STORY OF THE BIRD OF AFFLICTION
The tellers of stories say that, once upon a time, there lived a king who was wise and just. And this king had a daughter who was so very fond of the dowager queen that she was always to be found in her company.
One day, during hour after hour, the queen sat lost in thought. At length, the princess approached and asked of what she was thinking.
“O, my child!” the queen replied, “I have an affliction. It is upon that I am thinking.”
“O, queen mother!” again asked the princess, “what is this that you call an affliction? Will you not buy one for me, also, that I may be permitted to sit beside you and meditate in your company?”
“If thou so desire. But, first, I must provide myself with money.”
Then the princess made haste to lay all that she possessed before the queen, who, taking five or six pounds of the gold, went to the market and purchased [[131]]a bird of affliction. The slave who accompanied her bore it to the palace, when the queen called the young girl and delivered it to her, saying:
“Here, my princess, is a bird of affliction. It is yours. Take it.”
The princess found great pleasure in the bird. Both day and night she played with it. After a few days, with her maids, she went to a great pleasure garden. The bird was taken with them, and when they reached the head of the fountains its cage was hung upon the limb of a tree.
Presently the bird began to talk. It said: “Ai, sultana, will you not let me out for a little? I would fly about and look at the country with the other birds. I will return to you.”
The princess, being truthful herself, had not learned to doubt those whom she loved. She believed the bird, opened the door of his cage, and let him go forth. After about two hours, while the maids were amusing themselves in a distant corner of the garden and the maiden was enjoying herself alone, watching the sparkling waters of the fountain, the bird returned. She greeted him joyfully and held out her hand that he might alight upon it.
The bird came nearer, suddenly turned into a jinn, laid rough hold upon her, and carried her off. [[132]]
After a flight of two hours, he left her upon the top of a very high mountain. And as he disappeared, he cried: “There! have you learned what an affliction is? Wait and see others of the same sort which I shall bring to you!” So saying, he turned into a column of air and disappeared.
When she had recovered from her terror, the princess looked about her. All was barren and desolate. She began to wander about in the hope of discovering some signs of life. Hungry and forlorn, she wandered day after day, until, finally, meeting a shepherd, she said to him: “Good shepherd, if you will give me the clothes you have on, I will give you these silk ones, with all my ornaments.”
The shepherd agreed to do so. The princess then retired within some encircling rocks, and when the shepherd’s clothes were thrown over to her, took her own off and tossed them without. Then dressing herself in the coarse garments, and tucking her hair under her cap, she set out to continue her wandering.
After going a long way, she came to the far outskirts of a town. The first building she reached was a coffeehouse, which she entered, and said to the owner, “Father, will you take me as an apprentice?” [[133]]
The coffee-maker, being a little short-sighted, looked at her attentively, then answered that he had been desirous of a helper and engaged her at once.
Time passed, and all went well until, one day, the coffee-maker said to his apprentice: “I am going home to-night. Do you sleep in the coffeehouse. Do not let anyone steal the goods. Take care of everything!” Having thus commanded, he went away.
When it became quite dark, the lonely girl locked the coffeehouse and lay down in a corner. After a time she persuaded herself that there was no cause for fear, and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, while deep sleep held her senses, the bird which the queen dowager had purchased in the market entered, and broke all the nargilehs (water-smoking pipes) and all the cups that were in the place, into little bits. Then he went up to the girl and wakened her roughly.
What did she see? Everything that had been in the coffeehouse when she went to sleep was destroyed. Seized with terror, she covered her eyes with her hands to shut out the unhappy sight.
But the bird rejoiced at her misery, and cried out, with glee: “There, do you see? Only wait a little longer. Then you will behold other afflictions [[134]]of the same sort. They are upon the way to you!” So saying, he flew off.
All the remainder of the night the poor girl sat in her corner in dread of the morrow. When morning came she was racking her mind to find an answer, to give the master when he should come and question her about the matter.
The coffee-maker arrived early, and—what should he see but every one of his possessions broken into tiny bits! He believed it to have been done by the malicious action of the girl. Dealing her a dreadful blow, he seized her by the collar, and threw her out of the house.
At this she wept bitterly and protested her innocence, but the enraged man would not listen. There was nothing left for her but to seek another place.
