Читать книгу One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 135

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Infidels called to one another, saying, “Take we vengeance wreak for Luka!” while Hardub King of Greece cried aloud, “Ho, to our revenge for Abrizah!” Thereupon King Zau al-Makan shouted “Ho, servants of the Requiting King!: smite the children of denial and disobedience with the blanch of sword and the brown of spear!” So the Moslems returned to the Infidels and plied them with the keen edged scymitar, whilst their herald cried aloud, “Up, and at the foes of the Faith, all ye who love the Prophet Elect, with hope of salvation on the Day of Fear, to win favour of the Bountiful, the Forgiving One; for verily the Garden of Paradise is under the shadow of swords!” And behold, Sharrkan and his men charged down upon the Infidels and cut off their retreat and wheeled and tourneyed among the ranks; when lo! a knight of goodly presence opened a passage through the army of Unbelievers and circled hither and thither amongst the Deniers, cutting and thrusting and covering the ground with heads and trunks, so that the Faithless feared him and their necks bent under his lunge and hew. He was girt with two swords, his glances and his brand, and he was armed with two lances, one of bamboo cane and the other his straight wand like shape; and his flowing hair stood him in stead of many warriors, even as saith the poet,

“Laud not long hair,1101 except it be dispread In two fold locks, on day of fight and fray, O’er youth who bears his lance ‘twixt flank and thigh, From many a whis kered knight to win the day.”

And as singeth another,

“I say to him, what while he slings his sword,

‘For sword shall serve those looks that sword like show!’

Says he, ‘My sabre looks for those I love,

My sword for those who sweets of love unknow!’”

