battle his bounty may not withhold and quoth the third from that liberal hand on his foes he reigns shafts orate-headed and manifold wherewith the hurt shall chyrigan pay and for slain the shrouds round their corpses rolled and there is also told a tale of ma'an son of zaidah and the badawi now ma'an bin zaidah went forth one day to the chase with his company and they came upon a herd of gazelles so they separated in pursuit and ma'an was left alone to chase one of them when he had made prize of it he alighted and slaughtered it and as he was thus engaged he espied a person coming forth out of the desert on an ass so he remounted and riding up to the newcomers saluted him and asked him, "'Wence comest thou?' Quoth he,

"'I come from the land of Cusa'a, "'where we have had a two years dearth, "'but this year it was a season of plenty, "'and I sowed early cucumbers. "'They came up before their time, "'so I gathered what seemed the best of them, "'and set out to carry them to the emir Ma'an bin Zaidah, "'because of his well-known beneficence and notorious munificence.

"'Asked Ma'an, "'how much dost thou hope to get of him?' "'And the Badawiyaoian, answered a thousand dinars quoth the emir what if he say this is too much said the Badawi then i will ask five hundred dinars and if he say too much then 300 and if he say yet too much then 200 and if he say yet too much then 100 and if he say yet too much then 50 and if he say yet too much much, then fifty. And if he say yet, too much, then thirty. And if he say still too much, asked Ma'an bin Zaidan, and said the Badawi, I will make my ass, set his four feet in his

honour's home and return to my people, disappointed and empty-handed. So Ma'an laughed at him, and urged his steed till he came up with his suite and returned to his palace, when he said to his Chamberlain, and there come to thee a man with cucumbers and riding on an ass, admit him to me. Presently up came the Badawi, and was admitted to Ma'an's presence. But he knew not the emir for the man he had met in the desert, by reason of the gravity and majesty of his semblance, and the multitude of his eunuchs and attendance, for he was seated on his chair of state, with his officers ranged in lines before him and on either side. So he saluted him, and Ma'an said to him,

What bringeth thee, O brother of the Arabs? Answered the Badawi, I hoped in the Emir, and had brought him curly cucumbers out of season. Asked Ma'an, and how much dost thou expect of us? A thousand dinars, answered the Badawi. That is far too much, quoth Ma'er. Quoth he, five hundred. too much then 300 too much 200 200 too much

100 100 too much 50 too much at last the Badawi came down to 30 dinars but man still replied too much so the Badawi cried by Allah the man who met me in the desert brought me bad luck, but I will not go lower than thirty dinars. The emir laughed and said nothing, whereupon the wild Arab knew that it was he whom he had met, and said, O my lord, except thou bring the thirty dinars, see ye, there is an ass-tide ready at the door, and here sits Ma'an his honour at home. So Ma'an laughed till he fell on his back, and calling his steward, said to him, Give him a thousand dinars, and five hundred, and three, and two hundred and one hundred and fifty and thirty and leave the ass tied up where he is so the arab to his amazement received two thousand one hundred and eighty dinars and allah have mercy on them both and on all generous men

and i have also heard o auspicious king a tale of the city of lubtite there was once a royal city in the land of called the city of lebtite wherein stood a tower which was always shut and whenever a king died and another king of the Greeks took the kingship after him he set on the tower a new and strong lock till there were four and twenty locks upon the gate according to the number of the kings after this time there came to the throne a man who was not of the old royal house and he had a mind to open these locks, that he might see what was within the tower. The grand ease of his kingdom forbade him this, impressed him to desist and reproved him and blamed him. But he persisted, saying, Needs must this place be opened. Then they offered him all that their hands possessed

of monies and treasures and things of price, if he would but refrain. Still he would not be balked. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying, her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and seventy-second night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the grandees offered the king all their hands possessed of monies and treasures, if he would but refrain. Still he would not be balked, and said,

There is no help for it, but I open this tower. So he pulled off the locks, and entering, found within the tower, figures of Arabs on their horses and camels, habited in turbans, hanging down at the ends, with swords in Baldrick belts thrown over their shoulders and bearing long lances in their hands. He found there also a scroll, which he greedily took and read,

and these words were written therein, When, as this door is opened, will conquer this country a raid of the Arabs, after the likeness of the figures here depicted, wherefore beware and again beware of opening it. Now this city was in Andalusia, and that very year, Tariq I'm Ziyad conquered it during the caliphate of Al-Walid son of Abd al-Malik,

of the sons of Umayah, and slew the king after the sorriest fashion, and sacked the city, and made prisoners of the women and boys therein and got great loot. Moreover, he found their immense treasures, amongst the rest more than an hundred and seventy crowns of pearls and jacinths and other gems of price and he found a saloon wherein horsemen might throw the spears full of vessels of gold and silver such as no description can comprise moreover he found there a table of food for the prophet of allah solomon son of david peace with both of them which is extant even now in a city of the greeks it is told that it was of grass green emerald, with vessels of gold and platters of jasper. Likewise, he found the psalms

written in the old Ionian characters, on leaves of gold bezzled with jewels, together with a book setting forth the properties of stones and herbs and minerals, as well as the use of characters and talismans, and the canons of the art of alchemy. And he found a third volume, which treated of the art of cutting and setting rubies and other precious stones, and of the preparation of poisons and theriacs. There found he also a mapamundi, figuring the earth and the seas and the different cities and countries and villages of the world, and he found a vast saloon full of hermetic powder, one drachem of which elixir would turn a thousand drachms of silver into fine gold. Likewise a marvellous mirror great and round of mixed metals which had been

made for Solomon, son of David, on the twainby piece. wherein whoso looked might see the counterfeit presentment of the seven climates of the world, and he veiled a chamber full of brahmani jassence, for which no words can suffice. So he dispatched all these things to Walid bin Abd al-Malik, and the Arabs spread all over the cities of Andalusia, which is one of the finest of lands. This is the end of the story of the city of Labdite. And a tale is also told of the Caliph Hisham and the Arab youth.

The Caliph Hisham bin Abd al-Malik bin Marwan was hunting one day when he sighted an antelope and pursued it with his dogs. As he was following the quarry, he saw an Arab youth pasturing sheep and said to him, Oh boy, up and after yonder antelope, for it to escape with me! The youth raised his head to him and replied, "'Oh, ignorant of what to the deserving is due, "'thou lookest on me with disdain,

"'and speakest to me with contempt. "'Thie speaking is that of a tyrant true, "'and thy doing what an ass would do.' "'Quoth he sham, "'woe to thee! "'Dost thou not know me?' "'Rejoined the youth. "'Verely thine unmannaliness

"'h hath made thee known to me, "'in that thou spakest to me, "'without beginning by the salutation.' "'Repeated the caliph, "'Fie upon thee! I am Hisham bin Abd al-Mal-Malek!' "'May Allah not favour thy dwelling-place,' replied the Arab, "'nor guard thine abiding-place. How many of thy words, and how few thy generous deeds!' Hardly, Eddie ended speaking, when up came the troop from all sides and surrounded him,

as the white encircleth the black of the eye, all and each saying, Peace be with thee, O commander of the faithful. Quoth Hisham, Cut short this talk and seize me yonder boy. So they laid hands on him, And when he saw the multitude of chamberlains, And wazirs and lords of state,

He was in no wise concerned, And questioned not of them, But let his chin drop on his breast, And looked where his feet fell, Till they brought him to the Caliph, Where he stood before him, with head bowed groundwards, and saluted him not, and spoke him not. So one of the eunuchs said to him,

O dog of the Arabs, what hindereth thy saluting the commander of the faithful? The youth turned to him angrily, and replied, Oh, pack-saddle of an ass! It was the length of the way that hindered me from this, and the steepness of the steps, and the profuseness of my sweat. Then, said he shum, and indeed he was exceeding wrath, O boy, verily thy days are come to their latest hour. Thy hope is gone from thee and thy life is passed out of thee.

He answered, By Allah, O Hisham, Verily, and my life term be prolonged, And fate ordain not its cutting short. Thy words irk me not, be they long or short. Then said the chief Chamberlain to him, Doth it befit thy degree, O vilest of the Arabs, to bandy words with the commander of the faithful?

He answered promptly, Mayest thou meet with adversity, And may woe and wailing never leave thee. Has thou not heard the saying of Almighty Allah? One day every soul shall come to defend itself. Hereupon Heisham rose in great wrath, And said, O headsman, bring me the head of this lad,

For indeed he exceedeth in talk, such as passeth conception. So the sorter took him, and, making him kneel in the carpet of blood, drew his sword above him and said to the Caliph, O commander of the faithful, this thy slave is misguided, and is on the way to his grave.

Shall I smite off his head and be quit of his blood? Yes, replied he shun. He repeated his question, and the caliph again answered in the affirmative. Then he asked leave a third time. And the youth, knowing that if the Caliph assented, yet once more, it would be the signal of his death, laughed till his wisdom teeth showed, whereupon Heisham's wrath redoubled, and he said to him, Oh boy, me seems thou art mad, seeest thou not that thou art about to depart the world?

Why then dost thou laugh in mockery of thyself? He replied, O commander of the faithful, if a larger life-term before me, none can hurt me. great or small. But I have bethought me of some couplets, which do thou hear, for my death cannot escape thee. Quoth Hisham, say on, and be brief. So the Arab repeated these couplets. It happened one day a hawk pounced on a bird, a wildling sparrow driven by destiny, and held in pounces spake the sparrow thus. In as the hawk rose-ready, home to high, Scant flesh have I to fill the maw of thee, and for thy lordly food, poor morsel I. Then smiled the hawk in flattered vanity, and pride, so set the sparrow free to fly.

At this Hisham smiled, and said, By the truth of my kinship to the apostle of Allah, whom Allah bless and keep, had he spoken this speech at first announced wrought but the caliphase, verily I would have given it to him. Stuff his mouth with jewels, O eunuch, and treat him courteously. So they did as he bad them, and the Arab went his way. And amongst pleasant tales is that of Ibrahim bin Al-Mahdi and the barber-surgeon. They relate that Ibrahim, son of Al-Mhdi, brother of Harun al-Rashid,

when the caliphate devolved to Al-Maamun, the son of his brother Harun, refused to acknowledge his nephew, and betook himself to Arai, where he claimed the throne and abode thus a year and eleven months and twelve days. Meanwhile, his nephew, Al-ma-amun, awaited his return to allegiance, and is accepting a dependent position, till, at last, despairing of this, he mounted with his horsemen and footmen, and repaired to Ra'i in quest of him. Now when the news came to Ibrahim, he found nothing for it but to flee to Baghdad and hide there, fearing for his life, and Mamun set a price of a hundred thousand gold pieces upon his head to be paid to whoso might betray him. Quoth Ibrahim, when I heard of this price I feared for my head. And Shaharazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. End of Section 11. recording by griffin section 12 of the book of a thousand nights and a night volume four by anonymous this is a libravox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox dot org recording by griffin

the book of a thousand nights and a night volume four translated by richard burton section twelve two hundred and seventy-third night to two hundred and seventy-fifth night When it was the two hundred and seventy-third night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Ibrahim continued. Now, when I heard of this price, I feared for my head and knew not what to do, so I went forth of my house in disguise at midday, knowing not whither I should go. Presently I entered a broad street, which was no thoroughfare, and said in my mind, Verily, we are Allah's, and unto him we are returning. I have exposed my life to destruction.

If I retrace my steps, I shall arouse suspicion. Then, being still in disguise, I espy at the upper end of the street, a negro slave standing at his door. So I went up to him, and said to him, Has thou a place where I may abide for an hour of the day? Yes, answered he, and opening the door admitted me into a decent house. house, furnished with carpets and mats and cushions of leather. Then he shut the door on me and went away, and I misdoubted me, he had heard of the reward

offered for me, and said to myself, he hath gone to inform against me. But as I sat pondering my case, and oiling like a cauldron over fire, behold, my host came back, accompanied by a porter, loaded with bread and meat and new cooking-pots and gear, and a new jar, and new gugglets, and other needfuls. He made the porter, set them down, and, dismissing him, said to me, I offer my life for thy ransom. I am a barber-surgeon, and I know it would disgust thee to eat with me, because of the way in which I get my livelihood.

So do thou shift for thyself, and do what thou please with these things, whereon no hand hath fallen. Quoth I am, now I was in sore need of food, so I cooked me a pot of meat, who is like I remember not ever to have eaten. And, when I had satisfied my want, he said to me, O my lord Allah make me thy ransom, art thou for wine? For indeed it gladdeneth the soul, and doeth away care. I have no dislike of it, replied I, being desirous of the barber's company. So he brought me new flaggons of glass, which no hand had touched, and a jar of excellent wine,

and said to me, strain for thyself to thy liking. whereupon I cleared the wine and mixed me a most delectable draught. Then he brought me a new cup, and fruits and flowers, and new vessels of earthenware, after which he said to me, wilt thou give me leave to sit apart, drink of my own wine by myself, of my joy in thee and for thee? Do so, answered I. So I drank, and he drank, till the wine began to take effect upon us.

When the barber rose, and going to a closet, took out a lute of polished wood, and said to me, O my lord, it is not for the like of me to ask the like of thee to sing, but it behooveth thine exceeding generosity to render my respect its due. So, if thou see fit to honour thy slave, thine is the high decision. Quoth I, and indeed I thought not that he knew me, how knowest thou that I excel in song? He replied,

glory be to Allah, our lord is too well renowned for that. Thou art my lord Ibrahim, son of Al-Mahdi, our caliph of yesterday, he on whose head Al-Mamun hath set a price of an hundred thousand dinars to be paid to thy betrayer, but thou art in safety with me. Quoth Ibrahim, when I heard him say this, he was magnified in my eyes, and his loyalty and noble nature were certified to me. So I complied with his wish, and took the lute, and tuned it, and sang. Then I bethought me of my severance from my children and my family,

And I began to say, Belike who Yusuf to his kin restored and honoured him in jail, a captive white, May grant our prayer to reunite our lots, For Allah, Lord of worlds hath all of might. When the barber heard this, exceeding joy took possession of him, and he was of great good cheer, for it is said that when Ibrahim's neighbours heard him only sing, Ho-boys saddle the mule, they were filled with the light.

Then, being overborne by mirth, he said to me, O my lord, wilt thou give me leave to say what has come to my mind, albeit I am not of the folk of this craft. I answered, do so, this is of thy great courtesy and kindness. So he took the lute, and sang thee, verses. To our beloveds we moaned our length of night, quoth they, how short the knights that us benight, tis for that sleep like hood invails their eyes, right soon but from our eyes is fair a flight. When night falls, dread and drear to those who love, we mourn

they joy to see departing light. Had they but dread the weird the bitter dole we drear, their beds like ours had bred them blight quoth ibrahim so i said to him by allah thou hast shown me a kindness o my friend and has done away from me the pangs of sorrow let me hear more trifles of thy fashion so he sang these couplets when man keeps honour bright without a stain pear sits whatever robe to robe he's fain she jeered at me because so few we are quoth i There's ever dearth of noble men. Not irks us, we are few, While neighbor tribes count many, Neighbors oft are base-born strain. We are a clan which holds not death reproach,

Which Amir and Samu hold illest bane. Lead us our love of death to fated end. They hate that ending and delay would gain. We to our neighbor's speech I give the lie, But when we speak, none dare give lie again. quoth ibrahim when i heard these lines i was filled with huge delight and marvelled with exceeding marvel then i slept and awoke not till past nightfall when i washed my face with a mindful of the high worth of this barber surgeon and his passing courtesy after which i wakened him and taking out a purse i had by me containing a number of gold pieces threw it to him saying i commend thee to allah for i am about to go forth from thee and pray thee to expend what is in this purse on thine requirements,

and thou shalt have an abounding reward of me when I am quit of my fear. Quoth Ibrahim, but he resumed the bag to me, saying, O my lord, paupers like myself, are of no value in thine eyes, but how, with due respect to my own generosity, can I take a price for the boon which fortune hath vouchsafed me of thy favour, and thy visit to my poor abode? nay if thou repeat thy words and throw the purse to me again i will slay myself so i put in my sleeve the purse whose weight was irksome to me and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and seventy-fourth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that ibrahim son of valmahdi continued so i put in my sleeve the purse whose weight was

irksome to me, and turned to depart. But when I came to the house-door he said, O my lord, of a truth, this is a safer hiding-place for thee than any other, and thy keep is no burden to me. So do thou abide with me, till Allah be pleased grant thee relief. Accordingly, I turned back, saying, on condition that thou spend of the money in this purse. He made me think that he consented to this arrangement, and I abode with him some days, in the utmost comfort. But, perceiving that he spent none of the contents of the purse, I revolted at the idea of abiding at his charge,

and thought it shamed to be a burthen on him. So I left the house, disguised in women's apparel, donning short yellow walking boots and a veil. Now, as soon as I found myself in the street, I was seized with excessive fear, and going to pass the bridge, behold, I came to a place sprinkled with water, where a trooper, who had been in my service, looked at me, and, knowing me, cried out, saying,

This is he whom Alma Amun wanteth! Then he laid hold of me, but the love of sweet life lent me strength, and I gave him and his horse a push which threw them down in that slippery place, so that he became an example to those who will take example, and the folk hastened to him. Meanwhile, I hurried my pace over the bridge and entered a main street, where I saw the door of a house open, and a woman standing upon the threshold. So I said to her, O my lady, have pity on me and save my life, for I am a man in fear.

Will she enter and welcome, and carried me into an upper dining-room, where she spread me a bed and brought me food, saying, calm thy fear, for not a soul shall know of thee. As she spoke, lo, there came a loud knocking at the door, So she went and opened, and suddenly my friend, whom I had thrown down on the bridge, appeared with his head bound up, the blood running down upon his clothes and without his horse. She asked, O so-and-so, what accident hath befallen thee?

And he answered, I made prize of the young man whom the caliph seeketh, and he escaped from me, whereon he told her the whole story. So she brought out tinder, and, putting it into a piece of rag bandaged his head, after which she spread him abed, and he lay sick. Then she came up to me and said, Methinks thou art the young man in question? Even so, answered I, And she said,

Fear not, no harm shall befall thee, And redoubled in kindness to me. So I tarried with her three days, At the end of which time, she said to me, I am in fear for thee, lest yonder man happen upon thee, and betray thee to what thou dreadest. So save thyself by flight. I besought her to let me stay till nightfall,

and she said, There is no harm in that. So when the night came, I put on my woman's gear, and betook me into the house of a freedwoman, who had once been our slave. When she saw me, she wept and made a show of afflick, and praised Almighty Allah for my safety. Then she went forth, as if she would go to market, intent on hospitable thoughts. And I fancied all was right.

But, ere long, suddenly I espied Ibrahim al-Mosili for the house, amongst his troopers and servants, and led by a woman on foot, and, looking narrowly at her, behold, she was the freed woman, the mistress of the house, wherein I had taken refuge. So she delivered me into their hands, and I saw death, face to face. They carried me in my woman's attire to Al-Mamun, who called a general counsel, and had me brought before him. When I entered I saluted him by the title of Caliph, saying, Peace be on thee, O commander of the faithful, and he replied, Allah give thee neither peace nor

long life. I rejoined, according to thy good pleasure, O commander of the faithful, it is for the claimant of blood revenge, to decree punishment or pardon. But mercy is nigher to piety, and Allah hath set thy pardon above all other pardon, even as he made my sin to excel all other sin. So, if thou punish, it is of thine equity, and if thou pardon, it is of thy bounty.

And I repeated these couplets. My sinned thee is great, but greater thy degree. So take revenge, or else remit in clemency. And I in deeds have not been generous, generous be. Quoth Ibrahim, at this Almamun raised his head to me, And I hasten to add these two couplets. I have sinned enormous sin, but pardon in thee lies. If pardon thou tis grace, justice and thou chastise.

Then Almaum bowed his head and repeated, I am, when friend would raise a rage that moat makes spittle choked me sticking in my throat, his partner, and pardon his offence, fearing lest I should live a friend without. Quoth Ibrahim, now when I heard these words I scented mercy, knowing his disposition to clemency. Then he turned to his son, al-Abas, and his brother Abu Ishaq,

and all his chief officers there present, and said to them, What deem ye of his case? They all counselled him to do me dead, but they differed as to the manner of my death. Then said he to his wazir Ahmad bin al-Khalid, And what sayest thou, O Ahmad? He answered,

O commander of the faithful, and thou slay him, we find the like of thee who hath slain the like of him. But, and thou pardon him, we find not the like of thee that hath pardoned the like of him. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and seventy-fifth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when al-Mal-Mun, prince of the faithful, heard the word, of Ahmad bin al-halid, he bowed his head and began repeating, My tribe have slain that brother mine, Umayim, yet would shoot back what shafts at them I aim.

If I deal pardon, noble pardon tis, and if I shoot, my bones to a lonely mane. And he also recited, Be mild to brother mingling what is wrong with what is right. Kindness to him continue, whether good or graceless white. Abstain from all reproaching, And he joy or vex thy sprite. Seest not that what thou lovest, And what hateest, go unite? That joys of longer lifetide ever fade with hair turned white, That thorns on branches growing, For the plucked fruit catch thy sight?

Who never hath done evil, doing good for sole delight? When tried, the sons of worldliness, they mostly work upright. Quoth Ibrahim, Now when I heard these couplets, I withdrew my woman's veil from my head and cried out with my loudest voice. Allah is most great! By Allah the commander of the faithful, pardoneth me! Quoth he, no harm shall come to thee, O uncle. And I rejoined, O commander of the faithful, my sin is too sore for me to excuse it, and thy mercy is too much for me to speak thanks for it and i chanted these couplets to a lively motive who made all graces all collected he in adam's loins our seventh imam

for thee thou hast the hearts of men with reverence filled in guarding all with heart humility rebelled i never by delusion whelmed for object other than thy clemency and thou hast pardoned me whose like was ne'er pardoned before though no man pled might lee hast pitied little ones like katah's young in mother's yearning heart a son to sea quoth ma'un i say following our lord Lord Yosef, on whom and on our prophet be blessing and peace, let there be no reproach cast on you this day. Allah forgiveth you, for he is the most merciful of those who show mercy. Indeed, I pardon thee, and restore to thee thy goods and lands. O uncle, and no harm shall befall thee. So I offered up devout prayers for him, and repeated these couplets.

Thou hast restored my wealth, Sands greed, And ere so didst, Thou deignest my blood to spare, Then, if I shed my blood and wealth to gain thy grace, Till even shun from foot I tear, T'were but repaying what thou lentest me, And what unloaned no man to blame would care, Were I ungrateful for thy lavish booms, baser than thou'rt beneficent I were? Then Alma-moon showed me honour and favour, and said to me, O uncle, Abu Ishak and al-Abas counselled me to put thee to death. So I answered, and they both counselled thee right, O commander of the faithful, but thou hast done after thine own nature, and has put away what I feared, with what I hoped.

Rejoined Alma-moon, O uncle, thou didst extinguish my rancour, with a modest, of thine excuse, and I have pardoned thee without making thee drink the bitterness of obligation to intercessors. Then he prostrated himself in prayer a long while, after which he raised his head, and said to me, O uncle, knowest thou why I prostrated myself? Answered I, happily, thou didst this in thanksgiving to Allah, for that he hath given thee the mastery over thine enemy. He replied,

such was not my design, but rather to thank Allah for having inspired me to pardon thee, and for having cleared my mind towards thee. Now tell me thy tale. So I told him all that had befallen me, with the barber, the trooper, and his wife, and with my freedwoman who had betrayed me. So he summoned the freedwoman, who was in her house, expecting the reward to be sent to her, and when she came before him he said to her, what moved thee to deal thus with thy lord quoth she lost of money asked the caliph hast thou a child or a husband and she answered no whereupon he bade them give her an hundred stripes with a whip and imprisoned her for life

then he sent for the trooper and his wife and the barber surgeon and asked the soldier what had moved him to do thus lust of money quoth he whereupon quoth the caliph it befitteth thee to be a barber cupper and committed him to one whom he charged to place him in a barber's shop where he might learn the craft but he showed honour to the trooper's wife and lodged her in his palace saying this is a woman of sound sense and fit for matters of moments. Then, said he to the barber cupper, Verily, thou hast shown worth and generosity which call for extraordinary honour. So he commanded the trooper's house, and all that was therein to be given him,

and bestowed on him a dress of honour, and in addition fifteen thousand dinars to be paid annually. And men tell the following tale, concerning, the city of many-columbed Iram and Abdullah son of Abhi Kilaba. It is related that Abdullah bin Abi Kilaba went forth in quest of a she-camel which had strayed from him, and as he was wandering in the deserts of Al-Yaman and the district of Sabah, behold, he came upon a great city, girt by a vast castle,

around which were palaces and pavilions that rose high into middle air. he made for the place thinking to find there folk of whom he might ask concerning his she-camel but when he reached it he found it desolate without a living soul in it so quoth he i alighted and hobbling my dromedary and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say end of section twelve recording by griffin Section 13 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton.

Section 13 276th night to 279th night. When it was the two hundred and seventy-sixth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That Abdullah bin Abi-Kilaba, continued, I dismounted, and hobbling my dromedary and composing my mind, Entered into the city. Now when I came to the castle,

I found it had two vast gates, Never in the world was seen there like for size height, inlaid with all manners of jewels and jacinths, white and red, yellow and green. Beholding this, I marvelled with great marvel, and thought the case mighty wondrous. Then, entering the citadel in a flutter of fear and dazed with surprise and affright,

I found it long and wide, about equaling Al-Madina in point of size, and therein were lofty palaces laid out in pavilions, all built of gold and silver, and inlaid with many colored jewels and jacinths, and chrysalites and pearls. and the door-leaves in the pavilions were like those of the castle for beauty, and their floors were strewn with great pearls and balls, no smaller than hazelnuts,

of musk and ambergris and saffron. Now when I came within the heart of the city and saw therein no created beings of the sons of Adam, I was near swooning and dying for fear. Moreover, I looked down from the great roofs of the pavilion chambers and their balconies, and saw rivers running under them, and in the main streets, were fruit-laden trees and tall palms, and the manner of their building was one brick of gold and one of silver. So I said in myself, doubtless, this is the paradise promised for the world to come. Then I loaded me with jewels of its gravel and the musk of its dust as much as I could carry,

and returned to my own country, where I told the folk what I had seen. After a time the news reached Muawiyah, son of Abu Sufyan, who was then Caliph in Al-Hijidhi. jazz. So he wrote to his lieutenant in Sana'a of Al-Iaman to send for the teller of the story and question him of the truth of the case. Accordingly, the lieutenant summoned me and questioned me of my adventure and of all appertaining to it, and I told him what I had seen. Whereupon he dispatched me to Muawiya, before whom I repeated the story of the strange sights, but he would not credit it. So I brought out to him some of the pearls and balls of musk and ambergris and saffron, in which latter there was still some sweet savour, but the pearls were grown yellow and

had lost pearly colour. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and seventy-seventh night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Abdullah, son of Abu Kalaba, continued, but the pearls were grown yellow and had lost pearly color. Now Muawiyah wondered at this, and sending for Ka'ab al-Aub, bar said to him, O Ka'ab, I have sent for thee to ascertain the truth of a certain matter, and hoped that thou wilt be able to certify me thereof. Asked Kaab, what is it, O commander of the faithful? And Muawiya answered, Whatest thou of any city founded by man, which is builded of gold and silver,

the pillars whereof are chrysolite and rubies, and its gravel pearls, and balls of musk, and ambergris, and saffron? He replied, Yes, O commander of the faithful, This is Iram, with pillars decked and dight, The like of which was never made in the lands, And the builder was Shadad, son of Aad the Greater. Quote the Caliph, tell us something of its history, and Kaab said,

Ad the greater had two sons, Shadidid and Shad, Who, when their father died, ruled conjointly in his stead, And there was no king of the kings of the earth but was subject to them. them. After a while, Shadid died, and his brother Shadad reigned over the earth alone. Now he was fond of reading in antique books, and happening upon the description of the world to come and of paradise with its pavilions and galleries and trees and fruits and so forth, his soul moved him to build the like thereof in this world, after the fashion aforesaid. Now under his hand were and hundred thousand kings, each ruling over an hundred thousand chiefs, commanding each and hundred

thousand warriors. So he called these all before him and said to them, I find in ancient books and annals a description of paradise, as it is to be in the next world, and I desire to build me it's like in this world. Go ye forth, therefore, to the goodliest tract on earth and the most spacious, and build me there a city of gold and silver, whose gravel shall be chrysolite and rubies and pearls, and for support of its vaults make pillars of Jasper. Fill it with palaces, whereon ye shall set galleries and balconies, and plant its lanes and thoroughfares with all manner trees bearing yellow-ripe fruits, and make rivers to run through it in channels of gold and silver.

Whereat, said one and all, how are we able to do this thing thou hast commanded, and whence shall we get the chrysolites and rubies and pearls whereof thou speakest? Quoth he, What? "'Wee't ye not that the kings of the world are subject to me and under my hand, "'and that none therein dare gainsay my word?' "'Ansured they, "'Yes, we know that.'

"'And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. "'When it was the two hundred and seventy-eighth night,' she said, "'It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the liege is answered, "'Yes, we know that.' "'Whereupon the king rejoined, "'Fare ye then to the minds of chrysalis, lights and rubies and pearls, and gold and silver, and collect their produce, and gather together all of value that is in the world, and spare no pains, and leave not, and take also

for me such of these things as be in men's hands, and let nothing escape you, be diligent, and beware of disobedience. And thereupon he wrote letters to all the kings of the world, and bad them gather together what so of these things was in their subjects' hands, and get them to the minds of precious stones and medals, and bring forth all that was therein, and, and then, and then, and, and to the minds of precious stones, even from the abysses of the sea this they accomplished in the space of twenty years for the number of rulers then reigning over the earth was three hundred and sixty kings and shadd presently assembled from all lands and countries architects and engineers and men of art and laborers and handicraftsmen who dispersed over the world and explored all the wastes and words and tracts and holds at last they came to an uninhabited spot a vast and fair open plain clear of sand-hills and mountains, with founts flushing and rivers rushing, and they said,

This is the manor of place the king commanded us to seek and ordered us to find. So they busied themselves in building the city even as bad them shadd, king of the whole earth in its length and breadth, leading the fountains in channels and laying the foundations after the prescribed fashion. Moreover, all the kings of earth's several reigns sent thither jewels and precious stones and pearls large and small, and carnelian, and refined gold and virgin silver upon camels by land, and in great ships over the waters, and there came to the builder's hands of all these materials so great a quantity as may neither be told nor counted, nor conceived.

So they labored at the work three hundred years, and when they had brought it to end, they went to King Shadad and acquainted him therewith. Then said he, depart, and make thereon an impregnable castle, rising in towering, high in air, and build around at a thousand pavilions, each upon a thousand columns of chrysolite and ruby, and vaulted with gold, that in each pavilion a wazir may dwell. So they returned forthwith, and did this in other twenty years, after which they again presented themselves before King Shadad, and informed him of the accomplishment of his will. Then he commanded his wazirs, who were a thousand in number, and his chief officers, and such of his troops and others as he put trust in, to prepare for

departure and removal to many-columed iram in the sweet and at the stirrup of shadd son of odd king of the world and he bad also such as he would of his women and his harem and of his handmaids and eunuchs make them ready for the journey they spent twenty years in preparing for departure at the end of which time shadad set out with his host and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and seventy-ninth night she said to her said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Shad bin Ad fared forth, he and his host, rejoicing in the attainment of his desire, till there remained but one day's journey between him and Iram of the pillars. Then Allah sent down on him, and on the stubborn unbelievers with him, a mighty rushing sound from the heavens of his power, which destroyed them all with its vehement clamor, and neither Shadad nor any of his company set eyes on the city. Moreover, Allah blotted out the road which led to the city, and it stands in its stead

unchanged until the resurrection day and the hour of judgment. So Muawiyah wondered greatly at Ka'ab al-Abar's story, and said to him, Hath any mortal ever made his way to that city? He replied, Yes, one of the companions of Muhammad, on whom be blessing and peace, reached it, doubtless and for sure after the same fashion as this man here seated. And, quoth al-Shahabi, it is related on the authority of learned men of Himyar in Al-Iaman that Shad, when destroyed with all his host by the sound, was succeeded in his kingship by his son Shadad the less, whom he left vice-regent in Hazra Ma'ut and Sabah, when he and his marched upon

many-columed Iram. Now as soon as he heard of his father's death on the road, he caused his body to be brought back from the desert to Hazra Ma'ut, and bade them hew his hugh-haw-haw-hut. him out a tomb in a cave, where he laid the body on a throne of gold, and threw over the corpse three score and ten robes of cloth of gold, purified with precious stones. Lastly, at his sire's head he set up a tablet of gold whereon were graven these verses. Take warning, O proud, and in length of life vain, I'm Shaddod, son of Aad, of the fort's Castellane, lords of pillars and power, Lord of tried might and main, whom all earth sons obeyed

for my mischief and bane, and who held east and west in mine awfulest rain. He preached me salvation whom God did us say, but we crossed him and asked, Can no refuge be taken? When a cry on us cried from the horizon plain, and we fell on the field like the harvested grain, and the fixed day await, we in earth's bosom-lane. Al-Sa-Alibe also relatedeth, it chanced that two men once entered this cave, and found steps at its upper end, so they descended and came to an underground chamber, a hundred cubits long by forty wide and a hundred high. In the midst stood a throne of gold, whereon lay a man of huge bulk, filling the whole length and breadth of the throne. He was covered with jewels and raiment gold and silver rot. At his head was a tablet

of gold bearing an inscription, so they took the tablet and carried it off, together with as many bars of gold and silver and so forth as they could bear away. And men also relate the tale of Isaac of Mosul. Quoth Isaac of Mosul I went out one night from Al-Maamun's presence on my way to my house and being taken with a pressing need to make water, I turned aside

into a by-street and stood in the middle, fearing lest something might hurt me if I squatted against a wall. Presently I espied something hanging down from one of the houses, so I felt to find out what it might be and found that it was a great, four-handled basket, covered with brocade. said i to myself there must be some reason for this and knew not what to think then drunkenness led me to seat myself in the basket and behold the people of the house pulled me up thinking me to be the person they expected

now when i came to the top of the wall lo four damsels were there who said to me descend and welcome and joy to thee then one of them went before me with a wax candle and brought me down into a mansion wherein were furnished sitting-chambers whose like i have never seen, save in the palace of the Caliphate. So I sat down, and after a while the curtains were suddenly drawn from one side of the room, and behold, in came damsels walking in procession, and handing hand-lighted flambeau of wax and scentsers full of Sumatran alo's wood, and amongst them a young lady, as she were the rising full moon. So I stood up to her, and she said, Welcome to thee for a visitor. And then she made me sit down again, and asked me how I came thither.

Quoth I, I was returning home from the house of an intimate friend and went astray in the dark. Then, being taken in the street with an urgent call to make water, I turned aside into this lane where I found a basket let down. The strong wine which I had drunk led me to seat myself in it, and it was drawn up with me into this house, and this is my story. She rejoined, No harm shall befall thee, and I hope thou wilt have cause to praise the issue of thine adventure. Then she added, But what is thy condition? I said, A merchant in the Baghdad bazaar, and she, Canst thou repeat any verses? Some small matter, quoth I, quoth she, then call a few to mine, and let us hear some of them. But I said, A visitor is bashful and timid, do thou begin?

True, replied she, and recited some verses of the poets past and present, choosing their choicest pieces, and I listened, not knowing whether more to marvel at her beauty and loveliness, or at the charm of her style of declamation. Then said she, Is that bashfulness of thine gone? And I said, Yes, by Allah. So she rejoined, Then, if thou wilt, recite us somewhat. So I repeated to her a number of poems by old writers, And she replotted, saying, By Allah, I did not think to find such culture among the trade-folk, The sons of the bazaar. Then she called for food, whereupon quoth Shahrazad's sister Dunyazad, How pleasant is this tale, and enjoyable, and sweet to the ear and sound to the sense? But she answered,

And what is this story, compared with that which thou shalt hear on No morrow's night, if I be alive and the king deign spare me? Then Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 13 Section 14 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is the Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org.

The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 14, 280th night to 283rd night. When it was the 280th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Isaac of Mosel continued, then the damsel called for food and when it was served to her she fell to eating it and setting it before me and the sitting-room was full of all manner sweet-scented flowers and rare fruits such as are never found save in king's houses presently she called for wine and drank a cup after which she filled another and gave it to me saying now is the time for converse and story-telling so i bethought myself and began to say it hath reached me that such and such things happened and there was a man who said so-and-so till i had told her a number of pleasing tales and adventures with which she was delighted and cried tis marvellous that a merchant should bear in memory such store of stories like these for they are fit for kings quoth i i had a neighbour who used to consort with kings and carouse with them so when he was at leisure i visited his house and he hath often told me what thou hast heard thereupon she exclaimed by my life but thou hast a good memory

so we continued to converse thus and as often as i was silent she would begin till in this way we passed the most part of the night whilst the burning aloes wood diffused its fragrance and i was in such case that if alma amoon had suspected it he was in such case that if alma amoon had suspected it he was would have flown like a bird with longing for it. Then said she to me, Verily, thou art one of the most pleasant of men, polished, passing well-bred and polite, but there lacketh one thing. What is that, asked I, and she answered, If thou only knew how to sing verses to the lute! I answered, I was passionately fond of this art of foretime, but finding I had no taste for I abandoned it. Though at times my heart yearneth after it. Indeed, I should love to sing somewhat well at this moment, and fulfill my night's enjoyment. Then, said she,

Me seemeth thou hintest a wish for the lute to be brought? And I, It is thine to decide if thou wilt so far favor me, and to thee be the thanks. So she called for a lute, and sang a song in a voice whose like I never heard, both for sweetness of tone and skill in playing, and perfection of art. Then, said she, knowest thou who composed this air and whose are the words of this song? No, answered I, and she said, The words are so-and-so's, and the air is Isaac's.

I asked, and hath Isaac then, may I be thy sacrifice, such a talent? She replied, Bravo, Bravo, Isaac! Indeed, he excelleth in this art. I rejoined, Glory be to Allah who hath given this man what he hath vouchsafed unto none other. Then she said, And how would it be, and thou heard this song from himself? This wise we went on, till break of day dawn, when there came to her an old woman, as she were her nurse, and said to her, Verily, the time has come. So she rose in haste, and said to me, Keep what hath passed between us to thyself, for such meetings are in confidence, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of the day,

and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the 281st night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the damsel whispered, Keep what hath passed between us to thyself, for such meetings are in confidence, And I replied, May I be thy ransom, I needed no charge to this. Then I took leave of her, and she sent a handmaid to show me the way, and opened the house-door. So I went forth and returned to my own place, where I prayed the morning prayer and slept. Now after a time there came to me a messenger from Alma Amun, so I went to him and passed the day in his company.

