At that, Kana-ma-Kana put him down on the ground, but when the Bedouin found himself free, he went to his sword and shield, picked them up and sat wondering whether to make a treacherous attack. Kana-ma-Kana saw from his eyes what he was thinking and said to him: ‘I know what is in your heart now that you have got your sword and your shield. You are not a strong wrestler and you know none of the tricks, but you think that if you could have circled round on your horse and attacked me with your sword, I would long since have been a dead man. I shall allow you your choice, so that there may be no doubt left in your heart. Give me the shield and attack me with the sword, and either you will kill me or I will kill you.’ ‘Look out, here it is,’ said Sabbah, throwing him the shield. He then drew his sword and attacked Kana-ma-Kana, who took the shield in his right hand and started warding off the blows with it. With each blow, Sabbah would say: ‘This will settle it,’ but the blow was never deadly, Kana-ma-Kana catching it on the shield each time, so it would be wasted.
For his part, Kana-ma-Kana did not strike Sabbah, as he had nothing with which to deliver a blow. Sabbah continued to strike with his sword until his arms grew tired, and when Kana-ma-Kana saw this, he dashed at him, seized the Bedouin in his arms, shook him and threw him to the ground. He then turned him over and tied his hands with his sword belt, after which he dragged him off by his feet towards the river. Sabbah called to him: ‘What are you going to do with me, young champion of the age, hero of the battlefield?’ Kana-ma-Kana replied: ‘Didn’t I tell you that I am going to send you to your family and your clan by the river so that you need no longer be concerned? They won’t have to worry about you and you won’t have to be kept from marrying your cousin.’ Sabbah wept and cried out in distress: ‘Don’t do this, champion of the age. Let me go and make me one of your servants.’ In tears, he then recited these lines:
I have left my family; how long have I been away!
Would that I knew whether I shall die in exile.
If I die, my family will not know that I am dead.
I shall perish as a stranger without visiting my beloved.
At this, Kana-ma-Kana was moved to pity, saying to him: ‘Promise me, with compacts and covenants, that you will be a good companion to me and accompany me wherever I go.’ Sabbah agreed to this, and after he had given his word, Kana-ma-Kana let him go. Sabbah got up and wanted to kiss his hand but Kana-ma-Kana stopped him, so he then opened his bag and took out three barley loaves and set them before him. The two of them sat by the river bank and ate with one another. After they had finished, they performed the ritual ablution, prayed and sat talking to one another about their experiences with their families and with the misfortunes of Time. ‘Where do you intend to go?’ asked Kana-ma-Kana. ‘To Baghdad, your city,’ said Sabbah, ‘and I shall stay there until God provides me with a dowry.’ ‘Off you go, then,’ said Kana-ma-Kana, ‘for I mean to stay here.’
Sabbah then took leave of him and set off on the way to Baghdad, while Kana-ma-Kana stayed, wondering to himself how he could possibly go back if he was still poor. ‘By God,’ he said to himself, ‘I am not going to return disappointed, and if God Almighty wills it, I shall find relief.’ He went to the river, performed the ablution and prayed. After prostrating himself and putting his forehead on the ground, he called to his Lord, saying: ‘My God, Who sends down the rain and feeds the worms among the rocks, I ask You through Your power and gentle mercy to provide me with a livelihood.’ He then finished the prayer, but could think of nowhere to go.
As he was sitting there, looking to the right and the left, a horseman came up, riding with a slack rein. Kana-ma-Kana sat up as the man reached him, but he was at his last gasp, on the point of death thanks to a gaping wound. When he got to Kana-ma-Kana, tears were pouring down his cheeks as though from the mouth of a water skin, and he said: ‘Chief of the Arabs, take me as a friend as long as I live, for you will not find another like me. Give me a little water, even though it is not good for a wounded man to drink, especially while blood is flowing and life is ebbing. If I live I shall find something to cure your hurtful poverty, while if I die, your good intentions will bring you good fortune.’
