The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 1
Page 94
Maimuna agreed to this. She struck the ground with the palm of her hand and out came an ‘ifrit – one-eyed, hunchbacked, scabby, with eyes set lengthways in his face. There were seven horns on his head; he had four locks of hair that dangled down to his ankles; his hands were like winnowing forks and his legs like ships’ masts. He had nails like lions’ claws and hooves like those of a wild ass. When he emerged and caught sight of Maimuna, he kissed the ground before her and stood with his hands folded behind his back. ‘What do you want, my lady, daughter of the king?’ he asked. ‘Qashqash,’ she said, ‘I want you to rule on a dispute between me and this damned Dahnash,’ and she then told him the whole story from beginning to end. Qashqash stared at the faces of the young man and the girl and saw that they were embracing one another in their sleep, each with a wrist under the other’s neck. They were equally matched in beauty and grace, and looking at them, Qashqash was filled with wonder at their loveliness. Having gazed for a long while at the two of them, he turned to Maimuna and Dahnash and recited these lines:
Visit your love; take no heed of the envious,
Who will not help you in affairs of love.
God in His mercy creates no finer sight
Than of two lovers lying on one bed
In one another’s arms, clothed in contentment,
Pillowed on one another’s wrists and arms.
If in your lifetime you find one true friend,
How good a friend is this; live for that one alone.
When hearts are joined in love,
The envious are striking on cold iron.
You who blame lovers for their love,
Have you the power to cure the sick at heart?
God in Your mercy, let us meet
Before death comes, if only by one day.
Qashqash then turned to Maimuna and Dahnash and said: ‘If you want the truth, I have to say that these two are an exact match in the splendour of their beauty, grace and perfection, and they cannot be separated on the grounds that one is male and the other female. I have another idea, which is to wake each of them in turn without the other knowing. Whichever then burns with love for the other must be the less beautiful.’ ‘That is a good plan,’ said Maimuna. ‘I agree,’ said Dahnash, and at that he took the shape of a flea and bit Qamar al-Zaman, who was startled out of his sleep.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and eighty-third night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that Dahnash took the shape of a flea and bit Qamar al-Zaman, who was startled out of his sleep. As he scratched the painful bite on his neck, he turned on his side and there he found a sleeper whose breath was purer than pungent musk, with a body softer than butter. In his astonishment, he sat up and when he looked at who it was who was sleeping beside him, he found a girl like a splendid pearl or a well-built dome. She was slim and straight, like the letter alif, not yet of full height, but with swelling breasts and rosy cheeks, as the poet has described:
Four things have never been combined
Without shedding my blood and harming me –
A radiant forehead, hair as dark as night,
And rosy cheeks together with a gleaming smile.
Another poet has written:
She was like a moon when she appeared;
She bent as a branch of the ban tree,
Scented with ambergris, with eyes of a gazelle.
It seems that sorrow is enamoured of my heart;
When the beloved goes, it finds its time of union.
When Qamar al-Zaman saw the beauty and grace of Princess Budur as she lay asleep by his side, he noticed that she was wearing a Venetian chemise but no drawers, while her head was covered by a kerchief embroidered with gold and studded with gems, while in her ears were earrings that gleamed like stars, and around her neck a necklace of incomparable pearls such as no king could afford. He gazed at her in bewilderment, until his natural heat was kindled and God filled him with a desire to lie with her. ‘What God wills comes about,’ he said to himself, ‘while what He does not, does not.’ He stretched out his hand to her, turned her over and opened the collar of her chemise, so that he could see her bosom with her breasts like two caskets of ivory. His love for her deepened and, such was the strength of his desire, that he tried unsuccessfully to wake her up, as Dahnash had put her into a deep sleep. He began to shake her, saying: ‘Wake up, my darling, and see who I am, for I am Qamar al-Zaman,’ but she neither woke nor moved her head. He thought over the matter for a time and said to himself: ‘If my guess is right, this must be the girl whom my father wants me to marry and for the past three years I have kept refusing. God willing, when morning comes I shall tell him to marry me to her so that I may possess her…’
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and eighty-fourth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that the prince said to himself: ‘When morning comes I shall tell my father to marry me to her so that I may possess her, and I shall let no more than half a day go by before I am united with her and enjoy her beauty.’ He then bent over to kiss her, and while Maimuna shuddered in embarrassment, Dahnash was jubilant.
