commencing with part of the hundred and seventh night,1 and ending with part of the hundred and thirty-seventh.

the story of táj-el-mulook and the lady dunyà.

there was, in former times, a city behind the mountains of i?pahán, called el-medeeneh el-kha?rà,2 and in it resided a king called the king suleymán. he was a person of liberality and beneficence, and justice and integrity, and of a generous and obliging disposition: travellers repaired to him from every quarter, and his fame spread throughout all the regions and countries; and he reigned a long time in glory and security; but he was destitute of children and of wives.470

he had a wezeer who nearly resembled him in his qualities, in liberality and other endowments; and it came to pass that he sent to this wezeer one day, and having summoned him into his presence, said to him, o wezeer, my heart is contracted, and my patience is overcome, and my strength is impaired, because i have neither a wife nor a child: this is not the usual way of kings who rule over lords and poor men; for they rejoice in leaving children, and multiplying by them the number of their posterity; and the prophet (god bless and save him!) hath said, intermarry, and beget offspring, that ye may increase in number; for i shall contend for your superiority with the other nations on the day of resurrection.—what, then, is thy counsel, o wezeer? point out to me what is advisable.—but when the wezeer heard these words, tears poured from his eyes, and he replied, far be it from me, o king of the age, that i should speak of that which belongeth unto the compassionate to decide!3 dost thou desire that i should enter the fire of hell, through the anger of the almighty king?—know, o wezeer, rejoined his sovereign, that, if the king purchase a female slave whose rank and lineage are unknown, he will not be acquainted with her ignoble origin that he may abstain from her, or the nobility of her extraction that he may make her his companion: so, if he do this, she may perhaps bear him a son who may be a hypocrite, a tyrant, a shedder of blood; and she may resemble a marshy land, the produce of which is worthless, and attaineth no excellence: her child may be obnoxious to the indignation of his lord, not doing what he commandeth him, nor refraining from that which he forbiddeth him to do. i will never, therefore, be the means of such an event by purchasing a female slave. i desire, rather, that thou demand in marriage for me one of the daughters of the kings, whose lineage is known, and whose loveliness is celebrated. if, then, thou wilt point out to me one of good birth and of religion among the daughters of the muslim kings, i will demand her as my wife, and marry her in the presence of witnesses, that i may thereby obtain the approval of the lord of mankind.—the wezeer replied, verily god hath accomplished thy want and given thee thy desire.—how so? asked the king.—know, o king, answered the wezeer, that it hath been told me that the king zahr sháh, the sovereign of el-ar? el-bey?à,4 hath a daughter of astonishing loveliness, whom words cannot describe, whose equal existeth not in this age, for she is endowed with the most perfect beauty and symmetry, with black eye, and long hair, and slender waist, and large hips; when she approach471eth she seduceth, and when she turneth her back she killeth, ravishing the heart and the eye. it is my opinion, therefore, o king, that thou shouldst send to her father an intelligent messenger, well-informed, and experienced in the course of events, that he may courteously ask her in marriage for thee of her father; for she hath no equal in the distant parts of the earth, nor in the near; so shalt thou enjoy her lovely face, and the glorious king shall approve thy conduct; since it hath been handed down from the prophet (god bless and save him!) that he said, there is no monkery in el-islám.

upon this, the king was perfectly delighted, his bosom expanded with joy, and anxiety and grief departed from him; and, addressing his wezeer, he said to him, know, o wezeer, that no one shall go on this business but thou, on account of thy consummate wisdom and politeness: depart, therefore, to thy house, and accomplish what thou hast to do, and prepare thyself by the morrow, and demand for me in marriage this damsel with whom thou hast caused my heart to be engrossed, and return not to me without her. the wezeer replied, i hear and obey:—and he went to his house, and gave orders to bring presents suitable to kings, consisting of costly jewels and precious rarities, such as were light to carry and of great value, together with arab horses, and davidean coats of mail,5 and chests of wealth such as language would fail to describe. these they placed upon the mules and camels, and the wezeer departed, accompanied by a hundred memlooks and a hundred male black slaves and a hundred female slaves, and the flags and banners were unfurled over his head. the king charged him to return soon; and after his departure, the king suleymán sháh burned with desire, and became engrossed with love of the damsel night and day. meanwhile, the wezeer, by night and by day traversed the deserts and wastes until there remained between him and the city to which he was repairing one day's journey, when he alighted at the bank of a river, and, having summoned one of his chief officers, ordered him to go quickly to the king zahr sháh, and to acquaint him with his approach. he answered, i hear and obey:—and went quickly to the city; and when he arrived there, it happened that the king zahr sháh was sitting in one of the places of recreation before the gate of the city, and, seeing him as he entered, knew him to be a stranger, and summoned him before him. so when the messenger came to him, he informed him of the approach of the wezeer of the supreme king suleymán sháh, the king of el-ar? el-kha?rà and of the mountains of i?pahán; and the king zahr472 sháh rejoiced, and welcomed the messenger, and, having conducted him to his palace, said to him, where didst thou part from the wezeer? he answered, i parted from him in the morning at the bank of such a river, and to-morrow he will arrive and visit thee: may god continue his favours unto thee, and show mercy unto thy parents!6 zahr sháh then ordered one of his wezeers to take with him the greater number of his chief officers and chamberlains and lieutenants and the lords of his court, and to go forth with them to meet him, in honour of the king suleymán sháh; for his dominion extended through the land.

in the mean time, the wezeer of suleymán sháh remained where he had halted until midnight, and then proceeded towards the city; and when the morning gleamed, and the sun shone upon the hills and the lowlands, suddenly the wezeer of the king zahr sháh, and his chamberlains and the lords of his court and the chief officers of his kingdom, approached and joined him at the distance of some leagues from the city. so the wezeer of suleymán sháh felt sure of the accomplishment of his business, and saluted those who met him; and the latter preceded him until they arrived at the palace of the king, and passed in before him through the entrance to the seventh vestibule. this was the place which no one entered on horseback; for it was near to the king; therefore here the wezeer alighted, and he proceeded on foot until he came to a lofty saloon, at the upper end of which was a couch of alabaster set with pearls and jewels, having four legs of elephants' tusks, and upon it was a mattress covered with green satin embroidered with red gold, and over it was a canopy adorned with pearls and jewels. upon this couch sat the king zahr sháh, and the lords of his court stood in attendance upon him. and when the wezeer went in unto him, and stood before him, he composed his heart, and gave liberty to his tongue, and, displaying the oratory of wezeers, and uttering the language of the eloquent, addressed the king with courtesy of manner, and recited a series of complimentary verses; and when he had finished, the king caused him to draw near, treated him with the utmost respect, and, seating him by his side, smiled in his face, and honoured him with a gracious reply. after this, the attendants brought forward the table in that saloon, and they ate until they were satisfied, when the attendants removed the table, and every one who was present went forth, except the chief officers. when the wezeer, therefore, saw that they had quitted the hall, he rose and stood on his feet, and, complimenting the473 king, kissed the ground before him, and said, o great king, and dignified sovereign, i have come unto thee and visited thee on an affair productive of peace and prosperity and happiness unto thee; and it is this: i have come to thee as an ambassador to desire in marriage thy daughter, the distinguished by rank and lineage, from the king suleymán sháh, who is endowed with justice and integrity, and graciousness and beneficence, the king of el-ar? el-kha?rà and of the mountains of i?pahán, and he hath sent unto thee many presents and numerous rarities, desiring thine alliance. dost thou then wish the same of him?—he then stood silent, waiting for the answer; and when the king zahr sháh heard these words, he rose upon his feet, and modestly kissed the ground; and the persons who were present wondered at the king's condescension to the ambassador,474 and their minds were amazed. the king then offered up praises unto him who is possessed of glory and honour, and said, still standing, o exalted wezeer, and illustrious lord, hear what i say: we are, unto the king suleymán sháh, among the number of his subjects, and shall be ennobled by his affinity: we covet this distinction; and my daughter is one of his handmaids. this is my greatest desire; that he may be a means of support to me, and my reliance.—and he summoned the ?á?ees and witnesses, and they bore witness that the king suleymán sháh had appointed his wezeer as his deputy to effect the marriage, and the king zahr sháh joyfully officiated for his daughter in performing the contract; so the ?á?ees concluded the marriage-contract, and offered up a prayer for the happiness and prosperity of both parties: after which, the wezeer arose, and produced the presents and precious rarities, and all the gifts that he had brought, and offered the whole to the king zahr sháh.

zahr sháh on his throne

the king then occupied himself in fitting out his daughter, and in honourably entertaining the wezeer; and he feasted at his banquets the great and the abject, and continued the festivity for a period of two months, omitting in it nothing that would rejoice the heart and the eye.7 and when everything that the bride required was completed, the king gave orders to carry forth the tents, and they were pitched outside the city. they packed the stuffs in the chests, and made ready the greek and turkish female slaves; and the king provided the bride with precious treasures and costly jewels, and made for her a litter8 of red gold adorned with pearls and jewels, appropriating to her use ten mules for the journey. the litter appeared like a private chamber, and its occupant like one of the beautiful ?ooreeyehs,9 her canopy resembling one of the pavilions of paradise. they packed up the treasures and wealth, and placed them upon the mules and camels, and the king zahr sháh went with them to the distance of three leagues, and then bade farewell to his daughter and the wezeer and his attendants, and returned home in joy and safety.

the wezeer proceeded with the king's daughter, and continued his days' journeys and his route over the wastes, travelling with diligence by night and day, until there remained between him and his country a journey of three days; whereupon he sent forward a messenger to the king suleymán sháh to inform him of the approach of the bride. so the messenger hasted in his journey till he arrived in the presence of the king, and acquainted him with the approach of the bride; and the king was rejoiced, and bestowed a robe of honour475 the troops of suleymán sháh meeting his bride the troops of suleymán sháh meeting his bride the troops of suleymán sháh meeting his bride the troops of suleymán sháh meeting his bride upon the messenger, and ordered his troops to go forth in grand procession to meet the bride and her attendants with honour, desiring them to equip themselves in the gayest manner, and to unfurl the standards over their heads. and they complied with his commands; and a crier proclaimed through the city, that no curtained damsel nor honoured lady nor infirm old woman should fail to go forth to meet the bride. so they all went forth to meet her, and the chief among them accompanied her to serve her. they decided together to conduct her towards night to the king's palace, and the chief officers of the court agreed to decorate the streets, and to stand while the bride passed by them with the eunuchs and female slaves before her, she herself being clad in the dress which her father gave her. and when she approached, the troops surrounded her, ranged on the right and left, and the litter advanced with her until it drew near to the palace; and there was no one who did not come forth to see it: the drums were beaten, and the spears brandished, and the trumpets sounded, and sweet odours were diffused around, and the standards flapped, and the horses raced with each other, until they arrived at the gate of the palace, when the pages advanced with the litter to the entrance of the troops of suleymán sháh meeting his bride the ?areem: the palace was illuminated by its splendour, and its walls shone with the lustre of its ornaments; and at night the eunuchs opened the doors of the inner apartment, and stood surrounding the chief entrance. the bride476 then came forward among the female slaves, like the moon among the stars, or the chief pearl among the minor pearls of the string, and she entered the apartment, where they had placed for her a couch of alabaster set with pearls and jewels. upon this she seated herself, and the king came in to visit her, and god inspired his heart with love for her, so that his disquietude and trouble ceased.

he remained with her about a month, after which he went forth and sat upon his throne, and administered justice to his subjects; and towards daybreak on the morning after the expiration of the ninth month, his wife gave birth to a male child of an auspicious appearance. when the king heard of it, he rejoiced exceedingly, and gave a large sum of money to the bearer of the good tidings; and in his joy he went to the child, and kissed him between the eyes, wondering at his surpassing beauty. the midwives took him, and blackened the edges of his eyelids with ko?l;10 and they named him táj-el-mulook khárán.11 he was nourished on the bosom of indulgence, and reared in the lap of prosperity, and days and years passed until he attained the age of seven years; whereupon the king suleymán sháh summoned the men of learning and science, and ordered them to instruct his son in writing and science and polite literature, and they continued to do so for some years, until he had learnt what was requisite; and when he was acquainted with all that the king desired, he caused him to be brought from the professors and teachers, and engaged for him a master to instruct him in horsemanship, who continued to teach him until his pupil was fourteen years of age. whenever the youth went forth on any business, every one who beheld him was ravished by his beauty, so that they composed verses in his praise, and even the women of virtue were overcome by love for him, through the surpassing beauty with which he was endowed. and when he had attained the age of eighteen years, the grey down appeared upon a mole on his red cheek, while another mole, like a globule of ambergris, added to these charms, and he captivated the minds and eyes of his beholders. his comeliness increased as he became a man, and he had companions and friends, and every one who enjoyed access to him wished that táj-el-mulook might be sul?án after the death of his father, and that he might himself be one of his emeers.

now táj-el-mulook became addicted to hunting, and would not desist from it for a single hour. his father, the king, used to forbid him this pursuit, fearing, on his account, the perils of the desert and the wild beasts; but he would not receive his warnings. and it came477 táj-el-mulook hunting to pass that he said to his servants, take with you provender for ten days. and they complied with his order; and when he went forth with his followers to the chase, they proceeded over the desert, and continued their course for four days, until they came in sight of a verdant tract, where they beheld wild beasts ranging at large, and trees with ripe fruit, and springs gushing forth; so he said to his followers, set here the nets, and enlarge their circle, and our place of meeting shall be at the extremity of the circle, at such a spot. they therefore obeyed his commands: táj-el-mulook hunting táj-el-mulook hunting they set the nets, and enlarged their circle, and there collected within them an abundance and a variety of wild beasts and gazelles, in such numbers that the wild beasts cried out in fear of them, and threw themselves in the faces of the horses in their attempts to escape. so he urged the dogs and the lynxes12 and the hawks at them; and they shot the wild beasts with arrows, striking them in mortal places, and they arrived not at the further extremity of the circle without having taken, of the wild beasts, a great number; the rest having fled away. táj-el-mulook then alighted at some water, and, having caused the game to be brought before him,478 divided it: he appropriated to his father, suleymán sháh, the best of the beasts, and despatched the portion to him; and some he distributed among the officers of his court.

they passed the night at that place; and in the morning there approached them a great caravan, comprising black slaves and servants and merchants. the caravan halted at the water and the verdant tract; and when táj-el-mulook beheld them, he said to one of his companions, bring me an account of these people, and ask them wherefore they have halted in this place. and when the messenger went to them, he said to them, inform us who ye are, and return an answer quickly. so they replied, we are merchants, and have halted here for the sake of rest, for the next station is distant from us; and we have halted in this place because we here enjoy tranquillity under the protection of the king suleymán sháh and his son; for we know that every one who alighteth in his dominions is in safety and peace; and we have some precious stuffs which we have brought on account of his son táj-el-mulook. the messenger, therefore, returned to the king's son, and acquainted him with the truth of the matter, informing him of what he had heard from the merchants; and the king's son said, if they have anything which they have brought on my account, i will not enter the city nor remove from this place until i cause it to be displayed before me. he then mounted his horse, and proceeded, his memlooks following him, until he drew near to the caravan; and the merchants rose to him, and greeted him with prayers for the divine aid and favour, and the continuance of his glory and his excellencies. a tent of red satin embroidered with pearls and jewels was pitched for him, and they spread for him, over a carpet of silk, a royal carpet, the upper end of which was adorned with emeralds: and táj-el-mulook seated himself, and the memlooks stood waiting upon him; and he sent to the merchants, commanding them to bring everything that they had with them. so they approached him with their merchandise, and he caused all of it to be displayed before him, and took of it what suited him, and gave them the price.

after this, he mounted, and was about to depart; when, casting a glance at the caravan, he saw a young man, a comely youth, attired in clean clothes, of elegant person, with shining forehead and brilliant countenance; but the charms of this youth had suffered a change, and paleness had overspread him, in consequence of his separation from the objects of his affection; great was his groaning and lamentation, and, with tears flowing from his eyes, he recited these verses:479—

our separation is protracted, and anxiety and fear are prolonged; and tears from my eye, o my friend, are flowing.

i bade farewell to my heart on the day of parting, and now i am alone, without heart, and without hope.

o my friend, pause with me while i bid her farewell by whose voice diseases and infirmities would be cured.

