Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 016 - Night 919 - 920

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016 - Night 919 - 920 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section sixteen of the Book of the Thousand Knights and
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  Speaker 1: a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording. All
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
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  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Andre Levi Andre lev dot Net, Lisbon, Portugal. The Book
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  Speaker 1: of the Thousand Knights and a Night, Volume nine by anonymous,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burton, Night nine hundred and nineteen.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred nineteenth night, she said
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  Speaker 1: it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
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  Speaker 1: boy consented and entered with the thieves, one of them
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  Speaker 1: said to other, look which is the lightest and smallest
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  Speaker 1: of us? And make him climb the tree? And they said,
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  Speaker 1: none of us is slighter than this boy. So they
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  Speaker 1: sent him up into the tree and said to him,
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  Speaker 1: O boy, touch not aught of the fruit, lest some
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  Speaker 1: one see thee and work thee a mischief. He asked,
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  Speaker 1: how then shall I do? And they answered, sit among
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  Speaker 1: the boughs and shake them one by one with all
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  Speaker 1: thy might, so that which is thereon may fall, and
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  Speaker 1: we will pick it up. Then, when thou hast made
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  Speaker 1: an end of shaking down the fruit, Come down and
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  Speaker 1: take thy share of that which we have gathered. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: he began to shake every branch at which he could come,
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  Speaker 1: so that the nuts fell, and the thieves picked them
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  Speaker 1: up and ate some and hid others some, till all
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  Speaker 1: were full, save the boy, who had eaten not. As
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  Speaker 1: they were thus engaged. Behold up came the owner of
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  Speaker 1: the garden, who, standing to witness the spectacle, inquired of them,
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  Speaker 1: what do ye with this tree? They replied, we have
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  Speaker 1: taken naught thereof. But we were passing by, and seeing
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  Speaker 1: yonder boy on the tree, took him for the owner thereof,
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  Speaker 1: and besought him to give us to eat of the fruit.
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  Speaker 1: Thereat He fell to shaking one of the branches, so
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  Speaker 1: that the nuts struck down. And we are not at fault,
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  Speaker 1: quoth the master to the boy. What sayest thou? And
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  Speaker 1: quoth he these men lie? But I will tell thee
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  Speaker 1: the truth. It is that we all came hither together,
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  Speaker 1: and they bade me climb the tree and shake its boughs,
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  Speaker 1: that the nuts might fall down to them. And I
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  Speaker 1: obeyed their bidding, said the master, thou hast cast thyself
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  Speaker 1: into a sore calamity. But hast thou profited by eating
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  Speaker 1: aught of the fruit, And he said, I have eaten naught.
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  Speaker 1: Thereof rejoined the owner of the garden. Now know I
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  Speaker 1: thy folly in thine ignorance, and that thou hast wrought
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  Speaker 1: to ruin thyself and profit others. Then said he to
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  Speaker 1: the thieves, I have no resort against you, So wend
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  Speaker 1: your ways. But he laid hands on the boy and
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  Speaker 1: punished him on. Likewise, added the favorite thy Wazirs and
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  Speaker 1: officers of state, what sacrifice thee to their interests? And
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  Speaker 1: do with thee as did the thieves with the boy.
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  Speaker 1: Answered the King, thou sayest sooth and speakest truth. I
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  Speaker 1: will not go forth to them, nor leave my pleasures.