And when the night fell I called to mind my yester-night's pleasure, a thing from which none but an ignoramus would abstain, and betook myself to the street where I found the basket, and seating myself therein, was drawn up to the place in which I had passed the previous night. When the lady saw me she said, Indeed thou hast been assiduous, and I answered, me seemeth rather that I am neglectful. Then we fell to discoursing, and passed the night as before in general conversation, and reciting verses, and telling rare tales, each in turn, till daybreak when I wended me home, and I prayed the dawn-prayer, and slept. Presently there came to me a messenger from Alma a moon, so I went to him and spent my day with him till nightfall, when the commander of the faithful said to me,

I conjure thee to sit here whilst I go out for a want and come back. as soon as the caliph was gone and quite gone my thoughts began to tempt and try me and calling to mind my late delight i wrecked little what might befall me from the prince of true believers so i sprang up and turning my back upon the sitting-room ran to the street aforesaid where i sat down in the basket and was drawn up as before When the lady saw me, she said, I begin to think thou art a sincere friend to us, Quoth I, yea, by Allah, and quoth she, hast thou made our house thine abiding place? I replied, May I be thy ransom, a guest claimeth guest right for three days, and if I return after this ye are free to spill my blood. Then we passed the night as before, and when the time of departure drew near, I bethought me that Alma Amun would assuredly question me, nor would ever be content.

tent save with a full explanation, so I said to her, I see thee to be of those who delight in singing. Now I have a cousin, the son of my father's brother, who is fairer than I in face, and higher of rank and better of breeding, and he is the most intimate of Allah's creatures with Isaac. Quoth she, aren't thou a parasite and an important one? Quoth I, it is for thee to decide in this matter, and she, if thy cousin be as thou has described him it would not mislike us to make acquaintance with him. Then, as the time was come I left her, and returned to my house, but hardly had I reached it ere the Caliph's runners came down on me, and carried me before

him by main force, and roughly enough. And Scheherazade perceived the dawn of the day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and eighty-second night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Isaac of Mosel continued, And hardly had I reached my house ere the Caliph's runners came down upon me, and carried me before him by main force, and roughly enough. I found him seated on a chair, wroth with me, and he said to me, O Isaac, art thou a traitor to thine allegiance?

Replied I, No, by Allah, O commander of the faithful. And he rejoined, What hast thou then to say, tell me the whole truth? And I, yes, I will, but in private. So he signed to his attendants, who withdrew to a distance, and I told him the case, adding, I promised her to bring thee. And he said, thou didst well. Then we spent the day in our usual pleasures,

but Alma Amun's heart was taken up with her, and hardly was the appointed time come when we set out. As we went along I cautioned him, saying, Look that thou call me not by my name before her, and I will demean myself like thine attendant. And having agreed upon this, we fared forth till we came to the place, where we found two baskets hanging ready.

so we sat down in them and were drawn up to the usual place where the damsel came forward and saluted us now when almaamun saw her he was amazed at her beauty and loveliness and she began to entertain him with stories and verses presently she called for wine and we fell to drinking she paying him special attention and he repaying her in kind then she took the lute and sang these verses my lover came in at the close of night i rose till he sat and remained upright and said sweetheart hast thou come this hour nor feared on the watch and ward till light quoth he the lover had caused to fear but love deprived him of wits and fright and when she ended her song she said to me and is thy cousin also a merchant i answered yes and she said indeed ye resemble each other nearly but when al maamoun had drunk three pints he grew merry with wine and called out saying ho isaac and i replied la baiq ad sum o commander of the faithful whereupon quoth he sing me this air now when the young lady learned that he was the caliph she withdrew to another place and disappeared and as i had made an end of my song al maamun said to me see who was the master of this house whereupon an old woman hastened to make answer saying it belongs to hassan bin sal fetch him to me said the caliph so she went away and after a while behold in came hassan to whom said al maamun hast thou a daughter he said yes and her name is cadija asked the caliph is she married answered hassan no by allah said almaamun then i ask her of thee in marriage replied her father o commander of the faithful she is thy handma'amun quoth alma amun i take her to wife at a present settlement of thirty thousand dinars which thou shalt receive this very morning and when the money has been paid thee do thou bring her to us this night

And Hassan answered, I hear and I obey. Thereupon we went forth, and the caliph said to me, O Isaac, tell this story to no one. So I kept it secret till Alma Amun's death. Surely never did man's life gather such pleasures as were mine these four days' time, whenas I accompanied with Alma Amun by day, and Khadija by night, and by Allah never saw I among men the like of Almaamun, nor among women have I ever set eyes on the like of Khadija.

No, nor on any that came near her in lively wit and pleasant speech, and Allah is all knowing. But amongst stories is that of the sweet and the noble lady. During the season of the Mechon pilgrimage, whilst the people were making circuit about the holy house and the place of compassing was crowded, behold, a man laid hold of the covering of the Kaaba, and cried out from the bottom of his heart, saying,

I beseech thee, O Allah, that she may once again be wrothed with her husband, and that I may know her. A company of the pilgrims heard him, and seized him and carried him to the emir of the pilgrims, after a sufficiency of blows, and, said they, O emir, we found this fellow in the holy places, saying thus and thus. So the emir commanded to hang him, but he cried, O emir, I conjure thee by the virtue of the apostle, whom Allah bless and preserve, hear my story, and then do with me as thou wilt.

Quoth the Amir, Tell thy tale forthright. Know then, O Amir, quoth the man, That I am a sweep who works in the sheep-slaughter-houses And carries off the blood and the offal to the rubbish heaps outside the gates. And it came to pass as I went along one day with my ass loaded, I saw the people running away, and one of them said to me, Enter this alley, lest haply they slay thee. Quoth I, what aileth the folk running away?

And one of the eunuchs who were passing said to me, this is the harem of one of the notables and her eunuchs drive the people out of her way and beat them all without respect to persons. So I turned aside with the donkey. And Scheherazade perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and eighty-third night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth the man, so I turned aside with the donkey, and stood still awaiting the dispersal of the crowd, and I saw a number of eunuchs with staves in their hands, followed by nigh thirty women slaves, and amongst them a lady as she were a willow wand or a thirsty gazelle, perfect in beauty and grace and amorous languor,

and all were attending upon her. Now when she came to the mouth of the passage where I stood she turned right and left, and calling one of the castratos, whispered in his ear, and behold he came up to me and laid hold of me, whilst another eunuch took my ass and made off with it. And when the spectators fled, the first eunuch bound me with a wrought. rope and dragged me after him till I knew not what to do, and the people followed us, and cried out, saying, This is not allowed of Allah!

What hath this poor scavenger done that he should be bound with ropes? And praying the eunuchs, have pity on him and let him go, so Allah have pity on you! And I, the while, said in my mind, doubtless the eunuch reseased me because their mistress smelt the stink of the awful, and it sickened her. Be like she is with child or ailing, but there is no majesty, and there is no might save in Allah the glorious the great. So I continued walking on behind them, till they stopped at the door of a great house,

and entering before me, brought me into a big hall. I know not how I shall describe its magnificence, furnished with the finest furniture. And the women also entered the hall, and I, bound and held by the eunuch, and saying to myself, Doubtless they will torture me here till I die, and none know of my death.

However, after a while, they carried me into a neat bathroom leading out of the hall, and as i sat there behold in came three slave-girls who seated themselves round me and said to me strip off thy rags and tatters so i pulled off my threadbare clothes and one of them fell a rubbing my legs and feet whilst another scrubbed my head and a third shampooed my body when they had made an end of washing me they brought me a parcel of clothes and said to me put these on and i answered by allah i know not how so they came up to me and dressed me laughing together at me the while after which they brought me to me casting bottles full of rose-water and sprinkled me therewith. Then I went out with them, into another saloon. By Allah I know not how to praise its splendor for the wealth of paintings and furniture therein, and entering it I saw a person seated on a couch of Indian Rattan.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. End of Section 14 Section 15 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox dot org reading by laurge the book of a thousand knights and a night volume four translated by richard burton section fifteen two hundred and eighty fourth night to two hundred and eighty six night when it was the two hundred and a hundred and a six night when it was the two hundred an eighty-fourth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the sweep continued. When I entered that saloon, I saw persons seated on a couch of Indian Rattan,

with ivory feet, and before her a number of damsels. When she saw me, she rose to me and called me, so I went up to her, and she seated me by her side. Then she bade her slave-girls bring food, and they brought all manner of rich meats, such as I never saw in all my life. I do not even know the names of the dishes, much less their nature. So I ate my fill, and when the dishes had been taken away, and we had washed our hands, she called for fruits which came without stay or delay, and ordered me eat of them. And when we had ended eating, she bade one of the waiting women bring the wine-furniture.

So they set on flagons of diverse kinds of wine, and burned perfumes in all the the censors, what while a damsel like the moon rose and served us with wine to the sound of the smitten strings. And I drank, and the lady drank, till we were seized with wine, and the whole time I doubted not, but that all this was an illusion of sleep. Presently she signed to one of the damsels to spread us a bed in such a place, which being done she rose and took me by the hand, and led me thither, and lay down, and I lay with her, till the moon. morning. And as often as I pressed her to my breast, I smelt the delicious fragrance of musk and other perfumes that exhaled from her, and could not think otherwise but that I was in paradise,

or in the vain fantasies of a dream. Now, when it was day, she asked me where I lodged, and I told her, in such a place, whereupon she gave me leave to depart, handing to me a kerchief, worked with gold and silver, and, containing somewhat tied in it, and took leave of me saying, Go to the bath with this. I rejoiced and said to myself, If there were but five coppers here, it will buy me this day my morning meal. Then I left her as though I were leaving paradise, and returned to my poor crib, where I opened the kerchief, and found in it fifty miscles of gold. So I buried them in the ground, and, buying two farthings' worth of bread and kitchen, seated me at the door, and broke my fast, after which I sat pondering my case,

and continued so doing till the time of afternoon prayer, when lo, a slave-girl accosted me, saying, My mistress calleth for thee. I followed her to the house aforesaid, and, after asking permission, she carried me into the lady, before whom I kissed the ground, and she commanded me to sit, and called for meat and wine, as on the previous day, after which I again lay with her all night. On the morrow she gave me a second kerchief, with other fifty dinars therein, and I took it, and going home, buried this also. In such pleasant condition, I continued eight days running, going into her at the hour of afternoon prayer and leaving her at daybreak. But on the eight night, as I lay with her, behold, one of her slave-girls came running in and said to me, Arise, go up into yonder

closet. So I rose and went into the closet, which was over the gate. And presently I heard a great clamor and tramp of horse, and, looking out of the window which gave on the street, in front of the house i saw a young man as he were the rising moon on the night of fullness come riding up attended by a number of servants and soldiers who were about him on foot he alighted at the door and entering the saloon found the lady seated on the couch so he kissed the ground between her hands then came up to her and kissed her hands but she would not speak to him however he continued patiently to humble himself and soothe her and speak her fair till he made his peace with her and they lay together that night and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and eighty-fifth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the scavenger continued now when her husband had made his peace with a young lady he lay with her that night and next morning the soldiers came for him and he mounted and rode away whereupon she drew near to me and said saw'st thou gender man i answered yes and she said he is my husband and i will tell thee what befell me with him it came to pass one day that we were sitting he and i in the garden within the house

and behold he rose from my side and was absent a long while till i grew tired of waiting and said to myself most like he is in the privy so i arose and went to the water-closet but not finding him there, went down to the kitchen, where I saw a slave-girl, and when I inquired for him, she showed him to me lying with one of the coop-mates. Hereupon I swore a great oath that I surely would do adultery with the foulest and filthiest man in Baghdad, and the day the eunuch laid hands on thee, I had been four days going round about the city in quest of one who should answer to this description, but found none fowler nor filthier than thy good self. So I took thee and there passed between us that which Allah for ordained to us, and now I am quit of my oath.

Then she added, If however my husband return yet again to the cookmaid and lie with her, I will restore thee to thy lost place in my favours. Now, when I heard these words from her lips, what while she pierced my heart with the shafts of her glances, my tears strewn forth till my eyelids were chapped sore with weeping, and I repeated the saying of the poet, "'Grant me the kiss of that left hand ten times, and learn it hath than right hand higher grade, for tis but little since that same left hand washed off sir reverence when ablution made then she made them give me other fifty dinars making in all four hundred gold pieces i had of her and bade me depart so i went out from her and came hither that i might pray allah extolled and exalted be he to make her husband return to the cookmaid that haply i might be again admitted to her favours when the emir of the pilgrims heard the man's story he set him free and said to the bystanders allah upon you pray for him for indeed he is excusable

and men also tell the tale of the mock caliph it is related that the caliph harun al-rashid was one night restless with extreme restlessness so he summoned his vassar jaffar the barmecid and said to him my breast is straightened and i have desired to divert myself to-night by walking about the streets of baghdad and looking into folk's affairs but with this precaution that we disguise ourselves in merchant's gear so none shall know us. He answered, harking and obedience. They rose at once, and doffing the rich raiment they wore, donned merchant's habits, and sallied forth three in number, the Caliph, Jafar, and Masrur, the shorder. Then they walked from place to place till they came to the Tigris, and saw an old man sitting in a boat. So they went up to him, and saluting him, said, o shike we desire thee of thy kindness and favour to carry us a pleasuring down the river in this thy boat and take this dinar to thy hire and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and cease saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and eighty-six night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that when they said to the old man we desire thee to carry

as a pleasureing in this thy boat, and take this dinar, he answered, Who may go a pleasuring on the Tigris? The Caliph Harun al-Rashid every night comth down Tigris' stream in his state barge, and with him one crying aloud. Ho ye people all, great and small, gentle and simple, men and boys, whoso is found in a boat on the tigers by night, I will strike off his head, or hang him to the mast of his craft. and ye had well nigh met him for here cometh his karak but the caliph and jafar said o shak take these two dinars and run us under one of jaunder arches that we may hide there till the caliph's barge have passed

the old man replied hand over your gold and rely we on allah the almighty so he took the two dinars and debarked them in the boat and he put off and rode about with them away while. When, behold, the barge came down the river in midstream, with lighted flambeau, and cresets flaming therein. Quothed the old man, did not I tell you that the Caliph passed along the river every night, and ceased not muttering. Oh, protector, remove not the veils of thy protection. Then he ran the boat under an arch, and threw a piece of black cloth over the Caliph and his companions, who looked out from under the covering, and saw in the bows of the barge a man holding in hand a crescent of red gold which he fed with Sumatran line aloos, and the figure was clad in a robe of red satin, with a narrow turban of mousal shape round on his head,

and over one of his shoulders hung a sleeved clope of cramously satin, and on the other was a green silk bag full of the aloes wood, with which which, he fed the creset by way of firewood. And they sighted in the stern another man, clad like the first, and bearing a light creset, and in the barge were two hundred white slaves, standing range to the right and left, and in the middle a throne of red gold, whereon sat a handsome young man like the moon, clad in a dress of black embroidered with yellow gold. Before him they beheld a man as he were the vassir Jafar, and at his head stood an eunuch as he were Masr, with a drawn sword in his hand, besides a score of cup companions. Now, when the caliph saw

this, he turned and said, O Jafar, and the minister replied, At thy service, O prince of true believers, then quoth the Caliph, Be like this is one of my sons, al-Amin or Alma Amun, then he examined the young man who sat on the throne and finding him perfect in duty and loveliness and stature and symmetric grace said to ja'afar verily this young man abetteth nor jot nor titul of the state of the caliphate see there standeth before him one as he were thyself o ja'afar ja'afar ja'afar ja'nur yonder eunuch who standeth at his head is as he were mazrur and those courtiers as they were my own By Allah, O Yah-Afar, my reason is confounded, and I am filled with amazement this matter. Hanshara Sad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her, permitted say. End of Section 15, read by Losh Rolander. Section 16 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous.

This is a Librevox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 16, 278 night to 289th night. When it was the 287th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when the Caliph saw the spectacle, his reason was confounded, and he cried, By Allah, I am filled with amazement at this matter.

And Jafar replied, And I also, by Allah, O commander of the faithful. Then the barge passed on and disappeared from sight, whereupon the boatman pushed out again into the stream, saying, Praise'd be Allah for safety, since none hath fallen in with us. Quoth the Caliph, O old man, Doth the Caliph come down the Tigris River every night? The boatman answered,

Yes, O my lord, and on such wise hath he done every night this year passed. O shake, rejoined Al Rashid. We wish thee of thy favor to await us here to-morrow night, and we shall give thee five golden dinars, for we are stranger-folk lodging in the quarter al-condock, and we have a mind to divert ourselves, said the oldster, with joy and joy and, good will. Then the Caliph and Jafar and Masrur left the boatman and returned to the palace,

where they doffed their merchant's habits, and, donning their apparel of state, sat down each in his several stead, and came the emirs and wazirs and chamberlains and officers, and the divan assembled and was crowded as of custom. But when day ended, and all the folk had dispersed, and wended each his own way, the caliph said to his wazir, rise, O Jafar, let us go and amuse ourselves by looking on the second Caliph. At this, Jafar and Masr laughed, and the three, Donning Merchant's habits, went forth by a secret pastern, and made their way through the city in great glee, till they came to the Tigris, where they found the grey-beard sitting and awaiting them. They embarked with him in the boat, and hardly had they sat

down, before up came the mock Caliph's barge. And when they looked at it attentively, they saw therein two hundred Mamelukes, other than those of the previous night, while the link-bearers cried aloud as of want. Quoth the Caliph, O wazir, had I heard tell of this I had not believed it, but I have seen it with my own sight. Then said he to the boatman, take, O Shike, these ten dinars, and row us along abreast of them, for they are in the light, and we in the shade, and we can see them and amuse ourselves by looking on them, but they cannot see us. So the man took the money, and pushing off, ran abreast of them in the shadow of the barge, and Scheherazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the two hundred and eighty-eighth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid said to the old man, Take these ten dinars, and row us abreast of them, to which he replied, I hear and thy obey, and he fared with them and ceased not going in the blackness of the barge till they came amongst the gardens that lay alongside of them, and sighted a large-walled enclosure, and presently the barge cast anchor before a postern door, where they saw servants standing with a she-mule saddled and bridled. Here the Mott-Kalif landed, and, mounting the mule, rode away with his courtiers and his cup-companions, preceded by the cresset-bearers,

crying aloud, and followed by his household which busied itself in his service. Then Herun al-Rashid, Jafar, and Masr, landed also, and, making their way through the press of servants, walked on before them. Presently, the cresset-bearers espied them, and seeing three persons in merchants' habits, and strangers to the country, took offense at them, so they pointed them out and brought them before the other Caliph, who looked at them and asked, How came ye to this place, and who brought you at this tide? They answered, O our Lord, we are foreign merchants, and far from our homes, who arrived here this day, and were out a walking to-night, and behold, ye came up,

and these men laid hands on us, and brought us to thy presence, and this is all our story. Quoth the mock Caliph, since ye be stranger-folk, no harm should, shall befall you, but had ye been of Baghdad, I had struck off your heads. Then he turned to his wazir and said to him, Take these men with thee, for they are our guests to-night. To hear is to obey, O our Lord, answered he, and they accompanied him till they came to a lofty and splendid palace set upon the firmest base. No sultan possesseth such a palace, rising from the dusty mould,

and upon the merges of the clouds laying hold. Its door was of Indian teak wood, inlaid with gold that glowed, and through it one passed into a royal hall, in whose midst was a jetting fount girt by a raised astrod. It was provided with carpets and cushions of brocade, and small pillows and long settees and hanging curtains. It was furnished with a splendor that dazed the mind and dumbed the tongue, and upon the door were written these two couplets.

a palace whereon be blessings and praise which with all their beauty have robed the days where marvellous and miracles sights abound and to write its honours the pen of phrase the false caliph entered with his company and sat down on a throne of gold set with jewels and covered with a prayer carpet of yellow silk whilst the boon companions took their seats and the sword-bearer of high works stood before him then the tables were laid and they ate after which the dishes were removed and they washed their hands and the wine-service was set on with flagons and bowls in due order the cup went round till it came to the caliph herein al-rashid who refused the draught and the mock caliph said to jafar what mattereth thy friend that he drinketh not he replied o my lord indeed tis a long while he hath drunk not of this quoth the sham caliph i have drink other than this a kind of apple wine that will suit thy companion so he bade them bring the cider which they did forthright when the false caliph coming up to haroun al-rashid said to him as often as it cometh to thy turn drink thou of this then they continued to drink and make merry and pass the cup till the wine rose to their brains and mastered their wits and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and eighty-ninth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the false caliph and his co-sitters sat at their cups and gave not over-drinking till the wine rose to their brains and mastered their wits and haroun al-rashid said to the minister

o jafar by allah we have no such vessels as these would to heaven i knew what manner of man this youth is but while they were talking privily the young man cast a glance upon them and seeing the wazir whisper that the wazir whisper that the wazir whispered, the caliph said, "'Tis rude to whisper.' He replied, "'No rudeness was meant, this my friend did but say to me, "'Verily I have traveled in most countries, and have caroused with the greatest of kings, "'and I have accompanied with noble captains. Yet never saw I a goodlier ordering than this entertainment, nor passed a more delightful night, save that the people of Baghdad are wont to say, wine without music often leaves you sick.' when the second caliph heard this he smiled pleasantly and struck with a rod he had in his hand a round gong and behold a door opened and out came a eunuch bearing a chair of ivory inlaid with gold glittering fiery red

and followed by a damsel of passing beauty and loveliness symmetry and grace he set down the chair and the damsel seated herself on it as she were the sun shining sheen in a sky serene in her hand in her hand she had a lute of hindu make which she laid in her lap and bent down over it as a mother bendeth over her little one and sang to it after a prelude in four-and-twenty modes amazing all wits then she returned to the first mode and to a lively measure chanted these couplets love's tongue within my heart speaks plain to thee telling thee clearly i am fain of thee witness the fevers of a tortured heart and all ulcered eyelid, tear-flood reigns for thee. God's fate o'ert taketh all created things. I knew not love till learnt love's pain of thee. Now when the mock-calf heard these lines sung by the damsel, he cried with a great cry and rent his raiment to the very skirt, whereupon they let down a curtain over him and brought him a fresh robe, handsomer than the first. He put it on and sat as before, till the cup came round to him, when he struck the

gong a second time, and lo, a door opened, and out of it came a eunuch with a chair of gold, followed by a damsel fairer than the first, bearing a lute, such as would strike the envious mute. She sat down on the chair and sang to her instrument these two couplets. How patient bide with love in sprite of me, and tears in tempest blinding sight of me! By Allah life has no delight of me, how glad in heart whose core is blight of me! No sooner had the youth heard this poetry than he cried out with a loud cry and rent his raiment to the skirt, whereupon they let down the curtain over him, and brought him another suit of clothes. He put it on, and, sitting up as before, fell again to cheerful talk, till the cup came round to him,

when he smote once more upon the gong, and out came a eunuch with a chair, followed by a damsel fairer than she who forewent her. So she sat down on the chair, with a lute in her hand, and sang there to these couplets. Cease ye this farness, bait this pride of you, to whom my heart clings, by life tide of you. Have Ruth on hapless morning lover wretch, desireful, pining, passion tried of you. Sickness hath wasted him, whose ecstasy, praise heaven it may be satisfied of you. O fullest moons that dwell in deepest heart, how can I think of aught by side of you? Now when the young man heard these couplets, he cried out with a great cry and rent his raiment,

whereupon they let fall the curtain over him and brought him other robes. Then he returned to his former case with his boon companions, and the bull went round as before, till the cup came to him, when he struck the gong a fourth time, and the door opening, out came a page-boy bearing a chair, followed by a damsel. He set the chair for her, and she sat down thereon, and taking the lute, tuned it and sank to it these couplets. When shall disunion and estrangement end?

When shall my bygone joys again be kend? Yesterday we were joined in same abode, conversing heedless of each envious friend. Tricked us that traitor time, Disjoined our lot, And our waste home to desert fate condemned. Wouldst have me, grumbler, from my dearling fly? I find my vitals' blame will not perpend.

cease thou to censure, leave me to repine, My mind e'er findeth thoughts that pleasure lend. O lords of me who break our troth and plight, Deem not to lose your hold of heart and sprite. When the false caliph heard the girl's song, He cried out with a loud outcry and rent his raiment. And Scheherazad perceived the dawn of day And ceased saying her permitted say.

End of Section 6. Section 17 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. Our Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org, reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. section seventeen two hundred and ninet to two hundred and ninety second night when it was the two hundred and nineth night she said when the false caliph heard the girl's song he cried with a loud outcry and rent his raiment and fell to the ground fainting whereupon they would have let down the curtain over him as of custom but its chord stuck fast and haron al-rashid after consider

him carefully saw on his body the marks of beating with palm-rods and said to ja'afar by allah he is a handsome youth but a foul thief whence know'st thou that o commander of the faithful asked ja'afar and the caliph answered saw'st thou not the whip-scars on his ribs then they let fall the curtain over him and brought him a fresh dress which he put on and sat up as before with his courtiers and he putt thou not the whip-scars on his courts and cup companions. Presently he saw the Caliph and Ja'affar whispering together, and said to them, What is the matter, fair sirs? Quot, Ja'afar, O my lord, all is well, save that this my comrade, who, as is not unknown to thee, is of the merchant company, and hath visited all the great cities and countries of the world, and hath consorted with kings and men of highest consideration, said to me, Verily that which our lord the Caliph hath done this night is beyond measure extravagant, Never saw I any do the like doings in any country, for he hath rent such and such dresses, each worth a thousand dinars, and this is surely excessive untriftiness, replied the second Caliph.

Ho, thou, the money is my money, and the stuff my stuff, and this is by, way of lusges to my suit and servants for each suit that is rent belongeth to one of my cup companions here present and i assign to them with each suit of close the sum of five hundred dinars the vassir ja a far replied well is what so thou dost o lord and recited these two couplets virtue in hand of thee hath built a house and to mankind thou dost thy wealth expose. If an the virtues ever close their doors, that hand would be a key, the lock to unclose. Now, when the young man heard these verses recited by the minister of Aphar, he ordered him to be gifted with a thousand dinars and a dress of honor. Then the cup went round among them, and the wine was sweet to them, but after a while quoth the caliph to Jhaafar. Ask him of the marks. on his sides, that we may see what he will say by way of reply.

Answered Ja'afar, Softly, O my lord, be not hasty, and stuth thy mind, for patience is more becoming. Rejoined the Caliph, By the life of my head and by the reverent tomb of Allah Abbas, except thou ask him, I will assuredly stop thy breath. With this the young man turned towards the minister and said to him, what ailest thee and thy friend to be whispering together tell me what is the matter with you it is nothing save good replied jaffar but the mock caliph rejoined i conjure thee by allah tell me what aileth you and hide from me nothing of your case

answered the vassir o my lord virile this one here saw on thy sides the marks of beating with whips and palm fronts and marvelled thereat with exceeding marvels saying how came the caliph to be beaten and he would fain know the cause of this now when the youth heard this he smiled and said know ye that my story is wondrous and my case marvellous were it graven with needles on the high corners it would serve as a warner to who so would be warned and he sighed and repeated these couplets strange is my story passing prodigy by love i swear my ways wax straight on me and ye desire to hear me listen and let all in this assembly silent be heed ye my words which are of meaning deep nor lies my speech tis truest veriest very I'm slain by longing and by ardent love, My slayers the pearl of fair virginity. She hath a yet black eye like Hindi blade, And bowed eyebrows shoot her archery.

My heart assures me our imam is here, This age is caliph old nobility. Your second ja'afarais is his vassir, And Sahib's sub-sah son of high degree. The third is called Masrur, who wields the sword. Now if in words of mine some truth you see, I have won every wish by this event, which fills my heart with joy and gladdest greet.

When they heard these words, Yehaafar swore to him an ambiguous oath that they were not those he named, whereupon he laughed and said, No, O my lords, that I am not the commander of the faithful, and that I do but style myself thus to win my will of the sons of the city. My true name is Muhammad Ali, son of Ali the jeweller, and my father was one of the notables of Baghdad,

who left me great store of gold and silver and pearls and coral and rubies and chrysolites and other jewels, besides messages and lands, hamambas and brickeries, orchards and flower gardens. Now, as I sat in my shop one day, surrounded by my eunuchs and dependents, Behold there came up a young lady, mounted on a she-mule, and attended by three damsels like moons. Riding up to my shop, she alighted and seated herself by my side and said, "'Are thou, Mohamed the jeweller?' replied I. "'Even so, I am he, thy mamelope, thy chattel.'

she asked hast thou a necklace of jewels fit for me and i answered o my lady i will show thee what i have and lay all before thee and if any please thee it will be of thy slaves good luck if they please thee not of his ill fortune now i had by me an hundred necklaces and showed them all to her but none of them pleased her and she said i wanted better than those i have seen i had a small necklace which my father had bought at an hundred thousand dinars and whose like was not to be found with any of the great kings so i said to her oh my lady i have yet one necklace of fine stones fit for Beasols, the like of which none possesses great or small. Said she, show it to me, so I showed it to her, and she said, This is what I wanted, and what I have wished for all my life, adding, what is its price? Quoth I, it cost my father an hundred thousand dinars, and she said, I will give thee five thousand diners to thy profit, I answered,

O my lady, the necklace and its owner are at thy service, and I cannot gain say thee. But she rejoined, Needs must thou have the prophet, and I am still most grateful to thee. Then she rose without stay or delay, and mounting the mule in haste, said to me, O my lord, in Allah's name, favour us with thy company to receive the money, for this thy day with us is white as milk. so i shut the shop and accompanied her in all security till we came to a house on which were manifest the signs of wealth and rank for its door was wrought with gold and silver and ultramarine and thereon were written these two couplets hold thou mansion who never enter thee nor be thine owner ever misused of fate excellent mansion to all guests art thou when other mansions to the guest are straight the young lady dismounted and entered the house bidding me sit down on the bench at the gate till the money-changer should arrive so i sat awhile when behold a damsel came out to me and said o my lord enter the vestibule for it's a dishonour that thou shouldst sit at the gate thereupon i arose and entered the vestibule and sat down on the settle there and as i sat lo another damsel came out and said to me

oh my lord my mistress bideth thee enter and sit down at the door of the saloon to receive thy money i entered and sat down nor had i set a moment when behold a curtain of silk which concealed a throne of gold was drawn aside and i saw seated thereon the lady who had made the purchase and round her neck she wore the necklace which looked pale and wan by the side of a face as it were the rounded moon at her sight my wit was troubled and my mind confounded by reason of her exceeding beauty and loveliness but when she saw me she rose from her throne and coming close up to me said o light of mine eyes is every handsome one like thee pitiless to his mistress i answered o my lady beauty all of it is in thee and is but one of thy hidden charms and she rejoined o jeweller know that i love thee and she rejoined o jeweller know that i love thee and can hardly credit that I have brought thee hither. Then she bent towards me, and I kissed her, and she kissed me, and, as she caressed me, drew me towards her, and to her breast she pressed me. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and ninety-first night, she said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the jeweller continued. then she bent towards me and kissed and caressed me and as she caressed me drew me towards her and to her breast she pressed me now she knew by my condition that i had a mind to enjoy her so she said to me o my lord wouldst thou foregather with me unlawfully by allah may he not live who would do the like of this sin and who takes pleasure in talk unclean i am a maid a virgin whom no man hath approached, nor am I unknown in the city. Knowst thou who I am? Quoth I, know by Allah, O my lady. And quoth she, I am the lady Dania, daughter of Jaya bin Khalid, the barmecid and sister of Joaffar, Vasir to the Caliph.

Now as I heard this I drew back from her, saying, O my lady, it is no fault of mine if I have been overbold with thee. It was thou didst encourage me to aspire to thy love by giving me access to thee. She answered, No harm shall before thee, and needs must thou attain thy desire in the only way pleasing to Allah. I am my own mistress, and the Kasi shall act as my guardian in consenting to the marriage contract, for it is my will that i be to thee wife and thou be to me man then she sent for the kasi and the witnesses and visit herself with making ready and when they came she said to them mohamad ali bin ali the jeweller seeketh me in wedlock and hath given me the necklace to my marriage settlement and i accept and consent so they wrote out the contract of marriage between us and ere i went in to her the servants brought the wine furniture and the cups passed round after the fairest fashion and the goodliest

ordering and when the wine mounted to our heads she ordered a damsel a lute player to sing so she took the lute and sang to a pleasing and stirring motive these couplets he comes and fawn and branch and moon delight these ein fire on his heart who sleeps o nights without repine Per youth for whom heaven will'd to quench in cheek one light, And left another light on other cheek bright lean. I fain finesse my chiders when they mention him, As though the hearing of his name I would decline, And willing ear I lend when they of other speak,

Yet would my soul within outflow in foots of brine. Beauty's own prophet, he is all a miracle, of heavenly grace, and greatest shows his face for sign to prayer belalike cries the mole upon his cheek to ward from burly brow all eyes of ill design the censers of their ignorance would my love dispel but after faith i can't at once turn infidel we were ravished by the sweet music she made striking the strings and the beauty of the verses she sang and the other damsels went on to sing and to recite one after another till ten had so done when the lady dunya took the lute and playing a lively measure chanted these couplets i swear by swayings of that form so fair i from thy parting fiery pity a heart which burneth in thy love o brightest fullest moon in blackest air vouchsafe thy boons to him who never will cease in light of wine-cup all thy charms declare amid the roses which with buried youths are to the mittle bush a mere despair when she had finished her verse i took the lute from her hands and playing a quaint and not vulgar prelude sang the following verses love to my lord who gave thee all of loveliness myself amid thy thralls i willingly confess o thou whose eyes and glances captivate mankind

pray that i scape those arrows shot with all thy stress two hostile rivals water and inflaming fire thy cheek hath married which for marvel i profess thou art sar in heart of me and eke nime thou agrodol's eke heart's sweetest bitterness when she heard this my song she rejoiced with exceeding joy then dismissing her slave women she brought me to a most goodly place where they had spread us a bed of various colours she did off her clothes and i had a lover's privacy of her and found her a pearl unpierced and a filly unridden so i rejoiced in her and never in my born day spent i a more delicious night and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and ninety-second night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that mohammed bin ali the jeweller continued so i went in unto the lady dunya daughter of jaya bin calid the barmecid and i found her a pearl unthridden and a filly unridden so i rejoiced in her and repeated these couplets o night here's day i want no morning light my lover's face to me is lamp and light as ring of ring dove round his necks my arms and made my palm his mouth bale and twas right this be the crown of bliss and never will cease to clit nor care to be in other plight and i abode with her a whole month forsaking shop and family and home till one day she said to me o light of my eyes o my lord moham i have determined to go to the hammam to-day so sit thou on this couch and rise not from thy place till i return to my lord moham i have determined to go to the hammam to-day so sit thou on this couch and rise not from thy place till i return to

to thee. I hear and I obey, answered I, and she made me swear to this, after which she took her women and went off to the bath. But by Allah, oh, my brothers, she had not reached the head of the street ere the door opened, and in came an old woman who said to me, O my lord Mohammed, the lady Subaida biddeth thee to her, for she hath heard of thy fine manners and accomplishments and skill in singing. I answered, by Allah, I will not rise from my place till the lady Dunya come back. Rejoined the old woman, O my lord, do not anger the Lady Subbaida with thee, and vex her so as to make her thy foe. Nay, rise up and speak with her and return to thy place. So I rose at once and followed her into the presence of Lady Subbaida, and when I entered her presence she said to me,

O light of the eye, art thou the Lady Dunya's beloved? I am thy mamelope, thy chattel, replied I. Quoth she, sooth speak ye who reported thee possessed of beauty and grace and good breeding, and every fine quality. Indeed thou surpassest all praise and all report, but now sing to me that I may hear thee, quoth I, harkening and obedience, so she brought me a lute and i sang to it these couplets the hapless lover's heart is of his wooing weary groan and hand of sickness wasted him till not but skin and bone who should be amid the riders which the halted camels urged but that same lover whose beloved cloth in the litters wone to a last charge i leave that moon-like beauty in your tents whom my heart loves or be my glance on her may never be thrown now she is faint then she is fierce how sweet her coyness shows yes sweet whatever cloth or seth to lover loved one

when i had finished my song she said to me allah assign thy body and thy voice verily thou art perfect in beauty and good breeding and singing but now rise and return to thy place ere the lady dunya come back lest she find thee not and be wroth with thee then i kissed the ground before her and the old woman forewent me till i reached the door whence i came so i entered and going up to the couch found that my wife had come back from the bath and was lying asleep there. Seeing this I sat down at her feet and rubbed them, whereupon she opened her eyes and seen me, drew up both her feet, and gave me kick that threw me off the couch, saying, O traitor, thou hast been false to thine oath, and hast perjured thyself. Thou swears to me that thou wouldst not rise from thy place, yet didst thou break thy promise, and go to the lady Subbaida. By Allah! By Allah! but that i fear public scandal i would pull down her palace over her head then said she to her black slave oh savab arise and strike off this lying crater's head for we have no further need of him

so the slave came up to me and tearing a strip from his skirt bandaged with it my eyes and would have struck off my head and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say end of section seventeen read by lars section eighteen of the book of a thousand nights and a night volume four by anonymous this is a livery-box recording all liver-box recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liverybox dot r reading by Lars Rolander the book of a thousand knights and a night volume four translated by Richard Burton section eighteen two hundred and ninety-third night to two hundred and ninety-fifth night when it was the two hundred and ninety-third night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that Muhammad the jeweller continued so the slave came up to me and tearing a stripped from his skirt, bandaged with it my eyes, and would have struck off my head. But all her women, great and small, rose, and came up to her, and said to her, Oh, our lady, this is not the first who hath arid. Indeed, he knew not thy humor, and hath done thee no offence deserving death, replied she, by Allah, I must need set my mark on him.

And she bade them bash me, so they beat me on my ribs, and the marks he is so, so are the scars of that fastigation. Then she ordered them to cast me out, and they carried me to a distance from the house, and threw me down like a log. After a time I rose and dragged myself little by little to my own place, where I sent for a surgeon and showed him my herds, and he comforted me and did his best to cure me. As soon as I was recovered, I went to the Hammond, and, as my pains and sickness had

left me, I repaired to my shop and took and sold all that was therein. With the proceeds I bought me four hundred white slaves such as no king ever got together, and caused two hundred of them to ride out with me every day. Then I made me yonder barge, whereon I spent five thousand gold pieces, and styled myself Caliph, and appointed each of my servants to the charge of some one of the Caliph's officers, and clad him in official habit. Moreover, I made proclamation. Whoso goeth a pleasuring on the Tigris by night, I will strike off his head, without ruth or delay.

And on such wise have I done this whole year past, during which time I have heard no news of the lady, neither happened upon any trace of her. Then wept he coquiously, and repeated these couplets. by allah while the days endure never shall forget her eye nor draw to any nigh save those who draw her to me like to the fullest moon her form and favour show to me lord to her all-creating lord lord lord to the lord on high she left me full of morning sleepless sick with pine and pain and seeth not my heart to journey to espy now when harol al-rashid heard the young man's story and knew the passion and transport and lovel that afflicted him he was moved to compassion and wanderer and said glory be to allah who hath appointed to every effect a cause then they craved the young man's permission to depart which being granted they took leave of him the caliph proposing to do him justice meet and him with the utmost magnificence

entreat, and they returned to the palace of the Caliphate, where they changed clothes for others befitting their state and sat down, whilst Masrur the sorder of high justice stood before them. After a while quoth the Caliph to Jafar. O, Vassir, bring me the young man! And Shara'ad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the two hundred and ninety-fourth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth the Caliph to his minister. Bring me the young man with whom we were last night.

I hear and obey, answered Jafar, and going to the youth, saluted him, saying, Obey the summons of the commander of the faithful, the Caliph Harun al-Rashid. So he returned with him to the palace in great anxiety by reason of the summons, and going into the king, kissed ground before him. him and offered up a prayer for the endurance of his glory and prosperity, for the accomplishment of his desires, for the continuance of his beneficence, and for the cessation of evil and punishment, ordering his speech as best he might, and ending by saying, Peace be on thee, O prince of true believers and protector of the folk of the faith.

Then he repeated these two couplets. kiss thou his fingers which no fingers are keys of our daily bread those fingers can and praise his actions which no actions are but precious necklaces round necks of men so the caliph smiled in his face and returned his salute looking on him with the eye of favor then he bade him draw near and sit down before him and said to him oh mohammed ali I wish thee to tell me what befell thee last night, for it was strange and passing strange. Quoth the Jew, pardon, O commander of the faithful, give me the kerchief of immunity, that my dread may be appeased, and my heart east, replied the Caliph, I promise thee safety from fear and woes. So the young man told him his story, from first to last, whereby the Caliph knew him to be a lover and severed from his beloved and said to him,

Desir'st thou that I restore her to thee? This were of the bounty of the commander of the faithful, answered the youth, and repeated these two couplets. Never cease thy gate be Kaaba to mankind. Long may its threshold dost man's brow be seen. That over all countries it may be proclaimed, this is the place, and thou art Ibrahim. Thereupon the Caliph turned to his minister and said to him, O Jafar, bring me thy sister, the lady Dunya, daughter of the vassir Yaya bin Khalid.

