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045 - Night 977 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section forty five of the Book of the 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 Mark Ernest The Book of the Thousand Knights and
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  Speaker 1: the Knight, Volume nine by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton,
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  Speaker 1: Night nine hundred and seventy seven. When it was the
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred and seventy seventh night, she pursued it. Hath
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  Speaker 1: reached me, o auspicious king, that when his son said
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  Speaker 1: to Abd al Raman, look at yonder pauper? He asked, O,
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  Speaker 1: my son, who is this? And Kamar Alzaman answered, this
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  Speaker 1: is Master Obeyed, the jeweler, husband of the woman who
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  Speaker 1: is imprisoned with us. Quoth Abd al Raman, is this
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  Speaker 1: he of whom thou toldest me? And quoth his son, Yes?
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  Speaker 1: And indeed I WoT him right well. Now The manner
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  Speaker 1: of Obayed's coming thither was on this wise. When he
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  Speaker 1: had farewelled Kamar al Zaman, he went to his shop,
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  Speaker 1: and thence going home, laid his hand on the door
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  Speaker 1: whereupon it opened, and he entered, and found neither his
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  Speaker 1: wife nor the slave girl, but saw the house in
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  Speaker 1: sorriest plight, quoting in mute speech his saying, who said
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  Speaker 1: the chambers were like a beehive, well stocked. When their
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  Speaker 1: bees quitted it, they became empty. When he saw the
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  Speaker 1: house void, he turned right and left, and presently went
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  Speaker 1: round about the place like a madman, but came upon
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  Speaker 1: no one. Then he opened the door of his treasure closet,
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  Speaker 1: but found therein naught of his money nor his hoards.
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  Speaker 1: Whereupon he recovered from the intoxication of fancy, and shook
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  Speaker 1: off his infatuation, and knew that it was his wife
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  Speaker 1: herself who had turned the tables upon him and outwitted
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  Speaker 1: him with her wiles. He wept for that which had
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  Speaker 1: befallen him, but kept his affair secret, so none of
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  Speaker 1: his foes might exult over him, nor any of his
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  Speaker 1: friends be troubled, knowing that if he disclosed his secret,
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  Speaker 1: it would bring him naught but dishonor and contumly talk
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  Speaker 1: from the folk. Wherefore he said in himself, O obeyed
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  Speaker 1: hide that which hath betided thee of affliction, and ruination.
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  Speaker 1: It behooveth thee to do in accordance with his saying,
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  Speaker 1: who said, if a man's breast with bain he hides,
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  Speaker 1: be straightened, the breast that tells its hidden bail is
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  Speaker 1: straighter still. Then he locked up his house, and, making
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  Speaker 1: for his shop, gave it in charge of one of
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  Speaker 1: his apprentices, to whom said he, my friend, the young merchant,
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  Speaker 1: hath invited me to accompany him to Cairo for solacing
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  Speaker 1: ourselves with the sight of the city, and sweareth that
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  Speaker 1: he will not march except he carry us with him,
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  Speaker 1: me and my wife. So O, my son, I make
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  Speaker 1: thee my steward in the shop. And if the king
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  Speaker 1: asked for me, say thou to him. He is gone
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  Speaker 1: with his harem to the holy House of Allah. Then
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  Speaker 1: he sold some of his effects and bought camels and mules,
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  Speaker 1: and Mamma Luke's, together with a slave girl, in placing
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  Speaker 1: her in a litter, set out from Bassa. After ten days.
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  Speaker 1: His friends farewelled him, and none doubted but that he
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  Speaker 1: had taken his wife and gone on the pilgrimage. And
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  Speaker 1: the folk rejoiced in this, for that Allah had delivered
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  Speaker 1: them from being shut up in the mosques and houses
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  Speaker 1: every Friday, quoth some of them, Allah grant he may
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  Speaker 1: never return to Bassarah, so we may no more be
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  Speaker 1: boxed up in the mosques and houses every Friday. For
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  Speaker 1: that this usage had caused the people of Bassrah exceeding vexation.
