One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  Cleave fast to her thou lov’st and let the envious rail amain; For calumny and envy ne’er to favour love were fain.

  Lo, the Compassionate hath made no fairer thing to see Than when one couch in its embrace enfolders lovers twain,

  Each to the other’s bosom clasped, clad in their own delight, Whilst hand with hand and arm with arm about their necks enchain.

  Lo, when two hearts are straitly knit in passion and desire, But on cold iron smite the folk that chide at them in vain.

  Thou that for loving censurest the votaries of love, Canst thou assain a mind diseased or heal a cankered brain?

  If in thy time thou find but one to love thee and be true, I rede thee cast the world away and with that one remain.

  When the morning appeared and gave forth its light and shone, Noureddin awoke from sleep and found that she had brought water: so they washed, he and she, and he acquitted that which behoved him of prayer to his Lord, after which she brought him meat and drink, and he ate and drank. Then she put her hand under her pillow and pulling out the girdle, gave it to Noureddin, who said, ‘Whence cometh this girdle?’ ‘O my lord,’ answered she, ‘it is the silk thou boughtest yesterday for twenty dirhems. Rise now and go to the Persian bazaar and give it to the broker, to cry for sale, and sell it not for less than twenty dinars, money down.’ ‘O princess of fair ones,’ said Noureddin, ‘how can a thing, that cost twenty dirhems and will sell for as many dinars, be made in a single night?’ ‘O my lord,’ replied she, ‘thou knowest not its value; but go to the market and give it to the broker, and when he cries it, its worth will appear to thee.’

  So he carried the girdle to the market and gave it to the broker, bidding him cry it, whilst he himself sat down on a bench before a shop. After awhile, the broker returned and said to him, ‘O my lord, rise and take the price of thy girdle, for it hath fetched twenty dinars.’ When Noureddin heard this, he marvelled exceedingly and shook with delight. Then he rose, between belief and disbelief to take the money and when he had received it, he spent it all on silk of various colours and returning home, gave the silk to the damsel, saying, ‘Make this all into girdles and teach me likewise how to make them, that I may work with thee; for never in my life saw I a goodlier craft than this nor a more abounding in profit. By Allah, it is a thousand times better than the trade of A merchant!’ She laughed and said, ‘Go to thy friend the druggist and borrow other thirty dirhems of him, and to-morrow pay him the whole eighty from the price of the girdles.’

  So he repaired to the druggist and said to him, ‘O uncle, lend me other thirty dirhems, and to-morrow, God willing, I will repay thee the whole fourscore.’ The old man counted him out thirty dirhems, with which he went to the market and buying meat and bread and dessert and fruit and flowers as before, carried them home to the damsel, whose name was Meryem, the girdle-maker. She rose forthright and making ready rich meats, set them before Noureddin; after which she brought wine, and they drank and plied each other with liquor. When the wine began to sport with their senses, his beauty and grace pleased her and the elegance of his manners, and she recited the following verses:

  Unto a slender one, who with a goblet came With musk from out his breath perfumed, to give it zest.

  Quoth I, ‘Was’t not express from out thy cheeks?’ But ‘Nay,’ He answered; ‘when was wine from roses yet exprest?’

  And she ceased not to carouse with him and ply him with wine and require of him that he should fill to her and give her to drink of that which sweetens the spirits, and whenever he laid his hand on her, she drew back from him, out of coquetry. The wine added to her beauty and gee, and Noureddin recited these verses:

  A slender one, desiring wine, unto her lover said, In an assembly, whenas he did sickness for her dread,

  ‘An if thou give me not to drink, I’ll banish thee my bed This night:’ wherefore he feared and filled to her the vine-juice red.

  They gave not over drinking till drunkenness got the mastery of Noureddin and he slept; whereupon she rose and fell to work upon a girdle, according to her wont. When she had wrought it to end, she wrapped it in paper and putting off her clothes, lay down by his side, and they passed the night in dalliance and delight.

