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Story Of Nur-Ed-Din And Enis-El-JelisPalace and the Garden of Delight
Palace and the Garden of Delight
This garden was called the Garden of Delight, and in it was a palace
called the Palace of Diversion, and it belonged to the Khalifeh Harun
Er-Rashid, who, when his heart was contracted, used to come to this garden,
and enter the palace above mentioned, and there sit. The palace had eighty
latticed windows, and eighty lamps were suspended in it, and in the midst of
it was a great candlestick of gold; and when the Khalifeh entered it, he
commanded the female slaves to open the windows, and ordered Ishak, the
cup-companion, to sing with them: so his heart became dilated, and his anxiety
ceased. There was a superintendent to the garden, an old man, named the sheykh
Ibrahim; and it happened that he went forth once to transact some business,
and found there persons diverting themselves with women of suspicious
character, whereupon he was violently enraged, and having waited until the
Khalifeh came thither some days after, he acquainted him with this occurrence,
and the Khalifeh said, Whomsoever thou shalt find at the gate of the garden,
do with him what thou wilt. Now on this day the sheykh Ibrahim went out to
transact an affair of business, and found the two sleeping at the garden-gate,
covered with a single izar; and he said, Do not these two persons know that
the Khalifeh hath given me permission to kill every one whom I find here? But
I will only give these two a slight beating, that no one may again approach
the gate of the garden. He then cut a green palm-stick, and went forth to
them, and raised his hand until the whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and was
about to beat them; but he reflected in his mind, and said, O Ibrahim, how
shouldst thou beat them when thou knowest not their case? They may be two
strangers, or of the children of the road,^3 whom destiny hath cast here. I
will therefore uncover their faces, and look at them. - So he lifted up the
izar from their faces and said, These are two handsome persons, and it is not
proper that I should beat them. And he covered their faces again, and,
approaching the foot of `Ali Nur-ed-Din, began to rub it gently; whereupon
Nur-ed-Din opened his eyes, and saw that he was an old man; and he blushed,
and drew in his, feet and, sitting up, took the hand of the sheykh Ibrahim and
kissed it; and the sheykh said to him, O my some, whence are ye? - O my
master, he answered, we are strangers. - And a tear gushed from his eye. The
sheykh Ibrahim then said to him, O my son, know that the Prophet (God bless
and save him!) hath enjoined generosity to the stranger. Wilt thou not arise,
O my some, and enter the garden, and divert thyself in it, that thy heart may
be dilated? - O my master, said Nur-ed-Din, to whom doth this garden belong?
The sheykh answered, O my son, this garden I inherited from my family. And his
design in saying this was only that they might feel themselves at ease, and
enter the garden. And when Nur-ed-Din heard his words, he thanked him, and
arose, together with his slave, and, the sheykh Ibrahim preceding them, they
entered the garden.
[Footnote 3: Wayfarers.]
The gate was arched, and over it were vines with grapes of different
colours; the red, like rubies; and the black, like ebony. They entered a
bower, and found within it fruits growing in clusters and singly, and the
birds were warbling their various notes upon the branches: the nightingale was
pouring forth its melodious sounds; and the turtle-dove filled the place
with its cooing; and the black-bird, in its singing, resembled a human being,
and the ring-dove, a person exhilarated by wine. The fruits upon the trees,
comprising every description that was good to eat, had ripened; and there were
two of each kind: there were the camphor-apricot, and the almond-apricot,
and the apricot of Khurasan; the plum of a colour like the complexion of
beauties; the cherry delighting the sense of every man; the red, the white,
and the green fig, of the most beautiful colours; and flowers like pearls and
coral; the rose, whose redness put to shame the cheeks of the lovely; the
violet, like sulphur in contact with fire; the myrtle, the gilliflower, the
lavender, and the anemone; and their leaves were bespangled with the tears of
the clouds; the chamomile smiled, displaying its teeth, and the narcissus
looked at the rose with its negroes` eyes; the citrons resembled round cups
the limes were like bullets of gold; the ground was carpeted with flowers of
every colour, and the place beamed with the charms of spring; the river
murmured by while the birds sang, and the wind whistled among the trees, the
season was temperate, and the zephyr was languishing.
The sheykh Ibrahim conducted them into the elevated saloon, and they were
charmed with its beauty and the extraordinary elegances which it displayed,
and seated themselves in one of the windows; and Nur-ed-Din, reflecting upon
his past entertainments, exclaimed, By Allah, this place is most delightful!
It hath reminded me of past events, and quenched in me an anguish like the
fire of the ghada. - The sheykh Ibrahim then brought to them some food, and
they ate to satisfaction, and washed their hands, and Nur-ed-Din, seating
himself again in one of the windows, called to his slave, and she came to him;
and they sat gazing at the trees laden with all kinds of fruits; after which,
Nur-ed-Din looked towards the sheykh, and said to him, O sheykh Ibrahim, hast
thou not any beverage? For people drink after eating. - So the sheykh brought
him some sweet and cold water: but Nur-ed-Din said, This is not the beverage I
desire. - Dost thou want wine? asked the sheykh. - Yes, answered Nur-ed-Din.
