Chapter XXXVII: Introduction (4)

“And the prince felt a longing for those fruits and he went to pluck one of them that he might eat it, when he saw that those trees were of gold and their fruits of silver and jewels, and that precious stones were lying at the foot of the trees, scattered like pebbles in a brook. They passed through and came to that dome, it was fashioned of crystal, they entered by a silver door and saw that within that dome was another dome all of pure gold. It too they entered and saw yet another dome, all the walls and the top of which were of ruby, built after the fashion of paradise. They entered it and saw a throne upon which was a coffin made of jewels, and at the head of the coffin was a tablet whereon was written: ‘O son of Adam, who comest hither and seest me, know thou that I was a king, and that all the world was in my hands, and my wealth was beyond bounds or computation. Men and demons and fairies and jinn were my warriors; and I lived in the world for a thousand years, and I never said, “I shall die;” and I made not any preparation against death. One day, of a sudden, I fell sick, and I knew of a surety that I was about to die, and I commanded that this dome was built in three days, and I made it a sepulchre for myself. And by my head are two fountains; drink, and pray for me.’

“And the prince saw those two fountains and drank; and from one of them flowed sugared sherbet and from the other milk. And they drank of both of them and remained a long while by that grave, and they nourished themselves on the milk and drank of the sherbet. At length they found some vases, and they took of the milk and the sherbet and the jewels and the gold, and filled their boat with them, and again set forth on their voyage. After they had gone for a time the wind drove their boat upon an island, and they went forth from the boat to look for fruit on the mountain that they might eat. Of a sudden a body of men came and seized them; and the prince saw these that they had no heads, their mouths were in their breasts and their eyes in their shoulders, and their speech, when they spake together, was as the chirping of birds. And they took the two and brought them to their king; and they remained there prisoners a long time.

“At length one day they found an opportunity and escaped, and again they entered their boat and sailed for a long time upon the sea. Brief, the prince wandered for thirty years upon the seas, sometimes happening among nine-headed men, and sometimes among bird-headed, and sometimes falling among elephant-headed folk, and sometimes among ox-headed, and then escaping; and each of them inflicted different torments on the prince. Still God most high opened a way and he escaped. And he saw these strange and wondrous creatures, and he marvelled. At length, through the grace of God (glorified and exalted be he!), the wind drove the prince’s ship before a city, and he saw that the inhabitants of that country were all men, and he came out. When these saw the prince they cried, ‘He is a spy,’ and seized him and bound his arms behind his back, and tied a rope round his neck, and took him alongside a horse, and said, ‘Our lord has put down: when ships come from the sea and touch at our country, seize their spies and take them to our king.’ And the prince exclaimed, ‘What tribulation is this too! how to go alongside a horse!’ And while he was praying in his heart they reached the city. And they took the prince in this plight to their king.

“When the king saw the prince he asked, ‘What manner of man art thou?’ The prince said, ‘Many marvellous things have befallen me;’ and he related his adventures from their beginning to their end. When the king heard his story he loosed the prince’s bands and took him to his side and clad him in sumptuous robes of honor. The prince asked for the jewels that were in his ship. The king bade bring them and said, ‘O prince, I know thy kingdom, and I heard that the Franks had taken thee; and I know thy father too. Come, go not away, stay; I have a daughter, I will give her thee, and we shall live pleasantly together.’ The prince replied, ‘O king, when I was born of my mother, my father caused my horoscope to be cast, and the astrologers thus ruled, that my life was afflicted for thirty years; mayhap if I took the king’s daughter, some evil might befall the king’s daughter by reason of my affliction; I may not consent.’ Then the king brought the astrologers and made them cast the prince’s horoscope. The astrologers gave good news, saying, ‘Glad tidings be to thee, those thirty afflicted years are passed, now his ruling star has entered the sign of good fortune.’ The prince was exceeding glad and joyful.

“Thereupon the king commanded that they made ready a festival, and he gave his daughter to the prince, and he greatly honored and reverenced him. After some time the king died, and the prince became king in his stead. One day when he was seated on his throne they said, ‘O king, a Frank has come with much merchandise; if the king grant leave, he will bring his merchandise.’ The king replied, ‘There is leave, let him bring it.’ And the Frank brought his merchandise before the king. The king saw his two sons at the Frank’s side, then the blood of love boiled, and the affection of paternity yearned for them; and he asked that Frank, ‘Are these youths thine?’ The Frank answered, ‘They are my slaves.’ The king said, ‘I will buy them.’ And he took the youths to a place apart and said, ‘Where did this Frank get you?’ Then they related their adventures from their beginning to their end; and the king knew of a certainty that they were his own sons, and he pressed them to his heart and kissed each of them on the eyes, and said, ‘I am your father.’ Then the king arose; and they killed the Frank with a thousand torments.

