Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 014 - Night 915 - 916

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014 - Night 915 - 916 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section fourteen of the Book of the Thousand Nights in
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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 Levy Andre Levy dot net, Lisbon, Portugal. The Book
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  Speaker 1: of the Thousand Knights in a Knight's Volume nine by Anonymous,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burton, Night nine hundred and fifteen.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and fifteenth 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: young Prince had questioned she mus touching disputed points of
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  Speaker 1: olden time, and had been duly answered, he presently said,
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  Speaker 1: Now tell me by what power is the creature able
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  Speaker 1: to transgress against his creator? Seeing that his omnipotence is
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  Speaker 1: without bounds, even as thou hast set forth, and that
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  Speaker 1: naught can overcome him or depart from his will, deemest
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  Speaker 1: thou not that he is able to turn his creatures
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  Speaker 1: from his disobedience and compel them eternally to hold the truth,
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  Speaker 1: answered Chimus in very sooth, Almighty Allah honored be. His
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  Speaker 1: name is just, an equitable and loving kind to the
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  Speaker 1: people of his affection. He created his creatures with justice
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  Speaker 1: and equity, And of the inspiration of his justice and
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  Speaker 1: the overflowing of his mercy, he gave them kingship over themselves,
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  Speaker 1: that they should do whatever they might design. He showeth
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  Speaker 1: them the way of righteousness, and bestoweth on them the
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  Speaker 1: power and ability of doing what they will of good.
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  Speaker 1: And if they do the opposite thereof, they fall into
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  Speaker 1: destruction and disobedience. If the Creator, as thou sayest, have
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  Speaker 1: granted to mankind power and ability, and they, by reason
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  Speaker 1: thereof are empowered to do whatso they will, why then
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  Speaker 1: doth he not come between them and that which they
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  Speaker 1: desire of wrong and turn them to the right. This
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  Speaker 1: is of the greatness of his mercy and the goodliness
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  Speaker 1: of his wisdom. For even as afore time he showeth
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  Speaker 1: wrath to Ibliss and had no mercy on him, even
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  Speaker 1: so he showed Adam mercy by means of repentance, and
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  Speaker 1: accepted of him after he had been wroth with him.
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  Speaker 1: He is indeed mere truth. For he it is who
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  Speaker 1: requiteth every one according to his works. And there is
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  Speaker 1: no creator save Allah, who hath power over all things.
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  Speaker 1: But tell me, hath he created that which he loveth,
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  Speaker 1: and that which he loveth not, or only that which
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  Speaker 1: he loveth. He created all things, but favoreth only that
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  Speaker 1: which he loveth. What reck'st thou of two things? One
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  Speaker 1: whereof is pleasing to God and earneth future reward for
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  Speaker 1: him who practiceth it, And the other offendeth a law
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  Speaker 1: and entaileth lawful punishment upon the doer. Expound to me
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  Speaker 1: these two things, and make me to apprehend them, that
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  Speaker 1: I may speak concerning them. They are good and evil,
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  Speaker 1: that two things inherent in the body and in the soul.
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  Speaker 1: O wise, youth, I see that thou knowest good and
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  Speaker 1: evil to be of the works which the soul and
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  Speaker 1: the body combine to do. Good is named good because
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  Speaker 1: it is in favor with God, and evil is termed ill,
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  Speaker 1: for that in it is His ill will. Indeed, it
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  Speaker 1: behooveth thee to know Allah and to please Him by
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  Speaker 1: the practice of good, for that He hath bidden us
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  Speaker 1: to this and forbidden us to do evil. I see
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  Speaker 1: these two things to wit, good and evil to be
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  Speaker 1: wrought only by the five senses familiarly known in the
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  Speaker 1: body of man, which be the censorium. Whence precede speech, hearing, sight, smell,
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  Speaker 1: and touch. Now I would have thee tell me whether
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  Speaker 1: these five senses were created altogether for good or for evil.