Then, just as Qamar al-Zaman was about to kiss the princess on the lips, he felt shame before Almighty God. He averted his head and turned away his face, saying to himself: ‘Patience.’ Thinking the matter over, he said: ‘I must wait, as it may be that when my father became angry with me and imprisoned me here, he brought this girl for me and told her to sleep beside me in order to test me, and he may have told her that when I tried to rouse her she should not wake up too quickly. He would then ask her what I did with her, or it may be that he is hidden somewhere where he can see me without being seen, watching everything that I do with her. Then in the morning he will reproach me and say: “How can you say that you don’t want to marry when you have been kissing and embracing that girl?” I shall hold myself back from her lest my father find out. The right thing is for me not to touch her or look at her. But I shall take something from her as a keepsake to remember her by, so that we may have something that will stay as a token between us.’ He then lifted her hand and took from her little finger a seal ring of great value, as its stone was a precious jewel, inscribed with these lines:
Do not think I have forgotten your compact,
However long you may have turned from me.
Master, turn generously to me,
So I may kiss your mouth and both your cheeks.
By God, I shall never part from you,
Even if you stray across love’s boundaries.
After he had taken the ring from the princess’s finger, Qamar al-Zaman put it on his own, after which he turned his back on her and went to sleep. Maimuna was pleased when she saw that, saying to Dahnash and Qashqash: ‘Did you see how chastely my dear Qamar al-Zaman treated this girl? This is part of his perfection, for in spite of her loveliness he neither embraced nor kissed her, and far from stretching out his hand towards her, he turned his back on her and fell asleep.’ ‘Yes,’ said the other two, ‘we saw how admirably he acted.’
At that point, Maimuna turned herself into a flea. She went into the clothes of Dahnash’s beloved, Budur, and walked from her leg up to her thigh and then, going on, she bit her on a spot four inches below her navel. Budur opened her eyes and sat up. Beside her she saw a young man, breathing deeply in his sleep, one of the most beautiful of God’s creatures, with eyes that would put to shame the lovely houris. His sweet-tasting saliva was a better cure than any theriac; his mouth was like the ring of Solomon; his lips were coloured like coral; and his cheeks were like red anemones. He fitted the description of the poet:
He consoled me for the loss of Zainab and Nawar,
With rosy cheeks growing the myrtle of down.
I love a tunic-wearing fawn,
And have no thoughts to love a girl with
bracelets.
He is my public and my private friend;
She is my friend only within my house.
You blame me for deserting Zainab and Hind;
My excuse is clear as dawn to the night traveller.
Do you want me to be the prisoner of a girl,
Herself a captive behind walls and out of reach?
At the sight of Qamar al-Zaman, the princess fell passionately in love…
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and eighty-fifth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that at the sight of Qamar al-Zaman, the princess fell passionately in love and said to herself: ‘Oh the disgrace! This young man is an unknown stranger; what is he doing sleeping next to me in the same bed?’ She looked at him again and saw how handsome he was. ‘By God,’ she said, ‘this is a beautiful young man. To my shame, my heart is almost torn in pieces through love for him. Had I known that it was he who had asked my father for my hand, rather than rejecting him I would have married him and enjoyed his beauty.’ Then, looking at his face, she said: ‘Master, light of my eyes, wake up and savour my loveliness.’ She shook him with her hand, but Maimuna had sent sleep down on him, pressing upon his head with her wings, so that he did not wake. The princess went on shaking him and urging him to obey her: ‘Wake from your sleep. Look at the narcissus and the verdure. Enjoy my belly and my navel; throw yourself on me and play with me from now until morning. By God, my master, rouse up; prop yourself on the pillow and stop sleeping.’ Qamar al-Zaman made no reply but remained sunk in sleep.
