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Story Of The Young King Of The Black IslandsStory Of The Young King Of The Black Islands
Story Of The Young King Of The Black Islands
My father was king of the city which was here situate: his name was
Mahmud, and he was lord of the Black Islands, and of the four mountains. After
a reign of seventy years, he died, and I succeeded to his throne; whereupon I
took as my wife the daughter of my uncle; and she loved me excessively, so
that when I absented myself from her, she would neither eat nor drink till she
saw me again. She remaine under my protection five years. After this, she went
one day to the bath; and I had commanded the cook to prepare the supper, and
entered this palace, and slept in my usual place. I had ordered two maids to
fan me; and one of them sat at my head, and the other at my feet; but I was
restless, because my wife was not with me; and I could not sleep. My eyes were
closed, but my spirit was awake; and I heard the maid at my head say to her at
my feet, O Mes`udeh, verily our lord is unfortunate in his youth, and what a
pity is it that it should be passed with our depraved, wicked mistress! -
Perdition to unfaithful wives! replied the other: but (added she) such a
person as our lord, so endowed by nature, is not suited to this profligate
woman, who passes every night absent from his bed. - Verily, rejoined she at
my head, our lord is careless in not making any inquiry respecting her. - Woe
to thee! said the other: hath our lord any knowledge of her conduct, or doth
she leave him to his choice? Nay, on the contrary, she contriveth to defraud
him by means of the cup of wine which he drinketh every night before he
sleepeth, putting benj^8 into it; in consequence of which he sleepeth so
soundly that he knoweth not what happeneth, nor whither she goeth, nor what
she doeth; for, after she hath given him the wine to drink, she dresseth
herself, and goeth out from him, and is absent until daybreak, when she
returneth to him, and burneth a perfume under his nose, upon which he awaketh
from his sleep.
[Footnote 8: Bhang, hemp.]
When I heard this conversation of the maids, the light became darkness
before my face, and I was hardly conscious of the approach of night, when my
cousin returned from the bath. The table was prepared, and we ate, and sat a
while drinking our wine as usual. I then called for the wine which I was
accustomed to drink before I lay down to sleep, and she handed to me the cup;
but I turned away, and, pretending to drink it as I was wont to do, poured it
into my bosom, and immediately lay down: upon which she said, Sleep on; I wish
that thou wouldst never wake again! By Allah, I abhor thee, and abhor thy
person, and my soul is weary of thy company! - She then arose, and attired
herself in the most magnificent of her apparel, and, having perfumed herself,
and slung on a sword, opened the door of the palace, and went out. I got up
immediately, and followed her until she had quitted the palace, and passed
through the streets of the city, and arrived at the city-gates, when she
pronounced some words that I understood not; whereupon the locks fell off, and
the gates opened, and she went out, I still following her, without her
knowledge. Thence she proceeded to a space among the mounds, and arrived at a
strong edifice, in which was a kubbeh^9 constructed of mud, with a door, which
she entered. I then climbed upon the roof of the kubbeh, and, looking down
upon her through an aperture, saw that she was visiting a black slave, whose
large lips, one of which overlapped the other, gathered up the sand from the
pebbly floor, while he lay, in a filthy and wet condition, upon a few stalks
of sugar-cane.
[Footnote 9: A building with a dome.]
She kissed the ground before this slave; and he raised his head towards
her, and said, Wo to thee! Wherefore hast thou remained away until this hour?
The other blacks have been here drinking wine, and each of them has gone away
with his mistress; and I refused to drink on thy account. - She answered, O my
master, and beloved of my heart, knowest thou not that I am married to my
cousin, and that I abhor every man who resembles him, and hate myself while I
am in his company? If I did not fear to displease thee, I would reduce the
city to ruins, so that the owl and the raven should cry in it, and would
transport its stones beyond Mount Kaf.^10 - Thou liest, thou infamous woman,
replied the slave; and I swear by the generosity of the blacks (and if I speak
not truth, may our valour be as the valour of the whites), that if thou loiter
as thou hast now done till this hour, I will no longer give thee my company,
nor approach thy person, thou faithless one! Dost thou inconvenience me for
the sake of thine own pleasure, thou filthy wretch, and vilest of the whites?
