One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  “I feared,” he answered, “but love hath captive ta’en My soul and spirit and will not set me free.”

  We clipped with kisses and clung together awhile; For here was safety; nor guards nor spies feared we;

  Then rose, undoubting, and shook out skirts, wherein Nowise uncleanness nor aught impure might be.

  Quoth she, ‘Is it indeed true that I see thee in my abode and that thou art my house-mate and my cup- companion?’ Then passion redoubled on her and love was heavy upon her, so that her reason well-nigh fled for joy and she recited the following verses:

  With all my soul I’ll ransom him who came to me by night In darkness, whilst I waited for the tryst between us plight;

  And nought aroused me but his voice lamenting soft and low; And I, “Fair welcome, O my love, to joyance and delight!”

  A thousand times his cheek I kissed and yet a thousand times I clipped him close in my embrace, where he was veiled from sight.

  Quoth I, “At last have I attained to that I wearied for; So to praise God for this His grace is only due and right.”

  And then the goodliest of nights we passed, even as we would, Until the curtains of the dark were drawn by morning light.

  When it was day, she made him enter a place of concealment in her apartment and he abode there till night- fall, when she brought him out and they sat carousing. Presently, he said to her, “I wish to return to my own country and tell my father what has passed between us, that he may send his Vizier to demand thee in marriage of thy father.’ ‘O my love,’ answered she, ‘I fear, if thou return to thy country and kingdom, thou wilt be distracted from me and forget the love of me or that thy father will not fall in with thy wishes, and I shall die. Meseems the better counsel were that thou abide with me and in my

  hand, I looking on thy face and thou on mine, till I devise some plan, whereby we may escape together some night and flee to thy country; for my hopes are cut off from my people and I despair of them.’ ‘I hear and obey’ replied he, and they fell again to their carousal.

  He abode with her thus for some time, till, one night, the wine was pleasant to them and they lay not down to sleep till break of day. Now it chanced that one of the Kings sent her father a present, and amongst other things, a necklace of unique jewels, nine-and-twenty in number, to whose price a king’s treasures might not suffice. Quoth Abdulcadir, ‘This beseemeth none but my daughter Heyat en Nufous,’ and calling an eunuch whose jaw-teeth the princess had knocked out, bade him carry the necklace to her and say to her, ‘One of the kings hath sent thy father this as a presents and its price may not be paid with money; put it on thy neck.’ The slave took the necklace, saying in himself, ‘God make it the last thing she shall put on in this world, for that she deprived me of the use of my teeth!’ and repairing to the princess’s apartment found the door locked and the old woman asleep before it. He shook her, and she awoke in affright and said, ‘What dost thou want?’ Quoth he, ‘The King hath sent me on an errand to his daughter.’ ‘The key is not here,’ answered the old woman. ‘Go away, whilst I fetch it.’ But he said, ‘I cannot go back to the King, without having done his commandment.’ So she went away, as if to fetch the key; but fear overtook her and she sought safety in flight.

  The eunuch awaited her awhile; then, finding she did not return, he feared that the King would be angry at his delay; so he shook the door, whereupon the bolt gave way and the door opened. He entered and passed on, till he came to the seventh door, [which was that of the princess’s chamber], and going in, found the place splendidly furnished and saw candles and flagons there. At this he marvelled and going up to the bed, which was enclosed with a curtain of silk, embroidered with a network of jewels, drew back the curtain and saw the princess asleep in the arms of a young man handsomer than herself; whereat he magnified God the Most High, who had created him of vile water, and said, ‘This is a goodly fashion for one who hath an aversion to men! How came she by this fellow? Methinks it was on his account that she knocked out my teeth!’ Then he dropped the curtain and made for the door; but the princess awoke in affright and seeing the eunuch, whose name was Kafour, called to him. He made her no answer: so she came down from the bed and catching hold of his skirt, laid it on her head and kissed his feet, saying, ‘Cover what God covers!’ Quoth he, ‘May Allah not cover thee nor him who would cover thee! Thou didst knock out my teeth and saidst to me, “Let none make mention to me of men and their ways!”’ So saying, he disengaged himself from her grasp and running out, locked the door on them and set another eunuch to guard it.

