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012 - Night 911 - 912 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section twelve of the Book of the Thousand Knights and
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  Speaker 1: a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording. All
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
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  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Andre Levy andreleiv dot Net, Lisbon, Portugal. The Book of
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  Speaker 1: the Thousand Knights and a Night, Volume nine by Anonymous,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burton Knight nine hundred and eleven.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and eleventh night, she
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  Speaker 1: said it hath reached me o auspicious king, that when
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  Speaker 1: the Wazir Sheimus asked the King's son, saying which is
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  Speaker 1: the most excellent of the treasures of earth? He answered
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  Speaker 1: the practice of kindness. So the minister pursued, tell me
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  Speaker 1: of three several and different things, knowledge and judgment and wit,
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  Speaker 1: and of that which uniteth them. Knowledge cometh of learning,
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  Speaker 1: judgment of experience, and wit of reflection, and they are
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  Speaker 1: all established and united in reason. Whoso combineth these three
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  Speaker 1: qualities attaineth perfection. And he who addeth thereto the piety
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  Speaker 1: and fear of the Lord is in the right course.
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  Speaker 1: Take the case of a man of learning and wisdom,
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  Speaker 1: endowed with right judgment, luminous intelligence, and a keen wit
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  Speaker 1: and excelling And tell me, can desire and lust change
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  Speaker 1: these his qualities? Yes, For these two passions, when they
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  Speaker 1: enter into a man, alter his wisdom and understanding, and
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  Speaker 1: judgment and wit. And he is like the ossiffrage, which
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  Speaker 1: for precaution again the hunters abode in the upper air
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  Speaker 1: of the excess of his subtlety. But as he was thus,
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  Speaker 1: he saw a fowler set up his nets, and, when
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  Speaker 1: the toils were firmly staked down, bait them with a
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  Speaker 1: bit of meat, which, when he beheld desiron lust thereof
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  Speaker 1: overcame him, and he forgot that which he had seen
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  Speaker 1: of springes, and of the sorry plight of all birds
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  Speaker 1: that fell into them. So he swooped down from the welkin, and,
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  Speaker 1: pouncing upon the piece of meat, was meshed in the
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  Speaker 1: same snare, and could not win free. When the fowler
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  Speaker 1: came up and saw the Osseoffrage taken in his toils,
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  Speaker 1: he marveled with exceeding marvel, and said, I set up
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  Speaker 1: my nets, thinking to take their in. Pigeons and the
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  Speaker 1: like of small fowl. How came this ossoffrage to fall
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  Speaker 1: into it. It is said that when desire and lust
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  Speaker 1: in sight a man of understanding to aught, he considereth
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  Speaker 1: the end thereof, and refraineth from that which they make fair,
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  Speaker 1: and represseth with his reason his lust and concupiscence. For
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  Speaker 1: when these passions urge him to aught, it behooveth him
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  Speaker 1: to make his reason like unto a horseman skilled in horsemanship,
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  Speaker 1: who mounting a skittish horse, curbeth him with a sharp bit,
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  Speaker 1: so that he go aright with him and bear him
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  Speaker 1: whither he will. As for the ignorant man, who hath
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  Speaker 1: neither knowledge nor judgment, while all things are obscure to him,
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  Speaker 1: and desire and lust lord it over him. Verily he
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  Speaker 1: doeth according to his desire and his lust, and is
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  Speaker 1: of the number of those that perish. Nor is there
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  Speaker 1: among men one in worse case than he. When is
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  Speaker 1: knowledge profitable, and when availeth reason to ward off the
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  Speaker 1: ill effects of desire and lust, when their possessor useth
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  Speaker 1: them in quest of the goods of the next world.