‘Ah, ah!’ exclaimed the princess. ‘Your beauty and grace, together with your powers of coquetry, have made you conceited, but, handsome as you are, I too am beautiful. What are you doing? Did they tell you to turn away from me or was it my father, that ill-omened old man, who told you, and stopped you, making you swear that you would say nothing to me tonight?’
Qamar al-Zaman neither opened his mouth nor stirred. The love that God had put into the princess’s heart increased, and the glance that she cast on him was followed by a thousand sighs. Her heart fluttered, her stomach churned and her limbs trembled. ‘My master,’ she said to him, ‘speak to me, my darling. Say something to me, my love. Answer me; tell me your name, for you have stolen away my wits.’ All the time, however, Qamar al-Zaman was sunk in sleep, making no reply. The princess sighed and said: ‘Ah, ah, why are you so proud?’ She shook him and kissed his hand, and then, seeing her ring on his little finger, she moaned and said, with a gesture of passion: ‘Oh, oh! By God, you are my darling! You love me but you seem to be turning away from me in coquetry, although you came to me while I was asleep, my darling. I don’t know what you did to me, but you took my ring and I shall not take it back from your finger.’ She opened the collar of his shirt, and leaning over him, she kissed him and then stretched out an exploring hand to see whether he had anything with him that she could take. When she found nothing, her hand went down to his chest and then, thanks to the smoothness of his skin, it slipped to his belly. From his navel it passed to his penis, at which her heart shook with palpitations and her lust was stirred, as lust is stronger in women than in men. This was followed by a feeling of shame and, removing the seal ring from his finger, she put it on her own as a replacement for hers. She kissed his mouth and his hands and then every part of his body, after which she took him in her arms and hugged him. With one of her arms beneath his neck and the other beneath his armpit, she embraced him and then fell asleep by his side.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and eighty-sixth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that Budur slept beside Qamar al-Zaman. Looking on, Maimuna said to Dahnash: ‘You damned creature, did you see my darling’s pride and coquetry, and the passion that yours showed for him? There is no doubt that mine is more beautiful than yours, but nevertheless I forgive you.’ She then wrote him a certificate setting him free, after which she turned to Qashqash and told him to help Dahnash carry the princess back home, as the night was almost gone. ‘To hear is to obey,’ said Qashqash, and he and Dahnash then lifted up the princess from beneath and flew home with her, setting her down on her own bed. Maimuna was left alone, gazing at the sleeping Qamar al-Zaman until only a little of the night was left, after which she went on her way.
When dawn broke, Qamar al-Zaman woke from his sleep and turned to the right and to the left, but could not find the girl. ‘What is this?’ he said to himself. ‘It seemed as though my father was encouraging me to marry the girl who was with me but he has then removed her secretly in order to make me more eager to marry.’ He then swore at the eunuch who was sleeping at the door, ordering him to get up. The eunuch did so, bemused by sleep, and brought in a ewer and a basin. Qamar al-Zaman got up, relieved himself in the privy, and then, after coming out, he performed the ritual ablution and the morning prayer, after which he sat praising Almighty God.
When he looked up, he found the eunuch standing in attendance on him. ‘Sawab,’ he said, ‘who was it who came while I was asleep and took the girl from my side?’ ‘What girl, master?’ asked the eunuch. ‘The girl who was sleeping with me last night,’ replied the prince. The eunuch was uneasy, saying: ‘By God, there was no girl with you, or anyone else. How could a girl have got in when I was sleeping by the door and the door was locked? I swear to God, master, that no one, male or female, came in to you.’ ‘You are lying, you ill-omened slave!’ cried the prince. ‘Is it for you to deceive me and to hide from me where the girl who slept with me last night has gone when it was you who took her from me?’ The eunuch repeated in his agitation that he had seen neither girl nor boy, at which Qamar al-Zaman exclaimed angrily: ‘You damned fellow, my father has taught you trickery! Come here!’ The eunuch went up to him and Qamar al-Zaman seized him by the collar and threw him to the ground. He farted and Qamar al-Zaman kneeled on him before taking him and throttling him until he lost consciousness. He then picked him up and, after tying him to the well rope, he let him down as far as the water, this being in the bitter cold of winter. After he had been dipped in the water, Qamar al-Zaman hoisted him up, before letting him down again. He went on doing this, to the accompaniment of calls for help, shrieks and cries, saying as he did so: ‘You damned creature, I shall only take you out of this well when you tell me the whole story of the girl and let me know who took her while I slept.’
