When it was the Sixty-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Chosroës wrote his son, ‘Be not thou too open handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need thee; nor be thou niggardly with them, or they will murmur against thee. Give thy giving deliberately and confer thy favours advisedly; open thy hand to them in time of success and stint them not in time of distress.’ There is a legend that a desert Arab came once to the Caliph Al-Mansúr²⁶² and said, ‘Starve thy dog and he shall follow thee.’ When the Caliph heard his words, he was enraged with the Arab, but Abu ‘l-Abbás of Tús said to him, ‘I fear that if some other than thou should show him a scone, the dog would follow him and leave thee alone.’ Thereupon the Caliph Al–Mansur’s wrath subsided and he knew that the wild Arab had intended no offence and ordered him a present. And know, O King, that Abd al-Malik bin Marwán wrote to his brother Abd al-Azíz, when he despatched him to Egypt, as follows, ‘Pay heed to thy Secretaries and thy Chamberlains, for the Secretaries will acquaint thee with estate fished matters and the Chamberlains with matters of official ceremony, whilst thine expenditure will make thy troops known to thee.’ Omar bin Al–Khattáb²⁶³ (whom Allah accept!) when engaging a servant was in the habit of conditioning him with four conditions; the first that he should not ride the baggage beasts, the second that he should not wear fine clothes, the third that he should not eat of the spoil and the fourth that he should not put off praying till after the proper period. It is said that there is no wealth more profitable than understanding, and there is no understanding like common sense and prudence, and there is no prudence like piety; that there is no means of drawing near to God like good morals, no measure like good breeding, no traffic like good works and no profit like earning the Divine favour; that there is no temperance like standing within the limits of the law, no science like that of meditation, no worship like obeying the Divine commends, no faith like modesty, no calculation like self abasement and no honour like knowledge. So guard the head and what it containeth and the belly and what it compriseth; and think of death and doom ere it ariseth. Saith Ali (whose face Allah honour!), ‘Beware of the wickedness of women and be on thy guard against them: consult them not in aught;²⁶⁴ but grudge not complaisance to them, lest they greed for intrigue.’ And eke quoth he, ‘Whoso leaveth the path of moderation his wits become perplexed’; and there be rules for this which we will mention, if it be Allah’s will. And Omar (whom Allah accept!) saith, ‘There are three kinds of women, firstly the true believing, Heaven fearing, love full and fruit full, who helpeth her mate against fate, not helping fate against her mate; secondly, she who loveth her children but no more and, lastly, she who is a shackle Allah setteth on the neck of whom He will.’ Men be also three: the wise when he exerciseth his own judgement; the wiser who, when befalleth somewhat whereof he knoweth not the issue, seeketh folk of good counsel and acteth by their advice; and the unwise irresolute ignoring the right way nor heeding those who would guide him straight. Justice is indispensable in all things; even slave girls have need of justice; and men quote as an instance highway robbers who live by violenting mankind, for did they not deal equitably among themselves and observe justice in dividing their booty, their order would fall to pieces.²⁶⁵ In short, for the rest, the Prince of noble qualities is Beneficence cum Benevolence; and how excellent is the saying of the poet,

By open hand and ruth the youth rose to his tribe’s command;
Go and do likewise for the same were easy task to thee.’

And quoth another,

‘In ruth and mildness surety lies and mercy wins respect,
And Truth is best asylum for the man of soothfast soul:
Whoso for wealth of gold would win and wear the world’s good
word,
On glory’s course must ever be the first to gain the
goal.’”

And Nazhat al-Zaman discoursed upon the policy of Kings till the bystanders said, “Never have we seen one reason of rule and government like this damsel! Haply she will let us hear some discourse upon subject other than this.” When she heard their words and understood them she said, “As for the chapter of good breeding, it is wide of comprehension, being a compend of things perfect. Now it so happened that one day there came to the Caliph Mu’áwiyah²⁶⁶ one of his companions, who mentioned the people of Irak and the goodness of their wit; and the Caliph’s wife Maysún, mother of Yezíd, heard his words. So, when he was gone, she said to the Caliph, ‘O Prince of the Faithful, I would thou let some of the people of Irak come in and talk to thee, that I may hear their discourse.’ Therewith Mu’awiyah said to his attendants, ‘See who is at the door?’ And they answered, ‘The Banu Tamim.’ ‘Let them come in,’ said he. So they came in and with them Al–Ahnáf son of Kays.²⁶⁷ Then quoth Mu’awiyah, ‘Enter, O Abu Bahr,’ and drew a curtain between himself and Maysun, that she might hear what they said without being seen herself; then he said to Al–Ahnaf, ‘O Son of the Sea, draw near and tell me what counsel thou hast for me.’ Quoth Al–Ahnaf, ‘Part thy hair and trim thy moustachio and pare thy nails and pluck thine armpits and shave thy pubes²⁶⁸ and ever use the toothstick because therein be two and seventy virtues, and make the Ghusl or complete ablution on Friday, as an expiation for all between the Fridays.’—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

²⁶² Second Abbaside, A.H. 136–158 (=754–775).

²⁶³ The celebrated companion of Mohammed who succeeded Abu Bakr in the Caliphate (A.H. 13–23=634–644). The Sunnis know him as Al–Adil the Just, and the Shiahs detest him for his usurpation, his austerity and harshness. It is said that he laughed once and wept once. The laugh was caused by recollecting how he ate his dough-gods (the idols of the Hanifah tribe) in The Ignorance. The tears were drawn by remembering how he buried alive his baby daughter who, while the grave was being dug, patted away the dust from his hair and beard. Omar was doubtless a great man, but he is one of the most ungenial figures in Moslem history which does not abound in genialities. To me he suggests a Puritan, a Covenanter of the sourest and narrowest type; and I cannot wonder that the Persians abhor him, and abuse him on all occasions.

²⁶⁴ The austere Caliph Omar whose scourge was more feared than the sword was the — author of the celebrated saying “Consult them (feminines) and do clear contrary-wise.”

²⁶⁵ Our “honour amongst thieves.”

²⁶⁶ The sixth successor of Mohammed and founder of the Banu Umayyah or Ommiades, called the “sons of the little mother” from their eponymus (A.H. 41–60=661–680). For his Badawi wife Maysun, and her abuse of her husband, see Pilgrimage iii. 262.

²⁶⁷ Shaykh of the noble tribe, or rather nation, Banu Tamím and a notable of the day, surnamed, no one knows why, “Sire of the Sea.”

²⁶⁸ This is essential for cleanliness in hot lands: however much the bath may be used, the body-pile and lower hair, if submitted to a microscope, will show more or less sordes adherent. The axilla-hair is plucked because if shaved the growing pile causes itching and the depilatories are held deleterious. At first vellication is painful but the skin becomes used to it. The pecten is shaved either without or after using depilatories, of which more presently. The body-pile is removed by “Takhfíf”; the Libán Shámi (Syrian incense), a fir— gum imported from Scio, is melted and allowed to cool in the form of a pledget. This is passed over the face and all the down adhering to it is pulled up by the roots (Burckhardt No. 420). Not a few Anglo–Indians have adopted these precautions