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  Speaker 1: For reason and knowledge are altogether profitable, but it befitteth
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  Speaker 1: not their owner to expend them in the quest of
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  Speaker 1: the goods of this world, save in such measure as
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  Speaker 1: may be needful for gaining his livelihood and defending himself
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  Speaker 1: from its mischief, but to lay them out with a
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  Speaker 1: view to futurity. What is most worthy that a man
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  Speaker 1: should apply himself thereto and occupy his heart withal good
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  Speaker 1: works and pious If a man do this, it deferteth
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  Speaker 1: him from gaining his living. How then shall he do
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  Speaker 1: for his daily bread, wherewith he may not dispense. A
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  Speaker 1: man's day is for and twenty hours, and it behooveth
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  Speaker 1: him to employ one third thereof in seeking his living,
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  Speaker 1: another in prayer and repose, and the other in the
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  Speaker 1: pursuits of For a reasonable man without knowledge is a
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  Speaker 1: barren land which hath no place for tillage, tree planting,
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  Speaker 1: or grass growing. Except it be prepareth for tilleth and plantation.
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  Speaker 1: No fruit will profit therein. But if it be tilled
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  Speaker 1: and planted, it bringeth forth goodly fruits. So with the
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  Speaker 1: man lacking education, there is no profit in him till
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  Speaker 1: knowledge be planted in him, Then doth he bear fruit?
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  Speaker 1: What sayest thou of knowledge without understanding? It is as
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  Speaker 1: the knowledge of a brute beast which hath learnt the
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  Speaker 1: hours of its foddering and waking. But hath no reason
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  Speaker 1: thou hast been brief in thine answer here, Annette, But
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  Speaker 1: I accept thy reply. Tell me, how shall I guard
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  Speaker 1: myself against the Sultan by giving him no way to thee?
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  Speaker 1: And how can I but give him way to me?
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  Speaker 1: Seeing that he is set in dominion over me, and
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  Speaker 1: that the reigns of my affair be in his hand.
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  Speaker 1: His dominion over thee lieth in the duties thou owest him, Wherefore,
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  Speaker 1: an thou give him his due, he hath no farther
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  Speaker 1: dominion over thee. What are o Wazir's duties to his king?
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  Speaker 1: Good counsel and zealous service, both in public and private?
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  Speaker 1: Right judgment, the keeping of his secrets, and that he
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  Speaker 1: conceal from his lord naught of that whereof he hath
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  Speaker 1: a right to be informed, lack of neglect of aught
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  Speaker 1: of his need with the gratifying of which he chargeth him,
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  Speaker 1: the seeking his approval in every guise, and the avoidance
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  Speaker 1: of his anger. How should the Wazir do with the King?
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  Speaker 1: An thou be wazir to the King, and wouldst fain
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  Speaker 1: becomes safe from him. Let thy hearing and thy speaking
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  Speaker 1: to him surpass his expectation of thee, and be thy
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  Speaker 1: seeking ith thy want from him, after the measure of
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  Speaker 1: thy rank in his esteem. And beware lest thou advance
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  Speaker 1: thyself to a dignity whereof he deemeth thee unworthy, for
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  Speaker 1: this would be like presuming against him. So if thou
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  Speaker 1: take advantage of his mildness and raise thee to a
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  Speaker 1: rank beyond that which he deemeth, thy do thou wilt
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  Speaker 1: be like the hunter, whose wont it was to trap
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  Speaker 1: wild beasts for their pelts and cast away the flesh.
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  Speaker 1: Now a lion used to come to that place and
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  Speaker 1: eat of the carrion, And in course of time he
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  Speaker 1: made friendship with the hunter, who would throw me to
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  Speaker 1: him and wipe his hands on his back, whilst the
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  Speaker 1: lion wagged his tail. But when the hunter saw his
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  Speaker 1: tameness and gentleness and submissiveness to him, he said to himself, verily,
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  Speaker 1: this lion humbleth himself to him, and I am master
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  Speaker 1: over him, and I see not why I should not
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  Speaker 1: mount him and strip off his hide, as with the
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  Speaker 1: other wild beasts. So he took courage and sprang on
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  Speaker 1: the lion's back, presuming on his mildness and deeming himself
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  Speaker 1: sure of him, which when the lion saw he raged
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  Speaker 1: with exceeding rage and raising his forepaw smote the hunter
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  Speaker 1: that he drove his claws into his vitals, after which
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  Speaker 1: he cast him under foot and tear him in pieces
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  Speaker 1: and devoured him. By this we may know that it
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  Speaker 1: behooveth the Wazir to bear himself towards the king according
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  Speaker 1: to that which he seeth of his condition, and not
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  Speaker 1: presume upon the superiority of his own judgment, lest the
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  Speaker 1: king become jealous of him. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
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  Speaker 1: of day and ceased to say her permitted say end
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  Speaker 1: of night nine hundred and eleven knight nine hundred twelve.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and twelfth night, she continued,
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  Speaker 1: it hath reached me o auspicious king, that the youth,
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  Speaker 1: the son of King Jaliad, said to Shemus the Wazir,
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  Speaker 1: it behooveth the minister to bear himself towards the monarch
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  Speaker 1: according to that which he seeth of his condition, and
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  Speaker 1: not to presume upon the superiority of his own judgment,
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  Speaker 1: lest the king wax jealous of him, quoth Shemus. How
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  Speaker 1: shall the Wazir grace himself in the King's sight by
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  Speaker 1: the performance of the trust committed to him, and of
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  Speaker 1: loyal counsel and sound judgment, and the execution of his commands.