  Then he went in to the King, who said to him, ‘Hast thou given the necklace to Heyat en Nufous?’ ‘By Allah,’ replied the eunuch, ‘she deserves more than that!’ And the King said, ‘What hath happened? Tell me quickly.’ ‘I will not tell thee, save in private,’ answered Kafour; but the King rejoined, saying, ‘Tell me at once and in public.’ ‘Then grant me immunity,’ said the eunuch. So the King threw him the handkerchief of immunity and he said, ‘O King, I went in to the princess Heyat en Nufous and found her asleep in a carpeted chamber, in the arms of a young man. So I locked the door on them and came back to thee.’ When the King heard this, he started up and taking a sword in his hand, cried out to the chief of the eunuchs, saying, ‘Take thy lads and go the princess’s chamber and bring me her and him who if with her, as they lie on the bed, coverings and all.’ So the chief eunuch and his men repaired to the princess’s apartment, where he found her and the prince standing up, dissolved in tears, and said to them, ‘Lie down on the bed, as you were.’ The princess feared for her lover and said to him, ‘This is no time for resistance.’ So they both lay down and the eunuchs covered them up and carried them into the King’s presence.

  Abdulcadir pulled off the coverings and the princess sprang to her feet; whereupon he looked at her and would have struck off her head; but the prince threw himself between them, saying, ‘The fault was mine, not hers: kill me before her.’ The King made at him, to kill him, but Heyat en Nufous threw herself on her father and said, ‘Kill me and not him; for he is the son of a great King, lord of all the land in its length and breadth.’ When the King heard this, he turned to his chief Vizier, who was a compend of all that is evil, and said to him, ‘What sayst thou of this matter, O Vizier?’ Quoth the Vizier, ‘What I say is that all who find themselves in such case as this have need of lying, and there is nothing for it but to cut off both their heads, after torturing them with all manner of tortures.’ With this the King called the swordsman of his vengeance, who came with his lads, and said to him, ‘Take this gallows-bird and strike off his head and after do the like with this harlot and burn their bodies, and consult me not again about them.’ So the headsman put his hand to her back, to take her; but the King cried out at him and cast at him somewhat he had in his hand, which had well-nigh killed him, saying, ‘O dog, wilt thou show clemency to those with whom I am wroth? Put thy hand to her hair and drag her along by it, so that she may fall on her face.’ So he haled the two lovers by their hair to the place of blood, where he tore off a piece of his skirt and bound the prince’s eyes therewith, putting the princess last, in the hope that some one would intercede for her. Then he swung his sword three times, whilst all the troops wept and prayed God to send them deliverance and raised his hand to cut off Ardeshir’s head, when, behold, there arose a cloud of dust, that spread till it covered the landscape.

  When King Abdulcadir saw this, he said, ‘O folk, what is the meaning of yonder dust that obscures the sight?’ The Grand Vizier went out to reconnoitre and found behind the cloud men like locusts, beyond count or limit, tilling the hills and plains and valleys. So he returned and told the King, who said to him, ‘Go down and learn who they are and who is their commander and salute him for me and ask him the reason of his coming. If he come in quest of aught we will aid him to his desire, and if he have a feud with one of the kings, we will ride with him; or, if he desire a gift, we will handsel him; for this is indeed a mighty host and a vas
t power and we fear for our land from its mischief.’ Accordingly, the Vizier went forth and walked among the tents and guards and troopers and fared on from the first of the day till near sundown, when he came to tents studded with stars and guards with gilded swords. Passing these, he made his way, through Amirs and Viziers and captains and chamberlains, to the pavilion of the Sultan and found him a mighty King. When the King’s officers saw him, they cried out to him, saying, ‘Kiss the earth! Kiss the earth!’ He did so and would have risen, but they cried out at him a second and a third time. So he kissed the earth again and again and raised his head and would have stood up but fell down for excess of awe. When at last he stood before the King, he said to him, ‘O august King, may God prolong thy days and increase thy sovranty and exalt thy rank! King Abdulcadir salutes thee and kisses the earth before thee and asks on what weighty business thou art come. If thou seek to avenge thee on any king, he will take horse in thy service; or, if thou come in quest of aught wherein it is in his power to help thee, he is at thy service on account thereof.’ Now this was Ardeshir’s father, who, hearing no news of his son, had levied a mighty army and himself set out in quest of him. So he replied to the Vizier, saying, ‘O messenger, return to thy lord and tell him that the most mighty King [Seif el Aazem Shah, King of Shiraz] had a son, who has been long absent from him and news of him have been cut off from him, nor knoweth he what is become of him. If he be in this city, he will take him and depart from you; but, if any mischief have befallen him among you, his father will lay waste your land and slay your men and make spoil of your goods and your women. Return, therefore, in haste, to thy lord and tell him this, ere evil befall him.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered the Vizier and turned to go away, when the chamberlain cried out to him, saying, ‘Kiss the earth! Kiss the earth!’ So he kissed the earth a score of times and rose not till his heart was in his mouth.