When Sharrkan saw him, he said to him, “I conjure thee by the Koran and the attributes of the Compassionate One, O Champion of the Champions! tell me who thou art: for verily by thy deeds this day thou hast pleased the Requiting King, whom one thing distracteth not from other thing; in that thou hast been discomforting the children of impiety and in rebellion revelling.” Then cried the Cavalier to him saying, “Thou art he who madest brother covenant with me but yesterday: how quickly thou hast forgotten me!” Thereupon he withdrew his mouth veil,1102 so that what was hidden of his beauty was disclosed, and lo! it was none other than Zau al-Makan. Then Sharrkan rejoiced in his brother, save that he feared for him the rush of fighting and the crush of braves a smiting; and this for two reasons, the first, his tender age and exposure to the evil eye, and the second, that his safety was to the kingdom the greater of the two overshadowing wings. So he said to him, “O King! thou riskest thy life, so join thy steed to mine; in very sooth I fear for thee from the foe; and better thou stint hazarding thyself forth of these squadrons, that we may shoot at the enemy thine unerring shaft.” Quoth Zau al-Makan, “I desire to even thee in fray and I will not be niggard of myself before thee in the melay.” Then the host of Al–Islam, heaping itself upon the Infidels, girt them on all sides, warred on them a right Holy War, and brake the power of the children of impiety and pride and stowre. But King Afridun sighed when he saw the evil wreak that had fallen on the Greek, and they turned their backs from fight and addressed themselves to flight, making for the ships, when lo! there came out upon them from the seacoast another host, led by the Minister Dandan, the champion who was wont to make champions bite the dust, and to lay load on them with cut and thrust. Nor less came forth the Emir Bahram, Lord of the Provinces of Sham, amid twenty thousand horse doughty of arm; and the host of Al–Islam pressed them in front and on flank and wrought them grievous harm. Then a body of the Moslems turned against those who in the ships remained, and perdition on them rained, till they threw themselves into the main, and they slew of them many slain, more than a hundred thousand noblemen, nor was one of their champions, great or small, saved from bale and bane. Moreover, they took their ships, with all the money and treasure and cargo, save a score of keel, and the Moslems got that loot whose like was never gotten in by gone years; nor was such cut and thrust ever heard of by men’s ears.1103 Now amongst the booty were fifty thousand horses, besides treasure and spoil past reckoning and arithmetic, whereat the Moslems rejoiced with an exceeding joy for that Allah had given them victory and protection. Such was the case with them; but as regards the fugitive Infidels they soon reached Constantinople, whither the tidings preceded them that King Afridun had prevailed over the Moslems; so quoth the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi, “I know that my son Hardub, King of Roum, is no runagate and that he feareth not the Islamitic hosts, but will restore the whole world to the Nazarene faith.” Then she bade the Great King, Afridun, give command that the city be decorated, and the people held festival high and drank their wines drunkenly and knew not the decrees of Destiny. Now whilst they were in the midst of their rejoicings, behold, the raven of dule and downfall croaked over them, and up came the twenty fugitive ships wherein was the King of Cæsarea. So King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople, met them on the sea shore, and they told him all that had befallen them from the Moslem, and they wept sore and groaned and moaned; and rejoicing at weal was turned into dismay for unheal; and they informed him concerning Luka son of Shamlut, how calamity had betided him and how Death had shot him with his shaft. Thereat the horrors of Doomday rose upon King Afridun,1104 and he knew that there was no making straight their crook. Then came up from them the sound of weeping and wailing; the city was full of men mourning and the keepers were keening, and sighs and cries were heard from all sides. And when King Hardub of Greece met King Afridun he told him the truth of the case and how the flight of the Moslems was by way of stratagem and deceit, and said to him, “Look not to see any of the army, save those who have already reached thee.” When King Afridun heard these words he fell down in a fainting fit, with his nose under his feet; and, as soon as he revived, he exclaimed, “Surely the Messiah was wroth with them that he caused the Moslems to prevail over them!” Then came the Arch Patriarch sadly to the King who said to him, “O our father, annihilation hath overtaken our army and the Messiah hath punished us!” Replied the Patriarch, “Grieve not nor feel concerned, for it cannot be but that one of you have sinned against the Messiah, and all have been punished for his offence; but now we will read prayers for you in the churches, that the Mohammeden hosts may be repelled from you.” After which the old woman, Zat al-Dawahi, came to Afridun and said to him, “O King, verily the Moslem hosts are many, and we shall never overcome them save by wile: wherefore I purpose to work upon them by guile and repair to this army of Al–Islam, haply I may win my wish of their leader and slay their champion, even as I slew his father. If my stratagem succeed in his case, not one of the host he leads shall return to his native land, for all are strong only because of him; but I desire to have some Christian dwellers of Syria, such as go out every month and year to sell their goods, that they may help me (for this they can do) in carrying out my plan.” Replied the King, “Be it so whenever thou wilt.” So she bade fetch an hundred men, natives of Najrán,1105 in Sham, and the King asked them, “Have ye not heard what hath befallen the Christians with the Moslems?” “Yes,” answered they; and he rejoined, “Know ye that this woman hath devoted her life to the Messiah and purposeth to go forth with you, disguised as Monotheists and Mohammedans, to work out a device which shall profit us and hinder the Moslem from us: say, then, are ye also willing to devote yourselves to the Anointed and I will give you a quintal of gold?1106 He of you who escapeth shall have the money, and him of you who dieth will the Messiah reward.” “O King,” replied they, “we will devote our lives to the Messiah, and we will be thy sacrifice.” Thereupon the old woman took all she required of aromatic roots and placed them in water which she boiled over the fire till the black essence of them was extracted. She waited till the decoction was cold, then dipped the corner of a long kerchief therein and stained her face therewith. Moreover, she donned over her clothes a long gaberdine with an embroidered border and took in her hand a rosary, and afterwards went in to King Afridun, who knew her not, nor did any of his companions know her, till she discovered herself to them: and there was none in the assembly but who thanked and praised her for her cunning; and her son rejoiced and said, “May the Messiah never fail thee!” Thereupon she took with her the Syrian Christians, and set out for the army of Baghdad. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.