Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 023 - Night 933 - 934

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023 - Night 933 - 934 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty three of the Book of a Thousand Knights
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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, Baton Ridge, Louisiana in October two thousand eighteen.
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  Speaker 1: The Book of A Thousand Nights in a Night, Volume
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  Speaker 1: nine by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton. When it
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  Speaker 1: was the nine hundred and thirty third night, Shahrazad pursued it.
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  Speaker 1: Hath reached me o auspicious king that when Abu Sir
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  Speaker 1: returned to Abuchur, he saw that he had eaten all
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  Speaker 1: that was in the porringer and had thrown it aside empty.
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  Speaker 1: So he took it up and gave it to one
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  Speaker 1: of the captain's servants, then went back to Abu Chur
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  Speaker 1: and slept till morning. On the morrow, he continued to shave,
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  Speaker 1: and all he got by way of meat and drink
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  Speaker 1: he gave to his shipmate, who ate and drank and
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  Speaker 1: sat still, rising not save to do what none could
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  Speaker 1: do for him. And every night the barber brought him
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  Speaker 1: a full porringer from the captain's table. They fared thus
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  Speaker 1: twenty days until the galleon cast anchor in the harbor
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  Speaker 1: of a city, whereupon they took leave of the skipper
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  Speaker 1: and landing entered the town and hired them a closet
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  Speaker 1: in the khan. Abusir furnished it, and, buying a cooking
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  Speaker 1: pot and a platter of spoons and what else they needed,
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  Speaker 1: fetched meat and cooked it. But Aboukir fell asleep the
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  Speaker 1: moment he entered the caravanseraea, and awoke not till Abusir
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  Speaker 1: roused him and set a tray of food before him.
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  Speaker 1: When he awoke, he ate and sang to Abusir, blame
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  Speaker 1: me not, for I am giddy. Fell asleep again. Thus
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  Speaker 1: he did forty days, whilst every day the barber took
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  Speaker 1: his gear, and making the round of the city, wrought
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  Speaker 1: for that which fell to his lot, and returning found
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  Speaker 1: dire asleep, and roused him. The moment he awoke, he
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  Speaker 1: fell ravenously upon the food, eating as one who cannot
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  Speaker 1: have his fill nor be satisfied, after which he went
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  Speaker 1: asleep again. On this wise he passed other forty days,
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  Speaker 1: and whenever the barber said to him, sit up and
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  Speaker 1: be comfortable, and go forth and take an airing in
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  Speaker 1: the city, for tis a gay place and a pleasant
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  Speaker 1: and hath not its equal among the cities. He would reply,
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  Speaker 1: blame me not, for I am giddy. Abuserkired not to
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  Speaker 1: hurt his feelings nor give him hard words. But on
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  Speaker 1: the forty first day he himself felt sick and could
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  Speaker 1: not go abroad. So he engaged the porter of the
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  Speaker 1: Khan to serve them both, and he did the needful
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  Speaker 1: for them, and brought them meat and drink, whilst Abu
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  Speaker 1: Kur would do nothing but eat and sleep. The man
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  Speaker 1: ceased not to wait upon them on this wise for
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  Speaker 1: four days, at the end of which time the barber's
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  Speaker 1: malady redoubled upon him till he lost his senses for
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  Speaker 1: stress of sickness. And Abu Kur, feeling the sharp pangs
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  Speaker 1: of hunger, arose and sought in his comrade's clothes, were
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  Speaker 1: found a thousand silver bits. He took them, and, shutting
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  Speaker 1: the door of the closet upon Abusir fared forth without
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  Speaker 1: telling any and a door keeper was then at market
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  Speaker 1: and thus saw him not go out. Presently, Abu Khur
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  Speaker 1: betook himself to the bazaar and clad himself in costly
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  Speaker 1: clothes at a price of five hundred half dirhams. Then
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  Speaker 1: he proceeded to walk about the streets and divert himself
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  Speaker 1: by viewing the city, which he found to be one
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  Speaker 1: whose like was not among cities. But he noted that
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  Speaker 1: all the citizens were clad in clothes of white and blue,
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  Speaker 1: without other color. Presently, he came to a dyer's, and,
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  Speaker 1: seeing nought but blue in his shop, pulled out to
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  Speaker 1: him a kerchief and said, oh, master, take this and
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  Speaker 1: diet and win thy wage. Quoth the dyer. The cost
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  Speaker 1: of dying this will be twenty dirhams, And quoth Abu Ur.
