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,
Now, the king’s capital was called the White City and was located on the seashore. Therefore, the chamber in which the damsel was installed had windows that overlooked the sea. When Shahriman eventually went to visit her there, she did not speak to him, nor did she take any notice of him.
“It would seem that she’s been with people who never taught her any manners,” he said. Then he looked at the damsel and marveled again at her beauty, loveliness, and grace. Indeed, she had a face like the rondure of the full moon or the radiant sun shining on a clear day. And he praised Almighty Allah for having produced such a splendid creature, and he walked up to her and sat down by her side. Then he pressed her to his bosom, and after seating her on his thighs, he sucked the dew of her lips, which he found sweeter than honey. Soon after this he called for trays spread with all kinds of the richest viands, and while he ate, he also fed her by mouthfuls until she had had enough. All the while she did not speak a single word. Even when the king began to talk to her and asked her name, she remained silent and did not utter a syllable or give him an answer. Only her incomparable beauty saved her from his majesty’s wrath. “Glory be to God, the Creator of this girl!” he said to himself. “She would be perfectly charming if she would only speak! But perfection belongs only to Allah the Most High.” And he asked the slave girls whether she had spoken, and they said, “From the time of her arrival until now she has not uttered one word, nor has she even addressed us.”
Then he summoned some of his women and concubines and ordered them to sing to her and make merry so that perhaps she might speak. Accordingly they played all sorts of instruments and games before her so that all the people present enjoyed themselves except the damsel, who looked at them in silence and neither laughed nor spoke. The king became extremely distressed because of this, and he dismissed the women and the rest of the company. When everyone was gone, he took off his clothes and disrobed her with his own hand. When he looked at her body, he saw that it was as smooth as a silver ingot, and his love for her was aroused. So he lay down next to her and began making love. Soon he took her maidenhead and was pleased to find that she was a pure virgin. “By Allah,” he said to himself, “it’s a wonder that a girl so fair of form and face should have been left untouched and pure by the merchants!”
From then on he devoted himself entirely to her and gave up all his other concubines and favorites. Indeed, he spent one whole year with her as if it were a single day. Still, she did not speak one word, until one morning he said to her, “Oh love of my life, my passion for you is great, and I have forsaken all my slave girls, concubines, and favorites, and I have made you my entire world and had patience with you for one whole year. So I now beseech Almighty Allah to do me a favor and soften your heart so that you’ll speak to me. Or, if you are mute, tell me by some sign so that I’ll give up hope of ever hearing you speak. My only prayer is that the Lord will grant me a son through you so that there will be an heir to the kingdom after me. May Allah bless you, and if you love me, you’ll now give me a reply.”
The damsel bowed her head awhile in thought. Eventually she raised it and smiled at him, and it seemed to him as if the rays of the sun had filled the chamber. Then she said, “Oh magnanimous lord and valorous lion, Allah has answered your prayer, for I am with child by you, and the time of my delivery is near at hand, although I am not sure whether the baby will be a boy or girl. But one thing is certain: if I had not become pregnant by you, I would not have spoken one word to you.”
When the king heard her talk, his face shone with joy and gladness, and he kissed her head and hands out of delight. “Praise the Lord!” he said. “Almighty Allah has granted all my wishes—your speech and a child!”
Then he got up, left her chamber, and seated himself on his throne. In his ecstasy he ordered his vizier to distribute a hundred thousand dinars to the poor and needy and widows as a way of showing his gratitude to Allah Almighty. The minister did as he was commanded, and then the king returned to the damsel, embraced her, and said, “Oh my lady, my queen, your slave desires to know why you were silent so long. You spent one whole year with me, and yet you did not speak to me until this day. Why?”
“Listen to me carefully, my lord,” she replied, “for I want you to know that I am a wretched exile and brokenhearted. My mother, my family, and my brother are far away from me.”
When the king heard her words, he knew how she felt and said, “There’s no more need for you to feel so wretched, for I swear to you my kingdom and goods and all that I possess are at your service, and I have also become your husband. But as for your separation from your mother, brother, and family, I understand your sorrow, but just tell me where they are, and I will send for them and fetch them here.”
“Gracious king, you must listen to the rest of my story,” she answered. “First, let me tell you that my name is Julnar the Mermaid, and that my father was a descendant of the kings of the High Seas. When he died, he left us his realm, but while we were still upset and mourning him, one of the other kings arose against us and took over our realm. I have a brother called Salih, and my mother is also a woman of the sea. While all this was happening, I had a falling out with my brother and swore that I would throw myself into the hands of a man of the land. So I left the sea and sat down on the edge of an island in the moonshine, and a passerby found me. He took me to his house and tried to make love to me, but I struck him on the head so hard that he almost died. Once he recovered, he took me away and sold me to the merchant from whom you bought me. This merchant was a good man—virtuous, pious, loyal, and generous. If it were not for the fact that you fell in love with me and promoted me over all your concubines, I would not have remained with you a single hour. Rather, I would have sprung into the sea from this window and gone to my mother and family. Now, however, I’ve become ashamed to travel to them, since I am carrying your child. They would consider this to be sinful and would no longer regard me with esteem, even if I were to tell them that a king had bought me with his gold, given me his property, and preferred me over all his wives. —This then is my story.”
