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
Kohl wear; her side face shows the Anemones of Nu'uman, her mouth is
like a seal of cornelian and flashing teeth that lure and stand one in
stead of cup and ewer. She is cast in the mould of pleasantness and
between her thighs is the throne of the Caliphate, there is no such
sanctuary among the Holy Places; as saith in its praise the poet,
"The name of what drave me distraught * Hath letters renowned
among men:
A four into five multiplied * And a multiplied six into
ten.[FN#134]"
Then Hasan wept and chanted the following Mawwál,[FN#135]
"O heart, an lover false thee, shun the parting bane * Nor to
forgetfulness thy thoughts constrain:
Be patient; thou shalt bury all thy foes; * Allah ne'er falseth
man of patience fain."
And this also,
"An wouldst be life,long safe, vaunt not delight; * Never
despair, nor wone o'erjoyed in sprite!
Forbear, rejoice not, mourn not o'er thy plight * And in ill day
'Have not we oped?'—recite."[FN#136]
Thereupon the old woman bowed her head groundwards awhile, then,
raising it, said, "Laud be to the Lord, the Mighty of Award! Indeed I
am afflicted with thee, O Hasan! Would Heaven I had never known thee!
This woman, whom thou describest to me as thy wife, I know by
description and I know her to be none other than the eldest daughter of
the Supreme King, she who ruleth over all the Islands of Wak. So open
both eyes and consider thy case; and if thou be asleep, awake; for, if
this woman be indeed thy wife, it is impossible for thee ever to obtain
her, and though thou come to her, yet couldst thou not avail to her
possession, since between thee and her the distance is as that between
earth and Heaven. Wherefore, O my son, return presently and cast not
thyself into destruction nor cast me with thee; for meseemeth thou hast
no lot in her; so return whence thou camest lest our lives be lost."
And she feared for herself and for him. When Hasan heard her words, he
wept till he fainted and she left not sprinkling water on his face,
till he came to himself, when he continued to weep, so that he drenched
his dress with tears, for the much cark and care and chagrin which
betided him by reason of her words. And indeed he despaired of life
and said to the old woman, "O my lady, and how shall I go back, after
having come hither? Verily, I thought not thou wouldst forsake me nor
fail of the winning of my wish, especially as thou art the
Commander-in-chief of the army of the girls." Answered Shawahl, "O my
son, I doubted not but thy wife was a maid of the maids, and had I
known she was the King's daughter, I had not suffered thee to come
hither nor had I shown the troops to thee, for all the love I bear
thee. But now, O my son, thou hast seen all the girls naked; so tell
me which of them pleaseth thee and I will give her to thee, in lieu of
thy wife, and do thou put it that thy wife and children are dead and
take her and return to thine own country in safety, ere thou fall into
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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