having thus said, he wept a while, and fell down in a swoon, while táj-el-mulook looked at him, wondering at his case; and when he recovered, he stared with a bold look, and again recited some verses, commencing thus:—

beware of her eye; for it is enchanting, and none escapeth upon whom it is cast.

he then uttered a loud sigh, and a second time swooned; and when táj-el-mulook beheld him in this state, he was perplexed at his case, and walked towards him; and as soon as he recovered from his fit, he saw the king's son standing at his head; whereupon he rose upon his feet, and kissed the ground before him; and táj-el-mulook said to him, wherefore hast thou not displayed thy merchandise to us?—o my lord, he answered, my merchandise compriseth nothing suitable to thy highness. but the king's son said, thou must positively shew me what thou hast, and acquaint me with thy circumstances; for i see thee with weeping eye and mourning heart; and if thou be oppressed, we will put an end to the oppression that thou sufferest; and if thou be in debt, we will discharge thy debt; for my heart hath been tormented on thine account since i first beheld thee.

then táj-el-mulook gave orders to place a chair; and they set for him a chair of ivory and ebony ornamented with reticulated work of gold and silk, and they spread for him a silken carpet; and táj-el-mulook seated himself upon the chair, and commanded the young man to sit upon the carpet, and said to him, display to me thy merchandise. the young man replied, o my lord, mention it not unto me; for my merchandise is not suitable to thee. but táj-el-mulook said to him, it must be done:—and ordered some of his pages to bring it: so they brought it in spite of him; and when the young man beheld it, his tears flowed, and he wept and sighed and lamented, and groans rose from his throat. after again repeating some verses, he opened his merchandise, and displayed it before táj-el-mulook, portion by portion and piece by piece, and took forth from among it a garment of satin interwoven with gold, worth two thousand pieces of gold; and when he opened this, there fell from the midst of it a piece480 of linen, and the young man, snatching it hastily, put it beneath him, his reason wandering, and thus exclaimed.—

when will the tortured heart be healed by thee? the constellation of the pleiades is nearer to me than thou!

táj-el-mulook was struck with the utmost wonder at his words, not knowing the cause of them; and when the young man took the piece of linen, and put it beneath him, táj-el-mulook said to him, what is this piece of linen? he answered, o my lord, thou hast no interest in this. but the king's son said, shew it to me.—o my lord, he replied, i refrained not from exposing to thee my merchandise but on account of this; for i cannot allow thee to see it. táj-el-mulook, however, said, i must see it:—and he urged him, and was angry. the young man, therefore, took it from beneath his knee, and wept and sighed and lamented exceedingly: so táj-el-mulook said to him, i regard thy conduct as not right: acquaint me then with the cause of thy weeping at beholding this piece of linen. and when the young man heard the mention of the piece of linen, he sighed, and said, o my lord, my story is wonderful, and my case is strange with respect to this piece of linen and her to whom it belonged, and her who designed these figures and emblems. he then unfolded the piece of linen; and lo, in it was the figure of a gazelle worked with silk, and embroidered with red gold, and facing it was the figure of another gazelle worked with silver, and having upon its neck a ring of red gold and three ?a?abehs13 of chrysolite. when táj-el-mulook beheld this, and observed the beauty of its execution, he exclaimed, extolled be the perfection of god, who hath taught man that which he knew not!14 and his heart was engrossed with desire to hear the story of this young man; so he said to him, relate to me the story of thyself and of her who was the owner of these gazelles. the young man, therefore, replied,—

the story of 'azeez and 'azeezeh.

know, o my lord, that my father was a great merchant, and he was blest with no child but me. i had a cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle) with whom i was brought up in my father's house; for her father had died, and before his death he had made an agreement with my father that they should marry me to her: so, when i had attained to manhood, and she to womanhood, they did not exclude481 her from me, nor me from her. my father then spoke to my mother, and said to her, this year we will perform the marriage-contract of 'azeez and 'azeezeh.15 and having agreed with my mother to do this, he began to make ready the provisions for the entertainments.

all this was done while i and my cousin were living together without the slightest restraint, and ignorant of the circumstance; and she was more intelligent and more knowing than i. and when my father had made the preparations for the festivity, and nothing remained but the performance of the contract, and my union to my cousin, my father proposed that they should perform the contract after the friday-prayers: so he repaired to his friends, the merchants and others, and acquainted them with his intention; and my mother went and invited her female friends and relations. and when the friday came, they washed the saloon which was appropriated to the guests, and cleansed its marble pavement, and spread the carpets in our house, and furnished it with everything that was requisite, after they had decorated its walls with stuffs interwoven with gold; the people having agreed to pay their compliments to our family after the friday-prayers. my father then went and caused sweetmeats and dishes of sugar to be prepared; and there remained nothing but the performance of the contract. my mother had sent me to the bath, and sent after me a new suit of clothes of the richest description; and on my coming out from the bath, i put on this handsome suit, which was perfumed; and when i put it on, a delicious odour was diffused from it, and left a fragrance in the way.

descent of the handkerchief

i desired now to repair to the mosque; but, remembering one of my friends, i returned to search for him, that he might be present at the ceremony of the contract, saying within myself, i will busy me with this affair until the time of prayer draws near. i then entered a by-street which i had never entered before. i was perspiring from the effect of the bath and the new clothes which i wore, and the moisture dropped from me while my perfumes diffused their odour; so i seated myself at the upper end of the street to take rest upon a ma??abah, and spread beneath me an embroidered handkerchief that i had with me. the heat became oppressive to me, and my forehead perspired, and the drops ran down my face, and i could not wipe the moisture from it with my handkerchief because it was spread beneath me: i was therefore about to take the skirt of my farajeeyeh to wipe with it my cheek, when suddenly a white handkerchief fell upon me from above. this handkerchief was more delicate to the feel than the482 zephyr, and the sight of it was more pleasant than restoration to the diseased; and i took it in my hand, and, raising my head to see whence it had fallen, my eye met the eye of the female who owned these gazelles; and lo, she was looking out from a lattice in a window of brass. my eye never beheld a person more lovely, and altogether her charms were such as the tongue cannot describe; and when she saw me looking at her, she put her finger in her mouth, and then united her middle finger and her fore finger, and placed them upon her bosom; after which, she drew in her head from the window, and shut the lattice and withdrew. a fire had been darted into my heart, and the flame increased; the sight drew from me a thousand sighs,483 and i was perplexed; for i heard not anything from her, and understood not what she meant by her signs. i looked again towards the window; but found it closed: and i waited until sunset; but heard no sound, nor saw any person; so, despairing of seeing her again, i rose from my place, and took the handkerchief with me. i opened it, and the odour of musk was diffused from it, and i was so exhilarated by the scent that i seemed as if i were in paradise. i then spread it before me; whereupon there fell from it a piece of delicate paper, and, opening this, i found it richly perfumed with exquisite scents, and inscribed with these verses:—

i sent a letter to complain to him of the pain of my passion, in a delicate handwriting (for handwritings are various);

so my beloved said, wherefore is thy writing thus delicate and minute, so as scarce to be discernible?

i answered, because i am wasted and attenuated: so, therefore, should the writing of lovers be.

after this, i cast a glance at the beauty of the handkerchief, and beheld an amatory couplet worked upon one of its two borders,16 and another, of a similar kind, on its other border.

when i saw these verses upon the handkerchief, a flame of fire shot into my heart, and my desire and perplexity increased; and i took the handkerchief and the paper, and went with them to the house, not knowing any means of obtaining what i desired, and incapable of discovering how to proceed properly in my love. i arrived not at the house until a considerable portion of the night had elapsed, and beheld my cousin sitting weeping; but when she saw me, she wiped away her tears, and approached me, and took off from me my outer clothes, and asked me the cause of my absence. she told me that all the people, the emeers and grandees, and merchants and others, had assembled in our house, and the ?á?ee and the witnesses had come, and they ate the repast, and remained a considerable while sitting in expectation of my presence for the purpose of performing the marriage-contract, and when they despaired of my coming, they dispersed and went their ways.—thy father, said she, was violently enraged on account of this, and swore that he would not perform our marriage-contract until next year; for he hath expended upon this festivity a large sum of money. what, she added, hath happened unto thee this day, that thou hast delayed thy return until now, and that this hath happened on account of thine absence?

i answered her, such and such things have happened to me:—and484 mentioned to her the handkerchief, acquainting her with the affair from first to last: and she took the paper and the handkerchief, and read what was upon them, and her tears ran down upon her cheeks; and she asked me, what did she say to thee, and of what did she make signs to thee? i answered, she uttered not a word; but put her finger in her mouth, and then united it with the middle finger, and placed both fingers upon her bosom, and pointed to the ground: then she drew in her head, and closed the lattice, and i saw her not afterwards. she carried off my heart with her, and i sat until sunset in expectation of her looking out from the lattice a second time; but she did it not; and when i despaired of seeing her again, i rose from the place. this is my story; and i beg of thee to aid me in the trouble in which i am involved.—upon this, she raised her head towards me, and said, o son of my uncle, if thou requiredst mine eye, i would pull it out for thee from my eyelids; and i must assist thee in the accomplishment of thy desire, and assist her in like manner; for she is overwhelmed by love for thee, as thou art by love for her.—and what, said i, is the interpretation of the signs which she made?—her putting her finger in her mouth, she answered, indicateth that thou art in her estimation as her soul to her body,17 and that she longeth for thy union with her; and as to the handkerchief, it is a signal of the lover's salutation to the beloved; and the paper denoteth that her soul is captivated by thee; and as to her putting her two fingers upon her bosom, the meaning of it is as though she said to thee, after two days come hither, that my affliction may be dissipated by thy countenance.18 and know, o son of my uncle, she continued, that she loveth thee and confideth in thee. this is my interpretation of her signs; and if i had liberty to go in and out at pleasure, i would effect thy union with her in the shortest time, and protect you both with my skirt.—when i heard these words from her, said the young man, i thanked her for what she had said, and i said within myself, i will wait two days. i then remained two days in the house, neither going out nor coming in, nor eating nor drinking. i put my head in the lap of my cousin; and she cheered me by her conversation, and said to me, be resolute and of good heart, and dress thyself, and repair to her at the time appointed. and she arose, and changed my clothes, and perfumed me with incense.

i then braced up my nerves, and fortified my heart, and went forth, and proceeded until i entered the by-street, and after i had sat a while upon the ma??abah, lo, the lattice opened. i looked towards the485 damsel, and when i saw her i fell down in a swoon: then recovering, i summoned resolution, and took heart, and looked at her a second time; but again i became insensible; and when i recovered, i saw with her a mirror and a red handkerchief. observing me now, she tucked up her sleeves from her fore arms, and, opening her five fingers, struck her bosom with them (with the palm and the five fingers): next she raised her hands, and held forth the mirror from the lattice, and took the red handkerchief, and retired with it; after which she returned, and let it down from the lattice towards the street three times, letting it down and raising it, and then wringing it and twisting it with her hand, and bending down her head: she then drew it in through the lattice, and closed the lattice, and departed, without speaking to me one word, but leaving me in perplexity, not knowing to what she alluded. i remained sitting there until the hour of nightfall, and went home near midnight.

'azeez and 'azeezeh

i found my cousin with her hand placed to her cheek, and her eyelids pouring forth tears; and upon this, my anxieties and griefs increased, and i fell down in a corner of the chamber; but she sprang towards me, and lifted me up, and, having taken off from me my outer clothes, wiped my face with her sleeve, and asked me what had486 happened to me. i related to her, therefore, all that had happened on the part of the damsel: and she said to me, o son of my uncle, as to her sign with her hand and five fingers, its interpretation is, come hither after five days:—and as to her sign with the mirror, and her putting forth her head from the lattice [and her actions with the red handkerchief],19 the meaning is, seat thyself at the shop of the dyer until my messenger shall come to thee.—when i heard her words, fire burned in my heart, and i replied, by allah, o daughter of my uncle, thou sayest truly in this interpretation; for i saw in the by-street a jewish dyer. i then wept, and my cousin said, be resolute, and firm of heart; for others than thou are troubled with love for a period of years, and contend with the fierceness of passion, while thou hast but a week to endure: wherefore then should this impatience overcome thee? and she proceeded to cheer me with her conversation, and brought me food; and i took a morsel, and would have eaten it; but i could not. i abstained from drink and food, and renounced the delights of sleep, and my complexion became pallid, and my charms became changed; for i had never known love before that, nor tasted the fervency of that passion before; and i fell sick, and my cousin became sick on my account. she occupied herself in relating to me the sufferings of lovers, in order to enliven me, until i fell asleep; and i used to awake, and find her sleepless on my account, with her tears flowing upon her cheeks; and thus i remained until the five days had passed, when my cousin arose, and heated some water for me, and bathed me with it, and dressed me, and said to me, repair to her, and may allah accomplish thy wish, and grant thee what thou desirest of thy beloved.

so i went, and walked on until i came to the upper end of the by-street, and that day was saturday; so i found the shop of the dyer shut: and i sat there till the call to afternoon-prayers; and the sun became yellow, and the call to evening-prayers was chanted; and night commenced, and i saw no trace of her, nor heard a voice, nor received any message: i therefore feared for myself, sitting alone; and i rose and walked away, like one intoxicated, until i entered the house.

there, on going in, i beheld my cousin 'azeezeh with one of her hands holding a peg knocked into the wall, and her other hand upon her bosom; and she was groaning, and reciting verses; but when she had finished her recitation, she turned her eyes towards me, and beheld me; whereupon she wiped away her tears and mine with her487 sleeve, and, smiling in my face, said to me, o son of my uncle, allah grant thee enjoyment of that which he hath given thee! wherefore hast thou not visited thy beloved this night?—and when i heard her words, i kicked her with my foot upon her bosom, and she fell down upon the raised floor, and there was a peg there, and it wounded her forehead. on looking at her i saw that her forehead was cut open, and her blood was flowing; yet she was silent, and uttered not a single letter; but rose immediately, and burned some tinder of rags, and, having closed with it the wound, tied a bandage round her head, and wiped away the blood that had flowed upon the carpet; and it was as though this accident had not occurred. she then came to me, and, smiling in my face, said to me with a gentle voice, by allah, o son of my uncle, i said not this to make a jest of thee or of her. i was troubled just now by the aching of my head, and with wiping away the blood: but at the present moment the pain of my head is alleviated, and that of my forehead: tell me therefore what hath happened to thee this day.—so i related to her all that had befallen me through the conduct of that damsel on this day; and after i had done so i wept; but she said to me, rejoice at the announcement of the success of thy desire, and the accomplishment of thy hope. verily this is a sign of acceptance: for she absented herself from thee because she desireth to try thee, and to know whether thou art patient or not, and whether thou art sincere in thy love of her or not. to-morrow go to her, and station thyself at thy first place, and see what sign she will make to thee; for thy happiness is near, and thy sorrow is dissipated.—and she proceeded to console me; but i ceased not to increase in anxiety and grief. she then placed the food before me; but i kicked it with my foot, and the contents of each saucer were scattered about; and i said, every one who is in love is insane, and inclineth not to food, nor findeth pleasure in sleep.—by allah, o son of my uncle, exclaimed my cousin 'azeezeh, these are indeed symptoms of love! and her tears flowed, and she gathered together the fragments of the saucers, and wiped up the food that was spilt, and sat chatting to me, while i prayed to god that he would hasten the morning.

and when the morning came, and diffused its light, i repaired to the damsel, and entered hastily the by-street, where i seated myself upon the ma??abah before mentioned; and lo, the window was opened, and she put forth her head from it, laughing. she then retired, and returned bringing a mirror, and a bag, and a pot filled with green488 plants, and having also in her hand a lamp: and the first thing that she did was this: she took the mirror in her hand, and put it into the bag: then she tied it up and threw it back into the chamber. after this, she let down her hair over her face, and put the lamp upon the top of the green plants for a moment, and then took all these things and departed with them, and closed the lattice. my heart was riven by her secret signs and her obscure intimations, for she addressed me not with a single word, and my passion grew more violent thereat, and my excitement and distraction increased.

