Читать книгу 1001 Nights - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 143

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan spake thus, “I long that ye fall in with this my plan, for naught save good can come of it.” So they agreed thereon and clomb the mountain head and shouted, “Allaho Akbar!”; and hills and trees and rocks re worded their Allaho Akbar for fear of the Almighty. The Infidels heard it and cried out one to other and donned their armour and said, “The foe is upon us, by the truth of the Messiah!” Then they fell on one another and slew of their own men more than any knoweth save Almighty Allah. As soon as it was dawn, they sought for the captives, but found no trace of them, and their captains said, “They who did this were the prisoners in our possession; up, then, and after them in all haste till ye overtake them, when we will make them quaff the cup of requital; and let not fright nor the panic of sudden awaking possess you.” So they took horse and rode after the fugitives and it wanted but an eye twinkling before they overtook them and surrounded them. Now when Zau al-Makan saw this, he was seized with increase of terror and said to his brother, “What I feared would come, is come upon us, and now it remaineth only for us to fight for the Faith.” But Sharrkan preferred to hold his peace. Then Zau al-Makan and his companions rushed down from the hill crest, shouting, “Allaho Akbar!” and his men repeated the war cry and addressed themselves to fight and to sell their lives in the service of the Lord of Faithful Men; and while they were in this case, behold, they heard many voices voicing, “There is no god but the God! God is most great! Salutation and salvation upon the Apostle, the Bringer of glad Tidings, the Bearer of bad Tidings!’’1133 So they turned towards the direction of the sound and saw a company of Moslems who believed in one God, pushing towards them, whereat their hearts were heartened and Sharrkan charged upon the Infidels crying out, “There is no god but the God! God is most great! he and those with him, so that earth quaked as with an earthquake and the Unbeliever host brake asunder and fled into the mountains and the Moslems followed them with lunge and blow; and Zau al-Makan and his comrades of the Moslems ceased not to smite the hosts of the Infidel foe, and parted heads from bodies till day darkened and night coming on starkened sight. Thereupon the Moslems drew together and passed the night in congratulations, and, when morning dawned and daybreak shone with its shine and sheen, they saw Bahram, the captain of the Daylamites, and Rustam, the captain of the Turks, advancing to join them, with twenty thousand cavaliers like lions grim. As soon as they saw Zau al-Makan, the riders dismounted and saluted him, and kissed ground between his hands when he said to them, “Rejoice ye in the glad tidings of the victory of the Moslem and the discomfiture of the tribe of Unbelievers!” Then they gave one another joy of their deliverance and of the greatness of their reward after Resurrection Day. Now the cause of the coming of the succours to that place was this. When the Emir Bahram and the Emir Rustam and the Chief Chamberlain, with the Moslem host and flags flaunting high ahead, came in sight of Constantinople they saw that the Nazarenes had mounted the walls and manned the towers and the forts, and had set all their defenders in order of defence, as soon as they learned of the approach of the host of Al–Islam and the banners Mohammedan, and they heard the clash of arms and the noise of war voices and tramp of horse hoofs and from their look outs they beheld the Moslems, with their standards and ensigns of the Faith of Unity under the dust clouds and lo! they were like a flight of locusts or rain clouds raining rain, and the voices of the Moslems chanting the Koran and glorifying the Compassionate One, struck their ears. Now the Infidels knew of the approach of this host through Zat al-Dawahi with her craft and whoredom,1134 calumny and contrivance. And the armies of Al–Islam drew near, as it were the swollen sea, for the multitude of footmen and horsemen and women and children. Then quoth the General of the Turks to the General of the Daylamites, “O Emir, of a truth, we are in jeopardy from the multitude of the foe who is on the walls. Look at yonder bulwarks and at this world of folk like the seas that clash with dashing billows. Indeed yon Infidel outnumbereth us an hundredfold and we cannot be safe from spies who may inform them that we are without a Sultan. In very sooth, we run danger from these enemies, whose numbers may not be told and whose resources none can withhold, especially in the absence of King Zau al-Makan and his brother Sharrkan and the illustrious Wazir Dandan. If they know of this, they will be emboldened to attack us in their absence and with the sword they will annihilate us to the last man; not one of us safety shall see. So it is my counsel that thou take ten thousand riders of the allies and the Turks, and march them to the hermitage of Matruhina and the meadow of Malúkhiná in quest of our brothers and comrades. If thou act by my advice, it may be we shall approve ourselves the cause of their deliverance, in case they be hard pressed by the Infidels; and if thou act not, blame will not attach to me. But, an ye go, it behoveth that ye return quickly, for ill