The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 2

by Penguin; Robert Irwin; Malcolm Lyons; Ursula Lyons

  Janshah then stayed for some time with the monk until one day, as he was sitting there, the birds, beasts and jinn arrived. He and Yaghmus began asking them about Castle Takni, but none of them could help as they all said that they had neither seen it nor heard of it. Janshah began weeping, wailing and entreating Almighty God, and while he was doing so the last of the birds, a huge black creature, flew down from the sky and kissed Yaghmus’s hands. Yaghmus asked it about Castle Takni, and it said: ‘O monk, we used to live in a vast desert behind Mount Qaf on the Crystal Mountain. When I and my brothers were little fledglings, our parents used to fly around every day to bring us food. On one occasion they flew off and stayed away for seven days, leaving us suffering from extreme hunger. When on the eighth day they came back, they were in tears and we asked what had happened to them. They said: “A marid snatched us away and took us to the jewelled castle of Takni, where we were brought to King Shahlan. When he saw us he was about to have us killed, but we asked him to spare us as there were little fledglings dependent on us.” Were my parents still alive, they would have been able to tell you about the castle.’ Janshah wept bitterly on hearing this, and he then asked the monk to tell the bird to take him to his parents’ nest in the Crystal Mountain behind Mount Qaf. ‘Bird,’ said the monk, ‘I want you to do everything that this young man says.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ the bird replied, and then, with Janshah mounted on its back, it left, flying night and day until it reached the Crystal Mountain, where it alighted. Then, after some time, it made Janshah remount on its back and after flying for two more days it reached the land where its parents had nested…

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the bird flew on with Janshah for two more days until it reached the land where its parents had nested, and there it halted. ‘This is the nest in which we were reared,’ it told Janshah, who shed more tears and said to it: ‘I would like you to carry me to the region where your parents used to forage for food.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ the bird replied, and it then flew off with Janshah for seven nights and eight days until it came to a lofty mountain on whose summit ridge it set him down, saying: ‘I’m not familiar with any land on the far side of this.’ Janshah was overcome by drowsiness and he now fell asleep on the peak, but when he woke, he saw in the distance a flash of light, whose radiance filled the sky. He could not think what this was, as he did not know that it was the glow from the castle for which he was searching and which was a two-month journey distant. The castle was built of red rubies, its rooms were of yellow gold, and it had a thousand towers of precious stones brought from the Sea of Darkness. This was why it was called the jewelled castle, constructed as it was of jewels and precious stones. It was a huge place and its king, Shahlan, was the father of the three girls.

  So much for Janshah, but as for the Lady Shamsa, after flying away from him, she had gone back to her parents and her family and had told them about her experiences with him, explaining that he had wandered through the lands and had seen many wonders. She told them what had happened to the two of them, adding that Janshah loved her and that she loved him. When her father and mother heard this, they said: ‘What you did with him was not lawful in the sight of God,’ and her father then told his servants, the marids, about this, ordering them to bring him any man that they might see. For Shamsa had told her mother that Janshah was desperately in love with her, adding: ‘He will certainly come to me, as when I flew off from the roof of his father’s palace I told him: “If you love me, come to the jewelled castle of Takni.” ’

  When Janshah saw the gleam in the sky, he set out towards it in order to discover what it was. As it happened, Shamsa had sent one of her jinn servants on an errand in the region of Mount Qarmus, and while this jinni was on his way, he caught sight of a man in the distance, went up to him and greeted him. Janshah was frightened but returned the greeting and then, when he was asked for his name, he said: ‘My name is Janshah. I was captivated by the beauty of a jinn lady, whom I seized. I was full of love for her, but after she had visited my father’s palace, she flew away from me.’ Shedding tears, he went on to tell the jinni all that had happened between him and Shamsa, and the jinni, seeing his tears, was consumed by pity and said: ‘Don’t weep; you have reached your goal, and I can tell you that for her part she is deeply in love with you. She told her father and mother that you loved her and for her sake everyone in the castle feels affection for you, so take heart and be comforted.’

  The jinni then carried Janshah on his shoulders and brought him to the castle, where the good news of his arrival was taken to King Shahlan as well as to the Lady Shamsa and her mother. They were overjoyed to hear this and the king ordered all his servants to come out to meet him. He himself rode out with jinn, ‘ifrits and marids…

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Shahlan rode out with jinn, ‘ifrits and marids to meet Janshah, and embraced him when they met. Janshah kissed his hands, and Shahlan ordered that he be given a great robe of multi-coloured silk embroidered with gold and studded with jewels. He then presented him with a crown such as no mortal king had ever seen, together with a huge mare from the royal stables of the jinn. Having set Janshah on its back, he mounted himself, flanked on both sides by his servants, and together they rode in a great procession to the castle gate. When Janshah dismounted, he saw a huge palace with walls of rubies and other gems together with precious stones, while the ground was paved with crystal, chrysolite and emeralds. This filled him with wonder and he started to shed tears, which Shahlan himself and Shamsa’s mother wiped away, saying: ‘Less of this weeping; do not worry but know that you have reached the end of your quest.’ Then, when he reached the centre of the palace, he was met by beautiful slave girls, black slaves and pages, who led him to the best seat and stood there to serve him. He was taken aback by the splendour of the place and of the walls with their precious stones and costly jewels.