I hear and I obey, answered he, and fetched her without let or delay. Now, when she stood before the Caliph, he said to her, Does thou know who this is? And she replied, O, commander of the faithful, How should women have knowledge of men? So the Caliph smiled and said, O, Donya, this is thy beloved Muhammad bin Ali, the jeweller. We are acquainted with this case, for we have heard the whole story from beginning to end, and have apprehended its inward and its outward, and it is no more hidden from me,

for all it was kept in secrecy. Replied she, o commander of the faithful this was written in the book of destiny i crave the forgiveness of almighty allah for the wrong i have wrought and pray thee to pardon me of thy favor at this the caliph laughed and summoning the kasi and witnesses renewed the marriage contract between the lady dunya and her husband mohammed ali son of the jeweller whereby there betided them both her and him the utmost felicity and to their envious mortification and misery. Moreover he made Muhammad Ali one of his boon companions, and they abode in joy and cheer and gladness, till there came to them the destroyer of delights and the sunderer of societies,

and men also relate the pleasant tale of Ali the Persian. It is said that the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, being restless one night sent for his vassir, and said to him, O Ja'afar, I am sore wakeful and heavy-hearted this night, and I desire of thee what may so last my spirit, and cause my breath to broaden with amuse meat. Quoth, Ja'afar, O commander of the faithful, I have a friend by name Ali the Persian, who hath store of tales and pleasant stories, such as lighten the heart and make care depart. quoth the caliph fetch him to me and quoth ja'afar hearkening and obedience and going out from before him sent to seek ali the persian and when he came said to him answer the summons of the commander of the faithful to hear is to obey answered ali and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and ninety-fifth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the persian replied to hear is to obey and at once followed the vassir into the presence of the caliph who bade him be seated and said to him

oh ali my heart is heavy within me this night and it hath come to my ear that thou hast great store of tales and anecdotes so i desire of thee that thou let me hear what will relieve my despondency and brighten my melancholy said he, O commander of the faithful, shall I tell thee what I have seen with my eyes, or what I have heard with my ears? He replied, and thou have seen aught worth the telling? Let me hear that. Replied Ali, hearkening and obedience. Know thou, O commander of the faithful, that some years ago I left this my native city of Baghdad on a journey, having with me a lad who carried a man. a light leathern bag. Presently we came to a certain city, where, as I was buying and selling,

behold, a rascally curd fell on me and seized my wallet, perforce, saying, This is my bag, and all which is in it is my property. Thereupon I cried aloud, Ho, Muslims, one and all, deliver me from the hand of the vilest of oppressors. But the folk said, come both of you to the Kasi, and abide ye by his judgment with joint consent. So I agreed to submit myself to such decision, and we both presented ourselves before the Kasi, who said, What bringeth you hither, and what is your case and your quarrel? Quoth I, We are men at difference who appeal to thee, and make complaint and submit ourselves to thy judgment.

Asked the Qazi, which of you is the complainant? So the Kurd came forward and said, Allah preserve our lord the Qazi, Verily this bag is my bag, and all that is in it is my swag. It was lost from me, and I found it with this man mine enemy. The Qazi asked, When didst thou lose it?

And the Kurd answered, But yesterday, and I passed a sleepless, night by reason of its loss. And it be thy bag, quoth the Cassie. Tell me what is in it, quoth the curd. There were in my bag two silver styles, for eye-powder and antimony for the eyes, and a kerchief for the hands, wherein I had laid two gilt cups and two candlesticks. Moreover, it contained two tents and two platters, and two spoons, and a cushion,

and two leather rugs, and two eaddle-rugs, and two e-es. and the brass tray and two basins and the cooking pot and two water jars and the ladle and the sacking needle and the she-cat and two bitches and the wooden trencher and two sacks and two saddles and a gown and two fur pelises and a cow and two calves and a she-goat and two sheep and an eve and two lambs and two green pavilions and a camel and two she-cammels and the lioness and two lions and the sheep and the eve and two lambs and two green pavilions and the camel and the lioness and two lions and the sheep bear and two jackals and a mattress and two sofas and an upper chamber and two saloons and a portico and two sitting-rooms and a kitchen with two doors and a company of curds who will bear witness that the bag is my bag then said the kasi to me and thou sirah what say'st thou so i came forward o commander of the faceful and indeed the kurd speech had bewildered me and said, Allah advance our lord the Qazi. Verily there was not in this my wallet, save a little ruined tenement, and another without a door and a dog-house,

and a boy's school and youth playing dyes, and tents and tent-crops, and the cities of Basra and Baghdad, and the palace of Shada bin Ad, and an iron-smith's forge, and a fishing-net, and cudgels and pickets, and girls and boys, and a thousand-pins. who will testify that the bag is my bag.

Now, when the Kurd heard my words, he wept and wailed and said, Oh, my lord, the Kasi, this my bag is known, and what is in it, it is a matter of renown, for in this bag there be castles and citadels and cranes and beasts of prey, and men playing chess and draughts. Furthermore, in this my bag is a broad mare and two colts, and a stallion, and two blood steeds and two long lances, and it containeth eke a lion, and two hairs, and a city, and two villages, and a whore, and two shocking panders, and a hermaphrodite, and two gallows birds, and a blind man, and two whites with good sight, and a limping cripple, and two lameters, and a Christian ecclesiastic,

and two deacons and a patriarch, and two monks, and a kasi, and two assessors, who will be evidenced that the bag is my bag quoth the kasi to me and what say'st thou o ali so o commander of the faithful being filled with rage i came forward and said allah keep our lord the kasi and shahrazad proceed the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say end of section eighteen read by lorh rolander section 19 of the book of a thousand nights and a night volume four by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librivox.org. Reading by Lars Rolander.

The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, volume four, translated by Richard Burton. Section 19. 21006 Knight to 298 Knight. When it was the 296th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Persian continued. So being filled with rage, O commander of the faithful, I came forward and said,

Allah keep our lord the Kasi, I had in this my wallet, a coat of mail and a broadsword, and armories and a thousand fighting rams, and the sheep fold, with its pasturage, and a thousand barking dogs, and gardens and vines and flowers, and sweet-smelling herbs and figs and apples, and statues and pictures and flagons and goblets, and fair-faced slave-girls, and singing women and marriage feasts, and tumult and clamour, and great tracts of land and brothers of success, which were robbers, and a company of daybreak raiders with swords and spears and bows, arrows and true friends, and dear ones and intimates and

comrades and men imprisoned for punishment, and cup companions, and a drum and flutes, and flags, and banners, and boys and girls and brides, in all their wedding bravery, and singing girls, and five Abyssinian women, and three Hindi maidens, and four damsels of almedina, and a score of Greek girls, and eighty kurdish dames and seventy georgian ladies and tigris and euphrates and the fowling-net and a flint and steel and many columned iram and a thousand routes and pimps and horse-courses and stables and mosques and bas and a builder and a carpenter and a plague and a black slave with his flaggulet and a captain and a caravan leader and towns and cities and a hundred thousand dinars and kufa and anbar and twenty chests full of stuffs and twenty storehouses for victuals and gaza and ascalon and from damieta to alzavan and the palace of kisra anushirvan and the kingdom of solomon and from wadi nouman to the land of khorasan and balk and ispahan and from india to the sudan therein also may allah prolong the life of our lord the kasi our doublets and cloths and a thousand sharp racers to shave off the kasi's beard except if fear my resentment and adjudged the bag to be my bag

now when the kasi heard what i and the kurda vouched he was confounded and said i see ye twain be none other than the two pestilent fellows atheistical villains who make sport of kassies and magistrates and stand not in fear of reproach never did tongue toane be none other than the two pestilent fellows atheists who make sport of kassies and magistrates and stand not in fear of reproach never did tongue to tell nor e'er here aught more extraordinary than that which ye pretend by allah from china to shaharat um gailan nor from farce to sudan nor from wadinuman to khorasan was ever heard the like of what ye avouch or credited the like of what ye affirm say fellows be this bag a bottomless sea or the day of resurrection that shall gather together the just and unjust then the kasi bade them open the bag so i opened it and behold there was in it bread and a lemon and cheese and olives so i threw the bag down before the curd and ganged my gate now when the caliph heard this tale from ali the persian he laughed till he fell on his back and made him a handsome present and men also relate a tale of haron al-rashid and the slave-girl and the imam abu yusuf it is said that ja'afar the barmecid was one night carousing with al-rashid who said o ja'afar it hath reached me that thou hast bought such and such a slave-girl now i have long sought her for she is passing fair and my heart is taken up with love of her so do thou sell her to me he replied i will not sell her o commander of the faithful quoth he then give her to me Quoth the other, Nor will I give her.

Then Al-Rashid exclaimed, Be sub-bauda, triply divorced, and thou shalt not either sell or give her to me. Then, Ja'afar exclaimed, Be my wife triply divorced, and I either sell or give her to thee. After a while they recovered from their tipsiness, and were aware of having fallen into a great dilemma, but knew not by what device to extricate themselves. Then said Al Rashid,

None can help us in this trait but Abu Yusuf. So they sent for him, and this was in the middle of the night, and when the messenger reached him, he arose in alarm saying to himself, I should not be sent for at this tide and time, save by reason of some question of moment to al-Islam. So he went out in haste, and mounted his shimule, saying to his servant, "'Take the mule's nose-bag with thee.

It may be she hath not finished her feed, and when we come to the Caliph's palace, put the bag on her that she may eat what is left of her fodder during the last of the night.' And the man replied, "'I hear and obey.' Now when the imam was admitted to the presence, Al Rashid rose to receive him and seated him on the couch beside himself, where he was wont to seat none save the Kasi, and said to him, We have not sent for thee at this untimely time and tide, save to advise us upon a grey matter, which is such and such, and wherewith we know not how to deal. And he expounded to him the case, Abouusuf answered, oh commander of the faithful this is the easiest of things then he turned to jaffar and said o jaffar sell half of her to the commander of the faithful and give him the other half so shall ye both be quit of your oaths

the caliph was delighted with this and both did as he prescribed then said al-rashid bring me the girl at once and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the two hundred and ninety-seventh night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the caliph harun al-rashid commanded bring me the girl at once for i long for her exceeding her exceeding So they brought her, and the Caliph said to Abu Yusuf, I have a mind to have her forthright, for I cannot bear to abstain from her during the prescribed period of purification. Now, how is this to be done? Abu Yusuf replied, bring me one of thine own male slaves who hath never been man-humited. So they brought one, and Abu Yusuf said,

Give me leave to marry her to him, then let him divorce. her before consummation, and thus shall it be lawful for thee to lie with her before purification. This second expedient pleased the Caliph yet more than the first. He sent for the Mameluk, and when as he came said to the Qazi, I authorize thee to marry her to him. So the Imam proposed the marriage to the slave, who accepted it, and performed the ceremony after which he said to the slave. Divorce her and thou shalt have an hundred dinars. But he replied, I won't do this. And the imam went on to increase his offerer and the slave to refuse till he bid him a thousand dinars. Then the man asked him, Does it rest with me to divorce her, or with thee, or with the commander of the faithful? He answered,

it is in thy hand. Then by Allah, quoth the slave, I will never do it. No, never. Hearing these words, the caliph was exceeding wrath and said to the imam, What is to be done,

O Abu Yusuf? Replied he, Be not concerned, O commander of the faithful, the thing is easy. Make this slave the damsel's chattel. Quoth al-Rashid, I give him to a,

her. And the imam said to the girl, Say, I accept. So she said, I accept, whereon quoth Abu Yusuf. I pronounce separation from bed and board and divorce between them, for that he hath become her property, and so the marriage is annulled. With this Al-Rashid rose to his feet and exclaimed, It is the like of thee that shall be kasi in my time. Then he called for sundry trays of gold and emptied them before Abu Yusuf, to whom he said, Hast thou wherein to put this? The imam bethought him of the mule's nose-bag,

so he sent for it, and, filling it with gold, took it and went home. And on the morrow he said to his friends, there is no easier nor shorter road to the goods of this world and the next than that of religious learning for see i have gotten all this money by answering two or three questions so consider thou o polite reader the pleasantness of this anecdote for it comprises divers goodly features amongst which are the complaisance of ja'afar to al-Rashid, and the wisdom of the Caliph, who chose such a kasi, and the excellent learning of Abu Yusuf, may Almighty Allah have mercy on their souls one and all. And they also tell the tale of the lover who feigned himself a thief. When Khalid bin Abdallah al-Kasri was emir of Basura, there came to him one day a company

of men, dragging a youth of exceeding beauty and living. lofty bearing and perfumed attire, whose aspect expressed good breeding, abundant wit, and dignity of the gravest. They brought him before the governor, who asked what it was, and they replied, "'This fellow is a thief whom we caught last night in our dwelling-house,' whereupon Khalid looked at him, and was pleased with his well-favouredness and elegant aspect, so he said to the others, lose him and going up to the young man asked what he had to say for himself he replied verily the folk have spoken truly and the case is as they have said quoth caled and what moved thee to this and thou so noble of port and comely of mien quoth the other the lust after worldly goods and the ordinance of allah extolled exalted be he rejoined Khalid. Be thy mother bereaved of thee. Hadst thou not in thy fair face and sound sense and good breeding, what should restrain thee from thieving?

Answered the young man. O Emir, leave this talk and proceed to what Almighty Allah hath ordained. This is what my hands have earned, and God is not unjust towards mankind. kind. So Khalid was silent a while, considering the matter, then he bade the young man draw near him, and said, Verily, thy confession before witnesses perplexeth me, for I cannot believe thee to be a thief. Happily thou hast some story that is other than one of theft, and if so, tell it me, replied the youth, O, emir, imagine not other than what I have confessed to in thy presence, for i have no tale to tell save that verily i entered these folks house and stole what i could lay hands on and they caught me and took the stuff from me and carried me before thee then calid bade clap him in jail and commended a crier to cry throughout oh yes oh yes whoso be minded to look upon the punishment of such an one the thief and the cutting off of his hand let him be present to-morrow morning at such a place now when the young man found himself in prison with irons on his feet he sighed heavily and with tears streaming from his eyes extemporized these couplets

when caled menaced off to strike my hand if i refused to tell him of her case quoth i far far from me that i should tell a love which ever shall my heart engrace loss of my hand for sin i have confessed to me were easier than to shame her face the warders heard him and went and told calid who when it was dark night sent for the youth and conversed with him he found him clever and well-bred intelligent lively and a pleasant companion so he ordered him food and he ate then after an hour's talk said i know indeed that thou hast a story to tell that is no thieves so when the kasi shall come to-morrow morning and shall question thee about this robbery do thou deny the charge of theft and avouch what may avert the pain and penantly of cutting off thy hand for the apostle whom allah bless and keep saith in cases of doubt issue punishment then he sent him back to prison and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the two hundred and ninety-eight night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that calid after conversing with the youth sent him back to prison where he passed the night and when morning dawn the folk assembled to see his hand cut off nor was there a soul in basura man or woman but was present to look upon the punishment of that handsome youth. Then Khalid mounted in company of the notables of the city and others,

and summoning all four Khasis sent for the young man who came hobbling and stumbling in his fetters. There was none saw him but wept over him, and the women all lifted up their voices in lamentation as for the dead. Then the Kasi bade silence the women, and said to the prisoner, These folk avow'dst that thou didst enter their dwelling-house and steal their goods, be like thou stoles less than a quarter dine arm, replied he, Nay, I stole that and more. Peradventure, rejoined the Cassie, thou art partner with the folk in some of the goods,

quoth the young man, not so, it was all theirs, and I had no right in it. at this the calid was wroth and rose and smote him on the face with his whip applying to his own case this couplet man wills his wish to him accorded be but allah not accords say what he wills then he called for the butcher to do the work who came and drew forth his knife and taking the prisoner's hand set the blade to it when behold a damsel pressed through the crowd of women clad in tattered clothes and cried out and threw herself on the young man then she unveiled and showed a face like the moon whereupon the people raised a mighty clamor and there was like to have been a riot amongst them and a violent scene but she cried out her loudest saying i conjure thee by allah o emir hasten not to cut off this man's hand till thou have read what is in this scroll so saying she gave him a stroll and caled took it and opened it and read therein these couplets ah calid this one is a slave of love distraught and these bowed eyelashes and shaft that caused his grief shot him an arrow sped by eyes of mine for he wed it to burning love of ills hath no relief he has avowed a deed he never did the while deeming this better than disgrace of lover thief bear then i pray with this distracted lover mine whose noble nature falsely calls himself a thief when caled had read these lines he withdrew himself from the people and summoned the girl and questioned her

and she told him that the young man was her lover and she his mistress and that thinking to visit her he came to the dwelling of her people and threw a stone into the house to warn her of his coming her father and brothers heard the noise of the stone and sallied out on him but he hearing them coming caught up all the household stuff and made himself appear a robber to cover his mistress's honour now when they saw him they seized him continued she crying a thief and brought him before thee whereupon he confessed to the robbery and persisted in his confession that he might spare me disgrace and this he did making himself a thief of the exceeding nobility and generosity of his nature. Khalid answered, he is indeed worthy to have his desire. And, calling the young man to him, kissed him between the eyes. Then he sent for the girl's father and bespoke him, saying, Oh, Sheikh, we thought to carry out the law of mutilation in the case of this young man.

But Allah, to whom be honor and glory, hath preserved us from this. and I now adjudge him the sum of ten thousand dirhams, for that he would have given his hand for the preservation of thine honor, and that of thy daughter, and for the sparing of shame to you both. Moreover, I adjudge another ten thousand dirhams to thy daughter, for that she made known to me the truth of the case, and I ask thy leave to marry her to him. Rejoined the old man, O, emir, thou hast. my consent. So Khalid praised Allah and thanked him, and improved the occasion by preaching a goodly sermon and a prayerful. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 19, read by Lars Rolander. Section 20 of the book of a thousand nights and a night, volume four, by Anonymous. This is a Libre-box recording.

all Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librivox.org, reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 20, 29th night to 301st night. When it was the 299th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Khalid praised Allah and thanked him, and improved the occasion by preaching a goodly sermon and a prayerful, after which he said to the young man, I give thee to wife the damsel such an one here present,

with her own permission and her father's consent, and her wedding settlement shall be this money to wit ten thousand dirhams. I accept this marriage at thy hands, replied the youth, and Khalid bade them carry the money on brass-trace in procession to the young man's house, whilst the people dispersed, fully satisfied. And surely, quoth he who tells the tale, Never saw I a rarer day than this, for that it began with tears and annoy, and it ended with smiles and joy. And, in contrast of this story, is this pitchous tale of Ja'afar the barmecid and the bean-seller. When Harun al-Rashid crucified Ja'afar the barmecid, he commended that all who wept or made moan for him should also be crucified, so the folk abstained from that. Now it chanced that a wild Arab who dwelt in a distant ward,

used every year to bring to the aforesaid ja'afar an ode in an ode in a world. his honor, for which he rewarded him with a thousand dinars, and the Badawi took them, and returning to his own country, lived upon them, he and his family, for the rest of the year. Accordingly he came with his ode at the wonted time, and, finding that Ja'afar had been crucified, betook himself to the place where his body was hanging, and there made his camel kneel down and wept with sore weeping, and mourned with grievous moor. morning, and he recited this ode and fell asleep. Presently Ja'afar the barmecid appeared to him in a vision and said,

Verily thou hast wearied thyself to come to us and findest us as thou seest, but go to Basura, and ask for a man there whose name is such and such, one of the merchants of the town, and say to him, Ja'afar the barmecid saluted thee and bideth thee, give me a thither, thousand dinars by the token of the bean. Now, when the wild Arab awoke, he repaired to Basura, where he sought out the merchant, and found him, and repeated to him what Jaafar had said in the dream, whereupon he wept with weeping so sore that he was like to depart the world.

Then he welcomed the Badawi, and seated him by his side, and made his stay pleasant, and entertained him three days as an honor of the world. guest, and when he was minded to depart, he gave him a thousand and five hundred dinars, saying, the thousand are what is commanded to thee, and the five hundred are a gift from me to thee, and every year thou shalt have of me a thousand gold pieces. Now, when the Arab was about to take leave, he said to the merchant, Allah upon thee, tell me the story of the bean, that I may know the origin of all this. He answered, in the early part of my life I was poor and hawked hot beans about the streets of Baghdad to keep me alive, so I went out one raw and rainy day,

without close enough on my body to protect me from the weather. Now shivering for excess of cold, and now stumbling into the pools of rainwater, and all together in so pitchers a plight as would make one shudder with goose skin to look upon. But it chanced that Ja'afar that day was seated with his officers and his concubines, in an upper chamber overlooking the street, when his eyes fell on me, so he took pity on my case, and sending one of his dependents to fetch me to him, said as soon as he saw me, Sell thy beans to my people. So I began to meet out the beans with a measure I had by me. and each who took a measure of beans filled the measure with gold pieces till all my store was gone and my basket was clean empty then i gathered together the gold i had gotten and ja'afar said to me hast thou any beans left

i know not answered i and then sought in the basket but found only one bean so ja'afar took from it the single bean and splitting it in twain kept one half himself and gave the other to one of his concubines, saying, For how much wilt thou buy this half-been? She replied, For the tale of all this gold twice told, Whereat I was confounded and said to myself, This is impossible. But as I stood wondering, behold, she gave an order to one of her handmaids, And the girl brought me the sum of the collected monies twice told. Then said Jaffar, and I will buy the half I have by me, for double the sum of the whole,

presently adding, Now take the price of thy bean, and he gave an order to one of his servants, who gathered together the whole of the money, and laid it in my basket, and I took it and went my ways. Then I betook myself to Basara, where I traded with the monies, and Allah prospered me amply, to him be the praise and the thanks so if i give thee every year a thousand dinars of the bounty of ja'afar it will in no wise injure me consider then the magnificence of ja'affar's nature and how he was praised both alive and dead the mercy of allah almighty be upon him and men also recount the tale of abe muhammed height lazy bones it is told that that Harun al-Rashid was sitting one day on the throne of the caliphate, when there came

into him a youth of his eunuchry, bearing a crown of red gold set with pearls and rubies, and all manner of other gems and jewels, such as money might not buy, and, busing the ground between his hands, said, O, commander of the faithful, the lady Subaidad kisses the earth before thee, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and cease to say her permitted say, whereupon quoth her sister Dunyazad, How pleasant is thy tale and profitable, and how sweet is thy speech, and how delectable? And where is this, replied Sharazad, compared with what I shall tell you next night, and I live, and the king grant me leave.

Thereupon quoth the king to himself, by Allah, I will. will not slay her until I hear the end of her tale. When it was the three hundredth night, Quoth Dunya said, Favor us, O my sister, with thy tale, and she replied, with joy and goodwill, if the king accord me leave, whereupon the king said, tell thy tale, O Shara Sad, so she pursued. It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the youth said to the Caliph, the lady subaida kisses the earth before thee and saith to thee thou know'st she hath bidden make this crown which lacketh a great jewel for its dome top and she hath made search among her treasures but cannot find a jewel of size to suit her mind quoth the caliph to his chamberlains and vice regents make search for a great jewel such as subida desireth so they sought but found

nothing befitting her, and told the Caliph, who, vexed and annoyed thereat, exclaimed, How am I, Caliph and king of the kings of the earth, and cannot find so small a matter as a jewel? Woe to you! Ask of the merchants! So they inquired of the traders, who replied, Our Lord the Caliph will not find a jewel such as he requireth, save with the man of Basura, by name Abu Muhammad, Heis Lazy-Bah.

Thereupon they acquainted the Caliph with this, and Ibeid his Basir Jaafar sent a note to the Emir Muhammad al-Subaii, governor of Basura, commanding him to equip Abh Muhammad Lazy-Laysibon's, and bring him into the presence of the commander of the faithful. The minister accordingly wrote a note to that effect and dispatched it by Masrur, who set out forthright for the city of Basura, and went into the city of Basura, and went into the city of the Emir Muhammad al-Subaydi, who rejoiced in him and treated him with the highmost honor. Then Masr read him the mandate of the prince of true believers, Harun al-Rashid, to which he replied, I hear and I obey, and forthwith dispatched him with the company of his followers to Abu

Muhammad's house. When they reached it, they knocked at the door, whereupon a page came out, and Masrur said to him, Tell thy lord, the commander of the faithful summoneth thee the servant went in and told his master who came out and found masr the caliph's chamberlain and a company of the governor's men at the door so he kissed ground before masrur and said i hear and obey the summons of the commander of the faithful but first enter ye my house they replied we cannot do that save in haste even as the prince of true believers commanded us, for he awaiteth thy coming. But he said, have patience with me a little, till I set my affairs in order. So after much pressure and abundant persuasion, they entered the house with him, and found the vestibule hung with curtains of Asur-brocade, purfled with red-cold, and Abbe-Mohamed lazy-bones made one of his servants carry Masr to the private Hammam. Now this bath was in the house,

Matherer found its walls and floors of rare and precious marbles, wrought with gold and silver, and its waters mingled with rose-water. Then the servants served Masr and his company with a perfection of service, and on their going forth of the hammam, clad them in robes of honor, rockade work interwoven with gold. And after leaving the bath, Maser and his men went in to Aba Muhammad Laceybones, and found him seated in his upper chamber, and over his head hung curtains of gold brocade, wrought with pearls and jewels, and the pavilion was spread with cushions, embroidered in red gold. Now the owner was sitting softly upon a quilted cloth, covering a setty inlaid with stones of prize. When he saw Masr, he went forward to meet him, and bidding him welcome,

seated him by his side. Then he called. for the food-trace, so they brought them, and when Masr saw the tables, he exclaimed, By Allah, never did I behold the like of these appointments in the palace of the commander of the faithful, for, indeed, the trays contained every manner of meat, all served in dishes of gilded porcelain. So we ate and drank, and made merry till the end of the day, quoth Maser, when the host gave to each and every of us five thousand dinars, and on the most of the most of us five thousand dinars, and on the morrow he clad us in dresses of honour of green and gold, and entreated us with the utmost worship.

Then said Masr to him, we can tarry no longer for fear of the Caliph's displeasure, answered Abbe Muhammad Lazybones, O my lord, have patience with us till the morrow that we may equip ourselves, and we will then depart with you. So they tarried with him that day and slept the night, and next morning Abbe Muhammad's servants saddled him a she-mule, with cell and trappings of gold, set with all manner of pearls and stones of price. Whereupon quothed Masra to himself, I wonder when Abh Muhammad shall present himself in such equipage, if the Caliph will ask him how he came by all this wealth, thereupon they took leave of al-sub-biadi, and setting out from Basura, fared on without ceasing to fare till they reached Baghdad's city, and presented themselves before the caliph, who bade Abu Muhammad be seated.

He sat down and addressed the caliph in courtly phrase, saying, O, commander of the faithful, I have brought with me an humble offering by way of homage, have I thy gracious permission to produce it? Al Rashid replied, there is no harm in that. Whereupon Aba Muhammad Bade his men bring in a chest From which he took a number of rarities And amongst the rest

Trees of gold with leaves of white emerald And fruits of pigeon, blood rubies and Tupasys and two paces, and new pearls And bright And as the Caliph was struck with admiration He fetched a second chest And brought out of it a tent of brocade crowned with pearls and jassins

And emeralds and jasper's and other precious stones. Its poles were of freshly cut Hindi aloos wood, and its skirts were set with the greenish smarags. Thereon were depicted all manner of animals such as beasts and birds, sprangled with precious stones, rubies, emeralds, chrysolites, and balassies, and every kind of precious metal. Now when Al Rashid saw these things, he rejoiced with exceeding joy. and Aba Muhammad Lacey-bones said to him, O, commander of the faithful, deem not that I have brought these to thee, fearing aught or coveting anything, but I knew myself to be but a man of the people,

and that such things befitted none save the commander of the faithful, and now with thy leave I will show thee for thy diversion something of what I can do. Al Rashid replied, Do what thou wilt that we may see. to hear is to obey said abe mohammed and moving his lips beckoned the palace battlements whereupon they inclined to him then he made another sign to them and they returned to their place presently he made a sign with his eye and there appeared before him closets with closed doors to which he spoke and lo the voices of birds answered him from within the caliph marvelled with passing marvel at this and said to him how came'st thou by all this seeing that thou art known only as abe mohammed lazy bones and they tell me that thy father was a copper serving in a public hammam who left thee nothing whereupon he answered listen to my story and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say

when it was the three hundred and first night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that abe mohammed lazy bones thus spake to the caliph o prince of true believers listen to my story for it is marvellous and its particulars are wondrous were it graven with graver needles upon the eye corners it were a warner to whoso would be warned quoth al-rashid let us hear all thou hast to say o abo muhammad so he began know then o commander of the faithful allah prolonged to thee glory in dominion the report of the folk that i am known as the lazy bones and that my father left me nothing is true for he was as thou hast said nothing but a barber-couper in a hammam and i throughout my youth was the idlest white on the face of the earth indeed so great was my sluggishness that if i lay at full length in the sultry season and the sun came round upon me i was too lazy to rise and remove from the sun to the shade and thus i bow till i reached my fifteenth year when my father deceased in the mercy of allah almighty and left me nothing however my mother used to go out at charing and feed me and give me to drink whilst i lay on my side now it came to pass that one day she came in to me with five silver dirhams and said to me o my son i hear that sheik abu al musaffar is about to go a voyage to China. Now this sheikh was a good and charitable man who loved the poor. So come, my son, take these

five silver bits, and let us both carry them to him, and beg him to buy thee therewith somewhat from the land of China, so happily thou mayst make a profit of it by the bounty of Allah, whose name be exalted. I was too idle to move for her, but she swore by the Almighty that, except i rose and went with her she would bring me neither meat nor drink nor come in to me but would leave me to die of hunger and thirst now when i heard her words o commander of the faithful i knew she would do as she threatened for her knowledge of my sluggishness so i said to her help me to sit up she did so and i wept the while and said to her bring me my shoes accordingly she brought them and i said put them on my feet she put them on my feet and i said lift me up off the ground so she lifted me up and i said support me that i may walk so she supported me and i continued to fare at times stumbling over my skirts till we came to the river bank where we saluted the sheikh and i said to him o my uncle art thou abu al musaffar at thy service answered he and i take these dirhams and with them buy me somewhat from the land of china haply allah may vouch save me a profit of it

quoth the sheikh to his companions do ye know this youth they answered yes he is known as abe mohammed lazy bones and we never saw him stir from his house till this moment then said he to me o my son give me the silver with the blessing of almighty Allah. So he took the money, saying, Bismillah, in the name of Allah, and I returned home with my mother. Presently Sheikh Abu al-Musafar set sail, with a company of merchants, and stayed not till they reached the land of China,

where he and his bought and sold, and having won what they wished set out on their homeward voyage. When they had been three days at sea, the Sheikh said to his company, Stay the vessel. They asked, what dost thou want? And he answered, Know that I have forgotten the commission wherewith Abbe Muhammad Laceybones charged me,

so let us turn back that we may lay out his money on somewhat whereby he may profit. They cried, We conjured thee by Allah Almighty, Turn not back with us, for we have traversed a long distance and a sore, and while so doing we have endured sad hardship and many terrors quoth he there is no help for it but we return and they said take from us double the profit of the five dirhams and turn us not back he agreed to this and they collected for him an ample sum of money thereupon they sailed on till they came to an island wherein was much people when they moored thereto and the merchants went ashore of money and the merchants went ashore

to buy thence a stock of precious metals and pearls and jewels and so forth. Presently Abu al-Musaffar saw a man seated with many apes before him, and amongst them one whose hair had been plucked off, and as often as their owner's attention was diverted from them, the other apes fell upon the plucked one and beat him and threw him on their master, whereupon the man rose and bashed them, and bound them and punished them for this, and all the apes were wrothed with the plucked ape on this account, and funded him the more. When Sheikh Abu al-Musaffar saw this, he felt for and took compassion upon the plucked ape,

and said to his master, "'Will't thou sell'd thou sell'd me yonder monkey?' replied the man. "'By,' and Abu al-Musaffar rejoined. "'I have with me five dirams belonging to an orphan lad. "'Willst thou sell it me for that sum?' answered the monkey merchant it is a bargain and allah give thee a blessing of him so he made over the beast and received his money and the sheikh slaves took the ape and tied him up in the ship then they loosed sail and made for another island where they cast anchor and there came down divers who plunged for precious stones pearls and other gems so the merchants hired them to dive for money and they dived now when the apes saw them doing this he loosed himself from his bonds and jumping off the ship's side plunged with them whereupon quoth abu al musaffar there is no majesty and there is no might save in allah the glorious

the great. The monkeys lost to us, with the luck of the poor fellow for whom we bought him, and they despaired of him, but after a while the company of divers rose to the surface, and behold, among them, was the ape, with his hands full of jewels of prize, which he threw down before Abu al-Musaffar. The Sheikh marveled at this, and said, There is much mystery in this monkey. Then they cast off and say till they came to a third hour, island, called the Isle of the Tsunoi, who are a people of the blacks, which eat the flesh of the sons of Adam. When the blacks saw them, they boarded them in dugouts, and taking all in the vessel pinied them and carried them to their king, who bade slaughter certain of the merchants.

So they slaughtered them by cutting their throats and ate their flesh, and the rest of the traders passed the night in bonds, and were in sore concern. But when it was mid-day, night the ape arose and going up to Abu al-Musafar loosed his bonds, and as the others saw him free, they said, Allah grant, our deliverance may be at thy hands, O Abu al-Musafar. But he replied, know that he who delivered me, by leave of Allah Almighty, was none other than this monkey. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her, permitted say. End of Section 20, read by Lash Rolander. Three hundred and second to three hundred and fourth night.

When it was the three hundred and second night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That Abu al-Muzafar declared, None loosed me by leave of Allah Almighty, Save this monkey, and I'd buy my release of him at a thousand dinars. Whereupon the merchants rejoined, And we likewise each and every will pay him a thousand dinars if he release us. with this the ape arose and went to them and loosed their bonds one by one till he had freed them all when they made for the vessel and boarding her found all safe and nothing missing from her

so they cast off and set sail and presently abu al muzafar said to them o merchants fulfil your promise to the monkey we hear and we obey answered they and each one paid him one thousand dinars whilst abu al muzafar brought out to the monkey we hear and we obey answered they and each one paid him one thousand dinars whilst abu al muzafar brought out to to him the like some of his own monies, so that a great heap of coin was collected for the ape. Then they fared on till they reached Basura City, where their friends came out to meet them, and when they had landed, the sheikh said, Where is Abu al-Mohamed lazy bones? The news reached my mother, who came to me as I lay asleep, and said to me, Oh, my son! Verily, the Sheikh Abu al-Muzafar has come back and is now in the city, So rise, and go thou and salute him, and inquire what he hath brought thee. It may be Allah Almighty have opened to thee the door of fortune with somewhat.

Quoth I, lift me from the ground and prop me up, whilst I go forth and walk to the river-bank. After which I went out and walked on, stumbling over my skirts, till I met the sheikh, who exclaimed at sight of me, welcome to him whose money has been the means of my release, and that of these merchants, by the will of Almighty Allah. Then he continued, Take this monkey I bought for thee, and carry him home, and wait till I come to thee. So I took the ape and went off, saying in my mind,

By Allah, this is not but rare merchandise, and led it home, when I said to my mother, Whenever I lie down to sleep, thou biddest me rise in trade, now see this merchandise with thine own eyes. Then I sat me down, and as I sat, up came the slaves of Abu al-Muzafar, and said to me, art thou Abu Mohammed lazy-bones? Yes, answered I, and behold, Abu al-Muzafar appeared behind them. So I rose up to him and kissed his hands, and he said,

come with me to my home. Harkening and obedience, answered I, and accompanied him to his house, where he bade his servants bring me what money the monkey had earned for me. So they brought it, and he said to me, O my son, Allah hast blessed thee with this wealth, by way of profit on thy five dirhams.

Then the slaves set down the treasure in chests, which they had carried on their heads, and Abel al-Muzafar gave me the key, saying, Go before the slaves to thy house, for in sooth all this wealth is thine. So I returned to my mother, who rejoiced in this, and said to me, O my son, Allah's blessed thee with all these wretches, so put off thy laziness, and go down to the bazaar, and sell and buy. At once I shook off my dull sloth, and opened a shop in the bazaar, where the ape used to

sit on the same divan with me, eating with me. me when I ate, and drinking when I drank. But every day he was absent from dawn till noon, when he came back, bringing with him a purse of a thousand dinars, which he laid by my side and sat down. And he ceased not so doing for a great while, till I amassed much wealth. Wherewith, O commander of the faithful, I purchased houses and lands, and I planted gardens, and I bought me white sleighs and negroes and concubines. Now it came to pass one day, as I sat in my shop,

with the apes sitting at my side on the same carpet, behold, he began to turn right and left, and I said to myself, What illeth the beast? Then Allah made the ape speak with a ready tongue, and he said to me, O Abu Mohammed! Now when I heard him speak I was sore afraid,

but he said to me, Fear not. I will tell thee my case. I am a married of the Jin, and came to thee because of thy poor estate. But to-day thou knowest not the amount of thy wealth, and now I have need of thee, and if thou do my will, it shall be well for thee. I asked, What is it? And he answered,

I have a mind to marry thee to a girl like unto the full moon. Quoth I, how so? and quoth he to-morrow dawn thy richest dress and mount my mule with the saddle of gold and ride to the hay-market there inquire for the shop of the shahif and sit down beside him and say to him i come to thee as a suitor craving thy daughter's hand if he say to thee thou is neither cash nor rank nor family pull out a thousand dinars and give them to him and if he ask him more, give him more, and tempt him with the money. Where to I replied, To here is to obey, I will do thy bidding in Sahala. So on the next morning I donned my richest clothes, mounted my she-mule with trappings of gold, and rode to the haymarket, where I asked for the Sharif's shop, and finding him there

seated, I alighted, and saluted him, and seated myself beside him. and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the three hundred and third night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that abu mohammed lazy bones continued so i alighted and saluting him seated myself beside him and my malamukes and negro slaves stood before me said the sharif haply thou hast some business with us which we may have the pleasure of transacting, replied I, yes, I have business with thee, asked he, and what is it? And I answered, I come to thee as a suitor for thy daughter's hand. So he said, Thou hast neither cash nor rank nor family, whereupon I pulled him out a purse of a thousand dinars, red gold, and said to him, this is my rank and my family, and he, whom Allah bless and keep, hath said the best of ranks his wealth and how well quoth the poet whoso too dithums hath his lips have learnt speech of all kinds with eloquence

draw near his brethren and crave ear of him and him thou seest hot in prideful height were not for dirhams wherein glories he hadst found him mid-mankind in sorry plight when richard airs in words they all reply, Sooth thou hast spoken, and hast said aright. When pauper speaketh truly, All reply thou liest, And they hold his sayings light. Verily, dirhams in earth's every stead, Clothe men with rank, and make them fair to sight. Gold is the very tongue of eloquence, gold is the best of arms for men who'd fight. Now when the Sharif heard these my words and understood my verse, He bowed his head a while groundwards, then, raising it, said, "'If it must be so, I will have of thee, other three thousand gold-pieces.'

