Praise be to G.o.d who hath made me acquainted with thee.--And the old woman exclaimed, I invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of the Lord of the Daybreak![VIII_58] for verily thy face is comely, and so are thine actions. Joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially if she be endowed with beauty like thee!--Upon this, Taj-el-Mulook laughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], O Accomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women![VIII_59]

And she said to him, O my son, what is thy name? He answered, My name is Taj-el-Mulook.--This, she replied, is one of the names of Kings; but thou art in the garb of the merchants. So 'Azeez said, From the affection of his family for him, and the high estimation in which they held him, they gave him this name. And the old woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth. May G.o.d avert from you the evil of the envious, though hearts be broken by your charms!

She then took the stuff, and departed, confounded by his handsomeness and loveliness and elegant form; and she proceeded until she went in to the lady Dunya, when she said to her, O my mistress, I have brought thee some beautiful stuff.--Shew it me, said the lady. And she replied, O my mistress, here it is: turn it over, and behold it. And when the lady Dunya saw it, she said to her, O my nurse, verily this is beautiful stuff; I have not seen such in our city!--O my mistress, replied the old woman, the seller of it surpa.s.seth it in beauty. It seemeth as though Ri?wan had opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, and so the merchant who selleth this stuff had come forth from it. I wish he were with thee; for he is a temptation to every one who beholdeth him. He hath come to our city with these stuffs for the sake of amus.e.m.e.nt.--At these words of the old woman the lady Dunya laughed, and said, Allah afflict thee, thou ill-omened old woman! Thou hast spoken nonsense, and art become insane.--She then added, Give me the stuff that I may examine it closely. So the old woman handed it to her, and she looked at it again, and saw that it was but little, and that its price was great; and she wondered at its beauty; for she had never in her life seen anything like it. The old woman then said to her, O my mistress, if thou didst behold its owner, thou wouldst know that he is the handsomest person on the face of the earth. And the lady Dunya said to her, Didst thou ask him if he had any want to be performed, that he might acquaint us with it, and thou mightest accomplish it for him? The old woman, shaking her head, replied, Allah preserve thy sagacity! By Allah, he hath a want.

And is any person without one?--Go to him, then, said the lady Dunya, and salute him, and say to him, I have been honoured by thine arrival in our city, and whatever want thou hast, we will perform it for thee on the head and the eye.

The old woman, therefore, returned immediately to Taj-el-Mulook, and when he saw her, his heart leaped with joy, and he rose to her, standing upon his feet, and, taking her hand, seated her by his side. So when she had sat and rested herself, she informed him of that which the lady Dunya had said. On hearing this, he was filled with the utmost joy; his bosom expanded, and he said within himself, I have accomplished my wish!

He then said to the old woman, Perhaps thou wilt convey to her a letter from me, and bring me back the answer. She replied, I hear and obey. And when he heard her reply, he said to 'Azeez, Give me an inkhorn and paper, and a pen of bra.s.s. And 'Azeez having given him these things, he wrote the following verses:--

I write to thee a letter, O object of my pet.i.tion, expressive of the torment that I suffer from separation; And first, I make known to thee the ardour of my heart; and secondly, my desire and eager longing; And thirdly, the expiring of my life and patience; and fourthly, that all the violence of my love remaineth; And fifthly, I ask, When shall I behold thee? and sixthly, When shall be the day of our union?

He then added beneath, This letter is from the captive of desire, incarcerated in the prison of longing expectation, to whom there can be no liberation but by enjoying an interview, even were it with the phantom of the object of his hope; for he is enduring a painful torment from the separation of his beloved.--Then his tears flowed, and he wrote these two verses:--

I write unto thee with my tears flowing, and the drops from my eyes descending incessantly; But I am not despairing of the favour of my Lord: perhaps some day our union may take place.

He then folded the letter, and sealed it, and gave it to the old woman, saying, Convey it to the lady Dunya. She replied, I hear and obey. And he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and said, Receive this as a present from me. So the old woman took it and departed, praying for him.

