The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Hasan began
relating to Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus and Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh (who sat
chattting in the cave) all that had passed, first and last, till he
came to the tale of the rod and cap; whereupon quoth Abd al-Kaddus, "O
my son, thou hast delivered thy wife and thy children and hast no
further need of the two. Now we were the means of thy winning to the
Islands of Wak, and I have done thee kindness for the sake of my
nieces, the daughters of my brother; wherefore I beg thee, of thy
bounty and favour, to give me the rod and the Shaykh Abu al-Ruwaysh the
cap." When Hasan heard this, he hung down his head, being ashamed to
reply, "I will not give them to you," and said in his mind, "Indeed
these two Shaykhs have done me great kindness and were the means of my
winning to the Islands of Wak, and but for them I had never made the
place, nor delivered my children, nor had I gotten me this rod and
cap." So he raised his head and answered, "Yes, I will give them to
you: but, O my lords, I fear lest the Supreme King, my wife's father,
come upon me with his commando and combat with me in my own country,
and I be unable to repel them, for want of the rod and the cap."
Replied Abd al-Kaddus, "Fear not, O my son; we will continually succour
thee and keep watch and ward for thee in this place; and whosoever
shall come against thee from thy wife's father or any other, him we
will fend off from thee; wherefore be thou of good cheer and keep thine
eyes cool of tear, and hearten thy heart and broaden thy breast and
feel naught whatsoever of fear, for no harm shall come to thee." When
Hasan heard this he was abashed and gave the cap to Abu al-Ruwaysh,
saying to Abd al-Kaddus, "Accompany me to my own country and I will
give thee the rod." At this the two elders rejoiced with exceeding joy
and made him ready riches and treasures which beggar all description.
He abode with them three days, at the end of which he set out again and
the Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus made ready to depart with him. So he and his
wife mounted their beasts and Abd al-Kaddus whistled when, behold, a
mighty big elephant trotted up with fore hand and feet on amble from
the heart of the desert and he took it and mounted it. Then they
farewelled Abu al-Ruwaysh who disappeared within his cavern; and they
fared on across country traversing the land in its length and breadth
wherever Abd al-Kaddus guided them by a short cut and an easy way, till
they drew near the land of the Princesses; whereupon Hasan rejoiced at
finding himself once more near his mother, and praised Allah for his
safe return and reunion with his wife and children after so many
hardships and perils; and thanked Him for His favours and bounties,
reciting these couplets,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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