Читать книгу One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 95

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Princess Abrizah said to the black slave Al Ghazban, “It remaineth for me only that I yield me to negro slaves, after having refused Kings and Braves!” And she was wroth with him and cried, “Woe to thee! what words are these thou sayest? Out on thee, and talk not thus in my presence and know that I will never consent to what thou sayest, though I drink the cup of death. Wait till I have cast my burden and am delivered of the after birth, and then, if thou be able thereto, do with me as thou wilt; but, an thou leave not lewd talk at this time assuredly I will slay myself with my own hand and quit the world and be at peace from all this.” And she began reciting extempore,922

“O spare me, thou Ghazban, indeed enow for me

Are heavy strokes of time, mischance and misery!

Whoredom my Lord forfends to all humanity;

Quoth He, ‘Who breaks my bidding Hell for home shall see!’

And if thou leave not suing me to whoredom’s way

Against th’ Almighty’s choicest gift, my chastity,

Upon my tribesmen I with might and main will call

And gather all, however far or near they be;

And with Yamáni blade were I in pieces hewn,

Ne’er shall he sight my face who makes for villeiny,

The face of free born come of noble folk and brave;

What then can be to me the seed of whoreson slave?”

When Ghazban heard these lines he was wroth exceedingly; his eyes reddened with blood and his face became a dusty grey923; his nostrils swelled, his lips protruded and the repulsiveness of his aspect redoubled. And he repeated these couplets,

“Ho thou, Abrizah, mercy! leave me not for I

Of thy love and

Yamáni924 glance the victim lie My heart is cut to pieces by thy cruelty, My body wasted and my patience done to die: From glances ravishing all hearts with witchery Reason far flies, the while desire to thee draws nigh; Though at thy call should armies fill the face of earth E’en now I’d win my wish and worlds in arms defy!”

When Abrizah heard these words, she wept with sore weeping and said to him, “Woe to thee, O Ghazban! How dareth the like of thee to address me such demand, O base born and obscene bred? Dost thou deem all folk are alike?” When the vile slave heard this from her, he waxt more enraged and his eyes grew redder: and he came up to her and smiting her with the sword on her neck wounded her to the death. Then he drove her horse before him with the treasure and made off with himself to the mountains. Such was the case with Al–Ghazban; but as regards Abrizah, she gave birth to a son, like the moon, and Marjanah took the babe and did him the necessary offices and laid him by his mother’s side; and lo and behold! the child fastened to its mother’s breast and she dying.925 When Marjanah saw this, she cried out with a grievous cry and rent her raiment and cast dust on her head and buffeted her cheeks till blood flowed, saying, “Alas, my mistress! Alas, the pity of it! Thou art dead by the hand of a worthless black slave, after all thy knightly prowess!” And she ceased not weeping when suddenly a great cloud of dust arose and walled the horizon;926 but, after awhile, it lifted and discovered a numerous conquering host. Now this was the army of King Hardub, Princess Abrizah’s father, and the cause of his coming was that when he heard of his daughter and her handmaids having fled to Baghdad, and that they were with King Omar bin al-Nu’uman, he had come forth, leading those with him, to seek tidings of her from travellers who might have seen her with the King. When he had gone a single day’s march from his capital, he espied three horse men afar off and made towards them, intending to ask whence they came and seek news of his daughter. Now these three whom he saw at a distance were his daughter and Marjanah and the slave Al — Ghazban; and he made for them to push inquiry. Seeing this the villain blackamoor feared for himself; so he killed Abrizah and fled for his life. When they came up, King Hardub saw his daughter lying dead and Marjanah weeping over her, and he threw himself from his steed and fell fainting to the ground. All the riders of his company, the Emirs and Waxirs, took foot and forth right pitched their tents on the mountain and set up for the King a great pavilion, domed and circular, without which stood the grandees of the realm. When Marjanah saw her master, she at once recognized him and her tears redoubled; and, when he came to himself, he questioned her and she told him all that had passed and said, “Of a truth he that hath slain thy daughter is a black slave belonging to King Omar bin al-Nu’uman, and she informed him how Sharrkan’s father had dealt with the Princess. When King Hardub heard this, the world grew black in his sight and he wept with sore weeping. Then he called for a litter and, therein laying his dead daughter, returned to Caesarea and carried her into the palace, where he went in to his mother, Zat al-Dawahi, and said to that Lady of Calamities, “Shall the Moslems deal thus with my girl? Verily King Omar bin al-Nu’uman despoiled her of her honour by force, and after this, one of his black slaves slew her. By the truth of the Messiah, I will assuredly take blood revenge for my daughter and clear away from mine honour the stain of shame; else will I kill myself with mine own hand!” And he wept passing sore. Quoth his mother, “None other than Marjanah killed thy daughter, for she hated her in secret;” and she continued to her son, “Fret not for taking the blood wit of thy daughter, for, by the truth of the Messiah, I will not turn back from King Omar bin al-Nu’uman till I have slain him and his sons; and of a very truth I will do with him a deed, passing the power of Sage and Knight, whereof the chroniclers shall tell chronicles in all countries and in every place: but needs must thou do my bidding in all I shall direct, for whoso be firmly set on the object of his desire shall surely compass his desire.” “By the virtue of the Messiah,” replied he, “I will not cross thee in aught thou shalt say.” Then quoth she, “Bring me a number of hand maids, high bosomed virgins, and summon the wise men of the age and let them teach them philosophy and the rules of behaviour before Kings, and the art of conversation and making verses; and let them talk with them of all manner science and edifying knowledge. And the sages must be Moslems, that they may teach them the language and traditions of the Arabs, together with the history of the Caliphs and the ancient annals of the Kings of Al–Islam; and if we persevere in this for four years’ space, we shall gain our case. So possess thy soul in patience and wait; for one of the Arabs saith, ‘If we take man bote after years forty the time were short to ye.’ When we have taught the girls these things, we shall be able to work our will with our foe, for he doteth on women and he hath three hundred and sixty concubines, whereto are now added an hundred of the flowers of thy handmaidens who were with thy daughter, she that hath found mercy.927 As soon as I have made an end of their education, as described to thee, I will take them and set out with them in person.” When King Hardub heard his mother’s words, he rejoiced and arose and kissed her head; and at once despatched messengers and couriers to lands sundry and manifold to fetch him Moslem sages. They obeyed his commands and fared to far countries and thence brought him the sages and the doctors he sought. When these came into presence, he honoured them with notable honorurs and bestowed dresses on them and appointed to them stipends and allowances and promised them much money whenas they should have taught the damsels. Then he committed the handmaidens to their hands — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.