The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
As he sat by his father's tomb, there came up a Jew, as he were a
money-changer, with a pair of saddle-bags full of gold, and
accosted him, saying, "Whither away, O my lord? It is near the
end of the day and thou art lightly clad and bearest the marks of
chagrin on thy countenance." "I was asleep but now," answered
Bedreddin, "when my father appeared to me and reproached me for
not having visited his tomb, and I awoke, trembling, and came
hither at once, fearing lest the day should pass, without my
paying him a visit, which would have been grievous to me." "O my
lord," said the Jew, "thy father had many ships at sea, whereof
some are now due; and it is my wish to buy of thee the cargo of
the first that comes into port for a thousand dinars." "I will
well," answered Bedreddin; whereupon the Jew took out a purse of
gold and counted out a thousand dinars, which he gave to
Bedreddin, saying, "Write me an acknowledgment and seal it." So
Bedreddin took pen and paper and wrote the following in double:
"The writer, Bedreddin Hassan, son of the Vizier Noureddin of
Bassora, has sold to Isaac the Jew all the cargo of the first of
his father's ships that comes into port, at the price of a
thousand dinars, which he has received in advance." Then he gave
one copy to the Jew, who took it and went away, and put the other
in the purse, which he thrust into his waistcloth. And he
bethought him of his former estate of honour and consideration
and wept and repeated the following verses:
Home is no longer home to me, now ye are gone away, Nor are the
neighbours neighbours now, after our parting-day,
The comrade, whom I loved whilere, no more a comrade is, And even
the very sun and moon' no longer bright are they.
Ye went away and all the world was saddened for your loss, And
all the hills and plains grew dark with sorrow and dismay.
O that the raven of ill-luck, that croaked our parting hour, May
lose his plumes nor find a nest in which his bead to lay!
My patience fails me for desire, my body wasteth sore; How many a
veil the hands of death and parting rend in tway!
I wonder, will our happy nights come ever back again, Or one
house hold us two once more, after the olden way!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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