Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 026 - Night 939 - 940

Transcript

026 - Night 939 - 940 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section twenty six of the Book of the Thousand Nights
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: and a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visits LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: by Michel Fry Batonrouge, Louisiana in November two thousand eighteen.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: nine by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton. When it
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: was the nine hundred and thirty ninth night, Shahrazad said
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: it hath reached me o auspicious King, that when the
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: captain embarked with Abu Sir, he bore him back to
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: the city. So Abu Sir landed, and going up to
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: the palace, entered the council chamber, where he found the
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: King seated facing his officers in sore cark and care
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: by reason of the seal ring, and daring not tell
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: any of his folk an end to its loss. When
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: he saw Abu Sir, he said to him, did we
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: not cast thee into the sea? How hast thou contrived
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: to come forth of it? Abu Sir replied, O King
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: of the age. When as thou badest throw me into
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: the sea, thy captain carried me to an island and
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: asked me of the cause of thy wrath against me, saying,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: what hast thou done with the King that he should
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: decree thy death? I answered, by allah, I know not
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: that I have brought him any wrong. Quoth he thou
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: wast high in rank with the king, and haply some
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: one envied thee and threw out certain hints concerning thee
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: to him, so that he is become incensed against thee.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: But when I visited thee in the hammam, thou entreatest
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: me honorably, and I will requite thee thy hospitality to
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: me by setting thee free and sending thee back to
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: thine own land. Then he set a great stone in
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: the sack in my stead and cast it into the sea.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: But when thou signest to him to throw me in
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: thy seal ring dropped from thy finger into the main,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: and a fish swallowed it. Now I was on the
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: island a fishing and this fish came up in the
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: net with the others, whereupon I took it, intending to
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: broil it. But when I opened its belly. I found
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: the signet ring therein, so I took it and put
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: it on my finger. Presently, up came two of the
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: servants of the kitchen, questing fish, and I signed to
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: them with my hand, knowing not the property of the
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: seal ring, and their heads fell off. Then the captain
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: came back, and, seeing the ring on my finger, acquainted
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: me with its spell. And behold, I have brought it
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: back to thee for that thou dealtest kindly with me
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: and entreatedst me with the utmost honor. Nor is that
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: which thou hast done me of kindness lost upon me.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Here is thy ring? Take it, but an I have
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: done with thee aught deserving of death. Tell me my
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: crime and slay me, and thou shalt be absolved of
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: sin in shedding my blood. So saying, he pulled the
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: ring from his finger and gave it to the king, who,
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: seeing Abu Sar's noble conduct, took the ring and put
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: it on and felt life return to him afresh. Then
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: he rose to his feet, and, embracing the barber, said,
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: O man, thou art indeed of the flower of the
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: well born, Blame me not, but forgive me the wrong
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: I have done THEE had any but thou gotten the
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: hold of this ring, he had never restored it to me,
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: answered Abu Sir, O King of the Age, And thou
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: wouldst have me forgive thee. Tell me what was my
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: fault which drew down thine anger upon me so that
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: thou commandest to do me die rejoined the king by Allah,
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: tis clear to me that thou art free and guiltless
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: in all things of offense, since thou hast done this
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: good deed. Only the Dire denounced THEE to me in
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: such an such words, and he told him all that
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Abu Chur had said. Abu Sir replied, by Allah, O,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: King of the Age, I know no king of the Nazarenes,
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: nor during my days have ever journeyed to a Christian country,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: nor did it ever come into my mind to kill thee.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: But this Dire was my comrade and neighbor in the
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: city of Alexandria, where life was straightened upon us. Therefore
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: we departed, thence to seek our fortunes by reason of
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: the narrowness of our means at home. After we had
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: recited the opening chapter of the Koran, together pledging ourselves
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: that he who got work should feed him who lacked work.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: And there befell me with him such and such things.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Then he went on to relate to the King all
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: that had betided him with Abu Kur the dyer, how
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: he had robbed him of his dirhams and had left
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: him alone and sick in the khan closet, and how
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: the doorkeeper had fed him of his own moneies till
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Allah recovered him of his sickness. When he went forth
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: and walked about the city with his budget, as was
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: his wont till he espied the diary about which folk
