Hassan: The Story of Hassan of Baghdad and How He Came to Make the Golden Journey to Samarkand Part 4

YASMIN I was the sun of his existence, and now I am a child of Sheitan-- and why? Never again will I trust the love of a man.

I was a glory too far shed, and now he wants to open my neck.

And already he has tried to poison me. Ya, Ha.s.san, if you desire my death, send me some more enchanted sweets!

SELIM Beware, O Ha.s.san, of jesting with the Jinn.

YASMIN Buy, O Ha.s.san, no more juice from Jews.

SELIM Much, I fear, O my friend, for thy character in the market.

No more will men say: "Ha.s.san is a safe man"; but they will nudge each other and say, "Beware of Ha.s.san, Ha.s.san is a great magician; he has talked with the spirit's of the air! Deal not with Ha.s.san, O my son, Saadet, for he sells enchanted sweets that drive the consumer to madness. And at night Ha.s.san becomes a cat, and walketh on the roofs after the female cats. Allah preserve me from the evil eye of such a one!"

And another will say, tapping his forehead, "Speak no harm of poor Ha.s.san, for his brain is very sick!" And the small, guileless boys will say, "Behold Ha.s.san, who gave ten dinars for a pint of indigo and water."

Ha.s.sAN Ah, death!

YASMIN Look at him! He is drifting like a soul aswoon!

Go home, old fellow!

SELIM Go home and write poems!

YASMIN Go home, and cook sweets!

Ha.s.sAN Yasmin! Yasmin! My head!

YASMIN Begone, or I will cool thy head, thou wearisome old fool!

Ha.s.sAN Yasmin! Yasmin! (Stands with his arms outstretched)

YASMIN Take this, my bulbul, to quench thy aspiration.

(Pours a jug of water over him, and slams the shutters to.

Ha.s.sAN does not budge from his position.)

Ha.s.sAN O thou villainous, unclean dog, Selim. O thou unutterable woman.

I will have you both whipped through the city and impaled in the market-place, and your bodies flung to rot on a dung-heap.

O, my head aches! Ah, you foul swine! May you scream in h.e.l.l for ever.

O, my head--my head. For ever. Thou and thy magic and thy Jew.

There is blood dripping from the wall. (Banging on the gate) I will break the house in. I will kill you. Ya Allah, I am splitting in twain. It is my own fault for having dreams and believing magic. Ya Allah, I am dying. Oh, Yasmin, so beautiful, so brutal. O burning bright; you have killed me!

Farewell, and the Salaam!

(Falls under the shadow of the fountain. Silence. A light appears in the next house. Soft music starts; the first light of dawn s.h.i.+nes in the sky.)

(Enter the CALIPH HAROUN AR RASCHID, JAFAR, his Vizier, MASRUR (a Negro), his Executioner, and ISHAK, a young man, his poet, all attired as Merchants.)

CALIPH Ishak, my heart is heavy and still the night drags on, and still we wander in the crooked streets, and still we find no entertainment, and still the white moon s.h.i.+nes.

ISHAK O Caliph of Islam, is there not vast entertainment for the wise in the s.h.i.+ning of the moon, in the dripping of that fountain, and in the shape of that tall cypress that has leapt the wall to shoot her arrow at the stars?

(The music which had stopped recommences.)

CALIPH But I hear music, and see lights. Come on, come on, we will s.n.a.t.c.h profit from this cursed night even yet, my friends, even at the eleventh hour.

JAFAR Master, the night is far advanced, and you have not slept.

It is a late hour to seek for entertainment.

CALIPH Jafar you are as prudent as a shopkeeper.

ISHAK There lies his merit, Haroun! For he keeps the great shop of state, he sells the revenue of provinces, and buys in the lives of men.

CALIPH Enough, enough. Call to them, Jafar, and see if they will let us in.

JAFAR Oh, gentlefolk, in the name of Allah!

VOICE (From window, the person invisible) Who calls?

JAFAR Sir, we are four merchants who came yesterday night from Basra, and on our arrival we met in the street a man of Basra settled in Bagdad, who prayed us to dine with him. So we accepted and stayed late talking the talk of Basra, and left him but an hour ago.

And since we were strangers to the city, we lost our way, and have been wandering ever since in search of our Khan and have not found it. And now a happy chance has taken us to this street; for seeing lights and hearing music, indeed, sir, we hope to taste the cup of thy kindness, being men of honour, good companions and true believers.

VOICE Then you are not of Bagdad?

JAFAR No, sir, but of Basra.

VOICE Had you been a Baghdad, you should not have entered for all the gold in the Caliph's coffers.

CALIPH Then we may enter, being of Basra?

VOICE If you enter, you will be in my power. And if you annoy me, I will punish you with death. But no one constraineth you to enter.

Go in peace, O men of Basra.

CALIPH (Aside) A rare adventure. (Aloud) We take the risk of annoying you, O host of terror, and are now looking for the door.

VOICE Since when did a door of good reputation open on to this street, my masters? Our door is far from here, and you are strangers and merry, and will not find it. But I will contrive a means for your ascent.

CALIPH Jafar, I never suspected there was a great house in this poor quarter of the town. For from the outside it is a house like any other, except that it has no door; but inside, if this is but the back of it, it is of great extent and holds some secret. We shall make a discovery tonight, O Jafar.

JAFAR Master, we have been warned of danger!

(A basket comes down.)

CALIPH Danger? What care I?

(Sits in the basket, and is drawn up.)

JAFAR Eh, Masrur, I could sleep a little.

MASRUR You would wake in paradise if the Caliph heard you, Jafar.

(MASRUR waves his sword dexterously near JAFAR's neck.)

JAFAR (As he ascends into the basket, pointing to Masrur's sword) The path to Paradise is narrow and s.h.i.+ny, O Masrur.

MASRUR (With the grim motion of the sword) Ya, Jafar, it is a short cut.