  Then he returned to the city, full of anxious thought concerning the affair of this King and the multitude of his troops, and going in to King Abdulcadir, pale with fear and trembling in every limb, acquainted him with that which he had seen and heard; whereat disquietude and fear for his people laid hold upon him and he said to the Vizier, ‘O Vizier, and who is this King’s son?’ ‘It is even he whom thou badest put to death,’ answered the Vizier; ‘but praised be God who hastened not his slaughter! Else had his father laid waste our lands and spoiled our goods.’ ‘See now,’ quoth the King, ‘thy corrupt judgment, in that thou didst counsel us to kill him! Where is the young man, the son of yonder magnanimous king?’ ‘O mighty King,’ answered the Vizier, ‘thou didst command him to be put to death.’ When the King heard this, he was distracted and cried out in a terrible voice, saying, ‘Out on you! Fetch me the headsman forthright, lest death fall on him!’ So they fetched the headsman and he said, ‘O King of the age, I have smitten off his head even as thou badest me.’ ‘O dog,’ cried Abdulcadir, ‘if this be true, I will assuredly send thee after him.’ Quoth the headsman, ‘O King, thou didst command me to slay him without again consulting thee.’ ‘I was in my anger,’ replied the King; ‘but speak the truth, ere thou lose thy life.’ And he said, ‘O King, he is yet in the chains of life.’

  At this Abdulcadir rejoiced and his heart was set at ease; then he called for Ardeshir, and when he came, he stood up to receive him and kissed his mouth, saying, ‘O my son, I ask pardon of God for the wrong I have done thee, and say thou not aught that may lower my credit with thy father, the Supreme King.’ ‘O King of the age,’ said the prince, ‘and where is my father?’ ‘He is come hither on thine account,’ replied Abdulcadir; and Ardeshir said, ‘By thy worship, I will not stir from before thee till I have cleared my honour and that of thy daughter from that which thou laidst to our charge; for she is a clean maid. Send for the midwives and let them examine her before thee. If they find her maidenhead gone, I give thee leave to shed my blood; and if they find her a pure virgin, her innocence and mine will be made manifest.’ So he summoned the midwives, who examined the princess and found her a clean maid and told the King, seeking largesse of him. He gave them what they sought, putting off his royal robes to bestow on them, and in like manner he made presents to all who were in the harem. And they brought forth the casting-bottles and perfumed all the officers of state and grandees; and they all rejoiced with an exceeding joy.

  Then the King embraced Ardeshir and entreated him with all honour and consideration, bidding his chief eunuchs carry him to the bath. When he came out, he cast over his shoulders a costly robe and set on his head a diadem of jewels. Moreover, he girt him with a sash of silk embroidered with red gold and set with pearls and jewels, and mounted him on one of his finest horses, with trappings of gold inlaid with pearls and jewels. Then he bade his grandees and captains mount and escort him to his father’s presence and charged him tell the latter that King Abdulcadir was at his disposal, hearkening to his word and obeying him in whatsoever he should command or forbid. ‘I will not fail of this,’ answered Ardeshir and repaired to his father, who was transported for joy at sight of him and springing up, advanced to meet him and embraced him, whilst joy and gladness spread among his troops. Then came the viziers and chamberlains and captains and kissed the earth before the prince and rejoiced in his coming: and it was a great day with them for joy. Moreover, the prince gave leave to those of King Abdulcadir’s officers who had accompanied him and others of the townsfolk, to view the ordinance of his father’s host, without let or hindrance, so they might know the multitude of the Great King’s troops and the might of his empire. And all who had seen him selling stuffs in the bazaar marvelled how his soul could have consented thereto, considering the nobility of his rank and the loftiness of his dignity; but it was his love and inclination to the princess that constrained him to this.