She stopped not until she went in to the lady Dunya, who, when she beheld her, said to her, O my nurse, what hath he demanded that we should do for him?--O my mistress, she answered, he hath sent with me a letter, and I know not its contents. And she handed the letter to her.

So the lady Dunya took it and read it, and understood its meaning, and exclaimed, Whence is he, and to what doth he aspire, that this merchant openeth a correspondence with me? Then slapping her face, she said, Were it not for my fear of G.o.d (whose name be exalted!) I would crucify him upon his shop. So the old woman said to her, What is in this letter, that it hath disturbed thy heart? Doth it contain a complaint of oppression, or a demand for the price of the stuff?--Wo to thee! she answered: it containeth not that, nor anything but love and affection; and all this is through thee. Or, if not, how should this devil presume to employ these words?--O my mistress, replied the old woman, thou art residing in thy lofty palace, and no one can obtain access to thee; not even the flying bird. Allah preserve thee from blame and censure! Thou hast nothing to fear from the barking of dogs. Be not angry with me for my bringing thee this letter when I knew not its contents: but it is my opinion that thou shouldst return him an answer, and threaten him in it with slaughter, and forbid him from employing these vain words; for he will abstain, and not do so again.--The lady Dunya said, I fear to write to him, lest he covet me more. But the old woman replied, When he heareth the threatening, and promise of punishment, he will desist from his present conduct. So she said, Bring me an inkhorn and paper, and a pen of bra.s.s. And when they had brought them to her, she wrote these verses:--

O pretender to love and affliction and sleeplessness, and feelings of rapturous pa.s.sion, and anxiety!

Dost thou seek for a meeting, O deceived, from a moon? Doth any attain from a moon his wish?

I advise thine abstaining from thy desire: forbear then; for thou art exposed to peril.

If thou again make use of these words, I will visit thee with a punishment of the utmost severity.

By Him who created mankind of clotted blood,[VIII_60]

and who gave light to the sun and the moon!

If thou repeat the proposal thou hast made, I will a.s.suredly crucify thee on the trunk of a tree.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

She then folded up the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, Deliver it to him, and say to him, Abstain from these words. And she replied, I hear and obey.

She took the letter, full of joy,[VIII_61] and went with it to her house, where she pa.s.sed the night; and in the morning she repaired to the shop of Taj-el-Mulook, whom she found expecting her. As soon as he beheld her, he almost flew with joy, and when she drew near to him he rose to her, standing upon his feet, and seated her by his side; and she took forth the letter, and handed it to him, saying, Read its contents.

She then said to him, The lady Dunya, when she read thy letter, was enraged; but I coaxed her and jested with her until I made her laugh, and she was moved with pity for thee, and returned thee an answer. So Taj-el-Mulook thanked her for this, and, having ordered 'Azeez to give her a thousand pieces of gold, read the letter, and understood it; and he wept violently, so that the heart of the old woman was moved with compa.s.sion for him, and his weeping and complaining grieved her. She said to him, O my son, and what is in this paper, that it hath made thee weep? He answered, She threateneth me with slaughter and crucifixion, and forbiddeth my writing to her; but if I write not to her, my death will be preferable to my life; therefore take a reply to her letter, and let her do what she will.--By thy youth, replied the old woman, I must risk my life for thee, and enable thee to attain thy desire, and accomplish for thee that which is in thy heart. And Taj-el-Mulook said, Whatsoever thou dost I will requite thee for it; and it shall be determined by thee; for thou art experienced in the management of affairs, and skilled in the modes of intrigue, and everything that is difficult becometh easy to thee; and G.o.d is able to accomplish all things. So he took a paper, and wrote in it these verses:--

She threatened me with slaughter. O my bereavement! Slaughter would be ease to me, and death is decreed.

Death is better than life prolonged to the love-smitten who is debarred from enjoyment and treated with oppression.

By Allah, visit a helpless lover; for I am your slave, and the slave is in captivity.

O my mistress, have mercy on me for my pa.s.sion; for every one who loveth the virtuous is excusable.

Having done this, he sighed heavily, and wept until the old woman wept with him; after which she took the letter from him, and said to him, Be happy and cheerful; for I must accomplish for thee thy wish.

