The Arabian Nights II (50 page)

When my cup companion pours out for me

Three cups overbrimming with bubbling wine,

I strut with pride all night, as if the Prince

of the Faithful were a subject of mine.

The Commander of the Faithful was filled with delight, and he filled another cup and, giving it to Nu'am, asked her to sing again. She drank it off, tuned the strings, and sang the following verses,

O most noble of men in this our present age,

Whom no one his equal to be can claim,

O matchless in munificence and dignity,

O Lord and King, in everything, high is your fame.

O sovereign over all kings of the world,

And without grudging give of your largesse,

May God preserve you and spite all your foes

And crown your life with triumph and success.

When the caliph heard these verses from Nu'am, he said to her, “Bravo, Nu'am! How excellent is your language and how eloquent you are!”

They continued to enjoy themselves until midnight, when the caliph's sister said, “O Commander of the Faithful, I would like to tell you a story I have read of a certain person of rank.” The caliph asked, “What is it?” She said, “O Commander of the Faithful, there lived in the city of Kufa a young man called Ni'ma ibn-al-Rabi', and he had a
slave-girl whom he loved and who loved him. They had been brought up together in the same cradle, and when they reached puberty, they fell in love with each other, but life dealt them with misfortunes and treated them unfairly and decreed their separation. For some schemers tricked her out of the house and stole her from him, and the man who stole her sold her to a king for ten thousand dinars. The girl loved her master as much as he loved her. So he left his home and family and journeyed in search of her. He tried to find a way to get to her, devoting his whole being and risking his life, until he finally succeeded. But no sooner had they sat together than in came the king who had bought her from the man who stole her, and he hastily ordered that they be put to death, without granting them the opportunity for a fair trial. O Commander of the Faithful, what do you say of this king's unjust conduct?” The caliph replied, “This is a strange story! It behooved this king to pardon when he was able to punish, for he should have considered three factors in their case: first, that they loved one another; second, that they were in his house and at his mercy; third, that a king should be deliberate in judging people, especially in matters in which he is personally involved. This king, therefore, did not behave like a king.” His sister said, “By the Lord of the heaven and earth, ask Nu'am to sing, and listen to her words.” He said to Nu'am, “Sing for us,” and she sang the following verses to a moving melody,

Fate has betrayed, as it is wont to do,

Smiting the hearts, kindling disquieting woe,

And parting lovers after they have been

Together, and causing their tears to flow.

We were together, and my life was bliss,

For fortune kept us in each other's sight.

I will then mourn in sorrow for your loss

And shedding blood and tears, weep day and night.

When the Commander of the Faithful heard these verses, he was moved with great delight, and his sister said to him, “Brother, he who passes a sentence on himself, must carry it out and follow his words with deeds, and you have passed a sentence on yourself.” Then she said to Ni'ma, “Stand up, Ni'ma, and you too Nu'am.” They both stood up, and the caliph's sister said, “This girl, standing before you, is the stolen Nu'am, whom al-Hajjaj ibn-Yusuf al-Thaqafi stole and sent to you, lying in what he claimed in his letter, namely, that he had bought her for ten thousand dinars. And this young man is her master Ni'ma ibn-al-Rabi'. I beg you in the revered name of your noble forefathers to pardon them and give each as a gift to the other, so that God may reward you on their account, for they are at your mercy,
and they have eaten of your food and drunken of your drink, and I am interceding for them and begging you for their lives.” The caliph said, “You are right; I have passed that sentence and I never pass a sentence and revoke it.” Then he asked Nu'am, “Nu'am, is this your master?” She replied, “Yes, Commander of the Faithful.” He said, “Fear no harm, for I give you each as a gift to the other.” Then he said, “Ni'ma, how did you find out where she was and who led you to this place?” Ni'ma replied, “No Commander of the Faithful, listen to my story, for by your noble forefathers, I will not hide anything from you.” Then he related to the caliph all that had happened to him and what the Persian physician and the stewardess had done and how she had brought him into the palace and he had mistaken the doors. The caliph marveled exceedingly and said, “Bring me the Persian.” So they brought him, and the caliph made him one of his chief officers, bestowed on him a robe of honor, and gave him a handsome reward, saying, “He who has managed so well must be made one of our chief officers.” He also treated Ni'ma and Nu'am kindly, bestowing favors on them, as well as on the stewardess. They remained with him in joy and contentment for seven days. Then Ni'ma asked him for permission to return with Nu'am to Kufa, and he granted them permission. So they set out on their journey, and Ni'ma was reunited with his father and mother, and they lived together a most happy life until they were overtaken by the sunderer of companies and terminator of delights.

