Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 025 - Night 937 - 938

Transcript

025 - Night 937 - 938 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section twenty five of the Book of the Thousand Nights
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: and a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 0:08
  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 Frye 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
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: was the nine hundred and thirty seventh night, Shahrazad pursued it.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Hath reached me o auspicious king that when Abu Kur
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: and Abusir were exchanging reproof and excuse, the dier said
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: to him, even as thou art be known of the King,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: so also am I, and in Shallah God willing, I
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: will make him love and favor THEE more than ever
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: for my sake. He knoweth not that thou art my comrade,
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: but I will acquaint him of this and commend THEE
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: to him. But Abu Sir said, there needeth no commendation,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: for he who moveth man's heart to love still liveth
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: And indeed the king and all his court affect me
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: and have given me this and that. And he told
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: him the whole tale, and said to him, put off
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: thy clothes behind the chest and enter the hammam, and
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I will go in with thee and rub thee down
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: with the glove. So he doffed his dress, and Abu
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Sir entering the bath with him, soapd him and gloved him,
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: and then dressed him and busied himself with his service
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: till he came forth when he brought him dinner and
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: sherbet's whilst all the folk marveled at the honor he
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: did him. Then Abu Kur would have given him somewhat,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: but he swore that he would not accept art from him,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: and said to him, shame on such doings. Thou art,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: my comrade, and there is no difference between us. Then
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Abu Kur observed by allah O, my comrade, this is
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: a mighty fine hamam of thine, but there lacketh somewhat
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: in its ordinance, asked Abu Sir, and what is that?
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: And Abukir answered it is the depilatory to wit the
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: paste compounded of yellow arsenic and quick lime, which removeth
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: the hair with comfort. Do thou prepare it, and next
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: time the king cometh, present it to him, teaching him
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: how he shall cause the hair to fall off by
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: such means, and he will love THEE with exceeding love
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: and honor thee, quoth Abu Sir, Thou speakest sooth and inshallah,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: I will at once make it. Then Abuchir left him
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: and mounted his mule, and, going to the king, said
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: to him, I have a warning to give thee, O
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: King of the age. And what is thy warning? Asked
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: the king, And Abu Kur answered, I hear that thou
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: hast built a hammam, quoth the King. Yes, there came
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: to me a stranger, and I builded the baths for him,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: even as I builded the diary for thee. And indeed
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: tis a mighty fine hamam and an ornament to my city.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: And he went on to describe to him the virtues
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: of the bath. Quoth the dier, hast thou entered therein,
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: And quoth the King. Yes. Thereupon cried the Abu Chur
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Alhamduliah praised be God, who save THEE from the mischief
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: of yonder, villain and foe of the faith. I mean
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: the bath keeper. The king inquired, and what of him?
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: And Abuchur replied, know o, King of the age, that
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: an thou enter the hammam again after this day, thou
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: wilt surely perish. How So said the King, and the
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: dyer said, this bath keeper is thy foe and the
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: foe of the faith. And he induced thee not to
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: establish this bath, but because he designed therein to poison thee.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: He hath made for thee somewhat, and he will present
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: it to THEE when thou enterest the hammam, saying this
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: is a drug which if one apply to his parts
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: below the waist, will remove the hair with comfort. Now
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: it is no drug, but a drastic drag and a
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: deadly poison. For the Sultan of the Christians, hath promised
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: this obscene fellow to release to him his wife and children,
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: and he will kill thee, for they are prisoners in
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: the hands of that Sultan. I myself was captain with
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: him in their land. But I opened a diary and
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: died for them various colors, so that they conciliated the
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: King's heart to me, and he bade me ask a
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: boon of him. I thought of him freedom, and he
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: set me at liberty. Whereupon I made my way to
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: this city, and, seeing yonder man in the Hammam, said
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: to him, how didst thou affect thine escape? And when
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: free with thy wife and children? Quoth he we cease
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: not to be in captivity, I and my wife and children.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Till one day the king of the Jazarenes held a court,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: whereat I was present among a number of others. And
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: as I stood amongst the folk, I heard them open
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: out on the kings and name them one after another,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: till they came to the name of the king of
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: this city. Whereupon the King of the Christians cried out, alas,
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: and said, none vexeth me in the world, but the
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: king of such a city, whosoever will contrive me his slaughter,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: I will give him all he shall ask. So I
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: went up to him and said, an I compass thee
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: for his slaughter, Wilt thou set me free, me and
