Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 040 - Night 967 - 968

Transcript

040 - Night 967 - 968 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Section forty of the Book of the Thousand Knights and
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording. All
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: or volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The Book of
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: the Thousand Knights and a Night, Volume nine by Anonymous,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burton, Night nine hundred and sixty seven.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and sixty seventh night,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: she said it hath reached me auspicious King, that Kamar
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: al Zaman took the jewels and set out for Bassorah
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: after he had laid them in a belt which he
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: buckled about his waist, and he stayed not till there
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: remained hought but a day's journey between that city and himself,
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: when the Arabs came out upon him and stripped him
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: naked and slew his men and servants. But he laid
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: himself down among the slain and wallowed in their blood,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: so that the wildlings took him for dead and left
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: him without even turning him over, and made off with
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: their booty. When the Arabs had gone their ways, Camara
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: al Zaman arose, having not left, but the jewels in
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: his girdle, and fared on, nor ceased faring till he
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: came to Bassarah. It chest that his entry was on
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: a Friday, and the town was void of folk, even
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: as the dervish had informed him. He found the market
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: streets deserted, and the shops wide open and full of goods.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: So he ate and drunk and looked about him. Presently
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: he heard a band of drums beating, and hid himself
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: in a shop till the slave girls came up. When
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: he looked at them, and seeing the young lady riding
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: amongst them, love and longing overcame him, and desire and
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: distraction overpowered him, so that he had no force to stand.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: After a while, the people reappeared and the bazaars field,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: whereupon he went to the market, and, repairing to the jeweler,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: and pulling out one of his forty gems, sold it
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: for a thousand dinars. Wherewith he returned to his place
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: and passed the night there, And when morning morrowed, he
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: changed his clothes, and going to the haman came forth
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: as he were the full moon, So he sold other
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: four stones for four thousand dinars, and sauntered, silencing himself
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: about the main streets of Bassar, clad in the costliest
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: of clothes, till he came to a market where he
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: saw a barber's shop. So he went into the barber,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: who shaved his head, and, clapping up an acquaintance with him,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: said to him, O, my father, I am a stranger
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: in the sparts, and yesterday I entered the city and
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: found it void of folk, nor was there in it
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: any living soul men or a genie. Then I saw
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: a troop of slave girls, and amongst them a young
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: lady riding in state. And he went on to tell
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: him all he had seen, said the barber, O, my son,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: hast thou told any but me of these? And he
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: said no. The other rejoined, then, O, my son, beware
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: thou mention this before any but me, For all folk
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: cannot keep a secret, and thou art but a little lad.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: And I fear lest the talk travel from men to
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: men till it reach those whom it concerneth, And they
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: is lay thee for know, o, my son, that these
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: thou hast seen, none even seen, nor new in other
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: than this city. As for the people of Bassorah, they
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: are dying of these annoy for every Friday forenoon, they
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: shut up the dogs and cats to hinder them from
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: going about the market streets. And all the people of
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: the city enter the cathedral mosques, where they locked the
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: doors on them. And not one of them can pass
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: about the bazaar, not even look out of casement, nor
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: knoweth any the cause of this calamity. But O, my son,
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: to night, I will question my wife concerning the reason thereof,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: for she is a midwife and entereth the houses of
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: the notables and knoweth all the city news. So ish allah,
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: do thou come to me tomorrow, and I will tell
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: thee what she shall have told me. With this, Kamara
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: al Zaman pulled out a handful of gold and said
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: to him, oh, my father, take this gold and give
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: it to thy wife, for she is become my mother.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Then he gave him a second handful, saying, take this
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: for thyself. Whereupon quoth the barber, O, my son sit
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: now in thy place, till I go to my wife
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: and ask her and bring the news of the true
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: state of the case. So saying, he left him in
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: the shop, and going home, acquainted his wife with the
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: young man's case, saying, I would have to tell me