suspicion is part of prudence.” The Emir aforesaid fell in with his counsel; so they chose twenty thousand horse and they set out covering the roads and making for the monastery above mentioned. So much for the cause of their coming; but as regards the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi, as soon as she had delivered Sultan Zau al-Makan and his brother Sharrkan and the Wazir Dandan into the hands of the Infidels, the foul whore mounted a swift steed, saying to the Faithless, “I design to rejoin the Moslem army which is at Constantinople and contrive for their destruction; for I will inform them that their chiefs are dead, and when they hear that from me, their joining will be disjointed and the cord of their confederation cut and their host scattered. Then will I go to King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople, and to my son Hardub, King of Roum, and relate to them their tidings and they will sally forth on the Moslems with their troops and will destroy them and will not leave one of them alive.” So she mounted and struck across country on her good steed all the livelong night; and, when day dawned, appeared the armies of Bahram and Rustam advancing towards her. So she turned into a wayside brake and hid her horse among the trees and she walked a while saying to herself, “Haply the Moslem hosts be returning, routed, from the assault of Constantinople.” However, as she drew near them she looked narrowly and made sure that their standards were not reversed,1135 and she knew that they were coming not as conquered men, but fearing for their King and comrades. When she was assured of this, she hastened towards them, running at speed, like a devil of ill rede, till reaching them she cried out, “Haste ye! haste ye! O soldiers of the Compassionate One, hasten to the Holy War against the hosts of Satan!” When Bahram saw her he dismounted and kissed the ground before her and asked her, “O friend of Allah what is behind thee?” Answered she, “Question not of sad case and sore condition; for when our comrades had taken the treasure from the hermitage of Matruhina, and designed to win their way Constantinople wards, thereupon came out on them a driving host and a dreadful of the Infidels.” And the damned witch repeated to them the story to fill them with trouble and terror, adding, “The most of them are dead, and there are but five and twenty men left.” Said Bahram, “O holy man! when didst thou leave them?” “But this night,”1136 replied she. He cried, “Glory be to Allah! to Him who hath rolled up the far distance for thee like a rug, so that thou hast sped thus walking upon thy feet and props upon a mid-rib of palm-tree! But thou art one of the saints which fly like birds when inspired and possessed by His directions.”1137 Then he mounted his horse, and he was perplexed and confounded by what he had heard from the beldam so strong in lies and ill calumnies, and he said, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily our labour is lost and our hearts are heavy within us, for our Sultan is a prisoner and those who are with him.” Then they cut across the country, wide and side, night and day, and when morning dawned they reached the head of the defile and saw Zau al-Makan and Sharrkan shouting. “There is no god but the God! Allaho Akbar! and Salutation and Salvation upon the Congratulator, the Comminator.”1138 Whereupon he and his drove at the Unbelievers and whelmed them, as the rain torrent whelms the waste; and cried out their war cries, till fear get hold of the prowess Knights and the mountains were cloven in affright. And when shone the day and showed its shine and sheen, the breeze of morning blew upon them sweet and fragrant, and each recognised other as hath been said before. Then they kissed the ground before the King and before his brother Sharrkan, who told them all that had befallen the party in the cave. Now thereat they marvelled and said to one another, “Hasten we back to Constantinople, for we left our companions there, and our hearts are with them.” So they hurried departure, commending themselves to the Subtle, the All-wise, and Zau al-Makan exhorted the Moslems to steadfast — ness and versified in the following couplets,1139

“Be praises mine to all praiseworthy Thee,

O Lord, who stinted not mine aid to be!

Though was I lost abroad, Thou west to me

Strongest support which vouchsafed victory:

Thou gav’st me wealth and reign and goodly gifts,

And slungest con quering sword of valiancy:

Thou mad’st me blest beneath Thy kingly shade,

Engraced with generous boons dealt fain and free:

Thou savedst from every fear I feared, by aid

Of my Wazir, the

Age’s noblest he!

Garred us Thy grace in fight to throw the Greek,

Who yet came back dight in War’s cramoisie:

Then made I feint to fly from out the fight;

But like grim lion turning made them flee,

And left on valley sole my foemen, drunk

Not with old wine1140 but Death-cup’s revelry: Then came the Saintly Hermit, and he showed His marvels wrought for town and wold to see; When slew they hero-wights who woke to dwell In Eden bowers wherein sweet rill-lets well.”

But, when Zau al-Makan had made an end of versifying, his brother Sharrkan congratulated him on his safety and thanked him for the deeds he had done; after which both set out forcing their marches to rejoin their army. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.