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  Speaker 1: Then he passed the night with his wife in all delight,
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  Speaker 1: till the morning, when the Grand Wazir arose, and assembling
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  Speaker 1: the officers of state, together with those of the lead
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  Speaker 1: who were present with them, repaired with them to the
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  Speaker 1: palace gate, congratulating one another and rejoicing. But the door
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  Speaker 1: opened not, nor did the King come forth unto them,
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  Speaker 1: nor give them leave to go in to him. So,
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  Speaker 1: when they despaired of him, they said to shemas, Oh
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  Speaker 1: excellent wazir and accomplished sage. Seest thou not the behavior
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  Speaker 1: of this lad young of years and little of wit,
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  Speaker 1: how he addeth to his offense's falsehood. See how he
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  Speaker 1: hath broken his promise to us and hath not performed
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  Speaker 1: that for which he engaged unto us. And this sin
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  Speaker 1: it behooveth THEE join unto his other sins. But we
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  Speaker 1: beseech THEE go in to him yet again and discover
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  Speaker 1: what is the cause of his holding back and refusal
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  Speaker 1: to come forth. For we doubt not but that the
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  Speaker 1: like of this action cometh of his corrupt nature, and
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  Speaker 1: indeed he is now hardened to the highest degree. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: Simus went in to the king and bespake him, saying,
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  Speaker 1: peace be with THEE, O King. How cometh it that
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  Speaker 1: I see THEE give thyself up to these slight pleasures
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  Speaker 1: and neglect the great affair. Whereto it behooveth THEE sedulously
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  Speaker 1: apply thyself. Thou art alike unto a man who had
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  Speaker 1: a milch camel, and coming one day to milk her,
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  Speaker 1: the goodness of her milk made him neglect to hold
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  Speaker 1: fast her halter, which when as she felt, she hailed
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  Speaker 1: herself free and made off into the wold. Thus the
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  Speaker 1: man lost both milk and camel, and the loss that
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  Speaker 1: betided him surpassed his gain. Wherefore, O, King, do thou
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  Speaker 1: look unto that wherein is thy welfare and the weal
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  Speaker 1: of thy subjects. For even as it behooveth not the
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  Speaker 1: man to sit forever at the kitchen door because of
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  Speaker 1: his need unto food, so should he not alway company
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  Speaker 1: with women by reason of his inclinae to them. And
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  Speaker 1: as a man should eat but as much food as
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  Speaker 1: will guard him from the pains of hunger, and drink,
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  Speaker 1: but what will ward off the pangs of thirst? In
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  Speaker 1: like manner, it behooveth the sensible man to content himself
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  Speaker 1: with passing two of the four and twenty hours of
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  Speaker 1: his day with women, and expend the rest in ordering
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  Speaker 1: his own affairs and those of his people. For to
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  Speaker 1: be longer than this in company with women is hurtful
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  Speaker 1: both to mind and body, seeing that they bid not
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  Speaker 1: unto good, neither direct thereto. Wherefore it besitteth not a
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  Speaker 1: man to accept from them or word or deed. For indeed,
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  Speaker 1: it hath reached me that many men have come to
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  Speaker 1: Ruin through their women, and amongst others a certain man
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  Speaker 1: who perished through conversation with his wife at her command.
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  Speaker 1: The king asked how is that? And Simus answered, saying,
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  Speaker 1: here o, King, the tale of the man and his wife.
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  Speaker 1: They relate that a certain man had a wife whom
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  Speaker 1: he loved and honored, giving ear to her speech and
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  Speaker 1: doing according to her. Read Moreover, he had a garden
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  Speaker 1: which he had newly planted with his own hand, and
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  Speaker 1: was wont to go thither every day to tend it
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  Speaker 1: and water it. One day his wife asked him what
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  Speaker 1: hast thou planted in thy garden? And he answered, all
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  Speaker 1: thou lovest and desirest, and I am assiduous intending and
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  Speaker 1: watering it. Quoth she, Wilt thou not carry me thither
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  Speaker 1: and show it to me, so I may look upon
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  Speaker 1: it and offer thee up a pious prayer for its prosperity.
