The Nine Hundred and Fourteenth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the with director, the right- guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the merchant's son resumed to the Kazi:-- Then the man vanisht from my view and I wist no more thereof. So I seated me (and I was all alone) in that city for the first day and the second, but on the third behold, I saw a crowd making for me from the city-suburbs and they were seeking a site wherefrom they had somewhat to require. So I met them and welcomed them and seated them, and soon I arose and cooking for them food ate in their company and we nighted together; and when it was morning I presented each and every of them with an hundred dinars. These they accepted and fared forth from me and on reaching their homes they recounted the adventure to other folk who also flocked to me and received presents like those who preceded them. Anon appeared to me a multitude with their children and wives who said, "Billáhi,[616] O my lord, accept of us that we may settle beside thee and be under thy protecting glance;" whereupon I ordered houses be given to them. Moreover there was amongst them a comely youth who showed signs of prosperity and him I made my assessor; so we two, I and he, would converse together. The crowd thickened, little by little, until the whilome ruined city became fulfilled of habitants, when I commanded sundry of them that they go forth and lay out gardens and orchards and plant tree-growths; and a full-told year had not elapsed ere the city returned to its older estate and waxed great as erst it was and I became therein Sovran and Sultan. Such was the case of this King;[617] but as regards the matter of his wife and his two sons, whenas he fared forth from them he left them naught to eat and presently their case was straitened and the twain set out, each in his own direction, and overwandered the world and endured the buffets of life until their semblance was changed for stress of toil and travail and transit from region to region for a while of time. At last, by decree of the Decreer, the elder was thrown by Eternal Fate into the very town wherein was his sire and said to himself, "I will fare to the King of this city and take from him somewhat."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Nine Hundred and Fifteenth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the young man went in to the Sultan and kissed the ground before him and the King regarding him felt his heart yearn himwards and said, "What wantest thou, O youth?" "My design is service with thee," said the other; and the King rejoined, "Then welcome to thee!" So he abode in his employ for a term of four months until he became like unto a Mameluke[618] and his first case was changed: the Sultan also drew him near and fell to consulting him in sundry matters the which proved propitious, so quoth the King, "By Allah, this young man meriteth naught less than to become my Wazir," and accordingly made him his Minister of the Right. In his new degree he became as another liege lord[619] and his word was heard, so the land was opened up by his hand and year by year he derived from it corvées and taxes, nor did he cease to be Chief Councillor under the right hand of the King. Meanwhile his brother who was the younger stinted not faring from land to land until he was met by a party of wayfarers that said to him, "O youth, verily the Sultan who ruleth in such a capital is a liberal lord, loving the poor and paupers; so do thou seek him and haply shall he show himself bounteous to thee." Quoth he, "I know not the city," and quoth they, "We will lead thee thereto for we purpose to go by his town." So they took him and he accompanied them until they reached the city when he farewelled them and entered the gates. After solacing himself with the sights he passed that night in the Wakálah and as soon as it was morning he fared forth to serve for somewhat wherewith he might nourish himself,[620] and it was his lot and the doom of the Decreer that the Sultan, who had ridden forth to seek his pleasure in the gardens, met him on the highway. The King's glance fell upon the youth and he was certified of his being a stranger and a wanderer for that his clothes were old and worn, so he thrust his hand into pouch and passed to him a few gold pieces which the other accepted right thankfully and blessed the giver and enlarged his benediction with eloquent tongue and the sweetest speech. The Sultan hearing this bade them bring to him the stranger, and whenas they did his bidding he questioned him of his case and was informed that he was a foreigner who had no friends in that stead; whereupon the Sovran took him in and clothed him and entreated him with kindness and liberality[621]. And after a time the Wazir of the Right became kindly hearted unto him and took him into his household where he fell to teaching him until the youth waxed experienced in expression and right ready of the reply and acquired full knowledge of kingcraft. Presently quoth the Minister to the Sultan, "o King of the Age, indeed this youth befitteth naught save councillorship, so do thou make him Wazir of the Left." The King said, "With love," and followed his advice; nor was it long before his heart inclined to the hearts of his two Ministers and the time waxed clear to him and the coming of these two youths brought him serenity for a length of days and they also were in the most joyous of life. But as regards their mother; when her sons went forth from her, she abode alone—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Nine Hundred and Sixteenth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the woman who abode alone having been abandoned by her husband and her children, cried, "I am here sitting sans my mate and sans my sons; whatso shall I ever do?" and anon the case became grievous to her and she set out to bewander the regions saying, "Haply shall Allah reunite me with my children and my husband!" And she stinted not passing from place to place and shifting from site to site until she reached a town upon the margin of the main and found a vessel in cargo and about to sail.[622] Now by the decree of the Decreer the ship- captain having heard tell of the Sultan's generosity and open handedness had made ready for him a present and was about to voyage therewith to his capital. Learning this the woman said to him, "Allah upon thee, O Captain, take me with thee;" and he did accordingly, setting sail with a fair wind. He sped over the billows of that sea for a space of forty days and throughout this time he kept all the precepts and commandments of religion, as regards the woman,[623] supplying her with meat and drink; nay more, he was wont to address her, "O my mother." And no sooner had they made the city than he landed and disembarked the present and loading it upon porters' backs took his way therewith to the Sovran and continues faring until he entered the presence. The Sultan accepted the gift and largessed him in return, and at even-tide the skipper craved leave of return to his ship fearing lest any harm befal vessel or passengers. So he said, "O King of the Age, on board with me is a woman, but she is of goodly folk and godly and I am apprehensive concerning her." "Do thou night here with us," quoth the Sovran, "and I will dispatch my two Wazirs to keep guard over her until dawn shall break." Quoth the Captain, "Hearing and obeying," and he sat with the Sultan, who at night-fall commissioned his two Ministers and placed the vessel under their charge and said, "Look ye well to your lives, for an aught be lost from the ship I will cut off your heads," So they went down to her and took their seats the one on poop and the other on prow until near midnight when both were seized by drowsiness; and said each to other, "Sleep is upon us, let us sit together[624] and talk." Hereupon he who was afore returned to him who was abaft the ship[625] and they sat side by side in converse, while the woman in the cabin sat listening to them.—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was