When it was the Sixty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ahnaf bin Kays replied to Al–Mu’awiyah’s²⁶⁹ question, ‘And ever use the toothstick, because therein be two end seventy virtues and make the complete Friday ablution as an expiation for all between the two Fridays.’ Quoth Mu’awiyah, ‘What is thy counsel to thyself?’ ‘To set my feet firmly on the ground, to move them deliberately and watch over them with mine eyes!’ ‘How dost thou order thyself when thou goest in to one not of the nobles of thy tribe?’ ‘I lower mine eyes modestly and I salute first; I avoid what concerneth me not and I spare my words!’ ‘And how when thou goest in to thine equals?’ ‘I give ear to them when they speak and I do not assail them when they err!’ ‘When thou goest in to thy chiefs?’ ‘I salute without making any sign and await the reply: if they bid me draw near, I draw near, and if they draw off from me I withdraw!’ ‘How dost thou with thy wife?’ Quoth Ahnaf, ‘Excuse me from answering this, O Commander of the Faithful!’; but Mu’awiyah cried, ‘I conjure thee inform me.’ He said, ‘I entreat her kindly and show her familiarity and am large in expenditure, for woman was created of a crooked rib.’²⁷⁰ ‘And how dost thou when thou hast a mind to lie with her?’ ‘I bid her perfume herself and kiss her till she is moved to desire; then, should it be as thou knowest,²⁷¹ I throw her on her back. If the seed abide in her womb I say, ‘O Allah make it blessed and let it not be a wastrel, but fashion it into the best of fashions!’²⁷² Then I rise from her to ablution and first I pour water over my hands and then over my body and lastly, I praise Allah for the joy He hath given me.’ Said Mu’awiyah, ‘Thou hast answered right well and now tell me what be thy requirements?’ Said Ahnaf, ‘I would have thee rule thy subjects in the fear of Allah and do even handed justice between them.’ Thereupon Ahnaf rose to his feet and left the Caliph’s presence, and when he had gone Maysun said, ‘Were there but this man in Irak, he would suffice to it.’ Then continued Nuzhat al-Zaman, “And all this is a section of the chapter of good breeding, and know O King, that Muaykib was intendant of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin al-Khattáb,”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

²⁶⁹ This Caliph was a tall, fair, handsome man of awe-inspiring aspect. Omar used to look at him and say, “This is the Cæsar of the Arabs,” while his wife called him a “fatted ass.”

²⁷⁰ The saying is attributed to Abraham when “exercised” by the unkindly temper of Sarah; “woman is made hard and crooked like a rib;” and the modern addition is, “whoso would straighten her, breaketh her.”

²⁷¹ i.e. “When ready and in erection.”

²⁷² “And do first (before going in to your wives) some act which may be profitable unto your souls” or, for you: soul’s good. (Koran, chaps. ii. 223.) Hence Ahnaf makes this prayer.

When it was the Sixty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman continued, “Know, O King, that Mu’aykib was intendant of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin al-Khattab; and it so befel him that he saw Omar’s son and gave him a dirham out of the treasury. Thereupon, quoth Mu’aykib, ‘I returned to my own house, and while I was sitting there behold, a messenger came to me from Omar and I was afraid and went to him, and when I came into his presence, in his hand was the dirham I had given his son. He said to me, ‘Woe to thee Mu’aykib! I have found somewhat concerning thy soul.’ I asked ‘And what is that?’; and he answered, ‘It is that thou hast shown thyself a foe to the followers of Mohammed (on whom be peace and salvation!) in the matter of this dirham, and thou wilt have to account for it on Resurrection Day.’²⁷³ And Omar also wrote a letter to Abú Músá al-Ashári²⁷⁴ as follows, ‘When these presents reach thee, give the people what is theirs and remit to me the rest.’ And he did so. Now when Othman succeeded to the Caliphate, he wrote a like letter to Abu Musa, who did his bidding and sent him the tribute accordingly, and with it came Ziyád.²⁷⁵ And when Ziyad laid the tribute before Othman, the Caliph’s son came in and took a dirham, whereupon Ziyad shed tears. Othman asked ‘Why weepest thou?’; and Ziyad answered, ‘I once brought Omar bin al-Khattab the like of this and his son took a dirham, where upon Omar bade snatch it from his hand. Now thy son hath taken of the tribute, yet I have seen none say aught to him or snatch the money from him.’ Then Othman²⁷⁶ cried, ‘And where wilt thou find the like of Omar?’ Again Zayd bin Aslam relates of his father that he said, ‘I went out one night with Omar till we approached a blazing fire. Quoth Omar, ‘O Aslam, I think these must be travellers who are suffering from the cold. Come, let us join them.’ So we walked on till we came to them and behold! we found a woman who had lighted a fire under a cauldron and by her side were two children, both a wailing. Said Omar, ‘Peace be with you, O folk of light (for it was repugnant to him to say ‘folk of fire’),²⁷⁷ what aileth you?’ Said she, ‘The cold and the night trouble us.’ He asked, ‘What aileth these little people that they weep?’; and she answered, ‘They are hungry.’ He enquired, ‘And what is in this cauldron?’; and she replied, ‘It is what I quiet them withal, and Allah will question Omar bin al-Khattab of them, on the Day of Doom.’ He said, ‘And what should Omar know of their case?’ ‘Why then,’ rejoined she, ‘should he manage people’s affairs and yet be unmindful of them?’ Thereupon Omar turned to me (continned Aslam) and cried, ‘Come with us!’ So we set off running till we reached the pay department of his treasury, where he took out a sack containing flour and a pot holding fat and said to me, ‘Load these on my back!’ Quoth I, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, I will carry them for thee.’ He rejoined, ‘Wilt thou bear my load for me on the Day of Resurrection?’ So I put the things on his back, and we set off, running, till we threw down the sack hard by her. Then he took out some of the flour and put it in the cauldron; and, saying to the woman, ‘Leave it to me,’ he began blowing the fire under the cauldron. Now he was a long bearded man²⁷⁸ and I saw the smoke issuing from between the hairs of his beard till the flour was cooked, when he took some of the fat and threw it in and said to the woman, ‘Bed them while I cool it for them.’ So they fell to eating till they had eaten their fill, and he left the rest with her. Then he turned to me and said, ‘O Aslam, I see it was indeed hunger made them weep; and I am glad I did not go away ere I found out the cause of the light I saw.’—And Shahrazad per ceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

²⁷³ It was popularly said that “Truth-speaking left Omar without a friend.” Entitled “The Just” he was murdered by Abu Lúlúah, alias Fírúz, a (Magian ?) slave of Al–Maghírah for denying him justice.

²⁷⁴ Governor of Bassorah under the first four Caliphs. See D’Herbelot s.v. “Aschári.”

²⁷⁵ Ziyad bin Abi Sufyan, illegitimate brother of the Caliph Mu’awiyah afterwards governor of Bassorah, Cufa and Al–Hijaz.

²⁷⁶ The seditions in Kufah were mainly caused by the wilful nepotism of Caliph Othman bin Asákir which at last brought about his death. His main quality seems to have been personal beauty: “never was seen man or woman of fairer face than he and he was the most comely of men:” he was especially famed for beautiful teeth which in old age he bound about with gold wire. He is described as of middling stature, large— limbed, broad shouldered, fleshy of thigh and long in the fore-arm which was hairy. His face inclined to yellow and was pock-marked; his beard was full and his curly hair, which he dyed yellow, fell below his ears. He is called “writer of the Koran” from his edition of the M.S., and “Lord of the two Lights” because he married two of the Prophet’s daughters, Rukayyah and Umm Kulthum; and, according to the Shi’ahs who call him Othman-i-Lang or” limping Othman,” he vilely maltreated them. They justify his death as the act of an Ijmá’ al-Muslimín, the general consensus of Moslems which ratifies “Lynch law.” Altogether Othman is a mean figure in history.

²⁷⁷ “Nár” (fire) is a word to be used delicately from its connection with Gehenna. You say, e.g. “bring me a light, a coal (bassah)” etc.; but if you say “bring me fire! “ the enemy will probably remark “He wanteth fire even before his time!” The slang expression would be “bring the sweet.” (Pilgrimage i. 121.)