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the hundred and eighty-seventh night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that Qamar al-Zaman told the eunuch: ‘I shall only take you out of this well when you tell me the whole story of the girl and let me know who took her while I slept.’ The eunuch, staring death in the face, replied: ‘Master, let me go. I shall speak the truth and tell you the whole story.’ At that, Qamar al-Zaman pulled him out of the well and released him. He was almost lost to the world because of the harshness of his sufferings, having been tortured by cold, immersion, fear of drowning, and beating. He was trembling like a storm-tossed reed; his teeth were clenched together; his clothes were soaked; and his body was filthy and scarred by the sides of the well. So revolting was his condition that Qamar al-Zaman, seeing him, found it hard to bear. Now lying on the ground, the eunuch said: ‘Master, let me go and take off my clothes, wring them out and spread them out in the sun. I can then put on fresh clothes and come back to you quickly to tell you what really happened.’ ‘You evil slave,’ said Qamar al-Zaman, ‘had you not been confronted by death, you would never have acknowledged the truth or said what you did. Go off and do what you have to, but come back to me quickly and tell me what really happened.’
The eunuch left, scarcely believing that he had managed to escape. He kept running and then falling and then getting up again until he came into the presence of King Shahriman. He fo
und the king seated with the vizier at his side and they were talking about the prince. The king was telling the vizier that, because of his concern for his son, he had not been able to sleep on the preceding night, adding: ‘I’m afraid that he may come to harm in this old tower, and what useful purpose will it serve to keep him imprisoned?’ ‘There is no need for you to fear for him,’ replied the vizier. ‘Nothing will happen to him, so leave him there for a month until he is in a more malleable frame of mind, his spirit is broken and he comes to his senses.’
While they were talking, in came the eunuch in the state that has been described, which alarmed the king. The eunuch said: ‘My lord the king, your son has lost his wits and gone mad. He tortured me, leaving me in the state that you can see. He kept on saying that a girl had spent the night with him before leaving secretly; he demanded to know where she was, insisting that I tell him about her and let him know who took her off. I saw neither girl nor boy; the door was locked all night long and I was sleeping beside it with the key beneath my head. I opened it for him this morning with my own hand.’
When the king heard this, he cried out in grief for his son and became furiously angry with the vizier, holding him responsible for what had happened. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘and find out what has happened to my son and what has affected his mind.’ The vizier got up and went out, stumbling over his robes in his fear lest the king do him an injury. He went with the eunuch to the tower, the sun having now risen, and when he entered, he found Qamar al-Zaman seated on the couch, reciting the Quran. The vizier greeted him, sat down beside him and said: ‘My master, this evil eunuch has told us something that has disturbed and disquieted us, making the king angry.’ ‘What did he tell you about me that disturbed my father, while, in fact, it was I whom he disturbed?’ asked Qamar al-Zaman. ‘He came to us in a sorry state,’ explained the vizier, ‘and he told your father something about you that you could never have done, inventing for us a cock and bull story that should never have been told about you. May God preserve your youth, your sound mind and your eloquent tongue, and far be it from you that you should commit any foul act.’ ‘What did this ill-omened slave say about me?’ asked the prince. The vizier replied: ‘He told us that your mind had gone and that you had claimed to him that you had had a girl with you last night. You had then demanded that he tell you where she had gone and you had tortured him.’