There was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long
gone before, a King of the Kings of the Persians, by name
Mohammed bin Sabáik, who ruled over Khorásán-land and used
every year to go on razzia into the countries of the
Miscreants in Hind and Sind and China and the lands of
Máwarannahr beyond the Oxus and other regions of the
barbarians and what not else. He was a just King, a valiant
and a generous, and loved table-talk
[FN#349] and tales and
verses and anecdotes and histories and entertaining stories
and legends of the ancients. Whoso knew a rare recital and
related it to him in such fashion as to please him he would
bestow on him a sumptuous robe of honour and clothe him from
head to foot and give him a thousand dinars, and mount him on
a horse saddled and bridled besides other great gifts; and the
man would take all this and wend his way. Now it chanced that
one day there came an old man before him and related to him a
rare story, which pleased the King and made him marvel, so he
ordered him a magnificent present, amongst other things a
thousand dinars of Khorasan and a horse with its housings and
trappings. After this, the bruit of the King's munificence was
blazed abroad in all countries and there heard of him a man,
Hasan the Merchant hight, who was a generous, open-handed and
learned, a scholar and an accomplished poet. Now the King had
an envious Wazir, a multum-in-parvo of ill, loving no man,
rich nor poor, and whoso came before the King and he gave him
aught he envied him and said, "Verily, this fashion
annihilateth wealth and ruineth the land; and such is the
custom of the King." But this was naught save envy and despite
in that Minister. Presently the King heard talk of Hasan the
Merchant and sending for him, said to him as soon as he came
into the presence, "O Merchant Hasan, this Wazir of mine
vexeth and thwarteth me concerning the money I give to poets
and boon-companions and story-tellers and glee-men, and I
would have thee tell me a goodly history and a rare story,
such as I have never before heard. An it please me, I will
give thee lands galore, with their forts, in free tenure, in
addition to thy fiefs and untaxed lands; besides which I will
put my whole kingdom in thy hands and make thee my Chief
Wazir; so shalt thy sit on my right hand and rule my subjects.
But an thou bring me not that which I bid thee, I will take
all that is thy hand and banish thee my realm." Replied Hasan,
"Hearkening and obedience to our lord the King! But thy slave
beseecheth thee to have patience with him a year; then will he
tell thee a tale, such as thou hast never in thy life heard,
neither hath other than thou heard its like, not to say a
better than it." Quoth the King, "I grant thee a whole year's
delay." And he called for a costly robe of honour wherein he
robed Hasan, saying, "Keep thy house and mount not horse,
neither go nor come for a year's time, till thou bring me that
I seek of thee. An thou bring it, especial favour awaiteth
thee and thou mayst count upon that which I have promised
thee; but an thou bring it not, thou art not of us nor are we
of thee."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
King Mohammed son of Sabaik said to Hasan the Merchant, "An
thou bring me that I seek of thee, especial favour awaiteth
thee and thou mayest now rejoice in that which I have promised
thee; but, an thou bring it not, thou art not of us nor are we
of thee." Hasan kissed ground before the King and went out
from the presence. Then he chose five of the best of his
Mamelukes, who could all write and read and were learned,
intelligent, accomplished; and he gave each of them five
thousand dinars, saying, "I reared you not save for the like
of this day; so do ye help me to further the King's desire and
deliver me from his hand." Quoth they, "What wilt thou have us
do? Our lives be thy ransom!" Quoth he, "I wish you to go each
to a different country and seek out diligently the learned and
erudite and literate and the tellers of wondrous stories and
marvellous histories and do your endeavour to procure me the
story of Sayf al-Mulúk. If ye find it with any one, pay him
what price soever he asketh for it although he demand a
thousand dinars; give him what ye may and promise him the rest
and bring me the story; for whoso happeneth on it and bringeth
it to me, I will bestow on him a costly robe of honour and
largesse galore, and there shall be to me none more worshipped
than he." Then said he to one of them, "Hie thou to Al-Hind
and Al-Sind and all their provinces and dependencies." To
another, "Hie thou to the home of the Persians and to China
and her climates." To the third, "Hie thou to the land of
Khorasan with its districts." To the fourth, "Hie thou to
Mauritania and all its regions, districts, provinces and
quarters." And to the fifth, "Hie thou to Syria and Egypt and
their outliers." Moreover, he chose them out an auspicious day
and said to them, "Fare ye forth this day and be diligent in
the accomplishment of my need and be not slothful, though the
case cost you your lives." So they farewelled him and
departed, each taking the direction perscribed to him. Now,
four of them were absent four months, and searched but found
nothing; so they returned and told their master, whose breast
was straitened, that they had ransacked towns and cities and
countries for the thing he sought, but had happened upon
naught thereof. Meanwhile, the fifth servant journeyed till he
came to the land of Syria and entered Damascus, which he found
a pleasant city and a secure, abounding in trees and rills,
leas and fruiteries and birds chanting the praises of Allah
the One, the All-powerful of sway, Creator of Night and Day.
Here he tarried some time, asking for his master's desire, but
non answered him, wherefore he was on the point of departing
thence to another place, when he met a young man running and
stumbling over his skirts. So he asked of him, "Wherefore
runnest thou in such eagerness and whither dost thou press?"