The sheykh exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from it! Verily, for thirteen
years I have done nothing of that kind; for the Prophet (God bless and save
him!) cursed its drinker and its presser and its carrier. - Hear from me two
words, said Nur ed-Din. The sheykh replied, Say what thou wilt. So he said, If
thou be neither the presser of the wine, nor its drinker, nor its carrier,
will aught of the curse fall upon thee? The sheykh answered, No. - Then take
this piece of gold, rejoined Nur-ed-Din, and these two pieces of silver, and
mount the ass, and halt at a distance from the place, and whatsoever man thou
findest to buy it, call to him, and say to him, take these two pieces of
silver, and with this piece of gold buy some wine, and place it upon the ass:
- so, in this case, thou wilt be neither the carrier nor the presser, nor the
buyer; and nothing will befall thee of that which befalleth the rest.
The sheykh Ibrahim, after laughing at his words, replied, By Allah, I
have never seen one more witty than thou, nor heard speech more sweet. And Nu
- ed Din said to him, We have become dependent upon thee, and thou hast
nothing to do but to comply with our wishes: bring us, therefore, all that we
require. - O my son, said the sheykh, my buttery here is before thee (and it
was the store-room furnished for the Prince of the Faithful): enter it then,
and take from it what thou wilt; for it containeth more than thou desirest. So
Nur-ed-Din entered the store-room, and beheld in it vessels of gold and
silver and crystal, adorned with a variety of jewels; and he took out such of
them as he desired, and poured the wine into the vessels of earthenware and
bottles of glass; and he and the damsel began to drink, astonished at the
beauty of the things which they beheld. The sheykh Ibrahim then brought to
them sweet-scented flowers, and seated himself at a distance from them; and
they continued drinking, in a state of the utmost delight, until the wine took
effect upon them, and their cheeks reddened, and their eyes wantoned like
those of the gazelle, and their hair hung down; whereupon the sheykh Ibrahim
said, What aileth me that I am sitting at a distance from them? Why should I
not sit by them? And when shall I be in the company of such as these two, who
are like two moons? - He then advanced, and seated himself at the edge of the
raised portion of the floor; and Nur-ed-Din said to him, O my master, by
my life I conjure thee to approach and join us. So he went to them; and Nur -
ed-Din filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh, said to him, Drink, that
thou mayest know how delicious is its flavour. But the sheykh Ibrahim
exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah! Verily, for thirteen years I have done
nothing of that kind. - And Nur-ed-Din, feigning to pay no attention to
him, drank the cup, and threw himself upon the ground, pretending that
intoxication had overcome him.
Upon this, Enis-el-Jelis looked towards the sheykh, and said to him,
O sheykh Ibrahim, see how this man hath treated me, - O my mistress, said he,
what aileth him? She rejoined, Always doth he treat me thus: he drinketh a
while, and then sleepeth, and I remain alone, and find no one to keep me
company over my cup. If I will drink, who will serve me? And if I sing, who
will hear me? - The sheykh, moved with tenderness and affection for her by her
words, replied, It is not proper that a cup-companion be thus. The damsel
then filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh Ibrahim, said to him, I conjure
thee by my life that thou take it and drink it; reject it not, but accept it,
and refresh my heart. So he stretched forth his hand, and took the cup, and
drank it; and she filled for him a second time, and handed it to him, saying,
O my master, this remaineth for the. He replied, By Allah, I cannot drink it;
that which I have drunk is enough for me. But she said, By Allah, it is
indispensable: - and he took the cup, and drank it. She then gave him the
third; and he took it, and was about to drink it, when lo - Nur-ed-din, raised
himself, and said to him, O sheykh Ibrahim, what is this? Did I not conjure
thee a while ago, and thou refusedst, and saidst, Verily, for thirteen years I
have not done it? - The sheykh Ibrahim, touched with shame, replied, By Allah,
I am not in fault; for she pressed me. And Nur-ed-Din laughed, and they
resumed their carousal, and the damsel, turning her eyes towards her master,
said to him, O my master, drink thou, and do not urge the sheykh Ibrahim; that
I may divert thee with the sight of him. So she began to fill and to hand to
her master, and her master filled and gave to her, and thus they continued to
do, time after time; till at length the sheykh Ibrahim looked towards them and
said, What meaneth this? And what sort of carousal is this? Wherefore do ye
not give me to drink, since I have become your cup-companion? - At this they
both laughed until they became almost senseless; and then drank, and gave him
to drink; and they continued thus until the expiration of a third of the
night, when the damsel, said, O sheykh Ibrahim, with thy permission shall I
rise and light one of the candles which are arranged here? - Rise, he
answered; but light not more than one candle. But she sprang upon her feet,
and, beginning with the first candle, proceeded until she had lighted eighty.