Presently she reached a tailor’s shop, gathered courage, and entered. Now, it so chanced that this was the time of a great feast. Many orders had come from the palace, on account of which all the tailors were busy cutting and sewing. As a consequence, when the head tailor was asked if he would take a new apprentice, he made ready answer: “Certainly. I have need of one. Come in and you shall have plenty of work.”
All went well for a few days, and the poor girl hoped that the bird of affliction had not learned of [[135]]her whereabouts. But, alas! one day the tailor went to his home and commanded her to remain behind in charge of the shop.
Fear seized upon her so that she could not sleep until near the middle of the night, when a sort of stupor overcame her, and, sure enough! at exactly the same hour as before, the bird entered and did not rest until he had torn up all the clothes that were in the place.
Then he wakened the girl and bade her look about. And what could she see but all the garments—the beautiful gold-embroidered ones, as well as the plain—every one, and the uncut pieces of cloth, all torn into little bits!
When her scared eyes had taken it all in, the bird laughed hoarsely and said: “There, my sultana! Do you see? And after this you will learn what other sort of affliction I shall bring to you!” Having said this, he flew away.
The morning came, and also the master of the shop. He entered in haste, for there was much to be done that day, and looking about him—what should he see? All the gorgeous garments, which were to go to the palace that morning, and every piece of cloth which had not been cut—all, alike, were torn into tiny bits!
Upon seeing this, the distracted man began to [[136]]beat his head on the stones and cry: “Alas! all my work has been brought to waste! And not only my labor is lost, but all these costly pieces of cloth have been destroyed!” Despair lost him his senses. He fell to the ground in a faint.
The apprentice hastened to bring water with which to bathe his temples and to chafe his hands and feet. After some time consciousness returned to him, and he began asking the girl who it was that had wrought such destruction. But, however much he questioned her, she made absolutely no answer.
Consequently, after pondering upon the matter, the tailor said to himself: “The boy has no money that I can take in payment for my loss. Shall I take his soul from him?” Then he dealt a heavy blow, intending to take the life of his apprentice, and hurled the supposed boy out of the shop.
The poor creature was stunned, but not killed. After a little, she recovered sufficiently to be able to make her escape. Weeping sadly at her hard lot, she went until a chandelier maker’s shop was reached, where she asked, with trembling, if she could be taken as an apprentice.
But the master of the shop answered her roughly. “Go away!” he cried. “Go away, boy! What could I do with you? I don’t need anyone to [[137]]look after me; neither do I want to look after a boy.”
However, after some time, when he saw that the poor creature would not go away, he yielded to her desire and took her for his apprentice.
Time passed and all went well. The poor girl began to hope once more. But upon one day, among other days, it became necessary that the master should go away to attend to some very important business. He gave the strictest injunction to his apprentice that the shop must be taken good care of—that everything should be so guarded that no possible harm could come.
When night came on, the apprentice was more than usually careful in locking every entrance. After that she lay down in a corner.
In the middle of the night the same bird came and did all the evil to which he had been accustomed. A stupor was upon the sleeper, so that she did not hear the crashing of glass nor the breaking of wrought metals. It was not until the bird had wakened her, that she knew of the havoc that had been wrought.
As she looked about her, the same words were spoken that had greeted her ears when other troubles came upon her: “There, my sultana! Do you see? Wait until the other afflictions come. I shall [[138]]bring more to you of the same sort.” With these threatening words he flew away.
When morning came the apprentice opened the shop, as usual, and awaited the coming of her master, which was not long delayed. The chandelier maker came, and—what should he see? So many chandeliers as there were in the shop! And all of them in utter ruin!
The anger and despair of the poor man brought him to such a state that he looked about for a place to hang himself. In so doing he discovered the apprentice, hiding behind some boxes in a corner. He seized a stick, gave the poor creature a sound beating, and threw her out of the shop.
Again the poor girl went off crying. This time she thought in her heart: “Into whatever shop I have gone, so much harm has been brought by the bird, and so many times have I been beaten, so many blows have I eaten! After this, in order that no harm may be brought upon others, I shall stay by myself. I will go and wander from mountain to mountain.”