“O king, I have told this story for that the king may know that haps such as this often befall princes. Their happy fortune passes into the sign of inauspiciousness, and they become a prey to a thousand tribulations and distresses, so that even gold turns into black earth in their hands, and all their friends become enemies to them. Afterward the malefic aspect gives place to prosperity and auspiciousness, then everyone is their friend. O king, this youth’s ruling star is likewise afflicted for a few days. Beware, O king, until the days of the malefic aspect be fulfilled, slay not the youth, else afterward thou wilt be repentant, and too late repentance profits not. The rest the king knows.” When the king heard this story from the vezir he asked for the youth’s governor, but he could not be found. So again he sent the youth to the prison and went himself to the chase.

When it was evening the king returned from the chase and came to the palace, and the lady rose to greet him, and they sat down. After the repast the lady again began to speak about the youth. The king said, “To-day also such an one of my vezirs made intercession for him and I sent him to the prison.” And he related to the lady that story which the vezir had told. Then said the lady, “O king, the reason of these vezirs stirring up trouble is that they wish to sow enmity between thee and me. Beware, O king, go not by the words of these, but follow well my words, that thy present state and thy hereafter may be happy. When God most high decrees good between husband and wife he gives mildness and accord. And, moreover, O king, be it good news to thee, a week ago did I conceive by thee; till now I have not told thee, but now I have told thee and do thou believe it true.” And the king believed it. Then she continued, “O king, lo, these vezirs say that this youth’s star has fallen into a malefic aspect. His star became afflicted what time he made for thy life and thy kingdom and for me. God most high aided us and afflicted his star and brought down his head.” And the lady was glad and said, “Thy true son is he that is in my womb; that youth is without doubt base-born. Mayhap the king has not heard the story of him who had no sons.” The king said, “Tell on, let us hear.” Quoth the lady:

THE KING AND THE SHEYKH

“There was in the palace of the world a great king, and he had neither son nor daughter. And there was in his country a sheykh whose prayers were answered. One day the king, while conversing with the sheykh, said, ‘O sheykh, God most high has given me no son; do thou strive in prayer that God most high give me a son.’ The sheykh replied, ‘Send an offering to the convent that the dervishes may eat, and we shall pray for thee; God most high is a gracious king, he will give thee a son.’ Now the king had a golden-ankleted fat ram that was valiant in fight; and he sent that ram to the sheykh’s convent with some loads of rice and honey and oil. That night the dervishes ate and were pleased; and the sheykh sent of that meat in an earthen bowl to the king, saying, ‘Let him desire a son and eat of the dervishes’ portion.’ Then the dervishes danced, after which they prayed and besought of God a son for the king. By the divine decree the king’s wife conceived that night, and in a short time she brought forth a moon-faced boy.

“The king was delighted, and called the people of the country to the feast; and he took the prince and laid him on the sheykh’s skirt, and he bestowed many gifts on the sheykh’s convent. One day, some time after that, when the king was conversing with the sheykh, he said, ‘O sheykh, what if thou were to pray and beseech of God another son for me?’ The sheykh replied, ‘The favors of God are many; to pray is ours, to give is his; send then an offering to the dervishes.’ Now the king had a favorite plump horse, that sent he forthwith to the convent. The devotees cut its throat and roasted it, and again sent an earthen bowl of it to the king. They ate the rest themselves, and prayed and besought of God a son for the king. By the divine decree the lady again conceived, and in a short time she brought forth a moon-faced boy. And the king was delighted and sent many gifts to the dervishes. Some time afterward the king requested the sheykh to beg of God yet another son. The sheykh said, ‘To pray is ours, to give is God’s; send again an offering to the devotees.’ Now the king had a good mule, that sent he to the convent. The devotees sold that mule and took its price and therewith prepared a confection. And they sent a bowl of that too to the king. After the dance they prayed and besought of God a son for the king.

“Again the king’s wife conceived and gave birth to a moon-faced boy. And the king was glad and sent many gifts to the dervishes. When the king’s sons grew up, the eldest turned out very valiant; the second proved swift of foot and accomplished and possessed of understanding and sagacity; but the youngest was ill-omened and ill-natured, and oppressed men, and wounded and wasted the hearts of many poor creatures with the sword of his tongue. And the king was sore grieved because of him. One day while conversing with the sheykh he complained of his youngest son and said, ‘O sheykh, would that we had not besought of God that youngest boy.’ The sheykh replied, ‘O king, why art thou grieved? thou art thyself the cause of that youth being thus.’ The king asked, ‘How am I the cause?’ The sheykh answered, ‘First thou gavest in the cause of God a ram[37] among beasts, and God most high hath given thee a son of courage among men; then thou gavest in the cause of God a courser of the plain of earth among beasts, and God most high hath given thee a courser of the plain of glory and fortune and understanding and accomplishments among men; and after that thou gavest in the cause of God an ill-omened and base-born brute among beasts, and God hath given thee such an one among men. O king, he who sows barley reaps not wheat.’ In the end the king got no rest until he had killed the youth.