"'I hear and I obey,' answered I, and sent one of my Malamukes home for the money. As soon as he came back with it, I handed it to the Sharif, who, when he saw it in his hands, rose, and bidding his servants shut his shop, invited his brother merchants of the bazaar to the wedding, after which he carried me to his house, and wrote out my contract of the marriage with his daughter, saying to me, After ten days I will bring thee to pay her the first visit. So I went home rejoicing, and, shutting myself up with the ape, told him what had passed, and he said, Thou hast done well. Now when the time appointed by the Sharif Grunier, the ape said to me,

There is a thing I would have thee do for me, and thou shalt have thou shalt have. have of me, when it is done, what so thou wilt?' I asked, what is that? And he answered, At the upper end of the chamber, wherein thou shalt meet thy bride, the sheriff's daughter, stands a cabinet, on whose door is a ring-padlock of copper, and the keys under it. Take the keys, and open the cabinet, in which thou shalt find a coffer of iron with four flags, which are talismans, at its corners, and in its own.

In the midst stands a brazen basin full of money, wherein is tied a white cock with a cleft comb, while on one side of the coffer are eleven serpents, and on the other side a knife. Take the knife and slaughter the cock, cut away the flags and upset the chest, then go back to the bride and do away her maidenhead. This is what I have to ask of thee. "'Harkening and obedience,' answered I, "'and betook myself to the house of the Sharif. "'So as soon as I entered the bride-chamber,

"'I looked for the cabinet, "'and found it even as the ape had described it. "'Then I went in unto the bride, "'and marvelled at her beauty and loveliness and stature "'and symmetrical grace, "'for indeed they were such as no tongue can set forth. "'I rejoiced in her with exceeding joy, And in the middle of the night, when my bride slept, I rose, and taking the keys, opened the cabinet.

Then I seized the knife, and slew the cock, and threw down the flags and upset the coffer, whereupon the girl awoke, and seeing the closet open, and the cock with cut throat, exclaimed, There is no majesty, and there is no might, save in Allah, the glorious, the great, the marid hath got hold of me. Hardly had she made an end of speaking, when the Marid swook down upon the house, and, snatching up the bride, flew away with her. Whereupon there rose a mighty clamour, and behold, in came the Sharif, buffeting his face, and crying, O Abu Mohammed, what is this deed thou hast done? Is it thus thou requitest us?

I made this talisman in the cabinet, fearing for my daughter from this accursed one, who, for these six years, have sought to steal away the girl, but could not, but now there is no more abiding for thee with us, so win thy ways. Thereupon I went forth, and returned to my own house, where I made search for the ape, but could not find him, nor any trace of him, whereby I knew that it was he who was the married, and that he had carried off my wife, and had tricked me into destroying the talisman and the cock, the two things which hindered him from taking her, and I repented, rending my raiment and cuffing my face.

And there was no land, but was straightened upon me. So I made for the desert forthright, and ceased not wandering on till night overtook me, for I knew not whither I was going. And whilst I was deep in sad thought, Behold I met two serpents, one tawny and the other white, and they were fighting to kill each other.

So I took up a stone, and with one cast slew the tawny serpent, which was the aggressor, whereupon the white serpent glided away and was absent for a while but presently she returned accompanied by ten other white serpents which glided up to the dead serpent and tore her in pieces so that only the head was left then they went their ways and i fell prostrate for weariness on the ground where i stood But as I lay, pondering my case, lo, I heard a voice, though I saw no one, and the voice versified with these two couplets. Let fate with slackened bridle fare her pace, nor pass the night with mind which cares an ace, Between eye-closing and its opening, Allah can foulest change to fairest case. Now when I heard this, O commander of the faithful, great concern got hold of me,

and I was beyond measure troubled. And behold, I heard a voice from behind me extemporized these couplets. O Muslim, thou whose guide is Al-Qurran, joy in what brought safe peace to thee, O man. Fear not what Satan happily whisper thee, and in us see a truth believing. Then said I, I conjure thee, by the truth of him thou worshippest. Let me know who thou art.

Thereupon the invisible speaker, assumed the form of a man and said fear not for the report of thy good deed hath reached us and we are a people of the true believing gin so if thou lack aught let us know it that we may have the pleasure of fulfilling thy want quoth i indeed i am in sore need for i am afflicted with a grievous affliction and no one was ever afflicted as i am quoth he perchance thou art Abu Mohamed lazy bones? And I replied, Yes. He rejoined, I, O Abu Mohammed,

and the brother of the white serpent, whose foe thou slewest. We are four brothers by one father and mother, and we are all indebted to thee for thy kindness. And know thou, that he who played this trick on thee in the likeness of an ape, is a marid of the marids of the jin,

and had he not used this artifice, he had never been able to get the girl, girl, for he hath loved her, and had a mind to take her this long while. But he was hindered of that talisman, and had it remained as it was, he could never have found access to her. However, fret not thyself for that. We will bring thee to her and kill the marid, for thy kindness is not lost upon us. Then he cried out with a terrible outcry, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and

ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and fourth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Ifrit continued, Verily thy kindness is not lost upon us. Then he cried out with a terrible cry in a horrible voice, And behold, there appeared a troop of the Jin, of whom he inquired concerning the ape, and one of them said, I know his abiding place. And the other asked,

Where abideth he? Said the speaker, He is in the city of brass, Whereon the sun riseth not. Then said the first genie to me, O Abu Muhammad, Take one of these our slaves, And he will carry thee on his back,

And teach thee how thou shalt get back the girl. But know that this slave is a marid of the marids, And beware whilst he is carrying thee, Lest thou utter the name of Allah, or he will flee from thee, and thou wilt fall and be destroyed. I hear and obey, answered I, and chose out one of the slaves, who bent down and said to me, mount. So I mounted on his back, and he flew up with me into the firmament,

till I lost sight of the earth, and saw the stars as they were the mountains of earth, fixed and firm, and heard the angels crying, "'Praise be to Allah in heaven, "'while the Marid held me in converse, "'dverting me and hindering me "'from pronouncing the name of Almighty Allah. "'But as we flew, behold, "'one clad in green raiment,

"'with streaming tresses and radiant face, "'holding in his hand a javelin, "'wens flew sparks of fire, "'acosted me, saying, "'Oh, Abu Muhammad, say, "'there is no God but thee God, "'and Muhammad is the apostle of God, or I will smite thee with this javelin."

Now already I felt heartbroken by my forced silence, as regards calling on the name of Allah, So I said, There is no God but thee God, and Muhammad is the apostle of God. Whereupon the shining one smote the Marid with his javelin, and he melted away and became ashes, whilst I was thrown from his back, and fell headlong towards the earth, till I did I dropped in the midst of a dashing sea, swollen with clashing surge. And behold, I fell hard by a ship with five sailors therein, who seeing me, made for me, and took me up into the vessel. And they began to speak to me in some speech I knew not, but I signed to them that I

understood not their speech. So they fared on till the last of the day, when they cast out a net and caught a great fish, and they broiled it and gave me to eat. after which they ceased not sailing on till they reached their city, and carried me to their king, and set me in his presence. So I kissed ground before him, and he bestowed on me a dress of honour, and said to me in Arabic, which he knew well, I appoint thee one of my officers. Thereupon I asked him the name of the city, and he replied, it is called Khanad, and is in the land of China.

Then he committed me to his wazir, bidding him show me the city, which was formerly people by infidels, till Almighty Allah turned them into stones. And there I abode a month's space, diverting myself with viewing the place, nor saw I ever greater plenty of trees and fruits than there. And when this time had passed, one day, as I sat on the bank of a river, behold, there accosted me a horseman, who said to me, "'Aught thou not Abu Muhammad lazy buns?' "'Yes,' answered I,

whereupon he said, "'fear not, for the report of thy good deed has reached me.' Asked I, who art thou?' And he answered, "'I am a brother of the white serpent, and thou art hard by the place, where is the damsel whom thou seekest.' So, saying, he took off his clothes and clad me therein,

saying, for the slave who perished under thee was one of our slaves. Then the horseman took me up before him, and rode on with me to a desert place, when he said, Dismount now, and walk on between these two mountains, till thou seest the city of brass. Then halt afar off, and enter it not,

ere I return to thee, and tell thee how thou shalt thou shalt do. To hear is to obey, replied I, And, dismounting from behind him, walked on till I came to the city, the walls whereof I found of brass. Then I began to pace round about it, hoping to find a gate, but found none, and presently, as I persevered, behold, the serpent's brother rejoined me, and gave me a charmed sword, which should hinder any from seeing me, then went his way. Now he had been gone but a little while, when lo, I heard a noise of cries, and found myself

in the midst of a multitude of folk whose eyes were in their breasts, and seeing me, quoth they, Who art thou, and what cast thee into this place? So I told them my story, and they said, The girl thou seekest is in this city with the marid, but we know not what he hath done with her. Now we are brethren of the white serpent, adding, Go thou to yonder spring, and note where the water entereth, and enter thou with it, for it will bring thee into the city. I did as they bad me, and followed the water-course, till it brought me to a sardab, a vaulted room under the earth, from which I ascended and found myself in the midst of the city. Here I saw the damsel, seated upon a throne of gold, under a canopy of brocade, girt round by a gardenful of trees

of gold, whose fruits were jewels of price, such as rubies and chrysolites, pearls and coral. And the moment she saw me she knew me, and accosted me with the Muslim salutation, saying, O my lord, who guided thee hither? So I told her all that had passed, and she said, Know that the accursed marid, of the greatness of his love for me, hath told me what bringeth him bane, and what bringeth him gain, and that there is here a talisman, by me. whereof he could, and he would, destroy the city and all that are therein, and whoso possesseth it, the Ifritz, will do his commandment in everything. It standeth upon a pillar. Whereat I asked her, and where is the pillar?

And she answered, It is in such a place. In what manner of thing may the talisman be, said I? said she, It is in the semblance of a vulture, and upon it is a writing which I cannot read. So go thou thither and seize it, and set it before thee, and, taking a chafing dish, throw into it a little musk, whereupon there will arise a smoke which will draw the Ifritz to thee, and they will all present themselves before thee, nor shall one be absent. Also, they shall be subject to thy word, and whatsoever thou biddest them, that will they do. Arise, therefore, and fall to this thing, with the blessing of Almighty Allah.

I answered, harkening and obedience. And going to the column did as she bade me, whereupon the Ifrits all presented themselves before me, saying, Here we are, O our lord, whatsoever thou biddest us, that we will do. Quoth I, bind the marid, who brought the damsel hither from her home. Quoth they, we hear and obey, and off they flew and bound the marid in straightest bonds, and returned after a while, saying, We have done thy bidding. Then I dismissed them, and, repairing to my wife,

told her what had happened, and said to her, O my bride, wilt thou go with me? Yes, answered she. So I carried her forth of the vaulted chamber, whereby I had entered the city, and we fared on, till we fell in with the folk who had shown me the way to find her. and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

End of Section 21. Recording by Griffin Section 22 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Recording by Griffin. the book of a thousand knights and a knight volume four translated by richard burton section twenty two three hundred and fifth night to three hundred and seventh night

when it was the three hundred and fifth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that he continued on this wise and we fared on till we fell in with the folk who had shown me the way to her so i said to them point me out a path which shall lead me to my home. And they did accordingly, and brought us a foot to the seashore, and set us aboard a vessel which sailed on before us with a fair wind, till we reached Basora City. And when we entered the house of my father-in-law, and her people saw my wife, they rejoiced with exceeding joy. Then I fumigated the vulture with musk, and lo, the Ifritz flocked to me from all sides, saying, At thy service what wilt thou have us do? So I bade them transport all that was in the city of brass, of monies, and noble metals, and stones of price, to my house in Basora, which they did, and I then ordered them to bring me

the ape. They brought him before me, abject and contemptible, and I said to him, O, accursed, why hast thou dealt thus perfidiously with me? Then I commended the Ifrits to shut him in a brazen vessel. So they put him in a brazen, cool. or bite, and sealed it with lead. But I abode with my wife in joy and delight, and now, O commander of the faithful, I have under my hand precious things in such measure, and rare jewels and other treasure, and monies on such wise as neither reckoning may express nor

my limits comprise, and, if thou lust after wealth, or aught else, I will command the gin at once to do thy desire. is of the bounty of almighty allah thereupon the commander of the faithful wondered greatly and bestowed on him imperial gifts in exchange for his presence and entreated him with the favor he deserved and men also tell the tale of the generous dealing of yahia bin Khalid the barmecide with mansor it is told that harun ah rashid in the days before he became jealous of the barmecides sent once for of his guards, Salih by name, and said to him, O Salih, go to Mansur and say to him, thou oweest us a thousand, thousand dirhams, and we require of the immediate payment of this amount. And I command thee, O Salih, unless he pay it, between this hour and sundown, sever his head from his body, and bring it to me. To hear is to obey, answered Salih, and going to Mansour

acquainted him with what the Caliph had said, whereupon Quoth he, I am a lost man by Allah, for all my estate and all my hand-owners, if sold for their utmost value, would not fetch a price of more than a hundred thousand, dirhams. Whence then, O Salih, shall I get the other nine hundred thousand? Salih replied, Contrive how thou mayst speedily acquit thyself, else thou art a dead man, for I cannot grant thee an eye-twinkling of delay after the time appointed me by the Caliph. nor can I fail of aught which the prince of true believers hath been joined on me.

Hasten, therefore, to devise some means of saving thyself ere the time expire. Quoth Mansour, O Sully, I beg thee of thy favour to bring me to my house, that I may take leave of my children and family, and give my kinsfolk my last injunctions. Now Sully relateth, so I went with him to his house, where he fell to biddy, his family farewell, and the house was filled with a clamour of weeping and lamentations and calling for help on Almighty Allah. Thereupon I said to him, I have bethought me that Allah may haply vouchsafe thee relief at the hands of the barmecides.

Come, let us go to the house of Yahya bin Khalid. So we went to Yahya's house, and Mansoor told him his case, whereat he was sore concerned, and bowed him groundwards for a while. Then raising his head, he called his treasurer, and said to him, "'How much have we in our treasury?' "'A matter of five thousand dirhams,' answered the treasurer, and Yahya abad him bring them, and sent a messenger to his son, Alfazul, saying, "'I am offered for sale a splendid estate which may never be laid waste.

So send me some lot of money.' Al-Fazel sent him a thousand-de-harhams, and he dispatched a messenger with a like message. to his son Jaafar, saying, We have a matter of much moment, and for it we want money. Whereupon Jaafar, it once sent him a thousand, thousand dirhams. Nor did Yahya leave sending to his kinsmen of the barmecides, till he had collected from them a great sum of money for Mansur. But Salih and the debtor knew not of this.

And Mansur said to Yahya, O my lord, I have laid hold upon thy skirt, for I know not whither to look for the money but to thee, in accordance with thy wanted generosity. So discharge thou the rest of my debt for me, and make me thy freed slave. Thereupon Yahya hung down his head and wept. Then he said to a page, Hark ye boy, the commander of the faithful, gave our slave-girl, Donanir, a jewel of great price. Go thou to her and bid her send it to us.

The page went out, and presently returned with a jewel, whereupon quoth Yahya, O Mansur, I bought this jewel of the merchant for the commander of the faithful, at a price of two hundred thousand dinars, and he gave it to our slave-girl, Donanir, the loot-player, and when he sees it with thee, he will know it, and spare thy blood, and do the honour for our sake. And now, O Mansur, verily thy money is complete. Salih continued, So I took the money in the jewel, and carried them to al-Rashid together with Mansur, but on the way I heard him repeat this couplet, applying it to his own case.

"'Twas not of love that fared my feet to them, "'t was that I feared me lest they shoot their shafts. "'Now when I heard this I marvelled at his evil nature, "'and his depravity and mischief-making, "'and his ignoble birth and providence, And, turning upon him, I said, There is none on the face of the earth Better or more righteous than the barmecides,

Nor any baser nor more wrongest than thou. For they bought thee off from death, And delivered thee from destruction, Giving thee what should save thee, Yet thou thankest them not, nor praises them. Neither acquittest thee after the manner of the noble. Nay, thou meetest their benevolence with this speech. Then I went to Alarachid,

and acquainted him with all that had passed. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say, her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and sixth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, though Tzalik continued. So I acquainted the commander of the faithful with all that passed, and Arashid marvelled at the generosity and benevolence of Yahya, and the vileness and ingratitude of Mansur,

and bad restore the jewel to Yahya, saying, Whatso we have given, it befitteth us not to take again? After that, Salih returned to Yahia, and acquainted him with the tale of Mansur, and his ill-conduct. Whereupon replied he, O Salih, when a man is in want, sick at heart and sad of thought, he is not to be blamed for aught that falleth from him, for it cometh not from the heart. And on this wise he took to seeking excuse for Mansur. but sally wept and exclaimed never shall the revolving heavens bring forth into being the like of thee o yakya alas and well away that one of such noble nature and generosity should be laid in the dust and he repeated these two couplets haste to do kindness thou cost intend thou canst not always on boons expend how many from bounty themselves withheld till means of bounty

had come to an end. And men tell another tale of the generous dealing of Yahya, son of Khalid, with a man who forged a letter in his name. There was between Yahya bin Khalid and Abdullah bin Malik al-Huzai, an enmity which they kept secret, the reason of the hatred being that Harun Arashid loved Abdullah with exceeding love, so that Yahya and his sons were wont to say that he had bewitched the commander of the faithful. and thus they abode a long while with rancour in their hearts till it fell out that the caliph invested abdulah with the government of armenia and despatched him thither now soon after he had settled himself in his seat of government they came to him one of the people of iraq a man of good breeding and excellent parts and abundant cleverness but he had lost his money and wasted his wealth and his estate was come to ill-case

so he forged a letter to abdullah bin malik in the name of yahia bin halid and sent out therewith for armenia now when he came to the governor's gate he gave the letter to one of the chamber who took it and carried it to his master. Abdullah opened it and read it, and, considering it attentively, knew it to be forged. So he sent for the man, who presented himself before him, and called down blessings upon him, and praised him in those of his court. Quoth Abdullah to him, "'What, move thee to weary thyself on this wise, and bring me a forged letter? But be of good heart, for we will not disappoint thy travail,' replied the other,

Allah prolong the life of our lord the wazir. If my coming annoy thee, cast not about for a pretext to repel me, for Allah's earth is wide, and he who giveth daily bread still liveth. Indeed, the letter I bring thee from Yahia bin Khalid is true or no forgery. Quoth Abdullah, I will write a letter to my agent at Baghdad, and command him inquire concerning this same letter. If it be true as thou sayest, and genuine and not forged by thee, I will bestow on thee the emirship of one of my cities,

or if thou prefer a present, I will give thee two hundred thousand dirhams, besides horses and camels of price, and a robe of honour. But, if the letter prove a forgery, I will order thou be beaten with two hundred blows of a stick, and thy beard be shaven. So Abdullahabed confine him in a chamber, and furnish him therein with all he needed, till his case should be made manifest. Then he dispatched a letter to his agent at Baghdad, to the following effect. There is come to me a man with a letter, purporting to be from Yahya bin Khalid. Now I have my suspicions of this letter.

Therefore delay thou not in the matter, but go thyself and look carefully into the case, and let me have an answer with all speed, in order that we may may be able to be. know what is true and what is untrue. When the letter reached Baghdad, the agent mounted at once, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the 307th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the agent of Abdullah, son of Malik al-Kuzai, on receipt of the letter at Baghdad, mounted at once and repaired to the house of Yahya bin Khalil,

whom he found sitting with his officers and boon companions. After the usual salute he gave him the letter, and Yahia read it, and said to the agent, Come back to me to-morrow for my written answer. Now when the agent had gone away, Yahya turned to his companions, and said, What doth he deserve, who forgeteth a letter in my name, and carryeth it to my foe? They answered all and each, saying this and that, and every one proposing some kind of of punishment. But Yahia said, Ye err in that ye say, and this your counsel is of the baseness of your spirits, and the meanness of your minds. Ye all know the close favour of Abdullah with the

Caliph, and ye wheat of what is between him and us of anger and enmity. And now, Almighty Allah, has made this man the means of reconciliation between us, and has fitted him for such purpose, and have appointed him to quench the fire of ire in our hearts, which have been growing these twenty years, and by his means our differences shall be adjusted. Wherefore it behoo with me to requite such man by verifying his assertion, and amending his estate. So I will write him a letter to Abdullah, son of Malik,

praying that he may use him with increase of honour, and continue to him his liberality. Now when his companions heard what he had, he said, they called down blessings on him and marveled at his generosity and the greatness of his magnanimity. Then he called for paper and ink, and wrote Abdullah a letter in his own hand, to the following effect. In the name of Allah, the compassionating, the compassionate. Of a truth, thy letter hath reached me, Allah give thee long life, and I am glad to hear of thy safety, and am pleased to be assured of thine immunity and prosperity. It was the very little. It was

I thought that a certain worthy man had forged a letter in my name, and that he was not the bearer of any message from the same. But the case is not so, for the letter I myself wrote, and it was no forgery. And I hope of thy courtesy and consideration, and the nobility of thy nature, that thou will gratify this generous and excellent man of his hope and wish, and honour him with the honour he deserveth, and bring him to his desire, and make him the special object of thy favour and minificence. What so thou dost with him, it is to me that thou dost the kindness, and I am thankful to thee accordingly. Then he superscribed the letter, and after sealing it,

delivered it to the agent, who dispatched it to Abdullah. Now when the governor read it, he was charmed with its contents, and sending for the man, said to him, "'Whichever of the two promised booms is the more acceptable to thee, that will I give thee.' The man replied, The money gift were more acceptable to me than ought else. Whereupon Abdullah ordered him two hundred thousand dirhams, and ten Arab horses, five with housings of silk, and other five with richly ornamented saddles, used in state processions, besides twenty chests of clothes, and ten mounted white slaves, and a proportionate

quantity of jewels of price. Moreover, he bestowed on him a dress of honour, and sent him to Baghdad in great splendour. So when he came thither he repaired the door of Yahya's house, before he went to his own folk, and craved permission to enter and have audience. The Chamberlain went in to Yahya, and said to him, O my lord, there is one at the door who cravest speech of thee, and he is a man of apparent wealth, courteous in manner, comely of aspect, and attended by him. many servants.

Then Yahia bade admit him, and when he entered and kissed the ground before him, Yahya asked him, Who art thou? He answered, hear me, O my lord, I am he who was done dead by the tyranny of fortune, but thou didst raise me to life again from the grave of calamities, and exalt me to the paradise of my desires. I am the man who forged a letter in thy name, and carried it. to Abdullah bin Malik al-Huza'i. Yahya asked,

How hath he dealt with thee, and what did he give thee? And the man answered, He hath given me, thanks to thy hand and thy great liberality, and benevolence, and to their comprehensive kindness and lofty magnanimity,

and thine all-embracing generosity, that which has made me a wealthy man, and he hath distinguished me with his gifts and favors. And now I have been, brought all that he gave me, and here it is at thy door, for it is thine to decide, and the command is in thy hand. Rejoined Yahya, thou hast done me better service than I did thee, and I owe thee a heavy

debt of gratitude, and every gift the white hand can give, for that thou hast changed into love and amity the hate and enmity that were between me and a man whom I respect and esteem. wherefore i will give thee the like of what abdhullah bin malik gave thee then he ordered him money and horses and chests of apparel such as abdullah had given him and thus the man's fortune was restored to him by the munificence of these two generous ones and folk also relate the tale of the caliph al ma'amun and the strange scholar it is said of al ma'amun that among the caliph's of the House of Abbas, there was none more accomplished in all branches of knowledge than he. Now on two days in each week, he was wont to preside at conferences of the learned, when the lawyers and theologians disputed in his presence, each sitting in his several rank and room. One day, as he sat thus, there came into the assembly a stranger, clad in ragged white clothes,

who took seat in an obscure place behind the doctors of the law. Then the assembled began to speak and debate difficult questions, it being the custom that the various propositions should be submitted to each in turn, and that whoso bethought him of some subtle addition or rare conceit should make mention of it. So the question went round till it came to the strange man, who spake in his turn, and made a goodlier answer than any of the doctor's replies. And the Caliph approved his speech. Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say.

End of Section 22. Recording by Griffin. Section 23 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Recording by Griffin. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night of Vos.

Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 23, 308th Night to 310th night. When it was the 308th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the Caliph Alma Amun approved his speech, and ordered him to come up from his low place to a high stead. Now when the second question came to him, he made a still more notable answer, and Alma Amun ordered him to be preferred to a yet half. higher seat. And when the third question reached him, he made answer more justly and appropriately than on the two previous occasions, and Al-Maamun bade him come up and sit near himself.

Presently the discussion ended, when water was brought, and they washed their hands, after which food was set on, and they ate, and the doctors arose and withdrew. But Al-Maamun forbade the stranger to depart with them, and, calling him to himself, treated him with a special favour and promised him honour and profit. Thereupon they made ready the seance of Wasail. The fair-faced cup companions came, and the pure wine went round amongst them, till the cup came to the stranger, who rose to his feet and spake thus. If the commander of the faithful permit me, I will say one word, answered the Caliph,

Say what thou wilt. Quoth the man. verily the exalted intelligence whose eminence allah increase knoweth that his slave was this day in the august assembly one of the unknown folk and of the meanest of the company and the commander of the faithful raised his rank and brought him near to himself little as were the wit and wisdom he displayed preferring him above the rest and advancing him to a station and a degree where to his thought aspired not but now he is minded to part him from that small portion of intellect which raised him high from his lowness and made him great after his littleness heaven forfend and forbid that the commander of the faithful should envy his slave what little he hath of understanding and worth and renown Now, if his slave should drink wine, his reason would depart far from him, and ignorance draw near to him, and steal away his good breeding, so would he revert to that low and contemptible degree whence he sprang, and become ridiculous and despicable in the eyes of the

folk. I hope, therefore, that the august intelligence of his power and bounty and royal generosity and magnanimity will not despoil his sense. slave of this jewel. When the Caliph al-ma-amun heard his speech, he praised him and thanked him, and making him sit down again in his place, showed him high honor, and ordered him a present of an hundred thousandths over pieces. Moreover, he mounted him upon a horse, and gave him rich apparel, and in every assembly he was wont to exalt him and show him favor over all the other doctors of law and religion, till he became the highest of them all in rank.

And Allah is all-knowing. Men also tell a tale of Alishar and Zumurud. There lived once in the days of yore, and the good old times long gone before, in the land of Chorasan, a merchant called Majd al-Din, who had great wealth in many slaves and servants, white and black, young and old, but he had not been. blessed with a child, until he reached the age of threescore, when Almighty Allah vouchsafed him a son, whom he named Alishar. The boy grew up like the moon on the night of fullness, and when he came to man's estate,

and was endowed with all kinds of perfections, his father fell sick of a death-malady, and, calling his son to him, said, O my son, the fated hour of my decease is at hand, I desire to give thee my last injunctions. He said, And what are they, O my father? And he answered, O my son, I charge thee. Be not over-familiar with any, and is shew what leadeth to evil and mischief. Beware lest us in company with the wicked, for he is like the blacksmith. If his fire burn thee not, his smoke shall bother thee.

how excellent is the saying of the poet, In thy whole world there is not one Whose friendship thou mayst count upon, Nor plighted faith that will stand true When times go hard and hopes are few. Then live apart and dwell alone, Nor make a prop of anyone. I've given a gift in that I've said,

Will stand thy friend in every stead. And what another saith, Men are a hidden malady, Rely not on the sham in them, For perfidy and treachery Thoult find if thou examine them. And yet a third, Sayeth, Converse with men, hath scanty wheel, Except to while away the time in chat and prate. Then shun their intimacy, save it be to win thee lore, or better thine estate. And a fourth, sayeth, If a sharp-witted white, ere tried mankind, I've eaten that which only tasted he. Their enmity proved not but wile, their faith I found was but hypocrisy. Quoth Ali, O my father, I have heard thee, and I will obey thee. What more shall I do? Quoth he, do good, whereas thou art able, be ever kind and courteous,

to men, and regard as riches every occasion of doing a good turn. But a design is not always easily carried out. And how well saith the poet, it is not at every time and tide unstable we can do kindly acts and charitable. When thou art able hasten thee to act, lest thine endeavor prove anon unable. Said Ali, I have heard thee, and I will obey thee. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day,

And ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the three hundred ninth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the youth replied, I have heard thee, and I will obey thee, what more? And his sire continued, Be thou, or my son, mindful of Allah, So shall he be mindful of thee. Ward thy wealth and waste it not,

For an thou do, thou wilt come to want the least of mankind. Know that the measure of a man's worth is according to that which his right hand hendeth. And how well saith the poet, When fails my wealth, no friend will deign be friend. And when it waxeth, all men friendship show. How many a foe for wealth became my friend. Wealth lost, how many a friend became a foe? asked Ali,

What more? And Majdaldin answered, O my son, Take counsel of those who are older than thou, and hasten not to do thy heart's desire. Have compassion on those who are below thee, so shall those who are above thee, have compassion on thee.

And oppress none, lest Allah empower one who shall oppress thee. How well saith the poet! Add other wit to thy, To thy wit, counsel craving, Or man's true course Hides not from minds of two. Man is a mirror which but shows his face,

And by two mirrors, he his back shall view. And as saith another, Act on sure grounds, nor hurry fast, To gain the purpose that thou hast. And be thou kindly to all men, So kindly thou'lt be called again. For not a deed the hand can try, save neath the hand of God on high, nor tyrant harsh work tyranny, uncrushed by tyrant harsh as he.

And as saith yet another, tyrannize not, if thou hast the power to do so, for the tyrannical is in danger of revenges. Thine eye will sleep, while the oppressed, wakeful, will call down curses on thee, and God's eye sleepeth not. Beware of wine-bibbing, for drink is the root of all evil, He doeth away the reason, And bringeth to contempt, Whoso useth it. And how well, saith the poet,

By Allah, Wine shall not disturb me, While my soul-joined body, Nor while while speech the words of me explain, No day will I be thralled or wine-skin cooled by breeze, Nor choose a friend, Save those who are of cups unfair. This, then, is my charge to thee.

bear it before thine eyes and allah stand to thee in my stead then he swooned away and kept silent awhile and when he came to himself he besought pardon of allah and pronounced the profession of the faith and was admitted to the mercy of the almighty so his son wept and lamented for him and presently made proper preparation for his burial great and small walked in his funeral procession and koran readers recited wholly writ about his beer nor did alishar omit aught of what was due to the dead then they prayed over him and committed him to the dust and wrote these two couplets upon his tomb thou wast created of dust and came to life and learnedst in eloquence eloquence to place thy trust. Anon to dust returning thou becamest a corpse, as though ne'er taken from the dust. Now his son, Alishar, grieved for him with sore grief, and mourned him with the ceremony as usual among men of note. Nor did he cease to weep the loss of his father, till his mother died also not long afterwards, when he did with her as he had done with his sire. Then he sat in the shop, selling and buying and consorting with none of Almighty Allah's creatures,

in accordance with his father's injunction. This wise he continued to do for a year, at the end of which time there came into him by craft certain horse-unfellows, and consorted with him, till he turned after their example to lewdness, and swerved from the way of righteousness, drinking wine and flowing bowls and frequenting fair women, night and day. For he said to himself,

Of a truth, my father amassed this wealth for me, and if I spend it not, to whom shall I leave it? By Allah, I will not do save as saith the poet, and through the whole of life thou getst and gains for self, say, when shalt thou enjoy thy gains and gotten pelf? And Ali-Shar ceased not to waste his wealth all whiles of the day and all watches of the night, till he had made away with the whole of his riches, and abode in pauper case and troubled at heart. So he sold his shop, and lands and so forth, and after this he sold the clothes off his body, leaving himself but one suit, and, as drunkenness quitted him, and thoughtfulness came to him, he fell into grief and sore care.

One day, when he had sat from daybreak to mid-afternoon without breaking his fast, He said in his mind, I will go round to those on whom I spent my monies, perchance one of them will feed me this day. So he went the round of them all, but as often as he knocked at any one's door of them, the man denied himself, and hid from him,

till his stomach ached with hunger. Then he betook himself to the bazaar of the merchants, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and tenth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That Alishar, feeling his stomach ache with hunger, betook himself to the merchant's bazaar,

Where he found a crowd of people assembled in ring, And said to himself, I wonder what causes these folk to crowd together thus. By Allah, I will not budge hence till I see what is within yonder ring. So he made his way into the ring, And found therein a damsel exposed for sale, who was five feet tall, beautifully proportioned, rosy of cheek and high of breast, and who surpassed all the people of her time in beauty and loveliness and elegance and grace.

Even as saith one describing her, as she willed she was made, and in such a way that when she was cast in nature's mould, neither short nor long was she, beauty woke to fall in love with the beauties of her form. where combined with all her coyness her pride and prudency. The full moon is her face, and the branchlet is her shape, and the musk-pod is her scent what like her can there be. Tis as though she were moulded from water of the pearl, and in every lovely limelette another moon we see.

And her name was Zumurud, the Smaraddin. So when Ali Shah saw her, he marvelled at her beauty and grace and said, By Allah, I will not stir hence till I see how much this girl fetcheth, and know who buyeth her. So he took standing-place amongst the merchants, and they thought he had a mind to buy her, knowing the wealth he had inherited from his parents. Then the broker stood at the damsel's head and said, Ho, merchants! Ho! ye men of money! Who will open the gate of biddings for this damsel? the mistress of moons the union pearl zumarod the curtain-maker the sought of the seeker and the delight of the desirous open the bidding's door and on the opener be nor blame nor reproach for evermore

thereupon quoth one merchant mine for five hundred dinars and ten quoth another six hundred cried an old man named rachid al-din blew of eye and foul the face and ten cried another i bid a thousand rejoined rachid al-din whereupon the rival merchants were tongue-tied and held their peace and the broker took counsel with the girl's owner who said i have sworn not to sell her save to whom she shall choose so consult her thereupon the broker went up to sumerud and said to her o mistress of moons this merchant hath a mind to buy thee she looked at rachid al din and finding him as we have said replied i will not be sold to a gray beard whom decrepitude hath brought to such evil plight allah inspired his saying hussayeth i craved of her a kiss one day but soon as she beheld my hoary hairs though i my luxuries and wealth displayed. She proudly turned away from me, showed shoulders, cried aloud, No, no, by him whose hast mankind from nothingness hath made. For hoary head and grizzled chin I've no especial love. What, stuff my mouth with cotton air in sepulchre I'm laid? Now when the broker heard her words, he said, By Allah, thou art excusable, and thy price is

ten thousand gold pieces. So he told her owner that she would not. not accept of old man Rashid al-Din, and he said, consult her concerning another. Thereupon a second man came forward and said, Be she mine for what price was offered by the oldster she would have none of. But she looked at him, and seeing that his beard was dyed, said, What be this fashion lewd and base, and the blackening of the hoary face? And she made a great show of wonderment, and repeated these couplets. Show'd me, sir, Such and one, a sight, And what a frightful sight!

A neck by Allah, Only made for slipper-soul to smite, A beard that meetest racing ground Where gnats and lice contend, A brow fit only for the ropes thy temples chafe and bite. O thou, enravished by my cheek, and beauties of my form, Why so translate thyself to youth, And think I deem it right? Dying disgracefully, That white of wight! reverend aged hairs, and hiding for foul purposes their venerable white. Thou goes with one beard, and comest back with quite another, like punching Judy-man who works the Chinese shades by night. And how well saith another, quoth she,

I see thee die thy horridness, to hide, oh, ears and eyes, from thee, quoth I. She roared with laugh, and said, Right funny this, thou art so lying, e'en. now when the broker heard her verse he exclaimed by allah thou hast spoken sooth the merchant asked what she said so the broker repeated the verses to him and he knew that she was in the right while he was wrong and desisted from buying her then another came forward and said ask her if she will be mine at the same price but when he did so she looked at him and seeing that he had but one eye said this man is one-eyed and it is of such as he that the poet saith consort not with the cyclops e'en a day beware his falsehood and his mischief fly had this monocular a jot of good allah had ne'er brought blindness to his eye then said the broker pointing to another bidder wilt thou be sold to this man she looked at him and seeing that he was short of stature and had a beard that reached to his navel cried this is he of whom the poet speaketh i have a friend who hath a beard allah to useless length unrolled tis like a certain winter night longsome and darksome drear and cold said the broker o my lady look who pleaseth thee of thee that are present, and point him out that I may sell thee to him.

So she looked round the ring of merchants, examining one by one their physiognomies, till her glance fell on Ali Shahar, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. End of Section 23, recording by Griffin. Section 24 of the book of a thousand nights, and a night, volume four by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Simon Wainwright, the book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, volume four translated by richard burton section twenty four when it was the three hundred and eleventh night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that when the girl's glance fell on ali shahar she cast at him a look with longing eyes which her cost her a thousand size, and her heart was taken with him, for that he was of favor passing fair, and pleasanter than Zephyr, or northern air. And she said, O broker, I will be so to none but to this, my lord, owner of the handsome face and slender form, whom the post, whom the o'it thus describeth displaying that fair face the tempted they assailed who had they wished me safe that lovely face had veiled

for none shall own me but he because his cheek is smooth and the water of his mouth sweet as sal sable his spittle is a cure for the sick and his charm's daze and dazzle, poet and proser, even as saith one of him. His honey-dew of lips is wine, his breath, musk, and those teeth, smile shone, are camphor's hue. Rise one hath turned him out, O doors, for fear, the hour is lapse, from virtue at the view men blame his bearing for its pride but when in pride the full moon sails excuses do lord of the curling locks and rose-red cheeks and ravishing look of whom saith the poet the fawn like one a meeting promised me and i expectant waxed and heart unstirred his eyelids bade me hold his word as true but in their languish can he keep his word and as saith another quoth they black letters on his cheek are writ how canst thou love him and a side-beard see quoth i cease blame and cut your tongue

chiding short if those be letters tis of forgery gather his charms all groweth of eden garth where to those cassar lips bear testimony when the broker heard the verses she repeated on the charms of ali shar he marvelled at her eloquence no less than at the brightness of her beauty but her owner said to him marvel not at her splendor which shameeth the noonday sun nor that her memory is stored with the choicest verses of the poets for besides this she can repeat the glorious koran according to the seven readings and the august traditions after ascription an authentic transmission and she wrighteth the seventh moods of handwriting, and she knoweth more learning and knowledge than the most learned. Moreover, her hands are better than gold and silver, for she makes silken curtains and selleth them for fifty gold pieces each, and it taketh her but eight days to make a curtain, exclaimed the broker.

