The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition) (43 page)

He went to his brother Nur al-Din's house and looked around and kissed the threshold. And he thought of his brother Nur al-Din and how he had died in a foreign land, and he recited the following verses:

I wander through the halls where Leyla lived,

And in my sorrow kiss the stony walls.

'Tis not for the stones that I burn with love

But for the dear one who dwelt in the halls.

Then he entered the main gate and found himself in a spacious courtyard, at the end of which stood an arched door vaulted over with granite inlaid with multicolored marble. He walked around the house and, casting his eyes on the walls, saw his brother Nur al-Din's name inscribed in letters of gold and Iraqi lapis lazuli.
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He went up to the inscription and kissed it, and, thinking of his brother and his loss, he wept and repeated the following verses:

I ask for news of you the rising sun

And of the lightning's flash of you inquire

And in the throes of passion pass my night,

Without complaining of love's hellish fire.

O my love, if our parting longer lasts

My pining heart with pain will waste away,

But if you bless my sad eyes with your sight,

The day we meet will be a blessed day.

Think not that I have found another love;

There is no room for others in my heart.

Pity a tortured lover, sick with love,

Whose heart by parting has been torn apart.

If fate should bless my sad eyes with your sight,

I would that day offer my thanks to fate.

May God defeat all those who wish us ill

And thwart those who slander to separate.

Then he walked in and stopped at the door of the hall.

In the intervening years, his brother's widow, the mother of Badr al-Din Hasan of Basra, had, from the day of her son's disappearance, given herself up to weeping and lamentation, day and night, and after a long time went by, she made a tomb for her son in the middle of the hall and continued to weep there, day and night. When her brother-in-law reached the hall and stood at the door, he saw her draping the tomb with her flowing hair and heard her invoking her son Badr al-Din Hasan, weeping, and repeating these verses:

O tomb, O tomb, has he his beauties lost,

Or have you lost yourself that radiant look?

O tomb, neither a garden nor a star,

The sun and moon at once how can you host?

Shams al-Din entered and, after greeting her, informed her that he was her brother-in-law and told her what had happened.

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “What a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad said, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if I am alive!”

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The following night, Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that Ja'far said to the caliph:

Shams al-Din told her what had happened and how Badr al-Din had spent a night at his house, ten years ago, but had disappeared in the morning, how on that night the young man had gone in to his daughter, taken her virginity, and made her pregnant, and how when her time came, she gave birth to a boy, concluding, “This boy with me here is the son of your son.” When Badr al-Din's mother heard this news of her son, that he was still alive, she looked at her brother-in-law and threw herself at his feet, wept bitterly, and recited the following verses:

How good is he who tells me they have come,

For he brings me the best of news to know!

Were he content with worn-out robes, a heart,

At parting torn, I would on him bestow.

Then she rose, embraced 'Ajib, pressing him to her heart, kissed him and was kissed by him, and wept. But the vizier said to her, “This is no time for weeping. Get yourself ready and come with us to the land of Egypt, and we will perhaps be reunited with your son, my nephew. This story should be written down!” She rose at once and prepared herself for the journey, while the vizier went to take his leave of the king, who provided him for the journey, sending with him gifts to the king of Egypt, and bade him good-bye.

Shams al-Din set out of Basra on his journey homeward, and he fared on until he reached Aleppo, where he stayed for three days. Then he resumed his journey until he came to Damascus and halted, pitching his tents in the same place and saying to his men, “We shall stay here for two or three days to buy some fabrics, as well as other presents for the king.” Then he went on his business. Meanwhile 'Ajib came out and said to the eunuch, “Tutor, let us go into the city to enjoy the sights and see what has become of the cook whose food we ate and whose head I cut, for he was kind to us, but we treated him badly.” The eunuch replied, “Very well, let us.” Then they left the tents, as the blood tie drew 'Ajib to his father, and walked until they entered the city through the Heavenly Gate. They spent the time at the Umayyad Mosque
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till close to the time of the afternoon prayer; then they walked through the Grand Market
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and continued walking until they came to the shop of Badr al-Din Hasan and found him standing there. He had prepared a pomegranate-seed dish, preserved in almonds and sweet julep and flavored with cardamom and rosewater, and the food was ready to serve. When 'Ajib looked at him and saw him marked from eyebrow to eyebrow with the dark scar he had given him with the blow, he felt tenderness for him and was overcome with pity. He said to his father, “Peace be with you! You have been on my mind.” When Badr al-Din looked at him, his stomach began to flutter and his heart began to throb, as the blood hearkened to the blood. He bowed his head and tried to reply, but his tongue could not find the words. Then still overwhelmed, he raised his head, looked at his son sadly and imploringly, and recited the following verses:

I longed to see the one I love, and when

I did, I stood before him dumb and blind.

I bowed my head in reverence and awe

But failed to hide the love that seethed behind.

My heart was full of troubles and concerns,

But not a single word bespoke my mind.

