The Thousand and One Nights Volume I Part 47

Now to return to the lady Dunya.--Desire overcame her, and her rapture and distraction increased; so she said to the old woman, I know not how to obtain an interview with this young man but through thy means. The old woman exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed!

Thou hast no desire for men; and how, then, have fears affected thee in consequence of the love of him? But, by Allah, none other than he is suited to thy youth.--O my nurse, rejoined the lady Dunya, a.s.sist me to obtain an interview with him, and thou shalt receive from me a thousand pieces of gold, and a dress of the same value: if thou a.s.sist me not to gain him, I shall die inevitably. So the old woman replied, Go thou to thy palace, and I will devise means to bring you together, and give my life to satisfy you both. The lady Dunya then returned to her palace, while the old woman repaired to Taj-el-Mulook; and when he saw her, he rose to her, and stood, and received her with respect and honour, seating her by his side; and she said to him, The stratagem hath succeeded. She then related to him what had occurred between her and the lady Dunya; and he said to her, When shall be the interview? She answered, To-morrow. And he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a garment of the same value: and she took them, and departed, and stopped not until she went in to the lady Dunya, who said to her, O my nurse, what news hast thou brought from the beloved?--I have discovered his abode, she answered; and to-morrow I will bring him to thee. And at this the lady Dunya rejoiced, and gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a garment of the same value; and she took them, and returned to her house.

She pa.s.sed the next night, and in the morning she went forth and repaired to Taj-el-Mulook, and, having clad him in women's apparel, said to him, Walk behind me, and incline thy body from side to side as thou steppest,[VIII_65] and proceed not with a hasty pace, nor take notice of any one who may speak to thee. And after she had thus charged him, she went forth, and he behind her in his female attire; and she proceeded to instruct him, on the way, how to act, that he might not fear. She continued on her way, he following her, until they arrived at the entrance of the palace, when she entered, and he also after her, and she pa.s.sed through successive doors and antechambers until she had conducted him through seven doors. And when she arrived at the seventh door, she said to Taj-el-Mulook, Fortify thy heart, and if I call out to thee, and say to thee, O slave-girl, advance!--be not tardy in thy pace, but hasten on, and when thou hast entered the antechamber beyond, look to thy left: thou wilt see a saloon with seven doors; and do thou count five doors, and enter the sixth; for within it is the object of thy desire.--And whither goest _thou_? said Taj-el-Mulook. She answered, I have no place to go to; but perhaps I may wait after thee and speak with the chief eunuch. She then proceeded, and he followed her, until they arrived at the door where was the chief eunuch; and he saw with her Taj-el-Mulook in the attire of a female slave, and said to her, What is the business of this slave-girl who is with thee? She answered him, The lady Dunya hath heard that this girl is skilled in different kinds of work, and she desireth to purchase her. But the eunuch replied, I know neither slave-girl nor any other person; and no one shall enter without being searched by me, as the King hath commanded me. Upon this, the old woman, manifesting anger, said to him, I knew that thou wast a man of sense and of good manners; and if thou art changed I will acquaint her with this, and inform her that thou hast offered opposition to her female slave. She then called out to Taj-el-Mulook, and said to him, Advance, O slave-girl! And immediately he entered the antechamber, as she had commanded him, and the eunuch was silent, and said no more. So Taj-el-Mulook counted five doors, and entered the sixth, and found the lady Dunya standing expecting him.

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As soon as she beheld him, she knew him, and pressed him to her bosom, and he embraced her in like manner; and the old woman, coming in to them, contrived a pretext to dismiss the female slaves; after which the lady Dunya said to her, Be thou keeper of the door. She then remained alone with Taj-el-Mulook, and they pa.s.sed the whole night in innocent dalliance.[VIII_66] And on the following morning she closed the door upon him and the old woman, and entering another apartment, sat there according to her custom; and her female slaves came to her, and she transacted their affairs and conversed with them, and then said to them, Go forth from me now; for I desire to amuse myself in solitude. So they left her, and she returned to Taj-el-Mulook and the old woman, taking with her some food for them; and thus they ceased not to do for a whole month.