“Now, O king, I have told this story for that the king may know that from this ill-omened, base-born one no good will come. They have said that the base-born are of two classes; the one the fruit of adultery, the other the fruit of illicit union. This thy son is without doubt of one of these two sets; lo, thy true-born offspring is about to come into existence.” When the king heard these beguiling words of the lady he said, “On the morrow will I kill the youth, be not sad.”

When it was morning the king came and sat upon his throne and ordered the executioner that he bring the youth, and he said, “Smite off his head.” The fifteenth vezir came forward and said, “O king of the world, it is not seemly to kill the prince in compliance with the woman’s word, for the angels that are in heaven are not safe against woman’s wiles. Hast thou heard the story of the King’s Remorse?” The king said,

“Tell on, let us hear.” Quoth the vezir:

THE KING’S REMORSE

“There was in the palace of the world a famous king and God most high had given him a son. After some time the son became afflicted with a heartburn, and he would ever complain of his heart. The king brought together all the physicians that were to be got, and they treated the boy’s ailment; but it was in vain, the physicians were powerless. As often as the boy said, ‘Father, my heart,’ the king would say, ‘Son, my heart aches more than thy heart;’ and the king was afflicted at his pain. At length the boy died. After the dismay, the king came up by the boy and said, ‘Cut him open that I may see what pain was in his heart.’ When they had cut open the boy the king saw that a bone had grown on the top of his heart. The king ordered that they took out that bone and then buried the boy; and the king caused that bone to be made into the handle of a knife.

“One day they placed a water-melon before the king; the king cut the melon with that knife and ate some of it, and he stuck the knife into the remains of the melon and left it. Then the king caused the chess things to be brought and he began to play; afterward he went to take up the knife when he saw that the part of the handle which had penetrated into the melon was melted and had vanished. As soon as the king saw this he exclaimed, ‘Dost thou see? the cure for my son’s sickness was water-melon; and I knew it not.’ And his heart was grieved thereat, and he began to weep, and said, ‘Son, it has gone from thy heart and come into my heart; would that thou hadst not come to earth!’ And at length that king died of anguish of soul.

“Now, O king, I have told this story for that thou mayst beware and slay not thy child on the woman’s word, lest thou too die of anguish of soul.” And he kissed the ground and made intercession for the prince. When the king heard this story from the vezir he sent the youth to the prison and went himself to the chase.

When it was evening the king returned from the chase and came to the palace, and the lady rose to greet him, and they passed on and sat down. After the repast the lady began to speak about the youth. The king said, “This day also such an one of my vezirs made intercession for him and I sent him to the prison.” The lady said, “O king, this youth is a dragon, until he be killed thou shalt not be safe from his malice; it is even as it was with a certain king who until he had killed his son could not escape from his pain; mayhap the king has not heard that story.” Then the king said, “Tell on, let us hear.” Quoth the lady:

LUQMĀN’S DEVICE

“They have related that a great king was wroth with Luqmān,[38] and commanded that they lowered him into a pit and closed up the mouth of the pit with a great stone. By Luqmān the sage was a pill, of the bigness of a walnut, which he had made by his science. He ever smelled it, and his hunger was satisfied and his thirst was quenched; and for a long time he remained in that pit. The king who imprisoned him died, and his son became king in his stead. And sickness seized upon this king; and the physicians treated him, but he grew no better, and his trouble increased upon him. They were helpless and said, ‘O king, had Luqmān been alive he could have cured thy pain.’ Then said the king, ‘What manner of man was Luqmān?’ They replied, ‘Thy father was wroth with him and put him into the pit; by now his bones are rotten. But Luqmān was a man such that God most high hath mentioned him in the noble Koran; such a sage has never come to earth.’ The king said, ‘If it be so, open the pit, belike he has in some way saved himself.’

“They went and opened that pit and went down and saw him sitting there, and they came and told the king. The king said, ‘Quick, go bring him.’ They went to pull him out of the pit, when Luqmān said, ‘If the king wish me, wrap me in cotton and draw me out; and bring to me a leech every night.’ They did so, and after forty days he arose and came before the king, and he saw the king lying without strength. After praising and lauding him, he asked of the king’s trouble and felt his pulse, and said, ‘O king, thou hast a hard sickness.’ Then he asked, ‘Has the king a son?’ They replied, ‘He has.’ Luqmān said, ‘O king, until the throat of thy son be cut and his blood rubbed on thy body, this thy pain will not leave thee.’ The king answered, ‘O Luqmān, thou art thyself a great man; I will consent to my own death, but I will not consent to my son’s.’ Quoth Luqmān, ‘O king, I have told thee the cure; the rest thou knowest.’ And he arose and went away.

