‘But ye,’ said the black king, ‘who and what are ye and what brings you to this land?’ Quoth Mousa, ‘We are officers of the sovereign of Islam, the Commander of the Faithful Abdulmelik ben Merwan, who hath heard tell of the lord Solomon, son of David (on whom be peace), and of that which God the Most High bestowed upon him of supreme dominion, how he held sway over Jinn and beasts and birds and was wont, whenas he was wroth with one of the Marids, to shut him in a vessel of brass and stopping its mouth on him with lead, whereon he impressed his seal, to cast him into the sea of Kerker. Now we have heard tell that this sea is in your country; so the Commander of the Faithful hath sent us hither, to fetch him some of these vessels, that he may look thereon and divert himself with their sight. This, then, is our case and what we seek of thee, O King, and we desire that thou further us in the accomplishment of our errand for the Commander of the Faithful.’ ‘With all my heart,’ replied the black king and carrying them to the guest-house, entreated them with the utmost honour and furnished them with all they needed, feeding them upon fish.
They abode thus three days, at the end of which time he bade his divers fetch some of the vessels of Solomon from out the sea. So they dived and brought up twelve vessels, whereat the Amir and his company rejoiced in the accomplishment of the Khalif’s need. Then Mousa gave the King of the blacks many and great gifts, and he in turn made him a present of wonders of the deep, being fish in human form, saying, ‘Your entertainment these three days has been of these fish.’ Quoth the Amir, ‘Needs must we carry some of these to the Khalif, for they will please him more than the vessels of Solomon.’
Then they took leave of the black king and setting out on their homeward journey, travelled till they came to Damascus, when Mousa went in to the Commander of the Faithful and told him all that they had seen and heard, together with the manner of the death of Talib ben Sehl; and the Khalif said, ‘Would I had been with you, that I might have seen what you saw!’ Then he took the brazen vessels and opened them, one after another, whereupon the devils came forth of them, saying, ‘We repent, O prophet of God! Never again will we return to the like of this thing.’ And the Khalif marvelled at this, saying, ‘Never gave God unto any man the like of that which He bestowed upon Solomon, son of David!’ As for the mermaids, they made them tanks of wood, full of water, and laid them therein; but they died of the great heat.
Then the Khalif divided the spoils of the Brazen City among the faithful, and the Amir Mousa sought leave of him to appoint his son governor of Africa in his stead, that he might betake himself to the holy city of Jerusalem, there to worship God. So the Commander of the Faithful invested Haroun with the government and Mousa repaired to Jerusalem, where he died. This, then, is all that hath come down to us of the story of the City of Brass, and God [alone] is All-knowing!
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
THE MALICE OF WOMEN.
There was once, of old days and in bygone ages and times, a rich and powerful king, who ruled over many men of war and vassals, and he had grown old without being blessed with a son. At last, when he began to despair of male issue, he sought the intercession of the Prophet (whom God bless and preserve!) with the Most High and implored Him, by the glory of His saints and prophets and martyrs and others of the Faithful that were dear to Him, to grant him a son, to be the solace of his eyes and inherit the kingdom after him. Then he rose forthright and withdrawing to his sitting-chamber, sent for the daughter of his uncle and lay with her. By God’s grace, she conceived by him, and when the months of her pregnancy were accomplished, she bore a male child, whose face was as the round of the moon on its fourteenth night. When the boy reached the age of five, he was committed to the charge of a sage of the sages, a very learned man, by name Es Sindibad, who taught him science and polite letters, till, by the time he was ten years old, there was none of his time could vie with him in knowledge and good breeding and understanding. Then his father delivered him to a company of Arabian cavaliers, who instructed him in horsemanship and martial exercises, till he became proficient therein and came and went in the listed field and excelled all his peers and all the folk of his day.