As to the Wezeer, however, and 'Azeez, when Taj-el-Mulook had gone to the palace of the King's daughter and remained all this time, they concluded that he would never return from it, and that he was inevitably lost; and 'Azeez said to the Wezeer, O my father, what wilt thou do? The Wezeer answered, O my son, this affair is one of difficulty, and if we return not to his father to acquaint him, he will blame us for our negligence. So they prepared themselves immediately, and journeyed towards El-Ar? el-Kha?ra and El-'Amoodeyn[VIII_67] and the royal residence of the King Suleyman Shah, and traversed the valleys night and day until they went in and presented themselves before the King Suleyman Shah; and they informed him of that which had happened to his son, and that they had learnt no news of him since he had entered the palace of the King's daughter. On hearing this, he was as though the day of resurrection had surprised him: his sorrow was intense, and he gave orders to make a proclamation of war throughout his dominions. He then sent forth his troops outside the city, and caused the tents to be pitched for them, and remained in his pavilion until the forces had a.s.sembled from all the quarters of his kingdom. His subjects loved him for his great justice and beneficence, and he departed with an army that covered the earth as far as the eye could reach, for the purpose of demanding his son Taj-el-Mulook.

In the meantime, Taj-el-Mulook and the lady Dunya continued together for half a year, every day increasing in mutual love; and the love and distraction and rapture of Taj-el-Mulook so augmented that he opened to her his mind, and said to her, Know, O beloved of my heart, that the longer I remain with thee, the more do my distraction and ecstasy and desire increase; for I have not altogether attained my wish. So she said, What dost thou wish, O light of my eye, and delight of my heart?

He answered, I desire to acquaint thee with my true history: know, then, that I am not a merchant, but a King, son of a King, and the name of my father is the Supreme King Suleyman Shah, who sent the Wezeer as amba.s.sador to thy father to demand thee for me in marriage; and when the news came to thee thou refusedst to consent.--He then related to her his story from first to last; and added, I desire now to repair to my father, that he may send an amba.s.sador again to thy father, to demand thee in marriage from him, and so we shall remain at ease.--And when she heard this, she rejoiced exceedingly: for it coincided with her wish; and they pa.s.sed the next night determined upon this proceeding.

But it happened, in accordance with destiny, that sleep overcame them unusually that night, and they remained until the sun had risen. The King Shah-Zeman was then upon his royal seat, with the emeers of his empire before him, and the chief of the goldsmiths presented himself, having in his hand a large round casket: and he advanced, and, opening it before the King, took forth from it an elegant box worth a hundred thousand pieces of gold for the jewels it contained, and rubies and emeralds, such as no King of the earth could procure. And when the King saw it, he wondered at its beauty; and he looked towards the chief eunuch, to whom the affair with the old woman had happened (as above described), and said to him, O Kafoor,[VIII_68] take this box, and go with it to the lady Dunya. So the eunuch took it, and proceeded until he arrived at the chamber of the King's daughter, when he found its door closed, and the old woman sleeping at its threshold, and he exclaimed, Until this hour are ye sleeping? And when the old woman heard what he said, she awoke from her sleep, and, in her fear of him, said, Wait until I bring the key. She then went forth and fled. The eunuch, therefore, knew that she was alarmed, and he displaced the door,[VIII_69] and, entering the chamber, found the lady Dunya asleep with Taj-el-Mulook. At the sight of this, he was perplexed at his case, and was meditating to return to the King, when the lady Dunya awoke, and found him by her; and she was troubled, and her countenance became pale, and she said, O Kafoor, veil what G.o.d hath veiled. But he replied, I cannot conceal anything from the King. And he closed the door upon them, and returned to the King. So the King said to him, Hast thou given the box to thy mistress? The eunuch answered, Take the box: here it is. I cannot conceal from thee anything. Know that I beheld, with the lady Dunya, a handsome young man, sleeping in the same chamber. The King therefore ordered that they should be both brought before him; and when they had come into his presence, he said to them, What are these deeds?