- When I heard (continued the King) their words, and witnessed what passed
between them, the world became dark before my face, and I knew not where I
was. - My cousin still stood weeping, and abasing herself before him, and
said, O my beloved, and treasure of my heart, there remaineth to me none but
thee for whom I care, and if thou cast me off, alas for me! O my beloved! O
light of mine eye! - Thus she continued to weep, and to humble herself before
him, until he became pacified towards her; upon which she rejoiced, and arose,
and, having disrobed herself, said to him, O my master, hast thou here
anything that thy maid may eat? He answered, Uncover the dough-pan; it
contains some cooked rats` bones: eat of them, and pick them; and take this
earthen pot: thou wilt find in it some buzah^11 to drink. So she arose, and
ate and drank, and washed her hands; after which she lay down by the side of
the slave, upon the stalks of sugar-cane, and covered herself with his
tattered clothes and rags.
[Footnote 10: The chain of mountains believed by Muslims to encircle the
earth.]
[Footnote 11: Barley-beer.]
When I saw her do this, I became unconscious of my existence, and,
descending from the roof of the kubbeh, entered, and took the sword from the
side of my cousin, with the intention of killing them both. I struck the slave
upon his neck, and thought that he was killed; but the blow, which I gave with
the view of severing his head, only cut the gullet and skin and flesh; and
when I thought that I had killed him, he uttered a loud snore, upon which my
cousin started up, and, as soon as I had gone, took the sword, and returned it
to its scabbard, and came back to the city and to the palace, and lay down
again in my bed, in which she remained until the morning.
On the following day, I observed that my cousin had cut off her hair, and
put on the apparel of mourning; and she said to me, O my cousin, blame me not
for what I do; for I have received news that my mother is dead, and that my
father hath been slain in a holy war, and that one of my two brothers hath
died of a poisonous sting, and the other by the fall of a house: it is
natural, therefore, that I should weep and mourn. On hearing these words, I
abstained from upbraiding her, and said, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for I
will not oppose thee. Accordingly, she continued mourning and weeping and
wailing a whole year; after which she said to me, I have a desire to build for
myself, in thy palace, a tomb, with a kubbeh, that I may repair thither alone
to mourn, and I will call it the House of Lamentations. I replied, Do what
thou seest fit. So she built for herself a house for mourning, with a kubbeh
in the middle of it, like the tomb of a saint; after which she removed thither
the slave, and there she lodged him. He was in a state of excessive weakness,
and unable to render her any service, though he drank wine; and from the day
on which I had wounded him, he had never spoken; yet he remained alive,
because the appointed term of his life had not expired. My cousin every day
visited him in this tomb early and late, to weep and mourn over him, and took
to him wine to drink, and boiled meats; and thus she continued to do, morning
and evening, until the expiration of the second year, while I patiently
suffered her, till, one day, I entered her apartments unawares, and found her
weeping, and slapping her face, and repeating these verses: -
I have lost my existence among mankind since your absence; for my heart loveth
none but you.
Take my body, then, in mercy, to the place where you are laid; and there bury
me by your side:
And if, at my grave, you utter my name, the moaning of my bones shall answer
to your call.
As soon as she had finished the recitation of these verses, I said to
her, holding my drawn sword in my hand, This is the language of those
faithless women who renounce the ties of affinity, and regard not lawful
fellowship! - and I was about to strike her with the sword, and had lifted up
my arm to do so, when she rose - for she knew that it was I who had wounded
the slave - and, standing before me, pronounced some words which I understood
not, and said, May God, by means of my enchantment, make thee to be half of
stone, and half of the substance of man! - whereupon I became as thou seest,
unable to move, neither dead nor alive; and when I had been reduced to this
state, she enchanted the city and its markets and fields. The inhabitants of
our city were of four classes; Muslims and Christians, and Jews and Magians;
and she transformed them into fish: the white are the Muslims; the red, the
Magians; the blue, the Christians; and the yellow, the Jews. She transformed,
also, the four islands into four mountains, and placed them around the lake;
and from that time she has continued every day to torture me, inflicting upon
me a hundred lashes with a leathern whip, until the blood flows from my
wounds; after which she puts on my upper half a vest of hair-cloth, beneath
these garments. - Having said thus, the young man wept, and ejaculated the
following verses: -
Give me patience, O Allah, to bear what Thou decreest! I will be patient, if
so I may obtain thine approval.