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  Speaker 1: Apprehend man the exposition of that whereof thou askest, and
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  Speaker 1: it is a manifest proof. So lay it up in
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  Speaker 1: thine innermost thought, and taketh to thy heart. And this
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  Speaker 1: it is that the Creator extolled and exalted be. He
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  Speaker 1: created man with truth and impressed him with the love thereof,
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  Speaker 1: and there proceedeth from it. No created thing save by
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  Speaker 1: the puissance of the most High, whose trace is in
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  Speaker 1: every phenomenon. He extowe him and exalt we him. Is
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  Speaker 1: not apt but to the ordering of justice and equity
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  Speaker 1: and beneficence. And he created man for the love of Him,
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  Speaker 1: and set in him a soul wherein the ecclination to
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  Speaker 1: lusts was innate, and assigned him capability and ableness, and
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  Speaker 1: appointed the five senses of force, said to be to
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  Speaker 1: him a means of winning heaven or hell. How So
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  Speaker 1: in that he created the tongue for speech, the hands
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  Speaker 1: for action, the feet for walking, and the eyes for seeing,
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  Speaker 1: and the ears for hearing, and upon each bestow its
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  Speaker 1: special power, and inciteth them to exercise and motion, bidding
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  Speaker 1: each of them do not save that which pleaseth him. Now,
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  Speaker 1: what pleaseth him in speech is truthfulness and abstaining from
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  Speaker 1: its opposite, which is falsehood. And what pleaseth him in
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  Speaker 1: sight is churning it unto that which he loveth, and
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  Speaker 1: leaving the contrary, which is turning it unto that which
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  Speaker 1: he hateth, such as looking unto lusts. And what pleaseth
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  Speaker 1: him in hearing is hearkening to naught but the true
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  Speaker 1: admonition and that which is in Allah's writ, and leaving
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  Speaker 1: the contrary, which is listening to that which incurreth the
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  Speaker 1: anger of Allah. And what pleaseth him in the hands
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  Speaker 1: is not hoarding up that which He entrusteth to them,
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  Speaker 1: but expending it in such way as shall please him,
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  Speaker 1: and leaving the contrary, which is avarice or spending in
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  Speaker 1: sinfulness that which He hath committed to them. And what
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  Speaker 1: pleaseth him in the feet is that they be constant
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  Speaker 1: in the pursuit of good, such as the quest of instruction,
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  Speaker 1: and leave its contrary, which is the walking in other
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  Speaker 1: than the way of Allah. Now respecting the rest of
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  Speaker 1: the lusts which man practiceth, they proceed from the body
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  Speaker 1: by command of the soul. But the lusts which proceed
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  Speaker 1: from the body are of two kinds, the lust of
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  Speaker 1: reproduction and the lust of the belly. As for the former,
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  Speaker 1: that which pleaseth Allah thereof is that it be not
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  Speaker 1: other than lawful, and he is displeased with it if
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  Speaker 1: contrary to his law. As for the lust of the
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  Speaker 1: belly eating and drinking, what pleaseth Allah thereof is that
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  Speaker 1: each take naught save that which the Almighty hath appointed him.
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  Speaker 1: Be it little or mickel, and praise the Lord and
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  Speaker 1: thank him. And what angereth him thereof is that a
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  Speaker 1: man might take that which is not his by right.
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  Speaker 1: All precipts other than these are false. And thou knowest
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  Speaker 1: that Allah created everything and delighted only in good, and
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  Speaker 1: commandeth each member of the body to do that which
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  Speaker 1: He hath made on it incumbent, for that He is
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  Speaker 1: the all wise, the all knowing. Was it foreknown unto
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  Speaker 1: Allah Almighty exalted be his power, that Adam by eating
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  Speaker 1: of the tree from which He forbade him, And whence
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  Speaker 1: befell what Bethel would leave obedience for disobedience. Yes, o,
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  Speaker 1: sage youth, this was foreknown unto Allah Almighty. Ere he
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  Speaker 1: created Adam. And the proof and manifestation attached there too
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  Speaker 1: is the warning he gave him against eating of the tree,
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  Speaker 1: and his informing him that if he ate of the fruit,
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  Speaker 1: he would be disobedient. And this was in the way
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  Speaker 1: of justice and equity, lest Adam should have an argument
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  Speaker 1: wherewith he might excuse himself against his lord. When therefore
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  Speaker 1: he fell into error and calamity, And when disgrace waxed
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  Speaker 1: sore upon him and reproach, this passed to him posterity
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  Speaker 1: after him. Wherefore Allah sent prophets and apostles and gave
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  Speaker 1: to them books, and they taught us the divine commandments,
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  Speaker 1: and expounded to us what was therein of admonitions and precepts,
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  Speaker 1: and made clear to us and manifest the way of righteousness,
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  Speaker 1: and explained to us what it behooved us to do
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  Speaker 1: and what to leave undone. Now we are endowed with
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  Speaker 1: free will, and he who acteth within these lawful limits
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  Speaker 1: winneth his wish and prospereth, While those who so transgresseth
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  Speaker 1: these legal bounds and doeth other than that which these
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  Speaker 1: precepts enjoin, resisteth the Lord, and is ruined in both abodes.
