The object of the entire work appears to be the exaltation of the supernatural powers claimed by holy men. I meditate making a complete translation some day. Meanwhile the following is my version of
THE TALE OF ZAYN AL-ASNAM.
Then he (‘Abd-us-Samed, King of Serendib or Ceylon) requested the Prince Asīl, first to go along with him to the harem in order that he might show him a strange thing. The Prince consented; so they entered through the harem door, and after crossing the vestibule and hall they came to a garden at the end of which was the door of a subterranean vault, whither they went. The door was of hard steel; and the king drew the key thereof from his pocket and opened it, and they descended by twelve steps into the interior of the vault. Then they entered a place in the midst thereof shaped like the cupola of a bath; and the Prince saw that in the middle of this place was a circular tank, some fifteen cubits round, wrought and fashioned of Cathayan jasper, and filled to overflowing with diamonds and emeralds, and spinels and red rubies, the very least of which were a rarity of the age. And round about the tank were ten bejewelled stands, on each of which (save one) was set an image, every one more splendid than the other, and all of pure gold. And they were adorned with thousands of costly jewels, treasures of the age, such that all the gems that were in the tank could not have bought those upon one image. While they were looking at these things, King ‘Abd-us-Samed, with utmost lowliness, begged the Prince to accept this treasure; but as he replied, saying, “Let us go forth and think about it,” they went out and returned to their chamber. Again the King urged the Prince to accept it; but the latter, turning the conversation into another course, said: “My King, while the stands be ten, the images are nine; how comes it that one stand has no image? Have you given it to anyone?” The King replied, “My Lord, my Prince, it is a wondrous tale.” And as the Prince begged him to relate it, King ‘Abd-us-Samed thus began to speak:
THE STORY OF ‘ABD-US-SAMED, KING OF CEYLON.
“I, your slave, Sultan of this Ceylon, am son of the late Murtazá Sháh. I was twenty years old when I ascended my ancestral throne on the death of my father, I strove earnestly in the ordinance of the realm, and wrought manfully and skilfully to perform the duties of kingship. One night my father came (in a vision) to my side and addressed me, saying, ‘My son, I have a last request to make of thee; but I will not tell it thee save thou undertake to accomplish it without knowing what it be; but if thou swear by God to accomplish it, I will declare it to thee.’ As it is beyond doubt that fathers or mothers would not urge their children to unbecoming deeds, I without hesitation swore to accomplish it. Then my father took me by the hand and led me to the treasure which thou hast seen. When I beheld it I abode bewildered at the greatness of the riches. On that empty stand was a paper in my father’s handwriting; this I took and read, and these words were inscribed thereon: ‘My son, in that thou hast undertaken to fulfil it, if thou accomplish not this my last request, be my two hands upon thy collar. Thou shalt go hence to Cairo; there in the Roumelia Square, hard by the Erdebíl Fountain, is a revered personage whom they call the Shaykh Mubarak. He is master of the secret sciences, and he it is who hath given me all this treasure. Lay thy face in the dust at his feet, and with uttermost humbleness beg of him this lacking image; for the image which still remains is worth many treasures like to this. If thou sit upon my throne without having procured that image, thou shalt be a rebel against me.’ I marvelled at these words of my father, and seeing he had heaped up such vast riches, he should still even after his death be so driven as to urge upon me the toils of a journey and the many dangers that must attend it, only that that stand might not remain empty. But as no escape was possible, I constrainedly determined to set out, and having appointed my vezir regent, I disguised myself and started for Cairo.
“When I reached Cairo, I went to the aforesaid place, and having enquired for the Shaykh Mubarak, went up to his door, at which I knocked. A slave-girl came and opened the door, and taking me in, led me into the presence of the Shaykh. I saw him to be a man of about five-and-forty years of age, from whose countenance beamed the rays of the light of God. I went forward and kissed his feet reverently, whereon he said, ‘Upon thee be peace, my son ‘Abd-us-Samed; I rejoice for that thou hast fulfilled the last request of thy father, well done!’ And he motioned me to be seated. Straightway they brought food, and after I had eaten and been nobly entreated, he, leaving not to me the need of declaring my want, said, ‘My son, thy desire will not be withheld; but thy father rendered me many services ere he gained that treasure, and until thou likewise have done me a service, thou canst not win to thy wish. I have a service for thee to perform; if thou be able to perform it, I will give thee the image that thou seekest. What sayest thou?’ I replied, ‘Do thou command; whatsoever thy service be, I shall not fail to strive therein so far as in me lies.’ He answered, ‘Good; but if thou act contrary to my pleasure, then thou shalt die.’ When I had likewise undertaken not to act contrary to his pleasure, he continued, ‘Thou shalt abide three days in Cairo, then thou shalt go forth and wander from country to country, and from city to city, and from village to village, until thou find an exceeding fair and pure girl in her fourteenth or fifteenth year, who, besides being a virgin, has never so much as longed for the pleasures of love: and thou shalt bring her to me without ever letting even thy hand touch hers; and I will give thee the image. But if thou purpose treachery, or to obtain delight by returning not to me, know that thy death is certain.’ I made answer, ‘I may seek and find the things visible; but I am not skilled in the secrets of the heart that I should know that no impure thoughts have ever come into the mind; this part of the matter is hard.’ Thereon he gave into my hand a mirror and a purse, and said, ‘When thou hast found a girl answering in beauty and other such particulars to my description, hold this mirror to her face, and if it become clouded, she is not the desired one, for her mind is sullied; but if the mirror remain bright, she is the chaste one we desire. However, the accomplishment of this matter will require much outlay, so spend from this purse; with God’s permission it will not become exhausted.’
