I have a tale, O my lord the Kazi, which bewildereth the wits and it is on this wise. By birth and origin I was the son of a Khwájah, but my father owned much worldly wealth in money and effects and vaiselle and rarities and so forth, besides of landed estates and of fiefs and mortmains a store galore. And every year when the ships of Al-Hind would arrive bringing Indian goods and coffee from Al-Yaman the folk bought thereof one-fourth of the whole and he three-fourths paying in ready cash and hard money.[[609]] So his word was heard and his works were preferred amongst the Traders and the Grandees and the Rulers. Also he had controul[[610]] in counselling the Kings and he was held in awe and obeyed by the merchants, one and all, who consulted him in each and every of their affairs. This endured until one year of the years when suddenly he fell sick and his sickness grew upon him and gained mastery over his frame, so he sent for me, saying, “Bring me my son.” Accordingly I went and entered to him and found him changed of condition and nearing his last gasp. But he turned to me and said, “O my son, I charge thee with a charge which do thou not transgress nor contrary me in whatso I shall declare to thee.” “What may that be?” asked I, and he answered, “O my son, do thou never make oath in Allah’s name, or falsely or truly, even although they fill the world for thee with wealth; but safeguard thy soul in this matter and gainsay it not, nor give ear to aught other.” But when it was midnight the Divine Mystery[[611]] left him and he died to the mercy of Allah Almighty; so I buried him, expending much money upon his funeral and graved him in a handsome tomb. He had left to me wealth in abundance such as the pens could not compute, but when a month or so had sped after his decease suddenly came to me a party of folk, each and every claiming by way of debt from me and my sire the sum of some five thousand dinars. “Where be your written bond given by my father?” asked I; but they answered, “There be no instrument and if thou believe us not make oath by Allah.” Replied I saying, “Never will I swear at all,” and paid them whatso they demanded; after which all who feared not the Lord would come to me and say, “We have such-and-such owing to us by thy parent;” and I would pay them off until there remained to me of ready moneys a matter neither great nor small. Hereupon I fell to selling off my landed estates——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 Twelfth 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 King thus continued his relation to the Kazi:—I began selling off my landed estates and fiefs and letting out my settlements of bequeathal[[612]] until naught of all that remained by me; so I fell to vending the house-gear and goods and carpets and pots and pans until I owned nothing whatever, and my case waxed straitened and the affair was grievous to me. Then quoth I to myself, “Allah’s earth for Allah’s folk!” and, albeit I had a wife and two male children, I left them and went forth under cover of the night a wanderer about the world and unknowing where I should bring myself to anchor. But suddenly O my lord the Kazi, I was confronted by a man whose aspect bred awe, showing signs of saintliness and garbed wholly in spotless white; so I accosted him and kissed his hand, and he on seeing me said, “O my son, there is no harm to thee!” presently adding,
“Do thou be heedless of thy cark and care ✿ And unto Fate commit thy whole affair;
The Lord shall widen what to thee is strait; ✿ The Lord shall all for breadth of space prepare:
The Lord shall gladly end thy grievous toils; ✿ The Lord shall work His will, so jar forbear.”
After these words he took my hand and walked with me athwart those wilds and wolds till such time as we made a city and entered its gates. Here, however, we found no signs of creature-kind nor any mark of Son of Adam, and when I sighted this my condition changed and fear and affright entered my heart. But presently the man turned to me and said, “Dread not nor be startled, for that this city shall (Inshallah!) be thy portion, and herein thou shalt become Sovran and Sultan.” Quoth I to myself, “Walláhi, verily this man be Jinn-mad lacking wit and understanding! How shall I become King and Kaysar in such place which is all ruins?” Then he turned to me yet another time, saying, “Trust in Allah and gainsay Him not; for verily shall come to thee joy out of that wherein thou wast of straitness and annoy.”——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 an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Nine Hundred and Thirteenth 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 quoth the man to the youth,[[613]] “Trust in Allah, for verily joy shall assuredly come to thee from the Almighty.” “What joy?” quoth the Khwajah’s son, “and indeed this city is a ruinous heap nor is there indweller or habitant or any to attest God’s Unity.” But the man ceased not going about the highways of the deserted town with his companion till such time as he reached the Palace of the Sultanate, and the twain entering therein found it with its vases and its tapestry like a bride tricked out.[[614]] But the Spider had tented therein, so both the wights fell to shaking and sweeping for a three days’ space till they had cleaned away all the webbing and the dust of years; after which the elder man took the younger and entered a closet. Herein he came upon a trap-door which the two uplifted, when behold, they found a staircase leading below; so they descended and walked till they ended at a place with four open halls, one and all fulfilled with gold, and amiddlemost thereof rose a jetting fount twenty ells long by fifteen broad, and the whole basin was heaped up with glittering gems and precious ores. When the merchant’s son saw this sight, he was wildered in his wits and perplext in his thoughts, but the man said to him, “O my son, all this hath become thine own good.” After this the two replaced the trap-door as it was and quitted that place; then the man took him and led him to another stead concealed from the ken of man wherein he found arms and armour and costly raiment; and the two stinted not wandering about that palace until they reached the royal Throne-room. Now when the Khwajah’s son looked upon it he waxed distraught and fell a-fainting to the floor for awhile[[615]] and presently when he revived he asked his companion, “O my lord, what be this?” Answered he, “This be the throne of the Sultanate wherewith the Almighty hath gifted thee;” and quoth the other, “By Allah, O my lord, I believe that there is not in me or strength or long-suffering to take seat upon yonder throne.” All this the King (who erst was a merchant’s son) recounted to the Judge and presently resumed[[616]]:—Then the man, O my lord, said to me, “O my son, to all who shall come hither and seek thee be sure thou distribute gifts and do alms-deeds; so the folk, hearing of thy largesse, shall flock to thee and gather about thee, and as often as one shall visit thee, exceed in honour and presents from the treasure-store thou hast sighted and whose site thou weetest.” And so speaking, O our lord the Kazi, he vanished from my view and I wist not an he had upflown to the firmament or had dived into the depths of the earth, but one thing I knew; to wit, that I was 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 King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Nine Hundred and Fourteenth Night,