The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 01 (of 10) Chapter 4: Part 4

and better written Caliph) and "genie" (=Jinn) a mere Gallic corruption not so terrible, however, as "a Bedouin" (=Badawi). As little too would I follow Mr. Lane in foisting upon the public such Arabisms as "Khuff" (a riding-boot), "Mikra'ah" (a palm-rod) and a host of others for which we have good English equivalents. On the other hand I would use, but use sparingly, certain Arabic exclamations, as "Bismillah" (=in the name of Allah!) and "Inshallah" (=if Allah please!), which have special applications and which have been made familiar to English ears by the genius of Fraser and Morier. I here end these desultory but necessary details to address the reader in a few final words. He will not think lightly of my work when I repeat to him that with the aid of my annotations supplementing Lane's, the student will readily and pleasantly learn more of the Moslem's manners and customs, laws and religion than is known to the average Orientalist; and, if my labours induce him to attack the text of The Nights he will become master of much more Arabic than the ordinary Arab owns. This book is indeed a legacy which I bequeath to my fellow-countrymen in their hour of need. Over devotion to Hindu, and especially to Sanskrit literature, has led them astray from those (so-called) "Semitic" studies, which are the more requisite for us as they teach us to deal successfully with a race more powerful than any pagans—the Moslem. Apparently England is ever forgetting that she is at present the greatest Mohammedan empire in the world. Of late years she has systematically neglected Arabism and, indeed, actively discouraged it in examinations for the Indian Civil Service, where it is incomparably more valuable than Greek and Latin. Hence, when suddenly compelled to assume the reins of government in Moslem lands, as Afghanistan in times past and Egypt at present, she fails after a fashion which scandalises her few (very few) friends; and her crass ignorance concerning the Oriental peoples which should most interest her, exposes her to the contempt of Europe as well as of the Eastern world. When the regretable raids of 1883-84, culminating in the miserable affairs of Tokar, Teb and Tamasi, were made upon the gallant Sudani Negroids, the Bisharin outlying Sawakin, who were battling for the holy cause of liberty and religion and for escape from Turkish task-masters and Egyptian tax-gatherers, not an English official in camp, after the death of the gallant and lamented Major Morice, was capable of speaking Arabic. Now Moslems are not to be ruled by raw youths who should be at school and college instead of holding positions of trust and emolument. He who would deal with them successfully must be, firstly, honest and truthful and, secondly, familiar with and favourably inclined to their manners and customs if not to their law and religion. We may, perhaps, find it hard to restore to England those pristine virtues, that tone and temper, which made her what she is; but at any rate we (myself and a host of others) can offer her the means of dispelling her ignorance concerning the Eastern races with whom she is continually in contact. In conclusion I must not forget to notice that the Arabic ornamentations of these volumes were designed by my excellent friend Yacoub Artin Pasha, of the Ministry of Instruction, Cairo, with the aid of the well-known writing-artist, Shaykh Mohammed Muunis the Cairene. My name, Al-Hajj Abdullah (=the Pilgrim Abdallah) was written by an English calligrapher, the lamented Professor Palmer who found a premature death almost within sight of Suez. RICHARD F. BURTON. WANDERERS' CLUB, _August 15, 1885_. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 STORY OF KING SHAHRYAR AND HIS BROTHER 2 _a._ TALE OF THE BULL AND THE ASS 16 (_Lane, vol. I._, 1-16.) 1. TALE OF THE TRADER AND THE JINNI 24 (_Chapt. I. Story of the Merchant and the Jinnee: p. 43._) _a._ THE FIRST SHAYKH'S STORY 27 (_Story of the First Sheykh and the Gazelle: p. 48._) _b._ THE SECOND SHAYKH'S STORY 32 (_Story of the Second Sheykh and the two Black Hounds: p. 52._) _c._ THE THIRD SHAYKH'S STORY 36 (_Story of the Third Sheykh and the Mule: p. 56._) 2. THE FISHERMAN AND THE JINNI 38 (_Chapt. II. Story of the Fisherman: p. 78._) _a._ TALE OF THE WAZIR AND THE SAGE DUBAN 45 (_Story of King Yoonan and the Sage Dooban: p. 84._) _ab._ STORY OF KING SINDIBAD AND HIS FALCON 50 _ac._ TALE OF THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT 52 (_Story of the Husband and the Parrot: p. 89._) _ad._ TALE OF THE PRINCE AND THE OGRESS 54 (_Story of the Envious Wezeer and the Prince and the Ghoolah: p. 91._) _b._ TALE OF THE ENSORCELLED PRINCE 69 (_Story of the Young King of the Black Islands: p. 106._) 3. THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD 82 (_Chapt. III. Story of the Porter and the Ladies of Baghdad, and of the three Royal Mendicants, etc.: p. 136._) _a._ THE FIRST KALANDAR'S TALE 104 (_Story of the First Royal Mendicant: p. 150._) _b._ THE SECOND KALANDAR'S TALE 113 (_Story of the Second Royal Mendicant: p. 157._) _ba._ TALE OF THE ENVIER AND THE ENVIED 123 (_Story of the Envier and the Envied: p. 166._) _c._ THE THIRD KALANDAR'S TALE 139 (_Story of the Third Royal