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: the truth of this city business, so I may report
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: it to this young merchant, For he hath set his
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: heart on waiting the reason why men and beasts are
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: forbidden the market streets every Friday forenoon. And methinks he
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: is a lover, for he is open handed and liberal,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: and if we tell him what he would throw, we
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: shall get great good of him. Quoth she go back
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: and say to him, come speak with thy mother, my wife,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: who sendeth her salam to thee, and says to thee,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: thy wish is one. Accordingly, he returned to the shop,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: where he found Kamara al Zaman sitting awaiting him, and
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: repeated him the very words spoken by his POWs. Then
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: he carried him in to her, and she welcomed him
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: and bade him sit down, whereupon he pulled out an
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: hundred ducats and gave them to her, saying, O, my mother,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: tell me who these young lady may be. Said she know, O,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: my son, that there came a gem to the Sultan
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: of Bassorah from the King of Hind and he was
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: minded to have it pierced. So he summoned all the
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: jewelers in a body and said to them, I wish
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: you to drill me this jewel. Whoso pierceth it, I
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: will give him whatsoever he shall ask, But if he
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: break it, I will cut off his head. They were afraid,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: and said, O, King of the Age, a jewel is
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: soon spoilt, and there are few who can pierce them
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: without injury, for most of them have aflaw. So do
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: not thou impose upon us a task to which we
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: are unable, for our hands cannot avail to drill this jewel. However,
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: our shak is more expedients than we, asked the King,
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: and who is your shaykh, And they answered, Master obeyed,
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: he is more worse than we in this art, and
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: hath welt galore and of skilled great store. Therefore, do
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: thou send for him to the presence and bid him
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: pierce thee this jewel. Accordingly, the King sent for obeyed
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: and bade him pierce the jewel, imposing on him the condition. Aforesaid,
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: He took it and pierced it to the liking of
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: the King, who said to him, ask a boon of me,
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: or Master, And said he, O, King of the Age,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: allow me delay till tomorrow. Now. The reason of these
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: was that he wished to take comes with his wife,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: who is the young lady. Thou sowest riding in procession.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: For he loveth her with exceeding love, and of the
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: greatness of his affection for her, he doth not without
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: consulting her. Wherefore he put off asking till the morrow.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: When he went home, he said to her, I have
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: pierced the king a jewel, and he hath granted me
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: a boon, which I deferred asking till to morrow, that
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: I might consult thee. Now what dost thou wish that
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: I may ask it? Quoth she? We have riches such
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: as fires may not consume. But an thou love me
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: ask of the king to make proclamation in the streets
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: of Bassarah. Till all the townsfolk saw every Friday enter
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: the mosques two hours before the hour of prayer. So
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: none may abide in the town at all, great or small,
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: except they be in the mosques or in the houses,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: and the doors be locked upon them, and at every
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: shop of the town be left open. Then will I
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: ride with my slay women through the heart of the city,
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: and Nan shall look on me from window or lattice,
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: and everyone whom I find abroad I will kill. So
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: he went into the king and begged of him this boon,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: which he granted him and caused proclamation to be made
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: amongst the basarides. And Shahrazad received the dawn of day
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: and ceased to say her permitted say end of night
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: nine hundred and sixty seven night nine hundred and sixty eight.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and sixty eighth night,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: she continued it hath reached me, o auspicious King, that
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: when the jeweler begged his boon, the King bade proclamation
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: be made amongst the basartes. But the people objected that
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: they feared for their goods from the cats and dogs.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Wherefore he commanded to shut the animals up till the
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: folk should come forth from the Friday prayers. So the
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: jewiler's wife well to sailing forth every Friday two hours
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: before the time of congregational prayer and riding in state
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: through the city with her women, during which time none
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: death pass through the market place, nor look out of
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: casement or lattice. This, then, is what thou wouldest know,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: And I have told thee who she is. But O,
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: my son, was it thy desire only to have news
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: of her, or hast thou a mind to meet her?
