The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02...

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Sharrkan bade them write for the merchant a mandate, after paying him his monies; and they wrote a perpetual patent, exempting him from the tithe upon his merchandise and forbidding any in his government to molest him; and lastly bestowed upon him a splendid dress of honour. Then all about him retired, and none remained save the Kazis and the merchant, whereupon said he to the judges, "I wish you to hear such discourse from this damsel as may prove her knowledge and accomplishments in all claimed for her by this trader, that we ascertain the truth of his assertions." They answered, "There is no evil in that!"; and he commanded the curtain to be let down between him and those with him and the maiden and those with her; and the women about the damsel behind the curtains began to wish her joy and kiss her hands and feet, when they learned that she was become the King's wife. Then they came round her and took off her dresses easing her of the weight of her clothes and began to look upon her beauty and loveliness. Presently the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs heard that King Sharrkan had bought a handmaiden unmatched for her beauty and learning and philosophy and account-keeping, and versed in all branches of knowledge, that he had paid for her three hundred and twenty thousand dinars, and that he had set her free and had written a marriage-contract with her and had summoned the four Kazis to make trial of her, how she would answer all their questions and hold disputation with them.

So they asked leave of their husbands and repaired to the palace wherein was Nuzhat al-Zaman. When they came in to her, they found the eunuchs standing before her; and, as soon as she saw the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees of the realm coming to call upon her, she arose to them on her feet and met them with courtesy, her handmaidens standing behind her, and she received them saying, "Ye be welcome!" The while she smiled in their faces so as to win their hearts; and she promised them all manner of good and seated them in their proper stations, as if she had been brought up with them; so all wondered at her beauty and loveliness and said to one another, "This damsel is none other than a Queen, the daughter of a King." Then they sat down, magnifying her worth and said to her, "O our lady, this our city is illumined by thee, and our country and abode and birthplace and reign are honoured by thy presence. The kingdom indeed is thy kingdom and the palace is thy palace, and we all are thy handmaids; so, by Allah, do not shut us out from thy favours and from the sight of thy beauty." And she thanked them for this. All this while the curtains were let down between Nuzhat al-Zaman and the women with her, on the one side, and King Sharrkan and the four Kazis and the merchant seated by him on the other.

Presently King Sharrkan called to her and said, "O Queen, the glory of thine age, this merchant hath described thee as being learned and accomplished; and he claimeth that thou art skilled in all branches of knowledge, even to astrology: so let us hear something of all this he hath mentioned, and favour us with a short discourse on such subjects." She replied, saying:—"O King, to hear is to obey.[259] The first subjects whereof I will treat are the art of government and the duties of Kings and what behoveth governors of commandments according to religious law, and what is incumbent on them in respect of satisfactory speech and manners. Know then, O King, that all men's works tend either to religious or to laical life, for none attaineth to religion save through this world, because it is the best road to futurity. Now the works of this world are not ordered save by the doings of its people, and men's doings are divided into four divisions, government, commerce, husbandry and craftmanship. Now government requireth perfect administration with just and true judgment; for government is the pivot of the edifice of the world, which world is the road to futurity; since Allah Almighty hath made the world for His servants as viaticum to the traveller for the attainment of his goal; and it befitteth each man that he receive of it such measure as shall bring him to Allah, and that he follow not herein his own mind and his individual lust.

If folk would take of worldly goods with justice and equity, all cause of contention would be cut off; but they take thereof with violence and after their own desires, and their persistence therein giveth rise to contentions; so they have need of the Sultan, that he do justice between them and order their affairs; and, if the King restrain not his folk from one another, the strong will drive the weak to the wall. Hence Ardeshir[260] saith, Religion and Kingship be twins; religion is a hidden treasure and the King is its keeper; and the Divine Ordinances and men's intelligence point out that it behoveth the people to adopt a Sultan who shall withhold oppressor from oppressed and do the weak justice against the strong and restrain the violence of the proud and the rebels against rule. For know, O King, that according to the measure of the Sultan's good morals, even so will be the time; as saith the Apostle of Allah (on whom be peace and salvation!), There be two classes who, if they be good, the people will be good; and if they be bad, the people will be bad, even the Olema and the Emirs. And it is said by a certain sage:—There be three kinds of Kings, the King of the Faith, the King who protecteth things to which reverence is due, and the King of his own lusts.

