|
Story Of Nur-Ed-Din And Enis-El-JelisThe Nur-Ed-Din`s Story
The Nur-Ed-Din`s Story
The Khalifeh, when he heard this, was distressed at the thought of
separating them, and,looking towards the young man, he said to him, O my
master, art thou in fear an account of any crime, or art thou in debt to any
one? Nur-ed-Din answered, By Allah, O fisherman, a wonderful event, and an
extraordinary adventure, happened to me and this damsel: if it were engraved
on the understanding, it would be a lesson to him who would be admonished. -
Wilt thou not, rejoined the Khalifeh, relate to us thy story, and acquaint us
with thy case? Perhaps thy doing so may be productive of relief; for the
relief of God is near. - So Nur-ed-Din said, Wilt thou hear our story in
poetry or in prose? - Prose, answered the Khalifeh, is mere talk; and verse,
words put together like pearls. And Nur-ed-Din hung down his head towards the
ground, and then related his story in a series of verses; but when he had
finished, the Khalifeh begged him to explain his case more fully. He therefore
acquainted him with the whole of his circumstances from beginning to end; and
when the Khalifeh understood the affair, he said to him, Whither wouldst thou
now repair? He answered, God`s earth is wide. The Khalifeh then said to him, I
will write for thee a letter which thou shalt convey to the Sultan Mohammad
the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni, and when he shall have read it, he will do thee
no injury. - Is there in the world said Nur-ed-Din, a fisherman who
correspondeth with Kings? Verily this is a thing that can never be, - Thou
hast spoken truly, rejoined the Khalifeh; but I will acquaint thee with the
cause. Know that I read in the same school with him, under a master, and I was
his monitor; and after that, prosperity was his lot, and he became a Sultan,
while God made me to be a fisherman: yet I have never sent to request anything
of him, but he hath performed my wish; and if I sent to him every day to
request a thousand things of him, he would do what I asked. When Nur-ed-Din,
therefore, heard his words, he said to him, Write, that I may see. And he took
an ink-horn and a pen, and wrote (after the phrase, In the name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful.) - To proceed. - This letter is from Harun
Er-Rashid the son of El-Mahdi, to his highness Mohammad the son of Suleyman
Ez-Zeyni, who hath been encompassed by my beneficence, and whom I constituted
my viceroy of a portion of my dominions. I acquaint thee that the bearer of
this letter is Nur-ed-Din the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan the Wezir, and
on his arrival in thy presence thou shalt divest thyself of the regal
authority, and seat him in thy place; for I have appointed him to the office
to which I formerly appointed thee: so disobey not my commands: and peace be
on thee. - He then gave the letter to `Ali Nur-ed-Din, who took it and kissed
it and put it in his turban, and immediately set forth on his journey.
The sheykh Ibrahim now looked towards the Khalifeh in his fisherman`s
disguise, and said to him, O most contemptible of fishermen, thou hast brought
us two fish worth twenty half-dirhems, and received three pieces of gold,
and desirest to take the slave also. But when the Khalifeh heard these words,
he cried out at him, and made a sign to Mesrur, who immediately discovered
himself, and rushed in upon him. Ja`far, meanwhile, had sent one of the
attendants of the garden to the porter of the palace to demand a suit of
clothing of him for the Prince of the Faithful; and the man went, and brought
the dress, and kissed the ground before the Khalifeh, who took off and gave to
him that with which he was then clad, and put on this suit. The sheykh Ibrahim
was sitting on a chair: the Khalifeh paused to see the result: and the sheykh
was astounded, and began to bite the ends of his fingers through his
confusion, saying, Am I asleep or awake? The Khalifeh then looked at him, and
said, O sheykh Ibrahim, what is this predicament in which thou art placed? And
upon this, the sheykh recovered from his intoxication, and, throwing himself
upon the ground, implored forgiveness: and the Khalifeh pardoned him; after
which he gave orders that the damsel should be conveyed to the palace where he
resided; and when she had arrived there, he appropriated to her a separate
lodging, and appointed persons to wait upon her, and said to her, Know that I
have sent thy master as Sultan of El-Basrah, and, if God please, I will
despatch to him a dress of honour, and send thee also to him with it.
As to Nur-ed-Din, he continued his journey until he entered El -
Basrah, and went up to the palace of the Sultan, when he uttered a loud cry,
whereupon the Sultan desired him to approach; and when he came into the
presence of the King, he kissed the ground before him, and produced the
letter, and handed it to him. And as soon as the Sultan saw the superscription
in the handwriting of the Prince of the Faithful, he rose upon his feet, and,
having kissed it three times, said, I hear and pay obedience to God (whose
name be exalted!) and to the Prince of the Faithful. He then summoned before
him the four Kadis,^8 and the Emirs, and was about to divest himself of the
regal office: but lo, the Wezir El-Mo`in the son of Sawi was before him, and
the Sultan gave him the letter of the Prince of the Faithful, and when he saw
it, he rent it in pieces, and put it into his mouth, and chewed it, and threw
it down. The Sultan, enraged, cried, Wo to thee! What hath induced thee to act
thus? - He answered, This man hath had no interview with the Khalifeh nor with
his Wezir; but is a young wretch, an artful devil, who, having met with a
paper containing the handwriting of the Khalifeh, hath counterfeited it, and
written what he desired: wherefore then shouldst thou abdicate the
sovereignty, when the Khalifeh hath not sent to thee an envoy with a royal
autographical mandate; for if this affair were true, he had sent with him a
Chamberlain or a Wezir; but he came alone. - What then is to be done? said the
Sultan. The Wezir answered, Send away this young man with me, and I will take
charge of him, and despatch him in company with a Chamberlain to the city of
Baghdad; and if his words be true, he will bring us a royal autographical
mandate and diploma of investiture; and if not true, they will send him back
to us with the Chamberlain, and I will take my revenge upon my offender.