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  Speaker 1: As for what thou sayest of the Wazir's duty to
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  Speaker 1: avoid the King's anger and perform his wishes, and apply
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  Speaker 1: himself diligently to the doing of that whereth he chargeth him,
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  Speaker 1: such duty is always incumbent upon him. But how an
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  Speaker 1: the King's whole pleasure be tyranny and the practice of
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  Speaker 1: oppression and exorbitant extortion? And what shall the Wazir do
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  Speaker 1: if he be afflicted by intercourse with this and just lord,
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  Speaker 1: and he strive to turn him from his lust and
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  Speaker 1: his desire? He cannot do this? And if he follow
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  Speaker 1: him in his lusts and flatter him with false counsel,
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  Speaker 1: he assumeth the weight of responsibility herein and becometh an
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  Speaker 1: enemy to the people. What sayst thou of this? What
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  Speaker 1: thou speakest o Wazir of his responsibility and sinfulness ariseth
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  Speaker 1: only in the case of his abetting the King in
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  Speaker 1: his wrong doing. But it behooveth the Wazir, when the
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  Speaker 1: King taketh counsel with him of the like of this,
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  Speaker 1: to show forth to him the way of justice and equity,
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  Speaker 1: and warn him against tyranny and oppression, and expound to
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  Speaker 1: him the principles of righteously governing the lieges, alluring him
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  Speaker 1: with the future reward that pertaineth to this, and restraining
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  Speaker 1: him with warning of the punishment he otherwise will incur.
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  Speaker 1: If the King incline to him and hearken unto his words,
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  Speaker 1: his end is gained. And if not, there is nothing
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  Speaker 1: for it but that he depart from him after courteous fashion,
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  Speaker 1: because imparting for each of them as ease. What are
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  Speaker 1: the duties of the kings to his subjects, and what
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  Speaker 1: are the obligations of the lieges to their Lord? They
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  Speaker 1: shall do whatso he ordereth them with pure intent, and
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  Speaker 1: obey him, and that which pleaseth Him and pleaseth Allah
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  Speaker 1: in the apostle of Allah. And the lieges can claim
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  Speaker 1: of the Lord that he protect their possessions and guard
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  Speaker 1: their women, even as it is their duty to hearken
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  Speaker 1: unto him and obey him, and expend their lives freely
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  Speaker 1: in his defense, and give him his lawful due, and
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  Speaker 1: praise him fairly for that which he bestoweth upon them
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  Speaker 1: of his justice and bounty. Have his subjects any claim
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  Speaker 1: upon the King other than that which thou hast said, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: the rights of the subjects from their sovereign are more
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  Speaker 1: binding than the liege lord's claim upon his lieges, for
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  Speaker 1: that the breach of his duty towards them is more
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  Speaker 1: harmful than that of their duty towards him. Because the
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  Speaker 1: ruin of the King and the loss of his kingdom
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  Speaker 1: and fortune befall not save by the breach of his
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  Speaker 1: devoir to his subjects. Wherefore it behooveth him who is
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  Speaker 1: invested with the kingship, to be assiduous in furthering three things,
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  Speaker 1: to wit, the fostering of the faith, the fostering of
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  Speaker 1: his subjects, and the fostering of government. For by the
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  Speaker 1: ensuing of these three things his kingdom shall endure. How
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  Speaker 1: doth it behoove him to do for his subject's weal
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  Speaker 1: by giving them their due, and maintaining their laws and customs,
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  Speaker 1: and employing olemma and learned men to teach them, and
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  Speaker 1: justifying them one of other, and sparing their blood, and
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  Speaker 1: defending their goods, and lightning their loads and strengthening their hosts.