“After some days the king’s trouble increased, and he called Luqmān to his side and said, ‘O Luqmān, is there no other remedy?’ Luqmān answered, ‘O king, there is no cure save the cutting of thy son’s throat.’ The king’s soul came up to his throat through that trouble. Quoth Luqmān, ‘O king, when thou art well, sons will not be lacking thee.’ Then said the king, ‘Now get the boy and cut his throat in a distant place that mine eyes see it not.’ Luqmān said, ‘There is no good if it be done in another place, it is needful that it be done before thine eyes.’ Then they gave the boy into Luqmān’s hands. And Luqmān bound the boy’s hands and feet, and cunningly tied a bladder filled with blood round the boy’s throat, and laid him down before the king. Then he took a diamond knife in his hand and said, ‘O king, now look, see how I cut the prince’s throat.’

“When the king’s two eyes were fixed on the boy, he struck against the boy’s throat with the knife and the blood gushed out. When the king saw the blood on the boy’s throat he sighed; and when Luqmān saw him he thanked God. And straightway he raised the boy from the ground and kissed his two eyes; and Luqmān said, ‘O king, I could find no other way to turn off thy sickness than this trick.’ Then the king greatly applauded Luqmān and bestowed upon him much wealth.

“Now, O king, I have told this story for that until the king have killed his son, he too will have no security from trouble.” When the king heard this story from the lady he was wroth and said, “To-morrow will I kill him.”

When it was morning the king went and sat upon his throne and he caused the youth to be brought and ordered the executioner, “Smite off his head.” The sixteenth vezir came forward and said, “O king of the world, it is not beseeming thy glory that thou castest to the waters the words of the vezirs; for men are either good or bad concerning the king, whatsoever they say, the king is informed thereof, and the king is given word of evil or hurt about to be, and all that goes on without is known to the king, that he may make preparation accordingly. It is even as in the tradition, ‘Speak to men according to their understanding.’ Mayhap my king has not heard the story of the dervish and the king.” The king said, “Tell on, let us hear.” Quoth the vezir:

THE KING AND THE DERVISH

“There was in a palace of the world a king and his name was Aydin (light). One day a dervish came before him and spake pleasantly with fair discretion; and whatsoever they asked, he answered the whole of it, and his every word seemed good to the king. The king said, ‘O dervish, go not away, let us spend this evening together.’ The dervish blessed him and said, ‘On head and eye.’ Now it was then very cold. So the king took the dervish, and they went to the palace and sat down. The king ordered that they laid wood upon the fireplace and set light to it, whereupon the dervish repeated these verses--

‘Take in winter fire from garden-land;
Take the goblet from the drunken band;
Should there no loveling for cup-bearer be,
Take from orange-breasted damsel’s hand.’

“As these verses seemed right good to the king, he wrote them in his album; and he said to the dervish, ‘Tell some merry story.’ Quoth the dervish, ‘O king, once there was a king, and by him there was a devotee. One day they said to the king, “Yon devotee is a Rāfizī.”[39] The king, to try him, one day asked that devotee, “O devotee, lovest thou Saint Abu Bekr the True?” The devotee replied, “Nay.” He said, “Lovest thou Saint ‘Omar?” He answered, “Nay.” “Then lovest thou Saint ‘Othmān?” He answered, “Nay, nay.” “Then lovest thou Saint ‘Alī the Approved?” He answered, “Nay.” Thereupon the king’s difficulties from being one became two, and he thought and said in himself, “If this devotee were a Rāfizī, he would love Saint ‘Alī, though he loved not the other Noble Companions our Lords; if he were a Sunnī, he would love all of the Four Chosen Friends our Lords.” And he turned and said to the devotee, “Thou lovest none of the Glorious Companions, whom then lovest thou?”

“‘The devotee replied, “There is at the gate of the bazaar a loveling of the age; lo, that is whom I love.” The king was pleased with this jest of the devotee and gave him many gifts.’ And that dervish told stories such as this to the king, and he amused the king with many jests. That night they ate and drank, and when their converse was finished, drowsiness came upon the king, and he would have lain down, but the devotee was at ease and would not rise and go. The slaves thought to say to the devotee, ‘Arise and go,’ but they feared the king and were silent. The king too wished that the devotee might perceive by his discretion that he should arise; but where was that discretion? The king looked, but it was not.

“Then he called to his servants, ‘Strike the fagot that the glow (ishiq) may go out.’ The servants understood not and remained still. Thereupon the devotee said, ‘Why wait ye? Strike the log that the light (aydin) may spring up.’ Now the king’s name was Aydin (light) and the devotee’s name was Ishiq (glow).[40] The king said, ‘I sent thee off with a fagot, that is struck thee with a fagot, but thou didst strike me with a log.’ The devotee said, ‘My king, thou didst not strike me with a fagot, neither did I strike my king with a log; so do thou rest on the one side of the hearth and I shall rest on the other.’ And the king was pleased with these words of the devotee; and they lay down and rested.

