The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
Then she sobbed a single sob and gave up the ghost. We dug one grave
for them and laid them in the earth, and I returned to the dwellings of
my people, where I abode seven years. Then I betook me again to
Al-Hijaz and entering Al-Medinah the Illumined for pious visitation
said in my mind, “By Allah, I will go again to Otbah’s tomb!” So I
repaired thither, and, behold, over the grave was a tall tree, on which
hung fillets of red and green and yellow stuffs.[FN#93] So I asked the
people of the place, “How be this tree called?”; and they answered,
“The tree of the Bride and the Bridegroom.” I abode by the tomb a day
and a night, then went my way; and this is all I know of Otbah.
Almighty Allah have mercy upon him! And they also tell this tale of
HIND, DAUGHTER OF AL-NU’MAN AND AL-HAJJAJ.[FN#94]
It is related that Hind, daughter of Al-Nu’man, was the fairest woman
of her day, and her beauty and loveliness were reported to Al-Hajjaj,
who sought her in marriage and lavished much treasure on her. So he
took her to wife, engaging to give her a dowry of two hundred thousand
dirhams in case of divorce, and when he went into her, he abode with
her a long time. One day after this, he went in to her and found her
looking at her face in the mirror and saying,
“Hind is an Arab filly purest bred, * Which hath been covered by
a mongrel mule;
An colt of horse she throw by Allah! well; * If mule, it but
results from mulish rule.”[FN#95]
When Al-Hajjaj heard this, he turned back and went his way, unseen of
Hind; and, being minded to put her away, he sent Abdullah bin Tahir to
her, to divorce her. So Abdullah went in to her and said to her,
“Al-Hajjaj Abu Mohammed saith to thee: Here be the two hundred
thousand dirhams of thy contingent dowry he oweth thee; and he hath
deputed me to divorce thee.” Replied she, “O Ibn Tahir, I gladly agree
to this; for know that I never for one day took pleasure in him; so, if
we separate, by Allah, I shall never regret him, and these two hundred
thousand dirhams I give to thee as a reward for the glad tidings thou
bringest me of my release from yonder dog of the Thakafites.”[FN#96]
After this, the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan,
heard of her beauty and loveliness, her stature and symmetry, her sweet
speech and the amorous grace of her glances and sent to her, to ask her
in marriage;——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-second Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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