Oh, happy the man who hath her in his house, and maketh her of his. his choice's treasures, and her owner said to him, sell her, to whom she will. So the broker went up to Ali Shah, and kissing his hands, said to him, O my lord, buy thou this damsel, for she hath made choice of thee. Then he set forth to him all her charms and accomplishments, and added, I give thee joy if thou buy her, for this be a gift from him, who is no niggard of his giving. Whereupon Ali bowed his head groundwards a while, laughing at himself and secretly saying, Up to this hour I have not broken my fast, yet I am ashamed before the merchants to own that I have no money wherewith to buy her. The damsel, seeing him hang down his head, said to the broker,

Take my hand and lead me to him, That I may show my beauty to him and tempt him to buy me, For I will not be sold to any but him. So the broker took her hand and stationed her before Ali Shah, Saying, What is thy good pleasure, O my lord? But he made him no answer. her, and the girl said to him, O my lord, and darling of my heart,

what aileth thee that thou wilt not bid for me? Buy me, for what thou wilt, and I will bring thee good fortune. So he raised his eyes to her, and said, Is buying perforce? Thou are dear at a thousand dinars, said she, then buy me, O my lord, for nine hundred. he cried no and she rejoined then for eight hundred and though he again said nay she ceased not to abate the price till she came to an hundred dinars quoth he i have not by me a full hundred so she laughed and asked how much dost thou lack of an hundred he answered by a law i have neither an hundred he answered by a law i have neither an hundred

dinars nor any other sum for I own neither white coin nor red cash neither dinar nor durham so look out thou for another and a better customer and when she knew that he had nothing she said to him take me by the hand and carry me aside into a lane as if thou wouldst examine me privily He did so, and she drew from her bosom a purse containing a thousand dinars, which she gave him, saying, Pay down nine hundred to my price, and let the hundred remain with thee by way of provision. He did as she bid him, and buying her for nine hundred dinars, paid down the price from her own. purse and carried her to his house. When she entered it, she found a dreary, desolate

saloon without carpets or vessels. So she gave him another thousand dinars, saying, Go to the bazaar and buy 300 dinars worth of furniture and vessels for the house, and three dinah's worth of meat and drink and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the three hundred and twelfth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that quoth the slave-girl bring us meat and drink for three dinars furthermore a piece of silk the size of a curtain and bring golden and silver thread and sewing silk of seven colors thus he did and she furnished the house and they sat down to eat and drink after which they went to bed and took their pleasure one of the other and they lay the night embraced behind the curtain and were even as the poet saith clee fast to her thou lovest ane let the envious rail amain for calm ne'n an envy ne'er to favour love were fain lo whilst i slept in dreams i saw thee lying by my side and from thy lips the sweetest shore of limpid springs did drain, yea true and certain all I saw is as I will avouch, and spite the envious there too,

I surely will attain. There is no goodlier sight indeed for eyes to look upon, than when one couch in its embrace enfoldeth lovers twain. Each two, the others, bosom clasped, clad in their twinned delight, whilst hand with hand and arm with arm about their necks in chain, lo, when two hearts are straightly knit in passion and desire, but on cold iron smite the folk who chide at them in vain, thou that for loving censurest the votaries of love canst thou assain a heart diseased or heal a cankered brain if in thy time thou kind but one to love thee and be true i redee thee cast the world away and with that one remain so they lay together till the morning and love for the other waxed, firmly fixed in the heart of each. And on rising, Sumurud took the curtain and embroidered it with colored silks, and purpled it with silver and gold thread, and she added

thereto a border depicting round about it all manner of birds and beasts. Nor is there in the world a furrow butt, she wrought his semblance. This she worked in eight days, till she had made an end of it. When she trimmed it and glazed and ironed it and gave it to her lord, saying, Carry it to the bazaar, and sell it to one of the merchants at fifty dinars. But beware, lest thou sell it to a passer-by, as this would cause a separation between thee and me. For we have foes who are not unthoughtful of us. I hear and I obey, answered he,

and repairing to the bazaar, sold the curtain to a merchant, as she bade him, after which he bought a piece of silk for another curtain and gold and silver, and silken thread as before, and what they needed of food, and brought all this to her, giving her the rest of the money. Now every eight days she made a curtain, which he sold for 50 dinars, and on this wise past a whole year. At the end of that time, he went as usual to the bazaar with a curtain, which he gave to the broker, and there came up to him a Nazarene, who bid him 60 dinars for it,

but he refused, and the Christian continued bidding higher and higher, till he came to an hundred dinars and bribed the broker with ten ducats. So the man returned to Ali Shah and told him of the proffered. price and urged him to accept the offer and sell the article at the Nazarene's valuation, saying, O my lord, be not afraid of this Christian, for that he can do thee no harm. The merchants also were urgent with him. So he sold the curtain to the Christian, albeit his heart misgave him, and taking the money set off to return home. Presently, as he walked, he found the Christian walking behind him. So he said to him, O Nazarene, why dost thou follow in my footsteps? answered the other, O my lord, I want a something at the end

of the street. Allah never bring thee to want. But Ali Shah had barely reached his place before the Christian overtook him. So he said to him, O accursed, What a aileth thee to follow me? Wherever I go, replied the other, O my lord, give me a draught of water, for I am a thirst, and with Allah be thy reward. Quoth Ali Shah to himself, verily this man is an infidel, who payeth tribute and claimeth our protection, and he, asketh me for a drought of water by allah i will not balk him and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the three hundred and thirteenth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that quoth alishar to himself

this man is a tributary unbeliever and he asked me for a draught of water by allah i will not balk him so he entered the house and took a gugglet of water but the slave-girl zumarud saw him and said to him o my love hast thou sold the curtain he replied yes and she asked to a merchant or a merchant or or to a passer-by for my heart presages a parting and he answered to whom but to a merchant thereupon she rejoined tell me the truth of the case that i may order my affair and why take the guglit of water and he to give the broker to drink upon which she exclaimed there is no majesty and there is no might save in allah the glorious the great and she repeated these two couplets o thou who seekest separation act leisurely and let not thee embrace of the beloved deceive thee, act leisurely, for the nature of fortune is treacherous, in the end of every union is disjunction. Then he took the gouglet, and going out found the Christian within the vestibule, and said to him, How comeest thou here, and how darest thou, O Doug, enter my house without my leave?

answered he o my lord there is no difference between the door and the vestibule and i never intended to stir hence save to go out and my thanks are due to thee for thy kindness and favor thy bounty and generosity then he took the mug and emptying it returned it to ali shah who received it and waited for him to rise up and to go but he did not move so ali said to him why dost thou not rise and whine thy way and he answered o my lord be not of those who do a kindness and then make it a reproach nor of those of whom saith the poet they're gone who when thou stoodest at their door would for thy wants so generously cater but stand at door of charles who followed them they'd make high favor of a draught of water and he continued o my lord i have drunk and now i would have thee give me to eat of whatever is in the house though it is in the house though it is it be but a bit of bread or a biscuit with an onion replied Ali Shah be gone without more shafer and chatter there is nothing in the house he persisted oh my lord if there be

nothing in the house take these hundred dinars and bring us something from the market if but a single scone that bread and salt may pass between us with this quoth ali shah to himself this christian is surely mad i will take his hundred dinars and bring him somewhat worth a couple of durham's and laugh at him and the nazarine added o my lord i want but a small matter to stay my hunger were it but a dry scone and an onion for the best food is that which doeth away appetite not rich vinyans and how well saith the poet hunger is sated with a bone-dry scone how is it then in woes of want i won death is all justice lacking aught regard for caliph king and bagger woe begone then then for then quoth ali shah wait here while i lock the saloon and fetch thee somewhat from the market and quoth the christian to hear is to obey so ali shah shut up the saloon and locking the door with a padlock put the key in his pocket after which he went to market and bought fried cheese and virgin honey and bananas and bread with which he returned to the house

now when the christian saw the provision he said o my lord this is overmuch tis enough for half a score of men and i am alone but be like thou wilt eat with me replied ali eat by thyself i am full and the christian rejoined o my lord the wise say whoso eateth not with his guest is a son of a whore Now, when Ali Shah heard these words from the Nazarene, he sat down, and ate a little with him, after which he would have held his hand, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her, permitted say. Section 25 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Robin The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 25, 314th night to 316th night. When it was the 314th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Ali Shah sat down and ate a little with him, after which he would have held his hand,

but the Nazarene privily took a banana and peeled it, then, splitting it in twain, put into one half-concentrated bang, mixed with opium, a dracham-weref would overthrow an elephant, and he dipped it in the honey and gave it to Ali Shah, saying, Oh, my lord, by the truth of thy religion, I adjure thee to take this. So Ali Shah, being ashamed to make him forsworn, took it and swallowed it, but hardly had it settled well in his stomach, when his head forewent both his feet, and he was as though he had been a year asleep. As soon as the Nazarene saw this, rose to his feet as he had been a scald wolf or catamount at bay,

taking the saloon-key, left Alishar prostrate and ran off to rejoin his brother. And the cause of his so doing was that the Nazarene's brother was the same decrepit old man who had purposed to buy Zamorid for a thousand dinars, but she would have none of him and jeered him in verse. He was an unbeliever inwardly, though a Muslim outwardly, and he called himself Rashid Aldin, and And when Zimurid mocked him and would not accept of him, he complained to his brother the aforesaid Christian, who played the slight to take her from her master, Ali Shah, whereupon his brother, Barsum, by name, said to him, fret not thyself about the business, for I will make shift to seize her for thee, without expending either Dinar nor Dyrum. Now he was a skillful wizard, crafty and wicked,

so he watched his time, and ceased not his practices till he played Ali Shah the trick before related. Then, taking the key, he went to his brother and acquainted him with what had passed. Thereupon Rashid Aldin mounted his she-mule, and repaired with his brother and his servants to the house of Ali Shah, taking with him a purse of a thousand dinars, wherewith to bribe the chief of police should he meet him. He opened the saloon door, and the men who were with him rushed in upon Zemurid and forcibly seized her, threatening her with death if she spoke. But they left the places it was and took nothing therefrom. Lastly, they left Alishar lie in the vestibule, after they had shut the door on him and laid

the saloon-key by his side. Then the Christian carried the girl to his own house, and, setting her amongst his handmaids and concubines, said to her, O strumpet, I am the old man whom thou didst reject in Lampoon, but now I have thee, without paying dinar or dirham, replied she, and her eyes streamed with tears. Allah requite thee, O wicked old man, for sundering me and my lord. He rejoined, Wanted, Minks and Horde that thou art, Thou shalt see how I will punish thee. By the truth of the Messiah and the Virgin, except thou obey me, and embrace my faith,

I will torture thee with all manner of torture. She replied, By Allah, though thou cut my flesh to bits, I will not forswear the faith of al-Islam. It may be Almighty Allah will bring me speedy relief, for he clothed even as he is fief, and the wise say, better body to scathe than a flaw in faith. Thereupon the old man called his eunuchs and women, saying, Throw her down! So they threw her down, and he ceased not to beat her with grievous beating while she cried for help, and no help came.

Then she no longer implored aid, but fell to saying, Allah is my sufficiency, and he is indeed all sufficient, till her groans ceased, and her breath failed her, and she fell into a fainting fit. Now when his heart was soothed by bashing her, he said to the eunuchs, drag her forth by the feet, and cast her down in the kitchen, and give her nothing to eat. And after quietly sleeping that night, on the morrow the accursed old man sent for her, and beat her again, after which he bade the castrato return her to her place. When the burning of the blows had cooled, she said,

There is no God but the God, and Muhammad is the apostle of God. Allah is my sufficiency, and excellent is my guardian. and she called for succour upon our Lord Mohammed, whom Allah may bless and keep, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and cease saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and fifteenth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Zimurid called for succor upon our Lord Muhammad, whom Allah bless and keep. Such was her case, but as regards Ali Shah, he ceased not sleeping till next day,

when the bang quitted his brain, and he opened his eyes and cried out, O Zimurid, but no one answered him. So he entered the saloon and found the empty air and the fain afar, whereby he knew that it was the Nazarene who had played him this trick, and he groaned and wept and lamented and again shed tears, repeating these couplets. O love, thou art instant in thy cruelest guise, here is my heart twixt fears and miseries. Pity, O Lord's, a thrall who felled on way of love erst wealthy, now abet, Liger lies. What prophets archer's art if, when the foe draws near, his bow-string snap arrow lies, and when griefs multiply on generous man, and urge what fort can defend him from destinies?

How much and much I warded parting, but when destiny descends, she blinds our eyes. And when he had ended his verse, he sobbed with loud sobs, and repeated also these couplets. In robes with honor Sands of Camp, her foot step wandering lone, Pines the poor mourner As she wins the stead where want to wane. She turns to resting place of tribe and yearns thereon to view, the spring camp lying desolate with ruins overstrone. She stands, and questions of the sight, but with the tongue of case the mount replies, There is no path that leads to union, none.

Tis as the lightning flash, air while bright glittered over the camp. and died in darkling air no more to be forever shown. And he repented when repentance availed him not, and wept and rent his raiment. Then he hent in hand two stones, and went round about the city, beating his breast with the stones, and crying, Hoza murid, whilst the small boys flocked round him,

calling out, a madman, a madman! And all who knew him wept for him, saying, This is such a one, what evil hath befallen him. He continued doing that all day, and, when night darkened on him, he lay down in one of the city lanes, and slept till morning. On the morrow he went round about the town with the stones till even-tide, when he returned to his saloon to pass there in the night. Presently one of his neighbors saw him, and this worthy old woman said to him,

O my son, heaven give thee healing! How long hast thou been mad? And he answered her with these two couplets. They said, Thou revest upon the person thou lovest. And I replied, The sweets of life are only for the mad. Drop the subject of my madness, and bring her upon whom I rave. If she cure my madness, do not blame me. So his old neighbor knew him for a lover who had lost his beloved and said,

There is no majesty, and there is no might save Allah the glorious, the great. Oh, my son, I wish thou wouldst acquaint me with the tale of thine affection. Peradventure Allah may enable me to help thee against it if it so please him. So he told her all that had befallen him with Barsum the Nazarene and his brother the wizard, who had named himself Rashid Alden. And when she understood the whole case, she said, Oh, my son, indeed thou hast excuse. And her eyes railed tears, and she repeated these two couplets.

Enough for lovers in this world their ban and bane, by Allah, lover nearing fire of sacchar fries, for sure they died of love-desire they never told chastely, and to this truth tradition testifies. And after she had finished her verse she said, Oh, my son, rise at once, and buy me a crate, such as the jewel peddlers carry, and buy also bangles and seal-rings and bracelets and earrings and other jujaws wear in women delight, and grudge not the cash, put all the stock into the crate, and bring it to me, and I will set it on my head and go round about in the guise of a huckstress,

and make search for her in all the houses till i happen on news of her. Inshallah, so Alishar rejoiced in her words and kissed her hands. Then, going out, speedily brought her all she required, whereupon she rose and donned a patched gown, and threw over her head a honey-yellow veil, and took staff in hand, and, with the basket on her head, began wandering about the passages and the houses. She ceased not to go from house to house, and street to street and quarter to quarter till Allah Almighty led her to the house of the accursed Rashid al-Din the Nazarene, where, hearing groans within, she knocked at the door. And Shahazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the three hundred and sixteenth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when the old woman heard groans within the house, she knocked at the door, whereupon a slave-girl came down, and, opening to her, saluted her, Quoth the old woman, I have these trifles for sale. Is there anyone with you who will buy all of them? Yes, answered the damsel, and carrying her indoors, made her sit down, whereupon all the slave-girls came round her, and each bought something of her. And as the old woman spoke them fair, and was easy with them as to price,

all rejoiced in her because of her kind ways and pleasant speech. Meanwhile, she looked narrowly at the ins and outs of the place to see who it was she had heard groaning, till her glance fell on Zimurid, when she knew her, and she began to show her customers yet more kindness. At last she made sure that Zimurid was laid prostrate. So she wept and said to the girls, Oh, my children, how comeeth yonder young lady in this plight? Then the slave girls told her all what had passed, adding, indeed this matter is not of our choice, but our master commanded us to do thus, and he is now on a journey. She said, oh my children, I have a favor to ask of you, and it is that you loose this unhappy damsel of her bonds, till you know of your lord's

return, and when do ye bind her again as she was, and you shall earn a reward from the lord of all creatures. We hear and obey, answered they, and, at once, loosing Zemurid, gave her to eat and drink. Thereupon quoth the old woman, Would my leg had been broken ere I entered your house? And she went up to Zimurid and said to her, Oh, my daughter, heaven keep thee safe, soon shall Allah bring thee relief. Then she privily told her that she had come from her Lord Ali Shah, and agreed with her to be on the watch for sounds that night, saying,

Thy lord will come and stand by the pavilion bench and whistle to thee, and when thou hearest him, do thou whistle back to him and let thyself down by a rope from the window, and he will take thee, and go away with thee. So Zemur d thanked the old woman, who went forth and returned to Ali Shah, and told him what she had done, saying, go this night at midnight to such a quarter, for the accursed Carl's house is there, and its fashion is thus and thus. Stand under the window of the upper chamber and whistle, whereupon she will let herself down to thee, then do thou take her and carry her wither thou wilt. He thanked her for her good offices, and with flowing tears repeated these couplets. Now with their says and ceds, no more vex me the chiding race, my heart is weary,

and I am worn to bone by their disgrace, and tears, a truthful legend with a long ascription chain of my desertion and distress the lineage can trace. O thou heart whole and free from dull and dolers I endure! Cut short thy long persistency, nor question of my case. A sweet-lipped one and soft of sides, and cast in shapeless mold hath stormed my heart with honeyed lure and honeyed words of grace. No rest my heart hath known since thou art gone, nor ever close these eyes, nor patience aloe scrape the hopes I dare to trace. Ye have abandoned me to be the pawn

of vain desire, in squalid state twixt envious, and they who blamed to face. As for forgetting you or loved, tis a thing I never knew. Nor in my thought shall ever pass a living thing but you. And when he ended his verses, he sighed,

and shed tears, and repeated also these couplets. Divinely were inspired his words who brought me news of you. For brought he unto me a gift was music in mine ear. Take he for gift, if him content, this worn-out threadbare robe, my heart which was in pieces torn when parting from my fate. He waited till night darkened, and, when came the appointed time, he went to the quarter she had described to him, and saw

unrecognized the Christian's house. So he sat down on the bench under the gallery. Presently Drozness overcame him, and he slept. Glory be to him who sleepeth not, for it was long since he had tasted sleep by the reason of the violence of his passion, and he became as one drunken with slumber, and while he was on this wise, and Sharazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 25. Recording by Robin in Norman, Oklahoma. Section 26 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording.

All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Irma Martin. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 26. 317th night to 320th night. when it was the three hundred and seventeenth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that while he lay asleep behold a certain thief who had come out that night and prowled about the skirts of the city to steal somewhat happened by the decree of destiny on the nazarene's house he went round about it but found no way of climbing up into it and presently on his circuit he came to the bench where he saw Ali Shah asleep and stole his turban, and, as he was taking it suddenly, Zumarud looked out and seeing the thief standing in the darkness, took him for her lord.

Whereupon she let herself down to him by the rope with a pair of saddle-bags full of gold. Now when the robber saw that, he said to himself, This is a wondrous thing, and there must needs be some marvelous cause to it. Then he snatched up the saddlebags and threw Zumarid over his shoulders and made off with both like the blinding lightning. Quoth she, Verily, the old woman told me that thou wast weak with illness on my account, and here thou art, stronger than a horse.

He made her no reply, so she put her hand to his face and felt a beard like the broom of palm frond used for the hum-am, as if he were a hog which had swam. followed feathers, and they had come out of his gullet. Whereat she took fright and said to him, What art thou? O strumpet, answered he, I am the sharper Joan, the Kurd of the band of Ahmad al-Danaf.

We are forty shoppers, who will piss our tallow into thy womb this night from dusk to dawn. When she heard his words, she wept and beat her face, knowing that fate had gotten the better of her, and that she had no resource but resignation and to put her trust in Allah Almighty. So she took patience and submitted herself to the ordinance of the Lord, saying, There is no God but the God. As often as we escape from one woe, we fall into a worse. Now the cause of Jawan's coming thither was this. He had said to Calamity Ahmad,

O sharper captain, I had been in this city before, and know a cavern without the walls which will hold forty souls. So I will go before you thither and set my mother therein. Then will I return to the city, and steal somewhat for the luck of all of you, and keep it till you come. So shall you be my guests, and I will show you hospitality this day? Replied Ahmad al-Danaf, do what thou wilt. So Joan went forth to the place before them, and set his mother in the cave. But as he came out he found a trooper lying asleep, with his horse picketed beside him, so he cut his throat, and taking his clothes and his charger and his arms, hid them with his mother in the cave, where also he tethered the horse. Then he betook himself to the

city and prowled about, till he happened on the Christian's house, and did with Ali Shah's turbaned and Zuma-Rood and her saddle-bags, as we have said. He ceased not to run, with Zumarood on his back, till he came to the cavern, where he gave her in charge of his mother, saying, Keep thou watch over her till I return to thee at first dawn of day, and went his ways. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say, when it was the three hundred and eighteenth night. She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth Kurdish Jawan to his mother.

Keep thou watched over her till I come back to thee at first dawn of day, and went his ways. Now Zuma Rood said to herself, Why am I so heedless about saving my life, and wherefore await till these forty men come? They will take their turns to board me, till they make me like a water-logged ship at sea. Then she turned to the old woman,

Jouan's mother, and said to her, O my aunt, wilt thou not rise up and come without the cave, that I may laos thee in the sun? replied the old woman. Oh, by Allah, oh my daughter, this long time have I been out of reach of the bath, for these hogs ceased not to carry me from place to place. So they went without the cavern,

and Zumarin combed out her head hair and killed the lice on her locks, till the tickling soothed her and she fell asleep. whereupon Zumarud arose, and donning the clothes of the murdered trooper, Gert her waist with his sword, and covered her head with his turbaned, so that she became, as she were a man. Then, mounting the horse, after she had taken the saddle-bags full of gold, she breathed a prayer,

O good protector, protect me, I adjured thee by the glory of Muhammad, who all a bless and preserve. Adding these words in thought, If I return to the city, belike one of the troopers' folks will see me, and no good will befall me. So she turned her back on the town, and rode forth into the wild and the waste. And she ceased, not faring forth with her saddle-bags and the steed, eating of the growth of the earth, and drinking of its waters, she and her horse, for ten days, and on the eleventh she came in sight of a city pleasant and secure from dread,

and established in happy stead. Winter had gone from it with its cold showers, and Prime had come to it with its roses and orange blossoms and varied flowers, and its blooms were brightly blowing, its streams were merrily flowing, and its birds warbled coming and going, and she drew near the dwellings, and would have entered the gate when she saw the troops,

and amirs and grandees of the place drawn up, whereat she marveled seeing them, in such unusual case and said to herself, The people of the city are all gathered at its gate. Needs must there be a reason for this. Then she made towards them, but as she drew near, the soldiery dashed forward to meet her,

and dismounting all, kissed the ground between her hands and said, Aid thee Allah, O our lord the sultan! Then the notables and dignitaries ranged themselves before her in double-line, whilst the troops ordered the people in saying, Allah aid thee and make thy coming a blessing to the Muslims,

O Sultan of all creatures. Allah established thee, O king of the time and union pearl of the day and the tide. Asked Zuma Rood, What aileth you, old people of this city? And the head Chamberlain answered, Verily, he hath given to thee who is no niggered in his giving. And he hath been bountiful to thee,

and hath made thee sultan of this city, and ruler over the necks of all who are therein, for know thou it is the custom of the citizens, when their king deceaseth, leaving no son, that the troops should sally forth to the suburbs, and sojourn there three days, and whoever cometh from the quarter whence thou hast come, him they make king over them. So praised be Allah, who hath sent us of the sons of the Turks, a well-favored man, for had a lesser than thou presented himself, he had been sultan. Now Zumarud was clever and well-advised in all she did. So she said, Think not that I am of the common folk of the Turks, nay, I am of the sons of the great, a man of condition. But I was wroth with my family, so I went forth and left them.

See these saddle-bags full of gold, which I have brought under me that, by the way, I might give alms thereof to the poor and the needy. So they called down blessings upon her, and rejoiced in her, with exceeding joy, and she also joyed in them, and said in herself, now that I have attained to this. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased, saying her permitted say, when it was the three hundred and nineteenth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth Zumarud to herself. Now that I have attained to this case, happily Allah will reunite me with my lord in this place, for he can do what so he willeth. Then the troops escorted her to the city, and, all dismounting, walked before her to the palace. Here she alighted,

and the emirs and grandees, taking her under both armpits, carried her into the palace, and seated her on the throne, after which they all kissed ground, before her. And when duly enthroned, she bade them open the treasuries, and gave largeest to all the troops, who offered up prayers for the continuance of her reign, and all the townsfolk accepted her rule and all the lieges of the realm. Thus she abode, a while bidding and forbidding, and all the people came to hold her in exceeding reverence and heartily to love her, by reason of her continence and generosity. For taxes she remitted and prisoners she released, and grievances she redressed, but as often as she bethought her of her lord, she wept, and besought Allah to reunite her in him,

and one night as she chanced to be thinking of him, and calling to mind the days she had passed with him, her eyes ran over with tears, and she versified in these two couplets. My yearning for thee, though long is fresh, and the tears which chafe these eyelids increase when I weep, I weep from the burn of love, for to lover severance is decease. And when she had ended her verse, she wiped away her tears, and repairing to the palace, betook herself to the Harim, which she appointed to the slave-girls and concubines separate lodgings, and assigned them pensions and allowances, giving out that. she was minded to live apart and devote herself to works of piety. So she applied herself to

fasting and praying till the emirs said, Verily this sultan is eminently devout. Nor would she suffer any male attendants about her save two little eunuchs to serve her. And on this wise she held the throne a whole year, during which time she heard no news of her lord, and failed to hit upon his traces, which was exceeding grievous to her. So when her distress became excessive, she summoned her wazirs and chamberlains, and bid them fetch architects and builders, and make her in front of the palace a horse-course, one parisang long and the like broad. They hastened to do her bidding, and lay out the place to her liking. And when it was completed, she went down into it, and they pitched her there a great pavilion,

wherein the chairs of the emirs were ranged in due order. Moreover, she bade them spread on the racing-plane tables with all manners of rich meats, and when this was done she ordered the grandees to eat. So they ate, and she said to them, It is my will that, on seeing the new moon of each month, ye do on this wise, and proclaim in the city that no man shall open his shop,

but that all our lieges shall come and eat of the king's banquet. That whoso disobeyeth shall be hanged over his own door. So they did as she bade them, and seized not so to do till the first new moon of the second year appeared. When Zumarood went down into the horse-course, and the crier proclaimed aloud, saying, Ho ye lieges and people one and all, whoso openeth's door or shop or house shall straightway be hanged over his own door, for it behoveth you to come in a body and eat of the king's banquet. And when the proclamation became known,

they laid the tables, and the subjects came in hosts. So she bade them sit down at the trays and eat their fill of all the dishes. Accordingly they sat down, and she took place on her chair of state, watching them, whilst each who was at meat said to himself, Verily the king looketh at none save me. Then they fell to eating, and the emir said to them, Eat and be not ashamed, for this pleaseth the king. So they ate their fill and went away,

blessing the sovereign and saying one to the other. Never in our day saw we a sultan who loved the poor as doth this sultan, and they wished him length of life. Upon this, Zumarud returned to her palace. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say, when it was the three hundred and twentieth night. She said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That Queen Zumarud returned to her palace, Rejoicing in her device and saying to herself, Inshallah, I shall surely by this means happen on news of my Lord Ali Shah. When the first day of the second month came round, She did as before, And when they had spread the tables, She came down from her palace and took place on her throne

And commanded the lieges to sit down and fall too. Now as she sat on her throne, at the head of the tables, watching the people take their places company by company and one by one, behold, her eye fell on Barsoom, the Nazarene who had bought the curtain of her lord, and she knew him and said in her mind, This is the first of my joy and the winning of my wish. Then Barsoom came up to the table, and sitting down with the rest to eat, espied a dish of sweet rice sprinkled with sugar, but it was far from him,

so he pushed up to it through the crowd, and putting out his hand to it, it seized it and said it before himself. His next neighbor said to him, Why dost thou not eat of what is before thee? Is not this a disgrace to thee? How canst thou reach over for a dish which is distant from thee? Art thou not ashamed? Quoth Barsoom, I will eat of none save the same. Rejoined the other. Eat then, and Allah give thee no good of it. But another man, a hashish eater, said, let him eat of it that I may eat with them replied his neighbor oh one luckiest of hashish eaters this is no meat for thee it is eating for emirs let it be that it may return to those for whom it is meant and they eat it but barsoom heeded him not and took a mouthful of the rice and put it in his mouth and was about to take a second mouthful when the queen who was watching him cried out to certain of her guards saying bring me yonder man with the dish of sweet rice before him and let him not eat the mouthful he hath read, but throw it from his hand.

So four of the guards went up to Barsoom, and hailed him along his face, after throwing the mouthful of rice from his hand, and set him standing before Zumarud, whilst all the people left eating and said to one another, By Allah, he did wrong in not eating of the food meant for the likes of him. Quoth one, for me I was content with this porridge which is before me. And the hashish eater said, Praise'd be Allah who hindered me from eating of the dish of sugared rice, for I expected it to stand before him,

and was waiting only for him to have his enjoyment of it, to eat with him, when there befell him what we see. And the general said, one to other, Wait till we see what shall befall him. Now, as they brought him before Queen Zumarud, she cried, Woe to thee, O blue eyes, what is thy name and why comeest thou to our country? But the accursed called himself out of his name,

having a white turban, on, and answered, O king, my name is Ali, I work as a weaver, and I came hither to trade, Quoth Zumarud, bring me a table of sand and a pen of brass, and when they brought her what she sought, she took the sand and the pen, and struck a geomantic figure in the likeness of a baboon, then raising her head She looked hard at Barsoom for an hour or so

And said to him Oh dog how darest thou lie to kings Art thou not a Nazarene Barsoom by name And comest thou not hither in quest of some what Speak the truth or by the glory of the godhead I will strike off thy head At this Barsoom was confounded And the emirs and bystanders said

Verily this king understand this geomancy blessed be he who hath gifted him. Then she cried out upon the Christian and said, Tell me the truth, or I will make an end of thee. Arsum replied, Pardon, O king of the age. Thou art right as regards the table, for the far one is indeed a Nazarene.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 26. Section 27 of the Book of a Thurban. Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Irma Martin. The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. fourth night. When it was the 321st night, she said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Barsoom replied, Pardon, O king of the age, Thou art right as regards the table, for thy slave is indeed a Nazarene. Whereupon all present, gentle and simple, wondered at the king's skill in hitting upon the truth by geomancy, and said, Verily this king is a diviner, whose like there is not in the world. Thereupon Queen Zumarud bade flay the Nazarene and stuff his skin with straw, and hang it over the gate of the race-course. Moreover, she commended to dig a pit without the city, and burn therein his flesh and bones, and throw over his ashes a fall and orger. We hear and obey, answered they, and did with him all she bade. And when the folks saw what had befallen the Christian, they said,

serve him right, but what an unlucky mouthful was that for him. And another said, Be the far one's wife divorced if this vow be broken, never again to the end of my days will I eat of the sugared rice. And the hashish-eater cried, Praise be Allah, who spared me this fellow's fate by saving me from eating of that same rice. Then they all went out, holding it thenceforth unlawful to sit over against the dish of sweet rice as the Nazarene had sat. Now, when the first day of the third month came, they laid the tables according to custom, and covered them with dishes and chargers, and Queen Zumarud came down, and sat on her throne, with her guards and attendance as of want, in awe of her dignity and majesty.

Then the townsfolk entered as before, and went round about the tables, looking for the place of the dish of sweet rice, and quoth one to another, Hark ye, oh hajee, kathie, kath. and the other answered, At thy serveth, O Haji Khalid, said Khalid. Avoid the dish of sweet rice and look thou eat not thereof, for if thou do by early morning thou will be hanged. Then they sat down to meet around the table, and as they were eating, Queen Zumarud chanced to look from her throne

and saw a man come running in through the gate of the horse-course, and having considered him attentively, she knew him for Jawan the Kurdish thief who murdered the trooper. now the cause of his coming was this when he left his mother he went to his comrades and said to them i did good business yesterday for i slew a trooper and took his horse moreover there fell to me last night a pair of saddle-bags full of gold and a young lady worth more than the money in pouch and i have left all that with my mother in the cave at this they rejoiced and repaired to the cavern at nightfall whilst joan the curd walked in front and the rest behind he wishing to bring them the booty of which he had boasted. But he found the place clean empty and questioned his mother, who told him all that had befallen her.

Whereupon he bit his hands for regret and exclaimed, By Allah I will assuredly make search for the harlot and take her, wherever she is, though it be in the shell of a pistachio-nut, and quench my malice on her. So he went forth in quest of her, and seized not journeying from place to place, till he came to Queen Zumarood City. On entering, he found the town deserted, and inquiring of some women whom he saw looking from the windows, they told him that it was the Sultan's custom to make a banquet for the people on the first of each month, and that all the lieges were bound to go and eat of it. Furthermore, the women directed him to the racing ground, where the feast was spread. So he entered at a shuffling trot, and, finding no place empty,

Save that before the dish of sweet rice, already noticed, took his seat right opposite it, and stretched out his hand towards the dish. Whereupon the folk cried out to him, saying, Oh, our brother, what wouldst thou do? Quoth he, I would eat my fill of this dish. Rejoined one of the people, If thou eat of it, thou wilt assuredly find thyself hanged tomorrow morning.

But Joanne said, Hold thy tongue and talk not so unpleasantly. Then he stretched out his hand, to the dish and drew it to him. But it so chanced that the hashish-eater of whom we have spoken was sitting by him, and when he saw him take the dish, the fumes of the hashish left his head, and he fled from his place and sat down a far-off saying, I will have nothing to do with yonder dish. Then Joan the curd put out his hand, which was very like a raven's-claws, scooped up therewith half the dishful, and drew out his knave as if it were a camel's-hoof.

and Scheherazade perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and twenty-second night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Joan the curd drew his knave from the dish as if it were a camel's hoof, and rolled the lump of rice in the palm of his hand, till it was like a big orange, and threw it ravenously into his mouth, and it rolled down his gullet with a rumble-like thunder, and the bottom of the deep dish appeared where said mouthful had been. Thereupon quoth to him one sitting by his side, Praise be Allah for not making me meet between thy hands,

for thou hast cleared the dish at a single mouthful. And quoth the hashish eater, Let him eat, methinks he hath a hanging face. Then turning to Jouan, he added, Eat and Allah give thee small good of it. So Jawan put out his hand again, and taking another mouthful was rolling it in his palm like the first, when behold, the queen cried out to the guards, saying, Bring me yonder man in haste, and let him not eat the mouthful in his hand. So they ran, and seizing him as he hung over the dish, brought him to her, and set him in her presence, whilst the people exulted over his mishap and said one to the other, serve him right, for we warned him, but he would not take the warning.

Verily this place is bound to be the death of whoso sitteth therein, and yonder rice bringeth doom to all who eat of it. Then said Queen Zumarud to Jawan, What does thy name and trade, And wherefore comest thou to our city? Answered he, O our lord the sultan, my name is Othman, I work as a gardener, and am come hither in quest of somewhat I have lost, Quoth Zumarud, here with the table of sand.

So they brought it. and she took a pen and drawing a geomantic scheme, considered it a while, then raising her head, exclaimed, Woe to thee, thou loser, how darest thou lie to kings? This sin telleth me that of a truth thy name is Jawan the Kurd,

and that thou art by trade a robber, taking men's goods in the way of unright and slaying those whom Allah hath forbidden to slay save for just cause. And she cried out upon him saying, O Hog, tell me the truth of thy case, or I will cut off thy head on the spot. Now when he heard these words

he turned yellow and his teeth chattered. Then deeming that he might save himself by truth-telling, he replied, O king thou sayeth sooth. But I repenteth thy hands henceforth and turned to Allah Almighty, she answered, It were not lawful for me

to leave a pest in the way of Muslims and cried to her guards. Take him and skin him and do with him as last month ye did by his like. They obeyed her commandment. And when Hashish Eater saw the soldier seize the man, he turned his back upon the dish of rice, saying, "'Tis a sin to present my face to thee.' And after they had made an end of eating, they dispersed to their several homes,

and Zumarud returned to her palace and dismissed her attendance. Now when the fourth month came around, they went to the race-course and made the banquet, according to custom, and the folk sat awaiting leave to begin. presently Queen Zuma Rood entered, and, sitting down on her throne, looked at the tables and saw that room for four people was left void before the dish of rice, at which she wondered. Now, as she was looking around, behold, she saw a man come trotting in at the gate of the horse-course, and he stayed not till he stood over the food-trace, and finding no room save before the dish of rice, took his seat there. She looked at him, and knowing him for the accursed Christian who called,

himself Rashid al-Din said in her mind, how blessed is this device of the food, into whose toils this infidel hath fallen. Now the cause of his coming was extraordinary, and it was on this wise, when he returned from his travels, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the three hundred and twenty-third night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when the accursed, who had called himself Rashid al-Din, returned from travel, his household informed him that Zumarud was missing, and with her a pair of saddle-bags full of money. On hearing which ill-tidens he rent his raiment, and buffeted his face and plucked out his beard, then he dispatched his brother Barsoom in quest of her to lands adjoining, and, when he was weary of awaiting news of him, he went forth himself, to seek for him and for the girl, when as for

fate led him to the city of Zumarood. He entered it on the first day of the month, and finding the streets deserted, and the shops shut and women idling at the windows, he asked them the reason why, and they told him that the king made a banquet on the first of each month for the people, all of whom were bound to attend it, nor might any abide in his house or shop that day, and they directed him to the racing-plane. So he betook himself thither, and found the people crowding about the food, and there was never a place for him, save in front of the rice-dish now well known. Here then he sat and put forth his hand to eat thereof, whereupon Zumarud cried out to her guard, saying, Bring me him who sitteth over against the dish of rice.

So they knew him by what had before happened, and laid hands on him and brought him before Queen Zumarud, who said to him, Out on thee! What is thy name and trade, and what bringeth thee to our city. Answered he, O king of the age, my name is Rostam, and I have no occupation, for I am a poor dervish. Then said she to her attendants, Bring me table of sand and pen of brass. So they brought her what she sought, as of want,

and she took the pen and made the dots which formed the figure, and considered it a while. Then raising her head to Rashid al-Din, she said, Oh, dog, how darest thou lie to kings? "'Thay name is Rashid al-Din the Nazarene. "'Thou art outwardly a Muslim, "'but a Christian at heart, "'and thine occupation is to lay snares

"'for the slave-girls of the Muslims "'and make them captives. "'Speak the truth, or I will smite off thy head.' "'He hesitated and stammered, "'then replied, "'Thou sayeth sooth, O King of the Age.' "'Whereupon she commanded to throw him down "'and give him an hundred blows

"'with a stick on each soul, "'and a thousand stripes with a whip on his body, "'after which he bade, flay him and stuff his skin with herds of flax and dig a pit without the city, wherein they should burn his corpse and cast on his ashes a fall and ardour. They did as she bade them, and she gave the people leave to eat. So they ate, and when they had eaten their fill, they went their ways, while Queen Zumarud returned to her palace, saying, I thank Allah for solacing my heart of those who wronged me. Then she praised the creator of the earth and the heavens and repeated these couplets.

