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052 - Night 989 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section fifty two of the Book of the Thousand Knights
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  Speaker 1: and a Night, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox according
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  Speaker 1: all LibriVox accordings are in the public domain from our
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  Speaker 1: information or the volunteer. Please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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  Speaker 1: their own. The Book of the Thousand Knights and the Night,
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  Speaker 1: Volume nine by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton, Night
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred and eighty nine. When it was the nine
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eighty ninth night, she pursued it, hath reached
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  Speaker 1: me o auspicious King, that when Abdullah was awaried with
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  Speaker 1: watching and wanted to sleep, they also lay beside him
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  Speaker 1: on another couch and waited till he was drowned in slumber.
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  Speaker 1: And when they were certified thereof there arose and knelt
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  Speaker 1: upon him. Whereupon he awoke, and, seeing them kneeling on
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  Speaker 1: his breast, said to them, what is this o my brothers?
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  Speaker 1: Cried they, We are no brothers of dyne, nor do
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  Speaker 1: we know thee unmannerly that thou art thy death is
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  Speaker 1: become better than thy life. Then they gripped him by
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  Speaker 1: the throat and throttled him till he lost his senses
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  Speaker 1: and abode without motion, so that they deemed him dead.
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  Speaker 1: Now the pavilion wherein they were overlooked the river, so
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  Speaker 1: they cast him into the water. But when he fell,
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  Speaker 1: allas in to his aid a dolphin, who was accustomed
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  Speaker 1: to come under that pavilion. Because the kitchen had a
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  Speaker 1: window that gave upon the stream, and as often as
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  Speaker 1: they slaughtered any beast there, it was their wont to
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  Speaker 1: throw the refuse into the river, and the dolphin came
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  Speaker 1: and picked it up from the surface of the water.
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  Speaker 1: Wherefore he ever resorted to the place. That day they
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  Speaker 1: had cast out much offal a reason of the banquet,
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  Speaker 1: so that the dolphin ate more than of want, and
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  Speaker 1: gained strength here and the splash of Abdullah's fall, he
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  Speaker 1: hastened to the spot where he saw a son of Adam,
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  Speaker 1: and Allah guided him so that he took the man
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  Speaker 1: on his back, and, crossing the current, made with him
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  Speaker 1: for the other bank, where he cast his berthen ashore.
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  Speaker 1: Now the place where the often cast up Adullah was
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  Speaker 1: a well beaten highway, And presently up came a caravan, and,
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  Speaker 1: finding him lying on the river bank, said, here is
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  Speaker 1: a drowned man whom the river has cast up and
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  Speaker 1: the travelers gathered around to gaze at the corpse. The
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  Speaker 1: sheikh of the caravan was a man of worth, skilled
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  Speaker 1: in all sciences, and versed in the mystery of medicine,
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  Speaker 1: and withal sound of judgment. So he said to them,
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  Speaker 1: oh folk, what is the news? They answered, here is
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  Speaker 1: a drowned man. Whereupon he went up to Abdullah, in
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  Speaker 1: examining him, said to them, oh folk, there is life
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  Speaker 1: yet in this young man, who is a person of
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  Speaker 1: condition and of the sons of great bred in honor
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  Speaker 1: and fortune, and inchella, there is still hope of him.
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  Speaker 1: Then he took him, and, clothing him in dry clothes,
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  Speaker 1: warmed him before the fire, after which he nursed him
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  Speaker 1: and tended him three days March till he revived. But
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  Speaker 1: he was passing feeble by reason of the shock, and
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  Speaker 1: the chief of the caravan proceeded to medicine him with
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  Speaker 1: such symbols as he knew what, while they ceased, not
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  Speaker 1: faring on till they had traveled thirty days journey from
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  Speaker 1: Bassarah and came to a city in the land of
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  Speaker 1: the Persians, by name Abju. Here they alighted at a
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  Speaker 1: khan and spread up the lah Abd, where he lay
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  Speaker 1: groaning all night and troubling the folk with his groans.
