Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 022 - Night 931 - 932

Transcript

022 - Night 931 - 932 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty two of the Book of A Thousand Nights
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  Speaker 1: and a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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  Speaker 1: by Michel Frye mat Rouge, Louisiana, The Book of A
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  Speaker 1: Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume nine by Anonymous, translated
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  Speaker 1: by Richard Francis Burton. When it was the nine hundred
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  Speaker 1: and thirty first night, she said, it hath reached me
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  Speaker 1: o auspicious king, that every time the owner of an
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  Speaker 1: article came to the Dire, he would put him off
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  Speaker 1: with any pretext, and would swear to him. Nor would
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  Speaker 1: he cease to promise and swear to him as often
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  Speaker 1: as he came, till the customer lost patience and said,
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  Speaker 1: how often wilt thou say to me tomorrow give me
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  Speaker 1: my stuff? I will not have it died. Whereupon the
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  Speaker 1: dire would make in sir, but allah o my brother,
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  Speaker 1: I am abashed at thee, but I must tell the truth,
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  Speaker 1: and may Allah harm all who harm folk in their goods.
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  Speaker 1: The other would exclaim, tell me what had happened, and
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  Speaker 1: abou Kurr would reply, as for thy stuff, I died
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  Speaker 1: the same on matchless wise and hung it on the
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  Speaker 1: drying rope. But it twas stolen, and I know not
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  Speaker 1: who stole it. If the owner of the stuff were
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  Speaker 1: of the kindly, he would say, Allah will compensate me.
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  Speaker 1: And if he were of the ill conditioned, he would
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  Speaker 1: haunt him with exposure and insult, but would get nothing
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  Speaker 1: of him. Though he complained of him to the judge.
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  Speaker 1: He ceased not doing thus till his report was noised
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  Speaker 1: abroad among the folk, and each used to warn other
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  Speaker 1: against Abu Khur, who became a byword amongst them. So
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  Speaker 1: they all held aloof from him, and none would be
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  Speaker 1: entrapped by him, save those who were ignorant of his character.
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  Speaker 1: But for all this he failed not daily to suffer
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  Speaker 1: insult and exposure from Allah's creatures. By reason of this,
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  Speaker 1: his trade became slack, and he used to go to
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  Speaker 1: the shop of his neighbor, the barber Abou Sir, and
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  Speaker 1: sit there facing the diary, and with his eyes on
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  Speaker 1: the door. Whenever he espied any one who knew him
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  Speaker 1: not standing at the diary door with a piece of
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  Speaker 1: stuff in his hand. He would leave the barber's booth
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  Speaker 1: and go up to him, saying, what seekest thou, o thou?
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  Speaker 1: And the man would reply, take and duye me this thing.
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  Speaker 1: So the dyer would ask what color wilt thou have it?
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  Speaker 1: For with all his neighbor's tricks, his hand was in
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  Speaker 1: all manner of dyes, but he was never true to
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  Speaker 1: any one. Wherefore poverty had gotten the better of him.
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  Speaker 1: Then he would take the stuff and say, give me
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  Speaker 1: my wage in advance, and come tomorrow and take the stuff.
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  Speaker 1: So the stranger would advance him the money and wend
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  Speaker 1: his way. Whereupon abou Kurr would carry the cloth to
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  Speaker 1: the market street and sell it, and with its price
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  Speaker 1: buy meat and vegetables, and tobacco and fruit and what
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  Speaker 1: not else he needed. But whenever he saw anyone who
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  Speaker 1: had given him stuff to die standing at the door
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  Speaker 1: of his shop, he would not come forth to him,
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  Speaker 1: or even show himself to him. On this wise he
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  Speaker 1: abode years and years till it fortuned one day that
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  Speaker 1: he received cloth to die from a man of wrath,
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  Speaker 1: and sold it and spent the proceeds. The owner came
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  Speaker 1: to him every day, but found him not in his shop.