  Shahlan now went off to his own throne room, ordering the slave girls and the pages to bring Janshah to sit with him. When they did, Shahlan rose to greet him and then seated him at his side on his throne. Tables of food were brought and the two of them ate, drank and then washed their hands. When they had finished, Shamsa’s mother came in and, after greeting Janshah warmly, she said: ‘After your toil you have reached your goal, and after your sleeplessness you can now sleep. Praise be to God that you are safe.’ She then went straight off to her daughter, Shamsa, and brought her to Janshah. Shamsa went up to him, greeted him, kissed his hands and then hung down her head because of the shame which she felt in front of him and her parents. She was followed by her sisters, who were with her in the palace and who came and kissed his hands after greeting him. The queen now said: ‘Welcome, my son. My daughter Shamsa wronged you, but don’t reproach her because of what she did to you for our sakes.’ When he heard that, Janshah gave a cry and fell unconscious. The king was astonished, but when rosewater mixed with musk and fragrant perfume had been sprinkled over Janshah’s face he recovered and, looking at the Lady Shamsa, he exclaimed: ‘Praise be to God, Who has brought me to my goal and finally quenched the fire in my heart!’ ‘May you never be burned!’ said Shamsa, adding: ‘I want you to tell me what happened to you after we parted, and how you got here in spite of the fact that most of the jinn are not familiar with Castle Takni. We are not subject to any king and no one knows how to get here or has even heard of the place.’

  Janshah then told her everything that had happened to him, explaining how he had got there and telling her of his father’s war with King Kafid as well as of the hardships that he had suffered on his journey and the terrors and marvels that he had seen. ‘All this,’ he said, ‘I endured for your sake, Lady Sha
msa.’ ‘You have reached your goal,’ said Shamsa’s mother, ‘and we give her to you as a slave.’ Janshah was overjoyed and the queen told him: ‘If God Almighty wills it, next month we shall have a wedding feast and arrange your marriage to her, after which you can take her back to your own country. We shall also provide you with a thousand marids, and, were you to give permission, the weakest of them would destroy King Kafid and his army in the twinkling of an eye. Every year we shall send you jinn, any one of whom will destroy all your enemies on your orders.’

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Shamsa’s mother said: ‘Every year we shall send you jinn, any one of whom will destroy all your enemies on your orders.’ Seated on his throne, the king then ordered his state officials to prepare a huge feast and to see that the city was adorned with decorations for seven days and nights. ‘To hear is to obey,’ they said, after which they left immediately to prepare for the wedding feast. The preparations took two months and then Shamsa’s marriage was celebrated with a feast whose like had never been seen before. Janshah was brought to his bride, and he spent two years with her, eating and drinking and enjoying the most pleasant and delightful of lives. He then said to her: ‘Your father has promised that we should go to my country and then spend a year there and a year here.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ said Shamsa, and so that evening she went to her father to tell him what Janshah had said to her. He agreed to what had been proposed, but he told her to wait till the first of the month to give him time to prepare an escort of jinn.

  When this time had elapsed, he authorized this escort to take the married couple to Janshah’s own country. He prepared for them a huge couch of red gold, inset with pearls and other gems and covered by a canopy of green silk, diversified with other colours and studded with precious stones, whose beauty dazzled the eye. Janshah and Shamsa mounted this and, as they sat there, four jinn servants were selected to carry it. They did this, one at each corner, and when Shamsa had said goodbye to her mother, father, sisters and relations, her father mounted and accompanied Janshah as the jinn carried the couch. He stayed with them until midday, when the jinn set it down and they all dismounted to say their farewells, with Shahlan telling Janshah to look after Shamsa, and the jinn to take care of both of them. He then ordered the jinn to take up the couch again and after a final farewell from Shamsa and Janshah he went back and they started on their way.

  Shahlan had provided Shamsa with three hundred beautiful slave girls and Janshah with three hundred jinn servants, all of whom had mounted on to the couch before they left, and its four bearers then flew on for ten days between the heavens and the earth, covering each day the distance of a thirty-month journey. Among them there was one who knew the lands of Kabul, and when he saw them he told his companions to land there, in the great city which was the capital of King Tighmus. This they did…

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the jinn landed at the city of King Tighmus, bringing with them Janshah and Shamsa.