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,
Then the king thanked Julnar for telling him her story, kissed her on her forehead, and said, “By Allah, oh lady and light of my eyes, I can’t bear to be separated from you for more than one hour. If you were ever to leave me, I would die immediately. What are we to do?”
“My lord,” she replied, “the time of my delivery is near at hand, and my family must be present so that they can tend me. You see, the women of the land do not know how women of the sea give birth to children, nor do the daughters of the ocean know the ways of the daughters of the earth. When my people come, we will all be reconciled to one another.”
“But how do people of the sea walk about in the water and breathe?” asked the king.
“We walk in the water and breathe as you do here on ground,” she said, “thanks to the names engraved on the ring of Solomon David-son. But now, listen to me, when I call for my kith and kin to come here, I’ll tell them how you bought me with gold and have treated me with kindness and benevolence. It will be important for you to show them that you have a magnificent realm and that you’re a mighty king.”
“My lady,” he said, “do whatever you think is appropriate, and you can rely on me to carry out your commands.”
Then the damsel continued telling him about her life. “Yes,” she said, “we walk in the sea and perceive everything that is in the water. We even behold the sun, moon, stars, and sky, as though they were on the surface of the earth. But this does not bother us. There are many types of people in the high seas and various forms and creatures on land,
but the differences are not all that great.”
The king was astounded by her words, and then she pulled two small pieces of Comorin lign aloes from her bosom, and after kindling a fire in a chafing dish, she took some of the lign aloes and threw them into the fire. Right after that she whistled loudly and said something that the king could not understand. Suddenly a great deal of smoke arose, and she said to the king, “My lord, get up and hide yourself in a closet so that I may show you my brother, mother, and family without them seeing you. I have decided to bring them here, and you will soon see a wondrous thing and marvel at the strange creatures and forms that Allah Almighty has created.”
So he quickly entered a closet and began watching what she would do. And indeed, she continued her incantations until the sea began to foam and froth, and all at once a handsome young man arose from it. He was as bright as the full moon with a handsome white brow, ruddy cheeks, and teeth like pearls. Moreover, he was very much like his sister in looks. After him came an ancient dame with speckled gray hair and five maidens, radiant moons, who resembled Julnar a great deal. The king watched them as they walked on the face of the water until they drew near Julnar’s window and saw her. Once they recognized her, they entered the chamber through the window, and she rose to greet them with joy and gladness. Indeed, they embraced and wept profusely until one of them said, “Oh Julnar, how could you leave us four years and not tell us where you were? By Allah, we’ve been extremely upset since your separation, and we haven’t been able to enjoy food or drink. No, not for one day. We have longed so much for you that we’ve not been able to stop weeping!”
Then Julnar began kissing the hands of her mother, brother, and relatives, and they sat with her awhile asking her to tell them what had happened to her and what she was doing there.
“When I left you,” Julnar began, “I emerged from the sea and sat down on the shore of an island, where a man found me and sold me to a merchant, who brought me to this city and sold me for ten thousand dinars to the king of this country. Now, this king has treated me with great honor and given up all his concubines, women, and favorites for my sake. Moreover, he has devoted all this time and energy into looking after my welfare.”
“Praise be to Allah, who has reunited us with you,” said her brother. “But now, my sister, it’s time for you to come back with us to our country and people.”
When the king heard these words, he almost went out of his mind, fearing that Julnar might agree with her brother and he would not be able to stop her. He loved her passionately and was extremely afraid of losing her.
“By Allah,” Julnar replied, “the mortal who bought me is the lord of this city, and he is a mighty king and a wise, good, and generous man. Moreover, he has a great deal of wealth and does not have an heir to his throne. He has treated me with honor, done all sorts of favors for me, and has never spoken one unkind word to me. He does nothing without my advice, and I have the best of all possible worlds with him. Furthermore, if I were to leave him, he would perish, for he cannot endure to be separated from me for more than one hour. Indeed, if I left him, I, too, would die because I love him so much. Even if my father were alive, I could not have a better life than the life I presently lead with this great and glorious monarch. And right now, to tell you the truth, I am carrying his child, and praise be to Allah, who has made me a daughter of the kings of the sea, and my husband the mightiest of kings of the land. Indeed, Allah has compensated me for whatever I lost.”
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,
Julnar paused for a moment and then continued explaining her situation to her brother and family. “As I mentioned before, this king does not have an heir, and so I have prayed to Allah to bless me with a son who would inherit everything that belonged to this mighty lord’s realm.”