I am straitened, indeed, by the calamity that hath befallen me: but the Family
of the favoured Prophet shall intercede for me!
Upon this, the King, looking towards the young man, said to him, O youth,
thou hast increased my anxiety. And where (he added) is this woman? - The
young man answered, She is in the tomb where the slave is lying, in the
kubbeh; and every day, before she visits him, she strips me of my clothing,
and inflicts upon me a hundred lashes with the whip, while I weep and cry out,
unable to move so as to repulse her. After thus torturing me, she repairs
early to the slave, with the wine and boiled meat. - By Allah, O youth, said
the King, I will do thee an act of kindness for which I shall be remembered,
and a favour which historians shall record in a biography after me.
He then sat and conversed with him until the approach of night, upon
which he arose, and waited till the first dawn of day, when he took off his
clothes, and slung on his sword, and went to the place where the slave lay.
After remarking the candles and lamps, and perfumes and ointments, he
approached the slave, and with a blow of his sword slew him; he then carried
him on his back, and threw him into a well which he found in the palace, and
returning to the kubbeh, clad himself with the slave`s clothes, and lay down
with the drawn sword by his side. Soon after, the vile enchantress went to her
cousin, and, having pulled off his clothes, took the whip and beat him, while
he cried, Ah! it is enough for me to be in this state! Have pity on me then! -
Didst thou shew pity to me, she exclaimed, and didst thou spare my lover? -
She then put on him the hair-cloth vest and his outer garments, and repaired
to the slave with a cup of wine, and a bowl of boiled meat. Entering the tomb,
she wept and wailed, exclaiming, O my master, answer me! O my master, speak to
me! - and poured forth her lamentation in the words of this verse: -
How long shall this aversion and harshness continue? Sufficient is the evil
which my passion hath brought upon me!
Then, weeping, as before, she exclaimed again, O my master, answer me and
speak to me! Upon this the King, speaking in a low voice, and adapting his
tongue to the pronunciation of the blacks ejaculated, Ah! Ah! there is no
strength nor power but in God! On hearing these words, she screamed with joy,
and fell down in a swoon; and when she recovered, she exclaimed, Possibly my
master is restored to health! the King, again lowering his voice, as if from
weakness, replied, Thou profligate wretch, thou deservest not that I should
address thee. - Wherefore? said she. He answered, Because all the day long
thou tormentest thy husband, while he calleth out, and imploreth the aid of
God, so that thou hast prevented my sleeping from the commencement of darkness
until morning; thy husband hath not ceased to humble himself, and to imprecate
vengeance upon thee, till he hath distracted me; and had it not been for this,
I had recovered my strength; this it is which hath prevented my answering
thee. - Then, with thy permission, she replied, I will liberate him from his
present sufferings. - Liberate him, said the King, and give us ease.
She replied, I hear and obey; - and immediately arose, and went out from
the kubbeh to the palace, and, taking a cup, filled it with water, and
pronounced certain words over it, upon which it began to boil like a cauldron.
