Richard F. Burton - Tales from 1001 Arabian Nights

Translated and annotated by

SIR RICHARD F. BURTON

Published by Jaico Publishing House

A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road

Fort, Mumbai - 400 001

www.jaicobooks.com

Jaico Publishing House

TALES FROM 1001 ARABIAN NIGHTS

ISBN 81-7224-052-X

First Jaico Impression: 1988

Twenty-third Jaico Impression: 2012

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

TO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE

(Puris omnia pura)

Arab Proverb.

Niuna corrotta mente intese mai sanamente parole.

Decameronconclusion.

Erubuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum

Sed coram Bruto. Brute! recede, leget.

Martial.

Miculx est de ris que de larmes escripre,

Pour ce que rire est le propre des hommes.

Rabelais.

The pleasure we derive from perusing the Thousand and One Stories makes us regret that we possess only a comparatively small part of these truly enchanting fictions.

CrichtonsHistory of Arabia

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Conclusion of the Story of the Porter and Three Ladies.

THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT

(ALF LAYLAH WA LAYLAH.)

In the name of allah,
the Compassionating, the Compassionate!

P RAISE BE TO ALLAH * THE BENEFICENT KING * THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE * LORD OF THE THREE WORLDS * WHO SET UP THE FIRMAMENT WITHOUT PILLARS IN ITS STEAD * AMD WHO STRETCHED OUT THE EARTH EVEN AS A BED * AND GRACE, AND PRAYER-BLESSING BE UPON OUR LORD MOHAMMED * LORD OF APOSTOLIC MEN * AND UPON HIS FAMILY AND COMPANION-TRAIN * PRAYER AND BLESSINGS ENDURING AND GRACE WHICH UNTO THE DAY OF DOOM SHALL REMAIN * AMEN! * O THOU OF THE THREE WORLDS SOVEREIGN!

And afterwards. Verily the works and words of those gonebefore us have become instances and examples to men of oar modern day, that folk may view what admonishing chances befel other folk and may therefrom take warning ; and that they may peruse the annals of antique peoples and all that hath betided them, and be thereby ruled and restrained :Praise, therefore, be to Him who hath made the histories of the Past an admonition unto the Present! Now of such instances are the tales called A Thousand Nights and a Night, together with their far famed legends and wonders. Therein it is related (but Allah is All~knowing of His hidden things and All~ruling and All-honoured and All-giving and All~gracious and All~merciful! huge of height and burly of breast and bulk, broad of brow and black of blee, bearing on his head a coffer of crystal. He strode to land, wading through the deep, and coming to the tree whereupon were the two Kings, seated himself beneath it. He then set down the coffer on its bottom and out it drew a casket, with seven padlocks of steel, which he unlocked with seven keys of steel he took from beside his thigh, and out of it a young lady to come was seen, white~skinned and of winsomest mien, of stature fine and thin, and bright as though a moon of the fourteenth night she had been, or the sun raining lively sheen. Even so the poet Utayyah hath excellently said:

She rose like the morn as she shone through the night * And she gilded the grovewith her gracious sight:

From her radiance the sun taketh increase when * She unveileth and shameth he moonshine bright.

Bow down all beings between her hands * As she showeth charms with her veil undight.

And she floodeth cities with torrent tears * When she flasheth her look of levenlight.

The Jinni seated her under the tree by his side and looking at her said, O choicest love of this heart of mine! O dame of noblest line, whom I snatched away on thy bride~night that none might prevent me taking thy maidenhead or tumble thee before I did, and whom none save myself hath loved or hath enjoyed: O my sweetheart! I would lief sleep a little while. He then laid his head upon the ladys thighs; and, stretching out his legs which extended down to the sea, slept and snored and snarked like the roll of thunder. Presently she raised her head towards the tree-top and saw the two Kings perched near the summit; then she softly lifted off her lap the Jinnis pate which she was tired of supporting and placed it upon the ground; then standing upright under the tree signed to the Kings, Come ye down, ye two, and fear naught from this Ifrit.seal rings, and asked, Know ye what be these? They answered her saying, We know not! Then quoth she; These be the signets of five hundred and seventy men who have all futtered me upon the horns of this foul, this foolish, this filthy Ifrit; so give me also your two seal rings, ye pair of brothers. When they had drawn their two rings from their hands and given them to her, she said to them, Of a truth this Ifrit bore me off on my bride-night, and put me into a casket and set the casket in a coffer and to the coffer he affixed seven strong padlocks of steel and deposited me on the deep bottom of the sea that raves, dashing and clashing with waves; and guarded me so that I might remain chaste and honest, quotha! that none save himself might have connexion with me. But I have lain under as many of my kind as I please, and this wretched Jinni wotteth not that Destiny may not be averted nor hindered by aught, and that whatso woman willeth the same she fulfilleth however man nilleth. Even so saith one of them:

Rely not on women; *Trust not to their hearts,

Whose joys and whose sorrows *Are hung to their parts!

Lying love they will swear thee *Whence guile neer departs:

Take Yusuf for sample *Ware sleights and ware smarts!

Iblis ousted Adam *(See ye not?) thro their arts.

And another saith:

Stint thy blame, man! Twill drive to a passion without bound; * My fault is not so heavy as fault in it hast found

If true lover I become, then to me there cometh not * Save what happened unto many in the bygone stound.

For wonderful is he and right worthy of our praise * Who from wiles of female wits kept him safe and kept him sound.