The Arabian Nights, Volume I of IV

by Unknown

OF THE FIRST CALENDER, THE SON OF A KING.

In order to inform you, madam, how I lost my right eye, and the reason that I have been obliged to take the habit of a calender, I must begin by telling you that I am the son of a king. My father had a brother, who, like himself, was a monarch over a neighbouring state. This brother had two children, a son and a daughter; the former of whom was near my age.

When I had gone through all my exercises, and the king, my father, had allowed me a proper degree of liberty, I went regularly every year to see my uncle, and passed a month or two at his court, after which I returned home. These visits produced between the prince, my cousin, and myself, the most intimate friendship. The last time I saw him he received me with demonstrations of the greatest joy and tenderness, more so indeed than ever; and wishing one day to amuse me by some great entertainment, he made extraordinary preparations for it. We remained a long time at table, and after we had both supped, “You can never, my cousin,” he said to me, “possibly imagine what has occupied my thoughts since your last journey. Since you were here last, I have employed a great number of workmen about the design I meditated. I have erected a building, which is just finished, and we shall soon be able to lodge there: you will not be sorry to see it, but you must first take an oath that you will be both secret and faithful: these two things I must require of you.”

The friendship and familiarity in which we lived, did not permit me to refuse him any thing; I took, therefore, without hesitation the oath he required. “Wait for me in this place,” he cried, “and I will be with you in a moment,” He did not in fact detain me long, but returned with a female in his hand, of very great beauty and most magnificently dressed.

He did not say who she was, nor did I think it right to inquire. We again sat down to the table with the lady, and remained there some time, talking of different things and drinking bumpers to each other’s health. The prince then said to me, “We have no time to lose; oblige me by taking this lady with you, and conduct her by such a way to a place where you will see a tomb newly erected, in the shape of a dome. You will easily know it, as the door is open. Enter there together and wait for me, I will return directly.”

Faithful to my oath, I did not wish to know more. I presented my hand to the lady, and following the instructions which the prince, my cousin, had given me, I conducted her safely by the light of the moon without any mistake. We had scarcely got to the tomb when we saw the prince, who had followed us with a small vessel full of water, a hoe or spade, and a small sack, in which there was some lime, or mortar. The spade served him to destroy the empty sepulchre which was in the middle of the tomb; he took the stones away one by one, and placed them in one corner. When he had taken them all away, he made a hole in the ground, and I perceived a trapdoor under the sepulchre. He lifted it up, and discovered the beginning of a winding stair-ease. My cousin, then addressing himself to the lady, said, “This is the way, madam, that leads to the place I have mentioned to you. At these words the lady approached and descended the stairs. The prince was just going to follow her, but first turning to me, “I am infinitely obliged to you, my cousin,” said he, “for the trouble you have had, receive my best thanks for it, and farewell.”—“My dear cousin,” I cried, “what does all this mean?”—“That is of no consequence,” he answered, “you may return by the same way you came.”

I was unable to learn any thing more from him, and was obliged to take my leave of him. In returning to my uncle’s palace, the vapour of the wine I had before drunk began to affect my head. I nevertheless reached my apartment and retired to rest. On waking the next morning, I made many reflections on the occurrences of the night before, and recalled all the circumstances of so singular an adventure to my recollection. The whole appeared to me to be a dream. I was so much persuaded of it, that I sent to know if the prince, my cousin, was yet dressed. But when they brought me word that he had not slept at home, nor did they know what was become of him, and were very much distressed at it, I concluded that the strange adventure of the tomb was too true. This afflicted me very much, and keeping myself in private, I went secretly to the public cemetery, or burial place, where there were a great many tombs similar to that which I had before seen. I passed the day in examining them all, but was unable to discover the one I searched for. I spent four days in the same useless pursuit.

It is necessary for me to inform you, that the king, my uncle, was absent during the whole of this time. He had been for some time on a hunting party. I was very unwilling to wait for his coming back, and having requested his ministers to make my excuses for going, I set out on my return to my father’s court, from which I was not accustomed to make so long a stay. I left my uncle’s ministers very much distressed at not being able to discover what was become of the prince; but as I could not violate the oath I had taken to keep the secret, I dared not lessen their anxiety by informing them of any part of what I knew.

I arrived at the capital of my father, and contrary to the usual custom, I discovered at the gate of the palace a large guard, by whom I was immediately surrounded. I demanded the reason of this; when an officer answered, “the army, prince, has acknowledged the grand vizier as king in the room of your father, who is dead; and I arrest you as prisoner on behalf of the new king.” At these words the guards seized me and conducted me before the tyrant. Judge, madam, what was my surprise and grief.

