The Arabian Nights

by Padraic Colum

  Now when the King Bedr Basim heard these words from the sheykh, he feared violently, and began to tremble like the reed that is shaken by the wind; and he said to him, I believed not that I had escaped from the calamity in which I was involved by enchantment, and now destiny casteth me into situation more abominable than that! And he proceeded to reflect upon his case, and upon the events that had happened to him; and when the sheykh looked at him, he saw that his fear was violent; so he said to him, O my son, arise and sit at the threshold of the shop, and look at those creatures and at their dress and their forms, and the states in which they are through enchantment; but fear not; for the Queen, and everyone in the city, loveth me and regardeth me, and agitateth not my heart, nor wearieth my mind. Therefore when the King Bedr Basim heard these words of the sheykh, he went forth and sat at the door of the shop, diverting himself; and there passed by him people, and he beheld creatures not to be numbered. And when the people saw him, they advanced to the sheykh, and said to him, O sheykh, is this thy captive, and a prey that thou hast taken during these days? But he answered them, This is the son of my brother. I heard that his father had died; so I sent for him, and caused him to come, that I might enjoy his company.—They replied, Verily this young man is a comely youth; but we fear for him on account of the Queen Lab, lest she turn upon thee with treachery and take him from thee; for she loveth the comely young men. The sheykh however said to them, Verily the Queen will not thwart me: she regardeth me favorably, and loveth me; and when she knoweth that he is the son of my brother, she will not offer him any injury, nor afflict me with respect to him, nor trouble my heart on his account.—And King Bedr Basim remained with the sheykh for a period of months, and the sheykh loved him greatly.

  After this, Bedr Basim was sitting at the shop of the sheykh one day as was his custom, and, lo, a thousand soldiers, with drawn swords in their hands, clad in various kinds of apparel, having upon their waists girdles adorned with jewels, riding upon Arab horses; and they came to the shop of the sheykh, and saluted him, and passed on. Then, after them, came a thousand damsels, like moons, clad in various dresses of silk and satin embroidered with gold and adorned with varieties of jewels, and all of them were armed with spears; and in the midst of them was a damsel riding upon an Arab mare, upon which was a saddle of gold set with varieties of jewels and jacinths. They ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the shop of the sheykh, when they saluted him, and passed on. And, lo, the Queen Lab approached, in a magnificent procession, and she came to the shop of the sheykh; whereupon she saw the King Bedr Basim sitting at the shop, resembling the moon at the full. So when the Queen Lab beheld him, she was confounded at his beauty and loveliness, and amazed, and she became distracted with love of him. She came to the shop, and alighted, and, having seated herself by the King Bedr Basim, she said to the sheykh, Whence obtainedst thou this person? He answered, This is the son of my brother: he came to me a short time ago. And she said, Let him be with me that I may converse with him. The sheykh said to her, Wilt thou take him from me and not enchant him? She answered, Yes. He said, Swear to me. And she swore to him that she would not hurt him nor enchant him. Then she gave orders to bring forward to him a handsome horse, saddled, and bridled with a bridle of gold, and all that was upon him was of gold set with jewels; and she presented to the sheykh a thousand pieces of gold, saying to him, Seek aid for thyself therewith. The Queen Lab then took the King Bedr Basim, and departed with him; and he was like the moon in its fourteenth night. He proceeded with her; and the people, as often as they looked at him, and observed his beauty, were pained for him, and said, By Allah, this young man doth not deserve that this accursed woman should enchant him! And the King Bedr Basim heard the words of the people; but he was silent, and had committed his case to God, whose name be exalted!