The Conclusion of the Story of Qamar al-Zaman

Amjad and As'ad marveled exceedingly at Bahram's story, saying, “This is extraordinary!” They passed the night together, and the following morning, they rode to the palace and asked for an audience with the king, who received them courteously. As they sat talking, they heard the people of the city shouting and crying one to another and calling for help, and the chamberlain came in and said to the king, “Some king has encamped with his troops before our city, and they are brandishing their weapons, and we do not know what their purpose is.” When the king acquainted his vizier Amjad and his brother As'ad with what he had heard from the chamberlain, Amjad said, “I will go to him and find out what he wants.”

He went out of the city and found the king attended by numerous troops and mounted Mamluks. When they saw him, they knew that he was an envoy from the king of the city. So they took him and brought
him before the king, and when he stood and kissed the ground before him, he saw that the person was a woman, with a veil covering the lower part of her face. She said to him, “I have nothing to demand from you except a beardless Mamluk. If I find him with you, no harm will come to you, but if I don't, I will wage a fierce battle against you.” Amjad asked, “O Queen, what is the description of this Mamluk and what is his story and what is his name?” She replied, “His name is As'ad, and my name is Marjana. He came to me with Bahram the Magian, and when he refused to sell him to me, I took him from him by force, but he attacked him and stole him from me at night. As for his description, it is such and such.” When Amjad heard this, he realized that the person in question was his brother As'ad and said to her, “O Queen of the age, God be praised for sending us deliverance. This Mamluk is my brother.” Then he told her his story and all that had happened to them in exile, explaining to her the cause of their departure from the Ebony Islands. Queen Marjana marveled at that and rejoiced at finding As'ad and bestowed a robe of honor on his brother Amjad, who returned to the king and told him what had taken place, and they all rejoiced. Then the king, together with Amjad and As'ad, went down to meet Queen Marjana, and when they went in, they sat and talked.

While they were engaged in conversation, they saw the dust suddenly rise until it covered the countryside, and when it subsided, a while later, they saw multitudinous troops like the swelling sea, all equipped and armed, heading for the city, which they surrounded as a ring encircles the little finger and stood with their swords drawn. Amjad and As'ad exclaimed, “We are God and to Him we return. This great army is undoubtedly an enemy. If we don't make an alliance with Queen Marjana, they will take the city from us and kill us. We have no recourse but to go to them and find out what they want.” So Amjad went out of the gate of the city, passing by the army of Queen Marjana, and when he reached the troops, he found out that they belonged to King Ghaiur, Lord of the Seas and Islands and the Seven Palaces and the father of his mother Queen Budur. When Amjad entered in the king's presence, he kissed the ground before him and delivered the message. The king replied, “My name is King Ghaiur, and I have come on a journey in search of my daughter Budur, of whom fortune has bereft me, for she left me and never returned, nor have I heard any news of her or her husband Qamar al-Zaman. Do you have any news of them?” When Amjad heard this, he bowed his head, reflecting, until he was convinced that this was his grandfather, his mother's father. Then he raised his head and, kissing the ground before the king again, told him that he was the son of his daughter Budur. When the king heard that Amjad was his grandson,
he threw himself on him, and they both began to weep. Then King Ghaiur said, “O my son, God be praised for having preserved you and allowed me to meet you.” Then Amjad told him that his mother Budur and his father Qamar al-Zaman were well and that they lived in a city called the City of Ebony. He also told him that his father had been angry with him and with his brother and had ordered the treasurer to put them to death and that the treasurer had had pity on them and spared them. The king said to him, “I will take you and your brother back to your father and reconcile you with him, and I will remain with you.” Amjad kissed the ground before him, and the king bestowed on his grandson a robe of honor.