Mendicant: p. 178._) _d._ THE ELDEST LADY'S TALE 162 _e._ TALE OF THE PORTRESS 173 CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF THE PORTER AND THREE LADIES 184 4. TALE OF THE THREE APPLES 186 (_Chapt. IV. Story of the Three Apples, etc.: p. 250._) 5. TALE OF NUR AL-DIN ALI AND HIS SON BADR AL-DIN HASAN 195 (_Story of Noor ed-Deen and his Son, and of Shems ed-Deen and his Daughter: p. 253._) 6. THE HUNCHBACK'S TALE 255 (_Chapt. V. Story of the Humpback: p. 238._) _a._ THE NAZARENE BROKER'S STORY 262 (_Story told by the Christian Broker: p. 334._) _b._ THE REEVE'S TALE 278 (_Story told by the Sultan's Steward: p. 348._) _c._ TALE OF THE JEWISH DOCTOR 288 (_Story told by the Jewish Physician: p. 359._) _d._ TALE OF THE TAILOR 300 (_Story told by the Tailor: p. 368._) _e._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIMSELF 317 (_The Barber's Story of Himself: p. 383._) _ea._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIS FIRST BROTHER 319 (_The Barber's Story of His First Brother: p. 385._) _eb._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIS SECOND BROTHER 324 (_The Barber's Story of His Second Brother: p. 389._) _ec._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIS THIRD BROTHER 328 (_The Barber's Story of His Third Brother: p. 392_) _ed._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER 331 (_The Barber's Story of His Fourth Brother: p. 396._) _ee._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER 335 (_The Barber's Story of His Fifth Brother: p. 400._) _ef._ THE BARBER'S TALE OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER 343 (_The Barber's Story of His Sixth Brother._) THE END OF THE TAILOR'S TALE 348 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT. (_ALF LAYLAH WA LAYLAH._) In the Name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate! _PRAISE BE TO ALLAH ✿ THE BENEFICENT KING ✿ THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE ✿ LORD OF THE THREE WORLDS ✿ WHO SET UP THE FIRMAMENT WITHOUT PILLARS IN ITS STEAD ✿ AND WHO STRETCHED OUT THE EARTH EVEN AS A BED ✿ AND GRACE, AND PRAYER-BLESSING BE UPON OUR LORD MOHAMMED ✿ LORD OF APOSTOLIC MEN ✿ AND UPON HIS FAMILY AND COMPANION-TRAIN ✿ PRAYER AND BLESSINGS ENDURING AND GRACE WHICH UNTO THE DAY OF DOOM SHALL REMAIN ✿ AMEN! ✿ O THOU OF THE THREE WORLDS SOVEREIGN!_ * * * * * And afterwards. Verily the works and words of those gone before us have become instances and examples to men of our modern day, that folk may view what admonishing chances befel other folk and may therefrom take warning; and that they may peruse the annals of antique peoples and all that hath betided them, and be thereby ruled and restrained:—Praise, therefore, be to Him who hath made the histories of the Past an admonition unto the Present! Now of such instances are the tales called "A Thousand Nights and a Night," together with their far-famed legends and wonders. Therein it is related (but Allah is All-knowing of His hidden things and All-ruling and All-honoured and All-giving and All-gracious and All-merciful![1]) that, in tide of yore and in time long gone before, there was a King of the Kings of the Banu Sásán in the Islands of India and China, a Lord of armies and guards and servants and dependents.[2] He left only two sons, one in the prime of manhood and the other yet a youth, while both were Knights and Braves, albeit the elder was a doughtier horseman than the younger. So he succeeded to the empire; when he ruled the land and lorded it over his lieges with justice so exemplary that he was beloved by all the peoples of his capital and of his kingdom. His name was King Shahryár,[3] and he made his younger brother, Shah Zamán hight, King of Samarcand in Barbarian-land. These two ceased not to abide in their several realms and the law was ever carried out in their dominions; and each ruled his own kingdom, with equity and fair-dealing to his subjects, in extreme solace and enjoyment; and this condition continually endured for a score of years. But at the end of the twentieth twelvemonth the elder King yearned for a sight of his younger brother and felt that he must look upon him once more. So he took counsel with his Wazir[4] about visiting him, but the Minister, finding the project unadvisable, recommended that a letter be written and a present be sent under his charge to the younger brother with an invitation to visit the elder. Having accepted this advice the King forthwith bade prepare handsome gifts, such as horses with saddles of gem-encrusted gold; Mamelukes, or white slaves; beautiful handmaids, high-breasted virgins, and splendid stuffs and costly. He then wrote a letter to Shah Zaman expressing his warm love and great wish to see him, ending with these words, "We therefore hope of the favour and affection of the beloved brother that he will condescend to bestir himself and turn his face us-wards. Furthermore we have sent our Wazir to make all ordinance for the march, and our one and only desire is to see thee ere we die; but if thou delay or disappoint us we shall not survive the blow. Wherewith peace be upon thee!" Then King Shahryar, having sealed the missive and given it to the Wazir with the offerings aforementioned, commanded him to shorten his skirts and strain his strength and make all expedition in