They ruled a while and theirs was harsh, tyrannic rule, but soon that rule went by as though it never were. If just they had won justice, but they sinned and so, the world collected all its bane for them to bear. So died they, and their case's tongue declares aloud, This is for that so of the world your blaming spare. And when her verse was ended, she called to mine her Lord Ali Shah and wept flowing tears.

but presently recovered herself and said, Happily Allah, Who hath given mine enemies into my hand? Will vouchsafe me the speedy return of my beloved? And she begged forgiveness of Allah, Be he extolled and exalted. And Shaharazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the three hundred and twenty-fourth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the queen begged forgiveness of Allah, be he extolled and exalted, and said, Happily he will vouchsafe me speedy reunion with my beloved Ali-Shar, for he can do what he willeth, and to his servants showeth grace, ever mindful of their case. Then she praised Allah, and again besought forgiveness of him, submitting herself to the decrees of destiny, assured that each beginning hath his end, and repeating the saying of the poet,

take all things easy For all worldly things In Allah's hand are ruled by destiny Nair shall befall thee out of things forbidden Nor what is bidden Ere shall fail to thee And what another saith Roll up thy days

And easy shall they roll Through life nor haunt the house of grief and dole Ful many a thing which is o'er hard to find Next hour shall bring thee to delight thy soul. And what a third sayeth? Be mild what time thou attain with anger and despite, and patient, if there fall misfortune on thy head. Indeed, the nights are quick and great with child by time, and of all wondrous things are hourly brought to bed. And what a fourth saith, take patience which breeds good if patience thou can learn. Be calm-soured, escaping anguish

draughts that gripe and brin. Know that if patience with good grace thou dare refuse, with ill-graced patience thou shalt bear what wrote the pen. After which she abode thus another whole month's space, judging the folk and bidding and forbidding by day, and by night weeping and bewailing her separation from her lord Alishar. On the first day of the fifth month, she bade them spread the banquet on the race-plane, according to custom, and sat down at the head of the tables, whilst the lieges awaited the signal to fall to, leaving the place before the dish of rice vacant. She sat with eyes fixed upon the gate of the horse-course, noting all who entered, and sang in her soul, O thou who restoredest Joseph to Jacob, and didest away the sorrows of Job,

vouchsafe of thy might and thy majesty to restore me, my lord Alishar, for thou, thou overest yeweth, all things art omnipotent, O Lord of the worlds, O guide of those who go astray, O hear of those that cry, O answer of those that pray, answer thou my prayer, O Lord of all creatures. Now hardly had she made an end of her prayer and supplication when behold, she saw entering the gate of the horse-plain a young man, in shape like a willow-branch, the comelyest of youths and the most accomplished, save that his face was wan and his form wasted by weariness. Now as he entered and came up to the tables, he found no seed vacant, save that over against the dish of sweet rice, so he sat down there. And when Zumarood looked

upon him, her heart fluttered, and, observing him narrowly, she knew him for her lord Ali Shah, and was like to have cried out for joy, but restrained herself, fearing disgrace before the folk, and, I'll bite her bowels yearned over him, and her heart beat wildly, she She hid what she felt. Now the cause of his coming thither was on this wise. After he fell asleep upon the bench, and Zumarud let herself down to him, and Joanne the Kurd seized her, he presently awoke and found himself lying with his head bare. So he knew that someone had come upon him and had robbed him of his turbaned whilst he slept. So he spoke the saying which shall never shame its sayer, and which is. Verily we are Allah's, and to him are we returning,

and going back to the old woman's house knocked at the door. She came out, and he wept before her, till he fell down in a fainting fit. Now when he came to himself, he told her all that had passed, and she blamed him, and chid him for his foolish doing, saying, Verily thine affliction and calamity come from thyself, and she gave not over reproaching him, till the blood streamed from his nostrils, and he again fainted away. when he recovered from his wound and Scheherazade perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say end of section twenty seven section twenty eight of the book of a thousand nights in a night volume four by anonymous this is a Libravox recording all Libravox recordings are in the public domain for more information are to volunteer please visit Libravox.org

The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 28, 325th night to 327th night. When it was the 325th night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ali Shah recovered from his swoon, he saw the old woman be wailing his griefs and weeping over him, so he complained of his hard lot and repeated these two couplets. How bitter to friends is a parting, and a meeting how sweet to the lover.

Allah join all the lovers he parteth, and save me, who of love, ne'er recover. The old woman mourned over him, and said to him, Sit here, whilst I go in quest of news for thee, and return to thee in haste. To hear is to obey, answered he. So she left him on her good errand and was absent till midday, when she returned and said to him, O Ali, I fear me thou must die in thy grief. Thou wilt never see thy beloved again, save on the bridge,

Al-Sirat. For the people of the Christian's house, when they arose in the morning, found the window giving on the garden torn from its hinges, and Zumarud missing, and with her a pair of saddle-bags full of the Christian's money. And when I came thither, I saw the chief of police standing at the door, he and his many, and there is no majesty, and there is no might save in Allah, the glorious, the great. Now, as Ali Shah heard these words, the light in his sight was changed to the darkness of night, and he despaired of life and made sure of death, nor did he leave weeping till he lost his senses. When he revived, love and longing were sore upon him. There befell him a grievous sickness, and he kept his house a whole year, during which the old woman seized not to bring him doctors,

and ply him with tisines and diet drinks, and make him savory broths till, after the twelfth month ended, his life returned to him. Then he recalled what had passed and repeated these couplets. severance grief nigh most union done to death downrailing tear-drops heart-fire tortureth redoubleth pine in one that hath no peace for love and wake and woe he suffereth o lord if there be thing to joy my soul deign thou bestow it while i breathe my breath When the second year began, the old woman said to him, O my son, all this thy weeping and wailing will not bring thee back thy mistress. Rise, therefore, gird the loins of resolution, and seek for her in the lands. Per adventure thou shalt light on some news of her. And she seized not to exhort and hearten him, till he took courage, and she carried him to the humam.

Then she made him drink strong wine and eat very, white meats, and thus she did with him for a whole month, till he regained strength, and setting out journeyed without seizing, till he arrived at Zumarud City, where he went to the horse-course, and sat down before the dish of sweet rice, and put out his hand to eat of it. Now, when the folk saw this, they were concerned for him, and said to him, O young man, eat not of that dish, for whoso eateth thereof, misfortune befalleth him. Answered he, Leave me to eat of it, and let them do with me what they will. So happily shall I be at rest from this wearying life.

Accordingly, he ate a first mouthful, and Zumarud was minded to have him brought before her. But then she bethought her that be like he was and hungered and said to herself, it were properer to let him eat his fill. So he went on eating, whilst the folks looked at him in astonishment, waiting to see what would betide him. And, when he had satisfied himself, Zumarud said to certain of her unicry, Go to yonder youth who eateth of the rice, and bring him to me in courteous guise, saying, answer the summons of the king, who would have a word with thee on some slight matter. They replied, We hear and obey, and going straightways up to Ali Shah, said to him, O my Lord, be pleased to answer the summons of the king, and let thy heart be at ease, quoth he,

hearkening and obedience, and follow the eunuchs. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and twenty-sixth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Ali Shah rejoined, hearkening and obedience, and followed the eunuchs,

whilst the people said to one another, There is no majesty, and there is no might save in Allah, the glorious, the great. I wonder what the king will do with him. Another said, He will do him not but good, for had he intended to harm him,

he had not suffered him to eat him, his fill. Now, when the Castredo set him in presence of Zumarud, he saluted and kissed the earth before her, whilst she returned his salutation and received him with honour. Then she asked him, What may be thy name and trade, and what brought thee to our city? And he answered, O king, my name is Ali Shah, I am of the sons of the merchants of Corrassan, and the cause of my coming hither is to see for a slave girl whom I have lost for she was dearer to me than my hearing and my seeing and indeed my soul cleaveth to her since I lost her and such is my tail so saying he wept till he swooned away whereupon she bade them sprinkle

rose-water on his face which they did till he revived when she said here with the table of sand and the brass pen so they brought them him, and she took the pen and struck a geomantic scheme which she considered a while, and then cried, Thou hast spoken sooth, Allah will grant thee speedy reunion with her, so be not troubled. Upon this she commanded her head Chamberlain to carry him to the bath, and afterwards to clothe him in a handsome suit of royal apparel, and mount him on one of the best of the king's horses, and finally bring him to the palace at the last of the day. So the Chamberlain, after saying, I hear and I obey, took him away, whilst the folk began to say to one another, what makeeth the king deal thus courteously with yonder

youth? And quoth one, did I not tell you that he would do him no hurt? For he is fair of aspect, and this I knew, ever since the king suffered him to eat his fill. And each since the king suffered him to eat his fill. and each said Hisay, after which they all dispersed and went their ways. As for Zumaroud, she thought the night would never come, that she might be alone with the beloved of her heart. As soon as it was dark she withdrew to her sleeping chamber, and made her attendants think her overcome with sleep. And it was her want to suffer none to pass the night with her, save those two little eunuchs who waited upon her. After a while, when she had composed herself, she sent for her dear Alishar, and sat down upon the bed, with candles burning over her head and feet, and hanging lamps of gold lighting up the place like the rising sun. When the people heard of her sending for Alishar, they marveled thereat, and each man thought his thought and said his say, but one of them declared, at all events the king is in love with this young man and tomorrow he will make him honorisimo of the army now when they brought him into her he kissed the ground between her hands and called down blessings her and she said in her mind there is no help for it but that i

just with him a while before i make myself known to him then she asked him oh ali say me hast thou been to the Hamam? And he answered, Yes, oh my lord, Quoth she, come, eat of this chicken and meat, and drink of this wine and sherbet of sugar, for thou art weary, and after that come thou hither. I hear and I obey, replied he, and did as she commanded him do. Now when he had made an end of eating and drinking,

she said to him, Come up with me on the couch and shampoo my feet. So he fell to rubbing feet and kneading calves And found them softer than silk Then said she Go higher with the massage And he Pardon me, O my lord, to the knee

But no farther Whereupon quoth she Durst thou disobey me It shall be an ill-omened night for thee And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day And cease to say her permitted say When it was the three hundred and twenty-seventh night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king,

That Zumarud cried to her lord, Alishar, Durst thou disobey me? It shall be an ill-omened knight for thee. Nay, but it behoveth thee to do my bidding, And I will make thee my minion and appoint thee one of my emirs, asked Alishar, And in what must I do thy bidding, O king of the age, And she answered, Doth thy trousers and lie down on thy face. Quoth he,

That is a thing in my life I never did. And if thou force me thereto, Verily I will accuse thee thereof before Allah on resurrection day. Take everything thou hast given me and let me go from thy city. And he wept and lamented. But she said, Doth thy trousers and lie down on thy face, or I will strike off thy head. so he did as she bade him and she mounted upon his back and he felt what was softer than silk and smoother than cream and said in himself of a truth this king is nicer than all the women now for a time she abode on his back then she turned over on the bed and he said to himself praised be allah it seemeth his yard is not standing then said she o ali it is of the want of my prickle that it standeth not except they rub it with their hands so come rub it with thy hand till it be at stand else will i slay thee so saying she lay down on her back and taking his hand set it to her parts and he found these same parts softer than silk white plumply rounded protuberant resembling for heat the hot room of the bath or the heart

of a lover whom love-longing hath wasted. Quoth Olly in himself, verily our king hath a cointy, this is indeed a wonder of wonders, and lust get hold on him, and his yard rose and stood upright to the utmost of its height, which, when Zumarud saw, she burst out laughing, and said to him, O my lord, all this happeneth, and yet thou knowest me not. He asked, and who art thou, O king? And she answered, I am thy slave-girl, Zumarood. Now when as he knew this, and was certified that she was indeed his very slave-girl Zum-rood, he kissed her and embraced her, and threw himself upon her as the lion upon the

lamb. Then he sheathed his steel rod in her scabbard, and ceased not to play the porter at her door, and the preacher in her pulpit, and the priest at her prairnage, whilst she with him ceased not from inclination and prostration, and rising up and sitting down, accompanying her ejaculations of praise, and of glory to Allah, with passionate movements and wrigglings and claspings of his member and other amorous gestures, till the The two little eunuchs heard the noise. So they came, and peeping from behind the curtains, saw the king lying on his back and upon him Ali Shah, thrusting and slashing, whilst she puffed and blew and wriggled. Quoth they, Verily, this be no man's wriggle! Be like this king is a

woman! But they concealed their affair, and discovered it to none. And when the Morrow came, Zumarood summoned all the troops, and the lords of the realm and said to them, I am minded to journey to this man's country, so choose you a viceroy, who shall rule over you till I return to you, and they answered, we hear and we obey. Then she applied herself to making ready the wants of the way, to wit provant and provender, monies and rarities for presents, camels and mules and so forth, after which she set out from her city with Alishar, and they ceased not faring on, till they, they arrived at his native place where he entered his house and gave many gifts to his friends

and alms and largest to the poor, and all of vouchs saved him children by her, and they both lived the gladdest and happiest of lives, till there came to them the destroyer of delights, and the severer of societies, and the garner of graves, and glorified be he the eternal without seas, and praised be he in every case. And amongst other tales they tell, one of The Loves of Jubair Bean Umayer and the Lady Budur. It is related that the commander of the faithful Harun al-Rashid was uneasy one night and could not sleep, so that he ceased not to toss from side to side for very restlessness,

till, growing weary of this, he called Mazur and said to him, Ho, Masur, find me someone who may solace me in this my wakefulness. He answered, O Prince of true believers, wilt thou walk in the palace garden, and divert thyself with the side of its blooms and gaze upon the stars and constellations, and note the beauty of their ordinance and the moon among them rising in sheen over the water? Quoth the Caliph, O Masur, my heart inclineth not too out of this. Quoth he, O Mazur, O Mosh, my heart inclineth not too out of this. Quoth he, O Mosh he, O Maw my my lord, there are in thy palace three hundred concubines, each of whom hath her separate chamber.

Do thou bid all and every retire into her own apartment, and then do thou go thy rounds and amuse thyself with gazing on them without their knowledge? The Caliph replied, O Masr, the palace is my palace, and the girls are my property. Furthermore, my soul inclineth not too ought of this. Then Masr rejoined, O my lord, summon the doctors of law and religion and the sages of science and poets, and bid them contend before thee, in argument and disputation, and recite to thee songs and verses and tell thee tales and anecdotes, replied the Caliph. My soul inclineth not to aught of this, and Mazur rejoined, O my lord, bid pretty boys, and the wits, and the

cup companions attend thee, and solace thee with witty-witty-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit-wit. sallies. Oh, Masr, ejaculated the Caliph. Indeed, my soul inclineth not to out of this. Then, O my lord, cried Mazur, strike off my head! And Shaharizad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 28. Section 29 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.

recording by simon waynwright the book of a thousand knights and a knight volume four translated by richard burton section twenty nine when it was the three hundred and twenty eighth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that mushrur cried out to the Caliph. Oh, my lord, strike off my head, aptly, that I will dispel thine unease, and do away the restlessness that is upon thee. So, al-Rashid laughed at his saying, and said, see which of the boon companions is at the door. Thereupon he went out and returning said, O my lord, he who sits without is Ali bin Masur of Damascus, the wag. Bring him to me, quoth Harum, and Mushroor went out and returned with Ibn Masur, who said, on entering, peace be with thee, O commander of the faithful.

The Khalith returned his salutation, and said to him, O Ibn Masur, tell us some of thy stories. Said the other, O commander of the faithful, shall I tell thee what I have seen with my eyes, or what I have heard only? replied the Caliph, If thou have seen ought worth telling, let us hear it, for hearing is not like seeing, said Ibn Masur, O commander of the faithful,

lend me thine ear and thine heart. And he answered, O Ibn Masur, behold, I am listening to thee with mine ears, and looking at thee with mine eyes, and attending to thee with my heart. So, Ibn Masur began. Know then, O commander of the faithful, that I receive a yearly allowance

from Muhammad bin Soleiman al-Hashmi, Sultan of Basorah. So I went to him once upon a time, as usual, and found him ready to ride out, hunting, and a birding. I saluted him, and he returned my salute, and said, O son of Masur, Mount, and come with us to the chase. But I said, O my lord, I can no longer ride,

so do thou station me in the guest-house, and give thy chamberlains and lieutenant's charge over me, and he did so, and departed for his board. his people entreated me with the utmost honor and entertained me with the greatest hospitality but i said to myself by allah it is a strange thing that for so long i have been in the habit of coming from baghdad to basarah yet know no more of this town than from palace to garden and from garden to palace when shall i find an occasion like this to view the different parts and quarters of bas-orah i will rise forthwith and walk forth alone and divert myself and digest what i have eaten accordingly i donned my richest dress and went out a walking about bas-orah now it is known to thee o commander of the faithful that it hath seventy streets, each seventy leagues long, the measure of Iraq,

and I lost myself in its by-streets, and thirst overcame me. Presently, as I went along, O prince of true believers, behold, I came to a great door, whereupon were two rings of brass, with curtains of red brocade drawn before it, and on either side of the door was a stone bench and over it was a trellis covered with a creeping vine that hung down and shaded the doorway i stood still to gaze upon the place anne presently heard a sorrowful voice proceeding from a heart which did not rejoice singing melodiously and chanting these singhally quains. My body bides the sad abode of grief and malady, caused by a fawn whose land and home are in a far country. O ye to Zephyrs of the wold which caused such pain in me, by Allah, Lord of you, to him my heart's desire, go ye,

and chide him so perchance ye soften him, I pray, And tell us all his words, If he to hear your speech shall deign, And unto him the tidings bare of lovers twixt you twang, And both vow sache to render me a service free and vain, lay my case before him showing how i ever complain and say what ails thy bounder thrall this wise to drive away without a fault committed and without a sin to show or heart that leans to other white or would thy love forego or treason to our plighted throth or causing thee a throw.

And if he smile, then say ye twain in accents soft and slow, And thou to him a meeting grant, T'would be the kindest way, for he is gone distraught for thee, as well indeed he might. His eyes are wakeful, and he weeps and wails the lifelong night. If seen he's satisfied by this, why then tis well, and right, but if he show an angry face, and treat ye with despite ye, trick him and not we know of him i beg you both to say quoth i to myself verily if the owner of this voice be fair she cojoineth beauty of person and eloquence and sweetness of voice then i drew near the door and began raising the curtain little by little when lo i beheld a damsel white as a full moon when it mooneth on its fourteenth night

with joined eyebrows twain and languorous lids a vine breast like pomegranates like pomegranates twin and dainty lips like double carnalane her mouth as it were the seal of solomon and teeth ranged in a line that played with the reason of prosser and rhymer even as saith the poet o pearly mouth of friend who set those pretty pearls in line in line and filled thee full of whitest camamel and reddest wine who lent the morning glory in thy smile to shimmer and shine who with the ruby padlock dared thy lips to seal and sign who looks on thee at early morn with stress of joy and bliss goes mad for aye what this men of him who wins a kiss of thine. Anne saith another, O Pearl set forth a friend, pity poor Ruby's cheeks, boast not over one who owns

the union and unique. In brief, she comprised all varieties of loveliness, and was a seduction to men and women. and women nor could the gazer satisfy himself with the sight of her charms for she was as the poet hath said of her when she comes slays she and when back he turns she makes all men regard with loving eyes a very sun a very moon but still From hurt and harmful ills her nature flies, Ops Eden's garden, when she shows herself, and full moon, see we over her necklace rise. How, as I was looking at her through an opening of the curtain, behold she turned, and seeing me standing standing. at the door said to her handmaid see who is at the door so the slave-girl came up to me and said o shake hast thou no shame

or do impudent heirs suit hoary hairs quoth i oh my mistress i confess to the hoary hairs but as for impudent airs i think not to be guilty of unmannerliness then the mistress broke in and what can be more unmannerly than to intrude thyself upon a house other than thy house and gaze on a harem other than thy harem i pleaded o my lady i have an excuse and when she asked and what is thine excuse i answered i am a stranger and so thirsty that i am well nigh dead of thirst she rejoined we accept thine excuse and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the three hundred and twenty-ninth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the young lady rejoined we accept thine excuse and calling one of her slave-maids said to her o luthf give him to drink in the golden tankard so she brought me a tankard of red gold set with pearls and gems of prize ice, full of water, mingled with version musk, and covered with a napkin of green silk. And I addressed

myself to drink, and was long about my drinking, for I stole glances at her the while, till I could prolong my stay no longer. Then I returned the tanker to the girl, but did not offer to go. And she said to me, O shake, wind thy way. But, i said o my lady i am troubled in mine she asked me what for and i answered for the turns of time and the change of things she replied well mayst thou be troubled thereat for time breedeth wonders but what hast thou seen of such surprises that thou shouldst muse upon them Quote I I was thinking of the Willam owner of this house, for he was my intimate in his lifetime. Asked she, what was his name? And I answered, Muhammad bin Ali, the jeweler, and he was a man of great wealth.

Tell me, did he leave any children? She said yes, he left a daughter. budur by name who inherited all his wealth quoth i me seem that thou art his daughter yes answered she laughing then added o shake thou best talked long enough now wind thy ways replied i needest must i go but i see thy charms are changed by being out of health. So tell me thy case. It may be that Allah will give thee comfort at my hands. Rejoined she, O Sheikh, if thou be a man of discretion, I will discover to thee my secret. But first, tell me who thou art that I may know whether thou art worthy of confidence or not. For the poet saith, none keepeth a secret, but a faithful person, with the best of mankind, remainedeth concealed. I have kept my secret in a house with a lock,

whose key is lost, and whose door is sealed. There too, I replied, O my mind, my lady, and thou wouldest know who I am? I am Ali bin Masur of Damascus, the Wag. Cup companion to the commander of the faithful, Harun al-Rashid. Now, when she heard my name, she came down from her seat, and saluting me said, Welcome, O bin, my man. Masur, now will I tell thee my case, and entrust thee with my secret. I am a lover, separated from my beloved.

I answered, O my lady, thou art fair, and shouldest be on love terms with none but the fair. Whom then dost thou love? Quoth she, I love Jabbar, bin, Humar al-Shabani, emir of Banu Sheban. And she described to me a young man, then whom there was no prettier fellow in Basorah. I asked, oh, my lady, have interviews or letters passed between you? And she answered yes.

But our love was tongue-love, souls. not heart and souls love for he kept not his trust nor was he faithful to his truth said i o my lady what was the cause of your separation and she replied i was sitting one day whilst my handmaid here combed my hair when she had she had she had she had made an end of combing it, she plated my tresses, and my beauty and loveliness charmed her. So she bent over me and kissed my cheek. At that moment he came in, unawares, and seeing the girl kiss my cheek, straight ways, turned away in anger, vowing, eternal separation, and repeating these two couplets. If another share in the thing I love, I abandon my love, and live Lorne of love.

My beloved is worthless, if ought she will, save that which her lover does, most approve and from that time he left me to this present hour o ibn masur he hath never written to me nor answered my letters quoth i and what purpose thou to do quoth she i have a mind to send him a letter by thee if thou bring me back in answer thou shalt have five hundred gold pieces, and, if not, then an hundred for thy trouble in going and coming. I answered, Do what seemeth good to thee, I hear, and I obey thee, whereupon she called to one of her slave-girls, bring me ink, case, and paper, and she wrote thereon these couplets. Beloved, why this strangeness, why this hate, when shall thy pardon reunite us to?

Why dost thou turn from me, in severance, thy face is not the face I am wont to know? Yes, slanderers false to my words, and thou to them, inclining, may despite an envy grow. In hast believed their tale, The heavens forbid. Now, thou believe it when dost better bow. By thy life, tell what hath reached thine ear. Thou knowest what said they and so just as show. And it be true. I spoke the words, my words, admit, interpreting and change aloud. Given that the words of Allah were revealed, folk changed the Torah and still changing go. What slanderers told they of mankind before,

Jacob heard Joseph blamed by tongue of foe. Yea, for myself and slanderer and thee, an awful day of reckoning, there shall be. Then she sealed the letter and gave it to me, and I took it and carried it to the house of Jabar bin Omar, whom I found absent a hunting. So I sat down to wait for him, and behold, he returned from the chase, and when I saw him, O prince of true believers, come riding up my wit, was confounded by his beauty and grace. As soon as he sighted me sitting at the house door, he dismounted and coming up to me,

embraced me and saluted me. And me seemed, I embraced the world and all therein, then he carried me into his house and seating me on his own couch called for food. they brought a table of calange wood and croissant with feet of gold whereon were all manners of meat fried and roasted and the like so i see it myself at the table and examining it with care found these couplets engraved upon it and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased, saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and thirtieth night, she said, it hath reached me,

O auspicious king, that Ali, son of Masur, continued. So, I seated myself at the table of Jabbar, bin, Umar, al-shabani and examining it with care found these couplets engraved upon it on these which once were chicks your morning glances fix late dwellers in the mansion of the cup now nearly eaten up let tears bedew the memory of that stew those portraits once roast now lost the daughters of the gruce in plaintive strain be mourn and still be mourn and mourn again the children of the fry we lately saw half smothered in pallu with buttery mutton fritters smoking by alas my heart the fish who filled his dish with flaky form in varying colors spread on the round pastry cake of household bread. Heaven sent us that kebab, for no one could save heaven. He should rob, produce a thing so excellently good, or give us roasted meat with basting oil so

savourly, replete, but oh, mine appetite, alas for thee, who, on that firm meaty, so sharp set west a little while ago, that firm meaty, which mashed by hands of snow, a light reflection bore of the bright bracelet that those fair hands war. Again, Remembrance glads my sense, with visions of its excellence. Again I see the cloth unrolled, Rich, work, in many a ferried fold. Be patient, oh, my soul, they say,

Fortune rules, all that's new and strange, and though she pitches us today, tomorrow brings full rations and a change. Then, said Jabbar, put forth thy hand to our food, and ease our heart by eating our victual. Answered I, by a law, I will not eat a mouthful, till thou grant me my desire. He asked, What is thy desire? So I brought out the letter and gave it to him. But when he had read it and mastered its contents,

he tore it in pieces, and throwing it on the floor said to me, O Ibn Masur, I will grant thee whatever thou askest, save thy desire which concerneth the writer of this letter, for I have no answer to her. At this I rose in a letter. anger, but he caught hold of my skirts, saying, O I bin Masur, I will tell thee what she said to thee, albeit I was not present with you, I asked, and what did she say to me? And he answered, did not the writer of this later say to thee, if thou bring me back an answer,

thou shall have of me five hundred ducats, and if not, and hundred for thy pains. Yes, replied I, and he rejoined, abide with me this day, and eat and drink, and enjoy thyself and make merry, and thou shalt have thy five hundred ducats. So I sat with him, and ate, and drank, and made merry, and enjoyed myself, and entered my own. him with talk deep into the night after which i said to him o my master is there no music in thy house he answered verily for many a day we have drunk without music then he called out saying ho shah jaret al d'ur whereupon a slave-girl answered him from her chamber and he called out saying ho shah jaret aldur whereupon a slave-girl answered him from her chamber and came in to us with a lute of Hindu make, wrapped in a silken bag, and she sat down and laying the loot in her lap, preluded in one and twenty modes. Then, returning to the first, she sang to a lively

measure these couplets. We have nere, tasted of love, sweets and bitter draught. No, difference kin's twixt presence bliss and absent stress and so who hath declined from love's true road no difference kin's twixt move and ruggedness i ceased not to oppose the votaries of love till i had tried its sweets and bitters not the less how many a night my pretty friend conversed with me, and sip I from his lips, honey of love, lice. Now have I drunk its cup of bitterness until, to bond man, and to freed man, I have proved me base. How short-aged was the night together we enjoyed, when seemed it daybreak, came on nightfall's heel to press but fate had vowed to disunite us lovers twain and she too well hath kept her vow that votarice fate so decreed none her sentence can withstand where is the wit who dares oppose her lord's command hardly had she finished her vows

verses when her lord cried out with a great cry and fell down in a fit whereupon exclaimed the dame-so may allah not punish thee old man this long time have we drunk without music for fear the like of this falling sickness befall our lord but now go thou to yonder chamber and there sleep so i went to the chamber which she showed me and slept till the morning. When behold, a page brought me a purse with five hundred deniers and said to me, this is what my master promised thee, but returned thou not to the damesel who sent thee. God let it be, as though neither thou nor we had ever heard of this matter. and obedience i answered and taking the purse went my way still i said to myself the lady must have expected me since yesterday

and by allah there is no help but i return to her and tell her what passed between me and him otherwise she will revile me and revile all who come from my country so i went to her and found her standing behind the door and when she saw me she said ibn masor thou hast done nothing for me i asked who told thee of this and she answered o ibn masor yet another thing has been revealed to me and it is that when thou handest him the letter he tore it in pieces and throwing it on the floor, he said to thee, O Ibn Masor, I will grant thee whatever thou askest, save thy desire concerning the writer of this letter, for I have no answer to her missive. Then didst thou rise from beside him in anger,

but he laid hold of thy skirts, saying, O son of Masur, abide with me to-night, for thou art my guest and eat and drink and make merry and thou shalt have five hundred ducats so thou did sit with him eating and drinking and making merry and entertained him with talk deep into the night and a slave girl sang such an air and such verses whereupon he fell down in a fit so commander of the night so commander of the the faithful, I ask her, Whest thou then with us? And she answered, O Ibn Masor,

Has thou not heard the saying of the poet? The hearts of lovers have eyes akin, which see the unseen by vulgar men. However, O Ibn Masor, the night and day shift, not upon anything, but they bring to it change.

And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. End of section 29 read by Simon Wainwright.

Section 30 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Griffin. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 30, 331st Night to 33rd night. When it was the 331st night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the lady exclaimed,

O Ibn Mansur, the night and the day shift not upon anything, but they bring it to change. Then she raised her glance to heaven and said, Oh, my God and my leader and my lord, Likeest thou hast afflicted me with love of Jubayir bin Umayir. Even so do thou afflict him with love of me, and transfer the passion from my heart to his heart. Then she gave me an hundred sequins for my trouble in going and coming, and I took it and returned to the palace, where I found the Sultan coming home from the chase.

So I got my pension of him, and fared back to Baghdad. And when next year came, I repaired to Basara as usual to seek my pension, and the Sultan paid it to me. But as I was about to return to Baghdad, I bethought me of the Lady Budur, and said to myself, Ba'allah, I must needs go to her, and see what have befallen between her and her lover. So I went to her house, and finding the street before her door swept and sprinkled, in eunuchs and servants and pages standing before the entrance, said to myself, Most like grief has broken the lady's heart, and she is dead, and some emir

or other has taken up his abode in her house. So I left it, and went to the house of Jubayr, son of Umair, the Shebani, where I found the benches of the porch broken down, and there a page at the door as of want, and said to myself, Happily, he too is dead. Then I stood still before the door of his house, and with my eyes running over with tears, bemoaned it in these couplets. O lords of me, who fared, but whom my heart ere followeth,

return, and so my festal days with you shall be renewed. I stand before the home of you, bewailing your abode, Quiver mine eyelids, and my eyes with tears are ever-dued. I ask the house and its remains that seem to weep and wail, Where is the man who willum want to lavish goods and good? It saith, go, when thy way, Those friends like travellers have fared from spring-tide camp, And buried lie of earth and worms the food.

Allah ne'er desolate us, so we lose their virtues light, in length and breadth, but ever be the light in spirit viewed. As I, O Prince of true believers, was thus keening over the folk of the house, behold, out came a black slave therefrom, and said to me, Hold thy peace, O Sheikh, may thy mother be reft of thee. Why do I see thee bemoaning the house in this wise? Quoth I, I frequented it of yore, when it belonged to a good friend of mine, asked the slave, what was his name? And I answered, Jubair bin Umayr the Shebani. Rejoined he,

and what hath befallen him? Praise be Allah, he is yet here with us, in the enjoyment of property and rank and prosperity, except that Allah hath stricken him with love of a damsel called the Lady Budur, and he is so wellmed by his love of her and is longing for her, that he is like a great rock cumbering the ground. If he hunger, he saith not give me meat, nor if he thirst doth he say give me drink. Quoth I, Ask leave for me to go into him, said the slave, O my lord, wilt thou go in to one who understandeth, or to one who understandeth not? And I said, There is no help for it, but I see him, whatever be the case.

Accordingly he went in to ask, and presently returned with permission for me to enter, whereupon I went in to Jubairir, and found him like a rock that cumbereth the ground, understanding neither sign nor speech. And when I spoke to him, he answered me not. Then said one of his servants, O my lord, if thou remember a verse, repeat it and raise thy voice, and he will be aroused by this and speak with thee.

So I versified in these two couplets. Hast quit the love of moons, or dost persist? dost wake o nights, or close and sleep thine eyes? If I thy tears in torrents flow, then learn eternal thou shalt dwell in paradise." When he heard these verses, he opened his eyes, and said, Welcome, O son of Mansour, verily the jest has become earnest. Quoth I, O my lord, is there aught thou wouldst have me do for thee. said he, yes, I would fain write her a letter and send it by thee. If thou bring me back

her answer, thou shalt have of me a thousand dinars, and if not two hundred for thy pains. So I said, Do what seemeth good to thee. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and thirty-second night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That Ibn Mansour continued, So I said, Do what seemeth good to thee.

Whereupon he called to one of his slave-girls, Bring me ink-case and paper, And wrote these couplets. I pray in Allah's name, O princess mine, Be light on me, For love hath robbed me of my reason's sight, Slaved me this longing

And enthralled me, love of you. and clad in sickness garb, A poor and abject white, I want, ere this, to think small things of love, And hold, O princess mine, t'was silly thing and overslite. But when it showed me swelling surges of its sea, To Allah's hast I bowed and pitied lovers' plight. And will you pity show and deign a meeting grant? And will you kill me, still, forget not good Rick White.

Then he sealed the letter and gave it to me. So I took it, and, repairing to Budur's house, raised the door-curtain little by little as before, and looking in, behold, I saw ten damsels, high-bosomed virgins like moons, and the Lady Boudur, as she were the full moon among the stars, sitting in their midst, or the sun, when it is clear of clouds and mist, nor was there on her any trace of pain. or care. And as I looked and marvelled at her case, she turned her glance upon me, and, seeing me standing at the door, said to me, "'Welcome, and welcome, and all hail to thee, O Ibn Mansour, come

in!' So I entered, and saluting her, gave her the letter. And she read it, and when she understood it, she said laughingly to me, O Ibn Mansur, The poet lied not when he sang, Indeed, I'll bear my love for thee with firmest soul, Until from thee to me shall come a messenger. Look ye, O Eden Mansour, I will write thee an answer, That he may give thee what he promised thee.

And I answered, Allah requite thee with good. So she called out to a handmaid, Bring ink-case and paper, And wrote these couplets. How comes it, I fulfilled my vow, the while that vow broke you, And seen me lean to equity, Iniquity wrought you. T'was you initiated wrongest dealing and despite.

You were the treacher, and treason, came from only you. I never cease to cherish, mid the sons of men my troth, And keep your honour brightest bright, And swear by name of you, Until I saw with eyes of me what evil you had done, Until I heard with ears of me What foul report spread you? Shall I bring low my proper worth, While raising yours so high?

By Allah, had you me, eke, I had honoured you. But now uprooting severance, I will fain console my heart, And wring my fingers clean of you for ever more to part. Quoth I, by Allah, O my lady, Between him and death there is but the reading of this letter. So I tore it in pieces, and said to her, Write him other than these lines.

I hear and obey, answered she, and wrote the following couplets. Indeed, I am consoled now, and sleep without a tear. And all that happened slandering tongues have whispered in mine ear, My heart obeyed my hast, and soon forgot thy memory, And learnt mine eyelids, t'was the best to live in severance sheer, he lied who said that severance is a bitterer thing than gall it never disappointed me like wine i find it cheer i learnt to hate all news of thee in mention of thy name and turn away and look thereon with loathing pure and mere look ye i cast thee out of heart and far from vitals mine then let the slanderer wot this truth and see i am sincere Quoth I, By Allah, O my lady, when he shall read these verses, his soul depart his body.

Quoth she, O, Ibn Mansur, his passion indeed come to such a pass with him, that thou sayest this thing? Quoth I, had I said more than this, verily it were but the truth, but mercy is in the nature of the noble. Now when she heard this, her eyes brimmed over with tears, and she wrote him a note. I swear by Allah, O commander of the faithful, There is none in thy chancery could write the like of it. And therein were these couplets. How long shall I thy coyness and thy great aversion see? Thou hast satisfied my censerers, and pleased their enmity.

I did amiss, and wot it not. So deign to tell me now what so they told thee. Happily, t'was the merest calumny. I wish to welcome thee, dear love, even as welcome I sleep to these eyes, And eyelids in the place of sleep to be. And since tis thou hast made me drain thunmixed cup of love, If me thou see with wine bemused,

Heat not thy blame on me. And when she had written this missive, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, And ceased to say, her permitted say, When it was the three hundred and thirty-third night, She said, "'It hath reached me, O auspicious king, "'that when Boudur had written the missive, "'she sealed it and gave it to me.

"'And I said, O my lady, in good sooth, "'this thy letter will make the sick man whole "'and ease the thirsting soul. "'Then I took it and went from her, "'when she called me back and said to me, "'O son of Mansur, say to him, "'she will be thy guest this night.' "'At this I joyed with exceeding

great joy, and carried the letter to Jubair, whom I found with his eyes fixed intently on the door, expecting the reply, and as soon as I gave him the letter, and he opened and read it, and understood it, he uttered a great cry and fell down in a fainting fit. When he came to himself, he said to me, O, Ibn Mansur, did she indeed write this note, with her hand, and feel it with her fingers? answered I, O my lord, do folk right with their feet. And by Allah, O commander of the faithful, I had not done speaking these words, when we heard the tinkle-tinkle of her anklets in the vestibule, and she entered.

And seeing her, he sprang to his feet, as though nothing pained or ailed him, and embraced her like the letter L embraceth the letter A. and the infirmity that erst would not depart it once left him. Then he sat down, but she abode standing, and I said to her, Oh, my lady, why dost thou not sit? Said she, O Eden Mansour, save on a condition that is between us, I will not sit. I asked, and what is that? And she answered, None may no lover's secrets.

and putting her mouth to Jubair's ear whispered to him, whereupon he replied, I hear and I obey. Then he rose, and said somewhat, in a whisper to one of his slaves, who went out and returned in a little while with a Kazi and two witnesses. Thereupon Jubayr stood up, and taking a bag containing an hundred thousand dinar, said, O Kazi, marry me to this young lady, and write this sum to her marriage settlement. Quoth the Qazi to her, Say thou, I consent to this. I consent to this, quoth she, whereupon he dropped the contract of marriage, and she opened the bag,

and taking out a handful of gold, gave it to the Qazi and the witnesses, and handed the rest to Jubair. Thereupon the Qazi and the witnesses withdrew, and I sat with them in mirth and merriment, till the most part of the night was past, when I said in my mind, These are lovers, and they have been this long while separated. I will now arise and go sleep in some place so far from them, and leave them to their privacy, one with other. So I rose, but she caught hold of my skirts, saying, What thinkest thou to do?

Nothing but so-and-so, answered I, upon which she rejoined, Sit thee down, and when we would be rid of thee, we will send thee away. So I sat down with them till near daybreak. When she said to me, O, Ibn Mansur, go to yonder chamber, for we have furnished it for thee, and it is thy sleeping-place. Thereupon I arose and went thither, and slept till morning, when a page brought me basin and yore, and I made the ablution, and prayed the dawn-prayer.

Then I sat down, and presently, behold, Jubair and his beloved came out of the bath in the house, and I saw them both ringing their locks. So I wished them good morning and gave them joy of their safety and reunion, saying to Jubair, That which began with constraint and conditions hath ended in cordial contentment. He answered, Thou sayest well, and indeed thou deservest thy honorarium. And he called his treasurer, and said, Bring hither three thousand dinars. So he brought a purse containing the gold pieces, and Jubair gave it to me. saying, "'Favour us by accepting this.'