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  Speaker 1: In our country we die it for two. Then go
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  Speaker 1: and die it in your own country. As for me,
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  Speaker 1: my price is twenty dirhams. And I will not bait
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  Speaker 1: a little Thereof what color wilt thou diet? I will
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  Speaker 1: diet blue, but I wanted dyed red. I know not
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  Speaker 1: how to die red. Then dye itt green. I know
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  Speaker 1: not how to die green, yellow, nor yet yellow. Thereupon
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  Speaker 1: Abu Kur went on to name the different tints to him,
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  Speaker 1: one after another, till the dyer said, we are here
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  Speaker 1: in this city forty master dyers, not one more nor
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  Speaker 1: one less. And when one of us dieth, we teach
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  Speaker 1: his son the craft. If you leave no son, we
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  Speaker 1: abide lacking one. And if you leave two sons, we
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  Speaker 1: teach one of them the craft. And if he die,
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  Speaker 1: we teach his brother. This Our craft is strictly ordered,
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  Speaker 1: and we know how to die, but blue and no
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  Speaker 1: other tint whatsoever. Then said Abu Kur, know that I
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  Speaker 1: too am a dire and what how to dye all colors?
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  Speaker 1: And I would have THEE take me into thy service
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  Speaker 1: on hire, and I will teach THEE everything of my art,
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  Speaker 1: so thou mayst glory therein over all the company of dyers.
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  Speaker 1: But the dyer answered, we never admit a stranger into
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  Speaker 1: our craft, asked Abu churr, And what if I open
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  Speaker 1: a diary for myself? Where too, the other answered, we
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  Speaker 1: will not suffer THEE to do that on any wise,
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  Speaker 1: Whereupon he left him, and going to a second dier,
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  Speaker 1: made him the like proposal. But he returned him the
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  Speaker 1: same answer as the first, and he ceased not to
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  Speaker 1: go from one to other till he had made the
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  Speaker 1: round of the whole forty masters. But they would not
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  Speaker 1: accept him, either to master or apprentice. Then he repaired
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  Speaker 1: to the shake of the dyers and told him what
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  Speaker 1: had passed, And he said, we admit no strangers into
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  Speaker 1: our craft. Hereupon Abu Chur became exceedingly wroth, and, going
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  Speaker 1: up to the king of that city, made complaint to him, saying, O,
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  Speaker 1: King of the Age, I am a stranger and a
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  Speaker 1: dier by trade. And he told him whatso had passed
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  Speaker 1: between himself and the dyers of the town, adding, I
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  Speaker 1: can dye various kinds of red, such as rose color
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  Speaker 1: and jiji beal color, and various kinds of green such
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  Speaker 1: as grass green and pistachio green, and olive and parrots wing,
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  Speaker 1: and various kinds of black, such as coal black and
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  Speaker 1: coal black, and various shades of yellow such as orange
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  Speaker 1: and lemon color. And went on to name to him
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the colors. Then he said, O, King
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  Speaker 1: of the Age, all the dyers in the city cannot
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  Speaker 1: turn out of hand any one of these tints, for
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  Speaker 1: they know not how to dye aught but blue. Yet
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  Speaker 1: will they not admit me amongst them, either to master
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  Speaker 1: or apprentice? Answered the king, thou sayest sooth, for that matter.
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  Speaker 1: But I will open to thee a diary and give
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  Speaker 1: thee capital, and have thou no care annet them. For
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  Speaker 1: whoso offeth to do thee let our hindrance, I will
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  Speaker 1: hang him over his shop door. Then he sent for
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  Speaker 1: builders and said to them, go round about the city
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  Speaker 1: with this master dire, and whatsoever place pleaseth him, be
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  Speaker 1: it shop or khan, or what not, turn out its
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  Speaker 1: occupier and build him a diary after his wish. Whatso
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  Speaker 1: he biddeth you that do ye and oppose him not
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  Speaker 1: in aught. And he clad him in a handsome suit,
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  Speaker 1: and gave him two white slaves to serve him, and
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  Speaker 1: a horse with housings of brocade, and a thousand dinars, saying,
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  Speaker 1: expend this upon thyself against the building be completed. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: abou Chur donned the dress and mounted the horse, became
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  Speaker 1: as he were an emir. Moreover, the king assigned him
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  Speaker 1: a house and bade furnish it. So they furnished it
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  Speaker 1: for him, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
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  Speaker 1: ceased to say her permitted say when it was the
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred and third thirty fourth night, she resumed it.
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  Speaker 1: Hath reached me o auspicious king. That the King assigned
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  Speaker 1: a house to Abu Chur and bade furnish it, and
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  Speaker 1: he took up his abode therein. On the morrow he
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  Speaker 1: mounted and rode through the city, whilst the architects went
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  Speaker 1: before him, and he looked about him till he saw
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  Speaker 1: a place which pleased him, and said, this stead is seemly.