²⁷⁸ Omar is described as a man of fair complexion, and very ruddy, but he waxed tawny with age, when he also became bald and grey. He had little hair on the cheeks but a long mustachio with reddish ends. In stature he overtopped the people and was stout as he was tall. A popular saying of Mohammed’s is, “All (very) long men are fools save Omar, and all (very) short men are knaves save Ali.” The Persians, who abhor Omar, compare every lengthy, ungainly, longsome thing with him; they will say, “This road never ends, like the entrails of Omar.” We know little about Ali’s appearance except that he was very short and stout, broad and full-bellied with a tawny complexion and exceedingly hairy, his long beard, white as cotton, filling all the space between his shoulders. He was a “pocket. Hercules,” and incredible tales, like that about the gates of Khaybar, are told of his strength. Lastly, he was the only Caliph who bequeathed anything to literature: his “Cantiloquium” is famous and he has left more than one mystical and prophetic work. See Ockley for his “Sentences” and D’Herbelot s. D. “Ali” and “Gebr.” Ali is a noble figure in Moslem history.

When it was the Sixty-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman continued, “It is related that Omar passed by a flock of sheep, kept by a Mameluke, and asked him to sell him a sheep. He answered, ‘They are not mine.’ ‘Thou art the man I sought,’ said Omar, and bought him and freed him; whereupon the slave exclaimed, ‘O Allah, as thou hast bestowed on me the lesser emancipation; so vouchsafe me the greater!’²⁷⁹ It is also said that Omar bin al— Khattab was wont to give his servants sweet milk and himself eat coarse fare, and to clothe them softly and himself wear rough garments. He rendered unto all men their due, and exceeded in his giving to them. He once gave a man four thousand dirhams and added thereto a thousand, wherefore it was said to him, ‘Why dost thou not increase to thy son as thou increasest to this man?’ He answered, ‘This man’s father stood firm at the battle day of Ohod.’²⁸⁰ Al–Hasan relates that Omar once came back from foray with much money, and that Hafsah²⁸¹ approached him and said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, the due of kinship!’ ‘O Hafsah!’ replied he, ‘verily Allah hath enjoined us to satisfy the dues of kinship, but not with the monies of the True Believers. Indeed, thou pleasest” thy family, but thou angerest thy father.’ And she went away trailing her skirts.²⁸² The son of Omar said, ‘I implored the Lord to show me my father one year after his death, till at last I saw him wiping the sweat from his brow and asked him, ‘How is it with thee, O my father?’ He answered, ‘But for my Lord’s mercy thy father surely had perished.’ Then said Nuzhat al-Zaman, “Hear, O auspicious King, the second division of the first chapter of the instances of the followers of the Apostle and other holy men. Saith Al Hasan al-Basrí,²⁸³ Not a soul of the sons of Adam goeth forth of the world without regretting three things,— failure to enjoy what he hath amassed, failure to compass what he hoped, failure to provide himself with sufficient viaticum for that hereto he goeth. ²⁸⁴ It was said of Sufyan,²⁸⁵ ‘Can a man be a religious and yet possess wealth?’ He replied, ‘Yes, so he be patient when grieved and be thankful when he hath received.’ Abdullah bin Shaddád, being about to die, sent for his son Mohammed and admonished him, saying, ‘O my son, I see the Summoner of Death summoning me, and so I charge thee to fear Allah both in public and private, to praise Allah and to be soothfastin thy speech, for such praise bringeth increase of prosperity, and piety in itself is the best of provision for the next world; even as saith one of the poets,

‘I see not happiness lies in gathering gold;
The man most pious
is man happiest:
In truth the fear of God is best of stores,
And God shall make
the pious choicely blest.’

Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, “Let the King also give ear to these notes from the second section of the first chapter.” He asked her ‘What be they?’; and she answered, “When Omar bin Abd al-Azíz ²⁸⁶ succeeded to the Caliphate, he went to his household and laying hands on all that was in their hold, put it into the public treasury. So the Banu Umayyah flew for aid to his father’s sister, Fátimah, daughter of Marwan, and she sent to him saying, ‘I must needs speak to thee.’ So she came to him by night and, when he had made her alight from her beast and sit down, he said to her, ‘O aunt, it is for thee to speak first, since thou hast some thing to ask: tell me then what thou wouldst with me.’ Replied she, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, it is thine to speak first, for thy judgment perceiveth that which is hidden from the intelligence of others.’ Then said Omar, ‘Of a verity Allah Almighty sent Mohammed as a blessing to some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him, and commissioned him as His Apostle and took him to Himself,’—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Sixty-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman continued thus, “Said Omar, ‘Verily Allah commissioned as His Apostle Mohammed (upon whom be the benediction of Allah and His salvation!), for a blessing to some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him and took him to Himself, leaving the people a stream whereof they might drink. After him Abu Bakr²⁸⁷ the Truth teller became Caliph and he left the river as it was, doing what was pleasing to Allah. Then arose Omar and worked a work and strove in holy war and strife where of none might do the like. But when Othman arose to power he diverted a streamlet from the stream, and Mu’awiyah in his turn diverted from it several streamlets; and without ceasing in like manner, Yezid and the Banu Marwán such as Abd al-Malik and Walíd and Sulaymán²⁸⁸ drew away water from the stream, and the main course dried up, till rule devolved upon me, and now I am minded to restore the stream to its normal condition.’ When Fatimah heard this, she said, ‘I came wishing only to speak and confer with thee, but if this be thy word, I have nothing to say to thee.’ Then she returned to the Ommiades and said to them, ‘Now take ye the consequences of your act when ye allied yourselves by marriage with Omar bin al-Khattab.’²⁸⁹ And it is also said that when Omar was about to die, he gathered his children round him, and Maslamah²⁹⁰ bin Abd al-Malik said to him, ‘O Prince of the Faithful, how wilt thou leave thy children paupers and thou their protector? None can hinder thee in thy lifetime from giving them what will suffice them out of the treasury; and this indeed were better than leaving the good work to him who shall rule after thee.’ Omar looked at him with a look of wrath and wonder and presently replied, ‘O Maslamah, I have defended them from this sin all the days of my life, and shall I make them miserable after my death? Of a truth my sons are like other men, either obedient to Almighty Allah who will prosper them, or disobedient and I will not help them in their disobedience. Know, O Maslamah, that I was present, even as thou, when such an one of the sons of Marwanwas buried, and I fell asleep by him and saw him in a dream given over to one of the punishments of Allah, to whom belong Honour and Glory! This terrified me and made me tremble, and I vowed to Allah, that if ever I came to power, I would not do such deeds as the dead man had done. I have striven to fulfil this vow all the length of my life and I hope to die in the mercy of my Lord.’ Quoth Maslamah, ‘A certain man died and I was present at his burial, and when all was over I fell asleep and I saw him as a sleeper seeth a dream, walking in a garden of flowing waters clad in white clothes. He came up to me and said: ‘O Maslamah, it is for the like of this that rulers should rule.’ Many are the instances of this kind, and quoth one of the men of authority, ‘I used to milk the ewes in the Caliphate of Omar bin Abd al-Aziz, and one day I met a shepherd, among whose sheep I saw a wolf or wolves. I thought them to be dogs, for I had never before seen wolves; so I asked, ‘What dost thou with these dogs?’ ‘They are not dogs, but wolves,’ answered the shepherd. Quoth I, ‘Can wolves be with sheep and not hurt them?’ Quoth he, ‘When the head is whole, the body is whole.’²⁹¹ Omar bin Abd al-Aziz once preached from a pulpit of clay and, after praising and glorifying Allah Almighty, said three words as follows, ‘O folk, make clean your inmost hearts, that your outward lives may be dean to your brethren, and abstain ye from the things of the world. Know that between us and Adam there is no one man alive among the dead. Dead are Abd al— Malik and those who forewent him, and Omar also shall die and those who forewent him.’ Asked Maslamah, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, an we set a pillow behind thee, wilt thou lean on it a little while?’ But Omar answered, ‘I fear lest it be a fault about my neck on Resurrection Day.’ Then he gasped with the death rattle and fell back in a faint; whereupon Fatimah cried out, saying, ‘Ho, Maryam! Ho, Muzahim!²⁹² Ho, such an one! Look to this man!’ And she began to pour water on him weeping, till he revived from his swoon; and, seeing her in tears said to her, ‘What causeth thee to weep, O Fatimah?’ She replied, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, I saw thee lying prostrate before us and thought of thy prostration in death before Almighty Allah, of thy departure from the world and of thy separation from us. This is what made me weep.’ Answered he, ‘Enough, O Fatimah, for indeed thou exceedest.’ Then he would have risen, but fell down and Fatimah strained him to her and said, ‘Thou art to me as my father and my mother, O Commander of the Faithful! We cannot speak to thee, all of us.’ Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, “Here endeth the second section of the first chapter.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