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: my wife and my children? And the king replied, yes,
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: and I will give thee to boot whatso thou shalt desire.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: So we agreed upon this, and he sent me in
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: a galleon to this city, where I presented myself to
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: the King, and he built me this hamam. Now therefore
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: I have naught to do but to slay him and
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: return to the King of the Nazarenes, that I may
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: redeem my children and my wife, and ask a boon
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: of him, quoth I. And how wilt thou go about
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: to kill him? And quoth he by the simplest of
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: all devices. For I have compounded him somewhat wherein is poison.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: So when he cometh to the bath, I shall say
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: to him, take this paste and anoint there with thy
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: parts below the waist, for it will cause the hair
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: to drop off. So he will take it and apply
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: it to himself, and the poison will work in him
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: a day and a night till it reacheth his heart
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: and destroyeth him. And meanwhile I shall have made off,
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: and none will know that it was I who slew him.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: When I heard this, added abou Chur, I feared for THEE,
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: my benefactor. Wherefore I have told THEE of what is doing.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: As soon as the King heard the dyer's story, he
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: was wroth with exceeding wrath, and said to him keep
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: this secret. Then he resolved to visit the hammam that
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: he might be spelled doubt by supplying certainty, and when
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: he entered, Abu Sir doffed his dress, and, betaking himself
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: as of wont to the service of the king, proceeded
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: to glove him, after which he said to him, O,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: King of the age, I have made a drug which
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: assisteth in plucking out the lower hair. Cried the King,
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: bring it to me. So the barber brought it to him,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: and the King, finding it nauseous of smell, was assured
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: that it was poison. Wherefore he was incensed and called
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: out his guards, saying, seize him. Accordingly, they seized him,
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: and the king donned his dress and returned to his palace,
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: boiling with fury. Whilst none knew the cause of his indignation,
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: for of the excess of his wrath he had acquainted
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: no one therewith, and none dared ask him. Then he
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: repaired to the audience chamber, and, causing Abu Sir to
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: be brought before him with his elbow, pinioned send for
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: his sea captain, and said to him, take this villain
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: and set him in a sack with two quintals of
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: lime unslacked, and tie its mouth over his head. Then
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: lay him in a cock boat, and row out with
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: him in front of my palace, where thou wilt see
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: me sitting at the lattice. Do thou say to me,
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: shall I cast him in? And if I answer, cast
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: him throw the sack into the sea, so the quick
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: lime may be slaked on him, to the intent that
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: he shall die drowned and burnt. Hearkening and obeying, quoth
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: the captain, and taking Abusir from the presence, carried him
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: to an island facing the King's palace, where he said
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: to him, Ho, thou, I once visited thy Hammam, and
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: thou entreatst me with honor and accomplished all my needs,
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: and I had great pleasure of THEE. Moreover, thou swearest
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: that thou wouldst take no pay of me, And I
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: love THEE with a great love. So tell me how
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: the case standeth between THEE and the King, and what
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: abominable deed thou hast done with him? That he is
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: wroth with THEE, and hath commanded me that thou shouldst
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: die this foul death. Answered Abu Sir, I have done nothing,
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: nor we die of any crime I have committed against
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: him which meriteth this and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: day and ceased to say her permitted say when it
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: was the nine hundred and thirty eighth night, and resumed it.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Hath reached me o auspicious King, that when the sea
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: captain asked Abu Sir the cause of the King's wrath
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: with him, he replied, by allah, o, my brother, I
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: have committed no crime against him which meriteth. This rejoined
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: the captain. Verily, thou wast high in rank with the King,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: such as none ever won before THEE, and all who
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: are prosperous are envied. Haply, some one was jealous of
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: thy good fortune and threw out certain hints concerning THEE
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: to the King, by reason whereof he is become enraged
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: against THEE, with rage so violent, But be of good cheer.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: No harm shall befall THEE. For even as thou entreatest
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: me generously, without acquaintanceship between me and THEE. So now
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: I will deliver THEE. But and if I release THEE,
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: thou must abide with me on this island till some
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: galleons sail from our city to thy native land. When
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: I will send THEE thither therein, Abu Sir kissed his
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: hand and thanked him for that, after which the captain
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: fetched the quicklime and set it in a sack, together
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: with a great stone the size of a man, saying,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: I put my trust in Allah. Then he gave the
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: barber annette, saying, cast this net into the sea, so
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: haply thou mayst take somewhat of fish, for I am
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: bound to supply the King's kitchen with fish every day.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: But to day I have been distracted from fishing by
