Arabian Nights

by Richard Burton

  “Your majesty,” Aladdin replied, “you did nothing that went against Holy Law, and likewise, I did not sin against you. The entire trouble was caused by that Moor, the unholy magician.”

  Thereupon the sultan ordered the city to be decorated and commanded the herald to announce, “This day is a great holiday. There will be public celebrations for one month in honor of the return of Lady Badar al-Budur and her husband Aladdin!”

  And the people obeyed and held banquets and feasts throughout the city. And that was the end of Aladdin’s troubles with the Moor.

  However, even though the magician’s body had been burned and his ashes scattered in the air, the villain had a brother even more vile than he was and even more adept in necromancy, geomancy, and astrology. As the saying goes, they were like two peas from the same pod, and when the pod was split, each dwelled in his own part of the globe and practiced sorcery, fraud, and treachery.

  Now, one day it so happened that the Moor’s brother learned what had happened to him through his geomantic sandboard. After grieving awhile, he cast the sand a second time to learn how his brother had died and where. This was how he discovered that the site was Africa and that his brother had been killed by a man called Aladdin, who was now living in China. Once this sorcerer had gathered all this information, he arose right away and equipped himself for the voyage to China. After he had traveled through wilderness and over mountains and plains for many months, he reached China and the city where he hoped to find his brother’s murderer. He took lodgings at the inn for foreigners, and after resting in his room for a while, he went out and wandered about the streets contemplating a way to avenge his brother’s death. Soon he entered a coffee house, a fine building which stood in the marketplace, and which attracted many people to play at dice, backgammon, chess, and other games. There he sat down and listened to those seated next to him, and they happened to be speaking about a holy woman named Fatimah, who lived outside the town in a cell where she practiced her devotions. She entered the city only two days each month, and according to the people who were talking, she had performed many holy miracles to help those in need.

  “This is exactly what I was looking for,” said the Moorish sorcerer to himself. “God willing, I’ll be able to carry out my plans with the help of this old woman.” Then the magician turned to the people who were talking about the miracles performed by the devout old woman and said to one of them, “Friend, I heard you talking about the virtues of a certain holy woman named Fatimah. Could you tell me who she is and where she lives?”

  “Remarkable!” exclaimed the man. “How come you’ve never heard about the miracles of the Lady Fatimah? Evidently you must be a stranger if you know nothing about her devout fasts, her asceticism, and her beautiful piety!”

  “It’s true, my lord,” replied the Moor. “Yes, I am a stranger, and I arrived in your city only last night. And now I hope that you will tell me about the holy miracles of this virtuous woman and where she lives, for I’ve suffered a terrible calamity, and I’d like to visit her and request that she pray for me, so that Allah may deliver me from evil through her blessings.”

  In response, the man recounted the marvels of the Holy Fatimah, her piety and devout life. Then taking him by the hand, he led him outside the city and showed him the way to her abode, a cave on the top of a hill. The magician thanked him for showing him the place and returned to his khan. Now, as fate would have it, Fatimah came down to the city the very next day, and the Moor happened to leave his khan early the morning and encounter crowds of people. Since he was curious about what was going on, he went and saw the holy woman standing in the middle of a throng of people, and anyone who suffered from pain or sickness went up to her and solicited a blessing and prayer. Indeed, each and every one she touched was instantly cured from his illness. The sorcerer followed her about the city until she returned to her dwelling. Then he walked back to his khan and waited until evening, when he drank a cup of wine at a tavern. After this, he left the city and went straight to the holy woman’s cave. After entering it, he saw her lying prostrate with her back on a strip of matting. So he moved forward, sat down on her stomach, drew his dagger, and began shouting at her. When she opened her eyes, she was terrified to find a Moor sitting on her belly with a dagger in his hand about to kill her. However, he said to her, “Don’t utter a word! If you do, I’ll slay you right this second. Now get up, and do everything I tell you to do.”