And he was violently enraged, and, seizing a dagger,[VIII_70] was about to strike with it Taj-el-Mulook; but the lady Dunya threw her head upon him, and said to her father, Slay me before him. The King, however, chid her, and ordered them to convey her back to her chamber. Then looking towards Taj-el-Mulook, he said to him, Wo to thee! Whence art thou, and who is thy father, and what hath emboldened thee to act thus towards my daughter?--Know, O King, answered Taj-el-Mulook, that, if thou put me to death, thou wilt perish, and thou and all in thy dominions will repent.--And why so? said the King. He answered, Know that I am the son of the King Suleyman Shah, and thou wilt not be aware of the consequence when he will approach thee with his hors.e.m.e.n and his infantry. And when King Shah-Zeman heard this, he desired to defer putting him to death; and to imprison him until he should see whether his a.s.sertion were true; but his Wezeer said to him, O King of the age, it is my advice that thou hasten the execution of this young wretch, since he hath been guilty of presumption towards the daughters of Kings.

So he said to the executioner, Strike off his head; for he is a traitor.

And the executioner took him, and, having bound him firmly, raised his hand, and made a sign of consultation to the emeers a first and a second time, desiring by this that some delay might take place; but the King called out to him, How long wilt thou consult? If thou do so again I will strike off thy head.

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The executioner, therefore, raised his hand until his arm-pit appeared, and was about to strike off his head, when loud cries were heard, and, the people closed their shops. So the King said to the executioner, Hasten not. And he sent a person to learn the news for him; and the messenger went, and, soon returning, said to the King, I beheld an army like the roaring sea agitated with waves; their horses are prancing, and the earth trembleth beneath them, and I know not wherefore they are come. And the King was amazed, and feared lest he should be deposed from his throne. He then said to his Wezeer, Have none of our troops gone forth to meet this army? But his words were not finished when his chamberlains came in to him accompanied by the messengers of the approaching King, and among them was the Wezeer who had been with Taj-el-Mulook. He commenced by salutation; and the King rose to him, and, calling them near to him, asked them respecting the cause of their coming: whereupon the Wezeer advanced from among them, and approached the King, and said to him, Know that he who hath alighted in thy territories is a King not like the Kings who have preceded him, nor like the Sul?ans of former times.--And who is he? said the King. The Wezeer answered, He is the lord of justice and security, the fame of whose magnanimity the caravans have spread abroad, the Sul?an Suleyman Shah, the lord of El-Ar? el-Kha?ra and El-'Amoodeyn and the mountains of I?pahan, who loveth justice and equity, and hateth tyranny and oppression; and he saith to thee, that his son is in thy dominions and in thy city, and he is the vital spirit of his heart, and its delight; and if he find him in safety, it is what he desireth, and thou wilt be thanked and praised; but if he be not found in thy country, or if any evil hath befallen him, receive tidings of destruction and of the ruin of thy territories; for thy country shall become a desert in which the raven shall croak. Thus I have delivered to thee the message; and peace be on thee.--When the King Shah-Zeman heard these words of the envoy, his heart was troubled, and he feared for his kingdom, and called out to the lords of his empire, and his wezeers and chamberlains and lieutenants; and when they had come before him he said to them, Wo unto you! Go down and search for this young man.--But he was under the hand of the executioner, and his appearance was changed through the fear that he suffered. The Wezeer then, looking aside, found the King's son upon the skin of blood,[VIII_71] and he recognised him, and arose, and threw himself upon him. So also did the other messengers: they then unbound him, and kissed his hands and his feet; whereupon Taj-el-Mulook opened his eyes, and, recognising the Wezeer and his companion 'Azeez, fell down in a swoon through the excess of his joy at their presence.