  Meanwhile, news of the multitude of his troops came to Heyat en Nufous, who was still a prisoner under commandment, till they knew what her father should order respecting her, whether pardon and release or death and burning; and she looked down from the top of the palace and turning towards the mountains, saw the whole plain filled with armed men. When she beheld all these troops and knew that they were the army of Ardeshir’s father, she feared lest he should be diverted from her by his father and forget her and depart from her, whereupon her father would put her to death. So she called a maid that was with her in her apartment, by way of service, and said to her, ‘Go to Ardeshir, son of the Great King, and fear not. When thou comest into his presence, kiss the earth before him and tell him who thou art and say to him, “My lady salutes thee and would have thee to know that she is a prisoner in her father’s palace, awaiting his sentence, whether he be minded to pardon her or kill her, and she beseecheth thee not to forget her or forsake her; for to-day thou art all-powerful; and whatsoever thou commandest none dare cross thee therein. Wherefore, if it seem good to thee to rescue her from her father and take her with thee, it were of thy bounty, for indeed she suffereth all these tribulations on thine account. But if this seem not good to thee, for that thy desire of her is at an end, speak to thy father, so haply he may intercede for her with her father and depart not, till he have made him set her at liberty and taken surety from him that he will not go about to put her to death nor do her any hurt. This is her last word to thee, may God not bereave [her] of thee, and peace be on thee!”’

  The maid made her way to Ardeshir and delivered him her mistress’s message, which when he heard, he wept sore and said to her, ‘Know that Heyat en Nufous is my mistress and that I am her slave and the captive of her love. I have not forgotten what was between us nor the bitterness of the day of separation; so do thou say to her, after thou hast kissed her feet, that I will speak with my father of her, and he will send his Vizier, who sought her aforetime in marriage for me, to demand her hand once more of her father, for he dare not refuse. So, if he send to her to consult her, let her make no opposition; for I will not return to my country without her.’ So the maid returned to Heyat en Nufous and kissing he
r hands, delivered to her the prince’s message, which when she heard, she wept for very joy and returned thanks to God the Most High.

  Meanwhile, Ardeshir being alone with his father by night, the latter questioned him of his case and he told him all that had befallen him, first and last; whereupon quoth the King, ‘What wilt thou have me do for thee, O my son? If thou desire Abdulcadir’s ruin, I will lay waste his lands and spoil his treasures and dishonour his family.’ ‘O my father,’ replied Ardeshir, ‘I do not desire that, for he hath done nothing deserving thereof; but I wish for union with the princess; wherefore I beseech thee of thy favour to make ready a present for her father, (but let it be a magnificent one,) and send it to him by thy Vizier, the man of just judgment.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered the King and sending for the treasures he had laid up from time past, chose out all manner of precious things and showed them to his son, who was pleased with them. Then he called his Vizier and bade him carry the present to King Abdulcadir and demand his daughter in marriage for Ardeshir, saying, ‘Accept the present and return him an answer.’

  Now from the time of Ardeshir’s departure, King Abdulcadir had been troubled and heavy at heart, fearing the laying waste of his kingdom and the spoiling of his realm; so, when the Vizier came in to him and saluting him, kissed the earth before him, he rose to his feet and received him with honour; but the Vizier made haste to fall at his feet and kiss them, saying, ‘Pardon, O King of the age! The like of thee should not rise to the like of me, for I am the least of slaves’ servants. Know, O King, that Prince Ardeshir hath acquainted his father with some of the favours and kindnesses thou hast done him, wherefore he thanks thee and sends thee, by thy servant who stands before thee, a present, saluting thee and wishing thee all manner of prosperities.’ Abdulcadir, of the excess of his fear, could not believe what he heard, till the Vizier laid the present before him, when he saw it to be such as no money could purchase nor could one of the kings of the earth avail to the like thereof; wherefore he was belittled in his own eyes and springing to his feet, praised God the Most High and glorified Him and thanked the prince.