The Arabian Nights Entertainments
and the fair Persian ate of it with great relish. When they had
finished Noureddin took thirty gold pieces (all that remained of what
Sangiar had given him) and presented them to the Caliph, who, thanking
him, asked as a further favour if the lady would play him one piece on
the lute. The Persian gladly consented, and sang and played so as to
delight the Caliph.
Noureddin, in the habit of giving to others whatever they admired,
said, "Fisherman, as she pleases you so much, take her; she is yours."
The fair Persian, astounded that he should wish to part from her, took
her lute, and with tears in her eyes sang her reproaches to its music.
The Caliph (still in the character of fisherman) said to him, "Sir, I
perceive that this fair lady is your slave. Oblige me, I beg you, by
relating your history."
Noureddin willingly granted this request, and recounted everything from
the purchase of the slave down to the present moment.
"And where do you go now?" asked the Caliph.
"Wherever the hand of Allah leads me," said Noureddin.
"Then, if you will listen to me," said the Caliph, "you will
immediately return to Balsora. I will give you a letter to the king,
which will ensure you a good reception from him."
"It is an unheard-of thing," said Noureddin, "that a fisherman should
be in correspondence with a king."
"Let not that astonish you," answered the Caliph; "we studied together,
and have always remained the best of friends, though fortune, while
making him a king, left me a humble fisherman."
The Caliph then took a sheet of paper, and wrote the following letter,
at the top of which he put in very small characters this formula to
show that he must be implicitly obeyed:--"In the name of the Most
Merciful God.
"Letter of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid to the King of Balsora.
"Haroun-al-Raschid, son of Mahdi, sends this letter to Mohammed Zinebi,
his cousin. As soon as Noureddin, son of the Vizir Khacan, bearer of
this letter, has given it to thee, and thou hast read it, take off thy
royal mantle, put it on his shoulders, and seat him in thy place
without fail. Farewell."
The Caliph then gave this letter to Noureddin, who immediately set off,
with only what little money he possessed when Sangiar came to his
assistance. The beautiful Persian, inconsolable at his departure, sank
on a sofa bathed in tears.
When Noureddin had left the room, Scheih Ibrahim, who had hitherto kept
silence, said: "Kerim, for two miserable fish thou hast received a
purse and a slave. I tell thee I will take the slave, and as to the
purse, if it contains silver thou mayst keep one piece, if gold then I
will take all and give thee what copper pieces I have in my purse."
Now here it must be related that when the Caliph went upstairs with the
plate of fish he ordered the vizir to hasten to the palace and bring
back four slaves bearing a change of raiment, who should wait outside
the pavilion till the Caliph should clap his hands.
Still personating the fisherman, the Caliph answered: "Scheih Ibrahim,
whatever is in the purse I will share equally with you, but as to the
slave I will keep her for myself. If you do not agree to these
conditions you shall have nothing."
The old man, furious at this insolence as he considered it, took a cup
and threw it at the Caliph, who easily avoided a missile from the hand
of a drunken man. It hit against the wall, and broke into a thousand
pieces. Scheih Ibrahim, still more enraged, then went out to fetch a
stick. The Caliph at that moment clapped his hands, and the vizir and
the four slaves entering took off the fisherman's dress and put on him
that which they had brought.
When Scheih Ibrahim returned, a thick stick in his hand, the Caliph was
seated on his throne, and nothing remained of the fisherman but his
clothes in the middle of the room. Throwing himself on the ground at
the Caliph's feet, he said: "Commander of the Faithful, your miserable
slave has offended you, and craves forgiveness."
The Caliph came down from his throne, and said: "Rise, I forgive
thee." Then turning to the Persian he said: "Fair lady, now you know
who I am; learn also that I have sent Noureddin to Balsora to be king,
and as soon as all necessary preparations are made I will send you
there to be queen. Meanwhile I will give you an apartment in my
palace, where you will be treated with all honour."
At this the beautiful Persian took courage, and the Caliph was as good
as his word, recommending her to the care of his wife Zobeida.
Noureddin made all haste on his journey to Balsora, and on his arrival
there went straight to the palace of the king, of whom he demanded an
audience. It was immediately granted, and holding the letter high
above his head he forced his way through the crowd. While the king
read the letter he changed colour. He would instantly have executed
the Caliph's order, but first he showed the letter to Saouy, whose
interests were equally at stake with his own. Pretending that he
wished to read it a second time, Saouy turned aside as if to seek a
better light; unperceived by anyone he tore off the formula from the
top of the letter, put it to his mouth, and swallowed it. Then,
turning to the king, he said:
"Your majesty has no need to obey this letter. The writing is indeed
that of the Caliph, but the formula is absent. Besides, he has not
sent an express with the patent, without which the letter is useless.
Leave all to me, and I will take the consequences."