²⁸⁷ Abu Bakr originally called Abd al-Ka’abah (slave of the Ka’abah) took the name of Abdullah and was surnamed Abu Bakr (father of the virgin) when Mohammed, who before had married only widows, took to wife his daughter, the famous or infamous Ayishah. “Bikr” is the usual form, but “Bakr,” primarily meaning a young camel, is metaphorically applied to human youth (Lane’s Lex. s. c.). The first Caliph was a cloth-merchant, like many of the Meccan chiefs. He is described as very fair with bulging brow, deep set eyes and thin-checked, of slender build and lean loined, stooping and with the backs of his hands fleshless. He used tinctures of Henna and Katam for his beard. The Persians who hate him, call him “Pir-i-Kaftár,” the old she-hyaena, and believe that he wanders about the deserts of Arabia in perpetual rut which the males must satisfy.

²⁸⁸ The second, fifth, sixth and seventh Ommiades.

²⁸⁹ The mother of Omar bin Abd al-Aziz was a granddaughter of Omar bin al-Khattab.

²⁹⁰ Brother of this Omar’s successor, Yezid II.

²⁹¹ So the Turkish proverb “The fish begins to stink at the head.”

²⁹² Calling to the slaves.

When it was the Sixty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman said to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, “Here endeth the second section of the first chapter. And it so happened that Omar bin Abd al-Aziz wrote to the people of the festival at Meccah as follows, ‘I call Allah to witness, in the Holy Month, in the Holy City and on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage,²⁹³ that I am innocent of your oppression and of his wrongs that doth wrong you, in that I have neither commanded this nor purposed it, neither hath any report of aught thereof hitherto reached me, nor have I compassed any knowledge thereof; and I trust that a cause for pardon will be found in that none hath authority from me to oppress any man, for I shall assuredly be questioned concerning every one oppress. And if any of my officers swerve from the right and act otherwise than the Holy Book and the Traditions of the Apostle do authorise, obey him not so that he may return to the way of righteousness.’ He said also (Allah accept of him!), ‘I do not wish to be relieved from death, because it is the supreme thing for which the True Believer is rewarded.’ Quoth one of authority, ‘I went to the Prince of the Faithful, Omarbin Abd al-Aziz, who was then Caliph, and saw before him twelve dirhams, which he ordered for deposit in the public treasury. So I said to him, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, thou impoverishest thy children and reducest them to beggary having nothing whereon to live. An thou wouldst appoint somewhat by will to them and to those who are poor of the people of thy house, it were well.’ ‘Draw near to me,’ answered he: so I drew near to him and he said, ‘Now as for thy saying, ‘Thou beggarest thy children; provide for them and for the poor of thy household,’ it is without reason; for Allah of a truth will replace me to my children and to the poor of my house, and He will be their guardian. Verily, they are like other men; he who feareth Allah, right soon will Allah provide for him a happy issue, and he that is addicted to sins, I will not up hold him in his sin against Allah.’ Then he summoned his sons who numbered twelve, and when he beheld them his eyes dropped tears and presently he said to them, ‘Your Father is between two things; either ye will be well to do, and your parent will enter the fire, or ye will be poor and your parent will enter Paradise; and your father’s entry into Paradise is liefer to him than that ye should be well to do.²⁹⁴ So arise and go, Allah be your helper, for to Him I commit your affairs!’ Khálid bin Safwán²⁹⁵ said, ‘Yúsuf bin Omar ²⁹⁶ accompanied me to Hishám bin Abd al-Malik,²⁹⁷ and as I met him he was coming forth with his kinsmen and attendants. He alighted and a tent was pitched for him. When the people had taken their seats, I came up to the side of the carpet whereon he sat reclining and looked at him; and, waiting till my eyes met his eyes, bespoke him thus, ‘May Allah fulfil His bounty to thee, O Commander of the Faithful, I have an admonition for thee, which hath come down to us from the history of the Kings preceding thee!’ At this, he sat up whenas he had been reclining and said to me, ‘Bring what thou hast, O son of Safwan!’ Quoth I, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, one of the Kings before thee went forth in a time before this thy time, to this very country and said to his companions, ‘Saw ye ever any state like mine and say me, hath such case been given to any man even as it hath been given unto me?’ Now there was with him a man of those who survive to bear testimony to Truth; upholders of the Right and wayfarers in its highway, and he said to him, ‘O King, thou askest of a grave matter. Wilt thou give me leave to answer?’ ‘Yes,’ replied the King, and the other said, ‘Dost thou judge thy present state to be short lasting or ever lasting?’ ‘It is temporary,’ replied the King. ‘How then,’ rejoined the man, ‘do I see thee exulting in that which thou wilt enjoy but a little while and whereof thou wilt be questioned for a long while and for the rendering an account whereof thou shalt be as a pledge which is pawned?’ Quoth the King, ‘Whither shall I flee and what must I seek for me?’ ‘That thou abide in thy kingship,’ replied the other, ‘or else robe thee in rags²⁹⁸ and apply thyself to obey Almighty Allah thy Lord until thine appointed hour. I will come to thee again at daybreak.’ Khalid bin Safwan further relates that the man knocked at the door at dawn and behold, the King had put off his crown and resolved to become an anchorite, for the stress of his exhortation. When Hishám bin Abd al-Malik heard this, he wept till his beard was wet, and, bidding his rich apparel be put off, shut himself up in his palace. Then the grandees and dependents came to Khalid and said, ‘What is this thou hast done with the Commander of the Faithful? Thou hast troubled his pleasure and disturbed his life!’ Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, addressing herself to Sharrkan, “How many instances of admonition are there not in this chapter! Of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to this head in a single sitting,”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

²⁹³ When the “Day of Arafat” (9th of Zú‘l-Hijjah) falls upon a Friday. For this Hajj al— Akbar see my Pilgrimage iii. 226. It is often confounded by writers (even by the learned M. Caussin de Perceval) with the common Pilgrimage as opposed to the Umrah, or ” Lesser Pilgrimage” (ibid. iii. 342, etc.). The latter means etymologically cohabiting with a woman in her father’s house as opposed to ‘Ars or leading her to the husband’s home: it is applied to visiting Meccah and going through all the pilgrim-rites but not at the Pilgrimage-season. Hence its title “Hajj al-Asghar” the “Lesser Hajj.” But “Umrah” is also applied to a certain ceremony between the hills Safá (a large hard rock) and Marwah (stone full of flints), which accompanies the Hajj and which I have described (ibid. iii. 344). At Meccah I also heard of two places called Al–Umrah, the Greater in the Wady Fátimah and the Lesser half way nearer the city (ibid. iii. 344).