This rebellious vizier had conceived a strong hatred against me, which he had for a long time cherished. The cause of it was as follows: when I was very young, I was fond of shooting with a cross-bow. One day I took one to the top of the palace and amused myself with it on the terrace. A bird happened to fly before me; I shot at it, but missed; and the arrow by chance struck the vizier on the eye and put it out, as he was taking the air on the terrace of his own house. As soon as I was informed of this accident, I went and made my apologies to him in person. He did not, however, fail to preserve a strong resentment against me, of which he gave every proof he could when any opportunity occurred. When he now found me in his power, he evinced it in the most barbarous manner. As soon as he saw me, he ran towards me in the utmost rage, and digging his fingers into my right eye, he tore it himself from the socket. It was in this way I became blind.

But the usurper did not confine his cruelty to this action alone. He ordered me to be imprisoned in a sort of cage, and to be carried in this manner to some distant place, where the executioner, after cutting off my head, was to leave my body exposed to the birds of prey. The executioner mounted his horse, accompanied by another man, and carried me with him. He did not stop till he came to a place proper for the execution of his order. I made, however, so good a use of entreaties, prayers, and tears, that I excited his compassion. “Go,” said he to me, “depart instantly out of the kingdom, and take care never to return; if you do, you will only encounter certain destruction, and will be the cause of mine.” I thanked him for the favour he did me: and I was no sooner alone than I consoled myself for the loss of my eye, by reflecting that I had just escaped from a greater misfortune.

In the state in which I was, I could not get on very fast. During the day, I concealed myself in unfrequented and secret places, and travelled by night as far as my strength would permit me. At length I arrived in the country belonging to the king, my uncle; and I proceeded directly to the capital.

I gave a long detail of the dreadful cause of my return, and of the miserable state in which he saw me. “Alas!” cried he, “was it not sufficient to lose my son; but must I now learn the death of a brother whom I dearly loved; and find you in the deplorable state to which you are reduced?” He informed me of the distress he had suffered from not being able to learn any tidings of his son, in spite of all the inquiries he had made, and all the diligence he had used. The tears ran from the eyes of this unfortunate father in giving me this account; and he appeared to me so much afflicted, that I could not resist his grief; nor could I keep the oath I had pledged to my cousin. I then related to the king every thing that had formerly passed.

He listened to me with some sort of consolation, and when I had finished, he said, “The recital, my dear nephew, you have given me, affords me some little hope. I well know that my son built such a tomb, and I know very nearly on what spot. With the recollection also, which you may have, I flatter myself we may discover it. But since he has done all this so secretly, and required you also to keep it unknown, I am of opinion that we two only should make the search, in order to avoid its being generally known and talked of. He had also another reason which he did not inform me of, for wishing to keep this a secret. This reason, as the conclusion of my history will show, was a very important one.

We each of us disguised ourselves and went out by a garden gate which opened into the fields. We were fortunate enough very soon to discover the object of our search. I immediately recognised the tomb, and was the more rejoiced as I had before searched for it so long to no purpose. We entered, and found the iron trap-door shut down upon the opening to the stairs. We had great difficulty in lifting it up, because the prince had cemented it down with the lime and the water which I mentioned his having carried: at last, however, we got it up. My uncle was the first who descended; and I followed. We went down about fifty steps, when we found ourselves at the bottom of the stairs in a sort of anti-room, which was full of a thick smoke, very unpleasant to the smell, and which obscured the light thrown from a very brilliant lustre.

From this anti-chamber we passed on to one much larger, the roof of which was supported by large columns, and illuminated by many lustres. In the middle there was a cistern, and on each side we observed various sorts of provisions. We were much surprised at not seeing any one. Opposite to us, there was a raised sofa, to which they ascended by some steps, and beyond this there appeared a very large bed, the curtains of which were drawn. The king went up, and undrawing them, discovered the prince, his son, and the lady in bed together, but burnt and changed into a coal, as if they had been thrown on to an immense fire, and had been taken off before they were consumed. What surprised me even more than this sight itself was, that my uncle did not evince any sorrow or regret at seeing his son in this horrid state. He spit in his face, and said in an enraged manner, “See what is the punishment of this world, but that of the next will be eternal.” Not satisfied with saying this, he pulled off his slipper and gave his son a great blow on his cheek.

I cannot express the astonishment I felt at seeing the king, my uncle, treat his son in that manner after his death. “Sire,” said I to him, “however violent my grief may be at seeing so heart-rending an object, yet I cannot yield to it without first inquiring of your majesty, what crime the prince, my cousin, can have committed to deserve such treatment of his lifeless corpse.” The king thus replied: “Nephew, I must inform you that my son, unworthy such a title, loved his sister from his earliest years, and was equally beloved by her. I rather encouraged their rising friendship, because I did not foresee the danger that was to ensue. And who could have foreseen it? This affection increased with their years, and reached to such a pitch, that I dreaded the consequences. I applied the only remedy then in my power. I severely reprimanded my son for his conduct, and represented to him the horrors that would arise if he persisted in it; and the eternal shame that would tarnish our family, if he indulged himself in so criminal a passion.