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: were crowding. And so he looked at the door, and,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: seeing Abu Khar seated on the bench there, went in
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: to salute him, whereupon he accused him of being a
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: thief and beat him a grievous beating. Brief he told
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: him his whole tale, from first to last, and added, O,
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: King of the Age, twas he who counseled me to
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: make the depilatory and presented to thee saying the Hamam
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: is perfect in all things, but it lacketh this. And know, O,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: King of the Age, that this drug is harmless, and
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: we use it in our land where tis one of
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: the requisites of the bath, but I had forgotten it.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: So when the Dio visited the Hamam, I entreated him
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: with honor, and he reminded me of it, and enjoined
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: me to make it forthwith. But do thou send after
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: the porter of such a khan and the workmen of
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: the diary, and questioned them all of that which I
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: have told thee Accordingly, the King sent for them and
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: questioned them one and all, and they acquainted him with
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: the truth of the matter. Then he summoned the dyer, saying,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: bring him barefooted, bareheaded, and with elbow's pinioned. Now he
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: was sitting in his house rejoicing in Abusar's death. But
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: ere he could beware, the King's guards rushed in upon
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: him and cuffed him on the nape, after which they
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: bound him and bore him into the presence, where he
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: saw Abusar seated by the king's side, and the door
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: keeper of the Khan and workmen of the diary standing
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: before him. Quoth the door keeper to him, is know this,
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: thy comrade, whom thou robbest of his silvers and leftest
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: with me sick in the closet, doing such and such
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: by him and the workmen said to him, is not
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: this he whom thou badest seize and beat therewith Abu
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Khur's baseness was made manifest to the king, and he
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: was certified that he merited torture yet soarer than the
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: torments of Munkar and Nakir. So he said to his guards,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: take him and parade him about the city and the markets.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: say her permitted say end of night nine thirty nine,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: when it was the nine hundred and fortieth night, she
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: continued it hath reached me o auspicious King, that when
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: the King heard the words spoken by the doorkeeper of
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: the Caravanseraea and the workmen of the diary, he was
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: certified of the vileness of Abu Kur. So he upbraided
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: him with flout and flear and said to his guards,
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: take him and parade him about the city and the
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: market streets. Then set him in a sack and cast
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: him into the sea. Whereupon quoth Abu Sir, O King
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: of the Age, accept my intercession for him, for I
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: pardon him of all he hath done with me. But
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: quoth the King, and thou pardon him against all his
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: offenses against THEE, I cannot pardon him his offenses against me.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: And he cried out, saying take him. So they took
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: him and paraded him about the city, after which they
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: set him in a sack with quick lime and cast
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: him into the sea, and he died, drowned and burnt.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: Then said the King to the barber, o Abu Sir,
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: ask of me what thou wilt, and it shall be
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: given thee. And he answered saying, I ask of THEE
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: to send me back to my own country, for I
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: care no longer to tarry here. Then the King gifted
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: him great store of gifts, over and above that which
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: he had Whialam bestowed on him, and amongst the rest
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: a galleon freighted with goods. And the crew of this
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: galleon were mamelukes. So he gave him these also, after
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: offering to make him his wazir, where to the barber consented.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: Not presently, he farewelled the king and set sail in
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: his own ship, manned by his own crew. Nor did
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: he cast anchor till he reached Alexandria and made fast
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: to the shore there Then he landed, and one of
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: his mamelukes, seeing a sack on the beach, said to
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: Abu sur, Oh, my lord, there is a great heavy
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: sack on the sea shore, with the mouth tied up,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: and I know not what therein. So Abusir came up,
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: and opening the sack, found therein the remains of Abu Chur,
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: which the sea had borne thither. He took it forth,
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: and burying it near Alexandria, built over the grave a
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: place of visitation, and endoweded with mortemain riding over the door.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: These couplets. Man is known among me as his deeds attest,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: which make noble origin manifest back bite. Not lest other
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: men by thy back, who saith aught the same shall
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: to him be addressed shun in modest words and indecent speech.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: When thou speakest in earnest or eaten in jest. We
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: bear with the dog which behaves itself. But the lion
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: is chained lest he prove a pest. And the desert
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: carcasses swim the main, while union pearls on the sand
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: bank rest. No sparrow would hustle the sparrow hawk, were