²⁹⁴ A fair specimen of the unworthy egoism which all religious systems virtually inculcate Here a pious father leaves his children miserable to save his own dirty soul.

²⁹⁵ Chief of the Banú Tamín, one of the noblest of tribes, derived from Tamím, the uncle of Kuraysh (Koreish); hence the poets sang:—

There cannot be a son nobler than Kuraysh,
Nor an uncle nobler than Tamím.

The high minded Tamín is contrasted with the mean-spirited Kays, who also gave rise to a tribe; and hence the saying concerning one absolutely inconsistent, “Art thou now Tamín and then Kays?”

²⁹⁶ Surnamed Al–Sakafi, Governor of Al–Yaman and Irak.

²⁹⁷ Tenth Ommiade (regn. A H. 105–125 = 724–743).

²⁹⁸ Or “clothe thee in worn-out clothes” i.e. “Become a Fakir” or religious mendicant.

When it was the Sixty-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman continued, speaking to Sharrkan, “Know, O King, that in this chapter be so many instances of admonition that of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to this head in a single sitting but, with length of days, O King of the age, all will be well.” There said the Kazis, “O King, of a truth this damsel is the wonder of the world, and of our age the unique pearl! Never heard we her like in the length of time or in the length of our lives.” And they called down blessings on the King and went away. Then Sharrkan turned to his attendants and said, “Begin ye to prepare the marriage festival and make ready food of all kinds.” So they forthright did his bidding as regards the viands, and he commanded the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees depart not until the time of the wedding banquet and of the unveiling of the bride. Hardly came the period of afternoon prayer when the tables were spread with whatso heart can desire or eye can delight in of roast meats and geese and fowls; and the subjects ate till they were satisfied. Moreover, Sharrkan had sent for all the singing women of Damascus and they were present, together with every slave girl of the King and of the notables who knew how to sing. And they went up to the palace in one body. When the evening came and darkness starkened they lighted candles, right and left, from the gate of the citadel to that of the palace; and the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees marched past before King Sharrkan, whilst the singers and the tire women took the damsel to dress and adorn her, but found she needed no adornment. Meantime King Sharrkan went to the Hammam and coming out, sat down on his seat of estate, whilst they paraded the bride before him in seven different dresses: after which they eased her of the weight of her raiment and ornaments and gave such injunctions as are enjoined upon virgins on their wedding nights. Then Sharrkan went in unto her and took her maidenhead;²⁹⁹ and she at once conceived by him and, when she announced it, he rejoiced with exceeding joy and commanded the savants to record the date of her conception. On the morrow he went forth and seated himself on his throne, and the high officers came in to him and gave him joy. Then he called his private secretary and bade him write a letter to his father, King Omar bin al-Nu’uman, saying that he had bought him a damsel, who excels in learning and good breeding and who is mistress of all kinds of knowledge. Moreover he wrote, “There is no help but that I send her to Baghdad to visit my brother Zau al-Makan and my sister Nuzhat al-Zaman. I have set her free and married her and she hath conceived by me.” And he went on to praise her wit and salute his brother and sister together with the Wazir Dandan and all the Emirs. Then he sealed the letter and despatched it to his father by a post courier who was absent a whole month, after which time he returned with the answer and presented it in the presence. Sharrkan took it and read as follows, “After the usual Bismillah, this is from the afflicted distracted man, from him who hath lost his children and home by bane and ban, King Omar bin al— Nu’uman, to his son Sharrkan. Know that, since thy departure from me, the place is become contracted upon me, so that no longer I have power of patience nor can I keep my secret: and the cause thereof is as follows. It chanced that when I went forth to hunt and course Zau al-Makan sought my leave to fare Hijaz wards, but I, fearing for him the shifts of fortune, forbade him therefrom until the next year or the year after. My absence while sporting and hunting endured for a whole month”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

²⁹⁹ This gratuitous incest in ignorance injures the tale and is as repugnant to Moslem as to Christian taste.

When it was the Sixty-eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Omar bin al-Nu’uman wrote in his letter, “My absence while sporting and hunting endured for a whole month, and when I returned I found that thy brother and sister had taken somewhat of money and had set out with the pilgrim caravan for pilgrimage by stealth. When I knew this, the wide world narrowed on me, O my son! but I awaited the return of the caravan, hoping that haply they would come back with it. Accordingly, when the palmers appeared I asked concerning the twain, but they could give me no news of them; so I donned mourning for them, being heavy at heart, and in sleep I have no part and I am drowned in the tears of my eyes.” Then he wrote in verse,

“That pair in image quits me not one single hour,
Whom in my
heart’s most honourable place I keep:
Sans hope of their return I would not live one hour,
Without my
dreams of them I ne’er would stretch me in sleep.”

The letter went on, “And after the usual salutations to thee and thine, I command thee neglect no manner of seeking news of them for indeed this is a shame to us.” When Sharrkan read the letter he felt grief for his father and joy for the loss of his brother and sister. Then he took the missive and went in with it to Nuzhat al-Zaman who knew not that he was her brother, nor he that she was his sister, albeit he often visited her both by night and by day till the months were accomplished and she sat down on the stool of delivery. Allah made the child birth easy to her and she bare a daughter, whereupon she sent for Sharrkan and seeing him she said to him, “This is thy daughter: name her as thou wilt.” Quoth he, “It is usual to name children on the seventh day after birth.³⁰⁰” Then he bent over the child to kiss it and he saw, hung about its neck, a jewel, which he knew at once for one of those which Princess Abrizah had brought from the land of the Greeks. Now when he saw the jewel hanging from his babe’s neck he recognised it right well, his senses fled and wrath seized on him; his eyes rolled in rage and he looked at Nuzhat al— Zaman and said to her, “Whence hadst thou this jewel, O slave girl?” When she heard this from Sharrkan she replied, “I am thy lady, and the lady of all in thy palace! Art thou not ashamed to say to me Slave girl? I am a Queen, daughter of King Omar bin al-Nu’uman.” Hearing this, he was seized with trembling and hung his head earthwards,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

³⁰⁰ The child is named either on the day of its birth or on that day week. The father whispers it in the right ear, often adding the Azán or prayer-call, and repeating in the left ear the “Ikámah” or Friday sentence. There are many rules for choosing names according to the week-day, the ascendant planet, the “Sortes Coranicæ,” etc.