One day, his governor, being engaged in observing the stars, drew the youth’s horoscope and discovered that, if he spoke one word during the seven following days, he would be a dead man. So he went in straightway to the old King and informed him of this, and he said, ‘What shall we do, O sage?’ ‘O King,’ answered the other, ‘it is my counsel that he be kept in a place of pleasance, where he may divert himself with hearing music, until the seven days be past.’ So the King sent for the fairest of his favourites and committed the prince to her, saying, ‘Take thy lord into the palace with thee and let him not leave thee till after seven days.’ The damsel accordingly took the prince by the hand and carried him to the palace in question, which was compassed about by a running stream, whose banks were planted with all manner fruit-trees and sweet-scented flowers. Moreover, in this palace were forty apartments and in every apartment ten slave-girls, each skilled in some instrument of music, so that, when she played, the palace danced to her melodious strains; and here the prince passed one night.
Now he was handsome and graceful beyond description, and when the King’s favourite looked at him, love gat hold upon her heart and she was ravished with him. So she went up to him and offered herself to him, but he made her no answer; whereupon, being confounded by his beauty, she cried out to him and required him of himself and importuned him. Moreover, she threw herself upon him and strained him to her bosom, kissing him and saying, ‘O king’s son, grant me thy favours and I will set thee in thy father’s stead; yea, I will give him to drink of poison, so he may die and thou enjoy his wealth and kingship.’ When the prince heard this, he was sore enraged against her and said to her [by signs], ‘O accursed one, so it please God the Most High, I will assuredly requite thee this thy deed, whenas I can speak; for I will go out to my father and tell him, and he will kill thee.’ So saying, he arose, in a rage, and went out from her; whereat she feared for herself. So she buffeted her face and rent her clothes and tore her hair and uncovered her head, then went in to the King and threw herself at his feet, weeping and lamenting. When he saw her in this plight, he was sore concerned and said to her, ‘What ails thee, O damsel? How is it with thy lord [my son]? Is he not well?’ ‘O King,’ answered she, ‘this thy son, whom thy counsellors avouch to be dumb, required me of myself and I repelled him, whereupon he did with me as thou seest and would have slain me; so I fled from him, nor will I ever again return to him nor to the palace.’
When the King heard this, he was beyond measure wroth and calling his Viziers, bade them put the prince to death. However, they said to each other, ‘If we do the King’s commandment, he will surely repent of having ordered his son’s death, for he is passing dear to him and came to him after he had despaired of an heir; and he will turn on us and blame us, saying, “Why did ye not dissuade me from slaying my son?”’ So they took counsel together, to turn him from his purpose, and the chief Vizier said, ‘I will warrant you from his mischief this day.’ Then he went in to the King and prostrating himself before him, craved leave to speak. The King gave him leave, and he said, ‘O King, though thou hadst a thousand sons, yet were it no light matter to thee to put one of them to death, on the report of a woman, speak she truth or falsehood; and belike this is a lie and a trick of her against thy son; for indeed, O King, I have heard tell great plenty of stories of the craft and perfidy of women.’ Quoth the King, ‘Tell me somewhat of that which hath come to thy knowledge thereof.’ And the Vizier answered, saying, ‘It hath reached me, O King, that
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
The King and His Vizier’s Wife.
There was once a king, who was given to the love of women, and one day, being alone in his palace, he espied a beautiful woman on the roof of her house and could not contain himself from falling in love with her. He asked [his s
ervants] to whom the house belonged and they said, “To thy vizier such an one.” So he called the vizier in question and despatched him on an errand to a distant part of the kingdom; then, as soon as he was gone, he made an excuse to gain access to his house. When the vizier’s wife saw him, she knew him and springing up, kissed his hands and feet and welcomed him. Then she stood afar off busying herself in his service, and said to him “O our lord, what is the cause of thy gracious visit? Such an honour is not for the like of me.” Quoth he, “Love of thee and desire to thee hath moved me to this.” Whereupon she kissed the earth before him a second time and said, “O our lord, indeed I am not worthy to be the handmaid of one of the king’s servants; whence then have I the great good fortune to be in such favour with thee?” Then the king put out his hand to her, but she said. “This thing shall not escape us; but take patience, O king, and abide with me all this day, that I may make ready for thee somewhat of victual.” So the king sat down on his vizier’s couch and the lady brought him a book wherein he might read, whilst she made ready the food. He took the book and beginning to read, found therein moral instances and exhortations, such as restrained him from adultery and broke his intent to commit sin.