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: it not by folly and weakness pressed a sky is
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: written on page of air. Who doth kindly of kindness
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: shall have the best wear of gathering sugar from bitter gourd,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: twill prove to its origin like in taste. After this,
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Abusur abode a while till Allah took him to himself,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: and they buried him hard by the tomb of his
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: comrade Abu Kur. Wherefore that place was called Abu Kur
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: and Abu Sur, but it is now known as Abu Kur.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Only this, then, is that which hath reached us of
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: their history, and glory be to him who endureth forever
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: and I and by whose will interchange the night and
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: the day. And of the stories they tell is one
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: anent Abdullah the fisherman and Abdullah the Mermaian. There once
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: was a fisherman named Abdullah who had a large family
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: to it nine children and their mother. So was he poor,
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: very poor, owning not save his net. Every day he
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: used to go to the sea of fishing, and if
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: he caught little, he sold it and spent the price
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: on his children, after the measure of that which Allah
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: vouchsafed him of provision. But if he caught much, he
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: would cook a good mess of meat, and buy fruit
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: and spa, and without stint till nothing was left him,
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: saying to himself, the daily bread of tomorrow will come tomorrow. Presently,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: his wife gave birth to another child, making a total
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: of ten, and it chanced that day that he had
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: nothing at all. So she said to him, Oh, my Master,
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: see and get me somewhat wherewithal I may sustain myself.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Quoth he, I am going under favor of Almighty Allah.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: This day seawards to fish on the luck of this
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: new born child, that we may see its fair fortune.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: And quoth she put thy trust in Allah. So he
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: took his net and went down to the sea shore,
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: where he cast it on the look of the little one, saying, Oh,
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: my God, make his living of ease, not of unease,
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: and abundant, not scant. Then he waited awhile and drew
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: in the net, which came up full of rubbish and sand,
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: and pebbles and weeds. And he saw therein no sign
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: of fish, neither mushl nor little. He cast it again
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: and waited, then drew it in, but found no catch
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: at all, and threw it a third and a fourth
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: and a fifth time, still not a single fish came up,
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: so he removed to another place, beseeching his daily bread
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: of Allah Almighty. And thus he kept working till the
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: end of the day, but caught not so much as
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: a minnow. Whereat he fell a marveling in himself and
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: said self, communing, hath Allah then created this newborn child
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: without lot of provision. This may never never be he
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: who slitteth the corners of the lips. Hath pledged himself
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: for its provision, because Almighty Allah is the bountiful, the provider.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: So saying, he shouldered his net and turned him homeward,
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: broken spirited and heavy at heart about his family, for
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: that he had left them without food, more by token
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: that his wife was in the straw. As he continued
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: trudging along and saying in himself, how shall I do
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: and what shall I say to the children? To night,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: he came to a baker's oven and saw a crowd
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: about it. For the season was one of darth, and
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: in those days food was scant with the folk. So
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: people were proffering the baker money, but he paid no
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: heed to any of them. By reason of the dense crowd.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: The fisherman stood looking and snuffing the smell of the
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: hot bread, and indeed his soul longed for it by
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: reason of his hunger, till the baker caught sight of
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: him and cried out to him, Come hither, o fisherman.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: So he went up to him, and the baker said,
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: dost thou want bread? But he was silent. Quoth the
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: baker speak out, and be not ashamed, for allah is bountiful,
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: and thou have no silver. I will give thee bread
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: and have patience with thee till we'll betide thee. And
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: quoth the fisherman, by allah, o master, I have indeed
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: no money, but give me bread and no for my family,
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: and I will leave thee this net in pond till
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: the morrow rejoined the baker. Nay, my poor fellow, this
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: net is thy shop and the door of thy daily subsistence.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: So en thou pawn it, wherewith thou wilt thou fish.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: Tell me how much will suffice thee, and replied the
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: fisherman ten half Durhamsworth. So he gave him ten nufts
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: worth of bread and ten in silver, saying, take these
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: ten nuphs and cook thyself a mess of meat. Therewith
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: so wilt thou owe me twenty, for which bring me
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: fish tomorrow, But an thou catch nothing again, Come and
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: take thy bread and thy ten nuphs. And I will
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: have patience with THEE till better luck betide THEE. And
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: permitted say, And this ends the nine hundred and fortieth night,