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  Speaker 1: Whereupon they turned out the owner and carried him to
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  Speaker 1: the king, who gave him as the price of his
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  Speaker 1: holding what contented him and more. Then the builders fell
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  Speaker 1: to work, whilst Abu Kur said to them build thus
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  Speaker 1: and thus, and do this and that, till they built
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  Speaker 1: him a diary that had not its like. Whereupon he
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  Speaker 1: presented himself before the king and informed him that they
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  Speaker 1: had done building the diary, and that there needed but
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  Speaker 1: the price of the dyestuffs and gear to set it. Going,
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  Speaker 1: quoth the King, take these four thousand dinars to thy capital,
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  Speaker 1: and let me see the first fruits of thy diary.
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  Speaker 1: So he took the money and went to the market, where,
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  Speaker 1: finding dye stuffs plentiful and well nigh worthless, he bought
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  Speaker 1: all he needed of materials for dyeing, and the King
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  Speaker 1: sent him five hundred pieces of stuff, which he set
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  Speaker 1: himself to dye of all colors, and then he spread
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  Speaker 1: them before the door of his diary. When the folk
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  Speaker 1: passed by the shop, they saw a wonder sight whose
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  Speaker 1: life they had never in their lives seen. So they
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  Speaker 1: crowded about the entrance, enjoying the spectacle and questioning the
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  Speaker 1: dire and saying, Oh, Master, what are the names of
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  Speaker 1: these colors? Quoth he, This is red, and that yellow,
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  Speaker 1: and the other green, and so on, naming the rest
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  Speaker 1: of the colors. And they fell to bringing him long
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  Speaker 1: cloth and saying to him, de it for us like
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  Speaker 1: this and that, and take what hire thou seekest. When
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  Speaker 1: he had made an end of dyeing the king's stuff,
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  Speaker 1: he took them and went up with them to the divan.
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  Speaker 1: And when the king saw them, he rejoiced in them
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  Speaker 1: and bestowed abundant bounty on the dyer. Furthermore, all the
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  Speaker 1: troops brought him stuffs, say die for us thus and thus,
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  Speaker 1: and he died for them to their liking, and they
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  Speaker 1: threw him gold and silver. After this, his fame spread abroad,
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  Speaker 1: and his shop was called the Sultan's Diary. Good came
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  Speaker 1: into him at every door, and none of the other
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  Speaker 1: dyers could say a word to him, but they used
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  Speaker 1: to come to him, kissing his hands and excusing themselves
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  Speaker 1: to him for past difference. They had offered him and say,
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  Speaker 1: take us to thine apprentices, but he would none of them,
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  Speaker 1: for he had become the owner of black slaves and handmaids,
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  Speaker 1: and had a masked store of wealth. On this wise
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  Speaker 1: ferted with Abou Churr. But as regards Abu Sir, after
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  Speaker 1: the closet door had been locked on him and his
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  Speaker 1: money had been stolen, he abode prostrate and unconscious for
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  Speaker 1: three successive days, at the end of which the concierge
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  Speaker 1: of the Khan, chancing to look at the door, observed
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  Speaker 1: that it was locked, and bethought himself that he had
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  Speaker 1: not seen and heard aught of the two companions for
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  Speaker 1: some time. So he said in his mind, haply they
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  Speaker 1: have made off without paying rent, or perhaps they are dead,
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  Speaker 1: or what is to do with them? And he waited
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  Speaker 1: till sunset, When he went up to the door and
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  Speaker 1: heard the barber groaning within. He saw the key in
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  Speaker 1: the lock, so he opened the door and entered, found
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  Speaker 1: Abusir lying groaning and said to him, no harm to thee.
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  Speaker 1: Where is thy friend? Replied Abusir by Allah, I came
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  Speaker 1: to my senses only this day and called out, but
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  Speaker 1: none answered my call. Allah upon thee, O, my brother,
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  Speaker 1: look for the purse under my head, and take from
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  Speaker 1: it five and a half dearms, and buy me somewhat nourishing,
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  Speaker 1: for I am sore and hungered. The porter put out
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  Speaker 1: his hand, and taking the purse, found it empty, and
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  Speaker 1: said to the barber, the purse is empty, there is
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  Speaker 1: nothing in it. Whereupon Abu Sir knew that abou Kir
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  Speaker 1: had taken that which was therein and had fled, And
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  Speaker 1: he asked the porter, hast thou not seen my friend?
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  Speaker 1: Answered the door keeper, I have not seen him these
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  Speaker 1: three days. And indeed, methought you had departed thou. And
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  Speaker 1: he and the barber cried not so. But he coveted
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  Speaker 1: my money and took it and fled, seeing me sick.