She then sprinkled some of it upon her cousin, saying, By virtue of what I
have uttered, be changed from thy present state to that in which thou wast at
first! - and instantly he shook, and stood upon his feet, rejoicing in his
liberation, and exclaimed, I testify that there is no deity but God, and that
Mohammad is God`s Apostle; God bless and save him! She then said to him,
Depart, and return not hither, or I will kill thee: - and she cried out in his
face: so he departed from before her, and she returned to the kubbeh, and
said, O my master, come forth to me that I may behold thee. He replied, with a
weak voice, What hast thou done? Thou hast relieved me from the branch, but
hast not relieved me from the root. - O my beloved, she said, and what is the
root? He answered, The people of this city, and of the four islands: every
night, at the middle hour, the fish raise their heads, and imprecate vengeance
upon me and upon thee; and this is the cause that preventeth the return of
vigour to my body; therefore, liberate them, and come, and take my hand, and
raise me; for vigour hath already in part returned to me.
On hearing these words of the King, whom she imagined to be the slave,
she said to him with joy, O my master, on my head and my eye! In the name of
Allah! - and she sprang up, full of happiness, and hastened to the lake,
where, taking a little of its water, she pronounced over it some
unintelligible words, whereupon the fish became agitated, and raised their
heads, and immediately became converted into men as before. Thus was the
enchantment removed from the inhabitants of the city, and the city became
repeopled, and the market-streets re-erected, and every one returned to
his occupation: the mountains also became changed into islands as they were at
the first. The enchantress then returned immediately to the King, whom she
still imagined to be the slave, and said to him, O my beloved, stretch forth
thy honoured hand, that I may kiss it. - Approach me, said the King in a low
voice. So she drew near to him; and he, having his keen-edged sword ready in
his hand, thrust it into her bosom, and the point protruded from her back: he
then struck her again, and clove her in twain, and went forth.
He found the young man who had been enchanted waiting his return, and
congratulated him on his safety; and the young prince kissed his hand, and
thanked him. The King then said to him, Wilt thou remain in thy city, or come
with me to my capital? - O King of the age, said the young man, dost thou know
the distance that is between thee and thy city? The King answered, Two days
and a half. - O King, replied the young man, if thou hast been asleep, awake:
between thee and thy city is a distance of a year`s journey to him who
travelleth with diligence; and thou camest in two days and a half only because
the city was enchanted: but, O King, I will never quit thee for the twinkling
of an eye. The King rejoiced at his words, and said, Praise be to God, who
hath in his beneficence given thee to me: thou art my son; for during my whole
life, I have never been blest with a son: - and they embraced each other, and
rejoiced exceedingly. They then went together into the palace, where the King
who had been enchanted informed the officers of his court that he was about to
perform the holy pilgrimage: so they prepared for him everything that he
required; and he departed with the Sultan; his heart burning with reflections
upon his city, because he had been deprived of the sight of it for the space
of a year.
He set forth, accompanied by fifty menjuks and provided with presents,
and they continued their journey night and day for a whole year, after which
they drew near to the city of the Sultan, and the Wezir and the troops, who
had lost all hope of his return, came forth to meet him. The troops,
approaching him, kissed the ground before him, and congratulated him on his
safe return; and he entered the city, and sat upon the throne. He then
acquainted the Wezir with all that had happened to the young King; on hearing
which, the Wezir congratulated the latter, also, on his safety; and when all
things were restored to order, the Sultan, bestowed presents upon a number of
his subjects, and said to the Wezir, Bring to me the fisherman who presented
to me the fish. So he sent to this fisherman, who had been the cause of the
restoration of the inhabitants of the enchanted city, and brought him; and the
King invested him with a dress of honour, and inquired of him respecting his
circumstances, and whether he had any children. The fisherman informed him
that he had a son and two daughters; and the King, on hearing this, took as
his wife one of the daughters, and the young prince married the other. The
King also conferred upon the son the office of treasurer. He then sent the
Wezir to the city of the young prince, the capital of the Black Islands, and
invested him with its sovereignty, despatching with him the fifty memluks who
had accompanied him thence, with numerous robes of honour to all the Emirs;
and the Wezir kissed his hands, and set forth on his journey; while the Sultan
and the young prince remained. And as to the fisherman, he became the
wealthiest of the people of his age; and his daughters continued to be the
wives of the Kings until they died.
But this (added Shahrazad) is not more wonderful than what happened to
the porter.
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