  He ceased not to proceed with the Queen Lab and her retinue until they arrived at the gate of the palace; when the emirs and servants and the great men of the empire alighted. She had commanded the chamberlains to order all the great men of the empire to depart: so they kissed the ground and departed. And the Queen, with her servants, entered the palace; and when the King Bedr Basim looked at the palace, he beheld a palace of which he had never seen the like. Its walls were constructed of gold, and in the midst of it was a great pool, abounding with water, in a great garden; and the King Bedr Basim looked at the garden, and saw in it birds warbling with all varieties of tongues and voices, mirth-exciting and plaintive, and those birds were of all forms and colors. The King Bedr Basim beheld great majesty, and he said, Extolled be the perfection of God for his bounty and his clemency! He sustaineth the person who worshippeth other than Himself!—The Queen seated herself at a lattice-window overlooking the garden. She was on a couch of ivory, upon which was magnificent furniture; and the King Bedr Basim sat by her side. She ordered the female servants to bring a table; whereupon there was brought a table of red gold set with large pearls and with jewels, and upon it were dishes of all kinds of viands. So they ate until they were satisfied, and washed their hands. The servants next brought vessels of gold and silver and crystal, and they brought also all kinds of flowers, and plates of dried fruits; after which the Queen gave orders to bring singing-women; and there came ten damsels like moons, with all kinds of musical instruments in their hands. Then the Queen filled a cup, and drank it; and she filled another, and handed it to the King Bedr Basim, who took it and drank it; and they ceased not to do thus, drinking until they were satisfied; when the Queen ordered the women to sing. So they sang all kinds of melodies, and it seemed to the King Bedr Basim as though the palace danced with delight at the sounds. His reason was captivated, and his bosom was dilated, and he forgot his estrangement from his country, and said, Verily this Queen is a comely damsel! I will never henceforth quit her; for her kingdom is larger than mine, and she is preferable to the Queen Jawharah.—He ceased not to drink with her until it was evening, and the lamps and candles were lighted, and the attendants gave vent to the fumes of the sweet-scented substances in the censers.

  The next morning she caused him to be clad in the most beautiful apparel, and gave orders to bring the drinking-vessels. Accordingly the servants brought them, and they drank; after which the Queen arose, and took the hand of the King Bedr Basim, and they sat upon the throne, and she gave orders to bring the food: so they ate, and washed their hands. The servants then brought to them the drinking-vessels, and the fresh fruits and the flowers and the dried fruits; and they ceased not to eat and drink, while the women sang various melodies, till evening.

  They continued eating and drinking, and delighting themselves, for a period of forty days; after which she said to him, O Bedr Basim, is this place the more pleasant, or the shop of thine uncle the grocer? He answered her, By Allah, O Queen, this is pleasant; for my uncle is a poor man who selleth beans. And she laughed at his words. But in the morning, the King Bedr Basim awoke from his sleep and found not the Queen Lab: so he said, Whither can she have gone? He became sad on account of her absence, and perplexed respecting his case; and she had been absent from him a long time, and had not returned; wherefore he said within himself, Whither hath she gone? He then proceeded to search for her; but he found her not; and he said within himself, Perhaps she hath gone to the garden. He therefore went to the garden, and he saw in it a running river, by the side of which was a white bird, and on the bank of that river was a tree, whereon were birds of various colors. So he looked at the birds; but they saw him not; and, lo, a black bird alighted by that white bird, and began to feed her with his bill like a pigeon; and after a while, the latter bird became changed into a human form, at which he looked attentively, and, lo, she was the Queen Lab. He therefore knew that the black bird was an enchanted man, and that she loved him, and for that reason transformed herself by enchantment into a bird; in consequence of which, jealousy seized him, and he was incensed against the Queen Lab, on account of the black bird. Then he returned to his place, and after a while she returned to him, and
began to jest with him; but he was violently incensed against her, and uttered not to her a single word. So she knew what he felt, and was convinced that he saw her when she became a bird. She however did not manifest to him anything; but concealed her feelings.