The rider was mounted on a horse so splendid that it beggared description, with legs like marble columns. When Kana-ma-Kana looked at him and at the horse, he was smitten by love for it and said to himself: ‘There is no horse to match this one in this age.’ He gently helped the rider to dismount and gave him a little water to drink. Waiting until the man had rested, he went up to him and asked: ‘Who has done this to you?’ ‘I must tell you the truth of the matter,’ said the wounded man. ‘I am a horse thief, jealous of my reputation, and I have spent my whole life stealthily removing horses by night and by day. My name is Ghassan, a disaster for every mare and stallion. I heard that this stallion was in the lands of Rum, with Emperor Afridun, who had named it Qatul, the Killer, with the nickname of Majnun, the Mad. Because of it I went to Constantinople and began to keep it under surveillance.
‘While I was doing this, out came an old woman who is held in honour and obeyed by the Rumis. She is called Dhat al-Dawahi and is a mistress of trickery. She had with her this stallion and no more than ten slaves looking after her and it. She was on her way to Baghdad and Khurasan, hoping for an audience with King Sasan to sue for peace. I followed their tracks, in order to steal the horse, but although I went on following them, I couldn’t get to it because the slaves kept so close a watch over it. They reached Iraq and I was afraid they were going to enter Baghdad, but while I was wondering how to steal the horse, a dust cloud rose up and blocked the horizon, clearing away to show a party of fifty robbers intent on intercepting merchants, led by a warrior called Kahardash – an angry lion in battle and an overthrower of champions.’
Nights 141 to 160
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and forty-first night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that the wounded rider told Kana-ma-Kana: ‘This man came out against the old woman and her servants, closed in on them and shouted at the top of his voice. Soon he had tied up the ten slaves, as well as the old woman, and had taken the horse from them. He took them off joyfully, while I was telling myself that I had wasted my efforts and not got what I wanted, but I waited to see how the affair would turn out. When the old woman saw that she had been captured, she wept and said to Kahardash the chief: “Great champion and lion-like hero, what are you going to do with an old woman and her slaves, now that you have got the horse as you wanted?” She deceived him with soft words and swore that she would bring him horses and livestock, after which he freed both her and the slaves. He and his men then went off and I followed them here, watching the horse and tracking it. When I found an opportunity, I stole it; I mounted and, taking a whip from my bag, I struck it. When the robbers noticed, they caught up with me and surrounded me on all sides, shooting with arrows and throwing spears. I kept my seat as the horse defended me with its forelegs and hindlegs, until I had managed to get clear of them like a swift arrow or a shooting star. In the heat of the fight, however, I had been wounded and I have spent three nights without sleeping or enjoying food. My strength has now gone and I am no longer concerned with worldly things. You have been good to me and taken pity on me. I see that you are naked and in obvious distress, but you show signs of having been prosperous. Who are you? Where have you come from and where are you going?’
The prince answered: ‘My name is Kana-ma-Kana and I am the son of King Dau’ al-Makan, the son of King ‘Umar ibn al-Nu‘man. My father died and I was brought up as an orphan. He was succeeded by an ignoble man, who became king over both high and low.’ He then told his story from the beginning to the end. The thief felt sympathy for him and said: ‘You are of noble lineage and high rank. You will become a great man, the champion of the people of this age. If you can hold me up, riding behind me, so as to bring me to my own land, you will have fame in this world
and the next on the Day of Judgement. I have no strength to support myself, and if this is my end, then you have a better right to the horse than anyone else.’ ‘By God,’ said Kana-ma-Kana, ‘if I could carry you on my shoulders or share my life span with you, I would do it without a thought for the horse, as I am a kindly man who helps those who are in trouble. One good deed done for the sake of Almighty God wards off seventy misfortunes from the doer. So get ready to start and put your trust in God, the Kind, the Omniscient.’ He was about to mount the thief on the horse and to set off, relying on God, the source of help, but the man told him to wait a little. He then closed his eyes, spread open his hands and said: ‘I testify that there is no god but God and Muhammad is the Apostle of God.’ He went on: ‘Great God, forgive me my great sin, for only the great can forgive great sin.’ He then prepared for death, reciting these lines:
I have wronged God’s servants and travelled through the lands,
Spending my life in drinking wine,
Plunging in streams in order to steal horses
And ruining houses thanks to my misdeeds.