She then arose, and left him as though he were upon the fire, and repaired to the lady Dunya, whom she found with a countenance changed by her anger in consequence of the former epistle of Taj-el-Mulook; and she handed her the second letter; whereupon her rage increased, and she said to the old woman, Did I not tell thee that he would covet us more?--And what is this dog, said the old woman, that he should aspire to thee? The lady Dunya replied, Go to him, and say to him, If thou write to her again she will strike off thy head. But the old woman said, Do thou write this to him in a letter, and I will take it with me, that his fear may be the greater. So she took a paper, and wrote in it the following verses:--

O thou who art heedless of the course of misfortunes, and who canst not accomplish thy desired union!

Dost thou think, O deceived, to attain to Es-Suha,[VIII_62] when thou canst not reach to the shining moon?

How then dost thou venture to hope for our union, and to hold in thine embrace my javelin-like form?

Quit, therefore, this project, in fear of my a.s.sault on a day of adversity when hair shall become gray.

Having folded this letter, she handed it to the old woman, who took it and repaired with it to Taj-el-Mulook. At the sight of her he rose, and said, May G.o.d never deprive me of the blessing of thy coming! And the old woman replied, Receive the answer to thy letter. So he took the paper and read it, and wept violently, and said, I desire now some one to kill me; for slaughter would be easier to me than this my present state of suffering. He then took an inkhorn and a pen and paper, and wrote a letter expressed in these two verses:--

O my hope, persist not in abandonment and cruelty; but visit a lover drowned in desire.

Think not that I can survive this oppression; for my soul departeth at the loss of my beloved.

And he folded the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, I have wearied thee to no purpose. And again he ordered 'Azeez to give her a thousand pieces of gold, and said to her, O my mother, this paper must be followed by complete union or complete separation.--O my son, she replied, by Allah, I desire for thee nothing but good fortune: and I wish she may be with thee; for thou art the shining moon, and she is the rising sun; and if I do not bring you together, no profit will remain to me in my life. I have pa.s.sed my life in the practice of artifice and deceit, until I have attained the age of ninety years; and how then should I fail of uniting two persons in opposition to all law?

Then, having bidden him farewell, and soothed his mind, she departed, and proceeded without stopping to the lady Dunya; but she had hidden the paper in her hair; and when she sat down with her mistress, she scratched her head, and said, O my mistress, perhaps thou wilt untwist my hair; for it is a long time since I have entered the bath. So the lady Dunya made bare her arms to the elbows, and untwisted the old woman's hair; whereupon the paper fell from her head; and the lady Dunya, seeing it, said, What is this paper? The old woman answered, It seemeth that, when I was sitting at the shop of the merchant, this paper caught to me: give it me, therefore, that I may return it to him. But the lady Dunya opened it and read it, and understood its contents, and exclaimed, This is a trick of thine, and were it not for the fact of thy having reared me, I would lay violent hands upon thee this moment. G.o.d hath afflicted me by this merchant, and all that I have experienced from him hath been through thy means. I know not from what country this man hath come. No one but he could ever use such boldness towards me. I fear that this affair which hath happened to me may be discovered, and especially since it relateth to a man who is neither of my family nor of my equals.--The old woman then addressed her, and said, No one can utter a word on this subject, through fear of thy power, and of the dignity of thy father: and there will be no harm in thy returning him an answer.--O my nurse, replied the lady Dunya, this is a devil. How hath he dared to use these words, and feared not the power of the Sul?an? I am perplexed respecting his case; for if I give orders to kill him, it will not be right: and if I leave him, he will increase in his boldness.--Write to him a letter, rejoined the old woman; and perhaps he will be restrained.

She therefore demanded a paper and an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote to him the following verses:--

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Though repeatedly rebuked, still gross ignorance inciteth thee.

How oft shall my hand write verses to forbid thee?

Thou increasest in eagerness after each prohibition; but I will only permit thee to conceal thy secret.

Conceal then thy love, and never more utter it; for if thou utter it, I will not regard thee.