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  Speaker 1: This then is the road of good and evil. Thou
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  Speaker 1: knowest that Allah over all all things, is omnipotent and
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  Speaker 1: created not lusts for us, but of his pleasure and volunty.
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  Speaker 1: And he bade us use them in the way of lawfulness,
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  Speaker 1: so they might be to us a good. But when
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  Speaker 1: we use them in the way of sinfulness, they are
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  Speaker 1: to us an evil. Therefore, what of righteous we compass
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  Speaker 1: is from Allah Almighty, in what of wrong us from
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  Speaker 1: ourselves his creatures, not from the Creator exalted? Be he
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  Speaker 1: herefore with high most exaltation. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
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  Speaker 1: of day and ceased to say her permitted say end
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  Speaker 1: of night nine hundred and fifteen, night nine hundred and sixteen,
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and sixteenth night, she
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  Speaker 1: continued it. Hath reached me o auspicious King, that when
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  Speaker 1: the youth King Joliad's son had questioned she must concerning
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  Speaker 1: thee subtleties, and had been duly answer'd, he pursued that
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  Speaker 1: which thou hast expounded to me concerning Allah and his
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  Speaker 1: creatures I understand. But tell me of one matter concerning
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  Speaker 1: which my mind is perplexed with extreme wonderment, and that
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  Speaker 1: is that I marvel at the sons of Adam, how
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  Speaker 1: careless they are of the life to come, and at
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  Speaker 1: their lack of taking thought thereof, and their love to
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  Speaker 1: this world, albeit they know that they must needs leave
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  Speaker 1: it and depart from it whilst they are yet young
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  Speaker 1: in years. Yes, verily, And that which thou seest of
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  Speaker 1: its changefulness and traitorousness with its children is a sign
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  Speaker 1: that fortune to the fortunate will not endure, nor to
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  Speaker 1: the afflicted affliction, for none of its people is secure
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  Speaker 1: from its changefulness. And even if one have power over
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  Speaker 1: it and be content therewith, yet there is no help
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  Speaker 1: but that this estate change and removal hasten unto him.
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  Speaker 1: Wherefore man can put no trust therein, nor profit by
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  Speaker 1: that which he enjoyeth of its gilding and glitter. And we,
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  Speaker 1: knowing this, will know that the sorriest of men in
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  Speaker 1: condition are those who are deluded by this world and
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  Speaker 1: are unmindful of the other world. For that whatso of
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  Speaker 1: present ease they enjoy, will not even the fear and
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  Speaker 1: misery and horrors which will befall them after their removal
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  Speaker 1: therefrom Thus are we certified that if the creature knew
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  Speaker 1: that which will betide him with the coming of death
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  Speaker 1: and his severance from that which he enjoyeth of pleasure
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  Speaker 1: and delight, he would cast away the world and that
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  Speaker 1: which is therein. For we are certified that the next
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  Speaker 1: life is better for us and more profitable, said the Prince,
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  Speaker 1: O sage, Thou hast dispel the darkness that was upon
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  Speaker 1: my heart by the light of thy shining lamp, and
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  Speaker 1: hast directed me into the right road. I must tread
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  Speaker 1: on the track of truth, and hast given me a
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  Speaker 1: lantern whereby I may see. Then rose one of the
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  Speaker 1: learned men who were in the presence, and said, when
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  Speaker 1: cometh the season of prime needs, must the hare seek
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  Speaker 1: the pasture as well as the elephant. And indeed I
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  Speaker 1: have heard from you twain such questions and solutions as
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  Speaker 1: I never before heard. But now leave that, and let
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  Speaker 1: me ask you of somewhat. Tell me what is the
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  Speaker 1: best of the goods of the world, replied the Prince,
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  Speaker 1: health of body, lawful livelihood, and a virtuous son. What
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  Speaker 1: is the greater and what is the less. The greater
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  Speaker 1: is that to which a lesser than itself submitteth, and
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  Speaker 1: the less that which submitteth to a greater than itself.