After awhile, she returned and set before him a collation of ninety dishes of different kinds and colours, and he ate a spoonful of each and found that the taste of them was one. At this, he marvelled exceedingly and said to the lady, “O damsel, I see these meats to be many [and various of hue], but the taste of them is one.” “God prosper the king!” replied she. “This is a parable I have set for thee, that thou mayst be admonished thereby.” “And what is its meaning?” asked he. “May God amend the case of our lord the king!” answered she. “In thy palace are ninety concubines of various colours, but their taste is one.” When the king heard this, he was ashamed and rising hastily, went out and returned to his palace, without offering her any affront; but, in his haste and confusion, he forgot his signet-ring and left it under the cushion where he had been sitting.
Presently the vizier returned and presenting himself before the king, kissed the earth and made his report to him of the state of the province in question. Then he repaired to his own house and sat down on his couch, and chancing to put his hand under the cushion, found the king’s seal-ring. So he looked at it and knew it and taking the matter to heart, held aloof from his wife nor spoke with her for a whole year, while she knew not the reason of his anger. At last, being weary of estrangement, she sent for her father and told him the case, whereupon quoth he, “I will complain of him to the king, some day when he is in presence.”
So, one day, he went in to the king and finding the vizier and the cadi of the army before him, made his complaint in the following words. “May God the Most High amend the king’s case! I had a fair garden, which I planted with my own hand and spent my substance thereon, till it bore fruit and its fruit was ripe, when I gave it to this thy vizier, who ate of it what seemed good to him, then forsook it and watered it not, so that its flowers withered and its beauty departed and it became waste.” Then said the vizier, “O king, what this man says is true. I did indeed care for the garden and ate thereof, till, one day, going thither, I saw the track of the lion there, wherefore I feared him and withdrew from the garden.” The king understood the parable and knew that, by the track of the lion, he meant his own seal-ring, which he had forgotten in his house; so he said, “Return to thy garden, O vizier, and fear nothing, for the lion came not near it. It hath been told me that he went thither, but by the honour of my fathers and forefathers, he offered it no hurt.” “I hear and obey,” answered the vizier, and returning home, made his peace with his wife and thenceforth put faith in her chastity.
And I have heard also, O King,’ continued the Vizier, ‘that
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
The Merchant’s Wife and the Parrot.
There was once a merchant who travelled much, and had a fair wife, whom he loved, and was jealous over her, by reason of the greatness of his love. So he bought her for a hundred dinars a green parrot, which talked like a man and used to tell him all that passed in his absence. Whilst he was abroad on one of his voyages, his wife fell in love with a young Turk, who used to visit her, and she entertained him and lay with him whilst her husband was away. When the latter returned, the parrot told him what had happened, whereat he was sore enraged and offered to kill his wife; but she said, “O man, fear God and return to thy wits. How can a bird have sense or understanding? If thou wilt that I make this manifest to thee, so thou mayst know its truth from its leasing, go this night and lie with one of thy friends, and in the morning come back and question the parrot [of what passed during the night,] and thou wilt see if it speak truth or not.”
The husband accordingly went forth and passed the night with one of his friends, whilst, as soon as it was dark, the wife covered the parrot’s cage with a piece of leather and fell to sprinkling water on it from above. Moreover, she fanned it sharply with a fan and flashed light on it from the lantern, as it were the glancing lightning, grinding the while at the hand-mill. Thus she did, without ceasing, till daybreak; and the parrot thought that the sprinkling of the water on its cage was rain and the fanning a stormy wind and the flashing of the lantern lightning and the noise of the hand-mill thunder. When her husband returned, she bade him question the parrot; so he went up to the cage and began to talk with the bird and question it of the past night. Quoth it, “O my lord, who could see or hear aught last night?” “And why so?” asked he. “Because,” replied it, “of the much rain and wind and thunder and lightning.” “Thou liest,” said the merchant. “There was nothing of all this last night.” Quoth the bird, “I tell thee but what I saw and heard.” Then was he certified that the parrot had lied in all it had told him of his wife and would have made his peace with the latter; but she said, “By Allah, I will not be friends with thee, till thou kill this parrot that lied to thee of me.” So he rose and killed the parrot; but, a few days after, he saw the young Turk come forth of his house and knew that the parrot had spoken the truth and repented of having slain it. Then he went in at once to his wife and cut her throat and casting her into the river, vowed never to take another wife. This,’ said the Vizier, ‘I tell thee, O King, that thou mayst know how great is the craft of women and that haste begetteth repentance.’