“Now, O king, I have told this story for that thou mayst know that a certain freedom is usual with the accomplished. Now there are no learned men equal to these forty vezirs of my king, each one of whom utters these many good sayings and fair words; and indeed the good or bad of these has many a time been tried. And what is incumbent upon my king is this, that he listen not to the words of these inattentively nor cast them to the winds.” The king said, “This demand leaves me in bewilderment. Our Lord the Apostle of God hath said concerning women, that they are enemies to you, but that one of them is needful to each of you. And God most high hath said in his glorious Word, ‘Your wealth and your children are but a trial.’[41] Now I ask these affairs of this youth and he answers not at all; and so long as he will not speak, will my difficulty remain unsolved. Thus it seems to me that this youth has done this wantonness, and therefore cannot speak.”

When the vezir saw this much consideration on the part of the king he said, “My king, in everything the mysterious workings of God most high are many; let not my king regard the not speaking of the youth. One day will he speak indeed; yea, there is also in that noble verse concerning children, ‘And God: with him is great reward.’” And he kissed the ground and made intercession for the prince. And the king sent the youth to the prison and went himself to the chase. That day, when they were hunting, a deer rose, and the hounds pursued it, and all the attendants pushed their horses after that deer, and the king too pushed on. Each one went in a different direction, and the king was left alone. When it was evening there was with him no attendant nor anyone; the king looked and there was none, and he said, “There is in this some divine working.” And straightway he disguised himself and pushed on and came to a village and was guest in a shepherd’s house.

On the morrow he rose betimes, and while he was watching the sheep and lambs, he looked and saw a lamb that had lost its mother. Seeking about, it went up to a sheep, and that sheep butted at the lamb, and the lamb fell. It rose again and went to another sheep; and that sheep likewise butted at the lamb. The king asked this from the shepherd, “Why do these sheep butt at that lamb?” The shepherd said, “To-day this lamb’s mother died; these, being not its mother, receive it not.” Then the king sighed in his soul and said in his heart, “May God most high leave not a servant of his an orphan.”

Let us to our story: The attendants returned to the city, and each one turned his horse’s head straight to the palace. They arrived at the castle, and one of them called out and learned the circumstance (of the king’s absence) from the watchmen; so they went to look for news of the king. On the other hand the watchmen informed the grand vezir of the matter; and straightway the grand vezir commanded that all of those watchmen were secured in prison,[42] and he himself walked about the city till morning. He sent a vezir to the king’s attendants, saying, “Go tell the attendants that they publish not this affair, and do thou go with the whole of them to seek the king.” On her part, the lady looked and the time passed and the king came not, and she caused the grand vezir to be questioned; the vezir sent word to her, “This night there is a great council; our king will not go in.”

The vezir questioned the king’s attendants; and while they were going to the place where they had left the king, the king himself set out from the village where he was and came to the place where the attendants had dispersed. The attendants saw the king, and brought word to the vezir; so the vezir pushed on his horse and came up to the king. The king said in his heart, “These will have enthroned the prince and sent this vezir to me; now is he coming to give me the sherbet; O how the lady’s words were true!” The vezir saw from the king’s countenance that he was thinking thus, and he came up quickly to him, and kissed the ground before the king, and said, “My king, what plight is this plight? Is it beseeming to remain without at such a time? Above all, as the prince has been these many days imprisoned, everyone says that the king’s senses have well nigh left him.”

Thereupon the king said, “Have ye taken the prince from prison?” The vezir replied, “Nay, my king; the grand vezir secured in prison the watchmen who had learned of my king’s remaining out in the evening from the attendants who came to the gate; and he sent me and the attendants to seek my king.” The king’s mind was somewhat comforted, but his heart would not believe. Then the vezir perceived that the king’s heart was not at ease and he said to the king, “My king, thy grand vezir sent me hither in the evening; to learn the events of to-day are my eyes now on the road.” And he kissed the ground and was silent. The king said, “If we went on now it were too quick; but let an attendant go and inform the vezir of the affair.” They sent on an attendant; and that day, when it was evening, the king came to the palace and found everything in its proper place, and his heart was again at rest concerning his vezir.

After the repast he entered the harem. The lady had rubbed a dye upon her eyes and made them red, and she rose to greet the king as if weeping; and the king passed on and sat in his place. When coffee and sherbets had been drunk she asked of the haps of the night, and the king related the events to her. She said, “O king, the thing thou hast done might be in two ways; the one, of purpose, to distinguish between friend and foe; the other, by chance. In this instance thou hast passed the evening outside by chance, and thy heart is at ease for that thy vezirs have done no unseemly deed. But, my king, beware, trust not these vezirs; for they would make the youth king. Praise be to God! thou art well, but they still watch their opportunity; and this youth has no dread of thee, thou hast brought him up full insolent; that is not good. And they have said that if a person treat thee as a brother, do thou treat him as a master and deem him great. Kings are like fire; if thou be a lion, thou must be on thy guard against the fire, even as lions are on their guard against fire.