“Accordingly, I took the mirror and the purse, and having kissed the Shaykh’s feet, and bade him farewell, and after resting three days in a Khan, I set out on the road to Damascus. I wandered through Damascus, Aleppo, Syria, the islands of the Mediterranean, Constantinople, Rumelia, Frankland, and many many kingdoms and cities; and although I found some perfect in beauty, I found none whose chastity could abide the trial of the mirror. A certain man told me that there were in Baghdād many beauties perfect in loveliness, and said, ‘If you go thither, belike you may find the fair one whom you seek.’ So I went to Baghdād and rented a house in a certain quarter and having taken up my abode there, began the search. The Imām of the quarter was an old man named Haji Bekr, who used to come to my house at nights to converse with me. One night I told him the secret of my heart and said, ‘If thou canst find a girl such as I wish, that is, such as were acceptable to my taste, I will give thee ten purses; and from that may be judged how I shall treat the girl and her relations. But even if, through the favour of God Most High, she be found, I may not marry her until I have gone and kissed the feet of my father who is grand Vezir of Egypt. If they will give me the girl whom I approve with this condition, I will cover her parents and relations with favours.’ Then the Imām, after pondering a while, thus made answer, ‘The Khalif has a Vezir named Nāsir, whom he dismissed from his service, having been displeased at certain of his actions; this Vezir has for a long time sat in the nook of retirement, and he has fallen a prey to exceeding poverty and indigence. He has a daughter named Mihr-i-Dil,[[64]] who is now in her fourteenth or fifteenth year. She is well known among the women, who say that her like has never been created upon earth. If she suit your taste, she may do; if not, it will be vain to look for another, hoping to find one better than she.’ When I heard these words I put ten florins into the Imām’s hand, saying, ‘Be this shoe-money: go to-morrow to the girl’s father and tell him of the affair; and if he be willing to give her, bring me word.’
“He came next day and told me that he had spoken to the girl’s father, that he was willing, and that they were awaiting my going to their house. So I straightway set out in all haste for the desired quarter, and reached their abode. After I had met her father and conversed with him, he took me into another room where his daughter was standing covered with a veil. Her father went up to her, and when he had raised the veil from his daughter’s face, I saw that she was a loveling of the soul, such that not merely was the Shaykh’s description insufficient, but that never heart or imagination had conceived her like. The glance of her eyes was a disturber of the world such that with one look it made my soul like to hell through the fire of love, and maddened me, taking me out of myself. Forthwith I pulled out the mirror and held it to her face, and when I saw that there was thereon no trace of dullness, even as the Shaykh had said, I made sure of her chastity. When I came forth I kissed her father’s hand and prayed him to accept me to son-in-law, and he blessed me, saying, ‘There is no refusal; may the Lord of the worlds grant to both of you life and fortune.’ The Imām, the Mu’ezzin and the assembly were straightway summoned, and when the marriage-ceremony was completed, I gave the ten purses I had promised, and also ten thousand sequins for the wedding expenses, and things proper to women to the value of two hundred purses, which I had prepared before hand. I took from the purse to the amount of about two hundred purses, and giving it to the Imām Efendi, sent him off with it, that they might buy whatsoever dresses they should wish. And I gave them notice, saying, ‘I may not tarry longer than a week, then I must set out whither I mean to go; let them be ready.’
“When I had delivered poor Nāsir and his belongings from all need, I got ready all things necessary for the journey, and we started on the way to Egypt. While on the journey, I assisted the maiden in mounting into and alighting from the litter and as the poor girl thought I was her husband, she took no heed but disclosed her fair face to me, whereupon my wit and understanding were ravished, and passion and longing brought me to such a pass that I would have abandoned wealth and hoard, image and treasure, nay, even the world itself, but that dread of the Shaykh and fear for my life held me back from accomplishing my desire; for I knew that if I touched but so much as her hand with mine, my death was certain. Accordingly I endured it as I might, and sighed and groaned night and day. When we were come to within an hour’s journey of Cairo, I went up to the side of the girl’s litter, and caused her to alight. I made them pitch a sun-tent in the shade of which we sat down, and then I laid bare to her the secret that was in my heart, and told her that I was taking her for the Shaykh; whereupon her wailing and lamentations ascended to the heavens, and she fainted and became senseless. We placed her in this plight in the litter; and when we reached the Shaykh’s house I knocked at the door thereof. Again a slave-girl came and opened the door and took us in. I caused the girl to alight, and took her into the presence of the Shaykh, whose feet I kissed. He said, ‘Upon thee be peace, my son; thy service is accepted and thy endeavour thanked; lo, manfulness is the name of this. I rejoice exceedingly for that thou has borne up against the urging of passion in such a case. Thou shalt live long and reap great good from this service.’ Then he asked for the purse and the mirror, which I laid before him. He continued, ‘Now, do thou again abide in Cairo during three days, and then go to thine own country and thou shalt find the wished for image placed upon the empty stand.’
“Again I kissed his feet and bade him farewell, and after tarrying for three days in Cairo, returned to my own country. When I arrived there I foregathered with my mother, and after I had related to her all that had happened, we hastened together to the buried treasure. We opened the door, and when we entered we saw upon that oft mentioned stand my darling, my beloved, Mihr-i-Dil. My senses and understanding forsook me, and I abode for a while confounded. When she saw me she arose; and there was a paper in her hand which she presented to me. It was signed with the Shaykh’s signature, and there was written thereon: ‘My son, ‘Abd-us-Samed, the reason why thy father and myself deemed it good to subject thee to these trials is this, that having therefore endured toil and trouble, thou mightest know that a virtuous wife is worth many treasures such as this, and consider whether it were more desirable to find upon this stand an image which were worth the world, or better to find thereon the lovely Mihr-i-Dil. Now thou shalt know the value of the latter to the end of thy life; and she is thy wedded wife.’