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  Speaker 1: For whenever he espied anyone who had claim against him,
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  Speaker 1: he would flee from him into the shop of the
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  Speaker 1: barber Abusir. At last, that angry man, finding that he
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  Speaker 1: was not to be seen, and growing very weary of
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  Speaker 1: such work, repaired to the Kazi, and, bringing one of
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  Speaker 1: his sergeants to the shop, nailed up the door in
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  Speaker 1: presence of a number of Muslims and sealed it. For
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  Speaker 1: that he saw therein naught but some broken pans of
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  Speaker 1: earthenware to stand him instead of his stuff, after which
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  Speaker 1: the sergeant took the key, saying to the neighbors, tell
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  Speaker 1: him to bring back this man's cloth. Then come to
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  Speaker 1: me and take his shop key, and went his way.
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  Speaker 1: He and the man then said, Abu Sir to abou Kur,
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  Speaker 1: what ill business is this? Whoever bringeth thee aught thou
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  Speaker 1: loset it for him? What hath become of this angry
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  Speaker 1: man's stuff? Answered the dyer, O, my neighbor twas stolen
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  Speaker 1: from me. Prodigious, exclaimed the barber. Whenever any one giveth
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  Speaker 1: thee aught, a thief steal it from thee art thou
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  Speaker 1: then the meeting place of every rogue upon town. But
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  Speaker 1: I doubt me thou liest, so tell me the truth,
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  Speaker 1: replied abuchur O, my neighbor, none hath stolen aught from me,
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  Speaker 1: asked Abu Sir, what then dost thou do with the
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  Speaker 1: people's property? And the dyer answered, whenever anyone giveth me
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  Speaker 1: aught to die, I sell it and spend the price.
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  Speaker 1: Quoth Abu Sir, is this permitted thee of Allah? And
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  Speaker 1: quoth Abu Chur, I do this only out of poverty,
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  Speaker 1: because business is slack with me, and I am poor
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  Speaker 1: and have nothing. And he went on to complain to
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  Speaker 1: him of the dullness of his trade and his lack
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  Speaker 1: of means. Abusir, in like manner, lamented the little profit
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  Speaker 1: of his own, calling, saying, I am master of my
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  Speaker 1: craft and have not my equal in the city. But
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  Speaker 1: no one cometh to me to be pulled, because I
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  Speaker 1: am a pauper, and I loathe this art and mystery
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  Speaker 1: of my brother. Abou Kurr replied, and I loathe my
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  Speaker 1: own craft by reason of its slackness. But oh, my brother,
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  Speaker 1: what call is therefore abiding in this town? Let us
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  Speaker 1: depart from it, I and thou and solace ourselves in
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  Speaker 1: the lands of mankind, Carrying in our hands, our crafts,
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  Speaker 1: which are in demand all the world over. So shall
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  Speaker 1: we breathe the air and rest from this grievous trouble.
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  Speaker 1: And he ceased not to command travel to Abu Sir
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  Speaker 1: till the barber came wishful to set out. So they
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  Speaker 1: agreed upon their route, and Shahrasad perceived the dawn of
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  Speaker 1: the day and ceased to say her permitted say when
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  Speaker 1: it was the nine hundred and thirty second night, she
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  Speaker 1: continued it hath reached me O auspicious King, that Abu
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  Speaker 1: Kur ceased not his praises of wayfaring to Abusir till
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  Speaker 1: the barber became wishful to depart. So they agreed upon
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  Speaker 1: their route, at which decision Abu Kur rejoiced and improvised,
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  Speaker 1: These lines, leave thy home for abroad and woodst rise
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  Speaker 1: on high, and travel whence benefits fivefold, rise the soothing
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  Speaker 1: of sorrow and winning of bread, knowledge, manners, and commerce
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  Speaker 1: with good men and wise. And they say that in
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  Speaker 1: travel are travail and care, and disunion of friends, and
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  Speaker 1: much hardship that tries yet to generous youth. Death is
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  Speaker 1: better than life. In the house of contempt, betwixt haters
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  Speaker 1: and spies. When they agreed to travel together, Abu Kur
