Читать книгу 1001 Nights - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 176

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Shahriman thus addressed the Wazir and Aziz, “Salute your King from me and inform him of what ye have heard, namely that my daughter misliketh marriage.” So they turned away unsuccessful and ceased not faring on till they rejoined the King and told him what had passed; whereupon he commanded the chief officers to summon the troops and get them ready for marching and campaigning. But the Wazir said to him, “O my liege Lord, do not thus: the King is not at fault because, when his daughter learnt our business, she sent a message saying, ‘If my father force me to wed, whomsoever I wed I will slay and myself after him.’ So the refusal cometh from her.” When the King heard his Minister’s words he feared for Taj al-Muluk and said, “Verily if I make war on the King of the Camphor Islands and carry off his daughter, she will kill herself and it will avail me naught.” Then he told his son how the case stood, who hearing it said, “O my father, I cannot live without her; so I will go to her and contrive to get at her, even though I die in the attempt, and this only will I do and nothing else.” Asked his father, “How wilt thou go to her?” and he answered, “I will go in the guise of a merchant.”1245 Then said the King, “If thou need must go and there is no help for it, take with thee the Wazir and Aziz.” Then he brought out money from his treasuries and made ready for his son merchandise to the value of an hundred thousand dinars. The two had settled upon this action; and when the dark hours came Taj al-Muluk and Aziz went to Aziz’s lodgings and there passed that night, and the Prince was heart smitten, taking no pleasure in food or in sleep; for melancholy was heavy upon him and he was agitated with longing for his beloved. So he besought the Creator that he would vouch safe to unite him with her and he wept and groaned and wailed and began versifying,

“Union, this severance ended, shall I see some day?

Then shall my tears this love lorn lot of me portray.

While night all care forgets I only minded thee,

And thou didst gar me wake while all forgetful lay.”

And when his improvising came to an end, he wept with sore weeping and Aziz wept with him, for that he remembered his cousin; and they both ceased not to shed tears till morning dawned, whereupon Taj al-Muluk rose and went to farewell his mother, in travelling dress. She asked him of his case and he repeated the story to her; so she gave him fifty thousand gold pieces and bade him adieu; and, as he fared forth, she put up prayers for his safety and for his union with his lover and his friends. Then he betook himself to his father and asked his leave to depart. The King granted him permission and, presenting him with other fifty thousand dinars, bade set up a tent for him without the city and they pitched a pavilion wherein the travellers abode two days. Then all set out on their journey. Now Taj al-Muluk delighted in the company of Aziz and said to him, “O my brother, henceforth I can never part from thee.” Replied Aziz, “And I am of like mind and fain would I die under thy feet: but, O my brother, my heart is concerned for my mother.” “When we shall have won our wish,” said the Prince, “there will be naught save what is well!” Now the Wazir continued charging Taj al-Muluk to be patient, whilst Aziz entertained him every evening with talk and recited poetry to him and diverted him with histories and anecdotes. And so they fared on diligently night and day for two whole months, till the way became tedious to Taj al-Muluk and the fire of desire redoubled on him; and he broke out,

“The road is lonesome; grow my grief and need,

While on my breast love fires for ever feed:

Goal of my hopes, sole object of my wish!

By him who moulded man from drop o’ seed,

I bear such loads of longing for thy love,

Dearest, as weight of al Shumm Mounts exceed:

O ‘Lady of my World’1246 Love does me die; No breath of life is left for life to plead; But for the union hope that lends me strength, My weary limbs were weak this way to speed.”

When he had finished his verses, he wept (and Aziz wept with him) from a wounded heart, till the Minister was moved to pity by their tears and said, “O my lord, be of good cheer and keep thine eyes clear of tears; there will be naught save what is well!” Quoth Taj al-Muluk, “O Wazir, indeed I am weary of the length of the way. Tell me how far we are yet distant from the city.” Quoth Aziz, “But a little way remaineth to us.” Then they continued their journey, cutting across river vales and plains, words and stony wastes, till one night, as Taj al-Muluk was sleeping, he dreamt that his beloved was with him and that he embraced her and pressed her to his bosom; and he awoke quivering, shivering with pain, delirious with emotion, and improvised these verses,

“Dear friend, my tears aye flow these cheeks adown,

With longsome pain and pine, my sorrow’s crown:

I plain like keening woman child bereft,

And as night falls like widow dove I groan:

An blow the breeze from land where thou cost wone,

I find o’er sunburnt earth sweet coolness blown.

Peace be wi’ thee, my love, while zephyr breathes,

And cushat flies and turtle makes her moan.”