Now, when her brother and family heard her speech, they understood her situation much better and responded, “Oh Julnar, you know how much we respect and love you. You are the dearest of creatures, and we only want you to lead a life without travail or trouble. Therefore, if you are suffering in any way, we want you to come with us to our land and folk. But if you are happy here and are honored the way you should be, we would not want to take you away or do anything against your wishes.”
“By Allah,” she said, “I have all the comfort, solace, and honor I need here.”
When the king heard what she said, his heart was set at rest, and he thanked her silently for everything. His love for her grew immensely, and he now knew that she loved him as he loved her and desired to remain with him, and that he would get to see his child.
Then Julnar ordered her women to set the table with all sorts of viands, which had been cooked in the kitchen under her supervision, and fruit and sweetmeats. When that was done, she and her kinsfolk sat down and ate. But soon they said to her, “Julnar, we have never met your lord, and yet we have entered his house without his permission or knowledge. You have praised his excellent qualities and have set his food before us, which we have eaten. Yet, we have not enjoyed his company or seen him.” So they all stopped eating and were angry with her. Suddenly fire spouted from their mouths, and the king was scared out of his wits.
But Julnar arose, and after calming them, she went to the closet where the king was hidden, she said, “My lord, have you seen and heard how I praised you to my people and have you noted that they would like to take me back to my land?”
“I heard and saw everything,” he said. “May the Lord reward you for what you have said and done! By Allah, until this blessed moment I did not know how much you loved me!”
“My lord,” she replied, “what is the best reward for kindness but kindness! You have been most generous with me and have treated me with love and respect. So, how could my heart be content to leave you, especially after you have been so good to me? But now I would like you to show how courteous you are. Please welcome my family and become friends with them. Thanks to my praise of you, my brother, mother, and cousins already love you and refuse to depart for their home until they have met you.”
“As you wish,” said the king. “Indeed, this has been my very own desire as well.”
Upon saying this he arose, went over to them, and greeted them warmly. In turn, they stood up and received him with utmost respect. Then he sat down and ate with them, and he entertained them in his palace for the next thirty days, at which point they desired to return home. So they took leave of the king and queen, and after he showed them all possible honors, they departed for home. Some time after this Julnar gave birth to a boy, and he looked as radiant as the full moon. Of course, the king was beside himself with joy, for he had been longing to have an heir for many years. Soon they celebrated the event for seven days and decorated the entire city. Everyone was filled with joy, and on the seventh day Julnar’s mother, Queen Farashah, her brother, and her cousins arrived, for they had learned about her giving birth to a son.
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,
The king was most happy about their visit, and told them, “I promised not to give my son a name until you arrived and could know what he was to be called.” So they named him Badar Basim, and all agreed that this was a fine name. Then they showed the child to his Uncle Salih, who took him in his arms and began to walk all around the room with him. Soon he left the palace with him and took him down to the ocean until he was hidden from the king’s sight. Now, when Shahriman saw him take his son and disappear with him into the depths of the ocean, he gave the child up for lost and began weeping. But Julnar said to him, “Don’t worry. There is no need to grieve for your son, for I love my child more than you, and he is with my brother. Therefore, you don’t have to be afraid of the sea or of his drowning. If my brother h
ad thought that the little one would be harmed, he would not have done this. Don’t worry, he’ll soon bring your son safely back to you.”
After an hour went by and the ocean sea became turbulent, King Salih emerged and left the water. When he came up to them with the child lying quiet and his face as radiant as the full moon, he said to the king, “Perhaps you were afraid your son would be harmed when I plunged into the sea with him?”
“Yes,” he said, “I was afraid and even thought that he wouldn’t come back.”
“My lord,” Salih replied, “we penciled his eyes with an eye powder that we know and recited the names engraved on the ring of Solomon David-son over him, for this is what we generally do with our newborn children. Now you’ll never have to fear his drowning or suffocation in all the oceans of the world. Just as you walk on land, we walk in the sea, and he, too, has our gift.”
Then he pulled an engraved and sealed box from his pocket, and after he broke the seals and emptied it, all sorts of jacinths and other jewels fell out. In addition, there were three hundred emeralds and other gems as big as ostrich eggs that glistened more brightly than the sun and moon.
“Your majesty,” said Salih, “these jewels and jacinths are a present from me to you. The reason we never brought you a gift before this is that we never knew where Julnar was residing, nor did we have any trace of her. But now that we know she is united with you and we have all become part of the same family, we have brought you this present, and every once in a while we shall bring you more of the same. These jewels and jacinths are like pebbles on the beach for us, and we know how good and bad they can be, and we know all about their power and where to find them.”
When the king saw these jewels, he was completely amazed and dazzled. “By Allah,” he said, “just one single gem of these jewels is worth my entire realm!” Then he thanked Salih the Merman, and turning toward Queen Julnar, he said, “I am abashed before your brother, for he has treated me most generously and bestowed this splendid gift on me.”
Arabian Nights Page 25