“I talked to his sister in the same terms, and confined her, that she should have no further communication with her brother. But the unhappy girl had tasted of the poison, and all the obstacles that my prudence suggested, only irritated their passion.

“My son, well persuaded that his sister continued to love him, prepared this subterraneous asylum, under pretence of building a tomb, hoping some day to find an opportunity of getting access to the object of his flame, and concealing her in this place. He chose the moment of my absence, to force the retreat of his sister, which is a circumstance that my honour will not allow me to publish. After this criminal deed, he shut himself up with her in this building, which he furnished, as you perceive, with all sorts of provisions, to be able to enjoy for a length of time his detestable amours; which must create horror in all who hear of them. But God would not suffer such an abominable crime; and has justly punished each of them.” He wept bitterly on finishing these words, and I mingled my tears with his.

Some time after, he cast his eyes on me; “But, dear nephew,” resumed he, embracing me, “if I lose an unworthy son, I may find in you a happy reparation of my loss.” The reflections which arose on the untimely end of the prince and the princess, his daughter, again drew tears from us both.

We ascended the same staircase, and quitted this dismal abode. We put the iron trap-door in its place, and covered it with earth and the rubbish of the building, to conceal, as much as possible, so dreadful an example of the anger of God.

We returned to the palace before our absence had been observed, and shortly after, we heard a confused noise of trumpets, cymbals, drums, and other warlike instruments. A thick dust, which obscured the air, soon informed us what it was, and announced the arrival of a formidable army. It was the same vizier who had dethroned my father, and taken possession of his dominions, and who came now with a large number of troops to seize those of my uncle.

This prince, who had only his usual guard, could not resist so many enemies. They invested the city, and as the gates were opened to them without resistance, they soon took possession of it. They had not much difficulty to penetrate to the palace of the king, who attempted to defend himself, but he was killed, after having dearly sold his life. On my part, I fought for some time, but seeing that I must surrender if I continued, I retired, and had the good fortune to escape, and take refuge in the house of an officer of the king, on whose fidelity I could depend.

Overcome with grief, and persecuted by fortune, I had recourse to a stratagem, which was the last resource to preserve my life. I shaved my beard and my eyebrows, and put on the habit of a calender, under which disguise I left the city without being recognised. After that, it was no difficult matter to quit the dominions of the king, my uncle, by unfrequented roads. I avoided the towns, till I arrived in the empire of the powerful sovereign of all believers, the glorious and renowned caliph Haroun Alraschid, when I ceased to fear. I considered what was my best plan, and I resolved to come to Bagdad, and throw myself at the feet of this great monarch, whose generosity is every where admired. I shall obtain compassion, thought I, by the recital of a history so surprising as mine; he will no doubt commisserate the fate of an unhappy prince, and I shall not implore his assistance in vain.

At length, after a journey of several months, I arrived to-day at the gates of the city: when the evening came on, I entered, and having rested a little time to recover my spirits, and deliberate which way I should turn my steps, this other calender, who is next me, arrived also. He saluted me, and I returned the compliment; “You appear,” said I, “a stranger like myself.”—“You are not mistaken,” returned he. At the very moment he made this reply the third calender, whom you see, came towards us. He saluted us, and acquainted us, that he too was a stranger and just arrived at Bagdad. Like brothers we united together and resolved never to separate.

But it was late, and we did not know where to go for a lodging, in a city where we never had been before. Our good fortune, however, having conducted us to your door, we took the liberty of knocking; you have received us with so much benevolence and charity that we cannot sufficiently thank you. This, madam, is what you desired me to relate; this was the way in which I lost my right eye; this was the reason I have my beard and eyebrows shaved, and why I am at this moment in your company.

“Enough,” said Zobeidè, “we thank you, and you may retire whenever you please.” The calender excused himself, and entreated the lady to allow him to stay and hear the history of his two companions, whom he could not well abandon, as well as that of the three other persons of the party.

The history of the first calender appeared very surprising to the whole company, and particularly to the caliph. The presence of the slaves armed with their scimitars did not prevent him from saying in a whisper to the vizier, “As long as I can remember, I never heard any thing to compare with this history of the calender, though I have been all my life in the habit of hearing similar narratives.” He had no sooner finished, than the second calender began; and addressing himself to Zobeidè spoke as follows: