So he entered and looking upon the holy woman, saw her to be his very wife whom he had brought from the City of Stone. She also knew him and saluted him and he her. Then said he, ‘Who brought thee hither?’ And she answered, ‘When I saw that thy brothers had cast thee overboard and were contending concerning me, I threw myself into the sea; but my sheikh El Khizr took me up and brought me to this hermitage, where he gave me leave to heal the sick and made proclamation in the city, saying, “Whoso hath any ailment, let him repair to the Sheikheh Rajiheh.” Moreover he said to me, “Abide in this hermitage till the time be accomplished, and thy husband shall come to thee here.” So all the sick used to come to me and I rubbed them and kneaded them and they awoke on the morrow, whole and well. On this wise the report of me became noised abroad among the folk, and they brought me votive gifts, so that I have with me good galore. Moreover, I live here in all honour and worship, and all the people of these parts seek my prayers.’
Then she rubbed him and by the ordinance of God the Most High he became whole. Now El Khizr used to come to her every Friday night, and it chanced that the day of Abdallah’s coming was a Friday. So, when the night darkened, they made the evening meal of the richest meats, he and she, and sat awaiting the coming of El Khizr, who made his appearance anon and carrying them forth of the hermitage, set them down in Abdallah’s palace at Bassora, where he left them and went his way. As soon as it was day, Abdallah examined the palace and knew it for his own; then, hearing the folk in clamour [without], he looked forth of the window and saw his brothers crucified, each on his own cross.
Now the reason of this was as follows. When they had thrown him into the Tigris, they arose on the morrow, weeping and saying, ‘The Jinniyeh hath carried off our brother!’ Then they made ready a present and sent it to the Khalif, acquainting him with these tidings and seeking of him the government of Bassora. He sent for them and questioned them and they told him the story aforesaid, whereupon he was exceeding wroth [with Saïdeh]. So that night he prayed a two-bow prayer before daybreak, as of his wont, and called upon the tribes of the Jinn, who came before him obediently, and he questioned them of Abdallah; but they swore to him that none of them had done him aught of hurt and said, ‘We know not what is come of him.’ Then came Saïdeh, daughter of the Red King, and acquainted the Khalif with the truth of Abdallah’s case, and he dismissed the Jinn.
On the morrow, he caused beat Nasir and Mensour, till they confessed, one against the other: whereupon the Khalif was enraged with them and bade carry them to Bassora and crucify them there before Abdallah’s palace. As for the latter, when he saw his brothers crucified, he commanded to bury them, then took horse and repairing to Baghdad, acquainted the Khalif with that which his brothers had done with him, from first to last [and told him how he had recovered his wife]; whereat Er Reshid marvelled and summoning the Cadi and the witnesses, let draw up the contract of marriage between Abdallah and the damsel whom he had brought from the City of Stone. So he went in to her and abode with her at Bassora, till there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and Sunderer of Companies; and extolled be the perfection of the [Ever-] Living One, who dieth not!
John Payne’s translation: detailed table of contents
MAROUF THE COBBLER AND HIS WIFE FATIMEH.
There dwelt once in the city of Cairo the [God-]guarded a cobbler, [who lived by] mending old shoes. His name was Marouf and he had a wife called Fatimeh, whom the folk had nicknamed ‘The Shrew,’ for that she was a worthless, ill-conditioned wretch, little of shame and a sore mischief-maker. She ruled her husband and used to revile him and curse him a thousand times a day, and he feared her malice and dreaded her mischief; for that he was a man of sense and careful of his repute, but poor of estate. When he earnt much, he spent it on her, and when he earnt little, she revenged herself on his body that night, leaving him no peace and making his night like her book; for she was even as saith the poet of [the like of] her:
How many a night have I spent with my wife In the sorriest of plights for contention and strife!
Would God I had given her poison the night Of our wedding and so made an end of her life!
One day she said to him, ‘O Marouf, I wish thee to bring me this night vermicelli dressed with bees’ honey.’ ‘So God the Most High vouchsafe4 me its price,’ answered he, ‘I will bring it thee. By Allah, I have no money to-day, but our Lord will provide.’ ‘I have nothing to do with that,’ rejoined she. ‘Whether He provide1 or not, look thou come not to me save with the vermicelli and bees’ honey thereon; else will I make thy night like unto thy fortune whenas thou marriedst me and fellest into my hand.’ Quoth he, ‘God is bountiful!’ and went out, full of trouble. He prayed the morning prayer and opened his shop, saying, ‘I beseech thee, O Lord, to vouchsafe me the price of the vermicelli and save me from the mischief of yonder wicked woman this night!’
He sat in the shop till midday, but no work came to him and his fear of his wife redoubled. So he arose and shutting his shop, went out, knowing not how he should do in the matter of the vermicelli, for that he had not [even] wherewithal to buy bread. Presently he came to the shop of the vermicelli-seller and stood before it, perplexed, whilst his eyes filled with tears. The cook glanced at him and said, ‘O Master Marouf, why dost thou weep? Tell me what ails thee?’ So he acquainted him with his case, saying, ‘My wife is a curst shrew and would have me bring her vermicelli; but I have sat in my shop half the day and have gotten nought, not even the price of bread; wherefore I am in fear of her.’ The cook laughed and said, ‘No harm shall come to thee. How many pounds wilt thou have?’ ‘Five pounds,’ answered Marouf. So the cook weighed him out five pounds of vermicelli and said to him, ‘I have butter, but no bees’ honey. Here is drip-honey, however, which is better than bees’ honey; and where will be the harm, if it be with drip-honey?’
Marouf was ashamed to object, because the cook was to have patience with him for the price, and said, ‘Give it me with drip-honey.’ So he fried it for him with butter and drenched it with drip-honey, till it was fit to present to kings. Then he said to him, ‘Dost thou want bread and cheese?’ And Marouf answered, ‘Yes.’ So he gave him four paras’ worth of bread and one of cheese, and the vermicelli was ten paras. Then said he, ‘Know, O Marouf, that thou owest me fifteen paras, so go to thy wife and make merry and take this para for the bath; and thou shalt have credit for a day or two or three till God provide thee. And straiten not thy wife, for I will have patience with thee till such time as thou shalt have money to spare.’ So Marouf took the vermicelli and bread and cheese and went away, with a heart at ease, blessing the cook and saying, ‘Extolled be Thy perfection, O my Lord! How bountiful art Thou!’
When he came home, his wife said to him, ‘Hast thou brought the vermicelli?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he and set it before her. She looked at it and seeing that it was dressed with cane-honey, said to him, ‘Did I not bid thee bring it with bees’ honey? Wilt thou do contrary to my wish and have it dressed with cane-honey?’ He excused himself to her, saying, ‘I bought it not save on credit;’ but she answered, ‘This talk is idle; I will not eat it, save with bees’ honey.’ And she was wroth with it and threw it in his face, saying, ‘Begone, thou cuckold, and bring me other than this!’ Then she dealt him a buffet on the chops and knocked out one of his teeth. The blood ran down upon his breast and for stress of anger he smote her one slight blow on the head; whereupon she clutched his beard and fell to crying out and saying, ‘[Help,] O Muslims!’
So the neighbours came in and freed his beard from her clutch and beset her with blame and reproved her, saying, ‘We are all content to eat vermicelli with cane-honey. Why, then, wilt thou oppress this poor man thus? Verily, this is disgraceful in thee!’ And they went on to soothe her till they made peace between him and her. But, when the folk were gone, she swore that she would not eat of the vermicelli, and Marouf, being consumed with hunger, said in himself, ‘She swears that she will not eat; so I will eat.’ Then he ate, and when she
saw him eating, she said, ‘If it be the will of God, may the eating of it be poison to destroy some one’s body!’ Quoth he, ‘It shall not be as thou sayest,’ and went on eating, laughing and saying, ‘Thou swearest that thou wilt not eat of this; but God is bountiful, and to-morrow night, if it be His will, I will bring thee vermicelli dressed with bees’ honey, and thou shalt eat it alone.’ And he addressed himself to appease her, whilst she called down curses upon him; and she ceased not to rail at him and revile him till the morning, when she bared her arm to beat him. Quoth he, ‘Give me time and I will bring thee other vermicelli.’
Then he went out to the mosque and prayed; after which he betook himself to his shop and opening it, sat down; but hardly had he done this when up came two officers from the Cadi’s court and said to him, ‘Come, speak with the Cadi, for thy wife hath complained of thee to him and her favour is thus and thus.’ He knew her [by their description] and saying, ‘May God the Most High torment her!’ accompanied them to the Cadi’s presence, where he found Fatimeh standing, weeping and wiping away her tears, with her arm bound up and her face-veil besmeared with blood. ‘Harkye, sirrah,’ said the Cadi, ‘hast thou no fear of God the Most High? Why hast thou beaten this good woman and broken her arm and knocked out her tooth and entreated her thus?’ ‘If I beat her or put out her tooth,’ answered Marouf, ‘sentence me to what thou wilt; but in truth the case was thus and thus and the neighbours made peace between me and her.’ And he told him the story from first to last.
Now this Cadi was a benevolent man; so he brought out to him a quarter dinar, saying, ‘O man, take this and get her vermicelli with bees’ honey and do ye make peace, thou and she.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘Give it to her.’ So she took it and the Cadi made peace between them, saying, ‘O wife, obey thy husband, and thou, O man, deal kindly with her.’ Then they left the court, reconciled at the Cadi’s hands, and she went one way, whilst her husband returned by another way to his shop and sat there, when, behold, the [two] serjeants came up to him and said, ‘Give us our fee.’ Quoth he, ‘The Cadi took not of me aught: on the contrary, he gave me a quarter dinar.’ But they answered, saying, ‘It is none of our concern whether the Cadi took of thee or gave to thee, and if thou give us not our fee, we will take it in despite of thee.’ And they fell to dragging him about the market. So he sold his tools and gave them half a dinar, whereupon they let him go and went away, whilst he put his hand to his cheek and sat sorrowful, for that he had no tools to work withal.
Presently, up came two ill-looking fellows and said to him, ‘Come, O man, and speak with the Cadi; for thy wife hath complained of thee to him.’ Quoth he, ‘He made peace between us [but now].’ But they answered, ‘We come from another Cadi, and thy wife hath complained of thee to our Cadi.’ So he arose and went with them to the [second] Cadi, calling on God for succour against her; and when he saw her, he said to her, ‘Did we not make peace, good woman?’ But she said, ‘There abideth no peace between thee and me.’ So he came forward and told the Cadi his story, adding, ‘And indeed the Cadi such an one made peace between us but now.’ Whereupon the Cadi said to her, ‘O strumpet, since ye have made peace with each other, why comest thou to me complaining?’ Quoth she, ‘He beat me after that.’ But the Cadi said, ‘Make peace with one another, and thou, [O man] beat her not again, and she will cross thee no more.’ So they made peace and the Cadi said to Marouf, ‘Give the serjeants their fee.’ So he gave them their fee and going back to his shop, opened it and sat down, as he were a drunken man for excess of chagrin.
Presently, a man came up to him and said, ‘O Marouf, hide thyself, for thy wife hath complained of thee to the High Court and the men of violence are after thee.’ So he shut his shop and fled towards the Gate of Victory. He had five paras left of the price of the lasts and gear; so he bought four paras’ worth of bread and one of cheese, as he fled from her. Now it was the winter season and the hour of afternoon-prayer; so, when he came out among the rubbish-heaps, the rain descended upon him, as [from] the mouth of water-skins, and his clothes were drenched. So he entered the Aadiliyeh, where he saw a ruined place and therein a deserted cell, without a door, and took shelter there from the rain. The tears streamed from his eyes and he fell to complaining of what had befallen him and saying, ‘Whither shall I flee from this vile woman? I beseech Thee, O Lord, to vouchsafe me one who shall bring me to a far country, where she shall not know the way to me!’
As he sat weeping, behold, the wall opened and there came forth to him therefrom one of tall stature, whose aspect caused the flesh to creep, and said to him, ‘O man, what aileth thee that thou disturbest me this night? These two hundred years have I dwelt here and have never seen any enter this place and do as thou dost. Tell me what thou wishest and I will accomplish thy need, for compassion for thee hath gotten hold upon my heart.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘Who and what art thou?’ And he answered, ‘I am the haunter of this place.’ So Marouf told him all that had befallen him with his wife and he said, ‘Wilt thou have me carry thee to a country, where thy wife shall know no way to thee?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Marouf; and the genie said, ‘Then mount my back.’ So he mounted on his back and he flew with him from nightfall till daybreak, when he set him down on the top of a high mountain and tit said to him, ‘O mortal, descend this mountain and thou wilt see the gate of a city. Enter it, for thy wife cannot come at thee there.’ So saying, he left him and went his way, whilst Marouf abode in amazement and perplexity till the sun rose, when he said in himself, ‘I will arise and go down into the city, for there is no profit in my abiding here.’
So he descended to the mountain-foot and saw a high-walled city, full of lofty palaces and richly-decorated buildings, a delight to those who looked upon it. He entered in at the gate and found it a city such as lightened the grieving heart; but, as he walked through the streets, the townsfolk stared at him and gathered about him, marvelling at his dress, for it was unlike theirs. Presently, one of them said to him, ‘O man, art thou a stranger?’ And he answered, ‘Yes.’ ‘What countryman art thou?’ asked the other; and Marouf said, ‘I am from the city of Cairo the Happy.’ Quoth the townsman, ‘And when didst thou leave Cairo?’ ‘I left it yesterday,’ answered Marouf, ‘at the hour of afternoon-prayer.’ Whereupon the man laughed at him and cried out, saying, ‘Come hither, O folk, and look at this man and hear what he says!’ Quoth they, ‘What does he say?’ ‘He pretends,’ replied the other, ‘that he comes from Cairo and left it yesterday at the hour of afternoon-prayer!’ At this they all laughed and gathering round Marouf, said to him, ‘O man, art thou mad to talk thus? How canst thou pretend that thou leftest Cairo at mid-afternoon yesterday and foundest thyself this morning here, seeing that between our city and Cairo is a full year’s journey?’ Quoth he, ‘None is mad but you. As for me, I speak sooth, for here is bread that I brought with me from Cairo, and see, it is yet fresh.’ Then he showed them the bread and they stared at it and marvelled at it, for it was unlike their country bread.
The crowd increased about him and they said to each other, ‘This is Cairo bread: look at it.’ So he became a gazing stock in the city and some believed him, whilst others gave him the lie and made mock of him. Presently, up came a merchant, riding on a mule and followed by two black slaves, and pressed through the people, saying, ‘O folk, are ye not ashamed to mob this foreigner and make mock of him and laugh at him?’ And he went on to rate them, till he drove them away from Marouf, and none could make him any answer. Then he said to Marouf, ‘Come, O my brother. No harm shall betide thee from these folk. Verily they have no shame.’ So he took him and carrying him to a spacious and richly-decorated house, seated him in a guest-chamber fit for a king, whilst he gave an order to his slaves, who opened a chest and brought out to him a dress such as might be worn by a merchant worth a thousand purses. He clad him therein and Marouf, being a well-favoured man, became as he were provost of the merchants.
Then his host called for food and they set before them a tray of all manner rich meats. They
ate and drank and the merchant said to Marouf, ‘O my brother, what is thy name?’ ‘My name is Marouf,’ answered he, ‘and I am a cobbler by trade and mend old shoes.’ ‘What countryman art thou?’ asked the merchant, and the cobbler said, ‘I am from Cairo.’ ‘What quarter?’ asked the other. Quoth Marouf, ‘Dost thou know Cairo?’ And the merchant replied, ‘I am of its children.’ So Marouf said, ‘I come from the Red Street.’ ‘And whom dost thou know in the Red Street ?’ asked his host. ‘I know such an one and such an one,’ answered Marouf and named several people to him. Quoth the other, ‘Knowest thou Gaffer Ahmed the druggist?’ ‘He was my next neighbour, wall for wall,’ replied the cobbler. ‘Is he well?’ asked the merchant and Marouf said, ‘Yes.’ ‘How many sons hath he?’ asked the merchant. ‘Three,’ replied Marouf, ‘Mustafa, Mohammed and Ali.’ Quoth the other, ‘And what hath God done with them?’ ‘As for Mustafa,’ answered Marouf, ‘he is well and he is a learned man, a professor.’ Mohammed is a druggist and opened him a shop beside that of his father, after he had married, and his wife hath borne him a son named Hassan.’ ‘God gladden thee with good news!’ said the merchant.
‘As for Ali,’ continued Marouf, ‘he was my friend, when we were boys, and I still played with him. We used to go in the guise of the children of the Nazarenes and enter the church and steal the books of the Nazarenes and sell them and buy food with the price. It chanced once that the Christians caught us with a book; whereupon they complained of us to our folk and said to Ali’s father, “An thou hinder not thy son from troubling us, we will complain of thee to the king.” So he appeased them and gave Ali a drubbing; wherefore he ran away none knew whither and he hath now been absent twenty years and none hath brought news of him.’ Quoth the host, ‘I am that very Ali, son of Gaffer Ahmed the druggist, and thou art my playmate Marouf.’ So they saluted each other and Ali said, ‘Tell me why thou camest from Cairo to this city.’
One Thousand and One Nights Page 458