  Tighmus, having been defeated by his enemies, had taken refuge in the city and was in desperate straits, being hard-pressed by King Kafid. He had sued unsuccessfully for peace, and, finding no way to save himself, he was proposing to escape from his cares and sorrows by throttling himself. He got up and, after taking his leave of his viziers and emirs, he went to his own apartments to say farewell to his womenfolk. As he was doing this and while his subjects were weeping, wailing and lamenting loudly, the jinn servants came to the palace which was inside the fortress, where Janshah told them to set the couch down in the middle of the audience chamber. They did as they were told and Janshah stepped down together with Shamsa, accompanied by the slave girls and mamluks. They noticed that all the townspeople appeared dejected and greatly distressed, and Janshah said to Shamsa: ‘My darling and the comfort of my eyes, look at how bad my father’s condition seems to be.’

  When Shamsa saw the distress of Tighmus and his people she ordered the jinn servants to strike a violent blow against the besieging army and to kill every last man of them. Janshah, for his part, instructed a particularly powerful servant named Qaratash to bring him King Kafid in fetters. The jinn went off, taking the couch with them, and when they had put it down on the ground they erected the canopy over it. Then, having waited until midnight, they attacked King Kafid and his army and began to kill them. One of them would snatch up eight or ten of them from the back of an elephant, fly up with them into the sky and then throw them down, tearing them to bits in the air, while others would strike with iron maces. Qaratash meanwhile went straight to the pavilion of King Kafid and, attacking him while he was seated on his throne, he seized him and soared into the air with him as he shrieked in fear. Qaratash flew on until he had deposited his captive on the couch in front of Janshah, who then ordered all four jinn servants to lift it and set it up in the air. Before Kafid knew what was happening, he found himself hanging between heaven and earth and in his astonishment he began to slap his face.

  So much for King Kafid, but as for Tighmus, at the sight of his son he almost died with joy and with a great cry he fell down in a faint. Attendants sprinkled his face with rosewater and, when he recovered consciousness, he and Janshah embraced in floods of tears, although the king himself did not know at the time that the jinn were engaged in fighting Kafid. Shamsa, however, walked up to him and, after having kissed his hands, she invited him to come to the palace roof to watch the battle. He went there and sat with her, as they both looked on at what was happening. The jinn were raining blows on Kafid’s men: one of them would take his iron mace and strike an elephant, crushing both it and its rider, until it was impossible to tell which had been elephant and which man; another would intercept a group of fugitives and shout in their faces, leaving them dead on the ground; while yet another would snatch some twenty riders up into the air before hurling them to the ground in pieces. All the while Janshah, his father and the Lady Shamsa were watching what was going on…

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Tighmus, his son Janshah and Janshah’s wife, Shamsa, climbed to the top of the palace and began to watch the battle between the jinn and Kafid’s army, while King Kafid looked on in tears from his position on the couch.

  The battle continued for two days until every last one of Kafid’s men had been killed. Janshah then instructed the jinn to bring the couch down to earth in the middle of the fortress. When they had done this, Tighmus told one of them, whose name was Shimwal, to load Kafid with chains and fetters and imprison him in the Black Tower. Shimwal did this and Tighmus ordered drums to be beaten, while messengers were sent to take the good news to Janshah’s mother, telling her of her son’s return and of what he had accomplished. She went to him in delight, and when he saw her he clasped her to his breast. Joy caused her to faint, but after her face had been sprinkled with rosewater she recovered and embraced him, shedding tears of happiness. When Shamsa heard that she was there, she got up and went to greet her and, after a long embrace, the two sat talking. Tighmus then opened the city gates and sent messengers to spread the good news throughout the country. When this had been made public, valuable gifts and presents were sent to him and from all the lands; emirs, soldiers and kings came to greet him and to congratulate him on his victory and on the safe return of his son.

  Things continued like this for some time, with rich gifts being brought to the king, who then, for the second time, arranged a splendid wedding for the Lady Shamsa and ordered that the city be adorned with decorations. Shamsa was unveiled for Janshah, decked with ornaments and weari
ng magnificent robes, after which the marriage was consummated. Janshah gave Shamsa a hundred beautiful slave girls to serve her, and some days later she went to King Tighmus to intercede with him for Kafid. She said: ‘Let him go back to his own country, and if he then tries to harm you, I shall order one of the jinn to seize him and bring him back here.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ said Tighmus, and he then sent word to Shimwal to bring Kafid to him. When he had been fetched in chains and had kissed the ground before him, Tighmus ordered that the chains should be removed and, after this had been done, he mounted him on a lame mare and told him: ‘Princess Shamsa has interceded for you, so go back to your own country and if you try to do what you did ever again, she will send one of her jinn servants to fetch you.’ So King Kafid went home in the sorriest of states…

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