“There is a fable suitable to this: The lynxes go along with the lion, but they go not close to him. One day they asked one of them, ‘Thou goest along with the lion; why goest thou not near to him?’ He replied, ‘Firstly, the lion hunts beasts and I eat his leavings; secondly, when an enemy comes against me I go to him and take refuge; as these two things are good for me I go along with him. And the reason of my going not near is this, that his glory is that of a render, one day it might be that he should rend me like the leopard; therefore go I not near him.’ Wise is he who acts before kings like the lynx; for nearness to the sultan is a burning fire. Even as the lynx is content with and eats the lion’s leavings, must the wise man be content with the king’s leavings; else, if he stretch forth his hand to the morsel that is in the king’s mouth--the plight of him who stretches forth his hand is notorious. If an enemy appear, it is needful to take refuge with the king; so one must ever be between dread and entreaty, and must measure his words. A word is like an arrow that has left the bow, when once it leaves the mouth it returns not again. Mayhap my king has not heard the story of Sultan Mahmūd[43] and Hasan of Maymand.”[44] The king said, “Tell on, let us hear.” Quoth the lady:

MAHMŪD AND HASAN

“A word was the cause of Sultan Mahmūd dismissing his vezir Hasan of Maymand, and confiscating all his property and banishing him. So what could Hasan of Maymand do but yield consent to misfortune and bear calamity with patience? One day, during his exile, while he was passing along a street, a group of children were playing, one was prince and one was vezir. The prince got angry and wished to banish the vezir and confiscate his property. The child who was vezir said, ‘Art thou just or art thou a tyrant?’ The prince answered, ‘I am just,’ Then said the vezir, ‘Thou art just; well, when I came to thee I was young, and I have spent my life in thy service and gained my property; now thou confiscatest my property and takest away my office, I now ask back from thee my life that I have spent in thy service; if thou be just, it is right that thou give me my life.’ The prince was silent and made that child vezir again.

“Hasan of Maymand liked the child’s words, and straightway he went and composed a petition and sent it to Sultan Mahmūd. When the petition arrived they took it and gave it to the king. The king read it, and when he perceived its import, he straightway ordained that he was pardoned and reinstated in his office. So he was dismissed by one word and reinstated by one word.

“O king, I deemed this story suitable in that a master of speech comes not readily to hand; and a master of speech is one who knows the speech that ought to be spoken. For speech is of two kinds; one kind is truth, another kind is folly. A wise man distinguishes between the speech of a sage and the speech of a fool. A sage speaks with understanding, but a fool speaks with trickery. The man who distinguishes not between these is like a beast, for a beast knows only when it is hungry and when it is full. Now this thy degenerate son has made for thy life and thy throne; this is beseeming, that thou give him neither grace nor time. Thou must kill him to-morrow, else he will slay thee.” When the king heard this story from the lady he said, “To-morrow will I finish his affair.”

When it was morning and the sun shed light (aydin) and, like the words of the king and the dervish, the glow (ishiq) appeared, and the world was illuminated with radiance, the happy-fortuned king passed and sat upon his throne, and he caused the executioner to bring the youth and commanded, “Smite off his head.” The eighteenth vezir came forward and said, “O king of the world, two things are indeed incumbent upon kings; the first is to have pity on the folk, and the second is to have mercy in the time of wrath. Long will be the life of the king who is thus, and God most high will protect him from all calamities. It is even as said our lord the Holy Apostle of God, ‘Be merciful to those upon the earth that the dwellers in heaven may have mercy upon you.’ And the friends of a king who is generous are many, and he triumphs over his enemies, and is of the host of the prophets and the saints. And there is a story of Sultan Mahmūd suitable to this; if the king grant leave, I will relate it.” The king said, “Relate, let us hear.” Quoth the vezir:

STORY OF SULTAN MAHMŪD

“One day while Sultan Mahmūd, the son of Sebuktekīn, was hunting, he got separated from his soldiers, and he saw someone going along in a trackless place. He pushed on and came up to that man and saluted him and said, ‘O man, whence art thou and what is thy origin?’ The man replied, ‘From the kingdom; and my origin my mother knows.’ Then the sultan saw that he was wrapped up in black clothes and mounted on a black ass; and the king asked, ‘Whither goest thou now?’ That man replied, ‘I go to Sultan Mahmūd,’ The king said, ‘What is thy desire of the sultan?’ The man answered, ‘I want 10,000 aspres of him; I have a debt, perchance he may give it me and I shall be freed from my debt.’ The sultan said, ‘If he give it not, how wilt thou act?’ The man replied, ‘If he will not give 10,000, let him give 1,000.’ Again the sultan said, ‘If he will not give even 1,000, what wilt thou do?’ The man replied, ‘If he will not give a thousand aspres, let him give a hundred aspres.’ The sultan said, ‘If he will not give even that, what wilt thou do?’ Then the fellow replied, ‘If he will not give even a hundred aspres, I shall say, _Bu qara eshegimin durt ayaghi ‘avretinin ferjine!_[45] and shall turn and go.’ The king wondered at this man’s self and words.

