Then he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, together with three hundred dinars, saying, “This is for the washing of thy hands.” She thanked him and kissed his hands, after which she returned to the palace and gave the letter to the Princess, who took it and read it and throwing it from her fingers, sprang to her feet. Then she walked, shod as she was with pattens of gold, set with pearls and jewels, till she came to her sire’s palace, whilst the vein of anger started out between her eyes, and none dared ask her of her case. When she reached the palace, she enquired for the King, and the slave-girls and concubines replied to her, “O my lady, he is gone forth a-hunting and sporting.” So she returned, as she were a rending lioness, and bespake none for the space of three hours, when her brow cleared and her wrath cooled. As soon as the old woman saw that her irk and anger were past, she went up to her and, kissing ground between her hands, asked her, “O my lady, whither went those noble steps?” The Princess answered, “To the palace of the King my sire.” “And could no one do thine errand?” enquired the nurse. Replied the Princess, “No, for I went to acquaint him of that which hath befallen me with yonder cur of a merchant, so he might lay hands on him and on all the merchants of his bazar and crucify them over their shops nor suffer a single foreign merchant to tarry in our town.” Quoth the old woman, “And was this thine only reason, O my lady, for going to thy sire?”; and quoth Hayat al-Nufus, “Yes, but I found him absent a-hunting and sporting and now I await his return.” Cried the old nurse, “I take refuge with Allah, the All-hearing, the All-knowing! Praised be He! O my lady, thou art the most sensible of women and how couldst thou think of telling the King these fond words, which it behoveth none to publish?” Asked the Princess, “And why so?” and the nurse answered, “Suppose thou had found the King in his palace and told him all this tale and he had sent after the merchants and commanded to hang them over their shops, the folk would have seen them hanging and asked the reason and it would have been answered them, ‘They sought to seduce the King’s daughter.’”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman said to the Princess, “Suppose thou had told this to the King and he had ordered the merchants to be hanged, would not folk have seen them and have asked the cause of the execution when the answer would have been, ‘They sought to seduce the King’s daughter?’ Then would they have dispread divers reports concerning thee, some saying, ‘She abode with them ten days, away from her palace, till they had taken their fill of her’; and other some in otherguise: for woman’s honour, O my lady, is like curded milk, the least dust fouleth it; and like glass, which, if it be cracked, may not be mended. So beware of telling thy sire or any other of this matter, lest thy fair fame be smirched, O mistress mine, for ’twill never profit thee to tell folk aught; no, never! Weigh what I say with thy keen wit, and if thou find it not just, do whatso thou wilt.” The Princess pondered her words, and seeing them to be altogether profitable and right, said, “Thou speaketh sooth, O my nurse; but anger had blinded my judgment.” Quoth the old woman, “Thy resolve to tell no one is pleasing to the Almighty; but something remaineth to be done: we must not let the shamelessness of yonder vile dog of a merchant pass without notice. Write him a letter and say to him ‘O vilest of traders, but that I found the King my father absent, I had straightway commanded to hang thee and all thy neighbours. But thou shalt gain nothing by this; for I swear to thee, by Allah the Most High, that an thou return to the like of this talk, I will blot out the trace of thee from the face of earth!’ And deal thou roughly with him in words, so shalt thou discourage him in this attempt and arouse him from his heedlessness.” “And will these words cause him to abstain from his offending?” asked the Princess; and the old woman answered, “How should he not abstain? Besides, I will talk with him and tell him what hath passed.” So the Princess called for ink-case and paper and wrote these couplets,
“To win our favours still thy hopes are bent; * And still
to win thy will art confident!
Naught save his pride-full aim shall slay a man; * And he by
us shall die of his intent.
Thou art no lord of might, no chief of men, * Nabob or
Prince or Soldan Heaven-sent;
And were this deed of one who is our peer, * He had
returned with hair for fear white-sprent:
Yet will I deign once more excuse thy sin * So from
this time thou prove thee penitent.”