The King of the Faith obligeth his subjects to follow their faith, and it behoveth he be the most faithful,[261] for it is by him that they take pattern in the things of the Faith; and it becometh the folk to obey him in whatso he commandeth according to Divine Ordinance; but he shall hold the discontented in the same esteem as the contented, because of submission to the decrees of Destiny. As for the King who protecteth things to be reverenced, he upholdeth the things of the Faith and of the World and compelleth his folk to follow the Divine Law and to preserve the rights of humanity; and it fitteth him to unite Pen and Sword; for whoso declineth from what Pen hath written, his feet slip and the King shall rectify his error with the sharp Sword and dispread his justice over all mankind. As for the King of his own lusts, he hath no religion but the following his desire and, as he feareth not the wrath of his Lord who set him on the throne, so his Kingdom inclineth to deposition and the end of his pride is in the house of perdition. And sages say, The King hath need of many people, but the people have need of but one King; wherefore it beseemeth that he be well acquainted with their natures, that he reduce their discord to concord, that with his justice he encompass them all and with his bounties overwhelm them all. And know, O King, that Ardeshir, styled Jamr Shadíd, or the Live Coal, third of the Kings of Persia, conquered the whole world and divided it into four divisions and, for this purpose, gat for himself four seal-rings, one for each division.

The first seal was that of the sea and the police of prohibition and on it was written, Alternatives. The second was the seal of tribute and of the receipt of monies, and on it was written, Building up. The third was the seal of the provisioning department and on it was written, Plenty. The fourth was the seal of the oppressed, and on it was written, Justice. And these usages remained valid in Persia until the revelation of Al-Islam. Chosroes also wrote his son, who was with the army:—Be not thou too open-handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need thee."——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Chosroes wrote his son:—Be not thou too open-handed with thy troops, or they will be too rich to need thee; nor be thou niggardly with them, or they will murmur against thee. Give thy giving deliberately and confer thy favours advisedly; open thy hand to them in time of success and stint them not in time of distress. There is a legend that a desert Arab came once to the Caliph Al-Mansúr[262] and said, Starve thy dog and he shall follow thee. When the Caliph heard his words, he was enraged with the Arab, but Abu 'l-Abbás of Tús said to him, I fear that if some other than thou should show him a scone, the dog would follow him and leave thee alone. Thereupon the Caliph Al-Mansúr's wrath subsided and he knew that the wild Arab had intended no offence and ordered him a present. And know, O King, that Abd al-Malik bin Marwán wrote to his brother Abd al-Aziz, when he despatched him to Egypt, as follows:—Pay heed to thy Secretaries and thy Chamberlains, for the Secretaries will acquaint thee with established matters and the Chamberlains with matters of official ceremony, whilst thine expenditure will make thy troops known to thee. Omar bin Al-Khattab[263] (whom Allah accept!) when engaging a servant was in the habit of conditioning him with four conditions; the first that he should not ride the baggage-beasts, the second that he should not wear fine clothes, the third that he should not eat of the spoil and the fourth that he should not put off praying till after the proper period.

It is said that there is no wealth more profitable than understanding, and there is no understanding like common sense and prudence, and there is no prudence like piety; that there is no means of drawing near to God like good morals, no measure like good breeding, no traffic like good works and no profit like earning the Divine favour; that there is no temperance like standing within the limits of the law, no science like that of meditation, no worship like obeying the Divine commands, no faith like modesty, no calculation like self-abasement and no honour like knowledge. So guard the head and what it containeth and the belly and what it compriseth; and think of death and doom ere it ariseth. Saith Ali (whose face Allah honour!), Beware of the wickedness of women and be on thy guard against them: consult them not in aught;[264] but grudge not complaisance to them, lest they greed for intrigue. And eke quoth he, whoso leaveth the path of moderation his wits become perplexed; and there be rules for this which we will mention, if it be Allah's will. And Omar (whom Allah accept!) saith, there are three kinds of women, firstly the true-believing, Heaven-fearing, love-full and fruit-full, who helpeth her mate against fate, not helping fate against her mate; secondly, she who loveth her children but no more and, lastly, she who is a shackle Allah setteth on the neck of whom He will.