“After a little he met his soldiers and went to his palace and sat upon his throne and thus commanded the grand chamberlain, ‘A man clad in black and mounted on a black ass will come, give him leave to enter.’ The next day, early in the morning, that man came, and the grand chamberlain took him and brought him into the king’s presence. When he saw the king he knew that it was he whom he had seen yesterday, and straightway he prayed for the king and asked 10,000 aspres. The king said, ‘May God give it thee.’ The man said, ‘Give 1,000 aspres.’ Again the king answered, ‘May God give it thee.’ The man said, ‘Let it be a hundred aspres.’ Again the king answered, ‘May God give it thee.’ Then the man said, ‘Be thou well; the black ass is tied at the door.’ Thereupon a courtier[46] said, ‘The king has bestowed nothing on thee; let the black ass be.’ The man said, ‘If he has not, then it means, _eshegimin durt ayaghi ‘avretinin ferjine!_ And I shall be off.’ But his boldness pleased the king who said, ‘This poor man’s desire is but to be delivered from distress and find rest, as he got no boon from us he mounts his ass and goes.’ And this remained as a proverb, ‘The black ass is tied at the door.’ However, he bestowed on him somewhat.

“And this story resembles it: A certain khoja was going from Hindustan to Bagdad, and while on the road he thus thought, ‘When I enter the city of Bagdad what goods should I buy?’ Anyhow he entered Bagdad, and there was there a naked abdal[47] who had plucked out his beard and put it in a piece of paper. He came up to the khoja and said, ‘I have heard, O khoja, that thou hast come to buy goods; I have something, buy it.’ And he gave the paper into the khoja’s hand. The khoja took it and opened it and saw in it the hairs of the beard, and he said, ‘What shall I do with this?’ The abdal said, ‘Take it, and give the money.’ The khoja answered, ‘I shall not give money for this.’ The abdal said, ‘Why wilt thou not give money? that is indeed a beard; is it not worth a hundred aspres?’ The khoja replied, ‘It is not.’ The abdal said, ‘Let it be ten aspres; is it not worth that?’ The khoja answered, ‘It is not.’ The abdal said, ‘Let it be five aspres; is it not worth that?’ The khoja said, ‘It is not.’ Then said the abdal, ‘A beard is not worth five aspres; why then dost thou carry one? shave it off and let it go.’ The khoja was pleased with this jest of the abdal and gave him a hundred aspres.

“Now, O king, I have told these stories for that the king may know that it is needful for kings to raise the fallen and bestow favors on the poor.” And he kissed the ground and made intercession for the prince. When the king heard these stories from the vezir he sent the prince to the prison and went himself to the chase.

When it was evening the king returned from the chase and came to the palace, and the lady rose to greet him, and they sat down. After the repast the lady asked for news about the youth. The king said, “To-day likewise such an one of my vezirs made intercession for him and I sent him to the prison.” The lady said, “O king, think not thou this youth would maintain thy place after thee and observe the ordinances of kings. To exercise sovereignty is a hard work. I know that he is no true man; he watches his opportunity, and one day he will slay thee and shed blood, and then they will kill him too. Moreover, family and descent are needful for one; he who is not of family cannot exercise sovereignty. And one’s nature must be good. There are men of family and descent who are yet themselves of evil nature; for there is not honey in every bee nor a pearl in every oyster. Then this youth’s nature is evil; he has not the qualities of a king; his work would ever be wickedness and he would do wrong to those who do good. It is like the story of a certain merchant’s son; mayhap my king has not heard it.” The king said, “Tell on, let us hear.” Quoth the lady:

STORY OF THE MERCHANT’S SON

“There was of old time a cobbler in the city of Orfa. One day he saw a dervish passing, the seams of whose shoes had given way. The cobbler said, ‘Dervish, come, sit down till I sew up the seams of thy shoes and patch the holes.’ The dervish answered, ‘If thou hast a remedy, apply it to the hole in my heart.’ The cobbler gave him his right hand and he came and sat down; and the cobbler gave him food to eat and sewed up the holes in his shoes and said, ‘O dervish, I too wish to journey; what counsel dost thou give me?’ The dervish answered, ‘I have three counsels; see thou keep them: my first is this, set not out on the journey till thou hast found a good fellow-traveller; for the Apostle of God hath said, “The companion, then the road.” My second is this, light not in a waterless place. My third is this, enter great cities when the sun is rising.’ Then he went his way. After some days the cobbler found some suitable fellow-travellers and set out. While they were on the road, one day in the afternoon a city appeared before them. The cobbler youth asked, ‘What city is this city?’ The companions answered, ‘It is the city of Aleppo.’ The youth said, ‘To-day it is near evening; I shall not enter the city to-day.’