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  Speaker 1: Seeing that my arisons are effectual, quoth he, I will well,
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  Speaker 1: but have patience with me till the morrow when I
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  Speaker 1: will come and take thee. So early on the ensuing
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  Speaker 1: day he carried her to the garden, which she entered
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  Speaker 1: with her Now two young men saw them enter from afar,
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  Speaker 1: and said to other, yonder man is an adult, and
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  Speaker 1: yonder woman an adulteress, and they have not entered this
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  Speaker 1: garden but to commit adultery. Thereupon they followed the couple
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  Speaker 1: to see what they would do, and hid themselves in
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  Speaker 1: a corner of the garden. The man and his wife,
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  Speaker 1: after entering, abode a while therein, and presently he said
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  Speaker 1: to her, pray me the prayer Thou didst promise me,
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  Speaker 1: And she replied saying, I will not pray for thee
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  Speaker 1: until thou do away my desire of that which women
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  Speaker 1: seek from men, cried he out on thee. O woman,
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  Speaker 1: hast thou not thy fill of me in the house
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  Speaker 1: here I fear scandal, specially as thou divertest me from
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  Speaker 1: my affairs. Fearest thou not that some one will see us,
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  Speaker 1: quoth she, We need have no care for that, seeing
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  Speaker 1: that we do neither sin nor lewdness. And as for
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  Speaker 1: the watering of the garden, that may wait, because thou
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  Speaker 1: canst water it when thou wilt. And she would take
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  Speaker 1: neither excuse nor reason from him, but was instant with
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  Speaker 1: him in seeking carnal coition. So he arose and lay
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  Speaker 1: with her, which when the young men afiresaid saw, they
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  Speaker 1: ran upon them and seized them, saying, we will not
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  Speaker 1: let you go, for ye are adulterers, and except we
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  Speaker 1: have carnal knowledge with the woman, we will report you
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  Speaker 1: to the police. Answered the man, fy upon you, this
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  Speaker 1: is my wife, and I am the master of the garden.
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  Speaker 1: They paid no heed to him, but fell upon the woman,
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  Speaker 1: who cried out to him for succor, saying, suffer them
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  Speaker 1: not to defile me. Accordingly, he came up to them,
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  Speaker 1: calling out for help, but one of them turned on
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  Speaker 1: him and smote him with his dagger and slew him.
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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 nineteen
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  Speaker 1: knight nine hundred twenty, when it was the nine hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twentieth night, she continued, it hath reached me, auspicious King,
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  Speaker 1: that after slaying the husband, the two young men returned
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  Speaker 1: to the wife and ravished her. This I tell thee
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  Speaker 1: O King, continued the Wazir, But that thou mayst know
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  Speaker 1: that it becometh not men to give ear unto a
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  Speaker 1: woman's talk. Neither obey her in aught, nor accept her
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  Speaker 1: judgment in council. Beware, then, lest thou don the dress
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  Speaker 1: of ignorance after the robe of knowledge and wisdom, and
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  Speaker 1: follow perverse reed, after knowing that which is righteous and profitable. Wherefore,
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  Speaker 1: pursue thou not a paltry pleasure whose trending is to corruption,
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  Speaker 1: and whose inclining is unto soar and uttermost perdition. When
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  Speaker 1: the King heard this from Shemus, he said to him,
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  Speaker 1: tomorrow I will come forth to them, and it be
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  Speaker 1: the will of Allahda most high. So she must return
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  Speaker 1: to the grandees and notables who were present, and told
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  Speaker 1: them what the king had said. But this came to
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  Speaker 1: the ears of the Favorite wife, whereupon she went in
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  Speaker 1: to the king and said to him, the subjects of
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  Speaker 1: a king should be his slaves. But I see, O, King,
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  Speaker 1: thou art become a slave to thy subjects, because thou
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  Speaker 1: standest denaw of them and ferest their mischief. They do
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  Speaker 1: but desire to make proof of Thine inner man. And
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  Speaker 1: if they find THEE weak, they will disdain THEE. But
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  Speaker 1: if they find THEE stout and brave, they will dread THEE.
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  Speaker 1: On this wise, do ill waziars with their king, for
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  Speaker 1: that their wiles are many. But I will make manifest
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  Speaker 1: unto thee the truth of their malice. And thou comply
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  Speaker 1: with the conditions they demand, they will cause thee cease
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  Speaker 1: ruling and do their will. Nor will they leave leading
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  Speaker 1: thee yon from affair to a fair till they cast
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  Speaker 1: thee into destruction. And thy case will be that as
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  Speaker 1: of the merchant and the robbers. Asked the King, how
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  Speaker 1: was that? And she answered, I have heard tell this
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  Speaker 1: tale and the merchant and the robbers. There was once
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  Speaker 1: a wealthy merchant who set out for a certain city,
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  Speaker 1: proposing to sell merchandise there. And when he came thither,
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  Speaker 1: he hired a lodging, wherein he took up his abode.