She then sat down again; and presently Nur-ed-Din said, O sheykh Ibrahim, in
what favour am I held with thee? Wilt thou not allow me to light one of these
lamps? - The sheykh answered, Arise, and light one lamp, and be not thou also
troublesome. So he arose, and, beginning with the first lamp, lighted all the
eighty; and the saloon seemed to dance. And after this the sheykh Ibrahim,
overcome by intoxication, said to them, Ye are more frolicsome than I: - and
he sprang upon his feet, and opened all the windows, and sat down again with
them, and they continued carousing and reciting verses; and the place rang
with their merriment.
Now God, the all-seeing and all-knowing, who hath appointed a cause
to every event, had decreed that the Khalifeh should be sitting that night at
one of the windows looking towards the Tigris, by moonlight; and he looked in
that direction, and saw the light of lamps and candles reflected in the river,
and, turning his eyes up towards the palace in the garden he beheld it beaming
with those candles and lamps, and exclaimed, Bring hither to me Ja`far El -
Barmeki! In the twinkling of an eye, Ja`far stood before the Prince of the
Faithful; and the Khalifeh said to him, O dog of Wezirs, dost thou serve me
and not acquaint me with what happeneth in the city of Baghdad? - what, asked
Ja`far, is the occasion of these words? The Khalifeh answered, If the city of
Baghdad were not taken from me, the Palace of Diversion were not enlivened
with the light of the lamps and candles, and its windows were not opened. Wo
to thee! Who could do these things unless the office of Khalifeh were taken
from me? - Who, said Ja`far (the muscles of his side quivering from fear),
informed thee that the lamps and candles were lighted in the Palace of
Diversion, and that its windows were opened? The Khalifeh replied, Advance
hither to me, and look. So Ja`far approached the khalifeh, and, looking
towards the garden, beheld the palace as it were a flame of fire, its light
surpassing that of the moon. He desired, therefore, to make an excuse or the
sheykh Ibrahim, the superintendent, thinking, from what he beheld, that the
event might have occurred through his permission: and accordingly he said, O
Prince of the Faithful, the sheykh Ibrahim last week said to me, O my master
Ja`far, I am desirous of entertaining my children during my life and the life
of the Prince of the Faithful. - And what, said I, is thy design in saying
this? He answered, It is my wish that thou wouldst obtain for me permission
from the Khalifeh that I may celebrate the circumcision of my sons in the
palace. So I said, Do what thou wilt with respect to the entertainment of thy
sons, and, if God will, I shall have an interview with the Khalifeh, and will
acquaint him with it. And he left me thus; and I forgot to acquaint thee. - O
Ja`far, said the Khalifeh, thou wast guilty of one offence against me, and
then thine offence became two: for thou hast erred in two points: the first,
thy not acquainting me with this affair; and the second, thy not accomplishing
the desire of the sheykh Ibrahim; for he did not come to thee and address thee
with these words but to hint a request for some money by the aid of which to
effect his design, and thou neither gavest him anything nor acquaintedst me
that I might give him. - O Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja`far, I forgot.
The Khalifeh then said, By my forefathers, I will not pass the remainder
of my night but with him, for he is a just man, who frequenteth the sheykhs,
and attendeth to the poor, and favoureth the indigent; and I imagine all his
acquaintances are with him this night: so I must repair to him: perhaps one of
them may offer up for us a prayer productive of good to us in this world and
the next; and probably some advantage may accrue to him from my presence, and
he will receive pleasure from this, together with his friends. - O Prince of
the Faithful, replied Ja`far, the greater part of the night hath passed, and
they are now about to disperse. But the Khalifeh said, We must go to them. And
Ja`far was silent, and was perplexed in his mind, not knowing what to do. So
the Khalifeh rose upon his feet, and Ja`far rose and preceded him, and Mesrur
the eunuch went with them. The three walked on reflecting, and, departing from
the palace, proceeded through the streets, in the attire of merchants, until
they arrived at the gate of the garden above mentioned; and the Khalifeh,
approaching it, found it open; and he was surprised, and said, See, O Ja`far,
how the sheykh Ibrahim hath left the gate open until this hour, which is not
his usual custom. They then entered, and came to the end of the garden, where
they stopped beneath the palace; and the Khalifeh said, O Ja`far, I desire to
take a view of them secretly before I go up to them, that I may see how the
sheykhs are occupied in the dispensing of their blessings and the employment
of their miraculous powers; for they have qualities which distinguish them
both in their private retirements and in their public exercises; and now we
hear not their voices, nor discover any indication of their presence. Having
thus said, he looked around, and, seeing a tall walnut-tree, he said, O
Ja`far, I would climb this tree (for its branches are near to the windows) and
look at them. And accordingly he ascended the tree, and climbed from branch to
branch until he came to that which was opposite to one of the windows, and
there he sat, and, looking in through this window of the palace,beheld a
damsel and a young man, like two moons (extolled be the perfection of Him who
created them!); and he saw the sheykh Ibrahim sitting with a cup in his hand,
and saying, O mistress of beauties, drinking unaccompanied by merry sounds is
not pleasant. Hast thou not heard the saying of the poet? -
Circulate it in the large cup, and in the small; and receive it from the hand
of the shining moon;^4
[Footnote 4: The cupbearer.]
And drink not without merry sounds; for I have observed that horses drink to
the sound of whistling.
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