  Then he swore to her that if she obeyed his orders, no matter what they were, he would not kill her. After saying this, he got off her stomach and stood up, and Fatimah did likewise.

  “Give me your dress,” he said, “and take my garments.”

  So she gave him her headdress, veil, and mantilla. Then he said, “You must also use some ointment on me so that my face becomes the same color as yours.”

  Accordingly, she went to the back of the cave and brought out a jar of ointment, spread some of it on her palm, and smeared his face until it looked like hers. Then she hung her rosary around his neck, gave him her staff, and showed him how to walk and what to do when he entered the city. Finally, she handed him a mirror and said, “Now you look just like me.”

  When he gazed into the mirror, he appeared as though he were Fatimah herself. But when he had accomplished what he had wanted, he broke his word and asked for a piece of rope, which he used to strangle her. When she was dead, he hauled the corpse outside and threw it into a nearby pit. Then he went back to sleep in her cave, and when dawn arrived the next day, he went into the town and took a place under the walls of Aladdin’s pavilion. Gradually the people began flocking to him, certain that he was the Holy Fatimah, and he did what she usually did. He placed his hands on those in pain and recited verses from the Koran. Soon the clamoring of the crowd was heard by the lady Badar al-Budur, who said to her slave girls, “Find out what’s causing all that noise!”

  So the chief eunuch went out to see what the matter was and soon returned to his mistress and said, “My lady, the commotion is being caused by the Lady Fatimah, and if you wish, I’ll bring her to you so that you may obtain a blessing from her.”

  “Go and fetch her,” said the princess. “I’ve heard about her miracles and virtues for some time now, and I’d very much like to meet her and get a blessing from her.”

  The eunuch went out and brought in the Moor disguised in Fatimah’s clothing. When the magician stood before the Lady Badar al-Budur, he began to bless her right away with a string of prayers. Everyone was completely convinced that it was the holy woman herself. So the princess arose and saluted him and had him take a seat by her side.

  “My lady Fatimah,” she said, “It would be an honor if you would always stay here so that I could receive your blessings and learn how to follow your pious and good example.”

  Though this invitation was exactly what he had wanted, the sorcerer felt it would be best for the deception if he played hard to get. So he replied, “My lady, I’m a poor religious woman who dwells in a cave. People like myself are not fit to live in the palaces of kings.”

  But the princess replied, “Don’t you worry in the least. I’ll give you a separate apartment in the pavilion, and you’ll be able to worship as you please. Nobody will disturb you, and it will be better place to pray to Allah than your cave.”

  “As you wish, my lady,” said the Moor. “I’ll accept your offer, for the commands of royalty are not to be opposed. My only wish is that I may be able to eat, drink, and sit in my own chamber that will be entirely private. I don’t desire anything special except a bit of bread and some water that one of your slave girls could perhaps carry to me every day. If I happen to need food, I would prefer to eat it in my own room.”

  Of course, the reason the accursed magician said all this was to avert discovery at mealtimes, when he would have had to raise his kerchief, and his beard and moustache would have given him away.

  “Oh Lady Fatimah,” the princess replied. “There is nothing to worry abo
ut. Everything will be just as you desire. Now, please rise, so that I can show you the apartment.”

  Lady Badar al-Budur conducted the sorcerer to a separate apartment in the pavilion that she had kindly promised him for a home. Then she said, “Lady Fatimah, you can have your privacy here and live in comfort, and we shall name this place after you.”

  The Moor acknowledged her kindness and prayed for her. Then the princess showed him the jeweled dome with its twenty-four windows and asked him what he thought of the marvelous pavilion.

  “By Allah, my daughter,” said the magician, “it is wonderful, and there is probably nothing like it in the entire universe. However, it appears to be lacking one thing that would enhance its beauty.”

  “What is it?” asked the princess. “Please tell me, for I want it to be absolutely perfect.”

  “The only thing it needs,” said the Moor, “is the egg of the bird Rukh hanging from the middle of the dome. If this were done, there would be absolutely nothing like this pavilion in the world.”