So saying, she took the path leading in that direction. When evening came, she found herself very hungry and thirsty. Also, she had made the unhappy discovery that wild animals, most ferocious beasts, inhabited the mountain upon which night [[139]]had overtaken her. To escape these she climbed to the top of a tree, where she slept, as best she could, during the night.
When it became morning, just after dawn, the son of the king of that country went out on the mountain to hunt and saw the apprentice curled up in the tree. The light being yet dim, he believed that he had discovered a strange kind of bird. So he shot an arrow at it, which flew wide of its mark and hit the tree instead.
When the prince came nearer he saw, to his horror, that it was not a bird at which he had shot, but a human being. Fear seized upon him. He called out, “Are you an animal or a jinn?”
“I am neither the one nor the other,” the girl replied. “I am a man. Fear of the wild beasts drove me to seek refuge here.”
“Then descend. And with my arrows I will protect you,” answered the prince.
After he had assisted her down, he was touched with sympathy at her miserable state, and at once conducted her to the palace. When they had arrived there, and the stranger was led to the bath, she told the slave that she would like a woman servant to be sent to her. To this one she revealed the truth that she was not a man, but had been obliged to wear the clothing of one, for the sake of [[140]]safety. The slave woman then bathed and dressed her in garments that were fitting.
When this had been done, all those who were in the bath were surprised; for the one who had come to them as an apprentice lad, seemed now as the fourteenth of the moon for beauty. Her like had never been seen in the palace.
The slaves led her from the bath and into the presence of the prince, who, at sight of her loveliness, became as if intoxicated in his mind. He remained thus for more than an hour. When his reason returned he went directly into his father’s presence.
“Most revered father!” said the prince. “Yesterday I went out to hunt and found a most strange thing—a maiden who had been frightened by the wild animals and had taken refuge in a tree. What could I do? It is the province of the brave to succor the weak. Therefore I assisted her to the ground and brought her home with me. Since she has been relieved from terror and refreshed with the bath, she appears to me as the loveliest and most desirable maiden in the whole world. She is become my fate. I beg that you will permit me to marry her.”
Hardly could the king restrain his astonishment at this. “What childish tale are you telling me, [[141]]my son? Lead hither the maiden! Let me look upon her!”
The prince made haste to command her coming, for he was assured, in his heart, that even the king must admit her loveliness.
And it was so. When the maiden had entered, and after she had answered, modestly, his greeting, the king was so pleased with her that he no longer wondered at the desire of his son. He yielded to importunity and gave his consent to the marriage.
Immediately the wedding was arranged. During forty days and forty nights the celebrations continued. Upon the forty-first day the prince was married to the beautiful princess.
They were very happy together. Near the end of the first year a little daughter was born to them. Then did their happiness seem complete.
Some time elapsed. The child grew and had perfect health. One night, when the prince, the princess, and all of their attendants were asleep, the bird, which had bided its time patiently, came into the chamber where lay the child and its mother. He smeared the mouth of the princess with blood, took the child under his wing, and wakened her roughly.
“See!” he cried. “I am carrying off your child. [[142]]Wait a little! You will learn what other afflictions are in store for you!”
As he uttered these cruel words he flew away; leaving the princess speechless with grief, and unconscious of the blood-stains upon her lips.
Morning came. The prince arose to find his child gone and the mouth of his wife smeared with blood! He was amazed at the sight, but did not permit himself to speak until he had gone into the presence of his father, to whom, with great effort to control his grief, he confided the state of affairs.
The king’s surprise knew no bounds. “My son,” he asked, “whence came this girl? Where did you tell me that you had found her?”
“Upon a mountain, my father.”
“Then, although she has conducted herself becomingly and has seemed most gentle and sweet, undoubtedly there is savage blood in her veins. One can never tell when this may manifest itself. If she will eat her own child, whom she loved, she may, at any time, become possessed with the desire to eat other people.”
However, the love which both the king and the prince had for the princess, and her own undoubted grief at the loss of the child, caused them to hesitate as to what course to pursue. Day after day went by, and nothing was done about the sad matter. [[143]]
After a considerable time another daughter was born to them, and, in the same way as before—though both the prince and the princess, each without letting the other know of it, had charged the nurse and attendants to be extremely watchful—the bird came, took the child, again smeared blood upon the mouth of the princess, and flew away.