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  Speaker 1: Now certain robbers saw him. Men want to lie in
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  Speaker 1: wait for merchants, that they might rob their goods. So
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  Speaker 1: they went to his house and sought some device whereby
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  Speaker 1: to enter in, but could find no way there too,
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  Speaker 1: And their captain said, I'll manage you his matter. Then
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  Speaker 1: he went away, and, donning the dress of a leech,
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  Speaker 1: threw over his shoulder a bag containing somewhat of medicines,
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  Speaker 1: after which he set out crying who lacks the doctor,
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  Speaker 1: and fared on till he came to the merchant's lodging
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  Speaker 1: and him sitting eating the noonday dinner. So he asked him,
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  Speaker 1: dost thou need a physician? And the trader answered, I
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  Speaker 1: need not of the kind, but set thee down and
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  Speaker 1: eat with me. The thief sat down facing him and
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  Speaker 1: began to eat. Now this merchant was a belle fouchette,
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  Speaker 1: and the robber, seeing this, said to himself, I have
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  Speaker 1: found my chance. Then he turned to his host and
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  Speaker 1: said to him, tis but right for me to give
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  Speaker 1: thee an admonition, And after thy kindness to me, I
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  Speaker 1: cannot hide it from THEE. I see THEE to be
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  Speaker 1: a great eater, and the cause of this is a
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  Speaker 1: disorder in thy stomach. Wherefore, unless thou take speedy measures
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  Speaker 1: for thy cure, thine affair will end in perdition, quoth
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  Speaker 1: the merchant. My body is sound, and my stomach speedy
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  Speaker 1: of digestion. And though I be a hearty eater, yet
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  Speaker 1: is there no disease in my body? To Allah be
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  Speaker 1: the praise and the thanks, quoth the robber. It may
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  Speaker 1: appear thus unto THEE, but I know thou hast a
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  Speaker 1: disease incubating in thy vitals, and if thou hearken to me,
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  Speaker 1: thou wilt medicine thyself. The merchant asked, and where shall
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  Speaker 1: I find him who knoweth my remedy? And the robber answered,
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  Speaker 1: allahes the healer, But a physician like myself curest the
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  Speaker 1: sick to the best of his power. Then the other said,
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  Speaker 1: show me at once my remedy, and give me thereof
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  Speaker 1: Hereupon he gave him a powder wherein was a strong
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  Speaker 1: dose of aloes, saying use this to night, and he
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  Speaker 1: accepted it gratefully. When the night came, the merchant tasted
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  Speaker 1: somewhat of the powder and found it nauseous of gust. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: he misdoubted not of it, but swallowed it all, and
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  Speaker 1: therefrom found ease that night. Next night the thief brought
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  Speaker 1: him another powder, wherein was yet more allies, and he
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  Speaker 1: took it. It perched him that night, but he bore
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  Speaker 1: patiently with this and rejected it. Not when the robber
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  Speaker 1: saw that he gave ear unto his word and put
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  Speaker 1: trust in him, nor would gainsay him in aught, he
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  Speaker 1: brought him a deadly drug and gave it to him.
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  Speaker 1: The merchant swallowed it, and no sooner had he done
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  Speaker 1: this than that which was in his stomach fell down,
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  Speaker 1: and his bows were rent in sunder, and by the
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  Speaker 1: morrow he was a dead man. Whereupon the robbers came
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  Speaker 1: and took all the merchandise and moneys that belonged to him.