Men be also three: the wise when he exerciseth his own judgement; the wiser who, when befalleth somewhat whereof he knoweth not the issue, seeketh folk of good counsel and acteth by their advice; and the unwise-irresolute ignoring the right way nor heeding those who would guide him straight. Justice is indispensable in all things; even slave-girls have need of justice; and men quote as an instance highway robbers who live by violenting mankind, for did they not deal equitably among themselves and observe justice in dividing their booty, their order would fall to pieces.[265] In short, for the rest, the Prince of noble qualities is Beneficence-cum-Benevolence; and how excellent is the saying of the poet:—

And Nuzhat al-Zaman discoursed upon the policy of Kings till the bystanders said, "Never have we seen one reason of rule and government like this damsel! Haply she will let us hear some discourse upon subject other than this." When she heard their words and understood them she said, "As for the chapter of good breeding, it is wide of comprehension, being a compend of things perfect. Now it so happened that one day there came to the Caliph Mu'áwiyah[266] one of his companions, who mentioned the people of Irak and the goodness of their wit; and the Caliph's wife Maysun, mother of Yezid, heard his words. So, when he was gone, she said to the Caliph:—O Prince of the Faithful, I would thou let some of the people of Irak come in and talk to thee, that I may hear their discourse. Therewith Mu'awiyah said to his attendants, See who is at the door? And they answered, The Banu Tamím. Let them come in, said he. So they came in and with them Al-Ahnaf son of Kays.[267] Then quoth Mu'awiyah:—Enter, O Abu Bahr, and drew a curtain between himself and Maysun, that she might hear what they said without being seen herself; then he said to Al-Ahnaf:—O Son of the Sea, draw near and tell me what counsel thou hast for me. Quoth Al-Ahnaf, Part thy hair and trim thy moustachio and pare thy nails and pluck thine armpits and shave thy pubes[268] and ever use the toothstick because therein be two-and-seventy virtues, and make the Ghusl or complete ablution on Friday, as an expiation for all between the Fridays."——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ahnaf bin Kays replied to Al-Mu'awiyah's[269] question, "And ever use the toothstick, because therein be two-and-seventy virtues and make the complete Friday ablution as an expiation for all between the two Fridays." Quoth Mu'awiyah, "What is thy counsel to thyself?" "To set my feet firmly on the ground, to move them deliberately and watch over them with mine eyes!" "How dost thou order thyself when thou goest in to one not of the nobles of thy tribe?" "I lower mine eyes modestly and I salute first; I avoid what concerneth me not and I spare my words!" "And how when thou goest in to thine equals?" "I give ear to them when they speak and I do not assail them when they err!" "When thou goest in to thy chiefs?" "I salute without making any sign and await the reply: if they bid me draw near, I draw near; and if they draw off from me I withdraw!" "How dost thou with thy wife?" Quoth Ahnaf, "Excuse me from answering this, O Commander of the Faithful!"; but Mu'awiyah cried, "I conjure thee inform me." He said, "I entreat her kindly and show her familiarity and am large in expenditure, for woman was created of a crooked rib."[270] "And how dost thou when thou hast a mind to lie with her?" "I bid her perfume herself and kiss her till she is moved to desire; then, should it be as thou knowest,[271] I throw her on her back.