When it was the Sixty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sharrkan heard these words, his heart fluttered and his colour waxed yellow and he was seized with trembling and he hung his head earthwards, for he knew that she was his sister by the same father. Then he lost his senses; and, when he revived, he abode in amazement, but did not discover his identity to her and asked, O my lady, say, art thou in sooth the daughter of King Omar bin al— Nu’uman?” “Yes,” answered she; and he continued, “Tell me the cause of thy leaving thy sire and of thy being sold for a slave.” So she related to him all that had befallen her from beginning to end, how she had left her brother sick in the Sanctified City, Jerusalem, and how the Badawi had kidnapped her and had sold her to the trader. When Sharrkan heard this, he was certified of her being his sister on the sword side and said to himself, “How can I have my sister to wife? By Allah, needs must I marry her to one of my chamberlains; and, if the thing get wind, I will declare that I divorced her before consummation and married her to my Chief Chamberlain.” Then he raised his head and sighing said, “O Nuzhat al-Zaman, thou art my very sister and I cry: ‘I take refuge with Allah from this sin whereinto we have fallen,’ for I am Sharrkan, son of Omar bin al-Nu’uman.” She looked at him and knew he spoke the truth; and, becoming as one demented, she wept and buffeted her face, exclaiming, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah! Verily have we fallen into mortal sin!³⁰¹ What shall I do and what shall I say to my father and my mother when they ask me, Whence hadst thou thy daughter?” Quoth Sharrkan, “It were meetest that I marry thee to my Chamberlain and let thee bring up my daughter in his house, that none may know thou be my sister. This hath befallen us from Almighty Allah for a purpose of his own, and nothing shall cover us but thy marriage with this Chamberlain, ere any know.” Then he fell to comforting her and kissing her head and she asked him, “What wilt thou call the girl?” “Call her Kuzia Fakán,”³⁰² answered he. Then he gave the mother in marriage to the Chief Chamberlain, and transferred her to his house with the child, which they reared on the laps of the slave girls, and fed with milk and dosed with powders. Now all this occurred whilst the brother, Zau al-Makan, still tarried with the Fireman at Damascus. One day there came to King Sharrkan a courier from his father, with a letter which he took and read and found therein, “After the Bismillah know, O beloved King, that I am afflicted with sore affliction for the loss of my children: sleep ever faileth me and wakefulness ever assaileth me. I send thee this letter that, as soon as thou receivest it, thou make ready the monies and the tribute, and send them to us, together with the damsel whom thou hast bought and taken to wife; for I long to see her and hear her discourse; more especially because there hath come to us from Roumland an old woman of saintly bearing and with her be five damsels high bosomed virgins, endowed with knowledge and good breeding and all arts and sciences befitting mortals to know; and indeed tongue faileth me to describe this old woman and these who with her wend; for of a truth they are compendiums of perfections in learning and accomplishments. As soon as I saw them I loved them, and I wished to have them in my palace and in the compass of my hand; for none of the Kings owneth the like of them; so I asked the old woman their price and she answered, ‘I will not sell them but for the tribute of Damascus.’ And I, by Allah, did not hold this price exorbitant, indeed it is but little, for each one of them is worth the whole valuation. So I agreed to that and took them into my palace, and they remain in my possession. Wherefore do thou forward the tribute to us that the woman may return to her own country; and send to us the damsel to the end that she may dispute with them before the doctors; and, if she prevail over them, I will return her to thee accompanied by the tribute of Baghdad.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

³⁰¹ Amongst Moslems as amongst Christians there are seven deadly sins: idolatry, murder, falsely charging modest women with unchastity, robbing orphans, usury, desertion in Holy War and disobedience to parents. The difference between the two creeds is noteworthy. And the sage knows only three, intemperance, ignorance and egoism.

³⁰² Meaning, “It was decreed by Destiny; so it came to pass,” appropriate if not neat.

When it was the Seventieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Omar son of Al–Nu’uman said in his letter, “And send to us the damsel to the end that she may dispute with them before the doctors and, if she prevail over them, I will return her to thee accompanied with the tribute of Baghdad.” As soon as Sharrkan knew the contents, he went in to his brother in law and said to him, “Bring the damsel to whom I married thee;” and when she came he showed her the letter and said, “O my sister! what answer wouldst thou advise me make to this letter?” Replied she, “Seek advice from thyself!” and presently added (for she yearned after her people and her native land), “Send me together with my husband the Chamberlain, to Baghdad, that I may tell my father my tale and let him know whatso befel me with the Badawi who sold me to the merchant, and that I also inform him how thou boughtest me of the trader and gavest me in marriage to the Chamberlain, after setting me free.” “Be it so,” replied Sharrkan. Then Sharrkan took his daughter, Kuzia Fakan, and committed her to the charge of the wet nurses and the eunuchs, and he made ready the tribute in haste, bidding the Chamberlain travel with the Princess and the treasure to Baghdad. He also furnished him two travelling litters one for himself and the other for his wife. And the Chamberlain replied, “To hear is to obey.” Moreover Sharrkan collected camels and mules and wrote a letter to his father and committed it to the Chamberlain; then he bade farewell to his sister, after he had taken the jewel from her and hung it round his daughter’s neck by a chain of pure gold; and she and her husband set out for Baghdad the same night. Now it so happened that Zau al-Makan and his friend the Fireman had come forth from the hut in which they were, to see the spectacle, and they beheld camels and Bukhti³⁰³ dromedaries and bât-mules and torches and lanterns alight; and Zau al-Makan enquired about the loads and their owner and was told that it was the tribute of Damascus going to King Omar bin al-Nu’uman, Lord of the City of Baghdad. He then asked, “Who be the leader of the caravan?” and they answered, “The Head Chamberlain who hath married the damsel so famous for learning and science.” Thereupon Zau al-Makan wept with bitter weeping and was minded of his mother and his father and his sister and his native land, and he said to the Stoker, “I will join this caravan and, little by little, will journey homewards.” Quoth the Fireman, “I would not suffer thee to travel single handed from the Holy City to Damascus, then how shall I be sure of thy safety when thou farest for Baghdad? But I will go with thee and care for thee till thou effectest thine object.” “With joy and good will,” answered Zau al-Makan. Then the Fireman get him ready for the journey and hired an ass and threw saddle bags over it and put therein something of provaunt; and, when all was prepared, he awaited the passage of the caravan. And presently the Chamberlain came by on a dromedary and his footmen about him. Then Zau al-Ma ken mounted the ass and said to his companion, “Do thou mount with me.” But he replied, “Not so: I will be thy servant.” Quoth Zau al-Makan, “There is no help for it but thou ride awhile.” “’Tis well,” quoth the Stoker; “I will ride when I grow tired.” Then said Zau al-Makan, “O my brother, soon shalt thou see how I will deal with thee, when I come to my own folk.” So they fared on till the sun rose and,When it was the hour of the noonday sleep³⁰⁴ the Chamberlain called a halt and they alighted and reposed and watered their camels. Then he gave the signal for departure and, after five days, they came to the city of Hamáh,³⁰⁵ where they set down and made a three days’ halt;—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

³⁰³ The short, stout, dark, long-haired and two-bunched camel from “Bukhtar” (Bactria), the “Eastern” (Bakhtar) region on the Amu or Jayhun (Oxus) River; afterwards called Khorasan. The two-humped camel is never seen in Arabia except with northern caravans, and to speak of it would be a sore test of Badawi credulity.

³⁰⁴ “Kaylúlah” is the “forty-winks” about noon: it is a Sunnat or Practice of the Prophet who said, “Make the mid-day siesta, for verily at this hour the devils sleep not.” “Aylúlain” is slumbering after morning prayers (our “beauty-sleep”), causing heaviness andid leness: “Ghaylúlah” is dozing about 9 a.m. engendering poverty and wretchedness: “Kaylúlah” (with the guttural Kaf) is sleeping before evening prayers and “Faylúlah” is slumbering after sunset—both held to be highly detrimental. (Pilgrimage ii 49.)

³⁰⁵ The Biblical “Hamath” (Hightown) too well known to require description. It is still famous for the water-wheels mentioned by al-Hariri (assembly of the Banu Harám).