The King Shah-Zeman was perplexed at his situation, and in great fear, on discovering that the coming of the army was on account of this young man; and he arose and walked forward to Taj-el-Mulook, and kissed his head, and, with weeping eyes, said to him, O my son, be not angry with me: be not angry with the evil-doer for his deed; but have compa.s.sion on my gray hairs, and lay not waste my dominions. And Taj-el-Mulook approached him, and kissed his hand, saying to him, No harm shall befall thee; for thou art in my estimation as my father; but beware that no evil befall my beloved, the lady Dunya.--O my lord, rejoined the King, fear not for her; for nought but happiness awaiteth her. And he proceeded to excuse himself to him, and to soothe the mind of the Wezeer of the King Suleyman Shah, promising him a large sum of money that he might conceal from the King what he had seen; after which he ordered the grandees of his empire to take Taj-el-Mulook and to conduct him to the bath, to clothe him in a suit of the best of royal apparel, and bring him back quickly. So they did this: they conducted him into the bath, and, having clad him in the suit which the King Shah-Zeman had allotted him, brought him back to the hall of audience; and when he came in, the King rose to him, he and all the lords of his empire, and they all stood to wait upon him. Then Taj-el-Mulook sat and conversed with his father's Wezeer and with 'Azeez respecting the events which had happened to him; and they replied, During that period we went to thy father, and informed him that thou hadst entered the palace of the King's daughter, and not come forth from it, and that thy case appeared doubtful to us; and when he heard this, he made ready the troops, and we came to this country, and on our arrival have experienced joy and happiness. So he said to them, Good fortune hath attended your actions, first and last.

The King, in the meantime, had gone into his daughter, the lady Dunya, and found her weeping for Taj-el-Mulook. She had taken a sword, and put its hilt to the floor, and its point to the middle of her bosom, and was leaning over it, saying, I must kill myself, and not live after my beloved. When her father, therefore, went in to her, and beheld her in this state, he called out to her, and said, O mistress of the daughters of Kings, do it not; but have mercy upon thy father and the people of thy country! Then advancing to her, he said to her, I conjure thee to abstain, lest evil befall thy father on thy account. And he acquainted her with the case, telling her that her beloved, the son of the King Suleyman Shah, desired to celebrate his marriage with her, and adding, The affair of the betrothal and marriage is committed to thy judgment.

And she smiled, and said to him, Did I not tell thee that he was the son of a Sul?an? I will make him crucify thee upon a piece of wood worth a couple of pieces of silver. I conjure thee by Allah, he exclaimed, that thou have mercy upon thy father!--Go to him, she rejoined, and bring him to me. He replied, On the head and the eye. And he returned from her quickly, and, going in to Taj-el-Mulook, rejoiced him by what he said.

He then arose with him, and went to her again; and when she beheld Taj-el-Mulook, she embraced him in the presence of her father, and clung to him, and said to him, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence.

Then looking at her father, she said, Can any one act injuriously towards such a person as this handsome youth, and he a King, a son of a King? And upon this the King Shah-Zeman went forth, and closed the door upon them, and, repairing to the Wezeer and the other messengers of the father of Taj-el-Mulook, ordered them to inform the Sul?an Suleyman Shah that his son was in prosperity and health, and enjoying a life of the utmost delight. He gave orders also to carry forth provisions and pay to the troops of the Sul?an Suleyman Shah; and after they had conveyed all that he commanded them to take forth, he brought out a hundred coursers, and a hundred dromedaries, and a hundred memlooks, and a hundred concubine slaves, and a hundred male black slaves, and a hundred female slaves, and sent them all to him as a present.