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Answered he O, my mother tis my wish to foregather
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: with her? Quoth she tell me what valuables thou hast
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: with thee And quoth he O, my mother, I would
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: have with me precious tones of four sorts, the first
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: worth five hundred dinars each, the second seven hundred, the
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: third eight hundred, and a fourth a thousand deucats. She asked,
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: art thou willing to spend four of these? And he answered,
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: I am ready to spend all of them. She rejoined.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: Then arise, O, my son, and go straight to thy lodging,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: and take a basil gem of those worth five hundred sequins,
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: with which do thou repair to the jewel market and
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: ask for the shop of master. Obeyed the shake of
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: the jewelers, go diither, and thou wilt find him seated
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: in his shop, clad in rich clothes, with workmen under
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: his hand. Salute him, and sit down on the front
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: shelf of his shop. Then pull out the jewel and
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: give it to him, saying, O, Master, take this tone
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: and fashion it into a seal ring for me with gold.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Make it not large, and miscall in way, and no more,
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: but let the fashion of it be thy fairest. Then
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: give him twenty dinars, and to each of his prentices
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: a dinar. Sit with him awhile and talk with him.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: And if a beggar approach thee, show thy generosity by
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: giving him a dinar, to the intent that he may
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: affect thee. And after this leave him and return to
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: thy place. Pass the night there, and next morning take
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: a hundred dinars and bring them and give them to
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: thy father, the barber, for he is poor, Quothkamar al Zaman.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Be it so, And returning to his caravan, Serai took
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: a jewel worth five hundred gold pieces and went with
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: it to the jewel bazaar. There he inquired for the
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: shop of master, obeyed shake of the jewelers, and they
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: directed him there too. So he went thither and saw
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: the Shaikh, a man of austere aspect and robed in
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: sumptuous raiment, with four journeymen under his hand. He addressed
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: him with peace be upon you, and the jeweler returned
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: his greeting and welcoming him, made him sit down. Then
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: he brought out the jewel and said, O, Master, I
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: wish THEE to make me this jewel into a seal
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: ring with gold. Let it be the way of a miscall,
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: and no more but fashion it excellently. Then he pulled
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: out twenty dinars and gave them to him, saying, this
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: is the fee for the chasing, and the prize of
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: the ring shall remain. And he gave each of the
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: apprentices a gold piece. Wherefore they loved him, and so
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: did Master Obeyed. Then he sat talking with a jeweler,
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: and whenever a beggar came up to him, he gave
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: him a gold piece, and they all marveled at his generosity.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Now Master Obeyed had tools at home like those he
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: had in the shop, and whenever he was minded to
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: do any unusual piece of work, it was his custom
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: to carry it home and do it there, that his
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: journeymen might not learn the secrets of his wonderful workmanship.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: His wife used to sit before him, and when she
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: was sitting thus, and he looking upon her, he would
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: fashion all manner of marvelous, rotten trinkets, such as were
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: fit for none but kings. So he went home and
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: sat down to mold the ring with admirable workmanship. When
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: his wife saw him, thus engaged, she asked him what
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: wilt thou do with these bezel gem and he answered,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: I mean to make it into a ring with gold,
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: for tis worth five hundred dinars. She inquired for whom,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: and he answered, for a young merchant who is fair
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: of face, with eyes that wound with desire, and chicks
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: that strike fire, and mouth like the seal of Suleiman,
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: and cheeks like the bloom of Nunnon, and lips red
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: as coraline, and neck like the antelopes, long and fine.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: His complexion is white dashed with red, and he is
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: well bred, pleasant and generous, and doath does And thus
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: and he went on to describe to her now his
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: beauty and his loveliness, and then his perfection and bounty.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: In ciased not to vount his charms and the generosity
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: of his disposition till he had made her in love
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: with him, For there is no sillier cockold than he
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: who wanteth to his wife and other men's handsome looks,
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: and usually virality in money matters. So when desire rose
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: high in her, she said to him, is aught of
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: my charms found in him? Said he? He hath all
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: thy beauties, and he is thy counterpart in qualities, messemeth,
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: his age is even as thine, And but that I
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: fear to hurt thy feelings, I would say that he
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: is a thousand times handsomer than thou art. He was silent,
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: Yet the fire of fondness was kindled in her heart,
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: and the jeweler ceased not to talk with her, and
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: to set out Kamar al Zaman's charms before her, till
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: he had made an end of molding the ring. When
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: he gave it to her, and she put it on
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: her finger, which it fitted exactly. Quoth she O, my Lord,
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: my heart loveth this ring, and I long for it
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: to be mine, and I will not take it from
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: my finger. Quoth he have patience. The honor of it
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: is generous, and I will seek to buy it of him,
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: and if he will sell it, I will bring it
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: to thee. Or if he have another such stone, I
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: will bite it and fashioned it for the into a
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: ring like this. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: and ceased, saying her permitted say end of night nine
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: hundred and sixty eight