Читать книгу One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 167

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young merchant, whose name was Aziz, continued to Taj al-Muluk:— And when I entered the street called Syndic Street behold, I caught sight of an old woman walking with a lighted taper in one hand and in the other a folded letter and I drew near her and lo! she was weeping and repeating these couplets,

“O glad news bearer well come! Welcome! Hail!

How sweet thy speech to me, what treat thy tale:

O messenger from him whose weal I love,

God bless thee long as breathes soft morning-gale!”

Now when she saw me she asked, “O my son! canst thou read?”; and I answered, of my officiousness, “Yes, old naunty!” Rejoined she, “Then take this letter and read it to me.” And when she handed it to me, I took it and unfolding it read it to her and behold it was from an absent man to his friends and lovers whom he greeted; and, when she heard its purport, she rejoiced at the good tidings and blessed me, saying, “Allah dispel thine anxiety, even as thou hast dispelled mine!” Then she took the letter and walked on. Meanwhile, I was urged by a call of nature and sat down on my heels to make water.1223 When I had ended I stood up and wiped the orifice with a pebble and then, letting down my clothes, I was about to wend my way, when suddenly the old woman came up to me again and, bending down over my hand, kissed it and said, “O my master! the Lord give thee joy of thy youth! I entreat thee to walk with me a few steps as far as yonder door, for I told them what thou didst read to me of the letter, and they believe me not, so come with me two steps and read them the letter from behind the door and accept the prayers of a righteous woman.” I enquired, “What is the history of this letter?”, and she replied, “O my son, this letter is from my son, who hath been absent for a term of ten years. He set out with a stock of merchandise and tarried long in foreign parts, till we lost hope of him and supposed him to be dead. Now after all that delay cometh this letter from him, and he hath a sister who weepeth for him night and day; so I said to her, ‘He is well and all right.’ But she will not believe me and declares, ‘There is no help but thou bring me one who will read this letter in my presence, that my heart may be at rest and my mind at ease.’ Thou knowest, O my son, that all who love are wont to think evil: so be good enough to go with me and read to her this letter, standing behind the curtain, whilst I call his sister to listen within the door, so shalt thou dispel our heed and fulfil our need. Verily quoth the Apostle of Allah (whom Allah bless and preserve!), ‘Whoso easeth the troubled of one of the troubles of this troublous world, Allah will ease him of an hundred troubles’; and according to another tradition, ‘Whoso easeth his brother of one of the troubles of this troublous world, Allah shall relieve him of seventy and two troubles on the Day of Resurrection.’ And I have betaken myself to thee; so disappoint me not.” Replied I, “To hear is to obey: do thou go before me!” So she walked on devancing me and I followed her a little way, till she came to the gate of a large and handsome mansion whose door was plated with copper.1224 I stood behind the door, whilst the old woman cried out in Persian, and ere I knew it a damsel ran up with light and nimble step. She had tucked up her trousers to her knees, so that I saw a pair of calves that confounded thinker and lighter, and the maid herself was as saith the poet describing her,

“O thou who barest leg calf, better to suggest

For passion madded amourist better things above!

Towards its lover cloth the bowl go round and run;

Cup1225 and cup bearer only drive us daft with love.”1226

Now these legs were like two pillars of alabaster adorned with anklets of gold, wherein were set stones of price. And the damsel had tucked up the end of her gown under her arm pit and had rolled up her sleeves to the elbow, so that I could see her white wrists whereon were two pairs of bracelets with clasps of great pearls; and round her neck was a collar of costly gems. Her ears were adorned with pendants of pearls and on her head she wore a kerchief1227 of brocade, brand new and broidered with jewels of price. And she had thrust the skirt of her shift into her trousers string being busy with some household business. So when I saw her in this undress, I was confounded at her beauty, for she was like a shining sun. Then she said, with soft, choice speech, never heard I sweeter, “O my mother! is this he who cometh to read the letter?” “It is,” replied the old woman; and she put out her hand to me with the letter. Now between her and the door was a distance of about half a rod1228; so I stretched forth my hand to take the letter from her and thrust head and shoulders within the door, thinking to draw near her and read the letter when, before I knew what her design was, the old woman butted her head against my back and pushed me forwards with the letter in my hand, so that ere I could take thought I found myself in the middle of the hall far beyond the vestibule. Then she entered, faster than a flash of blinding leven, and had naught to do but to shut the door. And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.