If thou repeat what thou hast said, the raven of separation will announce thy fate: In a little time will death overtake thee, and thy resting-place be beneath the earth: Thou shalt leave thy family, O deceived, in sorrow, when the swords of love have prevented thine escape.

Having then folded the paper, she gave it to the old woman, who took it, and went with it to Taj-el-Mulook, and gave it to him; and when he had read it, and was convinced that she was hard-hearted, and that he could not obtain access to her, he complained of his case to the Wezeer, and desired his prudent counsel. The Wezeer replied, Know that there remaineth for thee nothing that can be of avail, except thy writing to her another letter, and invoking retribution upon her. So he said, O my brother, O 'Azeez, write in my stead, according to thy knowledge. And 'Azeez took the paper, and wrote these verses:--

O my Lord, by the Five Elders,[VIII_63] deliver me; and to her who hath afflicted me transfer my anguish!

For Thou knowest that I am suffering a tormenting flame, and my beloved hath oppressed me, and will not pity me.

How long shall I feel tenderly to her in my affliction! And how long shall she tyrannize over my weakness!

I wander in agonies never ending, and find not a person, O my Lord, to a.s.sist me.

'Azeez then folded the letter, and handed it to Taj-el-Mulook; and when he had read it, it pleased him, and he gave it to the old woman.

So she took it, and repaired with it to the lady Dunya, who, as soon as she had read it, and understood its contents, fell into a violent rage, and exclaimed, All that hath befallen me hath been through the means of this ill-omened old woman! And she called out to the female slaves and eunuchs, and said, Seize this artful old woman, and beat her with your slippers.--So they fell to beating her with their slippers until she fainted; and when she recovered, the lady Dunya said to her, O wicked old woman, were it not for my fear of G.o.d (whose name be exalted!) I had killed thee. She then said to her attendants, Beat her again. And they beat her again until she fainted; after which she ordered them to throw her outside the door; and they dragged her along upon her face and threw her down before the door.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

When she recovered, therefore, she rose, and, walking and resting now and then, arrived at her abode. She waited until the morning, and then rose and proceeded to Taj-el-Mulook, whom she acquainted with all that had befallen her; and it vexed him, and he said to her, We are grieved, O my mother, for that which hath happened to thee: but everything is in accordance with fate and destiny. She replied, Be happy and cheerful; for I will not cease my endeavours until I procure thee an interview with her, and obtain for thee access to this vile woman who hath tortured me with beating. Taj-el-Mulook then said to her, Acquaint me with the cause of her hatred of men. She replied, It is in consequence of her having had a dream.--And what was that dream? he asked. She answered, She was sleeping one night, and saw a fowler who set his snare upon the ground, and sprinkled around it some wheat, and then seated himself near it; and there was not a single bird near it but it came to that snare. And she saw, among the birds, two pigeons, a male and a female; and while she was looking at the snare, the foot of the male bird became entangled in it, and he began to struggle; whereupon all the other birds flew away from him in alarm; but his mate returned to him, and flew around over him, and then, alighting upon the snare, while the fowler was inadvertent, began to peck at the mesh in which was the foot of the male, and pulled it with her beak, until she liberated his foot; and she flew away with him. Then, after this, the fowler came and readjusted the snare, and seated himself at a distance from it; and but a little while had elapsed when the birds descended, and the snare caught the female pigeon; upon which all the other birds flew away in alarm, and among them the male pigeon, who returned not to his mate: so the fowler came and took the female bird, and killed her. And the lady Dunya awoke terrified by her dream, and said, Every male is like this, dest.i.tute of good; and men universally are devoid of goodness to women.--And when the old woman had finished her story to Taj-el-Mulook, he said to her, O my mother, I wish to obtain one glance at her, though my death be the consequence: contrive, therefore, some stratagem for me, that I may see her.--Know, then, said she, that she hath a garden adjacent to her palace, for her diversion, and she goeth out into it once in every month, from the private door, and remaineth in it ten days. The time of her thus going forth to divert herself hath now arrived, and when she is about to do so I will come to thee and inform thee, that thou mayest go thither and meet her; and do thou take care not to quit the garden: for probably, if she behold thy handsome and comely aspect, her heart will be captivated by love of thee; since love is the most powerful means of effecting union.