If the seed abide in her womb I say:—O Allah make it blessed and let it not be a wastrel, but fashion it into the best of fashions![272] Then I rise from her to ablution and first I pour water over my hands and then over my body and lastly, I praise Allah for the joy He hath given me." Said Mu'awiyah, "Thou hast answered right well and now tell me what be thy requirements?" Said Ahnaf, "I would have thee rule thy subjects in the fear of Allah and do even-handed justice between them." Thereupon Ahnaf rose to his feet and left the Caliph's presence, and when he had gone Maysun said, "Were there but this man in Irak, he would suffice to it." Then continued Nuzhat al-Zaman, "And all this is a section of the chapter of good-breeding, and know O King, that Mu'aykib was intendant of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin al-Khattáb,"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman continued, "Know, O King, that Mu'aykib was intendant of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin Al-Khattab; and it so befel him that he saw Omar's son and gave him a dirham out of the treasury. Thereupon, quoth Mu'aykib, I returned to my own house, and while I was sitting there behold, a messenger came to me from Omar and I was afraid and went to him, and when I came into his presence, in his hand was the dirham I had given his son. He said to me, Woe to thee, Mu'aykib! I have found somewhat concerning thy soul. I asked, And what is that?; and he answered, It is that thou hast shown thyself a foe to the followers of Mohammed (on whom be peace and salvation!) in the matter of this dirham, and thou wilt have to account for it on Resurrection Day.[273] And Omar also wrote a letter to Abú Músá al-Ashári[274] as follows:—When these presents reach thee, give the people what is theirs and remit to me the rest. And he did so. Now when Othmán succeeded to the Caliphate, he wrote a like letter to Abu Musa, who did his bidding and sent him the tribute accordingly, and with it came Ziyád.[275] And when Ziyad laid the tribute before Othman, the Caliph's son came in and took a dirham, whereupon Ziyad shed tears. Othman asked Why weepest thou?; and Ziyad answered, I once brought Omar bin Al-Khattab the like of this and his son took a dirham, whereupon Omar bade snatch it from his hand. Now thy son hath taken of the tribute, yet I have seen none say aught to him or snatch the money from him.

Then Othman[276] cried, And where wilt thou find the like of Omar? Again Zayd bin Aslam relates of his father that he said:—I went out one night with Omar till we approached a blazing fire. Quoth Omar, O Aslam, I think these must be travellers who are suffering from the cold. Come, let us join them. So we walked on till we came to them and behold! we found a woman who had lighted a fire under a cauldron and by her side were two children, both a-wailing. Said Omar, Peace be with you, O folk of light (for it was repugnant to him to say 'folk of fire'),[277] what aileth you? Said she, The cold and the night trouble us. He asked, What aileth these little people that they weep?; and she answered, They are hungry. He enquired, And what is in this cauldron?; and she replied, It is what I quiet them withal, and Allah will question Omar bin Al-Khattab of them, on the Day of Doom. He said, And what should Omar know of their case? Why then, rejoined she, should he manage people's affairs and yet be unmindful of them? Thereupon Omar turned to me (continued Aslam) and cried, Come with us! So we set off running till we reached the pay-department of his treasury, where he took out a sack containing flour and a pot holding fat and said to me, Load these on my back! Quoth I, O Commander of the Faithful, I will carry them for thee. He rejoined, Wilt thou bear my load for me on the Day of Resurrection? So I put the things on his back, and we set off, running, till we threw down the sack hard by her.