But I replied, "'I will not accept it, till thou tell me the manner of the transfer of love from her to thee, after so huge an aversion.' Quoth he, he, hearkening and obedience, "'Know that we have a festival called New Year's Day, when all the people fare forth and take boat and go up pleasuring on the river. So I went out with my comrades, and saw Skiff, wherein were ten damsels like moons and amongst them the lady budur looped in hand she pre-looded in eleven modes then returning to the first sang these two couplets

fire is cooler than fires in my breast rock is softer than the heart of my lord marvel i that he's form'd to hold in water-soft frame heart rock hard said i to her repeat the couplets and in the air, but she would not. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 30. Recording by Griffin. Section 31 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Libravox recording. All Libravox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Libravox.org. Recording by Griffin. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Knight, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 31, 334th Night to 336th Knight. When it was the 334th Night, she said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Jubayir continued. So I cried to her, repeat the couplets in the air. But she would not, whereupon I bade the boatman peltsman pelts. her with oranges, and they pelted her till we feared her boat would found her. Then she went her way, and this is how the love was transferred from her heart to mine. So I wish them joy of their union, and, taking the purse with its contents, I returned to Baghdad. Now when the Caliph heard Imansur's story, his heart was lightened, and the restlessness and

oppression from which he suffered forsook him. And they also tell the tale of the men of Al-Yaman and his six slave-girls. The Caliph al-Mamun was sitting one day in his palace, surrounded by his lords of the realm and officers of state, and there were present also before him all his poets and to cup companions, amongst the rest one named Mohamed of Basura. Presently the Caliph turned and said to him, O Muhammad, I wish thee forthwith to tell me something that I have never before heard. He replied, O commander of the faithful, dost thou wish me to tell thee a thing I have heard with my ears,

or a thing I have seen with my eyes? Quoth Alma Amun, tell me whichever is the rarer. So Mohamed al-Basri began. Know then, O commander of the faithful, that there lived once upon a town. a wealthy man, who was a native of Al-Yaman. But he emigrated from his native land, and came to this city of Baghdad, whose sojourn so pleased him that he transported hither his family into possessions. Now he had six slave-girls, like moons one and all, the first white, the second brown, the third fat,

the fourth lean, the fifth yellow, and the sixth lamp-black, and all the first white, and all the second, All six were comely of countenance, and perfect in accomplishments, and skilled in the arts of singing and playing upon musical instruments. Now it's so chanced that one day he sent for the girls and called for meat and wine, and they ate and drank and were mirthful and made merry. Then he filled the cup, and, taking it in his hand, said to the blonde girl, O new moon face, let us hear somewhat of thy pleasant songs. so she took the lute and tuning it made music thereon with such sweet melody that the place danced with glee after which she played a lively measure and sang these couplets

i have a friend whose form is fixed within mine eyes whose name deep buried in my very vitals lies when as remembers him my mind all heart am i and when on him my gaze is turned i am all eyes my censer saith forswear forget the love of him what so is not to be how shalls be my reply is quoth i o censer mine go forth from me avaunt and make not light of that on human heavy lies hereat their master rejoiced and drinking off his cup gave the damsels to drink after which he said to the berry brown girl o brazier light and joy of the spright and joy of the spright let us hear thy lovely voice whereby all that harkin are ravished with delight so she took the lute and thereon made harmony till the place was moved to glee then captivating all hearts with her graceful swaying she sang these couplets i swear by that fair face is life i'll love but thee till death us part nor other love but thine i'll see o full moon with thy loveliness man till the loveliest of our earth beneath thy banner be. Thou, who surpassest all the fair in pleasantness, may Allah, Lord of worlds, be everywhere with thee.

The master rejoiced and drank off his cup, and gave the girls to drink, after which he filled again, and, taking the goblet in his hand, signed to the fat girl, and bade hercing and play a different motif. So she took the lute, and striking a greeting a greeting, dispelling measure, sang these couplets. And thou but deign consent, O wish to heartified, I care not wrath and rage to all mankind betide. And if thou show that fairest face, which gives me life,

I reck not and diminished heads the kings go hide. I seek thy favours only from this versile world, O thou in whom all beauty cloth firm-fixed abide. the men rejoiced and emptying his cup gave the girls to drink then he signed to the thin girl and said to her o'uri of paradise feed thou our ears with sweet words and sounds so she took the lute and tuning it preluded and sang these two couplets say me on allah's path hast death not dealt to me turning from me while i to thee turn patiently saying me, is there no judge of love to judge us twain, and do me justice wronged mine enemy, by thee?' Their lord rejoiced, and, emptying the cup, gave the girls to drink. Then, filling another, he assigned to the yellow girl, and said to her, O son of the day, let us hear some nice verses.

So she took the lute, and, preluding after the goodliest fashion, sang these couplets. I have a lover, and when drawing him, He draws on me a sword-blade, glancing grim. Allah avenge some little of his wrongs, Who holds my heart, yet wrecks or bearing whim? Off, though I say, renounce him heart, Yet heart will to none other turn, excepting him. He is my wish and will of all men,

But fate's envious hand to me's eye-grudging him. The master rejoiced. and drank, and gave the girls to drink. Then he filled the cup, and taking it in hand signed to the black girl, saying, O pupil of the eye, let us have a taste of thy quality, though it be but two words. So she took the lute, and tuning it and tightening the strings, preluded in various modes,

then returned to the first, and sang to a lively air these couplets. Ho ye mine eyes! Let prodigal tears go free! This ecstasy would see my being unbe. All ecstasies I dream forsake a friend. I fondle, margar enviers' jealousy. Sensors forbid me from his rosy cheek, yet air inclines my heart to rosary. Cups of pure wine, time was, when circuiting in joy,

What time the lute sang melody, While kept his troth the friend whom added me, Yet made me rising star of bliss to see. But, with time, turned he not by sin of mine, Then such a turn can aught more bitter be. Upon his cheek there grows and glows arose, Nay too, were of grant Allah one to me, And were prostration by our law allowed to aught but Allah

At his feet I had bowed. Thereupon rose the six girls, And, kissing the ground before their lord, said to him, do thou justice between us, O our lord. So he looked at their beauty and loveliness, and the contrast of their colours, and praised Almighty Allah, and glorified him.

Then said he, There is none of you but hath learnt the Koran by heart, and mastered the musical art, and is versed in the chronicles of yore, and the doings of peoples which have gone before. So it is my desire that each one of you rise, and, pointing finger at her opposite, praise herself and dis praise her co-concubine.

That is to say, let the blonde point to the brunette, the plump to the slenderer, and the yellow to the black girl, after which the rivals, each in her turn, shall do the like with a former, and be this illustrated with citations

from holy writ, and somewhat of anecdotes, and verse, so as to show forth your fine breeding and elegance of your pleading. And they answered him, We hear and we obey. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day,

and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and thirty-fifth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That the handmaids answered the man of Ali-Aman. We hear and we obey. Accordingly, the blonde rose first, And, pointing at the black girl, said to her, Out on thee, Blackamore!

It is told by tradition that whiteness saith, I am the shining light, I am the rising moon of the fourteenth night. My hue is patent, And my brow is resplendent, And of my beauty quoth the poet, White girl with softly rounded polished cheeks, As if a pearl concealed by beauty's boon,

Her stature alif-like, Her smile like mim, And o'er her eyes, two brows that bend, like noon. Tis as her glance were arrow, and her brows, bows ever bent, to shoot death dart eft soon. If cheek and shape thou view, there shalt thou find, rose, myrtle, basil, and narcissus wone. Men want in gardens plant, and set the branch. How many gars, thy stature branch cloth own. So my colour is like the hail and healthy day, and the newly culled orange spray, and the

star of sparkling ray, and indeed quoth Almighty Allah, in his precious book to his prophet Moses, on whom be praise, Put thy hand into thy bosom, it shall come forth white without hurt. And again he saith, But they whose faces shall become white, shall be in the mercy of Allah, Wherein shall they remain forever? My colour is a sign, a miracle, And my loveliness supreme, And my beauty a term extreme.

It is on the like of me that Raymond showeth fair and fine, And to the like of me that hearts incline. Moreover, in whiteness are many excellences. For instance, the snow falleth white from heaven, And it is traditional that the beautifulest of all colours, is white. The Muslims also glory in white turbans. But I should be tedious, were I to tell all that may be told in praise of white. Little and enough is better than too much of unfilling stuff. So now I will begin with thy dis praise, O black, O colour of ink and blacksmith's dust,

Thou, whose face is like the raven which bringeth about the parting of lovers? verily the poet saith in praise of white and blame of black seest not that pearls are prized for milky hue but with the dirham by we coals in load and while white faces enter paradise black faces crowd gehenna's black abode and indeed it is told in certain histories related on the authority of devout men that noah on whom be peace was sleeping one day with his sons Chum and Shem seated at his head, when a wind sprang up and, lifting his clothes, uncovered his nakedness, whereat Chum looked and laughed and did not cover him, but Shem arose and covered him. Presently their sire awoke, and, learning what had been done by his sons, blessed Shem and cursed Chahm. So Shem's face was whitened, and from him sprang the prophets, in the Orthodox Caliphs and kings, whilst Chahm's

was blackened and he fled forth to the land of abyssinia and of his lineage came the blacks all people are of one mind in affirming the lack of understanding of the blacks even as saith the adage how shall one find a black with a mind quoth her master sit thee down thou has given us sufficient and even excess thereupon he signed to the negress who rose and pointing her finger at the blondes said dost thou not know that in the koran sent down to his prophet and apostle is transmitted to the saying of god the most high by the night when it covereth all things with darkness by the day when it shineth forth if the night were not the more illustrious verily allah had not sworn by it nor had given it precedence of the day and indeed all men of wit and wisdom except this know is there not that black is the ornament of youth and that when horiness descendeth upon the head delights pass away in the hour of death draweth in sight were not black the most illustrious of things allah had not set it in the core of the heart and the pupil of the eye and how excellent is the saying of the poet i love not black girls but because they show youth's colour tinct of eye and heart-course hue nor are in error who unlove the white and hoary hairs and winding sheet a shoe and that said of another black girls not white are they all worthy love I see black girls wear dark brown lips whites blotch of leprosy and of a third black girls in acts are white and tis as though like eyes with purest shine and sheen they show if I go daft for her be not amazed black bile drives melancholic mad we know tis as my colour were the noon of night for all

all no moon it be, its splendors glow. Moreover, is the foregathering of lovers good but in the night? Let this quality and profit suffice thee. What protecteth lovers from spies and censors, like the blackness of night's darkness, and what causeth them to fear discovery, like the whiteness of the dawn's brightness? So, how many claims to honour are there not in blackness? and how excellent is the saying of the poet i visit them and night black lendeth aid to me seconding love but dawn white is mine enemy and that of another how many a night i've passed with the beloved of me while gloom with dusky tresses veiled our desires but when the more light showed it caused me sad affright and i to morning said who worship light on liars

And saith the third, He came to see me, hiding neath the skirt of night, Hasting his steps, As when did he in cautious plight, I rose and spread my cheek upon his path like rug, Abject, and trailed my skirt to hide it from his sight. But rose the crescent moon, And strayed its best to show, The world our loves like nail-slice raying radiant light. then what befell befell i need not aught describe but think thy best and ask me not of wrong or right meet not thy lovers save at night for fear of slander the sun's a tittle-tattler and the moon's a pander and a fifth i love not white girls blown with fat who puff and pant the maid for me is young brunette embon point scant. I'd rather ride a colt that's darn upon the day of race, and set my friends upon the elephant. And a sixth, my lover came to me one night, and eclipse we both with fond embrace,

and lay together till we saw the morning come with swiftest pace. Now I pray Allah and my lord to reunite us of his grace, and make night last me long as he lies in the arms, that tightly lace. Were I to set forth all the praises of blackness, my tale would be tedious. But little and enough is better than too much of unfulfilling stuff. As for thee, O blonde, thy colour is that of leprosy, and thine embraces suffocation. And it is of report that hoar-frost and icy cold are in Gehena, for the torment of the wicked. of things black and excellent is ink wherewith is written allah's word and were it not for black ambergris and black musk there would be no perfumes to carry to kings

how many glories i may not mention dwell in blackness and how well saith the poet seest not that musk the nut-brown musk ere claims the highest price whilst for a load of white as lime none more than dirham bids. And while white speck upon the eye deforms the loveliest youth, black eyes discharged the sharpest shaft in lashes from their lids. Quoth her master, Sit thee down, this much suffices. So she sat down, and he signed as a fat girl who rose, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and thirty-sixth night, she said, It hath reached me, a auspicious king, that the man of Al-Yamang, the master of the handmaids,

signed to the fat girl, who rose, and, pointing her finger at the slim girl, bared her calves and wrists, and uncovered her stomach, showing its dimples, and the plump runger of her navel. Then she donned a shift of fine stuff that exposed her whole body, and said, Praise'd be Allah who created me, for that he beautified my face, and made me fat, and fair of the fattest and fairest, and likened me to branches laden with fruit, and bestowed upon me abounding beauty and brightness, and praised be he no less, for that he hath given me the precedence, and honoured me, when he mentioneth me in his holy book.

Quoth the most high, and he brought to fatted calf. And he hath made me like unto a verger full of peaches and pomegranates. In very sooth, he even as the townsfolk long for fat birds, and eat of them and love not lean birds, so do the sons of Adam desire fat meat, and eat of it. How many vauntful attributes are there not in fatness? And how well, saith the poet, Farewell thy love,

Or see, the kaffilas on the moon. O man, canst bear to say adieu and leave thy love. Tis as her going, were to seek her neighbour's tent, The gait of fat fair maid, Whom hearts shall all approve. Sawest thou ever one stand before a flesh's stall, But sought of him fat flesh, The wise say,

Joyance is in three things, Eating meat, and riding meat, And putting meat into meat. As for thee, O thin one, Thy calves are like the shanks of sparrows, Or the pokers of furnaces, And thou art a cruciform plank of a piece of flesh, Poor and rank.

There is not in thee to gladden the heart, Even as saith the poet, With Allah take I refuge from whatever driveth me to bed with one like foot-rasp, Or the roughest ropery. In every limb she hath a horn that butteth me, When'er I fain would rest, So morn and eve, I wend me wearily. Quoth her master, Sit thee down, this much suffices.

so she sat down and he slined to the slender girl who rose as she were a willow wand or a ratten frond or a stalk of sweet basil and said praised be allah who created me and beautified me and made my embraces the end of all desire and likened me to the branch where to all hearts incline if i rise i rise lightly if i sit i sit prettily i am nimble-witted at a jest and marry her soul than may her soul than and mirth itself. Never heard I one describe his mistress, saying, My beloved is the bigness of an elephant, Or like a mountain long and broad. But rather, My lady hath a slender waist and a slim shape. Furthermore, a little food filleth me, And a little water quenches my thirst. My sport is agile, and my habit active, For I am sprightlier than the sparrow, And lighter skipping than the starling. My favours are the longing of the lover, and the delight of the desirer, for I am goodly of shape,

Sweet of smile, and graceful as the bending willow wand, Or the ratin cane, Or the stock of the basil-plant, Nor is there any can compare with me in loveliness, Even as saith one of me, Thy shape with willow branch I dare compare, And hold thy figure as my fortune's fair, I wake each morn distraught and follow thee, And from the rival's eye, in fear I fare.

it is for the lack of me that amorists run mad and that those who desire me wax distracted if my lover would draw me to him i am drawn to him and if he would have me inclined to him i incline to him and not against him But now, as for thee, O fat of body, Thine eating is the feeding of an elephant, And neither much nor little filleth thee. When thou liest with a man who is lean, he hath no ease of thee, Nor can he anyways take his pleasure of thee, For the bigness of thy belly holdeth him off from going in unto thee, And the fatness of thy thighs hindereth him from coming at thy slit. What goodness is there in thy grossness,

And what courtesy or pleasantness in thy coarseness? Fat flesh is fit for naught but the flasher, nor is there one point therein that pleadeth for praise. If one joke with thee, thou art angry, if one sport with thee, thou art sulky. If thou sleep, thou snorest, if thou walk, thou lollest out thy tongue. If thou eat, thou art never filled. Thou art heavier than mountains, and fowler than corruption and crime. Thou hast in thee, nor agility, nor benedic, nor thinkest thou.

of art save meat and sleep. When thou pissest thou swishest, and if thou turd thou gruntest like a burst in wine-skin or an elephant transmogrified. If I go to the water-closet thou needest one to wash thy gap and pluck out the hairs which overgrow it. And this is the extreme of sluggishness, and the sign outward and visible of stupidity. In short, there is no good thing about thee, and indeed the poet-title of thee, heavy and swollen like a urine-bladder blown, with hips and thighs like mountain propping piles of stone.

When as she walks in western hemisphere, her tread makes the far eastern world with weight to moan and groan. Quoth her master, Sit thee down, this suffices. So she sat down, and he signed to the yellow girl, who rose to her feet, and praised Allah Almighty, and magnified his name. Calling down peace and blessing on Muhammad the best of his creatures, after which she pointed her finger at the brunette, and said to her, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. End of Section 31. Recording by Griffin.

Section 32 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public. domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, 137th night to 339th night. When it was the 337th night, she continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that the yellow girl stood up and praised Almighty Allah, and magnified his name, after which she pointed her finger at the brown girl, and said to her,

I am the one praised in the Quran, and the compassionate hath described my complexion, and its excellence over all other use, in his manifest book, where Allah said, A yellow pure yellow, whose color gladdeneth the beholders, wherefore my color, is a sign and portent, and my grace is supreme, and my beauty a term extreme. For that my tint is the tint of a ducat, and the color of the planets and moons, and the yew of ripe apples. My fashions is the fashion of the fair, and the dye of saffron outweeth all other dyes, so my semblance is wondrous, and my color marvelous. I am soft of body, and of high price, comprising all qualities of beauty. My colour is essentially precious as virgin gold, and how many boasts and

glorious cloth it not unfold, of the like of me quoth the poet. Her golden yellow is the sheeny suns, and like gold sequins she delights the sight. Saffron's small portion of her glass can show, nay, she outweiss the moon when brightest bright. and i shall at once begin in thy disgrace o berry brown girl thy tincture is that of the buffalo and all souls shudder at thy sight if thy collar be in any created thing it is blained if it be in food it is poisoned for thy hue is the yew of the dung fly it is a mark of ugliness even in dogs and among the colors it is one which strikes with a may and is of the signs of mourning. Never heard I of brown gold or brown pearls or brown gems. If thou enter the privy, thy color changeth,

and when thou comest out thou addest ugliness to ugliness. Thou art a nondescript neither black, that thou mayst be recognized, nor white that thou mayst be described, and in thee there is no good quality, even as says the poet, the yew of dusty moats is hers that dull brown yew of hers is mouldy like the dust and mud by cosy's foot upthrown i never look upon her brow in for eye twinkling's space but in brown study fall i and my thoughts take browner tone quoth her master sit thee down this much suffices so she sat down and designed to the brunette. Now she was a model of beauty and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, soft of skin, slim of shape, of stature rare and cold black hair, with cheeks rosy pink, eyes black rimmed by nature's hand, face fair and eloquent tongue, moreover slender-waisted

and heavy-hipped. So she rose and said, Praise be to Allah, who hath created me neither Leper white, nor bile yellow, nor charcoal black, But hath made my colour to be beloved of men Of wit and wisdom, For all the poets extolled berry-brown mates in every tongue, And exalt their colour over all other colours. To brown of you, they say, praise is due, And Allah bless him who singeth, And in brunettes is mystery, couldst thou but read it right.

Thy sight would never dwell on others, be they red or white. Free-flowing conversation, amorous coquettishness, would teach Harut himself a mightier spell of magic might, and said another, Give me brunettes so limberlism, lith of sway, Brunette's tall, slender straight, like some hurr's nut-brown lance, languid of eyelids and with silky down on either cheek, Who fixed in lover's heart work to his life, Miss Chance. And yet another. Now by my life, brown yew have point of comeliness,

Leaves whiteness nowhere and high over the moon takes place, But an of whiteness ought it borrowed self to deck, Toward change, its graces, and would pale for its disgrace. not with his must i'm drunken but his locks of musk are wine inebriating all of human race his charms are jealous each of each and all desire to be the down that creepeth up his lovely face and again another why not incline me to that show of silky down on cheeks of dark brunette like bamboo spiring brown when as high rank in beauty poets sing, they say, brown aren't like specklet-worn, by Nenufar in crown, and see I sundry lovers tear out others'-ein, for the brown mole beneath that jetty pupil shone, then why do censers blame me for one all a mole? Allah, I pray, demolish each molesting clown.

My form is all grace, and my shape is built on heavy base, kings desire my color which all at all, rich and poor. I'm pleasant, active, handsome, elegant, soft of skin, and prized for price. Eka, I'm perfect in seemly bead, and breeding and eloquence. My aspect is comely and my tongue witty, my temper is bright and my play a pretty sight. As for thee, thou art like unto a mallow growing about, the look gait. In yew, sallow and streaked yellow, and made all of of sulphur, aeroint thee, O copperworth of jaundiced sorrow, O rust of brass pot, O face of owl in gloom, and fruit of the hell-tree sacum, whose bed-fellow, for heartbreak, is buried in the tomb, and there is no good thing in thee, even as seth the poet of the like of thee.

Yellowness, tincturing her, though no wise sick or sorrow, straightens my hapless heart, and makes my head sore ache, And thou repent not soul, I'll punish thee with kissing, Her lower face that shall mine every grinder break, And when she ended her lines quoth her master, Sit thee down, this much suffice it. And Sharazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted save.

When it was the three hundred and thirty-eight knight, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That when the yellow girl ended her recitation, Quoth her master, Sit thee down, this much sufficeeth. Then he made peace between them, And clad them all in sumptuous robes of honour, And hansled them with precious jewels of land and sea,

And never have I seen, O commander of the faithful, any when or anywhere ought fairer than these six damsels fare. Now when Alma Omen heard this story from Muhammad of Basura, he turned to him and said, O Muhammad, know'st thou the abiding place of these damsels and their master, and canst thou contrive to buy them of him for us? He answered, O commander of the faithful, faithful. Indeed I have heard that their lord is wrapped up in them, and cannot bear to be parted

from them. Rejoined the Caliph, take the ten thousand gold pieces for each girl, that is sixty thousand for the whole purchase, and carry the coin to his house, and buy them of him. So Muhammad of Vassarah took the money, and betaking himself to the man of al-Jaman, acquainted him with the wish of the prince of true believers. He consented to part with them at that price to pleasure the Caliph, and dispatched them to Alma Amon, who assigned them an elegant abode, and therein used to sit with them as cup companions, marveling at their beauty and loveliness, at their varied colors, and the excellence of their conversation. Thus matters stood for many a day, but after a while when their former owner could no longer bear to be parted from them he sent a letter to the commander of the faithful complaining to him of his own ardent love longing for them and containing amongst other contents these couplets

captured me six all bright with youthful glee then on all six be best salams from me they are my hearing seeing very life my meat my drink my job joy my jollity. I'll never forget the favours erst so charmed, whose loss hath turned my sleep to insomnia. Alack, o longsome pining and o tears, would I had farewelled all humanity. Those eyes with bowed and well-arched eyebrows dight, like boughs have struck me with their archery. Now when the letter came to the hands of Alma Amun, he robed the six damsel's in rich raiment, and giving them three score thousand dinars, sent them back to their lord, who joyed in them with exceeding joy, more especially for the monies they brought him, and abode with them in all the comfort and pleasance of life, till there came to them the

destroyer of delight, and the severer of societies. And men also recount the tale of Harun al-Rashid and the damsel and of abhor. Novas. The Caliph commander of the faithful Harun al-Rashid, being one night exceedingly restless and thoughtful with sad thought, rose from his couch, and walked about the byways of his palace till he came to a chamber over whose doorway hung a curtain. He raised that curtain and saw at the upper end of the room a bedstead, whereon lay something black as it were a man asleep, with a wax taper on his right hand, and another on his left.

And as the Caliph stood wandering at the sight, behold, he remarked a flagon full of old wine, whose mouth was covered by the cup. The Caliph wondered even more at this, saying, How came this black by such wine service? Then, drawing near the bedstead, he found that it was a girl lying asleep there, curtained by her hair, so he uncovered her face, and saw that it was like the moon, on the night of his fullness. So the Caliph filled himself a cup of wine and drank it to the roses of her cheeks, and feeling inclined to enjoy her, kissed a mole on her face, whereupon she started up from sleep and cried out, "'Oh, trusted of Allah, what may this be?' replied he, a guest who knocketh at thy door, hoping that thou wilt give him hospitality till the dawn.

And she answered, Even so, I will serve him with my hearing and my sight, so she brought forward the wine, and they drank together, after which she took the lute and tuning the strings, preluded in one and twenty modes, then returning to the first, played a lively measure, and sang these couplets. the tongue of love from heart bespeaks my sprite telling i love thee with love infinite i have an eye bears witness to my pain and fluttering heart sore hurt by parting plight i cannot hide the love that harms my life tears ever roll and growth of pine i sight i knew not what love was ere loving thee but alas's destiny to all is dight

And when her verses were ended, she said, O commander of the faithful, I have been wronged. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and thirty-ninth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That the damsel cried, O commander of the faithful, I have been wronged, quoth he,

How so, and who hath wronged thee? Quoth she, Thy son bought me a while ago, For ten thousand dirhams, Meaning to give me to thee, But thy wife, the daughter of thine uncle, Sent him the said price, And bade him shut me up from thee in this chamber.

Whereupon said the caliph, Ask a boon of me, And she, I ask thee to lie with me to-morrow night, replied the caliph, inshallah and leaving her went away now as soon as it was morning he repaired to his sitting-room and called for abenovas but found him not and sent his chamberlain to ask after him the chamberlain found him in a tavern pawned and pledged for a score of a thousand dirhams which he had spent on a certain beardless youth and questioned him of his case so he told him what had betided him with the comely boy and how he had spent upon him a thousand silver pieces whereupon quoth the chamberlain show him to me and if he be worth this thou art excused he answered patience and thou shalt see him presently

as they were talking together up came the lad clad in a white tunic under which was another of red and under this yet another black now when abenova saw him he sighed a loud sigh and improvised these couplets. He showed himself in shirt of white, with eyes and eyelids longer digit. Quoth I, dost path and greet me not, though were thy greeting a delight? Blessed he who clothed in rose thy cheeks, creates what wills he by his might. Quoth he, leave prate for sure, my lord, O work is wondrous infinite. My garments like my face and lus, and lus, all three are white on white on white when the bearless one heard these words he dopped the white tunic and appeared in the red and when abenova saw him he red doubled in expressions of admiration and repeated these couplets he showed in garb anemone red a foeman friend in titulet quoth i in marvel thou'rt full moon whose weed shame rose however red hath thy cheek stained it red or hast dyed it in blood by lover's bled

quoth he soul gave me this for shirt when hasting down the west to bed so garb and wine and you of cheek all three are red on red on red and when the verses came to an end the beardless One doffed the red tunic, and stood in the black, and when Abanova saw him, he redoubled in attention to him, and versified in these couplets. He came in sable-yued sack, and shone in dark men's heart to rack, Quoth I, dost pass and greet me not, joying the hateful envious pack, Thy garments like thy locks and like, My lot three blacks on black on black. Seeing this state of things and understanding the case of Abunovnavus and his love-longing, the chamberlain returned to the Caliph and acquainted him therewith, so he bade him pouch a thousand dirhams, and go and take him out of pawn.

Thereupon the chamberlain returned to Abanovas, and paying his score, carried him to the Caliph, who said, Make me some verses containing the words, O trusted of Allah, what may this speak, be, answered he, I hear and I obey, O commander of the faithful. And Shara Sad proceed the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 32, read by Lars Rolander. Section 33 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit

Librivox.org. Reading by Lars Rolander. The book of a thousand nights and a night, volume four, translated by Richard Burton, Section 33. 340th night to 342nd night. When it was the 340th night, she said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Abinovas answered, I hear and I obey, O commander of the faithful, and forthwith he improvised these couplets. Long was my night for sleepless misery, weary of body and of thought never free. I rose, and, in my palace, walked a while, then wandered through the halls of haremry, Till chanced I on a blackness which I found, A white girl hid in hair for napery.

Here to her for a moon of brightest sheen, like willow wand and veiled impudency. I quaffed a cup to her, then drew I near, and kissed the beauty-spot on cheek had she. She woke a start, and in her sleeps a mace, swayed as the swaying branch in rain we see. then rose and said to me o trusted one of allah o amin what may this be quoth i a guest that cometh to thy tents and craves till morn thy hospitality she answered gladly i my lord will grace and honour such a guest with air and eye cried the caliph allah strike thee dead it is as if thou hadst been present with us then he took him by the hand and carried him to the damsel and when abenova saw her clad in a dress and veil of blue he expressed abundant admiration and improvised these couplets say to the pretty one in vale of blue by allah o my life have ruth on dole for when the fair entreats her lover foul sighs rend his bosom and bespeak his soul by charm of thee and white his cheek i swear thee pity a heart for love lost all control then to him be his stay gain stress of love nor aught except what set the ribald fool

now when he ended his verse the damsels had whine before the caliph and taking the lute played a lively measure and sang these couplets wilt thou be just to others in thy love and do unright and put me off and take new friend in lieu. Had lovers kasi unto whom I might complain, of thee hid per adventure granted you, I sue. If thou forbid me pass your door, yet I afar, will stand, and viewing you, waft my salams to you. The caliph bade her ply Abbe novas with wine, till he lost his right senses. Thereupon he gave him a full cup, and he drank a draught of it, and held the cup in his hand till he slept. Then the commander of the faithful bade the girl take the cup from his grasp and hide it, so she took it and set it between her thighs. Moreover, he drew his scimitar, and standing at the head of Abanovas, pricked him with a point,

whereupon he awoke, and saw the drawn sword and the caliph standing over him. At this sight the fumes of the wine fled from his head, and the caliph said to him, make me some verses and tell me therein what is become of thy cup or i will cut off thy head so he improvised these couplets my tale indeed is tale unleave twas yonder fawn who played the thief she stole my cup of wine before the sips and saps had dealt relief and hid it in a certain place my heart's desire and longing grief i name it not for dread of him who hath of it command in chief quoth the caliph allah strike thee dead how knew'st thou that but we accept what thou say'st then he ordered him a dress of honour and a thousand dinars and he went away rejoicing and among tales they tell is one of the man who stole the dish of gold wherein the dog ate sometimes e'est there was a man who had accumulated depths and his case was straightened upon him so that he left his people and family and went forth in distraction and he ceased not wandering on at random till he came after a time to city tall of walls and firm of foundations he entered it in a state of despondency and despair harried by hunger and worn with awareness of his way as he passed through one of the main streets he saw a company of the great going along so he followed them till they reached a house like to a royal palace he entered with them and they stayed not faring forwards till they came in presence of a person seated at the upper end of a saloon

a man of the most dignified and majestic aspect surrounded by pages and eunuchs as he were of the sons of the vassirs when he saw the visitors he rose to greet them and received them with honor but the poor man aforesaid was confounded at his own boldness when beholding and shahrazad proceed the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the three hundred and forty-first night she said it hath reached me auspicious king that the poor man aforesaid was confounded at his own boldness when beholding the goodliness of the place and the crowd of servants and attendants so drawing back in perplexity and fear for his life sat down apart in a place far off where none should see him now it chanced that whilst he was sitting behold in came a man with four sporting dogs whereon were various kinds of raw silk and brocade and wearing round their necks collars of gold with chains of silver and tied up each dog in a place set privy for him after which he went out and presently returned with four dishes of gold full of rich meats which he set severally before the dogs one for each then he went away and left them whilst the poor man began to eye the food for stress of hunger and longed to go up to one of the dogs and eat with him but fear of them withheld him presently one of the dogs looked at him and allah almighty inspired the dog with the knowledge of his case so he drew back from the platter and signed to the man who came and ate till he was filled then he would have withdrawn but the dog again signed to him to take for himself the dish and what food was left in it and pushed it towards him with his forepaw so the man took the dish and leaving the house went his

way, and none followed him. Then he journeyed to another city, where he sold the dish, and buying, with a price a stock in trade, returned to his own town. There he sold his goods and paid his debts, and he throve and became affluent and rose to perfect prosperity. He abode in his own land, but after some years had passed, he said to himself, Needs must I repair to the city of the owner of the dish, and carry him a fit and handsome present, and pay him the money value of that which his dog bestowed upon me. So he took the price of the dish, and a suitable gift, and setting out journeyed day and night till he came to that city. He entered it and sought the place where the man lived, but he found there not save ruins, moldering in row and croak of crow,

and house and home desolate and all conditions in change state. At this his heart and soul were troubled, and he repeated the saying of him hoseth, void are the private rooms of treasury, as void were hearts of fear and piety, Changed is the waddy, nor are its casals, those fauns nor sandals those I want to see, and of another. In sleep came Suada's shade and wakened me, near dawn when comrades all a sleeping lay. But waking found I that the shade was fled, and saw air empty and shrine far away. Now when the man saw these mouldering ruins and witnessed what the hand of time had manifestly done with a place, leaving but traces of the substantial things that erewhiles had been. A little reflection made it needless for him to inquire of that case, so he turned away. Presently seeing a wretched man in a plight

which made him shudder and feel goose-skin, and which would have moved the very rock to rush, he said to him, "'Ho thou! What have time and fortune done with the lord of this place? Where are his lovely faces, his shining full moons and splendid stars? And what is the cause of the ruin that is come upon his abode, so that nothing save the walls thereof remain? Quoth the other. He is the miserable thou seest mourning, that which hath left him naked, but knows thou not the words of the apostle, whom Allah bless and keep, wherein is a lesson to him who will learn by and a warning to whoso will be warned thereby, and guided in the right way. Verily it is the way of Allah Almighty to raise up nothing of this world, except he cast it down again. If thou question of the cause of this accident, indeed it is no wonder, considering the chances and changes of fortune. I was the lord of this place, and I built it and founded it, and owned it,

and I was the proud possessor of its full moons luciant, and its circumstance resplendent, and its damsels radiant, and its garniture magnificent. But time turned and did away from me wealth and servants, and took from me what it had lent, not given, and brought upon me calamities which it held in store hidden, but there must needs be some reason for this thy question. So tell it me, and leave it, and leave. wandering. Thereupon the man who had waxed wealthy being sore concerned, told him the whole story, and added, I have brought thee a present such as soul's desire, and the price of thy dish of gold which I

took, for it was the cause of my affluence after poverty, and of the replenishment of my dwelling place, after desolation, and of the dispersion of my trouble and straightness. But the man shook his head, and weeping and groaning and complaining of his lot answered, "'Ho thou, me thinks thou art mad, for this is not the way of a man of sense. How should a dog of mine make generous gift to thee of a dish of gold, and I meanly take back the price of what a dog gave? This were indeed a strange thing, were I in extremist uneasen misery by Allah, I would not accept of thee in aught,

no not the worth of a nail paring so return whence thou camst in health and safety whereupon the merchant kissed his feet and taking leave of him returned whence he came praising him and reciting this couplet men and dogs together are all gone by so peace be with all of them dogs and men and allah is all knowing again men tell the tale of the sharper of alexandria and the chief of police there was once in the coast fortress of alexandria a chief of police who sum al-din hais the sharp schemeter of the faith now one night as he sat in his seat of office behold there came in to him a troop of wight who said no o my lord the chief that i entered your city this night and alighted at such a khan and slept there till a third part of the night was past when i awoke and found my saddle-backs sliced open and a purse of a thousand gold pieces stolen from them no sooner had he done speaking than the chief summoned his chief officials and bade them lay hands on all in the khan and clapped them in limbo till the morning and on the morrow he caused bringing the rods and whips used in punishment and sending for the prisoners was about to flog them till they confessed in the presence of the owner of the stolen money when lo a man broke through the crowd till he came up to the chief of police and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the three hundred and forty-second night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the chief was about to flog them when lo a man broke through the crowd till he came up to the chief of police and the trooper and said

ho emir let these folk go for they are wronguously accused it was i who robbed this trooper and see here is the purse i stole from his saddle-bags so saying he pulled out the purse from his sleeve and laid it before hussam al-din who said to the soldier take thy money and pouch it thou now hast no ground of complaint against the people of the khan thereupon these folk and all over present fell to pray the thief and blessing him. But he said, Ho, Emir, the skill is not in that I came to thee in person, and brought thee the purse. The cleverness was in taking it a second time from this trooper. Asked the chief, And how didst thou do take it? Oh, sharper! And the robber replied, O, emir, I was standing in the Shroft's Basar at Cairo,

when I saw this soldier receive the gold in change and put it in yonder purse. So I followed him from by-street to by-street, but found no occasion of stealing it. Then he travelled from Cairo, and I followed him from town to town, plotting and planning by the way to rob him, but without avail till he entered this city, and I dogged him to the calm. I took up my lodging beside him and watched him till he fell asleep, and I heard him, sleeping, when I went up to him softly, softly, and I slit open his saddle-bags with this knife, and took the purse in the way I am now taking it. So saying he put out his hand and took the purse from before the chief of police and the trooper, both of whom, together with a fork, drew back,

watching him and thinking he would show them how he took the purse from the saddle-bags. But behold, he suddenly broke into a run and threw himself. into a pool of standing water hard by. So the chief of police shouted to his officers, Stop thief! And many made after him. But before they could off their clothes and descend the steps he had made off. And they sought for him, but found him not, for that the by-streets and lanes of Alexandria all communicate. So they came back without bringing the purse, and the chief of police said to the trooper, Thou hast no demand of upon the fork, for thou fondest him who robbed thee and receivedest back thy money, but didst not keep it.

So the trooper went away, having lost his money, whilst the fork were delivered from his hands and those of the chief of police, and all this was of the favor of Almighty Allah, and they also tell the tale of Al-Malik al-Nasir and the three chiefs of police. Once upon a time Al-Malik al-Nasir sent for the valis or chiefs of police of Cairo, Bolak and Fostat, and said to them, I desire each of you to recount me the marvellousest thing that hath befallen him during his term of office. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her, permitted say. End of Section 33, read by Lars Rolander. Section 34 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous.

This is a Libre Box recording. All Libre Box recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Reading by Lars Rolander. The book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 34343rd Knight to 346 night. When it was the 343rd night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth al-Malik al-Nasir to the three

Balis. I desire each of you to recount me the marvellousest thing that hath befallen him during his term of office. So they answered, we hear and we obey then said the chief of the police of cairo know thou o our lord the sultan the most wonderful thing that befell me during my term of office was on this wise and he began the story of the chief of police of chiro there were in the city two men of good refute fit to bear witness in matters of murder and wounds but they were both secretly addicted to intrigues with low women and to wine-bibbing and to dissolute doings nor could i succeed do what i would in bringing them to book and i began to despair of success so i charged the taverners and confectioners and fruitiers, and candle-chandlers, and the keepers of brothels and body-houses, to acquaint me of

these two good men, whenever they should anywhere be engaged in drinking, or other debauchery, or together or apart, and ordered that if they both, or if either of them, bought at their shops ought for the purpose of Basile and Carousal, the vendors should not conceal it from me, and they replied we hear and obey presently it chanced that one night a man came to me and said o my master know that the two just men the two witnesses are in such a street in such a house engaged in abominable wickedness so i disguised myself i and my body servant and ceased not trudging till i came to the house and knocked at the door whereupon a slave-girl came out and opened to me saying who art thou i entered without answering her and saw the two legal witnesses and the house-master sitting and looed women by their side and before them great plenty of wine when they saw me they rose to receive me and made much of me seating me in the place of honour and saying to me welcome for an illustrious guest and welcome for a pleasant cup companion and on this vice they met me without showing a sign of alarm or trouble presently the master of the house arose from amongst us and went out and returned after a while with three hundred dinars when the men said to me without the least fear

no o our lord the vali it is in thy power to do even more than disgrace and punish us but this will bring thee in return nothing but weariness so we wreck thou wouldst do better to take this much money and protect us for almighty allah is named the protector and loveth those of his servants who protect their moslem neighbors and thou shalt have thy reward in this world and you recompense in the world to come so i said to myself i will take the money and protect them this once but if ever again i have them in my power i will take my wreck of them for you see the money had tempted me thereupon i took it and went away thinking that no one would know it but next day on a sudden one of the kasi's messengers came to me and said to me o wali be good enough to answer the summons of the kasi who wanteth thee so i arose and accompanied him knowing not the meaning of all this and when i came into the judge's presence i saw the two witnesses and the master of the house who had given me the money sitting by his side Thereupon this man rose, and sued me for three hundred dinars, nor was it in my power to deny the debt, for he produced a written obligation, and his two companions, the legal witnesses testified against me that I owed the amount. Their evidence satisfied the casse, and he ordered me to pay the sum, nor did I leave the court till they had of me the three hundred gold-pieces. So I went away in the utmost wrath and shame, bowing mischief and vengeance against them,

and repenting that I had not punished them. Such then is the most remarkable event which befell me during my term of office. Thereupon rose the chief of the Bullock police and said, As for me, O our lord the Sultan, the most marvellous thing that happened to me since I became Wali was as follows, and he began the story of the chief of the Bullock Police. I was once in depth to the full amount of three hundred thousand gold pieces, and being distressed thereby I sold all that was behind me and what was before me, and all I hent in hand, but I could collect no more than an hundred thousand dinars.

Henshahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say, when it was the three hundred and forty-fourth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the valley of boolak continued so i sold all that was behind and before me but could collect no more than an hundred thousand dinars and remained in great perplexity now one night as i sat at home in this state behold there came a knocking so i said to one of my servants see who is at the door he went out and returned one of face changed in countenance and with his side muscles a quivering so i asked him what aileth thee and he answered there is a man at the door he is half naked clad in skins with sword in hand and knife in girdle and with him are a company of the same fashion and he asketh for thee so i took my sword and going out to see who these were behold i found them as the boy had reported and said to them what is your business they replied of a truth we be thieves and have done fine work this night so we appointed the swag to thy use that thou mayst pay therewith the depths which sadden thee and deliver thee from thy distress quoth i where is the plunder and they brought me a great chest full of vessels of gold and silver which when i saw i rejoiced and said to myself herewith i will settle all claims upon me and there will remain as much again so i took the money and going inside said in my mind it were ignoble to let them fare away empty-handed

whereupon i brought out the hundred thousand dinars i had by me and gave it to them thanking them for their kindness and they pouched the monies and went their way under cover of the night so that none might know of them but when morning dawned i examined the contents of the chest and found them copper and tin-washed with gold worth five hundred dirhams at the most and this was grievous to me for i had lost what monies i had and trouble was added to my trouble such then is the most remarkable event which befell me during my term of office then rose the chief of the police of old cairo and said oh our lord the sultan the most marvellous thing that happened to me since i became wali was on this wise and he began the story the chief of the old cairo police i once hang ten thieves each on his own gibbet and especially charged the guards to watch them and hinder the folk from taking any one of them down next morning when i came to look at them i found two bodies hanging from one gallows and said to the guards who did this and where is the tenth but they denied all knowledge of it and i was about to beat them till they owned the truth when they said no o emir that we fell asleep last night and when we awoke we found that some one had stolen one of the bodies gibbet and all so we were alarmed and feared thy wrath but behold up came a peasant fellow driving his ass whereupon we laid hands on him and killed him and hanged his body upon this gallows in the stead of the thief who had been stolen now when i heard this i marvelled and asked them what had he with him and they answered he had a pair of saddle-bags on the ass quoth i what was in them quoth they we know not

so i said bring them hither and when they brought them to me i bade open them behold therein was the body of a murdered man cut in pieces now as soon as i saw this i marvelled at the case and said in myself glory to god the cause of the hanging of this peasant was none other but his crime against this murdered man and thy lord is not unjust towards his servants and men also tell the tale of the thief and the shroff a certain shroff bearing a bag of gold pieces once passed by a company of thieves and one of these sharpers said to the others i and i only have the power to steal yonder purse so they asked how wilt thou do it and he answered lock ye all and followed the money-changer till he entered his house when he threw the bag on a shelf and being affected with diabetes went into the chapel of ease to do his want calling to the slave-girl bring me a newer of water she took the ewer and followed him to the privy leaving the door open whereupon the thief entered and seizing the money-bag made off with it to his companions to whom he told what had passed and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the three hundred and forty-fifth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that the thief took the money-bag and made off with it to his companions to whom he told what had passed said they by allah thou hast played a clever trick tis not every one could do it but presently the money-changer will come out of the privy and missing the bag of money he will beat the slave-girl and torture her with grievous torture

tis as though thou hast at present done nothing worthy of praise so if thou be indeed a sharper return and save the girl from being beaten and questioned quoth he inshallah i will save both girl and purse then the prig went back to the shroff's house and found him punishing the girl the cause of the purse so he knocked at the door and the man said who is there cried the thief i am the servant of thy neighbour in the exchange whereupon he came out to him and said what is thy business the thief replied my master saluteth thee and saith to thee surely thou art deranged and thoroughly so to cast the like of this bag of money down at the door of thy shop and go away and leave it had a stranger hit upon it he had made off with it and if it except my master had seen it and taken care of it, it had assuredly been lost to thee. So saying, he pulled out the purse, and showed it to the shroff, who on seeing it said,

That is my very purse, and put out his hand to take it. But the thief said, by Allah, I will not give thee this same, till thou write me a receipt, declaring that thou hast received it, for indeed I fear my master will not believe that thou hast recovered the purse, unless i bring him thy writing to that effect and sealed with thy signet seal the money-changer went in to write the paper required and in the meantime the thief made off with a bag of money and thus was the slave-girl saved her beating and men also tell a tale of the chief of the cuss police and the sharper it is related that allah al din chief of police at cuss was sitting one night in his house when behold a personage of handsome appearance

and dignified aspect came to the door accompanied by a servant bearing a chest upon his head and standing there said to one of the wali's young men go in and tell the emir that i would have audience of him on some privy business so the servant went in and told his master who bade admit the visitor when he entered the emir saw him to be a man of handsome semblance and portly presence so he received him with honour and high distinction seating him beside himself and said to him what is thy wish replied the stranger i am a highwayman and i am minded to repent at thy hands and turn to almighty allah but i would have thee help me to this for that i am in thy district and under thine inspection now i have here a chest wherein our matters worth some forty thousand dinars and none hath so good a right to it as thou so do thou take it and give me in exchange a thousand dinars of thine own monies lawfully gotten that i may have a little capital to aid me in my repentance and save me from resorting to sin for my subsistence and with allah almighty be thy reward speaking thus he opened the chest and showed the valley that it was full of trinkets and jewels and bullion and ring gems and pearls where it he was amazed and rejoiced with great joys so he cried out to his treasurer saying bring hither a certain purse containing a thousand dinars and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the three hundred and forty-six night she said it had

it hath reached me o auspicious king that the vali cried out to his treasurer saying bring hither a certain purse containing a thousand dinars and gave it to the highwayman who took it and thanking him went his way under cover of the night now when it was the morrow the emir sent for the chief of the goldsmiths and showed him the chest and what was therein but the goldsmith found it nothing but tin and brass and the jewels and bezzled stones and pearls all of glass whereat the valley was sore chagrined and sent in quest of the highwayman but none could come at him and men also tell the tale of ibrahim bin al-madi and the merchant's sister the caliph alma amun's once said to his uncle ibrahim bin al-madi tell us the most remarkable thing that thou hast ever seen answered he i hear and obey o commander of the faithful know that i rode out one day a pleasuring and my ride brought me to a place where i smelt the reek of food so my soul longed for it and i halted oh prince of true believers perplexed and unable either to go on or to go in presently i raised my eyes and lo i espied a lattice window and behind it a wrist then which i never beheld aught lovelier the sight turned my brain and i forgot the smell of the food and began to plan a plot how i should get excess to the house after a while i observed a little bit of the food and began to plan a plot how i should get excess to the house after a while i observed a tailor hard by and going up to him saluted him he returned my salaam and i asked him whose house is that and he answered it belongeth to a merchant called such an one son of such and one who consorteth with none save merchants

as we were talking behold up came two men of comely aspect with intelligent countenances riding on horseback and the tailor told me that they were the merchant's most intimate friends and acquainted me with their names so i urged my beast towards them and said to them be i your ransom abu fulan awaiteth you and i rode with them both to the gate where i entered and they also and i rode with them both to the gate where i entered and they also so. Now, when the master of the house saw me with them, he doubted not but I was their friend, so he welcomed me and seated me in the highest stead. Then they brought the table of food, and I said in myself, Allah hath granted me my desire of the food, and now there remain the hand and the wrist. After a while we removed for carousel to another room, which I found tricked out with all manner or rarities, and the host paid me particular attention, addressing his talk to me, for that he took me to be a guest of his guests, whilst in like manner

these two made much of me, taking me for a friend of their friend, the housemaster. Thus I was the object of politest attentions till we had drunk several cups of wine, and there came into us a damsel, as she were a will of wand, of the utmost beauty and, and the utmost beauty, and elegance who took a lute and playing a lively measure sang these couplets is it not strange one house us two contain and still thou draw'st not near or talk only our eyes tell secrets of our souls and broken hearts by lovers fiery pain winks with the eyelids signs the eyebrow nose languishing looks and hands saluting fain When I heard these words my vitals were stirred, O commander of the faithful, and I was moved to delight for her excessive loveliness and the beauty of the verses she sang, and I envied her her skill and said, There lacketh somewhat to thee, O damsel, whereupon she threw the lute from her hand in anger and cried, Since when are ye wont to bring ill-mannered louts into your assemblies? bliss. Then I repented of what I had done, seeing the company vexed with me, and I said in my mind,

My hopes are lost by me, and I weeded no way of escaping blame, but a call for a lute saying, I will show you what escaped her in the air she played. Quoth the Falk, we hear and obey. So they brought me a lute, and I tuned the strings and sang these verses. this is thy friend perplexed for pain and pine then amour down whose breast coarse drops of brine he hath this hand to the compassionate race for winning wish and that of hearts is lean o thou who seest one love perishing his death is caused by those hands and aine whereupon the damsel sprang up and throwing herself at my feet kissed them and said it is thine to excuse o my master by allah i knew not thy quality nor heard i ever the like of this performance and all began extolling me and making much of me being beyond measure delighted and at last they besought me to sing again so i sang a merry air whereupon they all became drunken with music and wine their wits left them and they were carried off to their homes while i abode alone with the host and the girl he drank some cups with me and then said o my lord my life hath been lived in vain for that i have not known the like of thee till the present

now by allah tell me who thou art that i may ken who is the cup companion whom allah has bestowed on me this night at first i returned him evasive answers and would not tell him my name name, but he conjured me till I told him who I was, whereupon he sprang to his feet. Henshar Assad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 34, read by Lars Rolander. Section 35 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, by Anonymous. This is a Librevox recording. all Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org.

Recording by Jean Del Frio The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 35, 347th Night to 350th night. When it was the 347th night, she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that ibrahim son of al-madi continued now when the house-master heard my name he sprang to his feet and said indeed i wondered that such gifts should belong to any but the like of thee and fortune hath done me a good turn for which i cannot thank her too much but happily this is a dream for how could i hope that one of the caliphate house should visit my humble home and carouse with me this night i conjured him to be seated so i sat down and began to question me as to the cause of my visit in the most courteous terms so i told him the whole affair first and last hiding not and said to him now as to the food i have had my will but of the hand and wrist i have still to win my wish he, thou shalt have thy desire of the hand and wrist also in shalah. Then said he to the slave-girl,

Ho, such and one, bid such and one come down. And he called his slave-girls down, one by one, and showed them to me. But I saw not my mistress among them, and he said, O my lord, there is none left save my mother and sister, but, by Allah, I must needs have them also down and show them to thee. So I marveled at his courtesy and large-heartedness and, and and said, May I be thy sacrifice, begin with the sister. And he answered, with joy and good will. So she came down, and he showed me her hand, and behold, she was the owner of the hand and wrist. Quoth I, Allah, make me thy ransom. This is the damsel whose hand and wrist I saw at the lattice. Then he sent his servants without stay or delay for witnesses, and bringing out two myriads of gold pieces,

said to the witnesses. This our lord and master, Ibrahim son of Almari, paternal uncle of the commander of the faithful, seeketh in marriage my sister, such an one, and I call you to witness that I give her in wedlock to him, and that he hath settled upon her ten thousand dinars. And he said to me, I give thee my sister in marriage, at the portion aforesaid. I consent, answered I, and am here with content. whereupon he gave one of the bags to her and the other to the witnesses, and said to me, O our Lord, I desire to adorn a chamber for thee, where thou mayst sleep with thy wife. But I was abashed at his generosity, and was ashamed to lie with her in his house.

So I said, equip her and send her to my place. And by thy being, O commander of the faithful, he sent me with her such an equipage that my house, for all its greatness was too straight to hold it. And I begot on her this boy that standeth in thy presence. Then Al-Mamun marvelled at the man's generosity and said, Gifted of Allah is he, never heard I of his like, And he bade Ibrahim bin al-Madi bring him to court that he might see him. He brought him, and the caliph conversed with him,

And his wit and good breeding so pleased him That he made him one of his chief officers. And Allah is the giver, the bestoward. Men also relate the tale of the woman whose hands were cut off for giving alms to the poor. A certain king once made proclamation to the people of his realm, saying, If any of you give alms of aught, I will verily and assuredly cut off his hand. Wherefore all the people abstained from alms deed, and none could give anything to anyone. Now it chanced that one day a beggar accosted a certain one,

woman, and indeed hunger was sore upon him, and said to her, Give me an alms! And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was three hundred and forty-eighth night, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that, quoth the beggar to the woman, Give me an alms, however small. But she answered him, How can I give thee aught, When the king cutteth off the hands of all who

give alms. Then he said, I conjure thee by Allah Almighty, give me an alms. So when he adjured her by the holy name of Allah, she had Ruth on him and gave him two scones. The king heard of this, whereupon he called her before him and cut

off her hands, after which she returned to her house. Now it chanced after a while that the king said to his mother, I have a mind to take a wife, so do thou marry me to a fair woman. Quoth she, there is among our female slaves one who is unsurpassed in beauty, but she hath a grievous blemish. The king asked, what is that? And his mother answered,

She hath had both her hands cut off. Said he, let me see her. So she brought her to him, and he was ravished by her and married her, and went in unto her, and begat upon her a son. Now this was the woman who had given two scones as an alms to that. ask her, and whose hands had been cut off therefore. And when the king married her, her fellow-wives envied her and wrote to the common husband that she was an unchaste, having just given birth to the boy. So he wrote to his mother, bidding her carry the woman into the desert and leave her there. The old queen obeyed his commandment, and abandoned the woman and her son in the desert. whereupon she fell to weeping for that which had befallen her, and wailing with exceeding sore wail.

As she went along, she came to a river and knelt down to drink, being overcome with excess of thirst, for fatigue of walking and for grief. But as she bent her head, the child which was at her neck fell into the water. Then she sat weeping bitter tears for her child, and as she wept, behold came up two men, who said to her, what maketh thee weep quoth she i had a child at my neck and he hath fallen into the water they asked wilt thou that we bring him out to thee and she answered yes so they prayed to almighty allah and the child came forth of the water to her safe and sound then they said wilt thou that allah restore thee thy hands as they were yes replied she whereupon they prayed to Allah, extolled and exalted be he,

and her hands were restored to her, goodlier than before. Then said they, Knowest thou who we are? And she replied, Allah is all knowing. And they said, We are thy two scones of bread,

which thou gayest in alms to the asker and which were the cause of the cutting off of thy hands. So praise thou Allah Almighty, for that he hath restored to thee thy hands and thy child. Then she praised Almighty Allah and glorified him. And men relate a tale of the devout Israelites.

There was once a devout man of the children of Israel, whose family span cotton thread. And he used every day to sell the yarn and buy fresh cotton, and with the prophet he laid in daily bread for his household. One morning he went out and sold the day's yarn as wont, when there met him one of his brethren who complained to him of need so he gave him the price of the thread and returned empty-handed to his family who said to him where is the cotton and the food quoth he such and one met me and complained to me of want whereupon i gave him the price of the yarn and they said how shall we do we have nothing to sell now they had a cracked trencher and a jar so he took them to the bazaar but none would buy them of him however presently as he stood in the market there passed by a man with a fish and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was the three hundred and forty-ninth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king

that the man took the trencher and jar to the bazaar but none would buy them of him however there presently passed by a man with a fish which was so stinking and so swollen that none would buy it of him and he said to the jew wilt thou sell me thine unsaleable ware for mine yes answered the jew and giving him the wooden trencher and jar took the fish and carried it home to his family who said what shall we do with this fish quoth he we will broil it and eat it till it please allah to provide bread for us so they took it and ripping open its belly found therein a great pearl and told the head of the household who said see ye if it be pierced if so it belongeth to some one of the folk if not tis a provision of allah for us so they examined it and found it unpierced now when it was the morrow the jew carried it to one of his brethren which was the morrow the jew carried it to one of his brethren which was an expert in jewels and the man asked oh such an one whence hadst thou this pearl where to the jew answered it was a gift of almighty allah to us and the other said it is worth a thousand dirhams and i will give thee that but take it to such an one for he hath more money and skill than i so the jew took it to the jewler who said it is worth seventy thousand dirhams and no more then he paid him that sum and the jews hired two porters to carry the money to his house. As he came to his door, a beggar accosted him, saying,

Give me that of which Allah hath given thee. Quoth the Jew to the asker, But yesterday we were even as thou. Take thee half this money. So he made two parts of it, and each took his half. Then said the beggar, Take back thy money, and Allah bless and prosper thee in it. I am a messenger, whom thy lord hath sent to try thee.

Quoth the Jew. to allah be the praise and the thanks an abode in all delight of life he and his household till death and men recount this story of abu hasan alziadi and the khorasan quoth abu hassan alziadi i was once in straitened case and so needy that the grocer the baker and other tradesmen donned and importuned me and my misery became extreme for i knew of no resource nor what to do things beaute being on this wise there came to me one day certain of my servants and said to me at the door is a pilgrim white who seeketh admission to thee quoth i admit him so he came in and behold he was a kourasani we exchanged salutations and he said to me tell me art thou abu hasan al-ziadi and i replied yes what is thy wish quoth he i am a stranger and am minded to make the pilgrimage but i have with me a great sum of money which is burdensome to bear so i wish to deposit these ten thousand dirhams with thee whilst i make my pilgrimage and return if the caravan march back and thou see me not then know that i am dead in which case the money is a gift from me to thee but if i come back it shall be mine i answered be it as thou wilt and thus please allah almighty so he brought out a leather bag and i said to the servant fetch the scales and when he brought them the man weighed out the money and handed it to me after which he went his way then i called the purveyors and paid them my liabilities

and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say when it was the three hundred and fiftieth night she said it hath reached me o auspicious king that quoth abu hassan alziadi i called the purveyors and paid them my liabilities and spent freely and amply saying to myself by the time he returns allah will have relieved me with one or other of the bounties he hath by him however on the very next day the servant came in to me and said thy friend the khorasan man is at the door admit him answered i so he came in and said to me i had purposed to make the pilgrimage but denouz hath reached me of the decease of my father and i have resolved to return so give me the monies i deposited with the yesterday when i heard this i was troubled and perplexed beyond measure of perplexity known to man and why Wotted not what reply to make him. For, if I denied it, he would put me on my oath, and I should be disgraced in the world to come, whilst, if I told him that I had spent the money,

he would make an outcry and dishonour me before men. So I said to him, Allah give thee health, This my house is no stronghold nor sight of safe custody for this money. When I received thy leather bag, I sent it to one with whom it now is. So do thou return to us to-morrow, and take thy money, inshallah.

So he went away, and I passed the night in great concern, because of his return to me. Sleep visited me not, nor could I close my eyes. So I rose and bade the boy saddle me the she-mule. Answered he, O my lord, it is yet but the first third of the night, and indeed we have hardly had time to rest. I returned to my bed, but sleep was forbidden to me, and I ceased not to awaken the boy. and he to put me off till break of day when he saddled me the mule and i mounted and rode out not knowing whither to go i threw the reins on the mule's shoulder and gave myself up to regrets and melancholy thoughts whilst she fared on with me to the eastward of bagdad presently as i went along behold i saw a number of people approaching me and turned aside into another path to avoid them but seeing that i wore a turban in preacher fashion

They followed me and hastening up to me, said, Knowest thou the lodging of Abu Hassan Al-Ziadi? I am he, answered I. And they rejoined, obey the summons of the commander of the faithful. Then they carried me before Al-Mu-Mun, who said to me, Who art thou? Quoth I, an associate of the Qazi Abu Yusuf, and a doctor of the law and traditions.

Asked the caliph, By what surname art thou known? And I answered, Abu Hassan al-Ziadi Whereupon, Quoth he Expound to me thy case

So I recounted to him my case And he wept sore and said to me Out on thee, The apostle of Allah Whom Allah bless and I sayne Would not let me sleep this night Because of thee For in early darkness he appeared to me

And said Sucker Abu Hassan al-Ziadi Whereupon I awoke And knowing thee not Went to sleep again But he did not, But he came to me a second time and said to me, Woe to thee, Sakhar Abu Hassan al-Ziadi.

I awoke a second time, but knowing thee not I went to sleep again. And he came to me a third time, and still I knew thee not, and went to sleep again. Then he came to me once more and said, Out on thee, Sakur Abu Hassan al-Ziadi. After that I dared not sleep any more, but watched the rest of the night and aroused my people and sent them on all sides in quest of thee. then he gave me one myriad of dirhams saying this is for the khorasani and other ten thousand saying spend freely of this and amend thy case therewith and set thine affairs in order

moreover he presented me with thirty thousand dirhams saying furnish thyself with this and when the procession day is being kept come now to me that i may invest thee with some office so i went forth from him with the money and returned home where i prayed the dawn prayer and behold presently came the khorasani so i carried him into the house and brought out to him one myriad of dirhams saying here is thy money quoth he it is not my very money how cometh this so i told him the whole story and he wept and said by allah hadst thou told me the fact at first i had not pressed thee and now by allah i will not accept aught of this money and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say end of section thirty five section thirty six of the book of a thousand nights and a night volume four by anonymous this is a liveryvox recording all liverwok's recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit Libribox.org, reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton. Section 36, 351st Knight to 353rd Knight.

When it was the 351st Knight, she said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth the Khorassani to Al-Siyadi, by allah hadst thou told me the fact at first i had not pressed thee and now by allah i will not accept aught of this money and thou art lawfully quit of it so saying he went away and i set my affairs in order and repaired on the procession day to alma amun's gate where i found him seated when he saw me present myself he called me to him to him and bring him forth to me a paper from under his prayer carpet said to me, This is a patent conferring on thee the office of Kasi of the western division of al-Medina, the holy city, from the Bab al-Salam, to the furthest limit of the township, and I appoint these such and such monthly allowances, so fear Allah, to whom be honor and glory,

and be mindful of the solicitude of his apostle, whom, may he bless and keep, on thine account. Then the folk marvelled at the Caliph's words, and asked me their meaning, whereupon I told them the story from beginning to end, and it spread abroad amongst the people. And quoth he who telleth the tale, Abba Hassan al-Siyadi ceased not to be Kasi of Al-Madina, the holy city, till he died in the days of Alma Amun, the mercy of Allah be on him. and among the tales men tell is one of the poor man and his friend in need. There was once a rich man who lost all he had and became destitute, whereupon his wife advised him

to ask aid and assistance of one of his intimates. So he betook himself to a certain friend of his and acquainted him with his necessities, and he lent him five hundred dinars to trade with all. Now, in early life, he had been a jeweller, so he took the gold and went to the jeweled Bazaar, where he opened a shop to buy and sell. Presently as he sat in his shop, three men accosted him, and asked for his father, and when he told them that he was deceased, they said, "'Say, did he leave Isse you?' Quoth the jeweller. He left the slave who is before you. They asked,

"'And who knoweth thee for his son?' and he answered the people of the bazaar whereupon they said call them together here that they may testify to us that thou art his very son so he called them and they bore witness of this whereupon the three men delivered to him a pair of saddle-bags containing thirty thousand dinars besides jewels and bullion of high value saying this was deposited with us in trust by thy father then they went away and presently there came to him a woman who sought of him certain of the jewels worth five hundred dinars which he bought and paid him three thousand for them upon this he arose and took five hundred dinars and carrying them to his friend who had lent him the money said to him take the five hundred dinars i borrowed of thee for allah hath opened to me the gate of prosperity quoth the other nay i gave them to thee outright for the love of allah so do thou keep them and take this paper but read it not till thou be at home and do according to that which is therein so he took the money and the paper and returned home where he opened the scroll and found therein inscribed these couplets kinsmen of mine were those three men who came to thee my sire and uncle's twain and sally bin so what for cash thou coldest to my mother twas thou soldest it and coin and gems were sent by me thus doing i desired not any harm to thee but in my presence bear thee and thy modesty

and they also recount the story of the ruined man who became rich again through a dream there lived once in baghdad a wealthy man and made of money who lost all his substance and became so destitute that he could earn his living only by hard labor one night he lay down to sleep dejected and heavy-hearted and saw in a dream a speaker who said to him verily thy fortune is in cairo go thither and seek it so he set out for cairo but when he arrived there evening overtook him and he lay down to sleep in a mosque presently by decree of allah almighty a bandit entered the mosque and made their way thence into an adjoining house But the owners, being aroused by the noise of the thieves, awoke and cried out, whereupon the chief of police came to their aid with his officers. The robbers made off, but the vali entered the mosque, and finding the man from Baghdad asleep there,

laid hold of him and beat him with palm-rods, so grievous a beating that he was well-nigh dead. Then they cast him into jail, where he abode three days, after which the chief of police sent for him and asked him, him. Whence art thou? And he answered, from Baghdad, quoth the valley. And what brought thee to Cairo? And quoth the Baghdadi. I saw in a dream one who said to me, thy fortune is in Cairo, go thither to it. But when I came to Cairo, the fortune which he promised me proved to be the palmrods thou so generously gave's to me. The vali laughed till he showed his wisdom teeth and said,

Of man of little wit thrice have I seen in a dream one who said to me, There is in Baghdad a house in such a district, and of such a fashion, and its courtyard is laid out garden-wise, at the lower end whereof is a jetting-fountain, and under the same a great sum of money lath buried. Go thither and take it. Yet I went not, but thou, thou of the briefness of thy wit has journeyed from place to place on the faith of a dream which was but an idle

Gallimathias of sleep. Then he gave him money, saying, Help thee back herewith to thine own country. And Shara South perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and

fifty-second night, she said, it hath reached me, O Spirit, king that the Wali gave the Baghdad man some silver saying, Help thee back herewith to thine own country, and he took the money and set out upon his homeward's march. Now the house the Wali had described was the man's own house in Baghdad, so the wayfarer returned thither, and, digging underneath the fountain in his garden, discovered a great treasure.

And thus Allah gave him abundant fortune, and a marveled, coincidence occurred. And a story is also current of Caliph al-Mutta Vakil and his concubine Mabuba. There were in the palace of the Caliph al-Mutavakil Al-A, 4,000 concubines,

whereof two thousand were Greeks and other 2,000 slave-born Arabians and Abyssinians, and Obadi Ibn Tair had given him 200 white girls, and a like number of Byzianian and native girls. Among these slave-borns was a girl of Basura, height Mabuba the beloved, who was of surpassing beauty and loveliness, elegance and voluptuous grace. Moreover she

played upon the lute and was skilled in singing and making verses, and wrote a beautiful hand, so that Al-Mutavakil felt passionately in love with her and could not endure from her a single hour. But when she saw this affection, she presumed upon his favour to use him arrogantly, wherefore he waxed exceeding wrath with her, and forsook her, forbidding the people of the palace to speak with her. She abode on this wise some days, but the caliph still inclined to her, and he arose one morning, and said to his courtiers, I dreamt last night that I was reconciled to Mabuba, they answered,

would Allah this might be on wake. And as they were talking, behold, in came one of the Caliph's maid-servants and whispered him. So he rose from his throne and entered the serralio, for the whisper had said, of a truth we heard singing and lute-playing in Mabuba's chamber, and we knew not what this meant. So he went straight to her apartment where he heard her playing upon the lute and singing the following verses. I wander through the palace, but I cite there not a soul, to whom I may complain, or will change a word with me. It is as though I done so grievous rebel deed, wherefrom can no contrition ever avail to set me free. Have we no intercessor here to plead with king, who came in sleep to me

and took me back to grace and amity. But when the break of day arose and showed itself again, then he departing sent me back to dream my privacy. Now when the Caliph heard her voice, he marvelled at the verse and yet more at the strange coincidence of their dreams and entered the chamber. As soon as she perceived him, she hastened to rise and throw herself at his feet, and kissing them said, by Allah, oh my lord, this happy is what I dreamt last night, and when I awoke I made the couplets thou hast heard, replied Al-Mutavakil, by Allah, I also dreamt al-a-lake, then they embraced and made friends, and he abode with her seven days with their nights. Now Mabuba had written upon her cheek

in musk, the caliph's name, which was Ja'afar, and when he saw this he improvised, the following. One wrote upon her cheek with mask, his name was Ja'afar Haise. My soul for hers who wrote upon her cheek the name I cite. If, and her fingers have inscribed one line upon her cheek, full many a line in heart of mine those fingers did indict. O thou whom Ja'afar's soul and men possess for himself, Allah fill Ja'afar's dreamful draught, the wine of thy delight. When Al-Mutavakil died, his host of women forgot him, all save Mabuba, and Shara'ar-Assad proceed the dawn of day, and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and fifty-third night she said, it hath reached me,

O auspicious king, that when al-Mut-Avacil died, his host of women forgot him, all save Mabuba, who ceased not to mourn for him, till she deceased and was buried by his side. The mercy of Allah be on them both. And men also tell the tale of Vardant the butcher, his adventure with the lady and the bear. There lived once in Cairo in the days of Caliph al-Hakim be Amrilla, a butcher named Vardan, who dealt in sheep's flesh, and there came to him every day a lady and gave. gave him a dinar, whose weight was sny two and a half Egyptian dinars, saying, Give me a lamb! So he took the money and gave her the lamb, which she delivered to a porter she

had with her, and he put it in his crate, and she went away with him to her own place. Next day she came in the foreknown, and this went on for a long time, the butcher gaining a dinar by her every day, till at last he began to be curious about her case, and said to himself, This woman buyeth of me a dukart worth of meat every morning, paying ready money, and never misseth a single day. Verily this is a strange thing. So he took an occasion of questioning the porter in her absence, and asked him, With a ghost thou every day with yonder woman. And he answered, I know not what to make of her for surprise, in as much as every day after she hath taken the lamb of thee, she bieth necessaries of the table, fresh and dried fruits and wax candles

a diner's worth, and taketh of a certain person, which is a Nazarene, two flagons of wine, worth another dinar, and then she leadeth me with a hole, and I go with her to the Vassir's gardens, where she blindfoldeth me, so that I cannot see on what part of earth I set my feet, and taking me by the hand she leadeth me i know not with her presently she saith set down here and when i have done so she giveth me an empty crate she hath ready and taking my hand leadeth me back to the vassies gardens the place where she bound my eyes and there removeth the bandage and giveth me ten silver bits allah be your helper quoth vardan but he redoubled in curiosity about her case disquietude increased upon him and he passed the night in exceeding restlessness and quoth the butcher next morning she came to me of a custom and taking the lamp for which she paid the the dinar, delivered it to the porter, and went away. So I gave my shop in charge to Lad and followed her without her seeing me. And Shahrazad proceed the dawn of day, and ceased to say

her permitted say. End of Section 36, read by Lars Rolander. Section 37 of the Book of A Thousand Nights and the Night, Volume 4 by Anonymous. This is a Libre of a Libre of All Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librivox.org, reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4, translated by Richard Burton, Section 37, 354th night to 357th night. when it was the three hundred and fifty-fourth night she said it hath reached me auspicious king that vardan the butcher continued so i gave my shop in charge to a lad and followed her without her seeing me nor did i cease to keep her in sight hiding behind her till she left cairo and came to the vassir's gardens then i hid myself whilst she bandaged the porter's eyes and followed her again from place to place till she came to the mountain and stopped at a spot where there was a great stone.

Here she made the porter set down his crate, and I waited whilst he conducted him back to the Vassi's gardens, after which he returned, and taking out the contents of the basket, instantly disappeared. Then I went up to that stone, and, wrenching it up, entered the hole, and found behind the stone an open trap-door of brass, and a flight of steps, leading to downwards. So I descended little by little till I came to a long corridor, brilliantly lighted and followed it, till I made a closed door, as it were the door of a saloon. I looked about the wall sides near the doorway till I discovered a recess with steps therein, then climbed up and found a little niche with a bullseye giving upon a saloon.

Thence I looked inside and saw the lady cut off the choicest part, of the lamp, and laying them in a saucepan, throw the rest to a great big bear, who ate it all to the last bite. Now, when she had made an end of cooking, she ate her fill, after which she set on the fruits and confections, and brought out the wine, and fell to drinking a cup herself, and giving the bear to drink in a basin of gold. And as soon as she was heated with wine, she put off her petticoat trousers and lay down on her back, whereupon the bear arose and came up to her and stroked her, whilst she gave him the best of what belongeth to the sons of Adam, till he had made an end, when he sat down and rested. Presently he sprang upon her,

and rogered her again, and when he ended he again sat down to rest, and he ceased not so doing till he had futted her ten times, and they both fell to the ground in a fainting fit, and lay without motion. Then quoth I to myself, now is my opportunity, and taking a knife I had with me that would cut bones before flesh, went down to them, and found them motionless, not a muscle of them moving, for their hard, swinking and swiving. So I put my knife to the bare scullet, and pressed upon it, till I finished him by severing his head from his body, and he gave a great snort like thunder, whereat the lady started

up in alarm, and seeing the bear slain and me standing wittle in hand, she shrieked so loud a shriek that I thought the soul had left her body. Then she asked, O Vardan, is this how thou requits me my favours? And I answered, O enemy of thine own soul, is there a famine of men, thou must do this damnable thing. She made no answer, but bent down over the bear and looked fondly upon him, then, finding his head, divided from his body, said to me, O, Vardan, which of the two courses wouldst thou take, either obey me in what I shall say, and be the means of thine own safety? And Shahrazad preceded the dawn of day, and ceased saying, her permitted say. When it was the three hundred and fifty-fifth night she said,

It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that quoth the lady, O Vardan, which of the two courses would thou take, Either obey me in what I shall say, and be the means of thine own safety and competency to the end of thy days, Or gainsay me, and so cause thine own destruction? Answered I, I, I choose rather to harken unto thee, Say what thou wilt. Quoth she, then slay me as thou hast slain this bear, and take thy need of this hoard, and wend thy ways. Quoth I, I am better than this bear, so return thou to Allah Almighty and repent, and I will marry thee, and we will live on this treasure the rest of our lives.

She rejoined, O Vardan, far be it from me, how shall I live after? him. By Allah, and thou slay me not, I will assuredly do away thy life. So leave bandying words with me, or thou art a lost man. This is all I have to say to thee, and peace be with thee. Then said I, I will kill thee, and thou shalt go to the curse of Allah. So saying, I caught her by the hair and cut her throat, and she went to the curse of Allah, and of the angel, and of all mankind. And after so doing, I examined the place, and found their gold and bezel stones and pearls, such as no one king could bring together. So I filled the porter's crate with as much as I could carry, and covered it with the clothes I had on me. Then I shouldered it,

and going up out of the underground treasure-chamber, fared homewards, and ceased not faring on, till I came to the gate of Cairo, where, behold, I fell in with ten of the bodyguard of Alhakim B Amrilla, followed by the prince himself, who said to me, Ho, Vardan! At thy service of king, replied I, when he asked, hast thou killed the bear and the lady? And I answered, Yes, Quoth he, set down the basket from thy head, and fear not, for all the treasure thou hast with thee is thine, and none shall dispute, to you. it with thee. So I set down the crate before him, and he uncovered it and looked at it,

then said to me, tell me their case, I'll be, I know it, as if I had been present with you. So I told him all that had passed, and he said, thou hast spoken the truth, adding, O Vardan, come now with me to the treasure. So I returned with him to the cavern, where he found the trapdoor closed and said to me, O Vardan, lift it, none but thou can open the treasure, for it is enchanted in thy name and nature. Said I, by Allah, I cannot open it, but he said, go up to it, trusting in the blessing of Allah. So I called upon the name of Almighty Allah, and, advancing to the traptor, put my hand to it,

whereupon it came up as it had been of the lightest. then said the caliph go down and bring hither what is there for none but one of thy name and semblance and nature hath gone down thither since the place was made and the slaying of the bear and the woman was appointed to be at thy hand this was chronicled with me and i was awaiting its fulfilment accordingly quoth vardan i went down and brought up all the treasure whereupon the caliph sent for beasts of burden and carried it away after giving me my crate which was therein so i bore it home and opened me a shop in the market and set he who tell it the tale this market is still extant and is known as vardan's market and i have heard recount another story of the king's daughter and the ape there was once a sultan's daughter whose heart was taken with love of a black slave he abated her maidenhead and she became passionately addicted to futtering so that she could not do without it a single hour and complained of her case to one of her body women who told her that no thing poked and stroketh more abundantly than the babbooh Now it's so chanced one day that an ape-leader passed under her lattice with a great ape, so she unveiled her face and looking upon the ape, signed to him with her eyes, whereupon he broke his bonds and chain, and climbed up to the princess, who hid him in a place with her, and night and day he abode there, eating and drinking and copulating. Her father heard of this and would have killed her. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her, permitted say.

When it was the three hundred and fifty-six night, she said, It hath reached me, auspicious king, that when the sultan heard of this work, he would have slain his daughter, but she smoked his design, and disguising herself in Mameluk's dress, mounted horse after loading a mule with gold and bullion, and precious stuffs passed all account, then carrying with her the ape she fled to cairo where she took up her abode in one of the houses without the city and upon the verge of the sueth's desert now every day she used to buy meat of a young man a butcher but she came not to him till afternoon day and then she was so yellow and disordered in face that he said in his mind there must indeed hang some mystery by this slave accordingly quoth the butcher one day when she came to me as usual i went out after her secretly and ceased not to follow her from place to place so as she saw me not till she came to her lodging on the edge of her waist and entered and i looked in upon her through a cranny and saw her as soon as she was at home kindled the fire and cooked the meat of which she ate enough and served up the rest to a baboon she had by her

and he did the same then she put off the slave's habit and donned the richest of women's apparel and so i knew that she was a lady After this she sat on wine and drank and gave the ape to drink, and he stroked her nigh half a score times without drawing till she swumed away, when he spread over her a silken coverlet, and returned to his place. Then I went down in the midst of the place, and the ape, becoming aware of me, would have torn me in pieces, but I made haste to pull out my knife and slit his paunch, and his bowels fell out. The noise aroused the young lady, who awoke terrified and trembling, and when she saw the ape in this case, she shrieked such a shriek that her soul well-nigh fled her body. Then she fell down in a fainting fit. When she came to herself, she said to me, What moved thee to do thus? Now allow upon thee, send me after him. But I spoke her fare for a while, and pledged myself to stand in the ape's stead, in the matter of much poking till her trouble subsided and i took her to wife but when i came to perform my promise i proved a failure and i fell short in this matter and could not endure such hard labor so i complained of my case and mentioned her exorbitant requirements to a certain old woman who engaged to manage the fair and said to me needs must thou bring me a cooking-pot full of virgin vinegar and a pound of the herb pellatory called woundwort so i brought her what she sought and she laid the pelletory in the pot with the vinegar and set it on fire till it was thoroughly boiled then she bade me futter the girl and i futtered her till she fainted away when the old woman took her up and she unconscious and set her parts to the mouth of the cooking-pot the steam of the pot entered her slit and then

There fell from it somewhat which I examined. And behold, it was two small worms, one black and the other yellow. Quoth the old woman. The black was spread of the strokings of the negro and the yellow of stroking with a baboon. Now when she recovered from her swoon, she abode with me in all delight and solace of life, and sought not swiving as before, for Allah had done away from her this appetite. whereat I marveled. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day, and cease saying her permitted say.

When it was the three hundred and fifty-seventh night, she said, It hath reached me, auspicious king, that the young man continued. In truth Allah had done away from her this appetite, whereat I marveled, and acquainted her with a case. Thereupon I lived with her, and she told her. took the old woman to be to her in the stead of her mother. And, said he who told me the tale, The old woman and the young man and his wife abode in joy and cheer,

till there came to them the destroyer of delights, and the sunderer of societies, and glory be to the ever-living one, who dith not, and in whose hands is dominion of the world, visible and invisible. And another tale they tell is that of, End of Section 37 and end of Arabian Nights, Volume 4. Thank you so much for listening.