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: this calamity which hath befallen thee. And I fear lest
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: the cook's boys come to me in quest of fish
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: and find none. So an thou take aught, they will
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: find it, and thou wilt veil my face, whilst I
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: go and play off my practice in front of the palace,
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: and faign to cast thee into the sea. Answered Abu Sir,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: I will fish the while go thou and God help thee.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: So the captain set the sack in the boat and
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: paddled till he came under the palace, where he saw
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: the king seated at the lattice, and said to him, O,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: King of the age, shall I cast him in? Cast
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: him cried the king, and signed to him with his hand,
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: when lo and behold, something flashed like levin and fell
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: into the sea. Now that which had fallen into the
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: water was the King's seal ring, and the same was
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: enchanted in such way that when the King was wroth
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: with any one, and was minded to slay him, he
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: had but to sign to him with his right hand,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: whereon was the signet, and therefore issued a flash of lightning,
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: which smote the object. And thereupon his head fell from
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: between his shoulders, and the troops obeyed him. Not, nor
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: did he overcome the men of might, save by means
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: of the ring. So when it dropped from his finger,
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: he concealed the matter and kept silence. For that dared
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: not say, my ring has fallen into the sea, for
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: fear of the troops, lest they rise against him and
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: slay him. On this wise it befell the king. But
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: as regards Abussir, after the captain had left him on
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: the island, he took the net, and, casting it into
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: the sea, presently drew it up full of fish. Nor
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: did he cease to throw it and pull it up
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: full till there was a great mound of fish. Before him.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: So he said in himself, by Allah his long while
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: I have not eaten fish, and chose himself a large
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: fat fish, saying, when the Captain cometh back, I will
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: bid him fry it for me, so I may dine
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: on it. Then he cut its throat with a knife
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: he had with him, but the knife stuck in its gills,
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: and there he saw the King's signet ring. For the
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: fish had swallowed it, and destiny had driven it to
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: that island where it had fallen into the net. He
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: took the ring and drew it on his little finger,
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: not knowing its peculiar properties. Presently, up came two of
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: the cook's boys in quest of fish, and seeing Abusir
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: said to him, O man, whither is the captain gone?
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: I know not, said he, and signed to them with
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: his right hand, when behold the heads of both underlings
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: dropped from between their shoulders. At this Abusar was amazed,
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: and said, would I water slew them? And their case
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: was grievous to him, and he was still pondering it
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: when the captain suddenly returned, and seeing the mound of
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: fishes and two men lying dead, and the seal ring
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: on Abusar's finger, said to him, oh, my brother, move
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: not thy hand, where on is the signet ring, else
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: thou wilt kill me. Abu Sir wondered at this speech
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: and kept his hand motionless, whereupon the captain came up
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: to him and said, who slew these two men? By allah? O,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: my brother? I WoT not thou sayst sooth, but tell
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: me whence hadst thou that ring? I found it in
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: the fish's gills. True, said the captain, for I saw
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: it fall flashing from the King's palace and disappear in
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: the sea. What time he signed towards thee, saying cast
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: him in. So I cast the sack into the water.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: And it was then that the ring slipped from his
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: finger and fell into the sea, where this fish swallowed it.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: And Allah drave it to thee, so that thou mayest
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: thy pray. For this ring was thy lot. But cannst
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: thou its property, said Abu Sir. I knew not that
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: it had any properties peculiar to it. And the captain said,
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: learn then that the King's troops so by him not
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: save for fear of this signet ring, because it is spelled.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: And when he was wroth with any one and had
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: a mind to kill him, he would sign at him therewith,
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: and his head would drop from between his shoulders. For
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: there issued a flash of lightning from the ring, and
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: its ray smote the object of his wrath, who died forthright.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: At this Abusir rejoiced with exceeding joy, and said to
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: the captain, carry me back to the city. And he
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: said that will I now that I no longer fear
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: for thee from the king. For wert thou to sign
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: at him with thy hand purposing to kill him, his
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: head would fall down between thy hands. And if thou
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: be minded to slay him and all his host, thou
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: mayst lay them without let or hindrance. So saying, he
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: embarked him in the boat and bore him back to
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: the city. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of the day
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: and ceased, saying her permitted say And of Knights nine
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: thirty seven and nine thirty eight