i retraced my steps with weeping eye and sorrowful heart until i entered the house, where i saw my cousin sitting with her face to the wall: her heart was burning with anxiety and grief and jealousy; but her affection prevented her from acquainting me at all with the passion which she felt on witnessing my excessive love and distraction. i then looked at her again, and saw that she had, on her head, two bandages: one of them was on account of the accident that had happened to her forehead, and the other was upon her eye, on account of a pain that she suffered in consequence of the violence of her weeping. she was in a most miserable case, weeping, and reciting these verses:—

wherever thou be, mayst thou be in safety, o thou who departest, and yet dwellest in my heart!

may god be near thee wherever thou goest, to deliver thee from vicissitudes and from misfortunes!

thou hast gone, and mine eye is cheerless through thine absence, and my tears are flowing—o how abundantly!

and when she had ended her recitation, she looked towards me and saw me as she wept, and she wiped away her tears, and rose to me; but she could not speak, from the excessive love with which she was affected, and she remained for some time silent; after which, she said to me, o son of my uncle, tell me what thou hast experienced from her on this occasion. and i told her all that had happened to me; whereupon she said to me, be patient; for the time of thy union is come, and thou hast attained the object of thy hopes. as to the sign that she made to thee with the mirror, and her putting it into the bag, it is equivalent to her saying to thee, wait until the sun shall have set:—and as to her letting fall her hair over her face, it implieth her saying to thee, when night cometh, and letteth fall its black shade over the light of day, come hither:—and the sign that she made to thee with the pot containing the plants meant that she would489 say to thee, when thou comest, enter the garden that is behind the by-street:—and the sign which she made to thee with the lamp denoted her saying to thee, when thou enterest the garden, to the place where thou findest the lighted lamp do thou repair, and seat thyself beneath it, and there wait for me; for the love of thee destroyeth me.—but when i heard these words of my cousin, i cried out from the excess of my passion, and said, how many times dost thou promise me, and i go to her and attain not my desire, nor find a true meaning to thine interpretation? and upon this, my cousin laughed, and replied, it remaineth for thee to have patience during the rest of this day, until the daylight is gone, and the night cometh with its deep darkness, and then shalt thou enjoy thy union and the accomplishment of thy hopes; and these words are true, without any falsehood. she then drew near to me, and comforted me with soft words, but dared not bring me any food, fearing that i should be angry with her, and hoping that i might incline to her with favour: she only came to me, and took off my outer clothes: after which she said to me, o son of my uncle, sit with me that i may converse with thee to amuse thee until the close of the day, and, if it be the will of god, the night shall not come without thy being in the company of thy beloved. but i took no notice of her, waiting for the night, and saying, o allah, hasten the coming of the night! and when it arrived, my cousin wept violently, and gave me a grain of pure musk, saying to me, o son of my uncle, put this grain in thy mouth, and when thou hast met thy beloved, and she hath accepted thy suit, recite to her this verse:—

o ye lovers, by allah, inform me, how a youth should act when his love is intense.

she then kissed me, and desired me to swear that i would not recite this verse until my departure from the damsel; and i replied, i hear and obey.

the mak'ad

i went forth at the hour of nightfall, and proceeded until i came to the garden. i found its gate open, and entered, and beheld a light in the distance; so i advanced towards it, and when i arrived at it, i found there a large ma?'ad,20 over which was constructed a dome of ivory and ebony, and the lamp was suspended in the midst of the dome. the ma?'ad was furnished with silken carpets embroidered with gold and silver; and there was a great lighted candle in a candlestick of gold beneath the lamp: in the midst of the chamber was a fountain ornamented with various designs:21 by the side of this490 fountain was a table of viands covered with a silk napkin, near which was a large china bottle full of wine, with a cup of crystal adorned with gilding; and by the side of all these things was a great tray of silver, covered over. i uncovered it, and beheld in it a variety of fruits, such as figs and pomegranates and grapes and oranges and citrons of different kinds, together with various flowers, as roses and jasmine and myrtle and eglantine and narcissus, and all kinds of sweet scents. i was astonished at this place, and affected with the utmost delight, and my anxiety and grief were dissipated; but i found not in this abode any being of the creatures of god (whose name be exalted!); not even a male or female slave did i see, nor the person who thus neglected these things. i sat in this chamber, waiting for the coming of the beloved of my heart, until the first hour of the night had passed, and the second hour, and the third; but she came not; and hunger began to torment me violently, for a long time had elapsed without my eating food, through the excess of my passion;491 but when i beheld this place, and my cousin's correct understanding of the signs made by my beloved became manifest to me, i felt at ease; yet i still experienced the torment of hunger, and the savoury odours of the food upon the table had excited my desire on my arrival there. feeling secure, therefore, of the attainment of my object, and longing to eat, i approached the table, and took off the cover, and found in the midst of it a dish of china containing four fricandoed fowls seasoned with spices, around which were four saucers; one containing sweetmeats; and another, conserve of pomegranate-grains; and a third, ba?láweh;22 and the fourth, ?a?á?f:23 the contents of these saucers consisting both of sweet and acid. so i ate of the ?a?á?f, and a piece of meat, and i put my hand to the ba?láweh and ate of it as much as was agreeable, and then turned to the sweetmeat and ate a spoonful, or two, or three, or four, and i ate a portion of a fowl, and a morsel of another dish: and when i had done this, my stomach was full, and my joints became loose, and i was too lazy to remain awake; so i laid my head upon a cushion, after i had washed my hands, and sleep overcame me, and i knew not what happened to me after this. i awoke not until the sun scorched me (for some days had passed without my having tasted sleep); and when i awoke, i found upon my stomach some salt and charcoal; and i stood up and shook my clothes, and looked to the right and left, but found no one: i discovered that i had been sleeping upon the marble pavement without anything spread beneath me, and i was perplexed in my mind, and mourned greatly; my tears ran down upon my cheeks, and i lamented for myself.

i then returned to the house, and when i arrived there i found my cousin striking her hand upon her bosom, and weeping with tears like raining clouds; but when she beheld me she arose quickly, and wiped away her tears, and, addressing me with her soft speech, said to me, o son of my uncle, god hath been gracious to thee in thy passion, since the person whom thou lovest loveth thee, while i remain weeping and mourning for the separation of thee who findest fault with me; but may god not chastise thee on my account! she then smiled in my face with the smile of one in anger, and caressed me, and took off my outer clothes, and spread them out, and said, by allah, these are not the odours of one who hath enjoyed the company of his beloved! tell me, then, what hath happened to thee, o son of my uncle.—and i told her all that had befallen me; whereupon she smiled a second time with the smile of one in anger,492 and said, verily, my heart is full and in pain! but may the person who paineth thy heart cease to exist! this woman maketh herself extravagantly difficult to thee. by allah, o son of my uncle, i fear what she may do to thee. know that the meaning of the salt is, thou art drowned in sleep, and seemest insipid, so that the soul regardeth thee with loathing, and thou requirest to be salted, that the stomach may not eject thee: thou pretendest that thou art of the number of generous lovers; but sleep, unto lovers, is forbidden; and thy pretension to love is false.—such, however, is her pretension: her love for thee is false, for when she saw thee sleeping she did not rouse thee; and had her love for thee been true she would have roused thee.—and as to the charcoal, the meaning indicated by it is, may god blacken thy face,24 since thou hast made false pretensions to love, when thou art only a child, and hast no care but for eating and drinking and sleeping. this is the interpretation of her sign; and may allah (whose name be exalted!) deliver thee from her.—now when i heard what she said, i struck my hand upon my breast, and exclaimed, by allah, this is the truth; for i slept; and lovers sleep not: so i have wronged mine own self. what could have been more injurious to me than eating and sleeping? and what is to be done?—i then wept exceedingly, and said to my cousin, direct me what to do, and have mercy upon me; so may god have mercy upon thee; otherwise i shall die. my cousin, therefore, having a very great love for me, replied, on my head and my eye! but, o son of my uncle, i have told thee several times, that, if i had the privilege of coming in and going out when i pleased, i would accomplish thy union with her in the shortest time, and cover you both with my skirt; and this i would not do but from the desire of obtaining thine approval. if god permit, i will employ my utmost endeavours to bring you together; but hear my words, and comply with my directions, and go to that same place, and seat thyself there: when the hour of nightfall is come, seat thyself in the place where thou wast, and beware of eating anything; for eating induceth sleep: have a care then that thou sleep not; for she will not come to thee until a quarter of the night hath passed: and may god avert from thee her wickedness!—so, when i heard her words, i rejoiced, and prayed god to hasten the night; and when night came, i desired to depart; and my cousin said to me, when thou hast met her, repeat to her the verse before mentioned, at the time of thy departure. i replied, on the head and the eye.493

and when i went forth and repaired to the garden, i found the place prepared, in the same state in which i had seen it before; in it was everything requisite, of food and drink and dried fruits and sweet scents and other things; and i went up into the ma?'ad, and, smelling the odour of the food, i longed for it. i refrained from it several times; but at length i could not withstand it: so i arose and went to the table, and took off its cover, and found a dish of fowls, around which were four saucers of food of four different kinds; and i ate of each kind a morsel, and as much as was agreeable of the sweetmeat, and a piece of meat, and drank some zardeh,25 and, finding it pleasant to me, i drank again of it plentifully by the spoonful until i was satiated and my stomach was full. and after this, my eyelids closed; so i took a pillow and put it beneath my head, saying, perhaps i may recline upon it without sleeping. but i closed my eyes and slept, and awoke not until the sun had risen, when i found upon my stomach a play-bone and a ?áb-stick26 and a date-stone and a locust-seed; and there was no furniture nor anything else in the place and it seemed as if nothing had been there on the preceding night.

i rose, and shook off all these things from me, and went forth enraged, and, arriving at the house, i found my cousin groaning; and i chid her and abused her; whereupon she wept, and, having wiped away her tears, approached and kissed me, and pressed me to her bosom; but i drew back from her, blaming myself. she then said to me, o son of my uncle, it seemeth that thou hast slept again this last night. i replied, yes; and when i awoke i found a play-bone laid upon my stomach, and a ?áb-stick and a date-stone and a locust-seed; and i know not wherefore she did this. then i wept, and approached her, and said to her, explain to me the meaning of her doing this, and tell me how i shall act, and assist me in my trouble. she replied, on the head and the eye. as to the ?áb-stick [and the play-bone], which she placed upon thy stomach, she meaneth thereby, that thou camest there and thy heart was absent; as though she would say to thee, love is not thus; therefore reckon not thyself among lovers.27 and as to the date-stone, she indicated by it, that, if thou wert a lover, thy heart had been burning with passion, and thou wouldst not taste the delight of sleep; for the sweetness of love is like a date, which kindleth a fire in the heart.28 and as to the locust-seed, she intimated to thee by it, that the heart of the lover is fatigued; and she would say to thee thereby, endure494 our separation with the patience of job.29—when i heard this interpretation, fire darted into my heart, and my grief increased, and i cried out and exclaimed, god had decreed that i should sleep, on account of my little fortune! i then said to her, o daughter of my uncle, by my life i conjure thee to contrive for me some stratagem by means of which i may obtain an interview with her. and i wept.—o 'azeez, o son of my uncle, she replied, verily my heart is full of thoughts, and i cannot talk; but go thou to-night to that place, and beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain thy desire. this is my counsel, and peace be on thee.—i said, if it please god, i will not sleep; but i will do as thou chargest me. and my cousin arose, and brought me food, saying to me, eat now what will satisfy thee, that thou mayest have no desire remaining. so i ate what satisfied me: and when night came, my cousin arose, and brought me a superb suit of clothing, and clad me with it, and conjured me to repeat to the damsel the verse before mentioned, and cautioned me against sleeping.

i then departed from her, and, having repaired to the garden, went up into the ma?'ad; and i gazed at the garden, and kept opening my eyes with my fingers, and shaking my head, as the night grew dark. but i became hungry from watching, and the odours of the food were wafted towards me, and my hunger in consequence increased: so i went to the table, and removed its cover, and ate a morsel of every dish, and a piece of meat, and i went to the bottle of wine, saying within myself, i will drink a cup:—and i drank it, and then drank the second, and the third, and so on to the number of ten; and being already stricken by love, i fell upon the floor as one slain. thus i remained until day came, and i awoke, and found myself outside the garden, with a large sharp knife upon my stomach, and an iron dirhem;30 and i trembled with fear, and took them with me and returned to the house.

'azeez returned with the knife and dirhem

i found my cousin saying, i am in this house wretched and sorrowful, with no relief but weeping. and as i entered, i fell down prostrate, throwing the knife and dirhem from my hand, and fainted; and when i recovered, i acquainted her with that which had befallen me, and said to her, i shall not attain my desire. her grief increased at witnessing my weeping and my excessive passion, and she said to me, i have failed of success in cautioning thee against sleeping; for thou wouldst not attend to my advice: my words profit thee nothing. but i replied, i conjure thee by allah that thou495 explain to me the meaning of the knife and the iron dirhem. so she said, as to the dirhem, she alluded by it to her right eye,31 and intimated that she swore by it, and said, by the lord of all creatures, and by my right eye,32 if thou come again and sleep i will assuredly slaughter thee with this knife!—i fear for thee, therefore, o son of my uncle, from her malice; and my heart is full of grief on thine account, and i cannot talk. if, then, thou art confident in thyself that, if thou return to her, thou wilt not sleep, return to her, and beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain thy desire; but if thou know that, shouldst thou go to her again, thou wilt sleep as usual, and so go to her and sleep, she will slaughter thee.—what then, said i, is to be done, o daughter of my uncle? i conjure thee by allah to help me in this affliction.—she replied, on my head and my eye: and if thou attend to my words and comply with my directions thou wilt accomplish thy desire. i said, i will do so. and she rejoined, when the time of departure cometh i will tell thee. she then pressed me to her bosom, and laid me on the bed, and continued gently kneading my limbs until slumber overcame me, and i sank into sleep;33 and she took a fan, and, seating herself at my head, fanned my face until the close of day, when she roused me; and on my awaking, i found her at my head with the fan in her hand, and weeping so that her tears had wetted her clothes. but496 when she saw me that i had awoke, she wiped away her tears, and brought me some food. i refrained from it; but she said to me, did i not tell thee that thou must attend to my directions? eat, therefore.—so i ate, and would not oppose her; and she proceeded to put the food into my mouth, while i chewed it, until my stomach was full. she then gave me to drink some infusion of jujubes34 with sugar, and washed my hands, and dried them with a handkerchief, and sprinkled some rose-water upon me; after which i sat with her, in healthy frame; and when the night became dark, she put on me my clothes, and said, o son of my uncle, watch all night, and sleep not; for she will not come to thee this night until near its close; and, if it be the will of god, thou shalt meet her this night; but forget not my charge. then she wept, and my heart was pained for her, on account of her excessive weeping; and i said to her, what is the charge which thou gavest me? she answered, when thou departest from her, repeat to her the verse before mentioned.

i then went forth from her full of joy, and proceeded to the garden, and went up to the ma?'ad, satiated with food. i remained sleepless a quarter of the night, and the night seemed as long to me as though it were a year; and i continued watching until two thirds of it had passed, and the cocks crew, and i became violently hungry from watching: so i went up to the table, and ate until i was satisfied; and my head became heavy, and i desired to sleep; but suddenly i heard a noise in the distance; whereupon i arose, and washed my hands and mouth, and roused myself; and soon after, she came. she was accompanied by ten female slaves, and she appeared among them like the full moon among the planets: she was attired in a garment of green satin embroidered with red gold; and when she saw me, she laughed, and said, how is it that thou hast remained awake, and that sleep hath not overcome thee? now that thou hast passed the night sleepless i am convinced that thou art a lover; for among the characteristics of lovers is the watching by night in the resolute endurance of desire.—she then turned towards her female slaves, and made a sign to them; whereupon they departed from her; and she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and kissed me, and we conversed together until the morning, when i desired to depart; but she held me, and said to me, stop, that i may acquaint thee with something, and give thee a charge.—so i stopped; and she unfolded a handkerchief, and, taking forth from it this piece of linen, spread it open before497 me; and i found in it the design of the gazelles, as thou seest, and i admired it exceedingly, and took it; after which i made a promise to her that i would pay her a visit every night in that garden, and departed from her, full of joy; but in my joy i forgot the verse which my cousin had charged me to repeat. and when she gave me the piece of linen containing the design of the gazelles, she said to me, this is the work of my sister.—and what, said i, is the name of thy sister? she answered, her name is noor-el-hudà:35 and do thou take care of this piece of linen.

