The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 01 (of 10) Chapter 40: Part 40

I ceased not ministering to him and conversing and carousing with him and telling him all manner tales for thirty-nine days. On the fortieth night[272] the youth rejoiced and said, "O my brother, Alhamdolillah!—praise be to Allah—who hath preserved me from death and this is by thy blessing and the blessing of thy coming to me; and I pray God that He restore thee to thy native land. But now, O my brother, I would thou warm me some water for the Ghusl-ablution and do thou kindly bathe me and change my clothes." I replied, "With love and gladness;" and I heated water in plenty and carrying it in to him washed his body all over, the washing of health,[273] with meal of lupins[274] and rubbed him well and changed his clothes and spread him a high bed whereon he lay down to rest, being drowsy after bathing. Then said he, "O my brother, cut me up a water-melon, and sweeten it with a little sugar-candy."[275] So I went to the store-room and bringing out a fine water-melon I found there, set it on a platter and laid it before him saying, "O my master hast thou not a knife?" "Here it is," answered he, "over my head upon the high shelf." So I got up in haste and taking the knife drew it from its sheath; but my foot slipped in stepping down and I fell heavily upon the youth holding in my hand the knife which hastened to fulfil what had been written on the Day that decided the destinies of man, and buried itself, as if planted, in the youth's heart. He died on the instant. When I saw that he was slain and knew that I had slain him, maugre myself, I cried out with an exceeding loud and bitter cry and beat my face and rent my raiment and said, "Verily we be Allah's and unto Him we be returning, O Moslems! O folk fain of Allah! there remained for this youth but one day of the forty dangerous days which the astrologers and the learned had foretold for him; and the predestined death of this beautiful one was to be at my hand. Would Heaven I had not tried to cut the water-melon. What dire misfortune is this I must bear lief or loath? What a disaster! What an affliction! O Allah mine, I implore thy pardon and declare to Thee my innocence of his death. But what God willeth let that come to pass."[276]——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. Now when it was the Sixteenth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ajib thus continued his tale to the lady:—When I was certified that I had slain him, I arose and ascending the stairs replaced the trap-door and covered it with earth as before. Then I looked out seawards and saw the ship cleaving the waters and making for the island, wherefore I was afeard and said, "The moment they come and see the youth done to death, they will know 'twas I who slew him and will slay me without respite." So I climbed up into a high tree and concealed myself among its leaves; and hardly had I done so when the ship anchored and the slaves landed with the ancient man, the youth's father, and made direct for the place and when they removed the earth they were surprised to see it soft.[277] Then they raised the trap-door and went down and found the youth lying at full length, clothed in fair new garments with a face beaming after the bath, and the knife deep in his heart. At the sight they shrieked and wept and beat their faces, loudly cursing the murderer; whilst a swoon came over the Shaykh so that the slaves deemed him dead, unable to survive his son. At last they wrapped the slain youth in his clothes and carried him up and laid him on the ground covering him with a shroud of silk. Whilst they were making for the ship the old man revived; and, gazing on his son who was stretched out, fell on the ground and strewed dust over his head and smote his face and plucked out his beard; and his weeping redoubled as he thought of his murdered son and he swooned away once more. After awhile a slave went and fetched a strip of silk whereupon they lay the old man and sat down at his head. All this took place and I was on the tree above them watching everything that came to pass; and my heart became hoary before my head waxed grey, for the hard lot which was mine, and for the distress and anguish I had undergone, and I fell to reciting:— "How many a joy by Allah's will hath fled ✿ With flight escaping sight of wisest head! How many a sadness shall begin the day, ✿ Yet grow right gladsome ere the day is sped! How many a weal trips on the heels of ill, ✿ Causing the mourner's heart with joy to thrill!"