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  Speaker 1: Then he fell a weeping and a wailing. But the
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  Speaker 1: door keeper said to him, no harm shall befall thee,
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  Speaker 1: and Allaho requite him his deed. So he went away
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  Speaker 1: and cooked him some broth, whereof he ladled out a
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  Speaker 1: plateful and brought it to him, Nor did he cease
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  Speaker 1: to tand him and maintain him with his own moneys
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  Speaker 1: for two months space. When the barber sweated and the
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  Speaker 1: Almighty made him whole of his sickness. Then he stood
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  Speaker 1: up and said to the porter, and ever the most
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  Speaker 1: high l Lord enable me, I will surely requite thee
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  Speaker 1: thy kindness to me. But none requiteth save the lord
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  Speaker 1: of his bounty. Answered the porter, praised be he for
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  Speaker 1: thy recovery. I doubt not thus with THEE, but of
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  Speaker 1: desire for the face of Allah the Bountiful. Then the
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  Speaker 1: barber went forth of the Khan and threaded the market
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  Speaker 1: streets of the town till destiny brought him to the
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  Speaker 1: bazaar wherein was Abu Khurr's diary. And he saw the
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  Speaker 1: very colored stuffs dispread before the shop, and a jostle
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  Speaker 1: of folk crowding to look upon them. So he questioned
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  Speaker 1: one of the townsmen and asked him what place is
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  Speaker 1: this and how cometh it that I see the folk
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  Speaker 1: crowding together? Where too? The man answered, saying, this is
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  Speaker 1: the Sultan's diary, which he set up for a foreigner.
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  Speaker 1: Abu kur Height and whenever he dieth new stuff, we
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  Speaker 1: all flocked to him and divert ourselves by gazing upon
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  Speaker 1: his handiwork, for we have no dyers in our land
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  Speaker 1: who know how to stain with these colors. And indeed
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  Speaker 1: there befell him with the dyers who are in the city,
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  Speaker 1: that which befell. And he went on to tell him
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  Speaker 1: all that had passed between Abu Chur and the master diers,
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  Speaker 1: and how he had complained of them to the Sultan,
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  Speaker 1: who took him by the hand and built him that diary,
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  Speaker 1: and gave him this and that brief He recounted to
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  Speaker 1: him all that had occurred. At this the barber rejoiced
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  Speaker 1: and said to himself, praised be Allah, who hath prospered
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  Speaker 1: him so that he is become a master of his craft.
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  Speaker 1: And the man is excusable, for of a surety he
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  Speaker 1: hath been diverted from THEE by his work, and hath
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  Speaker 1: forgotten THEE. But thou actest kindly by him and entreatst
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  Speaker 1: him generously what time he was out of work. So
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  Speaker 1: when he seeth THEE, he will rejoice in THEE and
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  Speaker 1: entreat THEE generously, even as thou entreatest him according, he
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  Speaker 1: made for the door of the diary, and saw Abu
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  Speaker 1: Kur seated on a high mattress spread upon a bench
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  Speaker 1: beside the doorway, clad in royal apparel, and attended by
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  Speaker 1: four blackamore slaves and four white mamelukes, all robed in
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  Speaker 1: the richest of raiment. Moreover, he saw the workmen, ten
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  Speaker 1: negro slaves, standing at work, for when abou Cher bought them,
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  Speaker 1: he taught them the craft of dying. And he himself
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  Speaker 1: sat amongst his cushions as he were a grand wazir
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  Speaker 1: or a mighty monarch, putting his hand to naught, but
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  Speaker 1: only saying to the men, do this and do that.
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  Speaker 1: So the barber went up to him and stood before him,
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  Speaker 1: deeming he would rejoice in him when he saw him,
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  Speaker 1: and salute him, and entreat him with honor, and make
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  Speaker 1: much of him. But when I fell upon I, the
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  Speaker 1: dyer said to him, O, scoundrel, how many a time
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  Speaker 1: have I bidden thee stand not at the door of
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  Speaker 1: the workshop. Hast thou a mind to disgrace me with
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  Speaker 1: the folk thief that thou art seize him? So the
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  Speaker 1: Blackamores ran at him and laid hold of him, and
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  Speaker 1: the daye rose up from his seat and said, throw him. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: they threw him down, and Abu Kar took a stick
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  Speaker 1: and dealt him a hundred strokes on the back, after
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  Speaker 1: which they turned him over and he beat him one
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  Speaker 1: hundred blows on his belly. Then he said to him,
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  Speaker 1: O scoundrel, O villain. If ever again I see THEE
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  Speaker 1: standing at the door of this diary, I will forthwith
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  Speaker 1: send thee to the King, and he will commit thee
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  Speaker 1: to the chief of police, that he may strike thy neck. Begone,
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  Speaker 1: may Allah not bless thee. So Abu Sir departed from
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  Speaker 1: him broken hearted by reason of the beating and shame
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  Speaker 1: that had betided him. Whilst the bystanders asked Abu Ker,
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  Speaker 1: what hath this man done? He answered, the fellow is
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  Speaker 1: a thief who stealeth the stuffs of folk. 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 thirty five four