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  Speaker 1: And when morning morrowed, the conciers of the khan came
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  Speaker 1: to the chief of the caravan and said to him,
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  Speaker 1: what is this sick man? Thou hast with thee fairly
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  Speaker 1: he disturbeth us, quoth the Chief. I found him by
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  Speaker 1: the way on the river bank, and well nigh drowned,
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  Speaker 1: and I have tended him, but to no effect, for
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  Speaker 1: he recovereth not, said the porter. Show him to the
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  Speaker 1: Shaikha Rojiaha. Who is this religious? Asked the chief of
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  Speaker 1: the caravan, And the door keeper answered, there is with
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  Speaker 1: us a holy woman, a clean maid, and a comely
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  Speaker 1: called Rejiha, to whom they present, whoso hath any ailment.
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  Speaker 1: And he passeth a single night in her house, and
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  Speaker 1: awakess on the morrow whole and ailing nothing. Quote the
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  Speaker 1: chief direct me to her. Quote the porter, take up
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  Speaker 1: thy sick man. So he took up Abdullah, and the
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  Speaker 1: door keeper forewent him till he came to a hermitage,
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  Speaker 1: where he saw folk entering with many an exvoto offering,
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  Speaker 1: and other folk coming forth rejoicing. The porter went in
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  Speaker 1: till he came to the curtain and said, permission, Oshaika Rejiha,
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  Speaker 1: take this sick man, said she bring him within the curtain,
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  Speaker 1: and the porter said to Abdullah enter, So he entered,
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  Speaker 1: and looking upon the holy woman, saw her to be
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  Speaker 1: his wife, whom he had brought from the city of Stone.
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  Speaker 1: And when he knew her, she also knew him and
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  Speaker 1: saluted him, and he returned her. Salam, then, said he
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  Speaker 1: who brought thee hither? And she answered, When I saw
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  Speaker 1: that their brothers had cast thee away and were contending
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  Speaker 1: concerning me, I threw myself into the sea. But my
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  Speaker 1: Shaykh al Kazir Abu al Abos took me up and
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  Speaker 1: brought me to this hermitage, where he gave me leave
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  Speaker 1: to heal the sick and bade cry in the city
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  Speaker 1: whoso hath any ailment let him repair to the shaikhah Rajiha.
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  Speaker 1: And he also said to me, tarry in this hermitage
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  Speaker 1: till the time betide, and the husband shall come to thee. Here.
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  Speaker 1: So all the sick used to flock to me, and
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  Speaker 1: I rubbed them and shampooed them, and they awoke on
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  Speaker 1: the morrow whull and sound. While about the report of
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  Speaker 1: me became noised abroad among the folk, and they brought
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  Speaker 1: me votive gifts, so that I have with me abundant wealth.
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  Speaker 1: And now I live here in high honor and worship,
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  Speaker 1: and all the people of these parts seek my prayers.
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  Speaker 1: Then she rubbed him, and by the ordinance of Allah
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  Speaker 1: the most High, he became whole. Now Al Kazir used
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  Speaker 1: to come to her every Friday night, and the chance
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  Speaker 1: that the day of Abdullah's coming was a Thursday. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: when the night darkened, he and she sat after a
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  Speaker 1: supper of the richest meats, awaiting the coming of Alcazir,
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  Speaker 1: who made his appearance Anon, and carrying them forth of
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  Speaker 1: the hermitage, set them down in Abdullah's palace at Bassorah,
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  Speaker 1: where he left them and went his way. As soon
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  Speaker 1: as it was day. Abdullah examined the palace and knew
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  Speaker 1: it for his own. Then, hearing the folk clamoring without,
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  Speaker 1: he looked forth of the lattice and saw his brothers crucified,
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  Speaker 1: each on his own cross. Now the reason of this
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  Speaker 1: was as en sooth, when they had thrown him into
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  Speaker 1: the Tigris, the twain arose on the morrow, weeping and
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  Speaker 1: saying our brother. The Junia Hath carried off her brother.