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  Speaker 1: said to Abu Sur, Oh, my neighbor, we are become brethren,
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  Speaker 1: and there is no difference between us. So it behooveth
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  Speaker 1: us to recite the Footihah that he of us who
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  Speaker 1: gets work shall of his gain feed him who is
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  Speaker 1: out of work. And whatever is left we will lay
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  Speaker 1: in a chest, and when we return to Alexandria, we
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  Speaker 1: will divide it fairly and equally. So be it replied
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  Speaker 1: Abu Sir, and they repeated the opening chapter of the
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  Speaker 1: Koran on this understanding. Then Abusir locked up his shop
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  Speaker 1: and gave the key to its owner, whilst Abu Kur
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  Speaker 1: left his door locked and sealed, and let the key
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  Speaker 1: lie with the Kazi's sergeant, after which they took their
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  Speaker 1: baggage and embarked on the morrow in a galleon. Upon
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  Speaker 1: the salt sea. They set sail the same day, and
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  Speaker 1: fortune attended them. For of Abusir's great good luck, there
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  Speaker 1: was not a barber in the ship, albeit it carried
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  Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty men besides captain and crew. So
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  Speaker 1: when they loosed the sails, the barber said to the dyer, O,
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  Speaker 1: my brother, this is the sea, and we shall need
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  Speaker 1: meat and drink. We have but little provant with us,
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  Speaker 1: and happily the voyage will be long upon us. Wherefore
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  Speaker 1: methinks I will shoulder my budget and pass among the passengers,
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  Speaker 1: and maybe some one will say to me, come hither,
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  Speaker 1: o barber, and shave me, and I will shave him
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  Speaker 1: for a scone, or a silver bit, or a dot
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  Speaker 1: of water. So shall we profit by this? I and
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  Speaker 1: thou doo, there's no harm in that, replied the dyer,
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  Speaker 1: and laid down his head and slept, whilst the barber
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  Speaker 1: took his gear and water tasks, and, throwing over his
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  Speaker 1: shoulder a rag to serve as napkin. Because he was poor,
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  Speaker 1: passed among the passengers. Quoth one of them, O, master,
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  Speaker 1: come and shave me. So he shaved him, and the
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  Speaker 1: man gave him a half drham. Whereupon quoth abu sir, O,
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  Speaker 1: my brother, I have no use for this bit. Hadst
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  Speaker 1: thou given me a scone, two are more blessed to
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  Speaker 1: me in this sea, for I have a ship mate,
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  Speaker 1: and we are short on provision. So he gave him
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  Speaker 1: a loaf and a slice of cheese. And filled him
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  Speaker 1: a task with sweet water. The barber carried all this
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  Speaker 1: to Abu Khur and said, eat the bread and cheese
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  Speaker 1: and drink the water. Accordingly, he ate and drank, whilst
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  Speaker 1: Abu Sir again took up his shaving gear and tass
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  Speaker 1: in hand and rag on shoulder, and went round about
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  Speaker 1: the deck among the passengers. One man he shaved for
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  Speaker 1: two scones, and another for a bit lock of cheese,
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  Speaker 1: and he was in demand because there was no other
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  Speaker 1: barber on board. Also he bargained with every one who
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  Speaker 1: said to him, ho, master, shave me for two loaves
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  Speaker 1: and a half durham, And they gave him whatever he sought,
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  Speaker 1: so that by sundown he had collected thirty loaves and
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  Speaker 1: thirty silvers, with store of cheese and olives and buttargoes.
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  Speaker 1: And besides these he got from the passengers whatever he
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  Speaker 1: asked for, and was soon in possession of things galore.
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  Speaker 1: Amongst the rest, he shaved the captain, to whom he
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  Speaker 1: complained of his lack of victual for the voyage, and
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  Speaker 1: the skipper said to him, thou art welcome to bring
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  Speaker 1: thy comrade every night and sup with me, and have
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  Speaker 1: no care for that so long as she sail with us.
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  Speaker 1: Then he returned to the dyre, whom he found asleep.