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  Speaker 1: Quoth another, methinks he will not return from this journey
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  Speaker 1: by reason of the much praying of the people of
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  Speaker 1: Bassarah against him. And yet another, and he returned, twill
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  Speaker 1: not be but in reversed case. So the folk rejoiced
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  Speaker 1: with exceeding joy in the Jeweler's departure after they had
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  Speaker 1: been in mighty great chagrin, and even their cats and
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  Speaker 1: dogs were comforted. When Friday came round, however, the crier
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  Speaker 1: proclaimed as usual that the people should repair to the
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  Speaker 1: mosques two hours before prayer time, or else hide themselves
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  Speaker 1: in their houses together with their cats and dogs. Whereat
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  Speaker 1: their breasts were straightened, and they assembled in general assembly,
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  Speaker 1: and betaking themselves to the King's divan, stood between his hands,
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  Speaker 1: and said, O King of the Age. The jeweler hath
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  Speaker 1: taken his harem and departed on the pilgrimage to the
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  Speaker 1: Holy House of Allah. So the cause of our restrains
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  Speaker 1: hath ceased to be? And why therefore are we now
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  Speaker 1: shut up? Quoth the king? How came this traitor to
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  Speaker 1: depart without telling me? But when he cometh back from
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  Speaker 1: his journey, all will not be save well, So go
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  Speaker 1: ye to your shops and sell and buy, for this
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  Speaker 1: vexation is removed from you. Thus far concerning the king
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  Speaker 1: and the Bassarites. But as for the jeweler, he fared
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  Speaker 1: on ten days journey, and as he drew near Baghdad,
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  Speaker 1: there befell him that which had befallen Kamar al Zaman
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  Speaker 1: before his entering Bassarah. For the Arabs came out upon
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  Speaker 1: him and stripped him and took all he had, and
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  Speaker 1: he escaped only by feigning himself dead. As soon as
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  Speaker 1: they were gone, he rose and fared on, naked as
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  Speaker 1: he was, till he came to a village, where Allah
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  Speaker 1: inclined to him the hearts of certain kindly folk, who
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  Speaker 1: covered his shame with some old clothes, and he asked
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  Speaker 1: his way, begging from town to town till he reached
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  Speaker 1: the city of Cairo, the god guarded there. Burning with hunger,
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  Speaker 1: he went about alms seeking in the market streets till
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  Speaker 1: one of the townsfolk said to him, oh, poor man,
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  Speaker 1: off with thee to the house of the wedding festival
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  Speaker 1: and eat and drink, for to day there is open
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  Speaker 1: table for paupers and strangers. Quoth he, I know not
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  Speaker 1: the way thither, and quoth the other, follow me, and
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  Speaker 1: I will show it to thee. He followed him till
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  Speaker 1: he brought him to the house of Abd al Rahman
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  Speaker 1: and said to him, this is the house of the wedding.
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  Speaker 1: Enter and fear not, for there is no doorkeeper at
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  Speaker 1: the door of the festival. Accordingly he entered, and Kamar
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  Speaker 1: al Zaman knew him and told his sire, who said, O,
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  Speaker 1: my son, lee him at this present, be like he
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  Speaker 1: is and hungered. So let him eat his sufficiency and
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  Speaker 1: recover himself, and after we will send for him. So
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  Speaker 1: they waited till Obaed had eaten his fill and washed
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  Speaker 1: his hands, and drunk coffee and sherbets of sugar flavored
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  Speaker 1: with musk and ambergris, and was about to go out,
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  Speaker 1: when Abd al Raman sent after him a page, who
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  Speaker 1: said to him, come, o stranger, and speak with the
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  Speaker 1: merchant ab al Raman. Who is he asked Obaed, and
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  Speaker 1: the man answered, he is the master of the feast.
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  Speaker 1: Thereupon the jeweler turned back, thinking that he meant to
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  Speaker 1: give him a gift, and coming up to Abd al
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  Speaker 1: Raman saw his friend Kamar al Zaman, and went nigh
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  Speaker 1: to lose his senses for shame before him. But Kamar
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  Speaker 1: al Zaman rose to him and, embracing him, saluted him
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  Speaker 1: with the Salaam, and they both wept with sore weeping.