My affair is grave; my sin is great;
This horse, Qatul, is the climax of my career.
With it I hoped to get what I desired,
But I could not bring my journey to its end.
All my life I have been stealing horses,
But death was decreed by God, the Omnipotent,
And in the end the trouble that I took
Has been to win wealth for a poor orphaned stranger.
When he had finished the poem, he shut his eyes, opened his mouth, gave a groan and left this world. Kana-ma-Kana got up, dug a grave for him and buried him in the earth. He then went up to the horse, kissed it and stroked its face with the greatest of joy. ‘No one is lucky enough to have a stallion like this,’ he said, ‘not even King Sasan.’
So much for him, but as for King Sasan, news came to him that the vizier Dandan and half his army had cast off their allegiance, swearing that they would have only Kana-ma-Kana as king. Dandan had secured oaths of loyalty from the soldiers and had led them to the islands of India, to the Berbers and the lands of the blacks. A swelling sea of reinforcements had joined them, past all counting, and with them Dandan prepared to march on Baghdad, conquer its lands and kill anyone who opposed him. He swore that he would not sheathe his sword until Kana-ma-Kana had been made king.
When Sasan heard this, he was plunged into a sea of cares, realizing that his subjects, both great and small, had turned against him. His sorrow increased, his worries multiplied and he opened his treasuries, distributing money to the officers of state. He wished that Kana-ma-Kana would come so that he might win him over by benevolence and kindness and appoint him as commander of the troops that were still loyal to him, to quench the spark of sedition.
When Kana-ma-Kana heard the news from merchants, he hurried back to Baghdad, riding on his stallion. Sasan was sitting on his throne in a state of perplexity when he heard of his arrival. He ordered out all his troops and the leading men of Baghdad to meet him. The whole population went out and walked before him to the palace, kissing its threshold. The slave girls and eunuchs entered to give the good news of his arrival to his mother, who came to him and kissed him between the eyes. ‘Mother,’ he said, ‘let me go to my uncle, King Sasan, who has overwhelmed me with boons and favours.’ The people of the palace and the state officials were amazed at the beauty of the stallion Qatul, exclaiming that no one else owned a horse like this. Kana-ma-Kana then came out into the presence of King Sasan and greeted him. Sasan rose for him and Kana-ma-Kana kissed his hands and feet and offered him the stallion as a gift.
The king greeted him, saying: ‘Welcome to my son, Kana-ma-Kana. The world has been a sad place in your absence, but praise be to God that you are safe.’ Kana-ma-Kana invoked blessings on him and after this Sasan looked at Qatul and recognized that this was the stallion that he had seen many years before when he was with Kana-ma-Kana’s father, Dau’ al-Makan, laying siege to the Christians, on the expedition in which his uncle, Sharkan, had been killed. ‘Had your father been able to get hold of it,’ he said, ‘he would have bought it at a cost of a thousand fine horses, but now glory has returned to the glorious. I accept the stallion, but give it to you as a gift from me. You have a better right to it than anyone else, as you are the champion of the horsemen.’ He then ordered robes of honour to be brought for Kana-ma-Kana; he presented him with horses and set aside the largest apartments in the palace for his private use. He honoured him and made him glad, giving him large sums of money and treating him with the greatest respect, as he was afraid of what might come of the vizier Dandan’s defection.
Kana-ma-Kana was delighted, being freed from ignominy and degradation. When he got to his room, he went to his mother and asked her how his cousin was. ‘By God,’ she said, ‘my son, your absence distracted me from everything else, including all thought of your beloved, especially as it was she who was the cause of your exile.’ Kana-ma-Kana then complained to her of his lovesickness, saying: ‘Go to her, mother; approach her to see whether she will spare me a glance and cure me of this distress.’ His mother replied: ‘Men are humiliated by their desires. Give up this love that will only lead to disaster. I shall not go to her or give her your message.’