The king not only listened to the persuasions of Saouy, but gave
Noureddin into his hands. Such a severe bastinado was first
administered to him, that he was left more dead than alive; then Saouy
threw him into the darkest and deepest dungeon, and fed him only on
bread and water. After ten days Saouy determined to put an end to
Noureddin's life, but dared not without the king's authority. To gain
this end, he loaded several of his own slaves with rich gifts, and
presented himself at their head to the king, saying that they were from
the new king on his coronation.
"What!" said the king; "is that wretch still alive? Go and behead him
at once. I authorise you."
"Sire," said Saouy, "I thank your Majesty for the justice you do me. I
would further beg, as Noureddin publicly affronted me, that the
execution might be in front of the palace, and that it might be
proclaimed throughout the city, so that no one may be ignorant of it."
The king granted these requests, and the announcement caused universal
grief, for the memory of Noureddin's father was still fresh in the
hearts of his people. Saouy, accompanied by twenty of his own slaves,
went to the prison to fetch Noureddin, whom he mounted on a wretched
horse without a saddle. Arrived at the palace, Saouy went in to the
king, leaving Noureddin in the square, hemmed in not only by Saouy's
slaves but by the royal guard, who had great difficulty in preventing
the people from rushing in and rescuing Noureddin. So great was the
indignation against Saouy that if anyone had set the example he would
have been stoned on his way through the streets. Saouy, who witnessed
the agitation of the people from the windows of the king's privy
chambers, called to the executioner to strike at once. The king,
however, ordered him to delay; not only was he jealous of Saouy's
interference, but he had another reason. A troop of horsemen was seen
at that moment riding at full gallop towards the square. Saouy
suspected who they might be, and urged the king to give the signal for
the execution without delay, but this the king refused to do till he
knew who the horsemen were.
Now, they were the vizir Giafar and his suite arriving at full speed
from Bagdad. For several days after Noureddin's departure with the
letter the Caliph had forgotten to send the express with the patent,
without which the letter was useless. Hearing a beautiful voice one
day in the women's part of the palace uttering lamentations, he was
informed that it was the voice of the fair Persian, and suddenly
calling to mind the patent, he sent for Giafar, and ordered him to make
for Balsora with the utmost speed--if Noureddin were dead, to hang
Saouy; if he were still alive, to bring him at once to Bagdad along
with the king and Saouy.
Giafar rode at full speed through the square, and alighted at the steps
of the palace, where the king came to greet him. The vizir's first
question was whether Noureddin were still alive. The king replied that
he was, and he was immediately led forth, though bound hand and foot.
By the vizir's orders his bonds were immediately undone, and Saouy was
tied with the same cords. Next day Giafar returned to Bagdad, bearing
with him the king, Saouy, and Noureddin.
When the Caliph heard what treatment Noureddin had received, he
authorised him to behead Saouy with his own hands, but he declined to
shed the blood of his enemy, who was forthwith handed over to the
executioner. The Caliph also desired Noureddin to reign over Balsora,
but this, too, he declined, saying that after what had passed there he
preferred never to return, but to enter the service of the Caliph. He
became one of his most intimate courtiers, and lived long in great
happiness with the fair Persian. As to the king, the Caliph contented
himself with sending him back to Balsora, with the recommendation to be
more careful in future in the choice of his vizir.
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
There once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a
careless, idle boy who would do nothing but play all day long in the
streets with little idle boys like himself. This so grieved the father
that he died; yet, in spite of his mother's tears and prayers, Aladdin
did not mend his ways. One day, when he was playing in the streets as
usual, a stranger asked him his age, and if he were not the son of
Mustapha the tailor.
"I am, sir," replied Aladdin; "but he died a long while ago."
On this the stranger, who was a famous African magician, fell on his
neck and kissed him, saying: "I am your uncle, and knew you from your
likeness to my brother. Go to your mother and tell her I am coming."
Aladdin ran home, and told his mother of his newly found uncle.
"Indeed, child," she said, "your father had a brother, but I always
thought he was dead."
However, she prepared supper, and bade Aladdin seek his uncle, who came
laden with wine and fruit. He presently fell down and kissed the place
where Mustapha used to sit, bidding Aladdin's mother not to be
surprised at not having seen him before, as he had been forty years out
of the country. He then turned to Aladdin, and asked him his trade, at
which the boy hung his head, while his mother burst into tears. On
learning that Aladdin was idle and would learn no trade, he offered to
take a shop for him and stock it with merchandise. Next day he bought
Aladdin a fine suit of clothes, and took him all over the city, showing
him the sights, and brought him home at nightfall to his mother, who
was overjoyed to see her son so fine.
Next day the magician led Aladdin into some beautiful gardens a long
way outside the city gates. They sat down by a fountain, and the
magician pulled a cake from his girdle, which he divided between them.
They then journeyed onwards till they almost reached the mountains.
Aladdin was so tired that he begged to go back, but the magician
beguiled him with pleasant stories, and led him on in spite of himself.
At last they came to two mountains divided by a narrow valley.
"We will go no farther," said the false uncle. "I will show you
something wonderful; only do you gather up sticks while I kindle a
fire."
When it was lit the magician threw on it a powder he had about him, at