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  Speaker 1: This I tell thee O king, added the favorite, but
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  Speaker 1: that thou mayst not accept one word from these deluters,
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  Speaker 1: else will there befall thee that whereby thou wilt destroy thyself,
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  Speaker 1: Cry the king, thou sayest sooth, I will not go
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  Speaker 1: forth to them now. When the morning morrowed, the folk
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  Speaker 1: assembled together, and, repairing to the King's door, sat there
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  Speaker 1: the most part of the day till they despaired of
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  Speaker 1: his coming forth. When they returned to Shemas, and said
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  Speaker 1: to him, O, sage philosopher and experienced master, seest thou
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  Speaker 1: not that this ignorant lad doth not but redouble in
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  Speaker 1: falsea to us. Verily, twere only reasonable and right to
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  Speaker 1: take the kingdom from him and give it to another,
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  Speaker 1: so our affairs may be ordered, in our estates maintained.
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  Speaker 1: But go thou in to him a third time, and
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  Speaker 1: tell him that naught hindereth us from rising against him
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  Speaker 1: and taking the kingship from him, but his fother's goodness
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  Speaker 1: to us, and that which she required from us of
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  Speaker 1: oaths and engagements. However, tomorrow we will all to the
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  Speaker 1: last of us assemble here with our arms and break
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  Speaker 1: down the gait of the citadel. And if he come
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  Speaker 1: forth to us and do that which we wish, no
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  Speaker 1: harm is yet done. Else we will go in to
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  Speaker 1: him and slay him, and put the kingdom in the
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  Speaker 1: hand of other than he. So the Wazir she must
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  Speaker 1: went in to him and said, O King, that gravelest
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  Speaker 1: in thy gusts and thy lusts. What is this thou
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  Speaker 1: dost with thyself? Would heaven? I WoT who seduce thee
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  Speaker 1: there too? An it be thou who sinnest against thyself?
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  Speaker 1: There hath ceased from THEE that which we knew in
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  Speaker 1: THEE aforetime of integrity and wisdom and eloquence. Could I
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  Speaker 1: but learn who hath thus changed THEE and fume THEE
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  Speaker 1: from wisdom to folly, and from fidelity to a nick,
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  Speaker 1: and from mildness to harshness, and from acceptance of me
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  Speaker 1: to aversion from me. How cometh it that I admonish
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  Speaker 1: thee thrice, and thou acceptst not mine admonition, and that
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: I counsel THEE rightfully, and still thou gainsayest my counsel.
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  Speaker 1: Tell me what is this child's play? And who is
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  Speaker 1: it that prompteth thee thereunto know that the people of
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  Speaker 1: thy kingdom have agreed together to come into thee and
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: slay thee, and give thy kingdom to another. Art able
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  Speaker 1: to cope with them all, and save thyself from their hands,
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  Speaker 1: or canst quicken thyself after being killed? If indeed thou
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  Speaker 1: be potent to do all this, Thou art safe and
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  Speaker 1: hast no occasion for my reed, But an thou have
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  Speaker 1: any concern for thy life and thy kingship, Return to
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  Speaker 1: thy sound sense, and hold fast thy rein, and show
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  Speaker 1: forth to the folk the power of thy prowess, and
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  Speaker 1: persuade the people with thine excuse, for they are minded
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  Speaker 1: to tear away that which is in thy hand and
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  Speaker 1: commit it unto another, being resolved upon revolts and rebellion,
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  Speaker 1: led thereto by that which they know of thy youth
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  Speaker 1: and thy self submission to loveliest and lusts for that stones,
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  Speaker 1: Albeit they lie long under water, and thou withdraw them
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  Speaker 1: therefrom and smite one upon the other, fire will be
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  Speaker 1: struck from them. Now thy lieges are many folk, and
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: they have taken counsel together against THEE, with a design
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  Speaker 1: to transfer the kingship from THEE to another, and accomplish
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  Speaker 1: upon THEE. Whatso they desire of thy destruction, So shalt
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: thou fare as did the jackals with the wolf, and
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  Speaker 1: Shahrazad perceive the dawn of day and ceased, saying her permitted,
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  Speaker 1: say end of night, nine hundred and twenty