So the King turned from putting his son to death, but, next day, the favourite came in to him and kissing the ground before him, said, ‘O King, why dost thou delay to do me justice? Indeed, the kings have heard that thou commandest a thing and thy Vizier countermandeth it. Now the obedience of kings is in the fulfilment of their commandments, and every one knows thy justice and equity: so do thou me justice on thy son. I have heard tell that
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
The Fuller and His Son.
There was once a fuller, who used every day to go forth to the bank of the Tigris, to clean clothes; and his son was wont to go with him and swim about in the river, whilst his father was fulling, nor did the latter forbid him from this. One day, as the boy was swimming, he was taken with cramp in the arms and sank, whereupon the fuller plunged into the water and caught hold of him; but the boy clung about him and pulled him down and so father and son were both drowned. Thus is it with thee, O King. Except thou prevent thy son and do me justice on him, I fear lest both of you sink together, thou and he. Moreover,’ continued she, ‘for an instance of the malice of men, I have heard tell that
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
The Lover’s Trick Against the Chaste Wife.
A certain man loved a beautiful and graceful woman, married to a man whom she loved and who loved her. Moreover, she was chaste and virtuous, like unto me, and her lover found no way to her; so, when his patience was at an end, he bethought him of a device to get his will. Now the husband had a young man, whom he had brought up in his house and who was in high trust with him
. So the lover addressed himself to the youth and insinuated himself into his favour by presents and fair words, till he became more obedient to him than the hand to the mouth and did whatever he bade him. One day, he said to him, “Harkye, such an one; wilt thou not bring me into thy dwelling some time when thy lady is gone out?” “Yes,” answered the steward; so, when his master was at the shop and his mistress gone forth to the bath, he took his friend and bringing him into the house, showed him all that was therein.
Now the lover was minded to play a trick upon the lady; so he took white of egg, that he had brought with him in a vessel, and sprinkled it on the merchant’s bed, unseen of the young man, after which he left the house and went his way. Presently, the merchant came home and going to the bed, to rest himself, found thereon something wet. So he took it up in his hand and looked at it and deemed it human sperm; whereat he looked at the young man with angry eyes and said to him, “Where is thy mistress?” “She is gone forth to the bath and will return forthright,” replied he. When the man heard this, his suspicion was confirmed and he said, “Go and bring her back at once.” The steward accordingly fetched her and when she came before her husband, the latter sprang upon her and beat her grievously, then, binding her hands behind her, offered to kill her; but she cried out to the neighbours, who came to her, and she said to them, “My husband has beaten me without cause and is minded to kill me, though I know not what I have done.” So they said to him, “Why hast thou dealt thus by her?” And he answered, saying, “She is divorced.” Said they, “Thou hast no right to maltreat her; either divorce her or use her kindly, for we know her chastity. Indeed, she hath been our neighbour this long time and we know no evil of her.” Quoth he, “When I came home, I found on my bed human sperm, and I know not the meaning of this.” Upon this, one of those present came forward and said, “Show it to me.” When he saw it, he smelt it and calling for fire and a frying-pan, fried the white of egg. Then he made the husband and the others taste of it, and they were certified that it was white of egg. So the husband was convinced of his wife’s innocence and the neighbours made peace between them; and so the lover’s wicked trick came to nought. And know, O King, that this is an instance of the malice of men and their perfidy.’
One Thousand and One Nights Page 332