Then he said to 'Ajib, “Perhaps you and the noble gentleman will enter my shop and eat my food to heal my broken heart, for by God, I cannot look at you without a throbbing in my heart. When I followed you, the other time, I was beside myself.” 'Ajib replied . . .

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and lets me live!”

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that Ja'far said to the caliph:

Badr al-Din said to his son, “When I followed you, I was beside myself.” 'Ajib replied, “You must be very fond of us. You gave us a mouthful of food and, assuming that we owed you something, you tried to dishonor us. This time we will not eat anything unless you swear that you will not hold us under any obligation, follow us, or make any claim on us. Else we will not visit you again. We are staying here for about a week, so that my grandfather may buy presents for the king of Egypt.” Badr al-Din said, “Very well, you may do as you please.” 'Ajib and the eunuch entered the shop; and Badr al-Din ladled from the top of the pot a bowlful of food and placed it before them. 'Ajib said to him, “Sit down and eat with us,” and Badr al-Din was glad and sat down and ate with his son, with his eyes fixed on him, for his whole being yearned for him. 'Ajib said, “Ha, ha, haven't I told you that you are an overbearing lover? Stop staring at my face!” Badr al-Din sighed and recited the following verses:

Passion for you lies deeply in the heart,

A secret sealed in darkness, seen by none.

O you whose beauty shames the shining moon,

Whose ample grace rivals the rising sun,

Your radiant face frustrates the burning heart

And with hopelessness afflicts love's desire.

Your mouth is nectar, but I die of thirst;

Your face is Heaven, but I burn in fire.

They ate together, and Badr al-Din kept putting morsels, now in 'Ajib's mouth, now in the eunuch's, until they were satisfied. They rose up, and Badr al-Din poured water on their hands and, loosening a towel from his waist, gave it to them to wipe their hands with, and sprinkled them with rosewater from a casting bottle. Then he ran out of the shop and rushed back with an earthenware pitcher containing a sweet drink, flavored with rosewater and cooled with snow. He set it before them, saying, “Complete your kindness to me.” 'Ajib took the pitcher and drank and passed it to the eunuch, and they kept passing it around until they had had enough and their stomachs felt too full, for they had eaten much more than usual. Then they thanked him and, bidding him good-bye, hurried through the city until they came out through the East Gate and hastened to their tents. 'Ajib went to see his grandmother, Badr al-Din's mother, and she kissed him and, thinking of her son Badr al-Din and his days with her, sighed and wept, until her veil was wet, and recited the following verses:

Had I not thought that we would meet again,

I would have after you of life despaired.

I swear my heart holds nothing but your love,

By God who knows and has my secret shared.

Then she asked 'Ajib, “Son, where have you been?” and set food before him, and as it had been foreordained, they too had cooked a pomegranate-seed dish, except that this one had less sugar. She gave him a bowlful, together with some bread, and said to the eunuch, “Eat with him.” Saying to himself, “By God, I can't even smell the bread,” he sat down to eat.

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and I stay alive!”

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The following night Shahrazad said:

It is related, O King, that Ja'far said to the caliph:

The eunuch sat down; though his belly was full with what he had already eaten and drunk. 'Ajib dipped a piece of bread in the pomegranate dish and took a bite but found the food insipid, for he too was full. He said, “Bah; what is this awful stuff?” His grandmother was astonished and said, “Son, do you find fault with my food? I cooked it myself, and no cook can compare with me, except my son Badr al-Din Hasan.” 'Ajib replied, “Grandmother, we have just now found in the city a cook who had prepared a pomegranate-seed dish whose aroma delights the heart and whose flavor stimulates the appetite. Your food is nothing by comparison.” When his grandmother heard his words, she was angry and, turning to the eunuch, said, “Damn you, you are corrupting my son by taking him into the city and letting him eat in cookshops.” When the eunuch heard her words, he was frightened and said, “No, by God, my lady, we did not eat anything; we only saw the cookshop in passing.” But 'Ajib said, “By God, grandmother, we did enter the shop, and both this time and the other time we ate a pomegranate-seed dish that was better than yours.” In her anger, she went and informed her brother-in-law, provoking him against the eunuch, at whom the grandfather yelled, saying, “Damn you, where did you take my grandson?” Afraid of being put to death, the eunuch denied everything, but 'Ajib told on him, saying, “Yes, by God, grandfather, we went into the cookshop and ate until the food came out of our nostrils, and the cook gave us an iced sweet drink.” The vizier became angrier and said, “You ill-fated slave, did you take my grandson into a cookshop?” The eunuch continued to deny it until the vizier said to him, “My grandson says that the two of you ate until you were full. If you are telling the truth, then eat this bowlful of pomegranate seeds, which is before you.” The eunuch said, “Very well,” and took a morsel from the bowl and ate it, but unable to swallow a second, he spat it out and threw it away and, drawing away from the food, said, “By God, my lord, I am full ever since yesterday.”