[Footnote 8: Of the Four Orthodox Sects.]
When the Sultan heard what the Wezir said, it pleased him; and the Wezir
took him away, and cried out to the pages, who threw down Nur-ed-Din, and
beat him until he became insensible. He then ordered to put a chain upon his
feet, and called to the jailer; and when he came, he kissed the ground before
him. This jailer was named Kuteyt; and the Wezir said to him, O Kuteyt, I
desire that thou take this person, and cast him into one of the subterranean
cells which are in thy prison, and torture him night and day. The jailer
replied, I hear and obey: - and he put Nur-ed-Din into the prison, and
locked the door upon him; but after having done this, he gave orders to sweep
a mastabah within the door, and furnished it with a prayer-carpet and a
pillow, and seated Nur-ed-Din upon it, and loosed his chain, and treated
him with kindness. The Wezir every day sent to him, commanding him to beat
him; and the jailer pretended that he tortured him, while, on the contrary, he
treated him with benignity.
Thus he continued to do for forty days; and on the forty-first day,
there came a present from the Khalifeh, and when the Sultan saw it, it pleased
him, and he conferred with the Wezirs upon the subject; but one said, Perhaps
this present was designed for the new Sultan. Upon this, the Wezir El-Mo`in
the son of Sawi remarked, It were proper to have slain him on his arrival: -
and the Sultan exclaimed, Now thou hast reminded me of him, go down and bring
him, and I will strike off his head. The Wezir replied, I hear and obey: - and
arose, saying, I desire to proclaim throughout the city, He who wisheth to
witness the decapitation of Nur-ed-Din `Ali the son of El-Fadl the son
of Khakan, let him come to the palace: - so that all the people may come to
behold it, and I may gratify my heart, and mortify my enviers. The Sultan
said, Do what thou wilt. So the Wezir descended, full of joy and happiness,
and went to the Wali, and ordered him to make this proclamation; and when the
people heard the crier, they all grieved and wept, even the boys in the
schools, and the tradesmen in their shops; and numbers of the people strove
together to take for themselves places where they might behold the spectacle,
while others repaired to the prison, to accompany him thence. The Wezir then
went forth, attended by ten memluks, to the prison: and Kuteyt the jailer said
to him, What dost thou desire, O our lord the Wezir? - Bring forth to me, said
the Wezir, this young wretch. The jailer replied, He is in a most miserable
state from the excessive beating that I have inflicted upon him. And he
entered, and found him reciting some verses, commencing thus: -
Who is there to aid me in my affliction? For my pain hath become intense, and
my remedy is scarce procurable!
And the jailer pulled off from him his clean clothes, and, having clad him in
two dirty garments, brought him out to the Wezir. Nur-ed-Din then looked
at him, and saw that he was his enemy who had incessantly desired his
destruction; and when he beheld him, he wept, and said to him, Art thou secure
from misfortune? Hast thou not heard the saying of the poet? -
They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon it became as
though it never had existed.
O Wezir, know that God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name be
exalted!) is the doer of whatsoever He willeth. - O `Ali, replied the Wezir,
wouldst thou frighten me by these words? I am now going to strike off thy
head, in spite of the people of El-Basrah; and I will pay no regard to thy
counsel; but I will rather attend to the saying of the poet: -
Let fortune do whatever it willeth, and bear with cheerful mind the effects of
fate.
How excellent also is the saying of another poet: -
He who liveth after his enemy a single day, hath attained his desire.
The Wezir then ordered his pages to convey him on the back of a mule;
whereupon they said to him (being distressed to obey), Suffer us to stone him
and cut him in pieces, though our lives should be sacrificed in consequence.
But he replied, Never do it. Have ye not heard what the poet hath said: -
A decreed term is my inevitable lot; and as soon as its days have expired, I
die.
If the lions dragged me into their forest, they could not close it while aught
of it remained.
So they proceeded to proclaim before Nur-ed-Din, This is the smallest
recompense of him who forgeth a letter from the Khalifeh to the Sultan. And
they continued to parade him throughout El-Basrah until they stationed him
beneath the window of the palace, and in the place of blood, when the
executioner approached him, and said to him, I am a slave under command; and
if thou hast any want, acquaint me with it, that I may perform it for thee;
for there remaineth not of thy life any more than the period until the Sultan
shall put forth his face from the window. And upon this, Nur-ed-Din looked
to the right and left, and recited these verses: -
Is there among you a merciful friend, who will aid me? I conjure you by Allah
to answer me!