  After this, he said to her, O Queen, I desire thee to permit me to go to the shop of my uncle; for I have conceived a desire to visit him, and for forty days I have not seen him. And she replied, Go to him; but be not long absent from me, since I cannot part with thee, nor endure to be away from thee for one hour. So he said to her, I hear and obey. He then mounted, and went to the shop of the sheykh, the grocer, who welcomed him and rose to him and embraced him, and said to him, How art thou with this infidel woman? He therefore answered him, and he informed him of that which he had seen, of the river, and the birds upon the tree. And when the sheykh heard his words, he said to him, Beware of her, and know that the birds that were upon the tree were all young men, strangers, whom she loved, and she transformed them by enchantment into birds; and that black bird that thou sawest was of the number of her guards. She used to love him greatly; but he cast his eye upon one of the female servants; so she transformed him by enchantment into a black bird; and whenever she desireth to visit him, she transformeth herself by enchantment into a bird; for she still loveth him greatly. And when she knew that thou wast acquainted with her case, she meditated evil against thee; and she doth not offer thee a sincere affection. But thou shalt suffer no harm from her so long as I have a care for thee; therefore fear not; for my name is ‘Abd-Allah, and there is not in my age anyone more skilled in enchantment than I: yet I make not use of enchantment save when I am constrained to do so. Often do I annul the enchantment of this accursed woman, and deliver people from her; and I care not for her, since she hath no way of injuring me: on the contrary, she feareth me violently, as also doth every one in the city who is an enchanter like her, after this manner: they all fear me, and all of them are of her religion, worshipping fire instead of the Almighty King. But to-morrow come to me again, and acquaint me with that which she shall do to thee; for this night she will exert herself to destroy thee, and I will tell thee what thou shalt do with her that thou mayest save thyself from her artifice.

  Then the King Bedr Basim bade farewell to the sheykh, and returned to her, and found her sitting expecting him. And when she saw him, she rose to him and seated him, welcoming him; and she brought him food and drink. So they ate until they were satisfied, and washed their hands; after which, she gave orders to bring the wine. It was therefore brought, and they drank until midnight, when she served him with the cups, and she continued to ply him until he was intoxicated, and lost his sense and his reason. And when she saw him in this state, she said to him, By Allah, I conjure thee, and by the Object of thy worship, if I ask thee concerning a thing, tell me, wilt thou inform me thereof truly, and reply to my question? So he answered her, being in a state of intoxication, Yes, O my mistress. And she said to him, O my master, and light of mine eye, when thou awokest from thy sleep, and foundest me not, thou searchedst for me, and earnest to me in the garden, and sawest the black bird. Now I will acquaint thee with the truth of the case of this bird. He was one of my guards, and I loved him greatly; but he cast his eye one day upon one of my servants; so jealousy came upon me, and I transformed him by enchantment into a black bird. And as to the girl, I killed her. But now I cannot bear to be absent from him one hour; and whenever I desire to visit him, I transform myself by enchantment into a bird, and go to him. Art thou not on this account incensed against me, although I, by the fire and the light and the shade and the heat, have increased in love for thee, and made thee my worldly portion?—So he said, being intoxicated, Verily what thou hast understood, as to my anger being on that account, is true; and there is no cause for my anger except that. And she kissed him, after which he slept. And when it was midnight, she rose; and the King Bedr Basim was awake; but he pretended he was asleep, and kept stealing looks, and observing what she did; and he found that she had taken forth, from a red bag, something red, which she planted in the midst of the palace; and, lo, it became a stream running like a large river. She then took a handful of barley, scattered it upon the dust, and watered it with this water; whereupon it became eared corn: and she took it and ground it into fine flour, after which she put it in a place, and returned and slept until the morning.

  So when the morning came, the King Bedr Basim arose, and, having washed his face, asked permission of the Queen to go to the sheykh; and she gave him permission. He therefore repaired to the sheykh, and acquainted him with that which she had done, and what he had beheld; and when the sheykh heard his words, he laughed, and said, By Allah, this infidel enchantress hath formed a mischievous scheme against thee; but never care thou for her. He then produced to him as much as a pound of sawik,13 and said to him, Take this with thee, and know that when she seeth it she will say to thee, What is this, and what wilt thou do with it? Answer her, A superfluity of good things is good:—and do thou eat of it. And when she produceth her sawik, and saith to thee, Eat of this sawik—pretend to her that thou eatest of it, but eat of this, and beware of eating aught of her sawik, even one grain; for if thou eat of it even one grain, her enchantment will have power over thee, and she will enchant thee, saying to thee, Quit this human form. So thou wilt quit thy form, and assume whatsoever form she desireth. But if thou eat not of it, her enchantment will be frustrated, and no harm will result to thee from it; wherefore she will become in a state of the utmost abashment, and will say to thee, I am only jesting with thee. And she will make profession of love and affection to thee; but all that will be hypocrisy and artifice in her. Do thou, however, make a show of love to her, and say to her, O my mistress, and light of mine eye, eat of this sawik, and see how delicious it is. And when she hath eaten of it, if only one grain, take some water in thy hand, and throw it in her face, and say to her, Quit this human form—and tell her to assume whatsoever form thou desirest. Thereupon, leave her, and come to me, that I may contrive for thee a mode of proceeding.