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He then repaired to him, with the lords of his empire, and his chief attendants, and they proceeded until they arrived outside the city; and when the Sul?an Suleyman Shah became acquainted with this he advanced some paces to meet him. The Wezeer and 'Azeez had informed him of the news, and he rejoiced, and exclaimed, Praise be to G.o.d who hath granted my son the accomplishment of his wis.h.!.+ And he embraced the King Shah-Zeman, and seated him by his side upon the couch, and they conversed together; after which the attendants placed before; them the food, and when they had eaten to satisfaction they brought them the sweetmeats. Soon after, Taj-el-Mulook came, approaching in his rich and ornamented dress; and when his father beheld him, he rose to him and kissed him, and all who were present rose to him; and after he had sat with them a while conversing, the King Suleyman Shah said, I desire to perform my son's contract of marriage to thy daughter in the presence of witnesses. And King Shah-Zeman replied, I hear and obey. So he summoned the ?a?ee and witnesses, and they came, and wrote the marriage-contract; and the troops rejoiced at this. And King Shah-Zeman began to fit out his daughter.

Then Taj-el-Mulook said to his father, Verily, 'Azeez is a generous person; he hath performed for me a great service, and wearied himself, and journeyed with me, and enabled me to attain the object of my search, ceasing not to exhort me to patience until I accomplished my wish, and he hath been with us two years separated from his country: it is my desire, therefore, that we should prepare for him merchandise; for his country is near. His father replied, Thy opinion is excellent. So they prepared for him a hundred loads of the most costly stuffs; and Taj-el-Mulook bade him farewell, saying to him, O my brother, accept this as a present. And he accepted it, and kissed the ground before him and before his father. Taj-el-Mulook then mounted his horse, and proceeded with 'Azeez for the s.p.a.ce of three miles; after which, 'Azeez conjured him to return, and said, Were it not for my mother, I could not endure thy separation; and by Allah, I entreat thee not to cease acquainting me with thy state. Having thus said, he bade him farewell, and repaired to his city. He found that his mother had built for him a tomb in the midst of the house, and she frequently visited it; and when he entered the house, he found that she had dishevelled her hair and spread it upon the tomb, and, with streaming eyes, was reciting these verses:--

By Allah, O tomb, have his charms perished; and hath that brilliant countenance changed?

O tomb, thou art neither a garden nor a firmament: how then can the full moon and flowers be united in thee?

She then groaned, and recited some other verses; but before she had finished, 'Azeez went in to her: and when she beheld him, she rose to him and embraced him, and asked him respecting his long absence: so he acquainted her with all the events that had happened to him from first to last, and told her that Taj-el-Mulook had given him, of wealth and stuffs, a hundred loads; and she rejoiced at this.--Such was the history of 'Azeez.

Now as to Taj-el-Mulook, he returned to his beloved, the lady Dunya, and King Shah-Zeman fitted her out for the journey with her husband and her father-in-law: he sent to them provisions and presents and rarities, and they loaded their beasts and departed; and King Shah-Zeman accompanied them three days' journey to bid them farewell. The King Suleyman Shah then conjured him to return: so he returned; and Taj-el-Mulook and his father and his wife continued their journey night and day until they came in sight of their country. The city was decorated for them, and they entered it; and the King Suleyman Shah sat upon his throne with his son Taj-el-Mulook by his side; and he gave presents, and liberated the persons confined in the prisons; after which he celebrated for his son a second wedding-festivity: the songs and instrumental music were continued for a whole month, and the tire-women crowded around the lady Dunya, and she was not tired with the display, nor were they with gazing at her. Taj-el-Mulook then took up his abode with her, after an interview with his father and mother together; and they pa.s.sed a life of the utmost delight and enjoyment.

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NOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH.

NOTE 1. The next story to that of Ghanim, in my original, is one of very great length, comprising the greater part of the forty-fourth night and extending to the end of the hundred and forty-fifth; but interrupted by the contents of my eighth chapter, which consists of two stories of a very different kind, that appear to have been introduced to relieve its tediousness. With these, it occupies nearly 162 pages, or not much less than an eighth part of the whole work. It is the story of the King 'Omar En-No?man, and his two sons Sharr-kan[360] and ?o-el-Mekan,[361] and his daughter Nuzhet-ez-Zeman,[362] &c. It is entirely a fiction, professedly relating to the first century of the Mohammadan era, "before the reign of the Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan;" and its main subject is a war with two Greek Kings. Taken altogether, I deem it unworthy of a place in the present series of tales; and so much of it depends upon incidents of a most objectionable nature, that I cannot attempt to abridge it; but a pleasant tale might be composed from it by considerable _alterations_.