'azeezeh weeping over the design of the gazelles

after this, when i had taken leave of her and departed, full of joy, i returned and went in to my cousin, and found her lying down, and when she saw me she rose, her tears dropping, and approached me, and, kissing my bosom, said, hast thou recited the verse as i charged thee? i answered, i forgot it; and nothing drove it from my mind but the design of these gazelles. and i threw down the piece of linen before her. she arose, and then seated herself again, and, in her impatience, shed tears, and said, o son of my uncle, make a present to me of this piece of linen. so i gave it her, and she took it and spread it open, and saw what was in it. and when the time of my departure came, she said, go, and may safety attend thee; but when thou retirest from her, recite to her the verse that i taught thee before, and which thou didst forget.—repeat it to me, said i. and she did so.

i then repaired to the garden, and entered the ma?'ad. i found the damsel waiting for me, and when she beheld me she arose and kissed me and seated me, and we ate and drank, and in the morning i repeated to her the verse, which was this:—

o ye lovers, by allah, inform me, how a youth should act when his love is intense.

498and when she heard it, her eyes filled with tears, and thus she replied:—

he should hide his love, and conceal his secret, and be patient under every event, and submissive.

i committed this to memory, and, glad at having done what my cousin desired, went forth and returned to her. i found her lying down, with my mother, at her head, weeping for her unhappy state; and when i went in to her, my mother said to me, perdition to such a cousin as thou! how canst thou leave the daughter of thine uncle indisposed and not inquire respecting her disease?—but my cousin, on beholding me, raised her head, and sat up, and said to me, o 'azeez, hast thou repeated to her the verse that i taught thee? i answered, yes: and when she heard it, she wept, and recited to me another verse, which i retain in my memory.—let me hear it, said my cousin. and when i had repeated it to her she wept violently, and recited this other verse:—

he hath sought to attain a becoming patience; but found nought save a heart pining with desire.

she then said to me, when thou goest to her as usual, repeat to her this verse which thou hast heard. i replied, i hear and obey.

so i went to the garden according to my custom, and when i was about to return, i recited to the damsel that verse; and when she heard it, tears poured from her eyes, and she replied,—

then, if he have not patience to conceal his secret, i know nothing better for him than death.

retaining this in my memory, i returned to the house; and when i went in to my cousin, i found her fallen down in a fit, and my mother sitting at her head; and when my cousin heard my voice, she opened her eyes, and said, o 'azeez, hast thou repeated to her the verse? i answered, yes: and when she heard it, she wept, and recited to me this other verse. and i repeated it to her; and as soon as she heard it she fainted again, and, on her recovering, recited another verse, which was this:—

we hear and obey, and we die; then convey my salutation to the person who hath prevented our union.36

at the approach of the following night i went again to the garden as usual, and found the damsel expecting me; and we ate and drank; and in the morning, when i was about to depart, i repeated499 to her what my cousin had said; whereupon she uttered a loud cry, and was agitated, and exclaimed, by allah, she who uttered this verse hath died! she then wept, and said to me, wo to thee! is not she who uttered this verse related to thee?—i answered, she is the daughter of my paternal uncle.—thou liest, replied she: by allah, if she were the daughter of thy uncle thou hadst borne her the same love that she bore thee. thou art he who hath destroyed her, and may god destroy thee in like manner! by allah, if thou hadst told me of thy having a cousin, i had not admitted thee into my favour.—verily, said i, she is my cousin, and she explained to me the signs that thou madest me, and it was she who taught me how to proceed with thee: i had not obtained access to thee but through her good management.—and did she know of our affair? said she. i answered, yes.—may allah, she exclaimed, cause thee to bewail thy youth, as thou hast caused her to bewail hers! she then said to me, go and see her.

'azeezeh dead

i departed, therefore, troubled in mind, and proceeded until i came to our street, when i heard a wailing, and, asking respecting it, was answered, we found 'azeezeh lying behind the door, dead. i entered the house, and when my mother beheld me, she exclaimed, the crime of destroying her is on thy neck, and may god not pardon thee her blood! perdition to such a cousin as thou!—my father then came, and we prepared her body for interment, and performed the funeral-ceremonies, and buried her; and we caused recitations of the whole of the ?ur-án to be performed at her tomb, and remained there three days, after which i returned to the house, sorrowing for her. and my mother addressed me, and said, i desire to know what thou didst to her, so that thou brokest her heart. i asked her continually, o my son, respecting the cause of her disorder; but she would not acquaint me with it. i conjure thee, therefore, by allah, that thou inform me what thou didst unto her,500 to cause her death.—i replied, i did nothing. but she said, may god avenge her upon thee! for she mentioned to me nothing, but concealed the truth of her case until she died, still preserving her affection for thee; and when she died i was with her, and she opened her eyes, and said to me, o wife of my uncle, may god hold thy son guiltless of my blood, and not punish him for that which he hath done unto me; and now god transporteth me from the perishable world to the world of eternity. and i replied, o my daughter, may god preserve thee, and preserve thy youth! and i asked her respecting the cause of her disorder: but she answered not. then she smiled, and said, o wife of my uncle, if thy son desire to go to the place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him to repeat these two phrases on departing from it:—fidelity is good, and treachery is base:—and this i desire in my compassion for him, that i may shew him compassion in my life and after my death. she then gave me something for thee, and took an oath of me that i would not give it to thee until i should see thee weeping for her and lamenting: this thing i have, and when i see thee in the state that she hath described i will give it to thee.—i said to her, shew it me. but she would not.

i then gave myself up to my pleasures, and thought not of the death of my cousin; for i was unsettled in mind, and wished that i were passing the whole of every night and day with my beloved; and scarcely had the next night approached when i repaired again to the garden. i found the damsel sitting there, burning with impatience to see me; and as soon as she beheld me, she hastened to me and clung to my neck, and asked me respecting my cousin. i answered her, she is dead, and we have performed zikrs37 and recitations of the ?ur-án for her, and four nights have passed since her death, and this is the fifth. when she heard this, she cried out and wept, and said, did i not tell thee that thou hadst killed her? hadst thou informed me of her, before her death, i had requited her for the kindness that she hath shewn me; for she hath been of service to me in giving thee access to me: had it not been for her, i should not have had an interview with thee, and i fear thou wilt fall into a calamity on account of her disaster.—i replied, she acquitted me before her death. and i related to her what my mother had told me; upon which she exclaimed, by allah, i conjure thee, when thou goest to thy mother, learn what it is that she hath.—my mother, said i, told me, thy cousin, before she died, charged501 me saying, if thy son desire to go to the place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him to repeat these two phrases:—fidelity is good, and treachery is base.—and when the damsel heard this, she exclaimed, the mercy of god (whose name be exalted!) be upon her, for she hath saved thee from me: i was meditating an injury to thee; but now i will not hurt thee nor trouble thee. and i wondered at this, and said to her, what didst thou purpose before this to do to me, after mutual love had taken place between us? she answered, thou art devoted to me; but thou art young, and thy mind is free from deceit, and thou knowest not our malice nor our deceit: were she still in the bonds of life, she would assist thee; for she is the cause of thy safety, and hath delivered thee from destruction: and now i charge thee that thou speak not with any female, nor answer any of our sex, young or old. beware, beware; for thou art ignorant of the deceit of women, and their malice: she who used to interpret the signs to thee is dead; and i fear for thee lest thou fall into a calamity and find none to deliver thee from it after the death of thy cousin. o my sorrow for the daughter of thy uncle! would that i had known her before her death, that i might have requited her for the kindness that she hath done me! the mercy of god (whose name be exalted!) be upon her, for she concealed her secret, and revealed not what she felt; and but for her, thou wouldst never have had access to me. and now i have a service to demand of thee.—what is it? said i. she answered, that thou conduct me to her tomb, that i may visit her at her grave, and inscribe some verses upon it. i replied, to-morrow, if it be the will of god, whose name be exalted!—so i remained with her that night, and frequently she said to me, would that thou hadst told me of thy cousin before her death! and i asked her, what is the meaning of these words which she said—fidelity is good, and treachery is base? but she answered me not.

'azeez and his mistress at the grave of 'azeezeh

in the morning, therefore, she arose, and, taking a purse containing some pieces of gold, said to me, arise, and shew me the tomb, that i may visit it, and write upon it some verses, and build over it a cupola, and pray for mercy upon her, and bestow these pieces of gold in alms for her soul. i replied, i hear and obey. and i walked before her, and she followed me, and employed herself in giving alms on the way as she went, and every time that she did so she said, this is an alms for the soul of 'azeezeh, who concealed her secret until she drank the cup of death, and revealed502 not her love. thus she continued to give of the contents of the purse, and to say, for the soul of 'azeezeh,—until we arrived at the tomb, and the contents of the purse were exhausted; and when she beheld the tomb, she threw herself upon it, and wept violently. she then took forth a pointed instrument of steel, and a small mallet, and engraved upon the stone at the head of the tomb, in small characters, these verses:—

i passed by an undistinguished tomb in the midst of a garden, with seven anemones upon it;38

and i said, whose tomb is this? the soil answered, be respectful, for this is the resting-place of a lover.

so i said, god keep thee, o victim of love, and lodge thee in the highest stage of paradise!

how miserable are lovers among the creation, when even their tombs are covered with vile dust!

were i able [o tomb], i would make of thee a garden, and water it with my streaming tears!

503 she then again wept violently, and arose, and i arose with her; and after we had returned to the garden, she said to me, i conjure thee by allah that thou never forsake me. and i replied, i hear and obey. so i resumed my visits to her as before, and she treated me with kindness and honour, and used to ask me respecting the two phrases which my cousin 'azeezeh had mentioned to my mother, and i repeated them to her. thus i remained, eating and drinking, and enjoying her conversation, and attiring myself in changes of delicate clothing, until i became stout and fat, and i experienced neither anxiety nor grief nor sorrow, and forgot my cousin.

i continued drowned in these pleasures for a whole year; and at the commencement of the new year, i entered the bath, and refreshed myself, and put on a handsome suit; and after i had gone forth from the bath, i drank a cup of wine, and smelt the odours of my clothes, which were richly perfumed with various scents. my heart was unoppressed by calamities or misfortunes; and when the hour of nightfall came, i desired to repair to the damsel; but i was intoxicated, and knew not my way; and, in going to her, intoxication led me aside into a by-street called the street of the na?eeb:39 and as i was proceeding along it, lo, an old woman came, with a lighted candle in one of her hands, and in her other hand a folded letter. i advanced towards her, and she, with weeping eye, said to me, o my son, art thou able to read? i answered her, yes, my old aunt. and she said, take this letter, and read it to me. and she handed me the letter; so i took it from her and opened it, and read to her its contents, informing her that it was a letter from the absent, with salutations to the beloved. and when she heard this, she rejoiced at the good news, and ejaculated a prayer for me, saying, may god dispel thine anxiety as thou hast dispelled mine! she then took the letter, and proceeded a few steps; but presently she returned to me, and, kissing my hand, said, o my lord, may god (whose name be exalted!) give thee enjoyment of thy youth, and not disgrace thee. i beg that thou wilt walk with me a few paces, to that door; for i have told them what thou hast read to me of the letter, and they do not believe me: come with me, therefore, two steps, and read to them the letter outside the door, and accept my prayer for thee.—and what, said i, is the history of this letter? she answered, o my son, this letter hath come from my son, who hath been absent from us for the space of ten years; for he journeyed with merchandise, and hath remained504 abroad during that period, and we relinquished all hope of his return, thinking that he was dead: then came to us this letter from him; and he hath a sister who hath wept for him during his absence night and day; and i told her that he was in health and prosperity; but she believed me not, and said to me, thou must bring me a person to read this letter and to acquaint me with its contents, that my heart may be set at ease and my mind comforted.—thou knowest, o my son, that the loving is prepossessed with evil anticipations: favour me, therefore, by reading this letter while thou shalt stand outside the curtain, and his sister shall hear it within the door, that the recompense of him who accomplisheth a want for a muslim, and dispelleth from his mind a trouble, may be thine: for the apostle of god (may god bless and save him!) hath said, whoso dispelleth from the mind of a sorrowful person one of the troubles of this world, god will dispel from his mind one of the troubles of the world to come:—and in another tradition, whoso dispelleth from the mind of his brother one of the troubles of this world, god will dispel from his mind seventy-two of the troubles of the day of resurrection:—and now i have desired thee, do not disappoint me.—so i replied, i hear and obey: proceed before me.

she therefore walked before me, and i followed her a little way, until she arrived at a great door overlaid with copper; and she stopped at this door, and called out in persian, and immediately a damsel approached, with light and nimble step. her trousers were tucked up to her knees, and i beheld a pair of legs that confounded the mind and the eye by their beauty: they were like two columns of alabaster, and ornamented with anklets of gold set with jewels. the skirts of her outer clothes were tucked up under her arms, and her sleeves were turned up from her arms, and i looked at her white wrists, and upon them were two pairs of bracelets: in her ears were two ear-rings of pearls; and upon her neck was a necklace of costly jewels; and on her head, a koofeeyeh,40 quite new, adorned with precious gems. she had tucked the skirt of her inner tunic within the band of her trousers, and appeared as though she had been employed in some active work. and when she beheld me, she said, with an eloquent and sweet tongue that i had never heard surpassed in sweetness, o my mother, is this he who hath come to read the letter? she answered, yes. and the damsel stretched forth her hand to me with the letter. there was, between her and the door, a distance of about half a rod;41 and i505 extended my hand to take the letter from her, and put my head and shoulders within the door to draw near to her; but before i knew what she was about to do, the old woman placed her head against my back, and pushed me forward, while my hand was holding the letter, and i looked around, and found myself in the midst of the house; that is, within the vestibule. the old woman entered more quickly than the blinding lightning, and had nothing to do but to shut the door: and when the damsel beheld me within the vestibule, she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and, taking me by the hand, unable to extricate myself from her grasp, led me, preceded by the old woman with the lighted candle, until she had passed through seven vestibules; after which she conducted me into a large saloon, with four leewáns,42 in which a horseman might play at goff.43 she then seated me, and said to me, open thine eye. and i did so, giddy from the violence that i had experienced, and saw that the whole construction of the saloon was of the most beautiful alabaster, and all its furniture, including the cushions and mattresses, of brocade. in it were also two benches of brass, and a couch of red gold set with pearls and jewels, not suitable to any but a king like thee.

the future wife of 'azeez

after this, she said to me, o 'azeez, which of the two states is506 the more agreeable to thee, life or death? i answered her, life. and she said, then if life is more agreeable to thee, marry me.—i dislike, i replied, marrying such a person as thou. she rejoined, if thou marry me, thou wilt be secure from the daughter of the crafty deleeleh.44—and who, said i, is the daughter of the crafty deleeleh? she laughed, and answered, how is it that thou knowest her not, when thou hast now been in her company a year and four months? may allah (whose name be exalted!) destroy her. verily there existeth not any one more treacherous than she. how many persons hath she killed before thee, and what deeds hath she done! and how hast thou escaped from her, without her killing or troubling thee, when thou hast been in her company all this time?—when i heard her words i wondered extremely, and said to her, o my mistress, who acquainted thee with her? she answered, i know her as the age knoweth its calamities; but i desire that thou inform me of all that thou hast experienced from her, that i may know the cause of thy safety from her. so i related to her all that had happened to me with her and with my cousin 'azeezeh; and she exclaimed, allah have mercy upon her!—and her eyes shed tears, and she struck her hands together, when she heard of the death of my cousin 'azeezeh, and said, may allah compensate thee abundantly for the loss of her, o 'azeez; for she hath been the cause of thy safety from the daughter of the crafty deleeleh; and had it not been for her, thou hadst perished.45 after this, she clapped her hands, and said, o my mother, bring in those who are with thee. and lo, the old woman approached with four lawful witnesses; and she lighted four candles; and when the witnesses entered, they saluted me, and seated themselves; and the damsel covered herself with an izár, and appointed one of the witnesses to be her deputy in making her contract. so they performed the marriage-contract, and she affirmed of herself that she had received the whole of the dowry, both the portion usually paid in advance and the arrears, and that she was indebted to me in the sum of ten thousand pieces of silver; after which she gave to the witnesses their fees, and they departed.