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  Speaker 1: What is the minister's claim upon the monarch. None hath
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  Speaker 1: the more imperative claim on the King than hath the Wazir,
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  Speaker 1: for three reasons. Firstly, because of that which shall befall
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  Speaker 1: him from his liege lord in case of error and judgment,
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  Speaker 1: and because of the great advantage to King and commons
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  Speaker 1: in case of sound judgment. Secondly, that folk may know
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  Speaker 1: the goodliness of the decree which the Wazir holdeth in
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  Speaker 1: the King's esteem, and therefore look on him with eyes
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  Speaker 1: of veneration and respect and submission. And thirdly, that the Wazir,
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  Speaker 1: seeing this from King and subjects, may ward off from
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  Speaker 1: them that which they hate, and fulfilled to them that
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  Speaker 1: which they love. I have heard all thou hast said
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  Speaker 1: of the attributes of King and Wazir and liege, and
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  Speaker 1: approve thereof. But now tell me what is incumbent in
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  Speaker 1: keeping the tongue from lying and folly and slandering good
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  Speaker 1: names and excess in speech? It behooveth a man to
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  Speaker 1: speak nought but good and kindness, and to talk not
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  Speaker 1: of that which toucheth him not to leave detraction, nor
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  Speaker 1: carry tale he hath heard from one man to his enemy.
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  Speaker 1: Neither seek to harm his friend nor his foe with
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  Speaker 1: his sultan, and reck not of any neither of him
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  Speaker 1: from whom he hopeth for good, nor of him whom
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  Speaker 1: he feareth for mischief, save of Allah Almighty, For he
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  Speaker 1: indeed is the only one who harmeth and profeteth. Let
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  Speaker 1: him not impute default unto any nor talk ignorantly, lest
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  Speaker 1: he incur the weight and the sin thereof before Allah,
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  Speaker 1: and earn hate among men. For know thou that speech
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  Speaker 1: is like an arrow, which once shot none can avail
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  Speaker 1: to recall. Let him also beware of disclosing his secret
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  Speaker 1: to one who shall discover it, lest he fall into
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  Speaker 1: mischief by reason of its disclosure, after confidence on its concealment.
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  Speaker 1: And let him be more careful to keep his secret
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  Speaker 1: from his friend than from his foe. For the keeping
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  Speaker 1: a secret with all folk is of the performance of
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  Speaker 1: faithful trust. Tell me how a man should bear himself
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  Speaker 1: with his family and friends. There is no rest for
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  Speaker 1: a son of Adam save in righteous conduct. He should
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  Speaker 1: render to his family that which they deserve, and to
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  Speaker 1: his brethren, whatso is their due? What should one render
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  Speaker 1: to one's kinsfolk, to parents, submission and soft speech, an affability,
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  Speaker 1: an honor and reverence to brethren, good counsel, and readiness
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  Speaker 1: to expend money for them, and assistance in their undertakings,
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  Speaker 1: and joyance in their joy and grieving for their grief,
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  Speaker 1: and closing of the eyes toward the errors that they
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  Speaker 1: may commit. For when they experience this from a man,
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  Speaker 1: they requite him with the best of counsel they can command,
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  Speaker 1: and expend their lives in his defense. Wherefore, an thou
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  Speaker 1: know thy brother to be trusty, lavish upon him thy
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  Speaker 1: love and help him in all his affairs. 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 end of night, nine hundred twelve. Recording by Andre
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  Speaker 1: Levi andre Levi dot Net, Lisbon, Portugal,