The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 1

by Penguin; Robert Irwin; Malcolm Lyons; Ursula Lyons

  Censurer, stop; be on your guard,

  Lest you yourself perish from the disease of love.

  Budur then perfumed the paper of the letter with pungent musk and wrapped it in her hair bands of Iraqi silk, whose tassels were of emeralds, set with pearls and other gems. This she handed to the old woman, telling her to give it to al-As‘ad. The old woman went off obligingly, and promptly came to al-As‘ad, who was alone when she entered. She gave him the paper and stood for a time waiting for a reply. Al-As‘ad read the letter and understood its meaning. Folding it up among the hair bands, he put it in his pocket in a state of furious anger, cursing the treachery of women. Then, getting up and unsheathing his sword, he struck the old woman on the neck, cutting off her head. After that, he walked away to his mother, Hayat al-Nufus, whom he found lying on her bed, sick because of what had happened to her with al-Amjad. Al-As‘ad reviled and cursed her and then he left. Meeting his brother, al-Amjad, he told him everything that had happened to him with Budur, his mother, telling him that he had killed the old woman who had brought him the letter. ‘By God, brother,’ he added, ‘were it not for my respect for you, I would go to Budur straight away and cut off her head.’ Al-Amjad told him that, the day before, when he had been sitting on the royal throne, the same thing had happened to him and that Hayat al-Nufus had sent him the same kind of letter. After telling al-As‘ad the whole story, he too added that had it not been for his respect for his brother, he would have gone to Hayat al-Nufus and treated her as he had treated the eunuch. The two of them spent the rest of the night talking and cursing the treachery of women. They advised one another that the affair should be kept secret lest their father, Qamar al-Zaman, come to hear of it and kill the two women.

  After they had passed a sorrowful night, in the morning Qamar al-Zaman came back from the hunt with his men. He sat for some time on the royal throne and then, after dismissing his emirs, he got up and went to the palace. Here he found both his wives lying in bed in an enfeebled state. They had plotted against their sons and had agreed to have them killed, for they had disgraced themselves with the two young men and were afraid of being humiliated by them. When Qamar al-Zaman saw the state that they were in, he asked them what was wrong and they rose to greet him and kissed his hands. Then, reversing what had really happened, they said: ‘Know, your majesty, that your two sons, whom you have reared in luxury, have betrayed you with regard to your wives and have committed a shameful act.’

  When Qamar al-Zaman heard this, the light turned to darkness in his eyes and he became madly angry. He told them to explain what had happened, and Queen Budur said: ‘You must know, king of the age, that for a number of days your son al-As‘ad has been sending me messages and letters, attempting to seduce me. Although I tried to stop him, he would not give up. When you went away, he attacked me while he was drunk. He had a drawn sword in his hand with which he struck and killed my eunuch. He then got on top of me, still holding the sword, and I was afraid that if I tried to resist him, he would kill me as he had killed my eunuch. So he raped me and if you don’t avenge me on him, as is my due, I shall kill myself with my own hand, as after this foul act there is nothing left for me to live for in this world.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the two hundred and twentieth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O auspicious king, that Queen Hayat al-Nufus told her husband: ‘The same thing happened to me with your son al-Amjad.’ She then burst out weeping and wailing and told Qamar al-Zaman that if he did not take vengeance for her on al-Amjad, she would tell her father, King Armanus.

  Both ladies wept bitterly in front of Qamar al-Zaman, and when he saw this and heard what they had to say, he believed that it must be true. He got up in a furious rage, intending to attack and kill his two sons, but he was met by his father-in-law, who was just coming in at that moment to greet him on his return from his hunting trip. Armanus saw him with a drawn sword in his hand and blood drípping from his nostrils because of the violence of his anger. He asked him what was wrong and Qamar al-Zaman told him what al-Amjad and al-As‘ad had done, adding: ‘I’m going to kill them in the vilest of ways and to make the most shameful example of them.’ ‘That is good, my son,’ said Armanus, who was also angry with the princes. ‘May God give no blessing to them or to any other sons who act like this towards their fathers. But, my son, the proverb says that whoever does not look towards the consequences will not find Time his friend. They are, after all, your sons and you shouldn’t kill them with your own hand lest you yourself experience death pains and find yourself repenting of what you did when repentance is too late to be of use after you have killed them. Instead of this, send out one of your mamluks to execute them in the desert out of your sight. As the proverb has it, it is better to be far from the beloved, as what the eye does not see the heart does not grieve over.’

  When Qamar al-Zaman heard what his father-in-law had to say, he thought it good advice. He sheathed his sword and returned to sit on the royal throne before sending for his treasurer, a very old man experienced in affairs and accustomed to the vicissitudes of Time. ‘Go to my sons, al-Amjad and al-As‘ad,’ he said. ‘Pinion them securely, put them in two chests and load these on a mule. Then mount and take them into the middle of the desert, where you are to cut their throats and fill two flasks with their blood. Then hurry back to me with the flasks.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ replied the treasurer.