When it was the Seventy-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they halted in the city of Hamah three days; they then fared forwards and ceased not travelling till they reached another city. Here also they halted three days and thence they travelled till they entered the province Diyár Bakr. Here blew on them the breezes of Baghdad, and Zau al-Makan bethought him of his father and mother and native land, and how he was returning to his sire without his sister: so he wept and sighed and complained, and his regrets grew on him, and he began improvising these couplets,

“Sweetheart! How long must I await by so long suffering teed?
Nor cometh messenger to tell me where thou dost abide:
Ah me! in very sooth our meeting time was short enow:
Would Heaven shorter prove to me the present parting-tide!
Now trend my hand and open my robe and thou within shall sight
How wasted are the limbs of me and yet the waste I hide:
When say they ‘Comfort take for loss of love’ I but reply
‘By Allah, till the Day of Doom no comfort shall betide!’ ”

Thereupon said to him the Fireman, “Leave this weeping and wailing, for we are near the Chamberlain’s tent.” Quoth Zau al-Makan, “Needs must I recite somewhat of verse; haply it may quench the fire of my heart.” “Allah upon thee,” cried the other, “cease this lamentation till thou come to shine own country; then do what thou wilt, and I will be with thee wherever thou art.” Replied Zau al-Makan, “By Allah! I cannot forbear from this!” Then he turned his face towards Baghdad and the moon was shining brightly and shedding her light on the place, and Nuzhat al-Zaman could not sleep that night, but was restless and called to mind her brother and wept. And while she was in tears, he heard Zau al-Makan weeping and improvising the following distichs,

‘Al–Yaman’s³⁰⁶ leven-gleam I see,
And sore despair
despaireth me
For friend who erst abode wi’ me
Crowning my cup with gladdest
gree:
It minds me o’ one who jilted me
To mourn my bitter liberty.
Say sooth, thou fair sheet lightning! shall
We meet once more in joy and glee?
O blamer! spare to me thy blame
My Lord hath sent this dule to
dree,
Of friend who left me, fain to flee;
Of Time that breeds calamity:
All bliss hath fled the heart of me
Since Fortune proved mine enemy.
He³⁰⁷ brimmed a bowl of merest pine,
And made me drain the
dregs, did he:
I see me, sweetheart, dead and gone
Ere I again shall gaze on thee.
Time! prithee bring our childhood back,
Restore our happy infancy,
When joy and safety ‘joyed we
From shafts that now they shoot
at me!
Who aids the hapless stranger wight,
That nights in fright and
misery,
That wastes his days in lonely grief,
For ‘Time’s Delight’³⁰⁸ no more must be?
Doomed us despite our will to bear
The hands of base bores cark
and care.”

When he ended his verse he cried out and fell down in a fainting fit. This is how it fared with him; but as regards Nuzhat al- Zaman, when she heard that voice in the night, her heart was at rest and she rose and in her joy she called the Chief Eunuch, who said to her, “What is thy will?” Quoth she, “Arise and bring me him who recited verses but now.” Replied he, “Of a truth I did not hear him”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

³⁰⁶ When they say, “The levee flashes bright on the hills of Al–Yaman,” the allusion is to the south quarter, where summer-lightning is seen. Al–Yaman (always with the article) means, I have said, the right-hand region to one facing the rising sun and Al–Sham (Syria) the left-hand region.

³⁰⁷ Again “he” for “she,” in delicacy and jealousy of making public the beauty or conditions of the “veiled sex.” Even public singers would hesitate to use a feminine pronoun. As will be seen however, the rule is not invariably kept and hardly ever in Badawi poetry.

³⁰⁸ The normal pun on “Nuzhat al-Zaman” = Delight of the Age or Time.

When it was the Seventy-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Nuzhat Al–Zaman heard her brother reciting, she called the Chief Eunuch and said to him, “Go, fetch me the man who is repeating this poetry!” Replied he, “Of a truth I heard him not and I wot him not and folks are all sleeping.” But she said, “Whomsoever thou seest awake, he is the reciter.” So he went, yet found none on wake save the Stoker; for Zau al-Makan was still insensible, and when his companion saw the Eunuch standing by his head he was afraid of him. Then said the Eunuch, “Art thou he who repeated poetry but now and my lady heard him?” The Stoker fancied that the dame was wroth with the reciter; and, being afraid, he replied, “By Allah, ’twas not I!” Rejoined the Eunuch, “Who then was the reciter?: point him out to me. Thou must know who it was, seeing that thou art awake.” The Fireman feared for Zau al- Makan and said in himself, “Haply the Eunuch will do him some hurt”; so he answered, “By Allah, I know not who it was.” Said the Eunuch, “By Allah, thou liest, for there is none on wake here but thou! So needs must thou know him.” “By Allah,” replied the Fireman, “I tell thee the truth!: some passer by, some wayfarer must have recited the verses and disturbed me and kept me awake; Allah requite him!” Quoth the Eunuch, “If thou happen upon him, point him out to me and I will lay hands on him and bring him to the door of our lady’s litter³⁰⁹ or do thou take him with thine own hand.” Said the Fireman, “Go thou back and I will bring him to thee.” So the Eunuch left him and went his ways; and, going in to his mistress, told her all this and said to her, “None knoweth who it was; it must have been some passer by, some wayfarer.” And she was silent. Meanwhile, Zau al-Makan came to himself and saw that the moon had reached the middle Heavens; the breath of the dawn breeze³¹⁰ breathed upon him and his heart was moved to longing and sadness; so he cleared his throat and was about to recite verses, when the Fire man asked him, “What wilt thou do?” Answered Zau al-Makan, “I have a mind to repeat somewhat of poetry, that I may quench therewith the fire of my heart.” Quoth the other, “Thou knowest not what befel me whilst thou wast a faint, and how I escaped death only by beguiling the Eunuch.” “Tell me what happened,” quoth Zau al-Makan. Replied the Stoker, “Whilst thou wast aswoon there came up to me but now an Eunuch, with a long staff of almond tree wood in his hand, who took to looking in all the people’s faces, as they lay asleep, and asked me who it was recited the verses, finding none awake but myself. I told him in reply it was some passerby, some wayfarer; so he went away and Allah delivered me from him; else had he killed me. But first he said to me, ‘If thou hear him again, bring him to us.’” When Zau al-Makan heard this he wept and said, “Who is it would forbid me to recite? I will surely recite, befal me what may; for I am near mine own land and care for none.” Rejoined the Fireman, “Thy design is naught save to lose thy life;” and Zau al-Makan retorted, “Needs must I recite verses.” “Verily,” said the Stoker, “needs must there be a parting between me and thee in this place, albeit;I had intended not to leave thee, till I had brought thee to thy native city and reunited thee with thy mother and father. Thou hast now tarried with me a year and a half and I have never harmed thee in aught. What ails thee, then, that thou must needs recite verses, seeing that we are tired out with walking and watching and all the folk are asleep, for they require sleep to rest them of their fatigue?” But Zau al-Makan answered, “I will not be turned away from my purpose.”³¹¹ Then grief moved him and he threw off concealment and began repeating these couplets,

“Stand thou by the homes and hail the lords of the ruined stead;
Cry thou for an answer, belike reply to thee shall be sped:
If the night and absence irk thy spirit kindle a torch
Wi’ repine; and illuminate the gloom with a gleaming greed:
If the snake of the sand dunes hiss, I shall marvel not at all!
Let him bite so I bite those beauteous lips of the luscious red:
O Eden, my soul hath fled in despite of the maid I love:
Had I lost hope of Heaven my heart in despair were dead.”