One of the two stories which I have extracted from it, that of Taj-el-Mulook and the Lady Dunya, bears apparent indications of a Persian origin; but in their present state, the manners and customs &c.

which both exhibit are Arab. The scenes of the events narrated in the story of Taj-el-Mulook are in Persia and, probably, in India; but imaginary names appear to be given to the several kingdoms mentioned in it: the kingdom of El-Ar? el-Kha?ra ("the Green Country") and El-'Amoodeyn (which signifies "the Two Columns") is said to include the mountains of I?pahan, and its locality is thereby sufficiently indicated: that of El-Ar? el-Bey?a ("the White Country") I suppose to be in Persia or India: and as to the Islands of Camphor, I fancy we must be content to consider them vaguely as appertaining to India: the country in which 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh resided is said to have been near to the Islands of Camphor; but their story is perfectly Arab.--The Island of Camphor is also mentioned in the Story of ?asan of El-Ba?rah.

NOTE 2. "El-Medeeneh el-Kha?ra" signifies "the Green City." See the above note.

NOTE 3. "The Compa.s.sionate" is an epithet here applied to G.o.d.

NOTE 4. See the first note in this series.--"Zahr," in Arabic, signifies "a Flower."

NOTE 5.--_On Coats of Mail, and other Armour worn by the Arabs._ The Prophet David is said to have been the first person who manufactured coats of mail; and the cause of his applying himself to the art was this.--"He used to go forth in disguise; and when he found any people who knew him not, he approached them and asked them respecting the conduct of Daood (or David), and they praised him and prayed for him; but one day as he was asking questions respecting himself as usual, G.o.d sent to him an angel in the form of a human being, who said, 'An excellent man were Daood if he did not take from the public treasury:'--whereupon the heart of Daood was contracted, and he begged of G.o.d to render him independent: so He made iron soft to him, and it became in his hands as thread; and he used to sell a coat of mail for four thousand [pieces of money--whether gold or silver is not said], and with part of this he obtained food for himself, and part he gave in alms, and with part he fed his family."[363]--Hence an excellent coat of mail is often called by the Arabs "Daoodee," _i. e._ "Davidean." This kind of armour is worn by some Arabs of the Desert in the present day; but the best specimens, I believe, are mostly found in India. Burckhardt mentions one tribe of Arabs who have about twenty-five; another, two hundred; and two others, between thirty and forty. "The dora [properly dir?] is," he remarks, "of two sorts, one covering the whole body like a long gown from the elbow, over the shoulders, down to the knees: this is the sirgh: the other, called kembaz, covers the body only to the waist; the arms from the elbows downwards being covered with two pieces of steel, fitting into each other, with iron fingers. Thus clad, the Arab completes his armour by putting on his head an iron cap (tas), which is but rarely adorned with feathers. The price of a coat of mail fluctuates from two hundred to fifteen hundred piastres.... Those of the best quality are capable of resisting a ball."[364] The coat of mail is sometimes worn within the ordinary outer tunic.

NOTE 6. This implies that his parents were dead.