Amjad returned to the king of the Magians, smiling, and told him about King Ghaiur, and he marveled exceedingly. Then he sent King Ghaiur the offerings of hospitality, horses and camels and sheep and fodder. He did the like to Queen Marjana and acquainted her with what had happened, and she said, “I, too, will accompany you with my troops and endeavor to bring about your reconciliation.”

At this moment, they saw the dust rise again, covering the countryside and making the day dark, and beneath it, they heard calls and cries and the neighing of horses and saw glittering swords and brandished spears. When this army drew near the city and saw the two other armies, they beat the drums, and the king of the Magians said, “This has been indeed an auspicious day. God be praised for having brought harmony between us and these two armies, and God willing, we will have peace with this army, too.” Then he said to Amjad, “Go with your brother As'ad and find out about this army, for I have never seen a more massive one.” The two brothers opened one of the city gates, which the king had closed for fear of the surrounding troops, and they proceeded until they reached the army that had just arrived and found that it belonged to the king of the Ebony Islands and that it was headed by their father Qamar al-Zaman. As soon as they saw him, they kissed the ground before him and wept, and when he saw them he threw himself on them and pressed them to his bosom, weeping bitterly. Then he apologized to them and told them of the terrible desolation he had suffered after their separation. Amjad and As'ad acquainted their father with King Ghaiur's arrival, and Qamar al-Zaman mounted with his chief officers and rode with Amjad and As'ad toward King Ghaiur's army. When they drew near, one of the princes rode forward and told King Ghaiur that Qamar al-Zaman had arrived. So he came out to meet him, and they all joined company, marveling at what had happened and how all of them met at this one place. Then the people of the city made banquets with all kinds of food and sweets and offered them horses and camels and sheep and fodder and whatever the troops needed.

Soon, they saw the dust rise again, covering the countryside, and felt the earth tremble under the horses' hoofs and heard the drums sound like a storm and saw a whole army equipped with weapons and coats of mail, all dressed in black. In their midst rode a very old man, also dressed in black, whose beard flowed down over his breast. When they saw these prodigious troops, the king of the Magians said to the other kings, “Praise be to God the Almighty; by whose permission you have met, all on the same day and found that you know each other, but this is a mighty army that covers the countryside.” They said to him, “Fear not, for we are three kings, each with a large army, and if they prove to be enemies, we will fight them with you, even if they were three times larger.”

Soon, an envoy from the approaching army came to the city, and when he was brought into the presence of Qamar al-Zaman and King Ghaiur and Queen Marjana and the King of the Magians, he kissed the ground before them and said, “The king my master comes from the land of the Persians. Many years ago, he lost his son, and he is searching for him in every country. If he finds him with you, no harm will come to you, but if he does not, he will wage war against you and destroy your city.” Qamar al-Zaman replied, “That will not happen, but how is your master called in the land of the Persians?” The envoy said, “He is called King Shahraman, Lord of the Khalidan Islands, and he has levied these troops in the lands he passed through, while searching for his son.” When Qamar al-Zaman heard what the envoy said, he uttered a loud cry and fell into a swoon. When he recovered, a while later, he wept bitterly and said to his sons Amjad and As'ad and to their chief officers, “Sons, let us go with the envoy and salute your grandfather King Shahraman and give him the good news about me, for he is still mourning my loss and wearing black for my sake.” Then he related to the other kings all that had happened to him in his youth, and they all marveled. Then they accompanied Qamar al-Zaman, and went with him to his father. Qamar al-Zaman saluted him, and they embraced each other and fell down in a swoon, from extreme joy. When they recovered, the other kings saluted him, and he related to his son all that had happened to him.