Then he took out some of the flour and put it in the cauldron; and, saying to the woman, Leave it to me, he began blowing the fire under the cauldron. Now he was a long-bearded man[278] and I saw the smoke issuing from between the hairs of his beard till the flour was cooked, when he took some of the fat and threw it in and said to the woman, Feed them while I cool it for them. So they fell to eating till they had eaten their fill, and he left the rest with her. Then he turned to me and said, O Aslam, I see it was indeed hunger made them weep; and I am glad I did not go away ere I found out the cause of the light I saw."——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman continued, "It is related that Omar passed by a flock of sheep, kept by a Mameluke, and asked him to sell him a sheep. He answered, They are not mine. Thou art the man I sought, said Omar, and bought him and freed him; whereupon the slave exclaimed, O Allah, as thou hast bestowed on me the lesser emancipation; so vouchsafe me the greater![279] It is also said that Omar bin Al-Khattab was wont to give his servants sweet milk and himself eat coarse fare, and to clothe them softly and himself wear rough garments. He rendered unto all men their due, and exceeded in his giving to them. He once gave a man four thousand dirhams and added thereto a thousand, wherefore it was said to him, Why dost thou not increase to thy son as thou increasest to this man? He answered, This man's father stood firm at the battle-day of Ohod.[280] Al-Hasan relates that Omar once came back from foray with much money, and that Hafsah[281] approached him and said, O Commander of the Faithful, the due of kinship! O Hafsah! replied he, verily Allah hath enjoined us to satisfy the dues of kinship, but not with the monies of the True Believers. Indeed, thou pleasest thy family, but thou angerest thy father. And she went away trailing her skirts.[282] The son of Omar said, I implored the Lord to show me my father one year after his death, till at last I saw him wiping the sweat from his brow and asked him, How is it with thee, O my father? He answered, But for my Lord's mercy thy father surely had perished."

Then said Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Hear, O auspicious King, the second division of the first chapter of the instances of the followers of the Apostle and other holy men. Saith Al-Hasan al-Basrí,[283] Not a soul of the sons of Adam goeth forth of the world without regretting three things, failure to enjoy what he hath amassed, failure to compass what he hoped, failure to provide himself with sufficient viaticum for that whereto he goeth.[284] It was said to Sufyan,[285] Can a man be a religious and yet possess wealth? He replied, Yes, so he be patient when grieved and be thankful when he hath received. Abdullah bin Shaddád, being about to die, sent for his son Mohammed and admonished him, saying, O my son, I see the Summoner of Death summoning me, and so I charge thee to fear Allah both in public and private, to praise Allah and to be soothfast in thy speech, for such praise bringeth increase of prosperity, and piety in itself is the best of provision for the next world; even as saith one of the poets:—

Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Let the King also give ear to these notes from the second section of the first chapter." He asked her what be they?; and she answered, "When Omar bin Abd al-Aziz[286] succeeded to the Caliphate, he went to his household and laying hands on all that was in their hold, put it into the public treasury. So the Banu Umayyah flew for aid to his father's sister, Fátimah, daughter of Marwán, and she sent to him saying, I must needs speak to thee. So she came to him by night and, when he had made her alight from her beast and sit down, he said to her, O aunt, it is for thee to speak first, since thou hast something to ask: tell me then what thou wouldst with me. Replied she, O Commander of the Faithful, it is thine to speak first, for thy judgment perceiveth that which is hidden from the intelligence of others. Then said Omar, Of a verity Allah Almighty sent Mohammed as a blessing to some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him, and commissioned him as His Apostle and took him to Himself,"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman continued thus, "Said Omar, Verily Allah commissioned as His Apostle Mohammed (upon whom be the benediction of Allah and His salvation!), for a blessing to some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him and took him to Himself, leaving the people a stream whereof they might drink. After him Abu Bakr[287] the Truth-teller became Caliph and he left the river as it was, doing what was pleasing to Allah. Then arose Omar and worked a work and strove in holy war and strife whereof none might do the like. But when Othman arose to power he diverted a streamlet from the stream, and Mu'awiyah in his turn diverted from it several streamlets; and without ceasing in like manner, Yezid and the Banu Marwán such as Abd al-Malik and Walíd and Sulaymán[288] drew away water from the stream, and the main course dried up, till rule devolved upon me, and now I am minded to restore the stream to its normal condition. When Fatimah heard this, she said, I came wishing only to speak and confer with thee, but if this be thy word, I have nothing to say to thee. Then she returned to the Ommiades and said to them, Now take ye the consequences of your act when ye allied yourselves by marriage with Omar bin Al-Khattab[289]." And it is also said that when Omar was about to die, he gathered his children round him, and Maslamah[290] bin Abd al-Malik said to him, O Prince of the Faithful, how wilt thou leave thy children paupers and thou their protector?