on the following day, i desired to go out; but she approached me laughing, and said, dost thou think that going out from the bath is like entering it?46 i imagine thou thinkest me to be like the daughter of the crafty deleeleh. beware of entertaining such an idea. thou art no other than my husband, according to the ?ur-án and the sunneh; and if thou hast been intoxicated, return507 to thy reason. verily this house in which thou art is not opened but on one day in every year. go to the street-door and look.—so i went and looked, and found it closed and nailed, and returned and told her so; and she said to me, o 'azeez, we have of flour and grain and fruits and pomegranates and sugar and meat and sheep and fowls and other provisions what will suffice us for many years, and from this last night our door will not be opened until after a year and i know that thou wilt not behold thyself outside this house until after a year hath expired. upon this i exclaimed, there is no strength nor power but in god! and she laughed, and i laughed also, and complied with her orders, and remained with her until the twelve months of the year had expired, when i was blest with a son by her. and on the first day of the following year, i heard the opening of the door, and lo, men came in with ka?ks47 and flour and sugar; and i desired to go out; but she said to me, wait until nightfall, and as thou camest in, so go forth. i therefore waited until that hour, and was on the point of going out, in fear and trembling, when she said to me, by allah, i will not let thee go until i have made thee swear to me that thou wilt return this night before the door is closed. so i promised her to do it; and she made me swear by binding oaths upon the sword and the ?ur-án, and by the oath of divorce, that i would return to her.48

i then went forth from her, and repaired to the garden. i found it open as usual, and was angry, saying within myself, i have been absent from this place a whole year, and, coming unawares, have found it open as usual. i wonder if the damsel be still there as heretofore, and i must enter and see before i go to my mother.—it was then nightfall, and i entered the garden, and, proceeding to the ma?'ad, found the daughter of the crafty deleeleh sitting with her head upon her knee and her hand upon her cheek. her complexion was changed, and her eyes were sunk, and when she beheld me she exclaimed, praise be to god for thy safety!—and she endeavoured to rise, but fell down through her joy. i was ashamed at seeing her, and hung down my head; but presently i advanced to her and kissed her, and said to her, how didst thou know that i was coming to thee at this time? she answered, i knew it not. by allah, for a year i have not tasted sleep; but have sat up every night expecting thee, and in this state have i been from the day when thou wentest forth from me and i gave thee the new suit of clothing and thou promisedst me that thou wouldst return to me.508 i remained expecting thee, and thou camest not the first night, nor the second, nor the third: so i still waited in expectation of thy coming; for such is the way of the lover: and i would now that thou tell me what hath been the cause of thine absence from me this year. i therefore told her; and when she knew that i had married, her countenance became pale. i then said to her, i have come to thee this night, but must go before the morning. but she exclaimed, is it not enough for her to have married thee, and to have employed this stratagem against thee, and imprisoned thee with her a whole year, that she hath made thee swear by the oath of divorce that thou wilt return to her before the morning, and will not allow thee to divert thyself with thy mother nor with me, and cannot endure thy passing one night with either of us? what then must be the state of her from whom thou hast been absent a whole year, though i knew thee before she did! but may allah have mercy on 'azeezeh; for she suffered what none other hath suffered, and endured with patience that of which none else hath endured the like, and died through thy oppression. it was she who protected thee from me. i thought that thou wouldst return, and gave thee liberty, though i was able to imprison thee, and to destroy thee.

the punishment of 'azeez

having thus said, she wept, and became enraged, and looked at me with the eye of anger; and when i beheld her in this state, the muscles of my side quivered, and i feared her, and became as the bean upon the fire. she then cried out, and suddenly ten female slaves came to me, and threw me upon the floor; and when i fell under their hands, she arose, and, taking a knife, said, i will509 slaughter thee as goats are slaughtered, and this shall be thy least recompense for that which thou hast done unto thy cousin. when i beheld myself, therefore, beneath her female slaves, and my cheek was soiled with the dust, and i saw the knife in her hand, i looked upon death as inevitable. i implored her mercy; but she only increased in hardness, and ordered the female slaves to bind my hands behind me; and they did so, and, throwing me upon my back, seated themselves upon my body, and held my head. then two of them arose and took hold of my toes, and two others seated themselves upon my legs; after which, their mistress arose, with two others of them, and she ordered them to beat me; whereupon they beat me until i fainted, and my voice became inaudible; and when i recovered, i said within myself, verily my being slaughtered were easier to me than this beating! i bethought myself of the words of my cousin, when she said, may god avert from thee her wickedness!—and i cried out and wept until my voice failed. she then sharpened the knife, and said to the female slaves, uncover his throat. but god inspired me to repeat the two phrases which my cousin had charged me to utter, namely, fidelity is good, and treachery is base;—and when she heard this, she cried out and said, allah have mercy upon thee, o 'azeezeh! would that thy youth had been spared! thou hast profited thy cousin during thy life and after thy death!—then addressing me, she added, by allah, thou hast saved thy life from me by means of these two phrases; but i must cause thee to bear a mark of my resentment.—so saying, she inflicted upon me a cruel wound, and i fainted; but when i recovered, the blood had stopped, and she gave me to drink a cup of wine, and spurned me with her foot.

i rose; but was unable at first to walk: presently, however, i proceeded by little and little until i arrived at the door of my wife's house. i found it open, and threw myself within it, in a state of distraction; and my wife came and took me up and conveyed me to the saloon, where i fell into a deep sleep; but when i awoke, i found myself laid at the gate of the garden.

in anguish i rose, and went to my home, and, entering the house, found my mother weeping for me, and exclaiming, would that i knew, o my son, in what land thou art! so i approached her, and threw myself upon her, and when she beheld me, she saw that i was unwell. yellowness and blackness were mingled upon my face; and i remembered my cousin, and the kindness she had510 shewn me, and was convinced that she loved me. i wept for her, and my mother also wept, and then said to me, o my son, thy father is dead. and upon this, my rage increased, and i wept until i became insensible; and when i recovered, i looked towards the place where my cousin was accustomed to sit, and wept again till i fainted from the violence of my lamentation. i ceased not to weep and wail until midnight, when my mother said to me, thy father hath been dead ten days. but i replied, i think of no one but my cousin; for i deserve what hath happened to me, because i neglected her when she loved me. she asked me, therefore, and what hath happened to thee? so i related to her that which had befallen me; to which she replied, praise be to god that this happened to thee and that she did not slaughter thee! she then applied remedies to my wound until i recovered, and regained my usual strength; and she said to me, o my son, i will now produce to thee the deposite with which thy cousin intrusted me; for it is thine, and she made me swear that i would not produce it to thee until i saw that thou rememberedst her and mournedst for her, and that thine affections for another were severed; and now i hope that i find in thee these dispositions. she therefore arose, and, opening a chest, took forth from it this piece of linen containing the design of the gazelles, which i had originally given to her; and when i took it, i found written upon it some verses complaining of her unrequited love for me, and there fell from it a paper containing some words of consolation and counsel.49

as soon as i had read and understood this paper, i wept again, and my mother did the same, and i continued looking at it and weeping until the approach of night; and in this state i remained for the space of a year; after which, some merchants of my city, the same whom i am accompanying in this caravan, prepared for a journey; and my mother suggested to me that i should fit myself out and go with them, saying to me, perhaps the journey will dispel this sorrow which thou sufferest, and thou wilt be absent a year, or two years, or three, until the caravan returneth, and thy heart may become dilated. thus she continued to persuade me, so that i prepared some merchandise, and journeyed with them; but my tears have not dried up during my travels; for at every station where we halt i spread this piece of linen before me, and look at this design, and think of my cousin, and weep for her as thou seest, since she loved me excessively, and died through my unkindness; i doing nothing but evil to her, while she did nothing to me but what was good.511 when the merchants return from their journey, i shall return with them, and the period of my absence will be a complete year; but i still suffer increasing sorrow; and my sorrow hath been only augmented in consequence of my passing by the islands of camphor and the castle of crystal.50

these islands are seven in number, and the sovereign of them is a king named sháh-zemán.51 he hath a daughter named dunyà;52 and it was told me that it was she who worked the designs of the gazelles, and that this design which is in my possession was one of her work; and when i knew this, i became excessively desirous of seeing her: so, when the caravan entered her country, i went forth and wandered about the gardens, which contained a profusion of trees. the superintendent of the gardens was a sheykh advanced in age; and i said to him, o sheykh, to whom doth this garden belong? he answered, to the king's daughter, the lady dunyà, and we are beneath her palace; and if thou desire to amuse thyself, open the private door, and take a view of the garden and smell the odours of the flowers. so i said to him, have the kindness to allow me to sit in this garden until she passeth by, that i may enjoy a glance at her. the sheykh replied, there will be no harm in thy doing so. when he said this, therefore, i gave him some money, saying to him, buy for us something to eat. and he rejoiced at receiving the money, and, opening the door, conducted me within; and we proceeded until we came to a pleasant spot, where he brought me some delicate fruits, and said to me, sit here while i go and return to thee. and he left me and departed, and, after he had been absent a while, returned bringing a roasted lamb; and we ate until we were satisfied, my heart longing to behold the lady, and while we were sitting, lo, the door opened; whereupon he said to me, rise, and conceal thyself. so i rose, and hid myself; and a black eunuch put forth his head from the door, and said, o sheykh, is any one with thee? he answered, no.—then close the door, said the eunuch. the sheykh, therefore, closed the door of the garden; and lo, the lady dunyà came forth. when i beheld her, i thought that the moon had descended upon the earth; my mind was confounded, and i desired her as the thirsty longeth for water; and after a while, she closed the door and departed. i then went forth from the garden, and repaired to my lodging, knowing that i could not obtain access to her; and when my companions prepared for departure, i also prepared myself, and travelled with them towards thy city; and on our arrival here, we met with512 thee.—this is my story, and this is what hath happened unto me; and peace be on thee.

the lady dunyà

continuation of the story of táj-el-mulook and the lady dunyà.

when táj-el-mulook heard this story, his heart became troubled with love for the lady dunyà. he then mounted his horse, and, taking with him 'azeez, returned to his father's city, where he assigned to him a house, and furnished it with everything that he required; after which he left him, and repaired to his palace. his tears ran down upon his cheeks (for hearing affecteth as sight and union), and in this state he remained until his father came in to him, and, finding that his colour was changed, knew that he was oppressed by anxiety and grief: so he said to him, o my son, acquaint me with thy case, and tell me what hath happened to thee to change thy513 colour. he therefore related to him all that he had heard of the story of dunyà, and how he had fallen in love with her from hearsay, without having seen her; whereupon his father said to him, o my son, her father is a king, and his country is distant from us: abandon, therefore, this idea, and enter the palace of thy mother; for in it are five hundred female slaves like so many moons, and whoever of them pleaseth thee do thou take her; or, if none of them please thee, we will demand in marriage for thee one of the daughters of the kings, more beautiful than the lady dunyà. but he replied, o my father, i desire not any but her: it was she who worked the design of the gazelles that i saw, and i must have her, or i will flee into the deserts, and kill myself on her account.

so his father said, have patience with me, o my son, that i may send to her father and demand her of him in marriage, and accomplish for thee thy wish, like as i did for myself in the case of thy mother; and if he consent not, i will convulse his kingdom around him, and send against him an army of which the rear shall be with me when the van is with him. he then called for the young man 'azeez, and said to him, o my son, knowest thou the way? he answered, yes.—then i desire of thee, said the king, that thou journey with my wezeer. and 'azeez replied, i hear and obey, o king of the age. the king, therefore, summoned his wezeer, and said to him, manage for me the affair of my son according to thy knowledge, and repair to the islands of camphor, and demand in marriage the daughter of their king. he replied, i hear and obey. and táj-el-mulook returned to his apartments, and his malady and impatience increased: he fell down in a swoon, and recovered not until the morning; and when the morning arrived, his father came to him, and saw his complexion more changed, and his sallowness increased; and he exhorted him to patience, and promised him the accomplishment of his union.

the king then equipped 'azeez, with his wezeer, and supplied them with the presents; and they journeyed days and nights until they beheld the islands of camphor, when they halted on the bank of a river, and the wezeer sent forward a messenger from his party to the king, to acquaint him with their approach; and half a day after the departure of the messenger, suddenly they saw that the chamberlains of the king, and his emeers, had advanced to meet them from the distance of a league; and they met him, and attended them until they went in with them to the king. they placed514 before the king the presents, and remained in his palace four days; and on the fifth day the wezeer arose and went in to the king, and, standing before him, delivered to him his message, and acquainted him with the cause of his coming; but the king was perplexed how to answer, for his daughter liked not marriage; and he hung down his head for a while towards the floor; and after this he raised it, and, looking towards one of the eunuchs, said to him, go to thy mistress dunyà, and acquaint her with what thou hast heard, and with the purpose of the visit of this wezeer. so the eunuch went, and, after a short absence, returned to the king, and said to him, o king of the age, when i went in to the lady dunyà, and acquainted her with what i had heard, she was violently enraged, and rose against me with a stick, and would have broken my head; wherefore i fled from her; and she said to me, if my father force me to marry, him whom i marry i will kill. her father, therefore, said to the wezeer and 'azeez, salute ye the king, and inform him of this, and that my daughter liketh not marriage. accordingly the wezeer returned with his attendants unsuccessful, and they continued their journey until they went in unto the king, and acquainted him with what had happened; and upon this he ordered the chiefs to call together the troops that they might march to war; but the wezeer said to him, do not this; for the king is not in fault: the refusal is on the part of his daughter, who, when she knew of this proposal, sent to say, if my father force me to marry, i will kill him whom i marry, and kill myself after him.

and when the king heard the words of the wezeer, he feared for his son táj-el-mulook, and said, if i make war upon her father, and obtain possession of his daughter, she will kill herself. he then acquainted his son táj-el-mulook with the truth of the case; and when the prince heard it, he said to his father, o my father, i cannot exist without her: i will therefore go to her, and seek means of obtaining an interview with her, though i die in the attempt: and i will do nothing but this. his father said, how wilt thou go to her? he answered, i will go in the disguise of a merchant.—then if it must be so, rejoined the king, take with thee the wezeer and 'azeez. he then took forth for him some money from his treasuries, and prepared for him merchandise at the price of a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and they both agreed as to this course; and when night came, táj-el-mulook and 'azeez went to the abode of the latter, and there passed that night. but the heart of táj-el-mulook was515 captivated, and neither eating nor rest pleased him: reflections overwhelmed him, and he was drowned in them; and, longing for his beloved, he poured forth his tears, and wept violently; and 'azeez wept with him, reflecting upon his cousin; and they both continued thus until the morning, when táj-el-mulook arose and went in to his mother. he was equipped for the journey; and she asked him respecting his state: so he acquainted her with the whole truth; and she gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and bade him farewell, and he went forth from her, while she offered up prayers for his safety, and for his union with the object of his love. he then went in to his father, and asked his permission to depart; and the king granted him permission, and gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and ordered that a tent should be pitched for him outside the city.

halt on the journey

a large tent was therefore pitched for him; and after they had remained in it two days, they commenced their journey; and táj-el-mulook treated 'azeez with familiar kindness, and said to him, o my brother, i cannot henceforth part with thee.—and i, replied 'azeez, am of the like mind, and desire to die at thy feet; but, o my brother, my heart is troubled with thoughts of my mother. so táj-el-mulook516 said, when we shall have attained our wish, all will be well. now the wezeer had charged táj-el-mulook to display an air of patience, and 'azeez occupied himself with reciting to him verses, and narrating to him histories and tales; and they continued on their way by night and day for the space of two months. the length of the journey became wearisome to táj-el-mulook; and the violence of his desire, and his passion and distraction, increased: so when they drew near to the city, he rejoiced excessively, and his anxiety and grief ceased.