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  Speaker 1: So he roused him. And when Abou Chur awoke, he
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  Speaker 1: saw at his head an abundance of bread and cheese,
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  Speaker 1: and olives and buttargoes, and said, whence goddest thou all
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  Speaker 1: this from the bounty of Allah almighty, replied Abu Sir,
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  Speaker 1: then Abuchur would have fallen too. But the barber said
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  Speaker 1: to him, eat not of this, so, my brother, but
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  Speaker 1: leave it to serve us another time. For know that
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  Speaker 1: I shaved the captain and complained to him of our
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  Speaker 1: lack of vitual. Whereupon quoth he, welcome to thee, bring
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  Speaker 1: thy comrade, and sup both of ye with me every night.
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  Speaker 1: And this night we sup with him for the first time.
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  Speaker 1: But Abu kurr replied, my head goeth round with sea sickness,
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  Speaker 1: and I cannot rise from my stead. So let me
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  Speaker 1: sup off these things and fare thou alone. To the captain.
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  Speaker 1: Abu Sir replied, there is no harm in that, and
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  Speaker 1: sat looking at the other as he ate, and saw
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  Speaker 1: him hew off gobbets as the quarryman hew with stone
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  Speaker 1: from the hill quarries and gulped them down with the
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  Speaker 1: gulp of an elephant who hath not eaten for days,
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  Speaker 1: bolting another mouthful ere he had swallowed the previous one,
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  Speaker 1: and glaring the while at that which was before him,
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  Speaker 1: with the glowering gesture of a ghoul, and blowing as
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  Speaker 1: blowing as bloweth the hungry bull over his beans and
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  Speaker 1: bruised straw. Presently, up came a sailor and said to
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  Speaker 1: the barber, O craftsman. The captain biddeth thee come to
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  Speaker 1: supper and bring thy comrade. Quoth the barber to the dyre,
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  Speaker 1: Wilt thou come with us? But quoth he, I can't walk.
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  Speaker 1: So the barber went by himself and found the captain
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  Speaker 1: sitting before a tray, whereon were a score or more
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  Speaker 1: of dishes, and all the company were awaiting him and
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  Speaker 1: his mate. When the captain saw him, he asked where
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  Speaker 1: is thy friend, and Abu Sir answered, O, my lord,
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  Speaker 1: he is sea sick, said the skipper. That will do
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  Speaker 1: him no harm. His sickness will soon pass off. But
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  Speaker 1: do thou carry him his supper and come back, for
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  Speaker 1: we tarry for thee. Then he set apart a porringer
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  Speaker 1: of Kebab's, and putting therein some of each dish till
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  Speaker 1: there was enough for ten, gave it to Abu Sir,
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  Speaker 1: saying take this to thy charm. He took it and
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  Speaker 1: carried it to the dyer, whom he found grinding away
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  Speaker 1: with his dog teeth at the food which was before him,
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  Speaker 1: as he were a camel, and heaping mouthful on mouthful
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  Speaker 1: in his hurry. Quoth Abu Sir, did I not say
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  Speaker 1: to thee, eat not of this? Indeed, the Captain, and
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  Speaker 1: as a kindly man, see what he hath sent thee
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  Speaker 1: for that, I told him, thou wert sea sick. Give
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  Speaker 1: it here, cried the dyer. So the barber gave him
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  Speaker 1: the platter, and he snatched it from him and fell
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  Speaker 1: upon the food, ravening for it, and resembling a grinning dog,
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  Speaker 1: or a raging lion, or a rube pouncing on a pigeon,
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  Speaker 1: or one well nigh dead for hunger, who seeing meat,
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  Speaker 1: falls ravenously to eat. Then Abu Sir left him, and
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  Speaker 1: going back to the Captain, supped and enjoyed himself and
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  Speaker 1: drank coffee with him, after which he returned to Abu
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  Speaker 1: Kur and found that he had eaten all that was
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  Speaker 1: in the porringer and thrown it aside empty. And Shahrazad
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  Speaker 1: perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
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  Speaker 1: say and of night nine thirty one and nine thirty
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  Speaker 1: two