  On the morrow, she gave him the girdle and bade him carry it to the market and sell it for twenty dinars, like as he had sold its fellow the day before. So he went to the market and sold the girdle for twenty dinars, after which he repaired to the druggist and paid him back the four- score diadems, thanking him for his bounties and calling down blessings upon him. ‘O my son,’ said he, ‘hast thou sold the damsel?’ ‘Wouldst thou have me sell the soul out of my body?’ answered Noureddin and told him all that had passed, whereat the druggist was mightily pleased and said to him, ‘By Allah, O my son, thou rejoicest me! So God please, mayst thou still abide in prosperity! Indeed I wish thee well by reason of my affection for thy father and the continuance of our friendship.’ Then he took leave of him and going to the market, bought meat and fruit and wine and all that he needed, as of wont, and returned therewith to Meryem.

  They abode thus a whole year in eating and drinking and sport and merriment and love and good cheer, and every night she made a girdle and he sold it on the morrow for twenty dinars, wherewith he bought what they needed and gave the rest to her, to keep against a time of need. After this, she said to him one day, ‘O my lord, when thou sellest the girdle to-morrow, buy me silk of six colours with its price, for I have a mind to make thee a kerchief to wear on thy shoulders, such as never son of merchant, no, nor king’s son, ever rejoiced in its fellow.’ So next day he brought her what she aught and she wrought at the kerchief a whole week; for, every night, when she had made an end of the girdle, she would work awhile at the kerchief. When it was finished, she gave it to Noureddin, who put it on his shoulders and went out to walk in the market, whilst all the merchants and people and notables of the town crowded about him, to gaze on his beauty and that of the kerchief.

  One night, after this, he awoke from sleep and found Meryem weeping passing sore and reciting the following verses:

  The severance of friends draws near and nearer aye: Alas for severance! Alas, the parting day!

  My heart is rent in twain, and O my grief for those The nights of our delight that now are past away!

  Needs must the envier look on us with evil eye And come to his desire of that he doth essay;

  For nought can irk us more than envy and the eyes Of backbiters and spies, nor work us more dismay.

  ‘O my lady Meryem,’ said he, ‘what ails thee to weep?’ ‘I weep for the anguish of parting,’ answered she; ‘for my heart forebodes me thereof.’ Quoth he, ‘O lady of fair ones, and who shall part us, seeing that I love and tender thee above all creatures?’ And she replied, ‘And I love thee twice as well as thou me; but [blind] confidence in fortune still causes folk fall into affliction, and right well saith the poet:

  Thou thoughtest well of Fate, whilst yet the days for thee were fair, And fearedst not the unknown ills that destiny might bring.

  The nights were calm and safe for thee; thou wast deceived by them; For in the peace of night betides full many a troublous thing.

  Lo, in the skies are many stars, no one can tell their tale; But to the sun and moon alone eclipse brings darkening.

  The earth bears many a pleasant herb and many a plant and tree; But none is stoned save only that to which the fair fruits cling.

  Seest not the sea and how the waifs float up upon the foam? But in its deepest depths of blue the pearls have sojourning.

  O my lord Noureddin,’ added she, ‘if thou desire to avert separation, be on thy guard against a swart-visaged, bushy-bearded old Frank, blind of the right eye and lame of the left leg; for he it is who will be the cause of our separation. I saw him enter the city [to-day] and methinks he is come hither in quest of me.’ ‘O lady of fair ones,’ replied Noureddin, ‘if my eyes light on him, I will slay him and make an example of him.’ ‘O my lord,’ rejoined she
, ‘slay him not; but talk not nor trade with him, neither buy nor sell with him nor sit nor walk with him nor speak one word to him, no, not even to make the prescribed answer, and I pray God to keep us from his craft and mischief!’

  Next morning, Noureddin carried the girdle to the market, where he sat down on a bench before a shop and talked with the young merchants, till drowsiness overcame him and he lay down on the bench and fell asleep. Presently, up came the Frank whom the damsel had described to him, in company of seven others, and seeing Noureddin lying asleep on the bench, with his head wrapped in the kerchief which Meryem had made him and the end thereof in his hand, sat down by him and took the end of the kerchief in his hand and examined it. This disturbed Noureddin and he awoke and seeing the very man sitting by him of whom Meryem had warned him, cried out at him with a great cry, that startled him. Quoth the Frank, ‘What ails thee to cry out thus at us? Have we taken aught from thee?’ ‘By Allah, O accursed one,’ replied Noureddin, ‘hadst thou taken aught from me, I would hale thee before the master of police!’