they entered it in the garb of merchants, the king's son being also clad in the same manner, and, coming to a place known as the abode of merchants, which was a large khán, táj-el-mulook said to 'azeez, is this the abode of the merchants? 'azeez answered, yes: it is not, however, the khán in which i lodged with the caravan that i accompanied; but it is better than that. so they made their camels lie down, and unloaded, and, having deposited their goods in the magazines, remained there to take rest four days. the wezeer then suggested to them that they should hire for themselves a large house; to which they assented; and they hired a spacious house, fitted for festivities. there they took up their abode; and the wezeer and 'azeez studied to devise some stratagem for the sake of táj-el-mulook, who was perplexed, not knowing what to do. the wezeer could contrive no other plan than that of his opening for himself a shop to carry on the trade of a merchant in the market of fine stuffs: he therefore addressed táj-el-mulook and 'azeez, and said to them, know that if we remain in this state we shall not attain our wish; and a thing hath occurred to my mind which probably may be advisable, if it be the will of god. so they replied, do what seemeth fit to thee; for a blessing attendeth the aged, and especially in thy case, since thou hast devoted thyself to the management of affairs: therefore give us the advice which hath suggested itself to thy mind. and he said to táj-el-mulook, it is my opinion that we should hire for thee a shop in the market of fine stuffs, and that thou shouldst sit in it to sell and buy; for every person of the higher ranks and of the people in general standeth in need of such stuffs, and if thou sit in that shop thy affair will be arranged, if it be the will of god (whose name be exalted!), especially because of thy comely person; but make 'azeez thy trusty attendant, and seat him in the shop to hand to thee the stuffs. and when táj-el-mulook heard these words, he said. this is a judicious opinion;—and immediately he took forth a517 suit of merchant's attire, and clad himself in it, and arose and went forth, followed by his young men, and gave to one of them a thousand pieces of gold to fit up the shop.

they proceeded until they arrived at the market of fine stuffs, and when the merchants saw táj-el-mulook, and observed his handsome and comely person, they were confounded, and began to say, hath ri?wán53 opened the gates of paradise and neglected them, so that this youth of surprising beauty hath come forth?—and one said, this is probably one of the angels. and when they went in among the merchants, they inquired for the shop of the sheykh of the market. the merchants, therefore, guided them thither, and they went to him; and as they approached him, he and the merchants who were with him rose to them, and received them with honour, especially the excellent wezeer; for they saw him to be an aged and venerable man; and observing that he was accompanied by táj-el-mulook and 'azeez, they said, no doubt this sheykh is the father of these two young men. the wezeer then said to them, who among you is the sheykh of the market? they answered, this is he. and the wezeer, looking at him and observing him, saw that he was an old man of grave and respectable aspect, and possessing servants and young men. the sheykh of the market greeted them with friendly compliments, and treated them with great honour, and, having seated them by his side, said to them, have ye any business which we may have the happiness of transacting? the wezeer answered, yes: i am an old man, advanced in age, and i have these two young men: i have travelled with them through all regions and countries, and have not entered a town without remaining in it a whole year, that they might amuse themselves with the sight of it and become acquainted with its inhabitants; and now i have come to this your town, and have chosen to make a stay in it: i therefore desire of thee one of the best shops, that i may seat them in it to traffic, and that they may amuse themselves with the sight of this city, and acquire the manners of its people, and obtain an experience in buying and selling and other commercial transactions.

so the sheykh of the market replied, there will be no harm in doing so:—and, looking at the two young men, he was delighted with them, and he arose and stood like a servant before them to wait upon them. and afterwards he went and prepared for them the shop: it was in the midst of the market, and there was none larger than it, nor any more handsome there; for it was spacious and518 decorated, and contained shelves of ivory and ebony. he then delivered the keys to the wezeer (who was also in the garb of a merchant), and said, god grant that it may be attended with blessings to thy two sons!54 and when the wezeer had taken the keys of the shop, he went to it, together with the servants, who deposited in it their goods; and they ordered the servants to remove thither all the merchandise and stuffs and rarities that they had. these things were worth treasuries of wealth; and they transported the whole of them to the shop. they then passed the night, and in the morning the wezeer conducted the two young men to the bath, where they washed and enjoyed themselves to the utmost, after which they returned to their abode to rest from the fatigue of bathing, and ate and drank; and they passed the next night in their abode in the most perfect joy and happiness. and on the following morning they rose from their sleep, and, having performed the ablution, recited the divinely-ordained prayers, and drank their morning-beverage;55 and when daylight came, and the shops and markets were opened, they went forth from their abode, and repaired to the market, and opened the shop. the servants had prepared it for them in the handsomest manner, and spread it with carpets of silk, and placed in it two mattresses, each of which was worth a hundred pieces of gold; and upon each mattress they spread a skin such as kings sit upon, surrounded with an edge of gold: so táj-el-mulook seated himself upon one mattress, and 'azeez upon the other, and the wezeer sat in the midst of the shop, while the servants stood before them. the people heard of them, and crowded about them, and they sold of their merchandise; and the fame of táj-el-mulook was spread through the city, and the report of his handsomeness and comeliness was blazed throughout it. they continued this life for several days, the people pressing to them; after which the wezeer addressed táj-el-mulook, and enjoined him to conceal his case, and, having charged 'azeez to keep watch over him, repaired to the house to plan some mode of proceeding that might be of advantage to them. meanwhile, táj-el-mulook and 'azeez sat conversing together; and the former said, perhaps some one may come from the lady dunyà.

táj-el-mulook receiving the old woman

thus táj-el-mulook passed his time days and nights, and slept not; desire overpowered him, and he became more and more emaciated and infirm, renouncing the delight of sleep, and abstaining from drink and food; but still he was like the full moon: and as he was sitting one day, lo, an old woman approached and advanced519 towards him, followed by two female slaves, and she continued to draw near until she stopped at his shop. beholding his graceful person, and his handsome and lovely aspect, she wondered at his beauty, and said, extolled be the perfection of him who created thee! extolled be the perfection of him who hath made thee a temptation to all creatures!—she ceased not to gaze at him, and said, this is not a mortal: this is no other than a noble angel!56 then drawing close to him, she saluted him, and he returned her salutation, and rose to her, standing upon his feet,57 and smiled in her face. all this he did at the hinting of 'azeez; after which he seated her by his side, and occupied himself with fanning her until she had rested herself; when she said to him, o my son! o thou of perfect qualities and graces! art thou of this country?—táj-el-mulook answered her, with an eloquent and sweet and charming voice, by allah, o my mistress, in my life i never entered this country until now; and i have not taken up my abode in it but for the sake of amusement. and she wished him honour, and welcomed him, and said, what stuffs hast thou brought with thee? show me something beautiful; for the beautiful bringeth not anything but what is beautiful.—and when520 táj-el-mulook heard her words his heart palpitated; but he understood not their meaning: so 'azeez made a sign to him; and táj-el-mulook said to her, i have everything that thou desirest of stuffs suitable only to kings and the daughters of kings. for whom, then, wouldst thou purchase, that i may display to thee what will be appropriate?—he desired by this question to learn the meaning of her words; and she answered, i want some stuff suitable to the lady dunyà, the daughter of king sháh-zemán. on hearing the mention of his beloved, táj-el-mulook rejoiced exceedingly, and said to 'azeez, bring me the most magnificent of the goods that are by thee. and 'azeez gave him a wrapper, and untied it before her, and táj-el-mulook said to her, choose what will suit her; for this is such as is not found with any but me. so the old woman chose some stuff that was worth a thousand pieces of gold; and said, what is the price of this?—what! said he, shall i bargain with a person like thee respecting this contemptible thing? praise be to god who hath made me acquainted with thee.—and the old woman exclaimed, i invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of the lord of the daybreak!58 for verily thy face is comely, and so are thine actions. joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially if she be endowed with beauty like thee!—upon this, táj-el-mulook laughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], o accomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women!59 and she said to him, o my son, what is thy name? he answered, my name is táj-el-mulook.—this, she replied, is one of the names of kings; but thou art in the garb of the merchants. so 'azeez said, from the affection of his family for him, and the high estimation in which they held him, they gave him this name. and the old woman replied, thou hast spoken truth. may god avert from you the evil of the envious, though hearts be broken by your charms!

she then took the stuff, and departed, confounded by his handsomeness and loveliness and elegant form; and she proceeded until she went in to the lady dunyà, when she said to her, o my mistress, i have brought thee some beautiful stuff.—shew it me, said the lady. and she replied, o my mistress, here it is: turn it over, and behold it. and when the lady dunyà saw it, she said to her, o my nurse, verily this is beautiful stuff; i have not seen such in our city!—o my mistress, replied the old woman, the seller of it surpasseth it in beauty. it seemeth as though ri?wán had opened the gates of paradise and neglected them, and so the merchant who selleth this stuff had come521 forth from it. i wish he were with thee; for he is a temptation to every one who beholdeth him. he hath come to our city with these stuffs for the sake of amusement.—at these words of the old woman the lady dunyà laughed, and said, allah afflict thee, thou ill-omened old woman! thou hast spoken nonsense, and art become insane.—she then added, give me the stuff that i may examine it closely. so the old woman handed it to her, and she looked at it again, and saw that it was but little, and that its price was great; and she wondered at its beauty; for she had never in her life seen anything like it. the old woman then said to her, o my mistress, if thou didst behold its owner, thou wouldst know that he is the handsomest person on the face of the earth. and the lady dunyà said to her, didst thou ask him if he had any want to be performed, that he might acquaint us with it, and thou mightest accomplish it for him? the old woman, shaking her head, replied, allah preserve thy sagacity! by allah, he hath a want. and is any person without one?—go to him, then, said the lady dunyà, and salute him, and say to him, i have been honoured by thine arrival in our city, and whatever want thou hast, we will perform it for thee on the head and the eye.

the old woman, therefore, returned immediately to táj-el-mulook, and when he saw her, his heart leaped with joy, and he rose to her, standing upon his feet, and, taking her hand, seated her by his side. so when she had sat and rested herself, she informed him of that which the lady dunyà had said. on hearing this, he was filled with the utmost joy; his bosom expanded, and he said within himself, i have accomplished my wish! he then said to the old woman, perhaps thou wilt convey to her a letter from me, and bring me back the answer. she replied, i hear and obey. and when he heard her reply, he said to 'azeez, give me an inkhorn and paper, and a pen of brass. and 'azeez having given him these things, he wrote the following verses:—

i write to thee a letter, o object of my petition, expressive of the torment that i suffer from separation;

and first, i make known to thee the ardour of my heart; and secondly, my desire and eager longing;

and thirdly, the expiring of my life and patience; and fourthly, that all the violence of my love remaineth;

and fifthly, i ask, when shall i behold thee? and sixthly, when shall be the day of our union?

he then added beneath, this letter is from the captive of desire, incarcerated in the prison of longing expectation, to whom there can522 be no liberation but by enjoying an interview, even were it with the phantom of the object of his hope; for he is enduring a painful torment from the separation of his beloved.—then his tears flowed, and he wrote these two verses:—

i write unto thee with my tears flowing, and the drops from my eyes descending incessantly;

but i am not despairing of the favour of my lord: perhaps some day our union may take place.

he then folded the letter, and sealed it, and gave it to the old woman, saying, convey it to the lady dunyà. she replied, i hear and obey. and he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and said, receive this as a present from me. so the old woman took it and departed, praying for him.

she stopped not until she went in to the lady dunyà, who, when she beheld her, said to her, o my nurse, what hath he demanded that we should do for him?—o my mistress, she answered, he hath sent with me a letter, and i know not its contents. and she handed the letter to her. so the lady dunyà took it and read it, and understood its meaning, and exclaimed, whence is he, and to what doth he aspire, that this merchant openeth a correspondence with me? then slapping her face, she said, were it not for my fear of god (whose name be exalted!) i would crucify him upon his shop. so the old woman said to her, what is in this letter, that it hath disturbed thy heart? doth it contain a complaint of oppression, or a demand for the price of the stuff?—wo to thee! she answered: it containeth not that, nor anything but love and affection; and all this is through thee. or, if not, how should this devil presume to employ these words?—o my mistress, replied the old woman, thou art residing in thy lofty palace, and no one can obtain access to thee; not even the flying bird. allah preserve thee from blame and censure! thou hast nothing to fear from the barking of dogs. be not angry with me for my bringing thee this letter when i knew not its contents: but it is my opinion that thou shouldst return him an answer, and threaten him in it with slaughter, and forbid him from employing these vain words; for he will abstain, and not do so again.—the lady dunyà said, i fear to write to him, lest he covet me more. but the old woman replied, when he heareth the threatening, and promise of punishment, he will desist from his present conduct. so she said, bring me an inkhorn and paper, and a pen of brass. and when they had brought them to her, she wrote these verses:523—

o pretender to love and affliction and sleeplessness, and feelings of rapturous passion, and anxiety!

dost thou seek for a meeting, o deceived, from a moon? doth any attain from a moon his wish?

i advise thine abstaining from thy desire: forbear then; for thou art exposed to peril.

if thou again make use of these words, i will visit thee with a punishment of the utmost severity.

by him who created mankind of clotted blood,60 and who gave light to the sun and the moon!

if thou repeat the proposal thou hast made, i will assuredly crucify thee on the trunk of a tree.

the lady dunyà writing

she then folded up the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, deliver it to him, and say to him, abstain from these words. and she replied, i hear and obey.

she took the letter, full of joy,61 and went with it to her house, where she passed the night; and in the morning she repaired to the shop of táj-el-mulook, whom she found expecting her. as soon as he beheld her, he almost flew with joy, and when she drew near to him he rose to her, standing upon his feet, and seated her by his side; and she took forth the letter, and handed it to him, saying, read its contents. she then said to him, the lady dunyà, when she read thy letter, was enraged; but i coaxed her and jested with her until i made her laugh, and she was moved with pity for thee, and returned thee an answer. so táj-el-mulook thanked her for this, and, having ordered 'azeez to give her a thousand pieces of gold, read the letter, and understood it; and he wept violently, so that the heart of the old woman was moved with compassion for him, and his weeping and complaining grieved her. she said to him, o my son, and what is in524 this paper, that it hath made thee weep? he answered, she threateneth me with slaughter and crucifixion, and forbiddeth my writing to her; but if i write not to her, my death will be preferable to my life; therefore take a reply to her letter, and let her do what she will.—by thy youth, replied the old woman, i must risk my life for thee, and enable thee to attain thy desire, and accomplish for thee that which is in thy heart. and táj-el-mulook said, whatsoever thou dost i will requite thee for it; and it shall be determined by thee; for thou art experienced in the management of affairs, and skilled in the modes of intrigue, and everything that is difficult becometh easy to thee; and god is able to accomplish all things. so he took a paper, and wrote in it these verses:—

she threatened me with slaughter. o my bereavement! slaughter would be ease to me, and death is decreed.

death is better than life prolonged to the love-smitten who is debarred from enjoyment and treated with oppression.

by allah, visit a helpless lover; for i am your slave, and the slave is in captivity.

o my mistress, have mercy on me for my passion; for every one who loveth the virtuous is excusable.

having done this, he sighed heavily, and wept until the old woman wept with him; after which she took the letter from him, and said to him, be happy and cheerful; for i must accomplish for thee thy wish.

she then arose, and left him as though he were upon the fire, and repaired to the lady dunyà, whom she found with a countenance changed by her anger in consequence of the former epistle of táj-el-mulook; and she handed her the second letter; whereupon her rage increased, and she said to the old woman, did i not tell thee that he would covet us more?—and what is this dog, said the old woman, that he should aspire to thee? the lady dunyà replied, go to him, and say to him, if thou write to her again she will strike off thy head. but the old woman said, do thou write this to him in a letter, and i will take it with me, that his fear may be the greater. so she took a paper, and wrote in it the following verses:—

o thou who art heedless of the course of misfortunes, and who canst not accomplish thy desired union!

dost thou think, o deceived, to attain to es-suhà,62 when thou canst not reach to the shining moon?

how then dost thou venture to hope for our union, and to hold in thine embrace my javelin-like form?

quit, therefore, this project, in fear of my assault on a day of adversity when hair shall become gray,

525 having folded this letter, she handed it to the old woman, who took it and repaired with it to táj-el-mulook. at the sight of her he rose, and said, may god never deprive me of the blessing of thy coming! and the old woman replied, receive the answer to thy letter. so he took the paper and read it, and wept violently, and said, i desire now some one to kill me; for slaughter would be easier to me than this my present state of suffering. he then took an inkhorn and a pen and paper, and wrote a letter expressed in these two verses:—

o my hope, persist not in abandonment and cruelty; but visit a lover drowned in desire.