“Howsoever the companions urged him, it was no use; so at length they left him and went on. The youth went and lighted on the bank of a stream and remained there that night. Now there were tombs near the youth; and when it was midnight he saw two men coming from the city carrying something which they laid in the graveyard, and then they went away. Then the youth went up to that grave, and, striking a light with a flint and steel, lit a candle; he saw that they had laid there a new coffin, and that from the four sides of that coffin streams of blood were running. The cobbler youth opened the lid of the coffin and looked to see what he might see; there was a body bathed in blood, the garments were of massive gold embroidery and on the finger was a ring in which a stone glittered. The youth coveted the ring and took hold of it that he might pull it off, whereupon the body raised its head and said, ‘O youth, fearest thou not God that thou wouldst take my ring?’ Then the youth saw that it was a girl like the moon of fourteen nights, a torment of the age, like a lovely rose; and he said, ‘What is this plight?’ The girl said, ‘Now is not the time for questions; if thou be able, relieve me; and afterward I will help thine affairs.’

“Straightway the youth pulled off his outer robe and tore it in pieces and bound up the girl’s wounds and laid her in a place. When it was morning he took her on his back and brought her into the city and placed her in a cell in a certain place; and to all who asked of her he said, ‘She is my sister; passion came upon me and I brought this plight upon this poor creature, and she innocent.’ The youth tended the girl’s wounds and in the course of a month or two she became well. One day she went to the bath, and when she returned she asked the youth for inkhorn, reed, and paper. The youth brought them and placed them before her. The girl wrote a letter and gave it into the youth’s hands; and therein was written thus: ‘Thou who art Khoja Dibāb, the superintendent of the bazaar, give the bearer of this letter a hundred sequins and send him to me; and disclose nothing to my father of my health or my death; if thou do, thou shalt reflect well upon the issue.’ She sealed it and said, ‘Go, give this letter to a khoja who sits in such and such a place in the bazaar, and take whatever he gives thee and bring it.’

“The youth took that letter and went to the bazaar and asked, and they showed him to him, and he gave the letter into his hand. When the khoja opened the letter and read it, he kissed it and raised it to his head, and straightway drew forth a purse of gold and gave it to the youth. The youth brought it and laid it before the girl. The girl said, ‘Go, take a house, and buy with what is over clothes for thee and me.’ The youth went and took a house and bought sumptuous clothes and brought them to the girl. And they arose and went to that house which they had taken. Again she wrote a letter which she gave to the youth who took it to the khoja, who this time gave him two purses which he took to the girl. She said to him, ‘Go, my youth, and buy some provisions and furniture for the house.’ And the youth went and bought them. Then the girl got another purse of sequins, and she said to the youth, ‘Go, buy thyself horses and arms and male slaves and female slaves.’ And the youth went and bought them, and he brought them and gave them to the girl, and he said, ‘Now tell me what are these matters.’ The girl answered, ‘Now is not the time, by and bye.’

“Gradually the girl built palaces there and increased the number of her male slaves and female slaves, and whenever she gave the youth a letter he went and got two or three purses of gold from that khoja. One day the girl gave the youth a purse of gold and said, ‘In the bazaar is a youth they call Ghazanfer Agha; now go and find him, and ask of him some precious stuff, and he will show it thee, and whatever price he ask for it, give him the double thereof, and take and bring it.’ So the youth went and found him, and sat a while and talked with him; and whatever the price of it was he gave the double, and took it; and Ghazanfer Agha marvelled at this. The youth returned and gave it to the girl, and again he asked of these matters, but the girl said that this too was not the time. And she took out a purse of jewels and gave it to the youth and said, ‘Take these jewels and go to Ghazanfer Agha and ask him to put a value on them, and take them out and lay them before him, and see what he will say to thee; and when putting the jewels back into the purse present him with three of them.’ So she sent him off. The youth said, ‘I shall go; but when I come back tell me the things that have befallen thee.’ He went and did as the girl had said.

“When Ghazanfer Agha saw these gifts he said to the youth, ‘O youth, thou hast made us ashamed; pray be troubled to come once to our house and honor us that we may show our affection.’ The youth replied, ‘What though it be so; to-morrow I shall go.’ And he bade him farewell and he came and told the girl, and the girl said, ‘Go to-morrow; but when thou enterest his house look not to this side nor that side, but look straight before thee.’ And thus did she warn him. When it was morning the youth arose; and Ghazanfer Agha looked and saw the youth coming and he said, ‘Welcome!’ and took him and led him to his house. And the youth looked at nothing, but passed on and sat down; and Ghazanfer Agha treated and entertained that youth with all manner of delicious foods, and then sent him away. And the youth came and told the girl, and she said, ‘Go again to-morrow and talk with him, and when thou risest, do thou too invite him; and be not jealous.’