When morning came, the prince found the same sad state of affairs which had bewildered him before. He could not restrain his grief, the knowledge of which was borne to his father.
The king was moved with great indignation, along with his sorrow. He gave command that the savage woman should be put to death.
When the prince learned of this command, his grief at the loss of the child was swallowed up in the greater one of losing his wife. All his love for the beautiful girl, whose life with him had only these two blots, swept over his heart. He hastened to his father, prostrated himself before him, and begged that, once more, her life might be spared.
The king, seeing the grief of his son, and experiencing a like tenderness in his own heart, was gracious once more and annulled the sentence.
Time came and went. At the end of another year a boy was born to the young couple. When the boy had reached the age of the other children [[144]]when they disappeared, the prince began to reflect, saying within himself: “Should the savage instincts take possession of the princess and she, unconsciously, destroy this child, nothing would prevent my father from commanding and insisting upon her death.”
Thinking thus, he made up his mind to remain awake all night and watch. After the princess had gone to sleep, the prince took a needle in his hand, and held it in such a manner against his chin that, should he become sleepy and nod, the point would enter the flesh and waken him. Finally, however, a strange, heavy sleep, against which he had no power of resistance, overcame him, and the needle dropped from his hand.
About twelve o’clock the bird came, after it had smeared blood upon the mouth and nose of the mother, and took this third child; upon which it wakened her, saying: “Verily, my sultana, I am going to take your boy from you. Hereafter you shall see me again. There are other afflictions. I will bring them to you.”
The princess tried, frantically, to detain him. But it was impossible. Neither was she able to cry aloud. Dumb with terror, she remained helpless while the bird disappeared with her youngest child.
When morning came and the prince arose—what [[145]]should he find? That his little son was gone, no one knew whither; and that the mouth and even the nose of the princess were all covered with blood. Horror possessed him. He was frantic with grief, and the king, learning within the hour of the dreadful matter, sent an order to the chief executioner that the princess must be killed immediately.
In obedience to the royal command, the executioner bound the hands of the princess behind her and led her toward an open square. But the royal prisoner was so fair and seemed so innocent and heartbroken, that even the heart of the executioner was touched. When they were beyond sight of those in the palace, he said to her:
“O, my princess! I cannot put you to death! Fly from here. Go in any direction you choose; only do not return to the palace. And may Allah give you peace!” Thus speaking, he set her free.
The unhappy young woman went away weeping bitterly. Grief at the loss of her husband’s love, and terror as to the fate of her little ones, broke her heart. Knowing not whither, she unconsciously pursued the path by which the prince had rescued her when upon the mountain.
But even then she was not to escape. Presently the bird appeared.
“Ai!” she cried. “And art thou come again? [[146]]Hast thou not afflicted me according to thy wish thus far? Leave me now, I beseech thee! to mourn over all thou hast taken from me!”
But the bird lifted her by her clothing and flew off with her.
After some time they came to a palace which was all covered with precious stones—one never before seen by human eyes nor described by a human tongue. It was so beautiful that the eyes of any beholder must become dazzled at the sight of it.
Into the garden of this palace the bird descended with his burden. As soon as their feet touched the marble wall he gave himself a shake, and at once turned into a young prince who was like the full moon for beauty.
When the princess saw this transformation, her terror was changed to amazement. The prince then took her hand to lead her up the steps into the palace, when a servant met them, leading three children whose faces shone like the beams of a star—so fair were they to look upon.
When the princess saw them her heart beat fast and her eyes filled. But the prince would not permit her to tarry. He conducted her—the children following them—up the stairs, through a hall inlaid with precious stones, and into a spacious salon. Here, after seating her, he sat down beside her. [[147]]
During all this time the children had not once removed their eyes from the beautiful princess, whom they had met upon the staircase.
Then the prince of the fairies spoke; and these are the words that he said: “My sultana, unto you I have done many injuries. I also took your children from you and caused that you be delivered over to the executioner. But not once did you tell those who afflicted you that it was I, and not you, who had done the evil. You were patient and endured all without complaint. Consequently, I caused this palace to be built for you. Everything is yours. And the children, whom I took from you, have been carefully nourished. These children, whom you now see, are those whom you have mourned as lost. All three are yours. And, henceforth, I am your slave.”