When he heard what his mother had to say, he told her what he had heard from the horse thief that the old woman, Dhat al-Dawahi, was on her way to their country with the intention of entering Baghdad, adding that it was she who had killed his uncle and his grandfather, and that he would have to take vengeance for this and clear away their disgrace. He then left his mother and approached an ill-omened old woman called Sa‘dana, debauched, wily and guileful, to whom he complained of the state he was in and of his love for his cousin Qudiya-fa-Kana. He asked her to approach his cousin and to persuade her to look on him with favour. ‘To hear is to obey,’ she replied, and then she left him and went to Qudiya-fa-Kana. After succeeding in her mission, she came back and told the prince: ‘Qudiya-fa-Kana sends her greetings and promises that she will come to you at midnight.’
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and forty-second night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that the old woman came to Kana-ma-Kana and told him: ‘Qudiya-fa-Kana sends her greetings and promises that she will come to you at midnight.’ Kana-ma-Kana was delighted, and he sat waiting for his cousin to keep her promise. Promptly at midnight she arrived, wearing a black silk mantle, but, coming in, she had to rouse him from sleep. ‘How can you claim to be in love with me,’ she said, ‘when you are comfortably asleep without a care?’ At this, Kana-ma-Kana woke up and said: ‘By God, desire of my heart, I only slept in the hope that you would appear to me in a dream.’ Reproaching him gently, she recited:
If you were a true lover you would not have recourse to sleep;
You claim to follow the path of love in tender passion –
By God, cousin, the eyes of the passionate lover do not close.
When Kana-ma-Kana heard what his cousin had to say, he was filled with shame and, getting up, he apologized to her, after which they embraced and complained to each other of the pain of separation. They remained like that until the light of dawn spread over the horizon. Qudiya-fa-Kana then decided to go, at which Kana-ma-Kana wept and sighed deeply, saying:
My beloved visited me, having shunned me for too long,
And in her mouth are found pearls strung in order.
I kissed her a thousand times, embracing her,
Passing the night with my cheek under hers,
Until dawn came and parted us,
Like a sword with a gleaming edge, drawn from its sheath.
When he had finished reciting these lines, Qudiya-fa-Kana took her leave and went back to her own chamber. However, some of her slave girls had found out her secret and one of them went and told King Sasan. He went to his daughter, drew his
sword and was about to kill her when her mother, Nuzhat al-Zaman, came in. ‘By God,’ she said, ‘don’t harm her, for if you do, the news will get out and you will be disgraced among the kings of the age. Kana-ma-Kana, as you know, is no child of adultery. Your daughter was brought up with him and he is a man of honour and chivalry who will do nothing disgraceful. Be patient and don’t act hastily. Everyone in the palace and all the people of Baghdad have heard the news of the vizier Dandan, that he is leading armies from all the lands and bringing them to install Kana-ma-Kana as king.’ ‘By God,’ said Sasan, ‘I must bring such a disaster on Kana-ma-Kana that no land will be able to support him and no sky will shade him. I have only shown him favour and ingratiated myself with him because of my subjects, lest they turn to him, but you shall see what will happen.’ He then left her and went off to deal with the affairs of his kingdom.
So much for him, but as for Kana-ma-Kana, he went to his mother the next day and said: ‘Mother, I intend to go out raiding as a highwayman, driving off horses and cattle and capturing slaves and mamluks. When I have become wealthy and my situation improves, I shall ask King Sasan for my cousin’s hand.’ ‘My son,’ replied his mother, ‘people’s goods are not like camels left to roam freely. They are guarded by sword blows and lance thrusts and by men who eat wild beasts, ravage lands, hunt lions and track down lynxes.’ ‘I am determined,’ said Kana-ma-Kana, ‘never to turn back from my resolve until I have reached my goal.’ He then sent the old woman to Qudiya-fa-Kana to say that he was going off to win her a suitable dowry, and he told the old woman to ask her to send him a reply. ‘To hear is to obey,’ she said, and, after going on her errand, she came back to say that the princess had promised to come to him at midnight. He stayed awake until then in a state of agitation, and before he knew it, she had entered his room, saying: ‘I shall ransom you from sleeplessness with my life.’ He got to his feet and said: ‘Heart’s desire, my life is your ransom from all evils.’ He then told her of his resolution, and when she wept, he said: ‘Don’t cry, cousin, for I shall ask God, Who has decreed that we should part, to bring us together again in harmony.’
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 1 Page 77