None can hinder thee in thy lifetime from giving them what will suffice them out of the treasury; and this indeed were better than leaving the good work to him who shall rule after thee. Omar looked at him with a look of wrath and wonder and presently replied, O Maslamah, I have defended them from this sin all the days of my life, and shall I make them miserable after my death? Of a truth my sons are like other men, either obedient to Almighty Allah who will prosper them, or disobedient and I will not help them in their disobedience. Know, O Maslamah, that I was present, even as thou, when such an one of the sons of Marwán was buried, and I fell asleep by him and saw him in a dream given over to one of the punishments of Allah, to whom belong Honour and Glory! This terrified me and made me tremble, and I vowed to Allah, that if ever I came to power, I would not do such deeds as the dead man had done. I have striven to fulfil this vow all the length of my life and I hope to die in the mercy of my Lord. Quoth Maslamah:—A certain man died and I was present at his burial, and when all was over I fell asleep and I saw him as a sleeper seeth a dream, walking in a garden of flowing waters clad in white clothes. He came up to me and said: O Maslamah, it is for the like of this that rulers should rule. Many are the instances of this kind, and quoth one of the men of authority, I used to milk the ewes in the Caliphate of Omar bin Abd al-Aziz, and one day I met a shepherd, among whose sheep I saw a wolf or wolves.

I thought them to be dogs, for I had never before seen wolves; so I asked, What dost thou with these dogs? They are not dogs, but wolves, answered the shepherd. Quoth I, Can wolves be with sheep and not hurt them? Quoth he, When the head is whole, the body is whole.[291] Omar bin Abd al-Aziz once preached from a pulpit of clay and, after praising and glorifying Allah Almighty, said three words as follows, O folk, make clean your inmost hearts, that your outward lives may be clean to your brethren, and abstain ye from the things of the world. Know that between us and Adam there is no one man alive among the dead. Dead are Abd al-Malik and those who forewent him, and Omar also shall die and those who forewent him. Asked Maslamah, O Commander of the Faithful, an we set a pillow behind thee, wilt thou lean on it a little while? But Omar answered, I fear lest it be a fault about my neck on Resurrection Day. Then he gasped with the death rattle and fell back in a faint; whereupon Fatimah cried out, saying, Ho, Maryam! Ho, Muzáhim![292] Ho, such an one! Look to this man! And she began to pour water on him weeping, till he revived from his swoon; and, seeing her in tears said to her, What causeth thee to weep, O Fatimah? She replied, O Commander of the Faithful, I saw thee lying prostrate before us and thought of thy prostration in death before Almighty Allah, of thy departure from the world and of thy separation from us. This is what made me weep. Answered he, Enough, O Fatimah, for indeed thou exceedest.

Then he would have risen, but fell down and Fatimah strained him to her and said, "Thou art to me as my father and my mother, O Commander of the Faithful! We cannot speak to thee, all of us." Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here endeth the second section of the first chapter."——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman said to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here endeth the second section of the first chapter. And it so happened that Omar bin Abd al-Aziz wrote to the people of the festival at Meccah as follows:—I call Allah to witness, in the Holy Month, in the Holy City and on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage,[293] that I am innocent of your oppression and of his wrongs that doth wrong you, in that I have neither commanded this nor purposed it, neither hath any report of aught thereof hitherto reached me, nor have I compassed any knowledge thereof; and I trust that a cause for pardon will be found in that none hath authority from me to oppress any man, for I shall assuredly be questioned concerning every one opprest. And if any of my officers swerve from the right and act otherwise than the Holy Book and the Traditions of the Apostle do authorise, obey him not so that he may return to the way of righteousness. He said also (Allah accept of him!), I do not wish to be relieved from death, because it is the supreme thing for which the True Believer is rewarded. Quoth one of authority, I went to the Prince of the Faithful, Omar bin Abd al-Aziz, who was then Caliph, and saw before him twelve dirhams, which he ordered for deposit in the public treasury. So I said to him, O Commander of the Faithful, thou impoverishest thy children and reducest them to beggary having nothing whereon to live. An thou wouldst appoint somewhat by will to them and to those who are poor of the people of thy house, it were well.