  He had set off at once to look for the princes, when he found them on their way out of the hall, wearing their finest clothes. They were coming to greet their father and congratulate him on his safe return from his hunting trip. When the treasurer saw them, he laid hands on them and said: ‘My sons, know that I am a slave and under orders. Your father has given me a command. Are you prepared to obey it?’ ‘Yes,’ they replied, at which he went up to them, pinioned them and put them in two chests which he loaded on the back of a mule. He then took them out of the city and rode with them into the desert until it was nearly noon. After halting in a desolate and lonely spot, he dismounted, unloaded the chests from the back of the mule and opened them, bringing out the two princes. When he looked at them, their beauty and grace caused him to weep bitterly, but he unsheathed his sword and said: ‘By God, my masters, it is hard for me to treat you so badly, but I must be excused in this because I am a slave under orders. Your father, King Qamar al-Zaman, has commanded me to cut off your heads.’ They said to him, ‘Carry out the king’s orders, emir, for we shall endure what God, the Great and Glorious, has decreed for us, and you are free of any blood guilt for us.’

  They embraced one another and took their leave, after which al-As‘ad said to the treasurer: ‘For God’s sake, uncle, I implore you not to inflict on me the death pangs of my brother, filling me with distress for him, but kill me before him so that this may be easier for me to bear.’ Al-Amjad said the same thing, hoping to persuade the treasurer to kill him first. ‘My brother is younger than I am,’ he said, ‘so don’t make me suffer his pain.’ Each of them then wept bitterly, prompting the treasurer to join in their tears.

  Nights 221 to 240

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the two hundred and twenty-first night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the treasurer joined in their tears. The brothers then embraced and said goodbye to each other, after which one said to the other: ‘This is all due to the trickery of those two treacherous women, my mother and yours, and it is a repayment for what happened to me with your mother and what happened to you with mine. There is no might and no power except with God, the Exalted, the Omnipotent. We belong to God and to him do we return.’ Al-As‘ad hugged his brother, sighing deeply and reciting these lines:

  God of refuge, to Whom complaints are made,

  You Who are ready for all we can expect,

  My one resource is to knock on Your door;r />
  If I am turned away, on whose door shall I knock?

  The treasuries of Your grace are found in the word ‘be’.

  Show favour to me, for with You exists all good.

  Al-Amjad, sharing in his brother’s tears, clasped him to his breast and recited these lines:

  You Who grant me favour after favour,

  Whose gifts cannot be counted,

  When one of Time’s misfortunes comes on me,

  I find You there to take me by the hand.

  Al-Amjad then said to the treasurer: ‘I implore you by the One God, the Almighty, the King, the Concealer, kill me before my brother al-As‘ad, so that the fire in my heart may be quenched and not allowed to burn.’ Al-As‘ad shed tears himself and insisted that he should be the first to die, and al-Amjad then suggested that they should both embrace each other so that the sword blow could kill them both simultaneously. The two of them then held each other in a close embrace, face to face, and the treasurer tied them tightly with ropes, shedding tears as he did so. He then drew his sword and said: ‘By God, masters, it is hard for me to kill you. Is there anything that you want me to do for you, any instruction that you would like me to carry out or any message that you want delivered?’ ‘There is nothing we need,’ said al-Amjad, ‘but I instruct you to put my brother al-As‘ad underneath and me on top, so that the blow may fall on me first. When you have gone back to the king after having killed us and he asks you whether we said anything before we died, tell him: “Your sons sent you their greetings and said that you did not know whether they were innocent or guilty, but killed them without making sure of their guilt or looking into their case.” Then recite these lines for him:

  Women have been created for us as devils;

  I take refuge in God from devilish wiles.

  From them spring the misfortunes of mankind,

  In matters of the world and in religion.’

  Al-Amjad then added: ‘This is all that we want you to do, to repeat to the king these lines that you have heard…’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the two hundred and twenty-second night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Al-Amjad said: ‘This is all that we want you to do, to repeat to the king these lines that you have heard. I also ask you in God’s Name, to be patient until I recite these other lines to my brother.’ Shedding tears, he then recited:

  There is clear proof for us among the former kings;

  How many, great and small, have passed along this road!

  When the treasurer heard what al-Amjad said, he wept so bitterly that tears soaked his beard, while as for al-As‘ad, tears filled his eyes and he recited:

  We saw, and Time afflicts us by what is left behind,

  But why is it we weep for shapes and images?

  What do nights suffer? God forgive whatever we have done to them;

  It is the hand of change that has betrayed them.

  They kindled a fire of cunning against Ibn Zubair,

  Without respect for his refuge at the Ka‘ba and the Black Stone.

  They ransomed ‘Amr with Kharija;

  Would that they had ransomed ‘Ali with any man they chose.

  With a flood of tears running down his cheeks, he recited:

  By nature nights and days are treacherous,

  Full of deception and of wiles.

  Desert mirages serve them as gleaming teeth,

  And the dread in every darkness serves as kohl.

  My sin against this evil-natured Time

  Is the sword’s sin when the swordsman holds it back.