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  Speaker 1: Then they made ready a present and sent it to
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  Speaker 1: the Caliph, acquainting him with these tidings, and suing from
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  Speaker 1: him the government of Bassorah. He sent for them and
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  Speaker 1: questioned them, and they told him the false tale we
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  Speaker 1: have recounted, whereupon he was exceeding wroth. So that night
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  Speaker 1: he prayed a two bow prayer before daybreak as of
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  Speaker 1: his wont and called upon the tribes of the Jin,
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  Speaker 1: who came before him subjectwise, and he questioned them of Abdullah,
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  Speaker 1: when they swear to him that none of them had
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  Speaker 1: done him aught to hurt, and said, we know not
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  Speaker 1: what is become of him. Then came Sa'idah, daughter of
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  Speaker 1: the Red King, and acquainted the Caliph with the truth
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  Speaker 1: of Abdullah's case, and he dismissed the Jin. On the morrow,
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  Speaker 1: he subjected Nazir and Mansour to the Bastinado till they
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  Speaker 1: confess one against other, whereupon the Caliph was enraged with
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  Speaker 1: them and cried carry them to Bassorah and crucify them
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  Speaker 1: there before Abdullah's palace. Such was their case. But as
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  Speaker 1: regards Abdullah, when he saw his brothers crucified, he commanded
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  Speaker 1: to bury them, then took horse, and repairing to Baghdad,
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  Speaker 1: acquainted the Caliph with that which his brothers had done
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  Speaker 1: with him from first to last, and told him how
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  Speaker 1: he had recovered his wife whereat Al Rasheed marveled, and,
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  Speaker 1: summoning the Kazi and the witnesses, bade draw the marriage
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  Speaker 1: contract between Abdullah and the damsel, whom he had brought
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  Speaker 1: from the city of Stone. So he went in to
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  Speaker 1: her and won't put her at Bassorah till there came
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  Speaker 1: to them the destroyer of the lights and the severer
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  Speaker 1: of societies, and extolled, be the perfection of the living,
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  Speaker 1: who dieth not moreover, O auspicious King. I have heard
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  Speaker 1: the tale and end. Mar Ruf, the cobbler and his
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  Speaker 1: wife there dwelt once upon a time in the Godgard,
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  Speaker 1: the city of Cairo, a cobbler who lived by patching
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  Speaker 1: old shoes. His name was mar Ruf, and he had
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  Speaker 1: a wife called Fatima, whom the folk had nicknamed the dun,
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  Speaker 1: for that she was a horrid, worthless wretch, scanty of
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  Speaker 1: shame and mikel of mischief. She ruled her spouse and
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  Speaker 1: abused him, and he feared her malice and dreaded her misdoings,
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  Speaker 1: for that he was a sensible man, but poor conditioned.
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  Speaker 1: When he earned much, he spent it on her, and
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  Speaker 1: when he gained little, she revenged herself on his body
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  Speaker 1: that night, leaving him no peace, and making as knight
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  Speaker 1: black as her book. For she was even as of
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  Speaker 1: one like her, said the poet, how many fold knights
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  Speaker 1: have I passed with my wife in the saddest light,
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  Speaker 1: with all misery rife with heaven. When I first went
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  Speaker 1: in to her with a cup of cold poison, I'd
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  Speaker 1: taken her life. One day she said to him, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: ma' ruf, I wish THEE to bring me this night
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  Speaker 1: a Vermicelli cake dressed with bee's honey. He replied, so
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  Speaker 1: Allah Almighty aid me to its price. I will bring
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  Speaker 1: it thee. By Allah. I have no drhams to day,
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  Speaker 1: but our Lord will make things easy. Rejoined, she and
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  Speaker 1: Schahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
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  Speaker 1: her permitted say End of Night nine hundred and eighty nine.
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  Speaker 1: End of the Book of the Thousand Knights and a Night,
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  Speaker 1: Volume nine by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton, SA