Draw near to me, answered he: so I drew near to him and he said, Now as for thy saying, Thou beggarest thy children; provide for them and for the poor of thy household, it is without reason; for Allah of a truth will replace me to my children and to the poor of my house, and He will be their guardian. Verily, they are like other men; he who feareth Allah, right soon will Allah provide for him a happy issue, and he that is addicted to sins, I will not uphold him in his sin against Allah. Then he summoned his sons who numbered twelve, and when he beheld them his eyes dropped tears and presently he said to them, Your Father is between two things; either ye will be well to do, and your parent will enter the fire, or ye will be poor and your parent will enter Paradise; and your father's entry into Paradise is liefer to him than that ye should be well to do.[294] So arise and go, Allah be your helper, for to Him I commit your affair! Khálid bin Safwán[295] said, Yúsuf bin Omar[296] accompanied me to Hishám bin Abd al-Malik,[297] and as I met him he was coming forth with his kinsmen and attendants. He alighted and a tent was pitched for him. When the people had taken their seats, I came up to the side of the carpet whereon he sat reclining and looked at him; and, waiting till my eyes met his eyes, bespoke him thus, May Allah fulfil His bounty to thee, O Commander of the Faithful, I have an admonition for thee, which hath come down to us from the history of the Kings preceding thee!

At this, he sat up whenas he had been reclining and said to me, Bring what thou hast, O son of Safwan! Quoth I, O Commander of the Faithful, one of the Kings before thee went forth in a time before this thy time, to this very country and said to his companions, Saw ye ever any state like mine and say me, hath such case been given to any man even as it hath been given unto me? Now there was with him a man of those who survive to bear testimony to Truth; upholders of the Right and wayfarers in its highway, and he said to him, O King, thou askest of a grave matter. Wilt thou give me leave to answer? Yes, replied the King, and the other said, Dost thou judge thy present state to be short-lasting or everlasting? It is temporary, replied the King. How then, rejoined the man, do I see thee exulting in that which thou wilt enjoy but a little while and whereof thou wilt be questioned for a long while, and for the rendering an account whereof thou shalt be as a pledge which is pawned? Quoth the King, Whither shall I flee and what must I seek for me? That thou abide in thy kingship, replied the other, or else robe thee in rags[298] and apply thyself to obey Almighty Allah thy Lord until thine appointed hour. I will come to thee again at daybreak. Khalid bin Safwan further relates that the man knocked at the door at dawn and behold, the King had put off his crown and resolved to become an anchorite, for the stress of his exhortation. When Hishám bin Abd al-Malik heard this, he wept till his beard was wet; and, bidding his rich apparel be put off, shut himself up in his palace.

Then the grandees and dependants came to Khalid and said, What is this thou hast done with the Commander of the Faithful? Thou hast troubled his pleasure and disturbed his life!" Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, addressing herself to Sharrkan, "How many instances of admonition are there not in this chapter! Of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to this head in a single sitting"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman continued, speaking to Sharrkan, "Know, O King, that in this chapter be so many instances of admonition that of a truth I cannot report all appertaining to this head in a single sitting but, with length of days, O King of the age, all will be well." Then said the Kazis, "O King, of a truth this damsel is the wonder of the world, and of our age the unique pearl! Never heard we her like in the length of time or in the length of our lives." And they called down blessings on the King and went away. Then Sharrkan turned to his attendants and said, "Begin ye to prepare the marriage festival and make ready food of all kinds." So they forthright did his bidding as regards the viands, and he commanded the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees depart not until the time of the wedding-banquet and of the unveiling of the bride. Hardly came the period of afternoon-prayer when the tables were spread with whatso heart can desire or eye can delight in of roast meats and geese and fowls; and the subjects ate till they were satisfied. Moreover, Sharrkan had sent for all the singing-women of Damascus and they were present, together with every slave-girl of the King and of the notables who knew how to sing. And they went up to the palace in one body.