Read Ebook: A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments Now Entituled the Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume 07 (of 17) by Burton Richard Francis Sir Translator

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Ebook has 1394 lines and 181877 words, and 28 pages

OF THE SEVENTH VOLUME.

PAGE

CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF GHARIB AND HIS BROTHER AJIB 1

OTBAH AND RAYYA 91

HIND DAUGHTER OF AL-NU'MAN AND AL-HAJJAJ 96

KHUZAYMAH BIN BISHR AND IKRIMAH AL-FAYYAZ 99

YUNUS THE SCRIBE AND THE CALIPH WALID BIN SAHL 104

HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE ARAB GIRL 108

AL-ASMA'I AND THE THREE GIRLS OF BASSORAH 110

IBRAHIM OF MOSUL AND THE DEVIL 113

THE LOVERS OF THE BANU UZRAH 117

THE BADAWI AND HIS WIFE 124

THE LOVERS OF BASSORAH 130

ISHAK OF MOSUL AND HIS MISTRESS AND THE DEVIL 136

THE LOVERS OF AL-MEDINAH 139

AL-MALIK AL-NASIR AND HIS WAZIR 142

THE ROGUERIES OF DALILAH THE CRAFTY AND HER DAUGHTER ZAYNAB THE CONEY-CATCHER 144

THE ADVENTURES OF MERCURY ALI OF CAIRO 172

ARDASHIR AND HAYAT AL-NUFUS 209

JULNAR THE SEA-BORN AND HER SON KING BADR BASIM OF PERSIA 264

KING MOHAMMED BIN SABAIK AND THE MERCHANT HASAN 308

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fortieth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-first Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-second Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-third Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Jaland sent Jawamard with his army to Cufa, they came upon a Wady abounding in trees and rills where a halt was called and they rested till the middle of the night, when the Wazir gave the signal for departure and mounting, rode on before them till hard upon dawn, at which time he descended into a well-wooded valley, whose flowers were fragrant and whose birds warbled on boughs, as they swayed gracefully to and fro, and Satan blew into his sides and puffed him up with pride and he improvised these couplets and cried:--

I plunge with my braves in the seething sea; ? Seize the foe in my strength and my valiancy; And the doughtiest knights wot me well to be ? Friend to friend and fierce foe to mine enemy. I will load Gharib with the captive's chains ? Right soon, and return in all joy and glee; For I've donned my mail and my weapons wield ? And on all sides charge at the chivalry.

Hardly had Jawamard made an end of his verses when there came out upon him from among the trees a horseman of terrible mien covered and clad in steely sheen, who cried out to him, saying, "Stand, O riff-raff of the Arabs! Doff thy dress and ground thine arms-gear and dismount thy destrier and be off with thy life!" When Jawamard heard this, the light in his eyes became darkest night and he drew his sabre and drove at Jamrkan, for he it was, saying, "O thief of the Arabs, wilt thou cut the road for me, who am captain of the host of Jaland bin Karkar and am come to bring Gharib and his men in bond?" When Jamrkan heard these words, he said, "How cooling is this to my heart and liver!" And he made at Jawamard versifying in these couplets:--

I'm the noted knight in the field of fight, ? Whose sabre and spear every foe affright! Jamrkan am I, to my foes a fear, ? With a lance-lunge known unto every knight: Gharib is my lord, nay my pontiff, my prince, ? Where the two hosts dash very lion of might: An Imam of the Faith, pious, striking awe ? On the plain where his foes like the fawn take flight; Whose voice bids folk to the faith of the Friend, ? False, doubling idols and gods despite!

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jamrkan in his battle with Jawamard slew him and slew his men; and, after taking many prisoners and much money and many horses and loads, sent them with an escort of a thousand riders, to Cufa city. Then he and the army of Al-Islam dismounted and expounded The saving Faith to the prisoners, who made profession with heart and tongue; whereupon they released them from bonds and embraced them and rejoiced in them. Then Jamrkan made his troops, who had swelled to a mighty many, rest a day and a night and marched with the dawn, intending to attack Jaland bin Karkar in the city of Oman; whilst the thousand horse fared back to Cufa with the loot. When they reached the city, they went in to King Gharib and told him what had passed, whereat he rejoiced and gave them joy and, turning to the Ghul of the Mountain, said, "Take horse with twenty thousand and follow Jamrkan." So Sa'adan and his sons mounted and set out, amid twenty thousand horse for Oman. Meanwhile, the fugitives of the defeated Kafirs reached Oman and went in to Jaland, weeping and crying, "Woe!" and "Ruin!" whereat he was confounded and said to them, "What calamity hath befallen you?" So they told him what had happened and he said, "Woe to you! How many men were they?" They replied, "O King, there were twenty standards, under each a thousand men." When Jaland heard these words he said, "May the sun pour no blessing on you! Fie upon you! What, shall twenty thousand overcome you, and you seventy thousand horse and Jawamard able to withstand three thousand in field of fight?" Then, in the excess of his rage and mortification, he bared his blade and cried out to those who were present, saying, "Fall on them!" So the courtiers drew their swords upon the fugitives and annihilated them to the last man and cast them to the dogs. Then Jaland cried aloud to his son, saying, "Take an hundred thousand horse and go to Al-Irak and lay it waste altogether." Now this son's name was K?raj?n and there was no doughtier knight in all the force; for he could charge single-handed three thousand riders. So he and his host made haste to equip themselves and marched in battle-array, rank following rank, with the Prince at their head, glorying in himself and improvising these couplets:--

