Читать книгу One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 96

Table of Contents

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the sages and the doctors stood in presence of King Hardub, he honoured them with notable honours and committed the hand maidens to their hands, enjoining that these be instructed in all manner of knowledge, philosophy and polite accomplishments; and they set themselves to do his bidding. Such was the case with King Hardub; but as for King Omar bin al Nu’uman, when he returned from coursing and hunting and entered his palace, he sought Princess Abrizah but found her not, nor any one knew of her nor could any give him news of her. This was grievous to him and he said, “How could the lady leave the palace unknown of any? Had my kingdom been at stake in this case, it were in perilous condition there being none to govern it! I will never again go to sport and hunt till I have stationed at the gates those who shall keep good guard over them!” And he was sore vexed and his breast was straitened for the loss of Princess Abrizah. Hereupon behold, his son Sharrkan returned from his journey; and the father told him what had happened, and informed him how the lady had fled, whilst he was chasing and hunting, whereat he grieved with exceeding grief. Then King Omar took to visiting his children every day and making much of them and brought them learned men and doctors to teach them, appointing for them stipends. When Sharrkan saw this, he raged with exceeding rage and envied thereupon his brother and sister till the signs of chagrin appeared in his face and he ceased not to languish by reason of this matter: so one day his father said to him, “Why do I see thee grown weak in body and yellow of face?” “O my father,” replied Sharrkan, “every time I see thee fondle my brother and sister and make much of them, jealousy seizeth on me, and I fear lest it grow on me till I slay them and thou slay me in return. And this is the reason of my weakness of body and change of complexion. But now I crave of thy favour that thou give me one of thy castles outlying the rest, that I may abide there the remnant of my life, for as the sayer of bywords saith, ‘Absence from my friend is better and fitter for me’; and, ‘Whatso eye doth not perceive, that garreth not heart to grieve.’” And he bowed his head towards the ground. When King Omar bin al-Nu’uman heard his words and knew the cause of his ailment and of his being broken down, he soothed his heart and said to him, “O my son, I grant thee this and I have not in my reign a greater than the Castle of Damascus, and the government of it is thine from this time.” Thereupon he forthright summoned his secretaries of state and bade them write Sharrkan’s patent of investiture to the viceroyalty of Damascus of Syria. And when they had written it, he equipped him and sent with him the Wazir Dandan, and invested him with the rule and government and gave him instructions as to policy and regulations; and took leave of him, and the grandees and officers of state did likewise, and he set out with his host. When he arrived at Damascus, the townspeople beat the drums and blew the trumpets and decorated the city and came out to meet him in great state; whilst all the notables and grandees paced in procession, and those who stood to the right of the throne walked on his right flank, and the others to the left. Thus far concerning Sharrkan; but as regards his father, Omar bin al-Nu’uman, soon after the departure of his son, the children’s tutors and governors presented themselves before him and said to him, “O our lord, thy children have now learnt knowledge and they are completely versed in the rules of manners and the etiquette of ceremony.” The King rejoiced thereat with exceeding joy and conferred bountiful largesse upon the learned men, seeing Zau al-Makan grown up and flourishing and skilled in horsemanship. The Prince had reached the age of fourteen and he occupied himself with piety and prayers, loving the poor, the Olema and the Koran students, so that all the people of Baghdad loved him, men and women. One day, the procession of the Mahmil928 of Irák passed round Baghdad before its departure for the pilgrimage to Meccah and visitation of the tomb of the Prophet (whom Allah bless and preserve!). When Zau al-Makan the Mahmil procession he was seized with longing desire to become a pilgrim,929 so he went in to his sire and said, “I come to ask thy leave to make the pilgrimage.” But his father forbade him saying, “Wait till next year and I will go and thou too.” When the Prince saw that the matter was postponed, he betook himself to his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman, whom he found standing at prayer. As soon as she had ended her devotions he said to her, “I am dying with desire of pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah at Meccah and to visit the tomb of the Prophet, upon whom be peace! I asked my father’s leave, but he forbade me that, so I mean to take privily somewhat of money and set out on the pilgrimage without his knowledge.” “Allah upon thee,” exclaimed she, “take me with thee and deprive me not of visitation to the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah bless and keep!” And he answered, “As soon as it is dark night, do thou come forth from this place, without telling any.” Accordingly,When it was the middle of the night she arose and took somewhat of money and donned a man’s habit; and she ceased not walking to the palace gate, where she found Zau al-Makan with camels ready for marching. So he mounted and mounted her; and the two fared on till they were in the midst of the Iraki930 pilgrim-party, and they ceased not marching and Allah wrote safety for them, till they entered Meccah the Holy and stood upon Arafát and performed the pilgrimage rites. Then they made a visitation to the tomb of the Prophet (whom Allah bless and assain!) and thought to return with the pilgrims to their native land. But Zau al-Makan said to his