And when he had ended his versifying, the Wazir came to him and said, “Rejoice; this is a good sign: so be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear, for thou shalt surely compass thy desire.” And Aziz also came to him and exhorted him to patience and applied himself to divert him, talking with him and telling him tales. So they pressed on, marching day and night, other two months, till there appeared to them one day at sunrise some white thing in the distance and Taj al-Muluk said to Aziz, “What is yonder whiteness?” He replied, “O my lord! yonder is the Castle of Crystal and that is the city thou seekest.” At this the Prince rejoiced, and they ceased not faring forwards till they drew near the city and, as they approached it, Taj al-Muluk joyed with exceeding joy, and his care ceased from him. They entered in trader guise, the King’s son being habited as a merchant of importance; and repaired to a great Khan, known as the Merchants’ Lodging. Quoth Taj al-Muluk to Aziz, “Is this the resort of the merchants?”; and quoth he, “Yes; ’tis the Khan wherein I lodged before.” So they alighted there and making their baggage camels kneel, unloaded them and stored their goods in the warehouses.1247 They abode four days for rest; when the Wazir advised that they should hire a large house. To this they assented and they found them a spacious house, fitted up for festivities, where they took up their abode, and the Wazir and Aziz studied to devise some device for Taj al-Muluk, who remained in a state of perplexity, knowing not what to do. Now the Minister could think of nothing but that he should set up as a merchant on ‘Change and in the market of fine stuffs; so he turned to the Prince and his companion and said to them, “Know ye that if we tarry here on this wise, assuredly we shall not win our wish nor attain our aim; but a something occurred to me whereby (if Allah please!) we shall find our advantage.” Replied Taj al-Muluk and Aziz, “Do what seemeth good to thee, indeed there is a blessing on the grey beard; more specially on those who, like thyself, are conversant with the conduct of affairs: so tell us what occurreth to thy mind.” Rejoined the Wazir “It is my counsel that we hire thee a shop in the stuff bazar, where thou mayst sit to sell and buy. Every one, great and small, hath need of silken stuffs and other cloths; so if thou patiently abide in thy shop, thine affairs will prosper, Inshallah! more by token as thou art comely of aspect. Make, however, Aziz thy factor and set him within the shop, to hand thee the pieces of cloth and stuffs.” When Taj al-Muluk heard these words, he said, ‘This rede is right and a right pleasant recking.” So he took out a handsome suit of merchant’s weed, and, putting it on, set out for the bazar, followed by his servants, to one of whom he had given a thousand dinars, wherewith to fit up the shop. They ceased not walking till they came to the stuff market, and when the merchants saw Taj al-Muluk’s beauty and grace, they were confounded and went about saying, “Of a truth Rizwán1248 hath opened the gates of Paradise and left them unguarded, so that this youth of passing comeliness hath come forth.” And others, “Peradventure this is one of the angels.” Now when they went in among the traders they asked for the shop of the Overseer of the market and the merchants directed them thereto. So they delayed not to repair thither and to salute him, and he and those who were with him rose to them and seated them and made much of them, because of the Wazir, whom they saw to be a man in years and of reverend aspect; and viewing the youths Aziz and Taj al-Muluk in his company, they said to one another, “Doubtless our Shaykh is the father of these two youths.” Then quoth the Wazir, “Who among you is the Overseer of the market?” “This is he,” replied they; and behold, he came forward and the Wazir observed him narrowly and saw him to be an old man of grave and dignified carriage, with eunuchs and servants and black slaves. The Syndic greeted them with the greeting of friends and was lavish in his attentions to them: then he seated them by his side and asked them, “Have ye any business which we1249 may have the happiness of transacting?” The Minister answered, “Yes; I am an old man, stricken in years, and have with me these two youths, with whom I have travelled through every town and country, entering no great city without tarrying there a full year, that they might take their pleasure in viewing it and come to know its citizens. Now I have visited your town intending to sojourn here for a while; so I want of thee a handsome shop in the best situation, wherein I may establish them, that they may traffic and learn to buy and sell and give and take, whilst they divert themselves with the sight of the place, and be come familiar with the usages of its people.” Quoth the Overseer, “There is no harm in that;” and, looking at the two youths, he was delighted with them and affected them with a warm affection. Now he was a great connoisseur of bewitching glances, preferring the love of boys to that of girls and inclining to the sour rather than the sweet of love. So he said to himself, “This, indeed, is fine game. Glory be to Him who created and fashioned them out of vile water!”1250 and rising stood before them like a servant to do them honour. Then he went out and made ready for them a shop which was in the very midst of the Exchange; nor was there any larger or better in the bazar, for it was spacious and handsomely decorated and fitted with shelves of ivory and ebony wood. After this he delivered the keys to the Wazir, who was dressed as an old merchant, saying, “Take them, O my lord, and Allah make it a blessed abiding place to thy two sons!” The Minister took the keys and the three returning to the Khan where they had alighted, bade the servants transport to the shop all their goods and stuffs. — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.