My life hath passed, and my death is at hand! Is there any who will pity me,
to obtain my recompense,
And consider my state, and relieve my anguish, by a draught of water that my
torment may be lightened?
And the people were excited to tears for him; and the executioner took some
water to hand it to him; but the Wezir arose from his place, and struck the
kulleh^9 of water with his hand, and broke it, and called to the executioner,
commanding him to strike off his head; whereupon he bound Nur-ed-Din`s
eyes. The people, however, called out against the Wezir, and raised a
tumultuous cry against him, and many words passed between them; and while they
were in this state, lo, a dust rose, and filled the sky and the open tracts;
and when the Sultan beheld it, as he sat in the palace, he said to his
attendants, See what is the news. The Wezir said, After thou shalt first have
beheaded this man. But the Sultan replied, Wait thou until we see what is the
news.
[Footnote 9: A small porous earthen bottle with a wide mouth.]
Now this dust was the dust of Ja`far, the Wezir of the Khalifeh, and of
his attendants; and the cause of their coming was this: - The Khalifeh had
passed thirty days without remembering the affair of `Ali the son of El-Fadl
the son of Khakan, and no one mentioned it to him, until he came one night to
the private apartment of Enis-el-Jelis, and heard her lamenting, as she
recited, with a soft voice, the saying of the poet: -
Thine image [is before me] whether distant or near, and my tongue never
ceaseth to mention thee.
Her lamentation increased, and lo, the Khalifeh opened the door, and entered
the chamber, and saw Enis-el-Jelis weeping. On beholding the Khalifeh, she
fell at his feet, and, having kissed them three times, recited these two
verses: -
O thou of pure origin, and of excellent birth; of ripe-fruitful branch, and
of unsullied race!
I remind thee of the promise thy beneficence granted, and far be it from thee
that thou shouldst forget it.
The Khalifeh said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am the present given
to thee by `Ali the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan; and I request the
fulfilment of the promise which thou gavest me, that thou wouldst send me to
him with the honorary gift; for I have now been here thirty days and have not
tasted sleep. And upon this, the Khalifeh summoned Ja`far El-Barmeki, and
said to him, For thirty days I have heard no news of `Ali the son of El-Fadl
the son of Khakan, and I imagine nothing less than that the Sultan hath killed
him: but, by my head! by the tombs of my ancestors! if any evil event have
happened to him, I will destroy him who hath been the cause of it, though he
be the dearest of men in my estimation! I desire, therefore, that thou journey
immediately to El-Basrah, and bring me an account of the conduct of the King
Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni to `Ali the son of El-Fadl the son
of Khakan.
So Ja`far obeyed his commands, and set forth on his journey, and when he
approached, and saw this tumult and crowd, he said, What is the occasion of
this crowd? They related to him, therefore, the situation in which they were
with regard to Nur-ed-Din; and when he heard their words, he hastened to go up
to the Sultan, and, having saluted him, acquainted him with the cause of his
coming, and told him, that if any evil event had happened to `Ali Nur-ed-Din,
the Khalifeh would destroy him who was the cause of it. He then arrested the
Sultan, and the Wezir El-Mo`in the son of Sawi, and gave orders to liberate
`Ali Nur-ed-Din, and enthroned him as Sultan in the place of the Sultan
Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni; after which he remained in El-Basrah
three days, the usual period of entertainment; and on the morning of the
`fourth day, `Ali Nur-ed-Din said to Ja`far, I have a longing desire to see
the Prince of the Faithful. So Ja`far said to the King Mohammad the son of
Suleyman, Prepare thyself for travelling; for we will perform the
morning-prayers, and depart to Baghdad. He replied, I hear and obey: - and
they performed the morning-prayers, and mounted all together, with the Wezir
El-Mo`in the son of Sawi, who now repented of what he had done. As to `Ali
Nur-ed-Din, he rode by the side of Ja`far: and they continued their journey
until they arrived at Baghdad, the Abode of Peace.
They then presented themselves before the Khalifeh and related to him the
case of Nur-ed-Din; whereupon the Khalifeh addressed him, saying, Take this
sword, and strike off with it the head of thine enemy. And he took it, and
approached El-Mo`in the son of Sawi; but he looked at him, and said to him,
I did according to my nature, and do thou according to thine. And Nur-ed-Din
threw down the sword from his hand, and, looking towards the Khalifeh, said, O
Prince of the Faithful, he hath beguiled me. So the Khalifeh said, Do thou
leave him: - and he said to Mesrur, O Mesrur, advance thou, and strike off his
head. Mesrur, therefore, did so: and upon this, the Khalifeh said to `Ali the
son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, Request of me what thou wilt. He replied,
O my lord, I have no want of the sovereignty of El-Basrah, and desire
nothing but to have the honour of serving thee. - Most willingly I assent,
said the Khalifeh: - and he summoned the damsel, and when she had come before
him, he bestowed favours upon them both: he gave to them one of the palaces of
Baghdad, and assigned to them regular allowances, and made Nur-ed-Din one of
his companions at the table; and he remained with him until death overtook
him.
|