sister, “O my sister, it is in my mind to visit the Holy House,931 Jerusalem, and Abraham the Friend of Allah 932 (on whom be peace!).” “I also desire so to do,” replied she. So they agreed upon this and he fared forth and took passage for himself and her and they made ready and set out in the ship with a company of Jerusalem palmers. That very night the sister fell sick of an aguish chill, and was grievously ill but presently recovered, after which the brother also sickened. She tended him during his malady and they ceased not wayfaring till they arrived at Jerusalem, but the fever increased on him and he grew weaker and weaker. They alighted at a Khan and there hired a lodging; but Zau al — Makan’s sickness ceased not to increase on him, till he was wasted with leanness and became delirious. At this, his sister was greatly afflicted and exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! This is the decree of Allah!” They sojourned in that place awhile, his weakness ever increasing and she attending him and buying necessaries for him and for herself, till all the money she had was expended and she became so poor that she had not so much as a dirham left. Then she sent a servant of the Khan to the bazar with some of her clothes, and he sold them and she spent the price upon her brother; then sold she something more and she ceased not selling all she had, piece by piece, till nothing was left but an old rug. Whereupon she wept and exclaimed, “Verily is Allah the Orderer of the past and the future!” Presently her brother said to her, “O my sister, I feel recovery drawing near and my heart longeth for a little roast meat.” “By Allah! O my brother,” replied she, “I have no face to beg; but tomorrow I will enter some rich man’s house and serve him and earn somewhat for our living.” Then she bethought herself awhile and said, “Of a truth ’tis hard for me to leave thee and thou in this state, but I must despite myself!” He rejoined, “Allah forbid! Thou wilt be put to shame; but there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah!” And he wept and she wept too. Then she said, “O my brother, we are strangers who have dwelt here a full year, but none hath yet knocked at our door. Shall we then die of hunger? I know no resource but that I go out and do service and earn somewhat to keep us alive, till thou recover from thy sickness, when we will travel back to our native land.” She sat weeping awhile and he wept too, propped upon his elbow. Then Nuzhat al-Zaman arose and, veiling her head with a bit of camlet,933 which had been of the cameleer’s clothes and which the owner had forgotten and left with them; she kissed the head of her brother and embraced him and went forth from him, weeping and knowing not whither she should wend. And she stinted not going and her brother Zau al-Makan awaiting her return till the supper time; but she came not, and he watched for her till the morning morrowed but still she returned not; and this endured till two days went by. He was greatly troubled thereat and his heart fluttered for her, and hunger was sore upon him. At last he left the chamber and, calling the servant of the caravanserai, said, “I wish thee to bear me to the bazar.” So he carried him to the market street and laid him down there; and the people of Jerusalem gathered round him and were moved to tears seeing his condition. He signed to them begging for somewhat to eat; so they brought him some money from certain of the merchants who were in the bazar, and bought food and fed him therewith; after which they carried him to a shop, where they spread him a mat of palm leaves and set an ewer of water at his head. When night fell, all the folk went away, sore concerned for him and, in the middle of the night, he called to mind his sister and his sickness redoubled on him, so that he abstained from eating and drinking and became insensible to the world around him. Then the bazar people arose and took for him from the merchants thirty seven dirhams, and hiring a camel, said to the driver, “Carry this sick man to Damascus and leave him in the hospital; haply he may be cured and recover health.” “On my head be it!” replied the camel man; but he said to himself, “How shall I take this sick man to Damascus, and he nigh upon death?” So he carried him away to a place and hid with him till the night, when he threw him down on the ash heap near the fire hole of a Hammam and went his way. When morning dawned the Stoker934 of the bath came to his work and, finding Zau al-Makan cast on his back, exclaimed, “Why did they not throw their dead body anywhere but here?” So saying, he gave him a kick and he moved; whereupon quoth the Fireman, “Some one of you who hath eaten a bit of Hashish and hath thrown himself down in whatso place it be!” Then he looked at his face and saw his hairless cheeks and his grace and comeliness; so he took pity on him and knew that he was sick and a stranger in the land. And he cried, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah! verily, I have sinned against this youth, for indeed the Prophet (whom Allah bless and keep!) enjoineth honour to the stranger, more especially when the stranger is sick.” Then he carried him home and went in with him to his wife and bade her tend him. So she spread him a sleeping rug and set a cushion under his head, then warmed water for him and washed therewith his hands and feet and face. Meanwhile, the Stoker went to the market and bought some rose water and sugar, and sprinkled Zau al-Makan’s face with the water and gave him to drink of the sherbet. Then he fetched a clean shirt and put it on him. With this, Zau al-Makan sniffed the zephyr of health and recovery returned to him; and he sat up and leant against the pillow. Hereat the Fireman rejoiced and exclaimed, “Praise be to Allah for the welfare of this youth! O Allah, I beseech Thee by Thy knowledge of hidden things, that Thou make the salvation of this youth to be at my hands!”— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.