And he also improvised the two following distichs,

“We were and were the days enthralled to all our wills,
Dwelling in union sweet and homed in fairest site:
Who shall restore the home of the beloved, where showed
Light of the Place for aye conjoined with Time’s
Delight?’’³¹²

And as he ceased his verses, he shrieked three shrieks and fell senseless to the ground and the Fireman rose and covered him. When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard the first improvisation, she called to mind her father and her mother and her brother and their whilome home; then she wept and cried at the Eunuch and said to him, “Woe to thee! He who recited the first time hath recited a second time and I heard him hard by. By Allah, an thou fetch him not to me, I will assuredly rouse the Chamberlain on thee, and he shall beat thee and cast thee out. But take these hundred diners and give them to the singer and bring him to me gently, and do him no hurt. If he refuse, hand to him this purse of a thousand diners, then leave him and return to me and tell me, after thou hast informed thyself of his place and his calling and what countryman he is. Return quickly and linger not.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

³⁰⁹ The reader will find in my Pilgrimage (i. 305) a sketch of the Takht-rawan or travelling-litter, in which pilgrimesses are wont to sleep.

³¹⁰ In poetry it holds the place of our Zephyr; end the “Bád- i-Sabá”=Breeze o’ the morn, Is much addressed by Persian poets.

³¹¹ Here appears the nervous, excitable, hysterical Arab temperament which is almost phrensied by the neighbourhood of a home from which he had run away.

³¹² Zau al-Makan and Nuzhat al-Zaman.

When it was the Seventy-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al- Zaman sent the Eunuch to make enquiries concerning the singer and said, “Beware how thou come back to me and report, I could not find him.” So the Eunuch went out and laid about the people and trod in their tents, but found none awake, all being asleep for weariness, till he came to the Stoker and saw him sitting up, with his head uncovered. So he drew near and seizing him by the hand, said to him, “It was thou didst recite the verses!” The Fireman was afeard for his life and replied, “No, by Allah, O chief of the people, it was not I!” But the Eunuch said, “I will not leave thee till thou show me who it was that recited the verses, for I dread returning to my lady without him.” Now when the Fireman heard these words he feared for Zau al-Makan and wept with exceeding weeping and said to the Eunuch, “By Allah, it was not I, and I know him not. I only heard some passer by, some wayfarer, recite verses: so do not thou commit sin on me, for I am a stranger and come from the Holy City of Jerusalem; and Abraham, the friend of Allah, be with you all.” “Rise up and fare with me,” rejoined the Eunuch, “and tell my lady this with thine own mouth, for I have seen none awake save thyself.” Quoth the Stoker, “Hast thou not come and seen me sitting in the place where I now am, and dost thou not know my station? Thou wottest none can stir from his place, except the watchman seize him. So go thou to thy station and if thou again meet any one after this hour reciting aught of poetry, whether he be near or far, it will be I or some one I know, and thou shalt not learn of him but by me.” Then he kissed the Eunuch’s head and spake him fair till he went away; but the Castrato fetched a round and, returning secretly, came and stood behind the Fireman, fearing to go back to his mistress without tidings. As soon as he was gone, the Stoker arose and aroused Zau al-Makan and said to him, “Come, sit up, that I may tell thee what hath happened.” So Zau al-Makan sat up, and his companion told him what had passed, and he answered, “Let me alone; I will take no heed of this and I care for none, for I am mine own country.”³¹³ Quoth the Stoker, “Why wilt thou obey thy flesh and the devil? If thou fear no one, I fear for thee and for my life, so Allah upon thee! recite nothing more of verses till thou come to thine own land. Indeed, I had not deemed thee so ill conditioned. Dost thou not know that this lady is the wife; of the Chamberlain and is minded to chastise thee for disturbing her? Belike, she is ill or restless for fatigue of the journey and the distance of the place from her home, and this is the second time she hath sent the Eunuch to look for thee.” However Zau al-Makan paid no heed to the Fireman’s words but cried out a third time and began versifying with these couplets,

“I fly the carper’s injury,
Whose carping sorely vexeth me:
He chides and taunts me, wotting not
He burns me but more grievously.
The blamer cries ‘He is consoled!’
I say, ‘My own dear
land³¹⁴ to see:’
They ask, ‘Why be that land so dear?’
I say, ‘It taught me in
love to be:’
They ask, ‘What raised its dignity?’
I say, ‘What made my
ignomy:’
Whate’er the bitter cup I drain,
Far be fro’ me that land to
flee:
Nor will I bow to those who blame,
And for such love would deal
me shame.

Hardly had he made an end of his verses and come to a conclusion, when the Eunuch (who had heard him from his hiding place at his head) came up to him; whereupon the Fireman flea end stood afar off to see what passed between them. Then said the Eunuch to Zau al-Makan, “Peace be with thee, O my lord!” “And on thee be peace,” replied Zau al-Makan, “and the mercy of Allah and His blessings!” “O my lord,” continued the Eunuch—-And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,

³¹³ The idea is essentially Eastern, “A lion at home and a lamb abroad” is the popular saying.

³¹⁴ Arab. “Hubb al-Watan” (= love of birthplace, patriotism) of which the Tradition says “Min al-Imán” (=is part of man’s religion).

When it was the Seventy-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Eunuch said to Zau al-Makan, “O my lord, I have sought thee these several times this night, for my mistress biddeth thee to her.” Quoth Zau al— Makan, “And who be this bitch that seeketh for me? Allah curse her and curse her husband with her!”³¹⁵ And he began to revile the Eunuch, who could make him no answer, because his mistress had charged him to do Zau al-Makan no hurt, nor bring him save of his own especial free will; and, if he would not accompany him, to give him the thousand diners. So the Castrato began to speak him fair and say to him, “O my lord, take this purse and go with me. We will do thee no upright, O my son, nor wrong thee in aught; but our object is that thou bend thy gracious steps with me to my mistress, to receive her answer and return in weal and safety: and thou shalt have a handsome present as one who bringeth good news.” When Zau al— Makan heard this, he arose and went with the Eunuch and walked among the sleeping folk, stepping over them; whilst the Fireman followed after them from afar, and kept his eye upon him and said to himself, “Alas the pity of his youth! Tomorrow they will hang him.” And he ceased not following them till he approached their station,³¹⁶ without any observing him. Then he stood still and said, “How base it will be of him, if he say it was I who bade him recite the verses!” This was the case of the Stoker; but as regards what befel Zau al-Makan, he ceased not walking with the Eunuch till he reached his station and the Castrato went in to Nuzhat al-Zaman and said, “O my lady, I have brought thee him whom thou soughtest, and he is a youth, fair of face and bearing the marks of wealth and gentle breeding.” When she heard this, her heart fluttered and she cried, “Let him recite some verses, that I may hear him near hand, and after ask him his name and his condition and his native land.” Then the Eunuch went out to Zau al-Makan and said to him, “Recite what verses thou knowest, for my lady is here hard by, listening to thee, and after I will ask thee of thy name and thy native country and thy condition.” Replied he, “With love and gladness but, an thou ask my name, it is erased and my trace is unplaced and my body a waste. I have a story, the beginning of which is not known nor can the end of it be shown, and behold, I am even as one who hath exceeded in wine drinking and who hath not spared himself; one who is afflicted with distempers and who wandereth from his right mind, being perplexed about his case and drowned in the sea of thought.” When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard this, she broke out into excessive weeping and sobbing, and said to the Eunuch, “Ask him if he have parted from one he loveth even as his mother or father.” The Castrato asked as she bade him, and Zau al-Makan replied, “Yes, I have parted from every one I loved: but the dearest of all to me was my sister, from whom Fate hath separated me.” When Nuzhat al-Zaman heard this, she exclaimed, “Allah Almighty reunite him with what he loveth!”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

³¹⁵ He is supposed to speak en prince; and he yields to a prayer when he spurns a command.

³¹⁶ In such caravans each party must keep its own place under pain of getting into trouble with the watchmen and guards.