  Then said the Frank, ‘O Muslim, I conjure thee by thy faith and by that in which thou believest, tell me whence thou hadst that kerchief.’ And Noureddin answered, ‘It is the handiwork of my mother, who made it for me with her own hand.’ ‘Wilt thou sell it to me?’ asked the Frank. ‘By Allah, O accursed one,’ replied Noureddin, ‘I will not sell it to thee nor to any other, for she made none other than it.’ ‘Sell it to me,’ repeated the Frank, ‘and I will give thee to its price eve hundred dinars ready money; and let her who made it make thee another and handsomer.’ But Noureddin said, ‘I will not sell it at all, for there is not the like of it in this city.’ ‘O my lord,’ insisted the Frank, ‘wilt thou sell it for six hundred dinars of fine gold?’ And he went on to add to his offer hundred by hundred, till he bid nine hundred dinars; but Noureddin said, ‘God will provide me otherwise than by my selling it. I will never sell it, no, not for two thousand dinars nor more than that.’

  Then the Frank went on to tempt him with money, till he bid him a thousand dinars, and the merchants present said, ‘We sell thee the kerchief at that price: pay down the money.’ Quoth Noureddin, ‘By Allah, I will not sell it!’ But one of the merchants said to him, ‘O my son, the worth of this kerchief is a hundred dinars at most and that to an eager purchaser, and if this Frank pay thee down a thousand for it, thy profit will be nine hundred dinars, and what profit canst thou desire greater than that? Wherefore it is my counsel that thou sell him the kerchief at that price and gain nine hundred dinars by this accursed Frank, the enemy of God and of the faith, and bid her who wrought it make thee other or handsomer than it.’

  Noureddin was abashed at the merchants and sold the kerchief to the Frank, who, in their presence, paid him down the thousand dinars, with which he would have returned to Meryem, to tell her what had passed; but the stranger said, ‘Harkye, O company of merchants, stop my lord Noureddin, for you and he are my guests this night. I have a pitcher of old Greek wine and a fat lamb and fruit and flowers and confections; wherefore needs must ye all cheer me with your company to-night and not one of you tarry behind.’ So the merchants said to Noureddin, ‘O my lord Noureddin, we desire that thou be with us on the like of this night, so we may talk together, we and thou, and we pray thee, of thy favour, to bear us company, so we may be, we and thou, the guests of this Frank, for he is a hospitable man.’ And they conjured him by the oath of divorce and hindered him by force from going home.

  Then they rose forthright and shutting up their shops took Noureddin and went with the Frank, who brought them to a goodly and spacious saloon, wherein were two estrades. Here he made them sit and laid before them [a tray covered with] a scarlet cloth of rare and goodly workmanship, wroughten in gold with figures of breaker and broken, lover and beloved, asker and asked, whereon he set precious vessels of porcelain and crystal, full of the costliest fruits and flowers and confections, and brought them a pitcher of old Greek wine. Then he commanded to slaughter a fat lamb and kindling fare, proceeded to roast of its flesh and feed the merchants therewith and give them to drink of the wine, winking them the while to ply Noureddin with liquor. So they plied him with wine till he became drunken and took leave of his wits, which when the Frank saw, he said to him, ‘O my lord Noureddin, thou gladdenest us with thy company to-night: welcome, a thousand times welcome to thee!’

  Then he drew near unto him and dissembled with him awhile in talk, till he [found his opportunity and] said to him, ‘O my lord, wilt thou sell me thy slave-girl, whom thou boughtest a year ago for a thousand dinars, in presence of these merchants? I will give thee five thousand dinars for her and thou wilt thus make four thousand dinars profit.’ Noureddin refused but the Frank ceased not to ply him with meat and drink and tempt him with money, still adding to his offers, till he bid him ten thousand dinars for her; whereupon Noureddin, in his drunkenness, said, in the presence of the merchants, ‘I sell her to thee for ten thousand dinars; hand over the money.’ At this the Frank rejoiced mightily and took the merchants to witness of the sale.