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  Speaker 1: Then he seated him by his side, and Abd al
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  Speaker 1: Raman said to his son, Oh, destitute of good taste,
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  Speaker 1: this is no way to receive friends. Send him first
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  Speaker 1: to the hammam, and despatch after him. I'm a suit
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  Speaker 1: of clothes of the choicest, worth a thousand dinars. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: they carried him to the bath, where they washed his
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  Speaker 1: body and clad him in a costly suit, and he
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  Speaker 1: became as he were consul of the merchants. Meanwhile, the
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  Speaker 1: bystanders questioned Kamar al Zaman of him, saying, who is
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  Speaker 1: this and whence to knowest thou him? Quoth he, this
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  Speaker 1: is my friend who lodged me in his house, and
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  Speaker 1: to whom I am indebted for favors without number, for
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  Speaker 1: that he entreated me with exceeding kindness. He is a
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  Speaker 1: man of competence and condition, and by trade a jeweler,
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  Speaker 1: in which craft he hath no equal. The King of
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  Speaker 1: Bassara loveth him dearly and holdeth him in high honour,
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  Speaker 1: and his word is law with him. And he went
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  Speaker 1: on to enlarge before them on his praises, saying, verily
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  Speaker 1: he did with me, thus and thus, and I have
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  Speaker 1: shame of him, and know not how to requite him
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  Speaker 1: his generous dealing with me. Nor did he leave to
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  Speaker 1: extol him till his worth was magnified to the bystanders,
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  Speaker 1: and he became venerable in their eyes. So they said,
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  Speaker 1: we will all do to him his due and honor
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  Speaker 1: him for thy sake. But we would fain know the
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  Speaker 1: reason why he hath departed his native land and the
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  Speaker 1: cause of his coming hither. And what Allah hath done
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  Speaker 1: with him that he is reduced to this plight, replied
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  Speaker 1: Kamar Alzamon o fulk marvel not, for a son of
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  Speaker 1: Adam is still subject to fate and fortune. And what
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  Speaker 1: while he abideth in this world, he is not safe
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  Speaker 1: from calamities. Indeed, he spake truly, who said these couplets
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  Speaker 1: the world tears man to shreds. So be thou not
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  Speaker 1: of those whom lure of rank and title draws, Nay
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  Speaker 1: whereof slips and turned from Sinna's side, and kin that
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  Speaker 1: bane and bail are worldly laws. How oft high fortune
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  Speaker 1: falls by least mishap, and all things bear in bread
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  Speaker 1: of change of cause. Know that I entered Bassorah in
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  Speaker 1: yet iller case and worse distress than this man, for
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  Speaker 1: that he entered Cairo with his shame hidden by rags.
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  Speaker 1: But I indeed came into his town with my nakedness uncovered,
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  Speaker 1: one hand behind and another before, And none availed me
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  Speaker 1: but Allah and this dear man. Now, the reason of
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  Speaker 1: this was that the Arabs stripped me and took my
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  Speaker 1: camels and mules and loads, and slaughtered my pages and
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  Speaker 1: serving men. But I lay down among the slain, and
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  Speaker 1: they thought that I was dead, so they went away
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  Speaker 1: and left me. Then I rose and walked on mother
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  Speaker 1: naked till I came to Bassorah, where this man met
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  Speaker 1: me and clothed me and lodged me in his house.
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  Speaker 1: He also furnished me with money, and all I have
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  Speaker 1: brought back with me, I owe to none save to
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  Speaker 1: Allah's goodness and his goodness. When I departed, he gave
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  Speaker 1: me great store of wealth, and I returned to the
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  Speaker 1: city of my birth with a heart at ease. I
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  Speaker 1: left him in competence and condition, and haply there hath
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  Speaker 1: befallen him some bale of the veins of time, that
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  Speaker 1: hath forced him to quit his kinsfolk and country. And
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  Speaker 1: there happened to him by the way the like of
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  Speaker 1: what happened to me. There is nothing strange in this.
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  Speaker 1: But now it behooveth me to requite him his noble
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  Speaker 1: dealing with me, and do according to the saying of
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  Speaker 1: him who saith, O who praisest time with the fairest
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  Speaker 1: a praise. Knowest thou what time hath made and unmade,
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  Speaker 1: what thou dost at least be it kindly done, For
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  Speaker 1: with pay he pays, shall men be repaid. As they
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  Speaker 1: were talking and telling the tale, behold up came obeyed
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  Speaker 1: as he were counsel of the merchants. Whereupon they all
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  Speaker 1: rose to salute him and seated him in the place
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  Speaker 1: of honor. Then said Kamar al Zaman to him, O,
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  Speaker 1: my friend, verily, thy day is blessed and fortunate. There
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  Speaker 1: is no need to relate to me a thing that
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  Speaker 1: befell me before THEE. If the Arabs have stripped THEE
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  Speaker 1: and robbed THEE of thy wealth, verily our money is
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  Speaker 1: the ransom of our bodies. So let not thy soul
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  Speaker 1: be troubled. For I entered thy city naked, and thou
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  Speaker 1: clothe this to me, and entreatedest me generously. And I
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  Speaker 1: owe THEE many a kindness. But I will requite THEE.
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  Speaker 1: And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
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  Speaker 1: say her permitted say end of night, nine hundred and
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  Speaker 1: seventy seven. Recording by Mark Ernest