Supplemental Nights to The Book of the Thousand and One Nights, Sir Richard Francis Burton [best love novels of all time .txt] 📗

wish thine is ours and on thee shall be whatso is on us;[FN#426] and we will be to thee a mighty forearm against all unfriends and foes.” Quoth Ins bin Kays, “Say what thou wilt, O King, for indeed thou excellest in speech and in whatso thou sayest dost hit the mark.” So Al-Aziz said to him, “I desire that thou marry thy daughter Mariyah to my son Al-Abbas, for thou knowest what he hath of beauty and loveliness, brightness and perfect grace and his frequentation of the valiant and his constancy in the stead of cut-and-thrust.”

Said Ins bin Kays, “By Allah, O King, of my love for Mariyah, I have appointed her mistress of her own hand; accordingly, whomsoever she chooseth of the folk, to him will I wed her.” Then he arose to his feet and going in to his daughter, found her mother with her; so he set out to them the case and Mariyah said, “O my papa, my wish followeth thy word and my will ensueth thy will; so whatsoever thou chooseth, I am obedient to thee and under thy dominion.” Therewith the King knew that Mariyah inclined to Al-Abbas; he therefore returned forthright to King Al-Aziz and said to him, “May Allah amend the King! Verily, the wish is won and there is no opposition to that thou commandest.”

Quoth Al-Aziz, “By Allah’s leave are wishes won. How deemest thou, O King, of fetching Al-Abbas and documenting the marriage-contract between Mariyah and him?” and quoth Ins bin Kays, “Thine be the rede.” So Al-Aziz sent after his son and acquainted him with that which had passed; whereupon Al-Abbas called for four-and-twenty mules and ten horses and as many camels and loaded the mules with fathom-long pieces of silk and rugs of leather and boxes of camphor and musk and the camels and horses with chests of gold and silver. Eke, he took the richest of the stuffs and wrapping them in wrappers of gold, purfled silk, laid them on the heads of porters,[FN#427] and they fared on with the treasures till they reached the King of Baghdad’s palace, whereupon all who were present dismounted in honour of Al-Abbas and escorting him in a body to the presence of Ins bin Kays, displayed to the King all that they had with them of things of price. The King bade carry all this into the store rooms of the Harim and sent for the Kazis and the witnesses, who wrote out the contract and married Mariyah to Al-Abbas, whereupon the Prince commanded slaughter one thousand head of sheep and five hundred buffaloes. So they spread the bride-feast and bade thereto all the tribes of the Arabs, men of tents and men of towns, and the banquet continued for the space of ten days. Then Al-Abbas went into Mariyah in a commendable and auspicious hour and lay with her and found her a pearl unthridden and a goodly filly no rider had ridden;[FN#428] wherefore he rejoiced and was glad and made merry, and care and sorrow ceased from him and his life was pleasant and trouble departed and he ceased not abiding with her in most joyful case and in the most easeful of life, till seven days were past, when King Al-Aziz resolved to set out and return to his realm and bade his son seek leave of his father-in-law to depart with his wife to his own country. So Al-Abbas spoke of this to King Ins, who granted him the permission he sought; whereupon he chose out, a red camel,[FN#429] taller and more valuable than the rest of the camels, and loading it with apparel and ornaments, mounted Mariyah in a litter thereon. Then they spread the ensigns and the standards, whilst kettledrums beat and the trumpets blared, and set out upon the homewards way. The King of Baghdad rode forth with them and companied them three days’ journey on their route, after which he farewelled them and returned with his troops to Baghdad. As for King Al-Aziz and his son, they fared on night and day and gave not over going till there remained but three days’

journey between them and Al-Yaman, when they despatched three men of the couriers to the Prince’s mother to report that they were bringing with them Mariyah, the King’s daughter of Baghdad, and returning safe and laden with spoil. When the Oueen-mother heard this, her wit took wings for joy and she adorned the slavegirls of Al-Abbas after the finest fashion. Now he had ten handmaids, as they were moons, whereof his father had carried five with him to Baghdad, as hath erst been set forth, and the remaining five abode with his mother. When the dromedary-posts[FN#430] came, they were certified of the approach of Al-Abbas, and when the sun easted and their flags were seen flaunting, the Prince’s mother came out to meet her son; nor on that day was there great or small, boy or greybeard, but went forth to greet the king. Then the kettledrums of glad tidings beat and they entered in the utmost of pomp and the extreme of magnificence; so that the tribes and the townspeople heard of them and brought them the richest of gifts and the rarest of presents and the Prince’s mother rejoiced with joy exceeding. They butchered beasts and spread mighty bride-feasts for the people and kindled fires,[FN#431] that it might be visible afar to townsman and tribesman that this was the house of hospitality and the stead of the wedding-festival, to the intent that, if any passed them by, it should be of his own sin against himself. So the folk came to them from all districts and quarters and in this way they abode days and months. Presently the Prince’s mother bade fetch the five slavegirls to that assembly; whereupon they came and the ten damsels met. The queen seated five of them on her son’s right hand and the other five on his left and the folk gathered about them. Then she bade the five who had remained with her speak forth somewhat of poesy, so they might entertain therewith the seance and that Al-Abbas might rejoice thereat. Now she had clad them in the costliest of clothes and adorned them with trinkets and ornaments and moulded work of gold and silver and collars of gold, wrought with pearls and gems. So they paced forward, with harps and lutes and zithers and recorders and other instruments of music before them, and one of them, a damsel who came from the land of China and whose name was B�’�thah, advanced and screwed up the strings of her lute. Then she cried out from the top of her head and recited these couplets, “Indeed your land returned, when you returned, * To whilom light which overgrew its gloom:

Green grew the land that was afore dust-brown. * And fruits that failed again showed riping bloom: And clouds rained treasures after rain had lacked, * And plenty poured from earth’s re-opening womb.

Then ceased the woes, my lords, that garred us weep, * With tears like dragons’ blood, our severance-doom, Whose length, by Allah, made me yeam and pine, * Would Heaven, O

lady mine, I were thy groom!”

 

When she had ended her song, all who were present were delighted and Al-Abbas rejoiced in this. Then he bade the second damsel sing somewhat on the same theme. So she came forward and tightening the strings of her harp, which was of balass ruby,[FN#432] raised her voice in a plaintive air and improvised these couplets,

 

“Brought the Courier glad news of our absentees,[FN#433] * To please us through those who had wrought us unease: Cried I, ‘My life ransom thee, messenger man, * Thou hast kept thy faith and thy boons are these.’

An the nightlets of union in you we joyed * When fared you naught would our grief appease;

You sware that folk would to folk be true, * And you kept your oaths as good faith decrees.

To you made I oath true lover am I * Heaven guard me when sworn from all perjuries:

I fared to meet you and loud I cried, * ‘Aha, fair welcome when come you please!”

And I joyed to meet you and when you came, * Deckt all the dwelling with tapestries,

And death in your absence to us was dight, * But your presence bringeth us life and light.”

 

When she had made an end of her verse, Al-Abbas bade the third damsel (who came from Samarkand of Ajam-land and whose name was Rummanah) sing, and she answered, “To hear is to obey.” Then she took the zither and crying out from the midst of her head, recited and sang these couplets,[FN#434]

 

“My watering mouth declares thy myrtle-cheek my food to be * And cull my lips thy side-face rose, who lily art to me!

And twixt the dune and down there shows the fairest flower that blooms * Whose fruitage is granado’s fruit with all granado’s blee.[FN#435]

Forget my lids of eyne their sleep for magic eyes of him; *

Naught since he fared but drowsy charms and languorous air I see.[FN#436]

He shot me down with shaft of glance from bow of eyebrow sped: *

What Chamberlain[FN#437] betwixt his eyes garred all my pleasure flee?

Haply shall heart of me seduce his heart by weakness’ force *

E’en as his own seductive grace garred me love-ailment dree.

For an by him forgotten be our pact and covenant * I have a King who never will forget my memory.

His sides bemock the bending charms of waving Tamarisk,[FN#438] *

And in his beauty-pride he walks as drunk with coquetry: His feet and legs be feather-light whene’er he deigns to run *

And say, did any ride the wind except ‘twere Solomon?”[FN#439]

 

Therewith Al-Abbas smiled and her verses pleased him. Then he bade the fourth damsel come forward and sing (now she was from the Sundown-land[FN#440] and her name was Balakhsh�); so she came forward and taking the lute and the zither, tuned the strings and smote them in many modes; then she returned to the first and improvising, sang these couplets,

 

“When to the s�ance all for pleasure hied * Thy lamping eyes illumined its every side;

While playing round us o’er the wine-full bowl * Those necklace-pearls old wine with pleasure plied,[FN#441]

Till wits the wisest drunken by her grace * Betrayed for joyance secrets sages hide;

And, seen the cup, we bade it circle round * While sun and moon spread radiance side and wide.

We raised for lover veil of love perforce * And came glad tidings which new joys applied:

Loud sang the camel-guide; won was our wish * Nor was the secret by the spy espied:

And, when my days were blest by union-bliss * And to all-parting Time was aid denied,

Each ‘bode with other, clear of meddling spy * Nor feared we hate of foe or neighbour-pride.

The sky was bright, friends came and severance fared * And Love-in-union rained boons multiplied: Saying ‘Fulfil fair union, all are gone * Rivals and fears lest shaming foe deride:’

Friends now conjoin�d are: wrong passed away * And meeting-cup goes round and joys abide:

On you be Allah’s Peace with every boon * Till end the dooming years and time and tide.”

 

When Balakhsha had ended her verse, all present were moved to delight and Al-Abbas said to her, “Brava, O damsel!” Then he bade the fifth damsel come forward and sing (now she was from the land of Syria and her name was Rayh�nah; she was passing of voice and when she appeared in an assembly, all eyes were fixed upon her), so she came forward and taking the viol (for she was used to play upon all instruments) recited and sang these couplets, “Your mewards coming I hail to sight; *