The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06

A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments
Translated and Annotated by Richard F. Burton
VOLUME SIX
Privately Printed By The Burton Club
I Inscribe This Volume To My Old And Valued Correspondent, I Whose Debt I Am Deep,
Professor Aloys Sprenger (of Heidelberg),
Arabist, Philosopher and Friend.
Richard F. Burton.
The Book Of The THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,
“How many by my labours, that evermore endure, All goods of life enjoy and in cooly shade recline? Each morn that dawns I wake in travail and in woe, And strange is my condition and my burden gars me pine: Many others are in luck and from miseries are free, And Fortune never loads them with loads the like o’ mine: They live their happy days in all solace and delight; Eat, drink and dwell in honour ’mid the noble and the digne: All living things were made of a little drop of sperm, Thine origin is mine and my provenance is thine; Yet the difference and distance ’twixt the twain of us are far As the difference of savour ’twixt vinegar and wine: But at Thee, O God All-wise! I venture not to rail Whose ordinance is just and whose justice cannot fail.”
When Sindbad the Porter had made an end of reciting his verses, he bore up his burden and was about to fare on, when there came forth to him from the gate a little foot-page, fair of face and shapely of shape and dainty of dress who caught him by the hand saying, “Come in and speak with my lord, for he calleth for thee.” The Porter would have excused himself to the page but the lad would take no refusal; so he left his load with the doorkeeper in the vestibule and followed the boy into the house, which he found to be a goodly mansion, radiant and full of majesty, till he brought him to a grand sitting-room wherein he saw a company of nobles and great lords, seated at tables garnished with all manner of flowers and sweet-scented herbs, besides great plenty of dainty viands and fruits dried and fresh and confections and wines of the choicest vintages. There also were instruments of music and mirth and lovely slave-girls playing and singing. All the company was ranged according to rank; and in the highest place sat a man of worshipful and noble aspect whose beard-sides hoariness had stricken; and he was stately of stature and fair of favour, agreeable of aspect and full of gravity and dignity and majesty. So Sindbad the Porter was confounded at that which he beheld and said in himself, “By Allah, this must be either a piece of Paradise or some King’s palace!” Then he saluted the company with much respect praying for their prosperity, and kissing the ground before them, stood with his head bowed down in humble attitude.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.