I'm Al-Kurajan, and my name is known ? To beat all who in wold or in city wone! How many a soldier my sword at will ? Struck down like a cow on the ground bestrown? How many a soldier I've forced to fly ? And have rolled their heads as a ball is thrown? Now I'll drive and harry the land Irak ? And like rain I'll shower the blood of fone; And lay hands on Gharib and his men, whose doom ? To the wise a warning shall soon be shown!

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Jamrkan fell upon them with his men and steeds and camels, and the camp lay sleeping, the idolaters started up in confusion and, snatching up their arms, fell upon one another with smiting, till the most part was slaughtered. And when the day broke, they looked and found no Moslem slain, but saw them all on horseback, armed and armoured; wherefore they knew that this was a sleight which had been played upon them, and Kurajan cried out to the remnant of his folk, "O sons of whores, what we had a mind to do with them, that have they done with us and their craft hath gotten the better of our cunning." And they were about to charge when, lo and behold! a cloud of dust rose high and walled the horizon-sky, when the wind smote it, so that it spired aloft and spread pavilion-wise in the lift and there it hung; and presently appeared beneath it the glint of helmet and gleam of hauberk and splendid warriors, baldrick'd with their tempered swords and holding in rest their supple spears. When the Kafirs saw this, they held back from the battle and each army sent out, to know the meaning of this dust, scouts, who returned with the news that it was an army of Moslems. Now this was the host of the Mountain-Ghul whom Gharib had despatched to Jamrkan's aid, and Sa'adan himself rode in their van. So the two hosts of the True Believers joined company and rushing upon the Paynimry like a flame of fire, plied them with keen sword and Rudaynian spear and quivering lance, what while day was darkened and eyes for the much dust starkened. The valiant stood fast and the faint-hearted coward fled and to the wilds and the wolds swift sped, whilst the blood over earth was like torrents shed; nor did they cease from fight till the day took flight and in gloom came the night. Then the Moslems drew apart from the Miscreants and returned to their tents, where they ate and slept, till the darkness fled away and gave place to smiling day; when they prayed the dawn-prayer and mounted to battle. Now Kurajan had said to his men as they drew off from fight , "O folk, to-morrow, I will champion it in the stead of war where cut and thrust jar, and where braves push and wheel I will take the field." So, as soon as light was seen and morn appeared with its shine and sheen, took horse the hosts twain and shouted their slogans amain and bared the brand and hent lance in hand and in ranks took stand. The first to open the door of war was Kurajan, who cried out, saying, "Let no coward come out to me this day nor craven!" Whereupon Jamrkan and Sa'adan stood by the colours, but there ran at him a captain of the Banu Amir and the two drave each at other awhile, like two rams butting. Presently Kurajan seized the Moslem by the jerkin under his hauberk and, dragging him from his saddle, dashed him to the ground where he left him; upon which the Kafirs laid hands on him and bound him and bore him off to their tents; whilst Kurajan wheeled about and careered and offered battle, till another captain came out, whom also he took prisoner; nor did he leave to do thus till he had made prize of seven captains before mid-day. Then Jamrkan cried out with so mighty a cry, that the whole field made reply and heard it the armies twain, and ran at Kurajan with a heart in rageful pain, improvising these couplets:--

Jamrkan am I! and a man of might, ? Whom the warriors fear with a sore affright: I waste the forts and I leave the walls ? To wail and weep for the wights I smite: Then, O Kurajan, tread the rightful road ? And quit the paths of thy foul unright: Own the One True God, who dispread the skies ? And made founts to flow and the hills pegged tight: An the slave embrace the True Faith, he'll 'scape ? Hell-pains and in Heaven be deckt and dight!

When Kurajan heard these words, he snarked and snorted and foully abused the sun and the moon and drave at Jamrkan, versifying with these couplets:--

I'm Kurajan, of this age the knight; ? And my shade to the lions of Shara' is blight: I storm the forts and snare kings of beasts ? And warriors fear me in field of fight; Then, Harkye Jamrkan, if thou doubt my word, ? Come forth to the combat and try my might!

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fiftieth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-first Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-second Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-third Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,

Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,

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