A plain and literal translation of the Arabian nights entertainments, now entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. Volume 7 (of 17). Народное творчество

the coinage of Hajar90 and a hundred pieces of woollen cloth and striped stuffs91 of Al-Yaman and five bladders of ambergris.” Said I, “Thou shalt have that much; dost thou consent?”; and he said, “I do consent.” So I despatched to Al-Medinah the Illumined92 a party of the Ansaris, who brought all for which I had become surety; whereupon they slaughtered sheep and cattle and the folk assembled to eat of the food. We abode thus forty days when Ghitrif said to us, “Take your bride.” So we sat her in a dromedary-litter and her father equipped her with thirty camel-loads of things of price; after which we farewelled him and journeyed till we came within a day’s journey of Al-Medinah the Illumined, when there fell upon us horsemen, with intent to plunder, and methinks they were of the Banu Sulaym. Otbah drove at them and slew of them much people, but fell back, wounded by a lance-thrust, and presently dropped to the earth. Then there came to us succour of the country people, who drove away the highwaymen; but Otbah’s days were ended. So we said, “Alas for Otbah, oh!;” and the damsel hearing it cast herself down from the camel and throwing herself upon him, cried out grievously and repeated these couplets:—

      Patient I seemed, yet Patience shown by me

      Was but self-guiling till thy sight I see:

      Had my soul done as due my life had gone,

      Had fled before mankind forestalling thee:

      Then, after me and thee none shall to friend

      Be just, nor any soul with soul agree.

      Then she sobbed a single sob and gave up the ghost. We dug one grave for them and laid them in the earth, and I returned to the dwellings of my people, where I abode seven years. Then I betook me again to Al-Hijaz and entering Al-Medinah the Illumined for pious visitation said in my mind, “By Allah, I will go again to Otbah’s tomb!” So I repaired thither, and, behold, over the grave was a tall tree, on which hung fillets of red and green and yellow stuffs.93 So I asked the people of the place, “How be this tree called?”; and they answered, “The tree of the Bride and the Bridegroom.” I abode by the tomb a day and a night, then went my way; and this is all I know of Otbah. Almighty Allah have mercy upon him! And they also tell this tale of

      HIND DAUGHTER OF AL-NU’MAN AND AL-HAJJAJ. 94

      It is related that Hind daughter of Al-Nu’man was the fairest woman of her day, and her beauty and loveliness were reported to Al-Hajjaj, who sought her in marriage and lavished much treasure on her. So he took her to wife, engaging to give her a dowry of two hundred thousand dirhams in case of divorce, and when he went into her, he abode with her a long time. One day after this, he went in to her and found her looking at her face in the mirror and saying:—

      Hind is an Arab filly purest bred,

      Which hath been covered by a mongrel mule;

      An colt of horse she throw by Allah! well;

      If mule, it but results from mulish rule.95

      When Al-Hajjaj heard this, he turned back and went his way, unseen of Hind; and, being minded to put her away, he sent Abdullah bin Táhir to her, to divorce her. So Abdullah went in to her and said to her, “Al-Hajjaj Abu Mohammed saith to thee: Here be the two hundred thousand dirhams of thy contingent dowry he oweth thee; and he hath deputed me to divorce thee.” Replied she, “O Ibn Tahir, I gladly agree to this; for know that I never for one day took pleasure in him; so, if we separate, by Allah, I shall never regret him, and these two hundred thousand dirhams I give to thee as a reward for the glad tidings thou bringest me of my release from yonder dog of the Thakafites.”96 After this, the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik bin Marwán, heard of her beauty and loveliness, her stature and symmetry, her sweet speech and the amorous grace of her glances and sent to her, to ask her in marriage;–And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-second Night,

      She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince of True Believers, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, hearing of the lady’s beauty and loveliness, sent to ask her in marriage; and she wrote him in reply a letter, in which, after the glorification of Allah and benediction of His Prophet, she said, “But afterwards. Know, O Commander of the Faithful, that the dog hath lapped in the vase.” When the Caliph read her answer, he laughed and wrote to her, citing his saying (whom may Allah bless and keep!) “If a dog lap in the vessel of one of you, let him wash seven times, once thereof with earth,” and adding, “Wash the affront from the place of use.”97 With this she could not gainsay him; so she replied to him, saying (after praise and blessing), “O Commander of the Faithful I will not consent save on one condition, and if thou ask me what it is, I reply that Al-Hajjaj lead my camel to the town where thou tarriest barefoot and clad as he is.”98 When the Caliph read her letter, he laughed long and loudly and sent to Al-Hajjaj, bidding him do as she wished. He dared not disobey the order, so he submitted to the Caliph’s commandment and sent to Hind, telling her to make ready for the journey. So she made ready and mounted her litter, when Al-Hajjaj with his suite came up to Hind’s door and as she mounted and her damsels and eunuchs rode around her, he dismounted and took the halter of her camel and led it along, barefooted, whilst she and her damsels and tirewomen laughed and jeered at him and made mock of him. Then she said to her tirewoman, “Draw back the curtain of the litter;” and she drew back the curtain, till Hind was face to face with Al-Hajjaj, whereupon she laughed at him and he improvised this couplet:—

      Though now thou jeer, O Hind, how many a night

      I’ve left thee wakeful sighing for the light.

      And she answered him with these two:—

      We reck not, an our life escape from bane,

      For waste of wealth and gear that went in vain:

      Money may be regained and rank re-won

      When one is cured of malady and pain.

      And she ceased not to laugh at him and make sport of him, till they drew near the city of the Caliph, when she threw down a dinar with her own hand and said to Al-Hajjaj, “O camel-driver, I have dropped a dirham; look for it and give it to me.” So he looked and seeing naught but the dinar, said, “This is a dinar.” She replied, “Nay, ’tis a dirham.” But he said, “This is a dinar.” Then quoth she, “Praised be Allah who hath given us in exchange for a paltry dirham a dinar! Give it us.” And Al-Hajjaj was abashed at this. Then he carried her to the palace of the Commander of the Faithful, and she went in to him and became his favourite.–And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-third Night,

      She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that men also tell a tale anent

      KHUZAYMAH BIN BISHR AND IKRIMAH AL-FAYYAZ. 99

      There lived once, in the days of the Caliph Sulayman bin Abd al-Malik100 a man of the Banu Asad, by name Khuzaymah bin Bishr, who was famed for bounty and abundant wealth and excellence and righteous dealing with his brethren. He continued thus till times grew strait with him and he became in need of the aid of those Moslem brethren on whom he had lavished favour and kindness. So they succoured him a while and then grew weary of him, which when he saw, he went in to his wife who was the daughter of his father’s brother, and said to her, “O my cousin, I find a change in my brethren; wherefore I am resolved to keep my house till death come to me.” So he shut his door and abode in his home, living on that which he had by him, till it was spent and he knew not what to do. Now Ikrimah al-Raba’í, surnamed Al-Fayyáz, governor of