think not that i can survive this oppression; for my soul departeth at the loss of my beloved.

and he folded the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, i have wearied thee to no purpose. and again he ordered 'azeez to give her a thousand pieces of gold, and said to her, o my mother, this paper must be followed by complete union or complete separation.—o my son, she replied, by allah, i desire for thee nothing but good fortune: and i wish she may be with thee; for thou art the shining moon, and she is the rising sun; and if i do not bring you together, no profit will remain to me in my life. i have passed my life in the practice of artifice and deceit, until i have attained the age of ninety years; and how then should i fail of uniting two persons in opposition to all law?

then, having bidden him farewell, and soothed his mind, she departed, and proceeded without stopping to the lady dunyà; but she had hidden the paper in her hair; and when she sat down with her mistress, she scratched her head, and said, o my mistress, perhaps thou wilt untwist my hair; for it is a long time since i have entered the bath. so the lady dunyà made bare her arms to the elbows, and untwisted the old woman's hair; whereupon the paper fell from her head; and the lady dunyà, seeing it, said, what is this paper? the old woman answered, it seemeth that, when i was sitting at the shop of the merchant, this paper caught to me: give it me, therefore, that i may return it to him. but the lady dunyà opened it and read it, and understood its contents, and exclaimed, this is a trick of thine, and were it not for the fact of thy having reared me, i would lay violent hands upon thee this moment. god hath afflicted me by this merchant, and all that i have experienced from him hath been through thy means. i know not from what country this man hath come. no526 one but he could ever use such boldness towards me. i fear that this affair which hath happened to me may be discovered, and especially since it relateth to a man who is neither of my family nor of my equals.—the old woman then addressed her, and said, no one can utter a word on this subject, through fear of thy power, and of the dignity of thy father: and there will be no harm in thy returning him an answer.—o my nurse, replied the lady dunyà, this is a devil. how hath he dared to use these words, and feared not the power of the sul?án? i am perplexed respecting his case; for if i give orders to kill him, it will not be right: and if i leave him, he will increase in his boldness.—write to him a letter, rejoined the old woman; and perhaps he will be restrained. she therefore demanded a paper and an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote to him the following verses:—

though repeatedly rebuked, still gross ignorance inciteth thee. how oft shall my hand write verses to forbid thee?

thou increasest in eagerness after each prohibition; but i will only permit thee to conceal thy secret.

conceal then thy love, and never more utter it; for if thou utter it, i will not regard thee.

if thou repeat what thou hast said, the raven of separation will announce thy fate:

527

in a little time will death overtake thee, and thy resting-place be beneath the earth:

thou shalt leave thy family, o deceived, in sorrow, when the swords of love have prevented thine escape.

the lady dunyà untwisting the old woman's hair

having then folded the paper, she gave it to the old woman, who took it, and went with it to táj-el-mulook, and gave it to him; and when he had read it, and was convinced that she was hard-hearted, and that he could not obtain access to her, he complained of his case to the wezeer, and desired his prudent counsel. the wezeer replied, know that there remaineth for thee nothing that can be of avail, except thy writing to her another letter, and invoking retribution upon her. so he said, o my brother, o 'azeez, write in my stead, according to thy knowledge. and 'azeez took the paper, and wrote these verses:—

o my lord, by the five elders,63 deliver me; and to her who hath afflicted me transfer my anguish!

for thou knowest that i am suffering a tormenting flame, and my beloved hath oppressed me, and will not pity me.

how long shall i feel tenderly to her in my affliction! and how long shall she tyrannize over my weakness!

i wander in agonies never ending, and find not a person, o my lord, to assist me.

'azeez then folded the letter, and handed it to táj-el-mulook; and when he had read it, it pleased him, and he gave it to the old woman.

so she took it, and repaired with it to the lady dunyà, who, as soon as she had read it, and understood its contents, fell into a violent rage, and exclaimed, all that hath befallen me hath been through the means of this ill-omened old woman! and she called out to the female slaves and eunuchs, and said, seize this artful old woman, and beat her with your slippers.—so they fell to beating her with their slippers until she fainted; and when she recovered, the lady dunyà said to her, o wicked old woman, were it not for my fear of god (whose name be exalted!) i had killed thee. she then said to her attendants, beat her again. and they beat her again until she fainted; after which she ordered them to throw her outside the door; and they dragged her along upon her face and threw her down before the door.

the old woman beaten by female slaves

when she recovered, therefore, she rose, and, walking and resting now and then, arrived at her abode. she waited until the morning, and then rose and proceeded to táj-el-mulook, whom she acquainted with all that had befallen her; and it vexed him, and he said to her, we are grieved, o my mother, for that which hath happened to thee:528 but everything is in accordance with fate and destiny. she replied, be happy and cheerful; for i will not cease my endeavours until i procure thee an interview with her, and obtain for thee access to this vile woman who hath tortured me with beating. táj-el-mulook then said to her, acquaint me with the cause of her hatred of men. she replied, it is in consequence of her having had a dream.—and what was that dream? he asked. she answered, she was sleeping one night, and saw a fowler who set his snare upon the ground, and sprinkled around it some wheat, and then seated himself near it; and there was not a single bird near it but it came to that snare. and she saw, among the birds, two pigeons, a male and a female; and while she was looking at the snare, the foot of the male bird became entangled in it, and he began to struggle; whereupon all the other birds flew away from him in alarm; but his mate returned to him, and flew around over him, and then, alighting upon the snare, while the fowler was inadvertent, began to peck at the mesh in which was the foot of the male, and pulled it with her beak, until she liberated his foot; and she flew away with him. then, after this, the fowler529 came and readjusted the snare, and seated himself at a distance from it; and but a little while had elapsed when the birds descended, and the snare caught the female pigeon; upon which all the other birds flew away in alarm, and among them the male pigeon, who returned not to his mate: so the fowler came and took the female bird, and killed her. and the lady dunyà awoke terrified by her dream, and said, every male is like this, destitute of good; and men universally are devoid of goodness to women.—and when the old woman had finished her story to táj-el-mulook, he said to her, o my mother, i wish to obtain one glance at her, though my death be the consequence: contrive, therefore, some stratagem for me, that i may see her.—know, then, said she, that she hath a garden adjacent to her palace, for her diversion, and she goeth out into it once in every month, from the private door, and remaineth in it ten days. the time of her thus going forth to divert herself hath now arrived, and when she is about to do so i will come to thee and inform thee, that thou mayest go thither and meet her; and do thou take care not to quit the garden: for probably, if she behold thy handsome and comely aspect, her heart will be captivated by love of thee; since love is the most powerful means of effecting union.

he replied, i hear and obey:—and he arose, and quitted the shop with 'azeez, and they both, taking with them the old woman, repaired to their abode, and acquainted her with it; after which, táj-el-mulook said to 'azeez, o my brother, i have no further want of the shop; for i have accomplished the purpose for which i took it; and i give it to thee, with all that it containeth, because thou hast come abroad with me, and absented thyself from thy country. and 'azeez accepted his present, and they sat conversing together; táj-el-mulook asking him respecting his strange adventures, and 'azeez relating what had happened to him. then, addressing the wezeer, they acquainted him with the purpose of táj-el-mulook, and asked him, what is to be done? he answered, let us go to the garden. so each of them clad himself in the richest of his apparel, and they went forth, followed by three memlooks, and repaired to the garden. they beheld it abounding with trees, and with many rivulets, and saw the superintendent sitting at the gate. they saluted him, therefore, and he returned their salutation, and the wezeer handed to him a hundred pieces of gold, saying to him, i beg thee to receive this money, and to buy for us something to eat; for we are strangers, and i have with me these children whom i wish to divert. so the gardener took the pieces of530 gold, and replied, enter, and divert yourselves; for the whole of it is your property: and sit down until i return to you with something for you to eat. he then went to the market, and the wezeer and táj-el-mulook and 'azeez entered the garden after the gardener had departed to the market; and soon the latter returned, bringing a roasted lamb, which he placed before them. and they ate, and washed their hands, and sat conversing together; and the wezeer said, inform me respecting this garden: doth it belong to thee, or dost thou rent it? the sheykh replied, it is not mine, but belongeth to the king's daughter, the lady dunyà.—and what, said the wezeer, is thy monthly salary? he answered, one piece of gold, and no more. and the wezeer, taking a view of the garden, beheld there a lofty but old pavilion; and he said, o sheykh, i desire to perform here a good work by which thou wilt be reminded of me.—and what good thing dost thou desire to do? asked the sheykh. the wezeer said, take these three hundred pieces of gold. and when the superintendent heard the mention of the gold, he replied, o my master, do whatsoever thou wilt. so he took the pieces of gold; and the wezeer said to him, if it be the will of god (whose name be exalted!), we will execute in this place a good work.

they then went forth from him, and returned to their abode, and passed the next night; and on the morrow, the wezeer caused a whitewasher to be brought, and a painter, and an excellent goldsmith; and, having provided them with all the implements that they required, introduced them into the garden, and ordered them to whitewash that pavilion and to decorate it with various kinds of paintings. after which he gave orders to bring the gold, and the ultramarine pigment, and said to the painter, delineate, at the upper end of this saloon, the figure of a fowler, as though he had set his snare, and a female pigeon had fallen into it, and had become entangled in it by her bill. and when the painter had finished his picture on one portion, the wezeer said to him, now paint, on this other portion, as before, and represent the female pigeon in the snare, and shew that the fowler hath taken her, and put the knife to her neck; and on the other side paint the figure of a great bird of prey, that hath captured the male pigeon, and fixed his talons into him. so he did this; and when he had finished these designs which the wezeer had described to him, they took leave of the gardener, and returned to their abode.

there they sat conversing together; and táj-el-mulook said to 'azeez, o my brother, recite to me some verses: perhaps my heart531 may thereby be dilated, and these troubling reflections may be dispelled, and the flame that is in my heart be quenched. and upon this, 'azeez, with charming modulations, chanted these verses:—

ibn-seenà64 hath asserted that the lover's remedy consisteth in melodious sounds,

and the company of one like his beloved, and the pleasures of a dessert and wine and a garden:

but i have taken another in thy stead to cure myself, and fate and contingency aided me:

yet i found that love was a mortal disease, for which ibn-seenà's medicine was vain.

meanwhile, the old woman remained alone in her house; and the lady dunyà longed to divert herself in the garden; but she used not to go forth save with the old woman: so she sent to her, and conciliated her, and soothed her mind, and said to her, i desire to go out into the garden, to amuse myself with the sight of its trees and fruits, and that my heart may be dilated by its flowers. the old woman replied, i hear and obey; but i would first go to my house and dress myself, and i will be with thee again.—go, then, to thy house, rejoined the lady dunyà; but be not long absent from me. the old woman, therefore, went forth from her, and repaired to táj-el-mulook, and said to him, make ready, and clothe thyself in the richest of thine apparel, and betake thyself to the garden, and go in to the gardener and salute him, and then conceal thyself in the garden. he replied, i hear and obey. and she agreed with him respecting a sign to be made; after which she returned to the lady dunyà. and when she had gone, the wezeer arose, and clad táj-el-mulook in a suit of the most magnificent of the apparel of kings, worth five thousand pieces of gold, and girded him with a girdle of gold set with jewels, and repaired to the garden. on arriving at its gate, they found the superintendent sitting there; and when he saw táj-el-mulook, he rose to him, standing upon his feet, and, receiving him with reverence and honour, opened to him the gate, and said to him, enter, and divert thyself in the garden. but the gardener knew not that the king's daughter would enter the garden that day. and when táj-el-mulook had gone in, he waited but a short time, and heard a noise; and before he knew the cause, the eunuchs and female slaves came forth from the private door; and as soon as the superintendent beheld them, he went and acquainted táj-el-mulook with their coming, saying to him, o my lord, what is to be done, now that the king's daughter, the lady dunyà, hath come? he answered, no harm will befall thee; for i will conceal myself in some place in the garden. so532 illustrations of the stratagem in the lady dunyá's garden the gardener charged him to use the utmost caution in concealing himself, and left him, and departed.

and when the king's daughter, with her female slaves and the old woman, entered the garden, the old woman said within herself, if the eunuchs be with us, we shall not attain our wish. so she said to the king's daughter, o my mistress, i would propose to thee a thing productive of ease to thy heart. and the lady dunyà replied, propose what thou wilt. the old woman therefore said, o my mistress, thou hast no need of these eunuchs at the present time; nor will thy heart be dilated as long as they are with us: so dismiss them from us.—thou hast spoken truly, replied the lady dunyà:—and she dismissed them; and a little while after, as she was walking, táj-el-mulook beheld her, and gazed at her beauty and loveliness, while she knew it not; and every time that he looked at her he fainted, by reason of her surpassing beauty. the old woman in the meantime led her on by conversation to the pavilion which the wezeer had ordered to be painted; and, entering this pavilion, the lady dunyà took a view of its paintings, and saw the birds and the fowler and the pigeons; whereupon she exclaimed, extolled be the perfection of god! verily this is the representation of what i beheld in my dream!—and illustrations of the stratagem in the lady dunyá's garden she continued gazing at the figures of the birds and the fowler and the snare, full of wonder; and said, o my nurse, i used to censure men, and hate them; but see the fowler, how he533 hath killed the female bird, and the male hath escaped, and desired to return to the female to liberate her, but the bird of prey hath met him and captured him. the old woman, however, affected ignorance to her, and proceeded to divert her with talk until they both approached the place where táj-el-mulook was concealed; upon which she made a sign to him that he should walk beneath the windows of the pavilion; and while the lady dunyà stood there, she looked aside, and saw him, and, observing the beauty of his face, and his elegant form, she said, o my nurse, whence is this handsome youth? the old woman answered, i know him not; but i imagine that he is the son of a great king; for he is of the utmost beauty and loveliness. and the lady dunyà was enraptured with him. the spells that bound her were dissolved, her reason was overcome by his beauty and loveliness and his elegant person, and she was affected by violent love: so she said to the old woman, o my nurse, verily this young man is handsome. the old woman replied, thou hast spoken truth, o my mistress. and she made a sign to the king's son to return to his house. the fire of desire flamed within him, and his rapture and distraction became excessive; but he went, and bade farewell to the superintendent, and departed to his abode, that he might not disobey the old woman, and acquainted the wezeer and 'azeez that she had made a sign to him to depart. and they both exhorted him to be patient, saying to him, if the old woman did not know that there was an object to be attained by thy return, she had not made a sign to thee to do so.

now to return to the lady dunyà.—desire overcame her, and her rapture and distraction increased; so she said to the old woman, i know not how to obtain an interview with this young man but through thy means. the old woman exclaimed, i seek refuge with allah from satan the accursed! thou hast no desire for men; and how, then, have fears affected thee in consequence of the love of him? but, by allah, none other than he is suited to thy youth.—o my nurse, rejoined the lady dunyà, assist me to obtain an interview with him, and thou shalt receive from me a thousand pieces of gold, and a dress of the same value: if thou assist me not to gain him, i shall die inevitably. so the old woman replied, go thou to thy palace, and i will devise means to bring you together, and give my life to satisfy you both. the lady dunyà then returned to her palace, while the old woman repaired to táj-el-mulook; and when he saw her, he rose to her, and stood, and received her with respect and honour, seating her by his side; and she said to him, the stratagem hath succeeded. she534 then related to him what had occurred between her and the lady dunyà; and he said to her, when shall be the interview? she answered, to-morrow. and he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a garment of the same value: and she took them, and departed, and stopped not until she went in to the lady dunyà, who said to her, o my nurse, what news hast thou brought from the beloved?—i have discovered his abode, she answered; and to-morrow i will bring him to thee. and at this the lady dunyà rejoiced, and gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a garment of the same value; and she took them, and returned to her house.