Upon hearing this, the princess embraced the little ones, kissing them on the eyes and pressing them to her breast. And the children threw their arms about their mother’s neck, weeping most piteously at the remembrance of their grief at being torn from her.
In this reunion of mother and children whole new worlds seemed to be opened up to them. They could not bear to be separated from each other, neither day nor night. [[148]]
Let these four remain in the summerhouse of the magnificent palace, glad in their reunion, while we return to the other prince.
The poor young man was torn with grief—now, over the death of his children; then, because of the reawakened love for his wife; and again, because he believed her to be dead. Both day and night he gave himself up to lamentations.
Now, there was an old clown, whose duty it had been to come every day and tell amusing stories to the prince. But one day his opium gave out, and he obtained a half hour’s leave to go to the market.
While upon the way he looked before him and saw a palace, so magnificent as to make him rub his eyes in astonishment and exclaim: “This palace! When was it built? Here have I been passing by, at any hour of every day, and there has not been seen the slightest sign of such splendor. Is this a dream, or some trick played upon me?”
Thinking thus within himself, he began to walk around its walls and investigate. While he was doing this, the fairy prince and the princess were sitting with the children, in the summerhouse. The fairy prince looked out through the gateway and saw the clown from a distance.
“My sultana!” he said, “here is the prince’s [[149]]clown. If you command, we will have him within and, perhaps, gain some amusement.”
“I would have that done which will please you,” was the careful answer.
Accordingly, as the clown was examining the outer walls of the palace, the fairy prince threw an enchanted rose down upon him; which the clown, seeing, picked up, and when he had smelled it said: “O, how sweetly does this rose smell! Say, you, there! Can you, also, smell?” And, although there was no sense in the words, he kept repeating them.
It became noised about the streets that the prince’s clown was losing his senses. And all who saw him, to the number of fifty or sixty persons, stopped to hear the foolish utterance and to shake the head, saying, “Alas! yes; the clown is crazy!”
Let us return to the true prince.
After two hours had passed without the return of the clown, he began to be troubled, and ordered the chamberlain to go out and learn what had become of the old man; also, to bring him back to the palace.
The chamberlain had gone but a little way, when he noticed a large crowd in the public square and went near, to learn the cause of the gathering. To [[150]]his surprise, he saw that the clown was in the very middle. Making his way to this side, he said, “The prince sends for you.”
Only the words caused by the enchantment came in answer: “Your rose smells sweet. Can you also smell?” But this time was added, as the speaker looked at the chamberlain: “If they throw a rose to you, from the palace yonder, be warned! Do not pick it up!”
These words served only to arouse the curiosity of the chamberlain. He desired to look more closely at this marvelous palace.
The fairy prince saw him approaching and said to the princess: “Aha! we have here the prince’s chamberlain. Shall he be invited to enter?”
“Your will should answer that, my lord!” was her reply.
Then the fairy prince gave command that the gates of the palace should be opened and, when the chamberlain entered, servants approached to conduct him up the stairs into the palace.
The host commanded that the chamberlain’s clothes of state should be removed before entering his presence. Accordingly, the chamberlain was conducted to another room; but when he attempted to remove his turban, behold! it could not be loosened from his head. [[151]]
He sat down in astonishment at this strange matter. And the servants went to their master, with news that the prince’s chamberlain could not take off his turban!
“What manner of man is this, that he cannot remove his turban?” cried the fairy prince, in assumed anger. “Put the fellow without!”
So they led the chamberlain to the gates of the palace, when, as he stooped to put on his shoes, behold! his turban fell from his head!
“Well, well!” he said to himself, as he picked it up. “You are a great fellow! You could not take off your turban when inside the palace; why do you remove it when you are outside?”
So he threw the troublesome thing upon the ground, hastened to where the clown was standing, and, in a low tone that could not be heard by those standing near, told him his story. This caused the curiosity of these two to increase greatly.
Let us return to the prince.
After he had sent the chamberlain to bring the clown and neither of them had returned, he called the lord of the treasury and commanded him to find the two and bring them, straightway, into his presence.
So the lord of the treasury went out, as the others [[152]]had done, and, seeing the same crowd in the public square, joined it and took notice of the state in which were those two whom he had come to seek. He drew near to them and inquired the cause.
“If a rose is thrown to you from the newly builded palace,” answered the clown, “be advised; do not smell of it!”
“And if, by chance, you enter this palace,” added the chamberlain, “remove your turban before going in.”
The lord of the treasury, unwisely, turned to look at the palace; and, as he looked, his will became weak. He, also, was drawn toward it.
When the fairy prince saw this, again he turned to the princess: “Here is the lord of the treasury!” he cried. “Shall he, also, be made foolish in mind?”
“It is you who know best,” answered the princess.
Accordingly, the lord of the treasury was admitted, who carefully removed his turban as he entered.
“Let him take off his state garments and enter my presence in nightclothes!” commanded the one who had drawn him thither.
The lord of the treasury attempted to obey, but found that he could not remove his coat. However hard he tugged at it, not one fraction of an inch would it budge! [[153]]
The servants ran to tell this to their master, who exclaimed: “What sort of man is this, who cannot remove his coat? Does he expect me to believe such a foolish statement? Put him out, quickly!”
The servants made haste to obey, and the bewildered lord of the treasury had taken scarcely a step when, of itself, his coat fell from his back!
“Well, well!” exclaimed the amazed man. “Since you would remain on when I was within the palace, why do you come off now that I am without?”
In anger he threw the coat upon the ground and went to join the others.
Time passed by, and the prince, whose people loved to obey him quickly, became very much excited with wondering what could have become of his messengers. He went out to seek them himself, and presently came upon the three.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded. “Why have you all tarried so long?”
At which question the clown made reply: “If the people in the new palace throw a rose to you, do not smell it!”
And the chamberlain added: “If you enter there, remove your turban before you pass the threshold.” [[154]]
While the lord of the treasury murmured: “Leave your coat behind when you go.”
At these strange answers the prince nearly lost his head. He felt that, as their prince, it was his duty to solve the mystery. So he turned and, without one word, went swiftly to the palace and demanded admission.
The moment he stepped inside, the fairy prince, the princess—who could hardly restrain her joy at seeing him—the three children, and all the servants came forward to do him honor.
Speechless with astonishment, he suffered himself to be conducted up the grand staircase and into the reception room. The eldest child brought a chair, which it presented with deep obeisance; the second spread a serviette upon his knee; while the tiny one, kneeling, proffered a golden tray upon which was a costly plate. Upon the plate were some pears, and a spoon lay beside the plate.
The surprise of the prince continued to grow; but, commanding himself and wondering if he could be dreaming, he asked, “Should pears be eaten with a spoon?”
Whereupon all the children made answer in chorus: “Should one believe that a loving mother would eat her own children?”
At this answer the prince became dumb. [[155]]
“Look!” they continued. “We are all your children. And this is our mother, who loves us.”
At that moment the fairy prince appeared and said: “Ai, my prince! may your eyes become luminous! This is, indeed, your princess. And these are your children.”
When he had said this, the children threw themselves upon their father’s neck. Then the princess came forward and embraced her lord. And to the very depths of their souls were these five persons happy.
When their rapture had become somewhat calm, the fairy prince again approached and, making obeisance, said: “I am your slave. Long ago I was purchased for the princess, with her own money. Before that time I had been very wicked. My own mother, the queen of the fairies, had cursed me. As a consequence, I was thrown into this condition. I beg your royal pardon for all I have unwittingly caused you to suffer.
“Now, if it be your good pleasure, and if you, graciously, will grant permission, I will return to my own country and seek out my own father and my mother. Perchance they may care to see me once more.”
“Since these later acts were not your immediate fault,” replied the prince, “you have the gracious [[156]]permission of my princess and myself. Go in peace and refrain from future evil-doing!”
Accordingly, the fairy prince bade them adieu and went away, leaving the beautiful palace, with its setting of costly gems, unto the others.
Then the princess caused a messenger to carry the news of her final good fortune to her own father; who rejoiced, greatly, that the daughter, whom he had mourned as dead, was still alive and living in the estate due to her birth. He sent royal presents and his blessing. Then were the prince and princess married again; and their second wedding was celebrated during forty days and forty nights. They lived happily ever afterward.
And may Allah grant the same to us! [[157]]