Then she gave the missive to the old woman, saying, “O my nurse, do thou admonish this puppy lest I be forced to cut off his head and sin on his account.” Replied the old woman, “By Allah, O my lady, I will not leave him a side to turn on!” Then she returned to the youth and, when salams had been exchanged, she gave him the letter. He read it and shook his head, saying, “Verily, we are Allah’s and unto him shall we return!” adding, “O my mother, what shall I do? My fortitude faileth me and my patience palleth upon me!” She replied, “O my son, be long-suffering: peradventure, after this Allah shall bring somewhat to pass. Write that which is in thy mind and I will fetch thee an answer, and be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; for needs must I bring about union between thee and her,— Inshallah!” He blessed her and wrote to the Princess a note containing these couplets,
“Since none will lend my love a helping hand, * And I by
passion’s bale in death low-lain,
I bear a flaming fire within my heart * By day and night nor
place of rest attain,
How cease to hope in thee, my wishes’ term? * Or with my
longings to be glad and fain?
The Lord of highmost Heaven to grant my prayer * Pray I, whom
love of lady fair hath slain;
And as I’m clean o’erthrown by love and fear, * To grant me
speedy union deign, oh deign!”
Then he folded the scroll and gave it to the old woman, bringing out at the same time a purse of four hundred dinars. She took the whole and returning to the palace sought the Princess to whom she gave the letter; but the King’s daughter refused to take it and cried, “What is this?” Replied the old woman, “O my lady, this is only the answer to the letter thou sentest to that merchant dog.” Quoth Hayat al-Nufus, “Didst thou forbid him as I told thee?”; and quoth she, “Yes, and this is his reply.” So the Princess took the letter and read it to the end; then she turned to the old woman and exclaimed, “Where is the result of thy promise?” “O my lady, saith he not in his letter that he repenteth and will not again offend, excusing himself for the past?” “Not so, by Allah!: on the contrary, he increaseth.” “O my lady, write him a letter and thou shalt presently see what I will do with him.” “There needeth nor letter nor answer.” “I must have a letter that I may rebuke him roughly and cut off his hopes.” “Thou canst do that without a letter.” “I cannot do it without the letter.” So Hayat al-Nufus called for pen-case and paper and wrote these verses,
“Long have I chid thee but my chiding hindereth thee not * How
often would my verse with writ o’ hand ensnare thee, ah!
Then keep thy passion hidden deep and ever unrevealed, * And
if thou dare gainsay me Earth shall no more bear thee,
ah!
And if, despite my warning, thou dost to such words return, *
Death’s Messenger[FN#275] shall go his rounds and dead
declare thee, ah!
Soon shall the wold’s fierce chilling blast o’erblow that
corse o’ thine; * And birds o’ the wild with ravening
bills and beaks shall tear thee, ah!
Return to righteous course; perchance that same will profit
thee; * If bent on wilful aims and lewd I fain forswear
thee, ah!”
When she had made an end of her writing this, she cast the writ from her hand in wrath, and the old woman picked it up and went with it to Ardashir. When he read it to the last he knew that she had not softened to him, but only redoubled in rage against him and that he would never win to meet her, so he bethought himself to write her an answer invoking Allah’s help against her. Thereupon he indited these couplets,
“O Lord, by the Five Shaykhs, I pray deliver me * From love,
which gars me bear such grief and misery.
Thou knowest what I bear for passion’s fiery flame; * What
stress of sickness for that merciless maid I dree.
She hath no pity on the pangs to me decreed; * How long on
weakly wight shall last her tyranny?
I am distraught for her with passing agonies * And find no
friend, O folk! to hear my plaint and plea.
How long, when Night hath drooped her pinions o’er the world,
* Shall I lament in public as in privacy?
For love of you I cannot find forgetfulness; * And how forget
when Patience taketh wings to flee?
O thou wild parting-bird[FN#276] say is she safe and sure *
From shift and change of time and the world’s cruelty?”