He replied, I hear and obey:--and he arose, and quitted the shop with 'Azeez, and they both, taking with them the old woman, repaired to their abode, and acquainted her with it; after which, Taj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, O my brother, I have no further want of the shop; for I have accomplished the purpose for which I took it; and I give it to thee, with all that it containeth, because thou hast come abroad with me, and absented thyself from thy country. And 'Azeez accepted his present, and they sat conversing together; Taj-el-Mulook asking him respecting his strange adventures, and 'Azeez relating what had happened to him. Then, addressing the Wezeer, they acquainted him with the purpose of Taj-el-Mulook, and asked him, What is to be done? He answered, Let us go to the garden. So each of them clad himself in the richest of his apparel, and they went forth, followed by three memlooks, and repaired to the garden. They beheld it abounding with trees, and with many rivulets, and saw the superintendent sitting at the gate. They saluted him, therefore, and he returned their salutation, and the Wezeer handed to him a hundred pieces of gold, saying to him, I beg thee to receive this money, and to buy for us something to eat; for we are strangers, and I have with me these children whom I wish to divert. So the gardener took the pieces of gold, and replied, Enter, and divert yourselves; for the whole of it is your property: and sit down until I return to you with something for you to eat. He then went to the market, and the Wezeer and Taj-el-Mulook and 'Azeez entered the garden after the gardener had departed to the market; and soon the latter returned, bringing a roasted lamb, which he placed before them. And they ate, and washed their hands, and sat conversing together; and the Wezeer said, Inform me respecting this garden: doth it belong to thee, or dost thou rent it? The sheykh replied, It is not mine, but belongeth to the King's daughter, the lady Dunya.--And what, said the Wezeer, is thy monthly salary? He answered, One piece of gold, and no more. And the Wezeer, taking a view of the garden, beheld there a lofty but old pavilion; and he said, O sheykh, I desire to perform here a good work by which thou wilt be reminded of me.--And what good thing dost thou desire to do?

asked the sheykh. The Wezeer said, Take these three hundred pieces of gold. And when the superintendent heard the mention of the gold, he replied, O my master, do whatsoever thou wilt. So he took the pieces of gold; and the Wezeer said to him, If it be the will of G.o.d (whose name be exalted!), we will execute in this place a good work.

They then went forth from him, and returned to their abode, and pa.s.sed the next night; and on the morrow, the Wezeer caused a whitewasher to be brought, and a painter, and an excellent goldsmith; and, having provided them with all the implements that they required, introduced them into the garden, and ordered them to whitewash that pavilion and to decorate it with various kinds of paintings. After which he gave orders to bring the gold, and the ultramarine pigment, and said to the painter, Delineate, at the upper end of this saloon, the figure of a fowler, as though he had set his snare, and a female pigeon had fallen into it, and had become entangled in it by her bill. And when the painter had finished his picture on one portion, the Wezeer said to him, Now paint, on this other portion, as before, and represent the female pigeon in the snare, and shew that the fowler hath taken her, and put the knife to her neck; and on the other side paint the figure of a great bird of prey, that hath captured the male pigeon, and fixed his talons into him. So he did this; and when he had finished these designs which the Wezeer had described to him, they took leave of the gardener, and returned to their abode.

There they sat conversing together; and Taj-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, O my brother, recite to me some verses: perhaps my heart may thereby be dilated, and these troubling reflections may be dispelled, and the flame that is in my heart be quenched. And upon this, 'Azeez, with charming modulations, chanted these verses:--

Ibn-Seena[VIII_64] hath a.s.serted that the lover's remedy consisteth in melodious sounds, And the company of one like his beloved, and the pleasures of a dessert and wine and a garden: But I have taken another in thy stead to cure myself, and fate and contingency aided me: Yet I found that love was a mortal disease, for which Ibn-Seena's medicine was vain.