[278] But the old man, O my lady, ceased not from his swoon till near sunset, when he came to himself and, looking upon his dead son, he recalled what had happened, and how what he had dreaded had come to pass; and he beat his face and head and recited these couplets:— "Racked is my heart by parting fro' my friends ✿ And two rills ever fro' my eyelids flow: With them[279] went forth my hopes, Ah, well away! ✿ What shift remaineth me to say or do? Would I had never looked upon their sight, ✿ What shift, fair sirs, when paths e'er straiter grow? What charm shall calm my pangs when this wise burn ✿ Longings of love which in my vitals glow? Would I had trod with them the road of Death! ✿ Ne'er had befel us twain this parting-blow: Allah: I pray the Ruthful show me ruth ✿ And mix our lives nor part them evermo'e! How blest were we as 'neath one roof we dwelt ✿ Conjoined in joys nor recking aught of woe; Till Fortune shot us with the severance shaft; ✿ Ah who shall patient bear such parting throe? And dart of Death struck down amid the tribe ✿ The age's pearl that Morn saw brightest show: I cried the while his case took speech and said:—✿ Would Heaven, my son, Death mote his doom foreslow! Which be the readiest road wi' thee to meet ✿ My Son! for whom I would my soul bestow? If sun I call him no! the sun doth set; ✿ If moon I call him, wane the moons; Ah no! O sad mischance o' thee, O doom of days, ✿ Thy place none other love shall ever know: Thy sire distracted sees thee, but despairs ✿ By wit or wisdom Fate to overthrow: Some evil eye this day hath cast its spell ✿ And foul befal him as it foul befel!" Then he sobbed a single sob and his soul fled his flesh. The slaves shrieked aloud "Alas, our lord!" and showered dust on their heads and redoubled their weeping and wailing. Presently they carried their dead master to the ship side by side with his dead son and, having transported all the stuff from the dwelling to the vessel, set sail and disappeared from mine eyes. I descended from the tree and, raising the trap-door, went down into the underground dwelling where everything reminded me of the youth; and I looked upon the poor remains of him and began repeating these verses:— Their tracks I see, and pine with pain and pang ✿ And on deserted hearths I weep and yearn: And Him I pray who doomèd them depart ✿ Some day vouchsafe the boon of safe return.[280] Then, O my lady, I went up again by the trap-door, and every day I used to wander round about the island and every night I returned to the underground hall. Thus I lived for a month, till at last, looking at the western side of the island, I observed that every day the tide ebbed, leaving shallow water for which the flow did not compensate; and by the end of the month the sea showed dry land in that direction. At this I rejoiced making certain of my safety; so I arose and fording what little was left of the water got me to the main land, where I fell in with great heaps of loose sand in which even a camel's hoof would sink up to the knee.[281] However I emboldened my soul and wading through the sand behold, a fire shone from afar burning with a blazing light.[282] So I made for it hoping haply to find succour and broke out into these verses:— "Belike my Fortune may her bridle turn ✿ And Time bring weal although he's jealous hight; Forward my hopes, and further all my needs, ✿ And passèd ills with present weals requite." And when I drew near the fire aforesaid lo! it was a palace with gates of copper burnished red which, when the rising sun shone thereon, gleamed and glistened from afar showing what had seemed to me a fire. I rejoiced in the sight, and sat down over against the gate, but I was hardly settled in my seat before there met me ten young men clothed in sumptuous gear and all were blind of the left eye which appeared as plucked out. They were accompanied by a Shaykh, an old, old man, and much I marvelled at their appearance, and their all being blind of the same eye. When they saw me, they saluted me with the Salam and asked me of my case and my history; whereupon I related to them all what had befallen me, and what full measure of misfortune was mine. Marvelling at my tale they took me to the mansion, where I saw ranged round the hall ten couches each with its blue bedding and coverlet of blue stuff[283] and amiddlemost stood a smaller couch furnished like them with blue and nothing else. As we entered each of the youths took his seat on his own couch and the old man seated himself upon the smaller one in the middle saying to me, "O youth, sit thee down on the floor and ask not of our case nor of the loss of our eyes." Presently he rose up and set before each young man some meat in a charger and drink in a large mazer, treating me in like manner; and after that they sat questioning me concerning my adventures