  Sighing deeply, he recited more lines:

  You who are seeking this vile world,

  It is destruction’s net, a pit of sorrows.

  It is a dwelling which may bring

  Laughter one day, but will fetch tears the next.

  Evil befall it! Its attacks never cease;

  No price, however great, ransoms its prisoners.

  How many boasted of its vanities,

  Until they passed the bounds and disobeyed their God.

  It then reversed its shield and plunged its dagger home,

  So it might take revenge.

  Know that misfortunes take you by surprise,

  Even if delays are long and fate is slow.

  See that you do not waste your life in vain,

  And have no victories to show.

  So cut your links of love for it and end your quest,

  To find right guidance and peace in your heart.

  When al-As‘ad had finished these lines, he and his brother embraced until they seemed to be one single person. The treasurer drew his sword and was about to strike when suddenly his horse took fright and bolted into the desert. As the horse itself was worth a thousand dinars and was carrying a magnificent and costly saddle, the treasurer threw away the sword and went after it…

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the two hundred and twenty-third night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the treasurer pursued the horse, on fire with anxiety. He kept on pursuing it, and he was still trying to catch it when it entered a wood. It made its way through the middle of the trees, drumming on the ground with its hooves, raising a high, spreading column of dust, snorting and whinnying with blood-shot eyes. In that wood was a dangerous and hideous lion, with eyes that shot out sparks, a grim face and a terrifying shape. The treasurer turned to see the lion making for him. Unable to see any way of escape and without his sword, he said to himself: ‘There is no might and no power except with God, the Exalted, the Omnipotent! I have fallen into this dilemma because of the sin of al-Amjad and al-As‘ad, and a journey that was ill-omened from the start.’

  The princes themselves, left in the burning heat, became violently thirsty. Their tongues hung out and although they cried out for help from their thirst, there was no one to aid them. ‘Would that we had been killed and so had been saved from this!’ exclaimed al-Amjad. ‘There is no knowing where the horse may have gone in its fright, with the treasurer following it, leaving us tied up. If he were to come back and kill us, it would be easier for us than having to endure this torture.’ ‘Be patient, brother,’ said al-As‘ad, ‘and it may be that Almighty God, praise be to Him, will send us relief. It was only because of His favour to us that the horse bolted, and it is only this thirst that harms us.’ He then shook himself, twisting right and left until his bonds were loosened. Getting up, he freed his brother and then, taking the treasurer’s sword, he said: ‘By God, we cannot leave this place until we find out about him and discover what has happened to him.’

  They started to follow the trail which led them to the wood and they told each other that the horse and its master could have gone no further than that. ‘Stay here,’ said al-As‘ad to his brother, ‘while I go in and look around.’ ‘I am not going to let you go by yourself,’ al-Amjad replied. ‘We shall both go, so that whether we live or die, we shall share the same fate.’ They entered together and found that the lion had attacked the treasurer, and was holding him beneath it like a little bird, while, for his part, he was pointing to the sky and imploring God for help. On seeing this, al-Amjad took the sword and attacked the lion, striking it between the eyes and killing it. As it fell on the ground, the treasurer got up, full of astonishment, and when he saw al-Amjad and al-As‘ad standing there, he threw himself down at their feet. ‘By God, sirs,’ he said, ‘it would not be right for me to commit an outrage by killing you. May no one ever kill you! I would ransom you with my life.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the two hundred and twenty-fourth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the treasurer told the princes that he would ransom them with his life. He got to his feet immediately and embraced the princes, asking them how they had
freed themselves from their bonds and had come to him. They told him that they had become thirsty and that, after one of them had managed to free himself, he had been able to release the other, thanks to their innocence. Afterwards, they had followed his trail until they had discovered him. On hearing this, the treasurer thanked them for what they had done and went with them out of the wood. There they told him to carry out their father’s commands, but he said: ‘God forbid that I should do you any harm. What I intend to do is to take off your clothes, dress you in mine and then fill two flasks with the lion’s blood, after which I’ll go to the king and tell him that I killed you. As for you, you can go off, for God’s earth is wide, but know that I shall find it hard to part from you both.’

  He and the princes shed tears. They then exchanged clothes and the treasurer bundled theirs up, putting them in front of him on the back of the horse together with the two flasks which he had filled with the lion’s blood. Saying goodbye to the princes, he set off for the city, going on until he had come into the presence of the king. He kissed the ground in front of the king, who noticed that his colour had changed. That was because of his experience with the lion, but the king supposed it was because he had killed his sons. He was pleased, saying: ‘Have you done the job?’ ‘Yes, master,’ replied the treasurer, who then handed the king the two bundles and the flasks filled with blood. ‘How did they behave,’ he asked, ‘and did they charge you with any commission?’ ‘I found them patiently resigned to their fate,’ replied the treasurer. ‘They told me: “Our father is to be excused. Give him our greetings and tell him that we absolve him from responsibility for our deaths. We charge you to recite these lines to him:

  Women have been created for us as devils;