NOTE 7.--_On Public Royal Feasts._ On certain periodical festivals, and on other occasions (as those of the kind here described), it has long been, and still is, a custom of Muslim princes to give public feasts to all cla.s.ses of their subjects, in the palace. El-Ma?reezee quotes a curious account of the feasts which were given on the festival following Rama?an to the inhabitants of Cairo, by the Fa?imee Khaleefehs.[365] At the upper end of a large saloon was placed the sereer (or couch) of the monarch, upon which he sat with the Wezeer on his right. Upon this seat was placed a round silver table, with various delicacies, of which they alone ate. Before it, and extending nearly from the seat to the other extremity of the saloon, was set up a kind of table or platform (sima?) of painted wood, resembling a number of benches placed together, ten cubits (or about eighteen or nineteen feet) in width. Along the middle of this were arranged twenty-one enormous dishes, each containing twenty-one baked sheep, three years old, and fat; together with fowls, chickens, and young pigeons, in number three hundred and fifty of each kind; all of which were piled together in an oblong form, to the height of the stature of a man, and enclosed with dry sweetmeat. The s.p.a.ces between these dishes were occupied by nearly five hundred other dishes of earthenware; each of which contained seven fowls, and was filled up with sweetmeats of various kinds. The table was strewn with flowers; and cakes of bread made of the finest flower were arranged along each side. There were also two great edifices of sweetmeats, each weighing seventeen hundred-weights, which were carried thither by porters with shoulder-poles; and one of these was placed at the commencement, and the other at the close, of this sumptuous banquet. When the Khaleefeh and Wezeer had taken their seats upon the couch, the officers of state who were distinguished by neck-rings or collars,[366] and the inferior members of the court, seated themselves in the order of their respective ranks; and when they had eaten, they gave place to others. Two such feasts, given on the festival after Rama?an and on the "great festival,"

cost four thousand deenars, or about two thousand pounds sterling.--Two military officers, named Ibn-Faz and Ed-Deylemee, distinguished themselves at these feasts in a very remarkable manner. Each of them used to eat a baked sheep, and ten fowls dressed with sweetmeats, and ten pounds of sweetmeats besides, and was presented with a quant.i.ty of food carried away from the feast to his house, together with a large sum of money. One of them had been a prisoner at 'As?alan; and after he had remained there some time, the person into whose power he had fallen jestingly told him that if he would eat a calf belonging to him, the flesh of which weighed several hundred-weights, he would emanc.i.p.ate him.

This feat he accomplished, and thus he obtained his liberation.[367]

Several cases of a similar kind to those just mentioned are instanced in a late work. One of a man who, as related by Vopiscus, was brought before the Emperor Maximilian [_sic_], and who devoured a whole calf, and was proceeding to eat up a sheep, but was prevented. Another, of a man who commenced his repast (in the presence of Dr. Boehmen, of Wittenberg,) by eating a raw sheep and a sucking pig, and, by way of dessert, swallowed sixty pounds of prunes, stones and all. A third, of an attendant of the menagerie of the Botanical Garden in Paris, who used to devour all the offals of the Theatre of Comparative Anatomy, and ate a dead lion in one day.[368]

NOTE 8.--_On Litters for Travelling._ The kind of litter borne by mules is generally one resembling the palkee (or palanquin): it is borne by four of these animals, two before and two behind, or by two only, or more commonly by two camels, and sometimes by two horses. When borne by camels, the head of the hindmost of these animals is painfully bent down, under the vehicle. It is the most comfortable kind of litter; and two light persons may travel in it. The name generally given to it is "takhtarawan," or "takht-rawan;" but the term employed in the pa.s.sage to which this note refers is "mi?affeh," which is often used as a general name for a camel-litter, and particularly applied to one with a flat top.--A very common kind of camel-litter, called "musa??a?," or "?eml musa??a?," resembles a small square tent, and is chiefly composed of two long chests, each of which has a high back: these are placed on the camel in the same manner as a pair of panniers, one on each side; and the high backs, which are placed outwards, together with a small pole resting on the camel's pack-saddle, support the covering which forms what may be called the tent. This vehicle accommodates two persons. It is generally open at the front; and may also be opened at the back.

Though it appears comfortable, the motion is uneasy; especially when it is placed upon a camel that has been accustomed to carry heavy burdens: but camels of easy pace are generally chosen for bearing litters.--Another kind of litter, called "s.h.i.+breeyeh," is composed of a small square platform with an arched covering. This accommodates but one person; and is placed on the back of the camel: two sa??arahs (or square camel-chests), one on each side of the animal, generally form a foundation for it.--The musa??a? and s.h.i.+breeyeh (but particularly the latter) are also called "hodaj."