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  Speaker 1: What are the four things wherein concur all creatures, men
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  Speaker 1: concur in meat and drink, the sweet of sleep, the
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  Speaker 1: lust of women, and the agonies of death? What are
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  Speaker 1: the three things whose foulness none can do away? Folly,
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  Speaker 1: meanness of nature? And lying is the best kind of lie,
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  Speaker 1: Though all kinds are foul, that which averteth harm from
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  Speaker 1: its utter and bringeth gain. What kind of truthfulness is foul,
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  Speaker 1: though all kinds be fair? That of a man glorying
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  Speaker 1: in that which he hath, and vaunting himself thereof What
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  Speaker 1: is the foulest of foulnesses? When a man boasteth himself
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  Speaker 1: of that which he hath not, Who is the most
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  Speaker 1: foolish of men? He who hath no thought but of
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  Speaker 1: what he shall put in his belly? Then said Shemus,
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  Speaker 1: O King, verily thou art our king, But we desire
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  Speaker 1: that thou assign the kingdom to thy son after thee,
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  Speaker 1: and we will be thy servants and lieges. So the
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  Speaker 1: king exhorted the Olemma and others who were in the
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  Speaker 1: presence to remember that which they had heard, and do
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  Speaker 1: according there too, and enjoined them to obey his son's commandment.
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  Speaker 1: For that he made him his heir apparent, so he
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  Speaker 1: should be the successor of the king his sire. And
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  Speaker 1: he took an oath of all the people of his empire,
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  Speaker 1: litterates and braves, and old men and boys, to mention
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  Speaker 1: none other that they would not oppose him in the succession,
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  Speaker 1: nor transgress against his commandment. Now, when the prince was
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  Speaker 1: seventeen years old, the king sickened of a sore sickness
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  Speaker 1: and came nigh to die. So, being certified that his
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  Speaker 1: decease was at hand, he said to the people of
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  Speaker 1: his household, this is disease of death which is upon me.
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  Speaker 1: Wherefore do ye summon my soon and kith and kin,
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  Speaker 1: and gather together the grandees and notables of my empire,
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  Speaker 1: so not one of them may remain except he be present. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: they fared forth and made proclamation to those who were near,
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  Speaker 1: and published the summons to those who were afar off,
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  Speaker 1: And they all assembled and went in to the king.
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  Speaker 1: Then said they to him, how is it with thee
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  Speaker 1: O King, And how deemest thou for thyself of these
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  Speaker 1: thy dolours, quoth Jaliad. Verily, this my malady is mortal,
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  Speaker 1: and the shaft of death hath executed that which Allah
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  Speaker 1: Almighty decreed against me. This is the last of my
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  Speaker 1: days in the world here and the first of my
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  Speaker 1: days in the world hereafter, then said he to his son,
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  Speaker 1: draw near unto me. So the youth drew near, weeping,
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  Speaker 1: with weeping, so sore that he well nigh drenched the bed,
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  Speaker 1: whilst the king's eyes well tears. In all who were
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  Speaker 1: present wept, quoth Jaliad, weep not o, my son, I
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  Speaker 1: am not the first whom this inevitable betideth. Nay, it
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  Speaker 1: is common to all that Allah hath created. But fear
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  Speaker 1: thou the Almighty, and do good deeds which shall preceed
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  Speaker 1: THEE to the place whether all creatures tend and wend
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  Speaker 1: obey not thy lusts, but occupy thy soul with lauding
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  Speaker 1: the Lord, in thy standing up and thy sitting down,
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  Speaker 1: in thy walking, and in thy sleeping, make the truth
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  Speaker 1: the aim of thine eyes. This is the last of
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  Speaker 1: my speech with THEE and the peace. And Shahrazad perceived
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  Speaker 1: the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say
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  Speaker 1: end of night, nine hundred and sixteen. Recording by Andre
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  Speaker 1: Levy Andre Leive dot net, Lisbon, Portugal,