  They passed the night in eating and drinking and making merry, till the morning, when the Frank cried out to his servants, saying, ‘Bring me the money.’ So they brought it to him and he counted out ten thousand dinars to Noureddin, saying, ‘O my lord, take the price of thy slave-girl, whom thou soldest to me last night, in the presence of these Muslim merchants.’ ‘Thou liest, O accursed one,’ replied Noureddin. ‘I sold thee nothing and have no slave-girls.’ Quoth the Frank, ‘Verily thou didst sell her to me and these merchants were witnesses to the bargain.’ ‘Yes,’ said they all, ‘thou soldest him thy slave-girl before us for ten thousand dinars, O Noureddin, and we will all bear witness against thee of the sale. Come, take the money and deliver him the girl, and God will give thee a better than she in her stead. Doth it mislike thee, O Noureddin, that thou boughtest the girl for a thousand dinars and hast enjoyed her beauty and grace and taken thy fill of her company and converse night and day for a year and a half, wherein thou hast gained half a score thousand dinars by the sale of the girdle which she made thee every day and thou soldest for twenty dinars, and after all this thou hast sold her again at a profit of nine thousand dinars over and above her original price? And withal thou deniest the sale and belittlest the profit! What gain is greater than this gain and what profit wouldst thou have greater than this? If thou love her, thou hast had thy fill of her all this time: so take the money and buy another handsomer than she; or we will marry thee to one of our daughters lovelier than she, at a dowry of less than half this price, and the rest of the money will remain in thy hand an capital.’ And they ceased not to ply him with persuasion and argument till he took the ten thousand dinars, the price of the damsels and the Frank straightway fetched Cadis and witnesses, who drew up the contract of sale.

  Meanwhile, Meryem sat awaiting Noureddin from morning till sundown and from sundown till midnight; and when he returned not, she was troubled and wept sore. The druggist heard her weeping and sent his wife to her, who went in to her and finding her in tears said to her, ‘O my lady, what ails thee to weep?’ ‘O my mother,’ answered she, ‘I have sat awaiting my lord Noureddin all day; but he cometh not, and I fear lest some one have put a cheat on him, to make him sell me, and he have fallen into the snare and sold me.’ ‘O my lady Meryem, rejoined the druggist’s wife, ‘were they to give thy lord this room full of gold to thy price, yet would he not sell thee, for what I know of his love to thee. Belike there be folk come frown his parents at Cairo and he hath made them an entertainment in their lodging, being ashamed to bring them hither, for that the place is overstrain for them or maybe their condition is less than that he should bring them to his own house; or belike he preferred to conceal thine affair from them, so passed the night with them; and if it be the will of God the Most High, to-morrow he will come to thee, safe and well. So burden not thy soul with care nor anxiety, O my lady, for of a certainty this is the cause of his absence from thee a
nd I will abide with thee this night and comfort thee, till thy lord return.’

  So she abode with her and cheered her with talk till the morning, when Meryem saw Noureddin enter the street, followed by the Frank and a company of merchants, whereupon she trembled in every nerve and her colour changed and she fell a-shaking, as the ship shakes in mid-ocean for the violence of the winds. When the druggist’s wife saw this, she said to her, ‘O my lady Meryem, what ails thee that I see thy case changed and thy face grown pale and disfeatured?’ ‘By Allah, O my mother,’ replied she, ‘my heart forebodeth me of parting and severance of union!’ And she bemoaned herself and sighed heavily, reciting the following verses:

  Incline not to parting, I pray; For bitter its savour is aye.

  E’en the sun at his setting turns pale, To think he must part from the day;

  And so, at his rising, for joy Of reunion, he’s radiant and gay.

  Then she wept passing sore, making sure of separation, and said to the druggist’s wife, ‘O my mother, said I not to thee that my lord Noureddin had been tricked into selling me? I doubt not but he hath sold me this night to yonder Frank, albeit I bade him beware of him; but precaution availeth not against destiny. So the truth of my words is made manifest to thee.’ Whilst they were talking, in came Noureddin, and she looked at him and saw that his colour was changed and that he trembled and there appeared on his face signs of grief and repentance: so she said to him, ‘O my lord Noureddin, meseemeth thou hast sold me.’ Whereupon he wept sore and groaned and lamented and recited the following verses:

  Twas Fate, and taking thought avails not anything; If thou err, it errs not in its foreordering.

  When God upon a man endowed with hearing, sight And reasoning, His will in aught to pass would bring,