NOTE 9. See Note 43 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 10. See Note 54 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 11. "Taj-el-Mulook" signifies "the Crown of the Kings."

NOTE 12. Lynxes were often employed in the chase in Arabian and other Eastern countries in former times; but I do not know if they are at present. See Note 24 to Chapter ii.

NOTE 13. By this word are meant "oblong, cylindrical, hollow beads:"

"?a?abeh" signifying originally "a reed," "cane," &c.

NOTE 14. The words "who hath taught men," &c., are from the ?ur-an, ch.

xcvi. v. 5.

NOTE 15. "'Azeez" and "'Azeezeh" (masculine and feminine) signify "Dear," "Excellent," &c.

NOTE 16. The handkerchief is generally oblong, and each of its two ends is embroidered with a border of coloured silks and gold; the other two edges being plain.

NOTE 17. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note, that this sign may allude to her heart, or to her sighing because she enjoys not the union she desires (as expressed immediately after); and that the latter is more probable, as the action is one common with persons in grief.

NOTE 18.--_On Conversing and Corresponding by means of Signs, Emblems, Metaphors, &c._ Many persons of the instructed cla.s.ses, and some others, among the Arabs, often take delight, and shew much ingenuity and quickness of apprehension, in conversing and corresponding by means of signs, emblems, &c., or in a conventional, metaphorical, language, not understood by the vulgar in general, and sometimes not by any except the parties engaged in the intercourse. In some cases, when the main metaphor employed is understood, the rest of the conversation becomes easily intelligible without any previous explanation; and I have occasionally succeeded in carrying on a conversation of this kind (though not in cases such as that described in the tale referred to by this note); but I have more frequently been unsuccessful in attempting to divine the nature of a topic in which other persons were engaged. One simple mode of secret conversation or correspondence is by subst.i.tuting certain letters for other letters.

Many of the women are said to be adepts in this art, or science, and to convey messages, declarations of love, &c., by means of fruits, flowers, and other emblems. The inability of numbers of females in families of the middle cla.s.ses to write or read, as well as the difficulty or impossibility frequently existing of conveying written letters, may have given rise to such modes of communication. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, in one of her charming letters from the East, has gratified our curiosity by a Turkish love-letter of this kind.[369] A specimen of one from an Arab, with its answer, may be here added.--An Arab lover sent to his mistress a fan, a bunch of flowers, a silk ta.s.sel, some sugar-candy, and a piece of a chord of a musical instrument; and she returned for answer a piece of an aloe-plant, three black c.u.min-seeds, and a piece of a plant used in was.h.i.+ng.[370] His communication is thus interpreted:--The fan, being called "mirwa?ah," a word derived from a root which has among its meanings that of "going to any place in the evening," signified his wish to pay her an evening visit: the flowers, that the interview should be in her garden: the ta.s.sel, being called "shurrabeh," that they should have sharab[371] (or wine): the sugar-candy, being termed "sukkar nebat," and "nebat" also signifying "we will pa.s.s the night," denoted his desire to remain in her company until the morning: and the piece of a chord, that they should be entertained by music. The interpretation of her answer is as follows:--The piece of an aloe-plant, which is called "?abbarah" (from "?abr," which signifies "patience"--because it will live for many months together without water), implied that he must wait: the three black c.u.min-seeds explained to him that the period of delay should be three nights: and the plant used in was.h.i.+ng informed him that she should then have gone to the bath, and would meet him.[372]--I have omitted one symbol in the lady's answer, as it conveys an allusion not so consistent with European as with Arab notions of female delicacy.

The language of flowers employed by the Turks does not exactly agree with the system ill.u.s.trated in the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh; for the former consists of a collection of words and phrases or sentences which rhyme with the names of the objects used as the signs.[373] This system is also employed by the Arabs; but I believe not so commonly as the other.