  Bedr Basim then bade him farewell, and pursued his way until he went up into the palace and entered into her presence; and when she saw him, she said to him, A friendly and free and an ample welcome! She rose to him and kissed him, and said to him, Thou hast wearied me by thy delay, O my master. He replied, I was with my uncle. And he saw with her some sawik, and said to her, And my uncle hath given me to eat of this sawik, and we have sawik better than it. Then she put his sawik into a dish, and hers into another, and said to him, Eat of this, for it is nicer than thy sawik. So he pretended to her that he ate of it; and when she believed that he had eaten of it, she took in her hand some water, and sprinkled him with it, and said to him, Quit this form, O young wretch, O villain, and assume the form of a one-eyed mule of hideous appearance! But he changed not. So when she saw him in his proper state, unchanged, she rose to him, and kissed him between the eyes, and said to him, O my beloved, I was only jesting with thee; therefore be not changed in mind toward me on that account. And he replied, By Allah, my mistress, I am not at all changed toward thee; but am convinced that thou lovest me; eat then of this my sawik. She therefore took a morsel of it, and ate it; and when it had settled in her stomach, she was agitated; and the King Bedr Basim, having taken some water in his hand, sprinkled her with it upon her face, saying to her, Quit this human form, and assume the form of a dapple mule. And she saw not herself save in that form; whereupon her tears began to run down upon her cheeks, and she rubbed her cheeks upon his feet. He then betook himself to bridle her; but she allowed not the bridle to be put. He therefore left her, and repaired to the sheykh, and acquainted him with what had happened; upon which the sheykh rose and produced to him a bridle, and said to him, Take this bridle, and bridle her with it. So he took it and went to her; and when she saw him, she advanced to him, and he put the bit in her mouth, and, having mounted her, went forth from the palace, and repaired to the sheykh ‘Abd-Allah, who, on seeing her, rose t
o her, and said to her, May God (whose name be exalted!) abase thee by affliction, O accursed woman! Then the sheykh said to Bedr Basim, O my son, thou hast no longer an abode in this city; so proceed to whatsoever place thou wilt, and beware of giving up the bridle to anyone. The King Bedr Basim therefore thanked him, and bade him farewell, and departed.

  He ceased not in his journey for three days; after which he came in sight of a city, and there met him a sheykh, of comely hoariness, who said to him, O my son, whence art thou come? He answered, From the city of this enchantress. The sheykh then said to him, Thou art my guest this night. And he consented, and proceeded with him along the way. And, lo, there was an old woman, who, when she saw the mule, wept, and said, There is no deity but God! Verily this mule resembleth the mule of my son, which hath died, and my heart is troubled for her. I conjure thee by Allah, then, O my master, that thou sell her to me.—He replied, By Allah, O my mother, I cannot sell her. But she rejoined, I conjure thee by Allah that thou reject not my petition; for my son, if I buy not for him this mule, will inevitably die. Then she urged her request in many words; whereupon he said, I will not sell her but for a thousand pieces of gold. And Bedr Basim said within himself, How can this old woman procure a thousand pieces of gold? But upon this she took forth from her girdle a thousand pieces of gold. So when the King Bedr Basim saw this, he said to her, O my mother, I am only jesting with thee, and I cannot sell her. The sheykh, however, looked at him and said to him, O my son, no one may utter a falsehood in this city; for everyone who uttereth a falsehood in this city they slay. The King Bedr Basim therefore alighted from the mule, and delivered her to the old woman; and she drew forth the bit from her mouth, and, having taken some water in her hand, sprinkled her with it, and said, O my daughter, quit this form, and return to the form in which thou wast! And she was transformed immediately, and returned to her first shape; and each of the two women approached the other, and they embraced each other.