And he answered, "There is an elder here, a man of learning,
who every day at this time taketh his seat on a stool
[FN#350]
and relateth tales and stories and delectable anecdotes,
whereof never heard any the like; and I am running to get me a
place near him and fear I shall find no room, because of the
much folk." Quoth the Mameluke, "Take me with thee;" and quoth
the youth, "Make haste in thy walking." So he shut his door
and hastened with him to the place of recitation, where he saw
an old man of bright favour seated on a stool holding forth to
the folk. He sat down near him and addressed himself to hear
his story, till the going down of the sun, when the old man
made an end of his tale and the people, having heard it all,
dispersed from about him; whereupon the Mameluke accosted him
and saluted him, and he returned his salam and greeted him
with the utmost worship and courtesy. Then said the messenger
to him, "O my lord Shaykh, thou art a comely and reverend man,
and thy discourse is goodly; but I would fain ask thee of
somewhat." Replied the old man, "Ask of what thou wilt!" Then
said the Mameluke, "Hast thou the story of Sayf al-Muluk and
Badí'a al-Jamál?" Rejoined the elder, "And who told thee of
this story and informed thee thereof?" Answered the messenger,
"None told me of it, but I am come from a far country, in
quest of this tale, and I will pay thee whatever thou askest
for its price if thou have it and wilt, of thy bounty and
charity, impart it to me and make it an alms to me, of the
generosity of thy nature for, had I my life in my hand and
lavished it upon thee for this thing, yet were it pleasing to
my heart." Replied the old man, "Be of good cheer and keep
thine eye cool and clear: thou shalt have it; but this is no
story that one telleth in the beaten highway, nor do I give it
to every one." Cried the other, "By Allah, O my lord, do not
grudge it me, but ask of me what price thou wilt." And the old
man, "If thou wish for the history give me an hundred dinars
and thou shalt have it; but upon five conditions." Now when
the Mameluke knew that the old man had the story and was
willing to sell it to him, he joyed with exceeding joy and
said, "I will give thee the hundred dinars by way of price and
ten to boot as a gratuity and take it on the conditions of
which thou speakest." Said the old man, "Then go and fetch the
gold pieces, and take that thou seekest." So the messenger
kissed his hands and joyful and happy returned to his lodging,
where he laid an hundred and ten dinars
[FN#351] in a purse he
had by him. As soon as morning morrowed, he donned his clothes
and taking the dinars, repaired to the story-teller, whom he
found seated at the door of his house. So he saluted him and
the other returned his salam. Then he gave him the gold and
the old man took it and carrying the messenger into his house
made him sit down in a convenient place, when he set before
him ink-case and reed-pen and paper and giving him a book,
said to him, "Write out what thou seekest of the
night-story
[FN#352] of Sayf al-Muluk from this book."
Accordingly the Mameluke fell to work and wrote till he had
made an end of his copy, when he read it to the old man, and
he corrected it and presently said to him, "Know, O my son,
that my five conditions are as follows; firstly, that thou
tell not this story in the beaten high road nor before women
and slave-girls nor to black slaves nor feather-heads; nor
again to boys; but read it only before Kings and Emirs and
Wazirs and men of learning, such as expounders of the Koran
and others." Thereupon the messenger accepted the conditions
and kissing the old man'shand, took leave of him, and fared
forth.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
when the Mameluke of Hasan the Merchant had copied the tale
out of the book belonging to the old man of Damascus, and had
accepted his conditions and farewelled him, he fared forth on
the same day, glad and joyful, and journeyed on diligently, of
the excess of his contentment, for that he had gotten the
story of Sayf al-Muluk, till he came to his own country, when
he despatched his servant to bear the good news to his master
and say to him, "Thy Mameluke is come back in safety and hath
won his will and his aim." (Now of the term appointed between
Hasan and the King there wanted but ten days.) Then, after
taking rest in his own quarters he himself went in to the
Merchant and told him all that had befallen him and gave him
the book containing the story of Sayf al-Muluk and Badi'a
al-Jamal, when Hasan joyed with exceeding joy at the sight and
bestowed on him all the clothes he had on and gave him ten
thoroughbred horses and the like number of camels and mules
and three negro chattels and two white slaves. Then Hasan took
the book and copied out the story plainly in his own hand;
after which he presented himself before the King and said to
him, "O thou auspicious King, I have brought thee a
night-story and a rarely pleasant relation, whose like none
ever heard at all." When these words reached the King's ear,
he sent forthright for all the Emirs, who were men of
understanding, and all the learned doctors and folk of
erudition and culture and poets and wits; and Hasan sat down
and read the history before the King, who marvelled thereat
and approved it, as did all who were present, and they
showered gold and silver and jewels upon the Merchant.
Moreover, the King bestowed on him a costly robe of honour of
the richest of his raiment and gave him a great city with its
castles and outliers; and he appointed him one of his Chief
Wazirs and seated him on his right hand. Then he caused the
scribes write the story in letters of gold and lay it up in
his privy treasures: and whenever his breast was straitened,
he would summon Hasan and he would read him the story,
[FN#353]
which was as follows:--