she passed the next night, and in the morning she went forth and repaired to táj-el-mulook, and, having clad him in women's apparel, said to him, walk behind me, and incline thy body from side to side as thou steppest,65 and proceed not with a hasty pace, nor take notice of any one who may speak to thee. and after she had thus charged him, she went forth, and he behind her in his female attire; and she proceeded to instruct him, on the way, how to act, that he might not fear. she continued on her way, he following her, until they arrived at the entrance of the palace, when she entered, and he also after her, and she passed through successive doors and antechambers until she had conducted him through seven doors. and when she arrived at the seventh door, she said to táj-el-mulook, fortify thy heart, and if i call out to thee, and say to thee, o slave-girl, advance!—be not tardy in thy pace, but hasten on, and when thou hast entered the antechamber beyond, look to thy left: thou wilt see a saloon with seven doors; and do thou count five doors, and enter the sixth; for within it is the object of thy desire.—and whither goest thou? said táj-el-mulook. she answered, i have no place to go to; but perhaps i may wait after thee and speak with the chief eunuch. she then proceeded, and he followed her, until they arrived at the door where was the chief eunuch; and he saw with her táj-el-mulook in the attire of a female slave, and said to her, what is the business of this slave-girl who is with thee? she answered him, the lady dunyà hath heard that this girl is skilled in different kinds of work, and she desireth to purchase her. but the eunuch replied, i know neither slave-girl nor any other person; and no one shall enter without being searched by me, as the king hath commanded me. upon this, the old woman, manifesting anger, said to him, i knew that thou wast a man of sense and of good manners; and if thou art changed i will acquaint her with this, and inform her that thou hast offered opposition535 to her female slave. she then called out to táj-el-mulook, and said to him, advance, o slave-girl! and immediately he entered the antechamber, as she had commanded him, and the eunuch was silent, and said no more. so táj-el-mulook counted five doors, and entered the sixth, and found the lady dunyà standing expecting him.

táj-el-mulook and the lady dunyà

as soon as she beheld him, she knew him, and pressed him to her bosom, and he embraced her in like manner; and the old woman, coming in to them, contrived a pretext to dismiss the female slaves; after which the lady dunyà said to her, be thou keeper of the door. she then remained alone with táj-el-mulook, and they passed the whole night in innocent dalliance.66 and on the following morning she closed the door upon him and the old woman, and entering another apartment, sat there according to her custom; and her female slaves came to her, and she transacted their affairs and conversed with them, and then said to them, go forth from me now; for i desire to amuse myself in solitude. so they left her, and she returned to táj-el-mulook and the old woman, taking with her some food for them; and thus they ceased not to do for a whole month.

as to the wezeer, however, and 'azeez, when táj-el-mulook had536 gone to the palace of the king's daughter and remained all this time, they concluded that he would never return from it, and that he was inevitably lost; and 'azeez said to the wezeer, o my father, what wilt thou do? the wezeer answered, o my son, this affair is one of difficulty, and if we return not to his father to acquaint him, he will blame us for our negligence. so they prepared themselves immediately, and journeyed towards el-ar? el-kha?rà and el-'amoodeyn67 and the royal residence of the king suleymán sháh, and traversed the valleys night and day until they went in and presented themselves before the king suleymán sháh; and they informed him of that which had happened to his son, and that they had learnt no news of him since he had entered the palace of the king's daughter. on hearing this, he was as though the day of resurrection had surprised him: his sorrow was intense, and he gave orders to make a proclamation of war throughout his dominions. he then sent forth his troops outside the city, and caused the tents to be pitched for them, and remained in his pavilion until the forces had assembled from all the quarters of his kingdom. his subjects loved him for his great justice and beneficence, and he departed with an army that covered the earth as far as the eye could reach, for the purpose of demanding his son táj-el-mulook.

in the meantime, táj-el-mulook and the lady dunyà continued together for half a year, every day increasing in mutual love; and the love and distraction and rapture of táj-el-mulook so augmented that he opened to her his mind, and said to her, know, o beloved of my heart, that the longer i remain with thee, the more do my distraction and ecstasy and desire increase; for i have not altogether attained my wish. so she said, what dost thou wish, o light of my eye, and delight of my heart? he answered, i desire to acquaint thee with my true history: know, then, that i am not a merchant, but a king, son of a king, and the name of my father is the supreme king suleymán sháh, who sent the wezeer as ambassador to thy father to demand thee for me in marriage; and when the news came to thee thou refusedst to consent.—he then related to her his story from first to last; and added, i desire now to repair to my father, that he may send an ambassador again to thy father, to demand thee in marriage from him, and so we shall remain at ease.—and when she heard this, she rejoiced exceedingly: for it coincided with her wish; and they passed the next night determined upon this proceeding.

but it happened, in accordance with destiny, that sleep overcame them unusually that night, and they remained until the sun had risen.537 the king sháh-zemán was then upon his royal seat, with the emeers of his empire before him, and the chief of the goldsmiths presented himself, having in his hand a large round casket: and he advanced, and, opening it before the king, took forth from it an elegant box worth a hundred thousand pieces of gold for the jewels it contained, and rubies and emeralds, such as no king of the earth could procure. and when the king saw it, he wondered at its beauty; and he looked towards the chief eunuch, to whom the affair with the old woman had happened (as above described), and said to him, o káfoor,68 take this box, and go with it to the lady dunyà. so the eunuch took it, and proceeded until he arrived at the chamber of the king's daughter, when he found its door closed, and the old woman sleeping at its threshold, and he exclaimed, until this hour are ye sleeping? and when the old woman heard what he said, she awoke from her sleep, and, in her fear of him, said, wait until i bring the key. she then went forth and fled. the eunuch, therefore, knew that she was alarmed, and he displaced the door,69 and, entering the chamber, found the lady dunyà asleep with táj-el-mulook. at the sight of this, he was perplexed at his case, and was meditating to return to the king, when the lady dunyà awoke, and found him by her; and she was troubled, and her countenance became pale, and she said, o káfoor, veil what god hath veiled. but he replied, i cannot conceal anything from the king. and he closed the door upon them, and returned to the king. so the king said to him, hast thou given the box to thy mistress? the eunuch answered, take the box: here it is. i cannot conceal from thee anything. know that i beheld, with the lady dunyà, a handsome young man, sleeping in the same chamber. the king therefore ordered that they should be both brought before him; and when they had come into his presence, he said to them, what are these deeds? and he was violently enraged, and, seizing a dagger,70 was about to strike with it táj-el-mulook; but the lady dunyà threw her head upon him, and said to her father, slay me before him. the king, however, chid her, and ordered them to convey her back to her chamber. then looking towards táj-el-mulook, he said to him, wo to thee! whence art thou, and who is thy father, and what hath emboldened thee to act thus towards my daughter?—know, o king, answered táj-el-mulook, that, if thou put me to death, thou wilt perish, and thou and all in thy dominions will repent.—and why so? said the king. he answered, know that i am the son of the king suleymán sháh, and thou wilt not be aware of the consequence when538 he will approach thee with his horsemen and his infantry. and when king sháh-zemán heard this, he desired to defer putting him to death; and to imprison him until he should see whether his assertion were true; but his wezeer said to him, o king of the age, it is my advice that thou hasten the execution of this young wretch, since he hath been guilty of presumption towards the daughters of kings. so he said to the executioner, strike off his head; for he is a traitor. and the executioner took him, and, having bound him firmly, raised his hand, and made a sign of consultation to the emeers a first and a second time, desiring by this that some delay might take place; but the king called out to him, how long wilt thou consult? if thou do so again i will strike off thy head.

scene on the arrival of the troops of suleymán sháh

the executioner, therefore, raised his hand until his arm-pit appeared, and was about to strike off his head, when loud cries were heard, and, the people closed their shops. so the king said to the executioner, hasten not. and he sent a person to learn the news for him; and the messenger went, and, soon returning, said to the king, i beheld an army like the roaring sea agitated with waves; their horses are prancing, and the earth trembleth beneath them, and i539 know not wherefore they are come. and the king was amazed, and feared lest he should be deposed from his throne. he then said to his wezeer, have none of our troops gone forth to meet this army? but his words were not finished when his chamberlains came in to him accompanied by the messengers of the approaching king, and among them was the wezeer who had been with táj-el-mulook. he commenced by salutation; and the king rose to him, and, calling them near to him, asked them respecting the cause of their coming: whereupon the wezeer advanced from among them, and approached the king, and said to him, know that he who hath alighted in thy territories is a king not like the kings who have preceded him, nor like the sul?áns of former times.—and who is he? said the king. the wezeer answered, he is the lord of justice and security, the fame of whose magnanimity the caravans have spread abroad, the sul?án suleymán sháh, the lord of el-ar? el-kha?rà and el-'amoodeyn and the mountains of i?pahán, who loveth justice and equity, and hateth tyranny and oppression; and he saith to thee, that his son is in thy dominions and in thy city, and he is the vital spirit of his heart, and its delight; and if he find him in safety, it is what he desireth, and thou wilt be thanked and praised; but if he be not found in thy country, or if any evil hath befallen him, receive tidings of destruction and of the ruin of thy territories; for thy country shall become a desert in which the raven shall croak. thus i have delivered to thee the message; and peace be on thee.—when the king sháh-zemán heard these words of the envoy, his heart was troubled, and he feared for his kingdom, and called out to the lords of his empire, and his wezeers and chamberlains and lieutenants; and when they had come before him he said to them, wo unto you! go down and search for this young man.—but he was under the hand of the executioner, and his appearance was changed through the fear that he suffered. the wezeer then, looking aside, found the king's son upon the skin of blood,71 and he recognised him, and arose, and threw himself upon him. so also did the other messengers: they then unbound him, and kissed his hands and his feet; whereupon táj-el-mulook opened his eyes, and, recognising the wezeer and his companion 'azeez, fell down in a swoon through the excess of his joy at their presence.

the king sháh-zemán was perplexed at his situation, and in great fear, on discovering that the coming of the army was on account of this young man; and he arose and walked forward to táj-el-mulook, and kissed his head, and, with weeping eyes, said to him, o my son,540 be not angry with me: be not angry with the evil-doer for his deed; but have compassion on my gray hairs, and lay not waste my dominions. and táj-el-mulook approached him, and kissed his hand, saying to him, no harm shall befall thee; for thou art in my estimation as my father; but beware that no evil befall my beloved, the lady dunyà.—o my lord, rejoined the king, fear not for her; for nought but happiness awaiteth her. and he proceeded to excuse himself to him, and to soothe the mind of the wezeer of the king suleymán sháh, promising him a large sum of money that he might conceal from the king what he had seen; after which he ordered the grandees of his empire to take táj-el-mulook and to conduct him to the bath, to clothe him in a suit of the best of royal apparel, and bring him back quickly. so they did this: they conducted him into the bath, and, having clad him in the suit which the king sháh-zemán had allotted him, brought him back to the hall of audience; and when he came in, the king rose to him, he and all the lords of his empire, and they all stood to wait upon him. then táj-el-mulook sat and conversed with his father's wezeer and with 'azeez respecting the events which had happened to him; and they replied, during that period we went to thy father, and informed him that thou hadst entered the palace of the king's daughter, and not come forth from it, and that thy case appeared doubtful to us; and when he heard this, he made ready the troops, and we came to this country, and on our arrival have experienced joy and happiness. so he said to them, good fortune hath attended your actions, first and last.

the king, in the meantime, had gone into his daughter, the lady dunyà, and found her weeping for táj-el-mulook. she had taken a sword, and put its hilt to the floor, and its point to the middle of her bosom, and was leaning over it, saying, i must kill myself, and not live after my beloved. when her father, therefore, went in to her, and beheld her in this state, he called out to her, and said, o mistress of the daughters of kings, do it not; but have mercy upon thy father and the people of thy country! then advancing to her, he said to her, i conjure thee to abstain, lest evil befall thy father on thy account. and he acquainted her with the case, telling her that her beloved, the son of the king suleymán sháh, desired to celebrate his marriage with her, and adding, the affair of the betrothal and marriage is committed to thy judgment. and she smiled, and said to him, did i not tell thee that he was the son of a sul?án? i will make him crucify thee upon a piece of wood worth a couple of pieces of silver.541i conjure thee by allah, he exclaimed, that thou have mercy upon thy father!—go to him, she rejoined, and bring him to me. he replied, on the head and the eye. and he returned from her quickly, and, going in to táj-el-mulook, rejoiced him by what he said. he then arose with him, and went to her again; and when she beheld táj-el-mulook, she embraced him in the presence of her father, and clung to him, and said to him, thou hast made me desolate by thine absence. then looking at her father, she said, can any one act injuriously towards such a person as this handsome youth, and he a king, a son of a king? and upon this the king sháh-zemán went forth, and closed the door upon them, and, repairing to the wezeer and the other messengers of the father of táj-el-mulook, ordered them to inform the sul?án suleymán sháh that his son was in prosperity and health, and enjoying a life of the utmost delight. he gave orders also to carry forth provisions and pay to the troops of the sul?án suleymán sháh; and after they had conveyed all that he commanded them to take forth, he brought out a hundred coursers, and a hundred dromedaries, and a hundred memlooks, and a hundred concubine slaves, and a hundred male black slaves, and a hundred female slaves, and sent them all to him as a present.

the horses sent to suleymán sháh

he then repaired to him, with the lords of his empire, and his chief attendants, and they proceeded until they arrived outside the city; and when the sul?án suleymán sháh became acquainted with this he advanced some paces to meet him. the wezeer and 'azeez had informed him of the news, and he rejoiced, and exclaimed, praise be to god who hath granted my son the accomplishment of his wish! and he embraced the king sháh-zemán, and seated him by his side upon the couch, and they conversed together; after which the attendants placed before; them the food, and when they had eaten to satisfaction542 they brought them the sweetmeats. soon after, táj-el-mulook came, approaching in his rich and ornamented dress; and when his father beheld him, he rose to him and kissed him, and all who were present rose to him; and after he had sat with them a while conversing, the king suleymán sháh said, i desire to perform my son's contract of marriage to thy daughter in the presence of witnesses. and king sháh-zemán replied, i hear and obey. so he summoned the ?á?ee and witnesses, and they came, and wrote the marriage-contract; and the troops rejoiced at this. and king sháh-zemán began to fit out his daughter.

then táj-el-mulook said to his father, verily, 'azeez is a generous person; he hath performed for me a great service, and wearied himself, and journeyed with me, and enabled me to attain the object of my search, ceasing not to exhort me to patience until i accomplished my wish, and he hath been with us two years separated from his country: it is my desire, therefore, that we should prepare for him merchandise; for his country is near. his father replied, thy opinion is excellent. so they prepared for him a hundred loads of the most costly stuffs; and táj-el-mulook bade him farewell, saying to him, o my brother, accept this as a present. and he accepted it, and kissed the ground before him and before his father. táj-el-mulook then mounted his horse, and proceeded with 'azeez for the space of three miles; after which, 'azeez conjured him to return, and said, were it not for my mother, i could not endure thy separation; and by allah, i entreat thee not to cease acquainting me with thy state. having thus said, he bade him farewell, and repaired to his city. he found that his mother had built for him a tomb in the midst of the house, and she frequently visited it; and when he entered the house, he found that she had dishevelled her hair and spread it upon the tomb, and, with streaming eyes, was reciting these verses:—

by allah, o tomb, have his charms perished; and hath that brilliant countenance changed?

o tomb, thou art neither a garden nor a firmament: how then can the full moon and flowers be united in thee?

she then groaned, and recited some other verses; but before she had finished, 'azeez went in to her: and when she beheld him, she rose to him and embraced him, and asked him respecting his long absence: so he acquainted her with all the events that had happened to him from first to last, and told her that táj-el-mulook had given him, of wealth and stuffs, a hundred loads; and she rejoiced at this.—such was the history of 'azeez.543

now as to táj-el-mulook, he returned to his beloved, the lady dunyà, and king sháh-zemán fitted her out for the journey with her husband and her father-in-law: he sent to them provisions and presents and rarities, and they loaded their beasts and departed; and king sháh-zemán accompanied them three days' journey to bid them farewell. the king suleymán sháh then conjured him to return: so he returned; and táj-el-mulook and his father and his wife continued their journey night and day until they came in sight of their country. the city was decorated for them, and they entered it; and the king suleymán sháh sat upon his throne with his son táj-el-mulook by his side; and he gave presents, and liberated the persons confined in the prisons; after which he celebrated for his son a second wedding-festivity: the songs and instrumental music were continued for a whole month, and the tire-women crowded around the lady dunyà, and she was not tired with the display, nor were they with gazing at her. táj-el-mulook then took up his abode with her, after an interview with his father and mother together; and they passed a life of the utmost delight and enjoyment.