Meanwhile, the old woman remained alone in her house; and the lady Dunya longed to divert herself in the garden; but she used not to go forth save with the old woman: so she sent to her, and conciliated her, and soothed her mind, and said to her, I desire to go out into the garden, to amuse myself with the sight of its trees and fruits, and that my heart may be dilated by its flowers. The old woman replied, I hear and obey; but I would first go to my house and dress myself, and I will be with thee again.--Go, then, to thy house, rejoined the lady Dunya; but be not long absent from me. The old woman, therefore, went forth from her, and repaired to Taj-el-Mulook, and said to him, Make ready, and clothe thyself in the richest of thine apparel, and betake thyself to the garden, and go in to the gardener and salute him, and then conceal thyself in the garden. He replied, I hear and obey. And she agreed with him respecting a sign to be made; after which she returned to the lady Dunya. And when she had gone, the Wezeer arose, and clad Taj-el-Mulook in a suit of the most magnificent of the apparel of Kings, worth five thousand pieces of gold, and girded him with a girdle of gold set with jewels, and repaired to the garden. On arriving at its gate, they found the superintendent sitting there; and when he saw Taj-el-Mulook, he rose to him, standing upon his feet, and, receiving him with reverence and honour, opened to him the gate, and said to him, Enter, and divert thyself in the garden. But the gardener knew not that the King's daughter would enter the garden that day. And when Taj-el-Mulook had gone in, he waited but a short time, and heard a noise; and before he knew the cause, the eunuchs and female slaves came forth from the private door; and as soon as the superintendent beheld them, he went and acquainted Taj-el-Mulook with their coming, saying to him, O my lord, what is to be done, now that the King's daughter, the lady Dunya, hath come? He answered, No harm will befall thee; for I will conceal myself in some place in the garden. So the gardener charged him to use the utmost caution in concealing himself, and left him, and departed.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

And when the King's daughter, with her female slaves and the old woman, entered the garden, the old woman said within herself, If the eunuchs be with us, we shall not attain our wish. So she said to the King's daughter, O my mistress, I would propose to thee a thing productive of ease to thy heart. And the lady Dunya replied, Propose what thou wilt.

The old woman therefore said, O my mistress, thou hast no need of these eunuchs at the present time; nor will thy heart be dilated as long as they are with us: so dismiss them from us.--Thou hast spoken truly, replied the lady Dunya:--and she dismissed them; and a little while after, as she was walking, Taj-el-Mulook beheld her, and gazed at her beauty and loveliness, while she knew it not; and every time that he looked at her he fainted, by reason of her surpa.s.sing beauty. The old woman in the meantime led her on by conversation to the pavilion which the Wezeer had ordered to be painted; and, entering this pavilion, the lady Dunya took a view of its paintings, and saw the birds and the fowler and the pigeons; whereupon she exclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of G.o.d! Verily this is the representation of what I beheld in my dream!--And she continued gazing at the figures of the birds and the fowler and the snare, full of wonder; and said, O my nurse, I used to censure men, and hate them; but see the fowler, how he hath killed the female bird, and the male hath escaped, and desired to return to the female to liberate her, but the bird of prey hath met him and captured him. The old woman, however, affected ignorance to her, and proceeded to divert her with talk until they both approached the place where Taj-el-Mulook was concealed; upon which she made a sign to him that he should walk beneath the windows of the pavilion; and while the lady Dunya stood there, she looked aside, and saw him, and, observing the beauty of his face, and his elegant form, she said, O my nurse, whence is this handsome youth? The old woman answered, I know him not; but I imagine that he is the son of a great King; for he is of the utmost beauty and loveliness. And the lady Dunya was enraptured with him. The spells that bound her were dissolved, her reason was overcome by his beauty and loveliness and his elegant person, and she was affected by violent love: so she said to the old woman, O my nurse, verily this young man is handsome. The old woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth, O my mistress. And she made a sign to the King's son to return to his house. The fire of desire flamed within him, and his rapture and distraction became excessive; but he went, and bade farewell to the superintendent, and departed to his abode, that he might not disobey the old woman, and acquainted the Wezeer and 'Azeez that she had made a sign to him to depart. And they both exhorted him to be patient, saying to him, If the old woman did not know that there was an object to be attained by thy return, she had not made a sign to thee to do so.