  “What is this bird?” the princess asked. “Where can we find her egg?”

  “My lady, the Rukh is a gigantic bird,” the sorcerer replied. “It is so powerful that it can carry off camels and elephants in its claws. It is found mainly on Mount Kaf, and the architect who built this pavilion is capable of bringing you one of its eggs.”

  Then they stopped their conversation, since it was noontime and when the servants set the table, the Lady Badar al-Budur invited the accursed Moor to eat with her, but he refused, and the princess had his meal carried to his room, where he ate by himself.

  Now, when it turned evening, Aladdin returned from the hunt and greeted his wife by embracing and kissing her. However, when he looked her in the face, he noticed that she was somewhat sad and did not smile. So he asked her, “Has anything happened to you, my darling? Tell me what’s troubling you.”

  “Nothing whatsoever,” she replied. “But, my beloved, I had thought that our pavilion was absolutely perfect and did not lack a thing. But that is not entirely the case, Aladdin. I think that if there were a Rukh’s egg that hung from the jeweled dome, there would be nothing like it in the universe.”

  “Is this all that’s been bothering you?” Aladdin asked. “It’s the easiest thing in the world for me to fix. So cheer up. All you have to do is to tell me when you want something, and I’ll fetch it instantly, even if it’s hidden in the bowels of the earth.”

  And Scheherazade noticed that dawn was approaching and stopped telling her story. When the next night arrived, however, she received the king’s permission to continue her tale and said,

  After making sure that his wife had regained her good spirits, Aladdin withdrew to his chamber, where he took the lamp and rubbed it. Immediately the jinnee appeared and said, “Ask whatever you want.”

  “I want you to fetch me the egg of the bird Rukh,” Aladdin replied. “And I want you to hang it from the dome of my pavilion.”

  But when the marid heard these words, his face became fierce, and he shouted with a mighty and frightful voice, “You ungrateful soul! Isn’t it enough that I and all the slaves of the lamp are always at your service? Yet now, you also demand that I bring you our mistress just for your pleasure and hang her up in the dome of the pavilion for the enjoyment of you and your wife. By Allah, you and she deserve to be reduced to ashes this very moment and to be scattered in the air. But since you two are not aware of the crime you have committed and its consequences, I’ll pardon you. Innocent as you are, you can’t help what you’ve done. The crime is due to that sorcerer, the brother of the Moorish magician, who is living here and pretending to be the Holy Fatimah. He put on her clothes and disguised himself as her after murdering her in her cave. Indeed, he came here to kill you out of revenge for his brother, and it is he who persuaded your wife to make this request to me.”

  After saying all this, the jinnee vanished. Yet, Aladdin was still trembling after hearing the marid shout at him, and he felt completely bewildered. But gradually he recovered his senses and went into his wife’s apartment. There he pretended to have a headache, for he knew how famous Fatimah was for healing all sorts of pains like that. When the Lady Badar al-Budur saw him sitting with his hand on his head and complaining about the pain, she asked him what the matter was, and he replied, “I don’t know why, but I’ve got a terrible ache in my head.”

  Thereupon she ordered that the Holy Fatimah be summoned immediately so that she could put her hand on his head.

  “Who is this Fatimah?” Aladdin asked.

  So she informed him that it was the Holy Fatimah, for whom she had provided a home in the pavilion. Meanwhile a slave girl had gone to fetch the accursed Moor, and when the villain appeared, Aladdin stood up and, acting as though he knew nothing about the magician’s deception, he saluted him as though he were the real Fatimah. He kissed the hem of his sleeve, welcomed him, and treated him with honor.

  “My Lady Fatimah,” Aladdin said, “I would appreciate it if you would do me a favor. I am well aware that you are adept at curing pains, and I am now suffering from a terrible headache.”

  The accursed Moor could hardly believe his ears, since this was exactly what he had wanted. So he approached Aladdin to place his hand upon his head and heal his ache. As he did this, the other hand was under his gown holding a dagger and ready to kill him. But Aladdin was watching him carefully and waited patiently until the Moor revealed the dagger. Then, with a powerful grip, he wrenched the dagger from his grasp and plunged it deep into his heart. When the Lady Badar al-Budur saw him do this, she shrieked, “Why have you shed this holy woman’s blood? Have you no fear of Allah? Don’t you know that the Holy Fatimah’s miracles are known throughout the world?”

  “But I haven’t killed Fatimah,” Aladdin replied. “I’ve only killed Fatimah’s murderer, the brother of that vile Moor who abducted you through his magic and transported my pavilion to Africa. His damned brother came to our city and planned our downfall. He murdered Fatimah and assumed her identity in order to avenge his brother’s death. If you don’t believe me, come over here and take a look at the person I have slain.”

  Thereupon Aladdin drew the Moor’s veil aside, and the Lady Badar al-Budur saw a man with a full beard. Realizing that her husband was telling the truth, she said, “My beloved, this is the second time that I’ve placed your life in danger!”

  “No harm’s been done,” replied Aladdin. “Besides, your eyes are blessing enough for all the risks I’ve taken, and I’ll joyfully take on anything that comes with being married to you.”

  Hearing these words, the princess embraced him and said, “My darling, I can’t believe you’ve done all this out of your love for me! I never knew how much you loved me. But don’t think that I take your affection for granted.”

  So Aladdin kissed her and held her close, and they could feel their love for each other grow stronger.

  Now, just at that moment, the sultan appeared, and they told him about everything that had happened and showed him the corpse of the sorcerer. Consequently, the king commanded the body to be burned and the ashes to be scattered in the air, just as he had done with the wizard’s brother.

  Thereafter, Aladdin lived with his wife, the Lady Badar al-Budur, in happiness and joy, and he survived all the dangers that he later encountered. After a while, when the sultan died, Aladdin ascended the throne. During his reign he treated his subjects with justice and wisdom so that everyone loved him. And he lived with his wife in bliss and serenity until the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of societies came and visited him.

  No sooner had Scheherazade concluded her tale than she said, “And yet, oh king, this tale is no more wondrous than the remarkable story of ‘Julnar the Mermaid and her Son Badar Basim of Persia.’”

  Julnar the Mermaid and Her Son Badar Basim of Persia

  Many years ago there was once a mighty monarch in the land of Ajam called King Shahriman, who lived in Khorasan. He owned a hundred concubines
, but none of them had blessed him by giving birth to a child. As time passed, he began to lament the fact that he was without an heir, and there would be nobody to inherit his kingdom as he had inherited it from his father and forebears. One day, as he was grieving about this, one of his mamelukes came to him and said, “My lord, there is a merchant at the door with a slave girl, who is more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen before.”

  “Send them in,” the king said.

  After they had entered, Shahriman saw that the girl had a marvelous figure and was wrapped in a silk veil lined with gold. When the merchant uncovered her face, the place was illuminated by her beauty, and her seven tresses hung down to her anklets in lovelocks. She had coal-black eyes, heavy lips, a slender waist, and luscious thighs. Just the sight of her could heal all maladies and quench the fire of hearts longing for love. Indeed, the king was amazed by her beauty and loveliness, and grace, and said to the merchant, “Oh sheikh, how much for this maiden?”

  “My lord,” answered the merchant, “I bought her for two thousand dinars from a merchant who owned her before I did. Since then I have traveled with her for three years, and she has cost me another three thousand gold pieces up to the time of my arrival here. Despite all these expenses, she is a gift from me to you.”

  As a reward for this gesture, the king presented him with a splendid robe of honor and ten thousand ducats, whereupon the merchant kissed his hands, thanked him for his generosity, and went his way. Afterward the king gave the damsel to the slave girls and said, “Go and bathe her. Then adorn her and furnish her with a bower, where she is to reside.” In addition, he ordered his chamberlains to bring her everything she requested and to shut her doors after they left.