Part 4 (1/2)
When the Lady Bedrulbudour knew that her father was angry and saw the naked sword in his hand, she was like to swoon for fear; [405] so she raised her head and said to him, ”Dear [406] my father, be not wroth with me, neither be thou hasty in thine anger, for that I am excusable in that which thou hast seen from me. [407] Do but hearken what hath betided me and I am well a.s.sured that, whenas thou hearest my story of that which hath happened to me these two nights past, thou wilt excuse me and Thy Grace will be moved to compa.s.sion upon me, as I know from thy love for me.” [408] Then she acquainted him with all that had befallen her and said to him, ”O my father, an thou believe me not, ask my bridegroom and he will resolve Thy Grace of everything, albeit I know not what they did with him, when they took him from my side, nor where they set him.” When [409] the Sultan heard his daughter's story, he was sore concerned and his eyes brimmed with tears; then, sheathing the sword and coming up to her, he kissed her and said to her, ”O my daughter, why didst thou not tell me yesterday, so I might have warded off from thee the torment and affright which have befallen thee this night? But no matter; arise and put away from thee this thought, and to-night I will set over thee those who shall guard thee, so there shall not again befall thee that which befell yesternight.” Then he returned to his pavilion and sent at once for the Vizier, who came and stood before him, awaiting his commands; and the Sultan said to him, ”O Vizier, how deemest thou of this affair? Most like thy son hath told thee what happened to him and to my daughter.” ”O King of the Age,”
answered the Vizier, ”I have not seen my son or yesterday or to-day.”
Whereupon the Sultan acquainted him with all that his daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour had told him and said to him, ”It is now my will that thou enquire of thy son the truth of the case, for it may be my daughter knoweth not for fright what happened to her, though methinketh her tale is all true.” So the Vizier arose and sending for his son, asked him of all that the Sultan had told him, if it were true or not. Whereupon, ”O my father the Vizier,” replied the youth, ”[G.o.d] preserve the Lady Bedrulbudour from leasing! [410] Indeed, all she saith is true and these two nights past have been for us the sorriest of nights, instead of being nights of pleasance and delight. Marry, that which befell me was yet worse, for that, instead of sleeping with my bride in bed, I lay in the draught-house, a place dark and frightful, noisome of smell and accursed, and my ribs were straitened [411] with cold.” Brief, he told the Vizier all that had befallen him and ultimately said to him; ”Dear [412] my father, I beseech thee speak with the Sultan that he release me from this marriage. True, it is great honour for me to be the Sultan's son-in-law, more by token that the love of the Lady Bedrulbudour hath gotten possession of my vitals, but I cannot avail to endure one more night like the two that are past.”
When [413] the Vizier heard his son's words, he grieved and was exceeding chagrined, for that he had thought to greaten his son and advance him by making him the King's son-in-law; so he bethought himself and was perplexed anent the matter and what was to do therein; [414] and indeed it irked him sore that the marriage should be dissolved, for that he had long besought [415] the Ten [416] that he might compa.s.s the like of that affair; [417] so he said to his son, ”Have patience, O my son, so we may see [how it will be] to-night, and we will set over you guards to guard you; but do not thou let slip this great honour, for that it hath fallen to none other than thyself.” Therewith he left him and returning to the Sultan, told him that the Lady Bedrulbudour's story was true; whereupon quoth the Sultan, ”Since the case is thus, we need no wedding-festivities.” [418] And he bade forthright break off the rejoicings and the marriage was dissolved. The folk and the people of the city marvelled at this strange thing, especially when they saw the Vizier and his son go forth the palace in a pitiable plight for stress of chagrin and despite, and they fell to asking, ”What hath happened and why is the marriage avoided and the rejoicings broken off?” But none knew what was to do save Alaeddin, the suitor, [419] who laughed in his sleeve. So the marriage was annulled; but the Sultan had forgotten his promise to Alaeddin's mother and never again bethought him thereof, neither he nor the Vizier; nor knew they whence came that which had happened.
Alaeddin waited till the three months had elapsed, after which the Sultan had promised that he would marry him to his daughter, the Lady Bedrulbudour, then despatched his mother to the Sultan to require him of the performance of his promise. So she repaired to the palace and when the Sultan came to the Divan and saw her standing before him, he remembered his promise to her, that after three months he would marry his daughter to her son, and turning to the Vizier, said to him, ”O Vizier, yonder is the woman who presented us with the jewels and we gave her our word that after three months [we would marry our daughter to her son]. Bring her before me forthright.” So the Vizier went and brought Alaeddin's mother before the Sultan; and when she came into the presence, she made her obeisance to him and prayed G.o.d to vouchsafe him glory and endurance of prosperity. The Sultan asked her if she had a need, and she said to him, ”O King of the Age, the three months are ended, after which thou didst promise me thou wouldst marry my son Alaeddin to thy daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour.” The Sultan was perplexed at this her claim, more by token that he saw her in poor case, as she were the meanest of the folk; but the present which she had made him was exceeding magnificent [and indeed] beyond price; [420] so he turned to the Vizier and said to him, ”How deemest thou? What shall we do? [421] It is true I gave her my word, but meseemeth they are poor folk and not of the chiefs of the people.”
The [422] Vizier, who was like to die of envy and chagrin for that which had befallen his son, said in himself, ”How shall one like this marry the Sultan's daughter and my son lose this honour?” So he said to the Sultan, [423] ”O my lord, it is an easy matter to rid ourselves of [424]
this vagabond, [425] for that it would not beseem Thy Grace to give thy daughter to a man like this, of whom it is not known what he is.” Quoth the Sultan, ”On what wise shall we rid ourselves of this man, seeing I have given him my word and a King's word is his bond?” ”O my lord,”
answered the Vizier, ”my counsel is that thou require of him forty dishes of pure virgin gold, full of jewels, such as she [426] brought thee the other day, [427] and forty slave-girls to bear the dishes and forty black slaves.” ”By Allah, O Vizier,” rejoined the Sultan, ”'thou speakest rightly; for that this is a thing to which he may not avail and so we shall be rid of him by [fair] means.” [428] So he said to Alaeddin's mother, ”Go and tell thy son that I abide by the promise which I made him, but an if he avail unto my daughter's dowry; to wit, I require of him forty dishes of pure gold, which must all be full of jewels [such as] thou broughtest me [erst], together with forty slave-girls to carry them and forty male slaves to escort and attend them. If, then; thy son avail unto this, I will marry him to my daughter.”
Alaeddin's mother returned home, shaking her head and saying, ”Whence shall my poor son get these dishes of jewels? Supposing, for the jewels and the dishes, that he return to the treasure and gather the whole from the trees,--and withal methinketh not it is possible to him; but say that he fetch them,--whence [shall he get] the slaves and slave-girls?”
And she gave not over talking to herself till she reached the house, where Alaeddin awaited her, and when she came in to him, she said to him, ”O my son, said I not to thee, 'Think not to attain to the Lady Bedrulbudour'? Indeed, this is a thing that is not possible unto folk like ourselves.” Quoth he, ”Tell me what is the news.” And she said to him, ”O my son, the Sultan received me with all courtesy, according to his wont, and meseemeth he meant fairly by us, but [for] thine accursed enemy the Vizier; for that, after I had bespoken the Sultan in thy name, even as thou badest me, reminding him that the term for which he had appointed us was past and saying to him, 'If Thy Grace would vouchsafe to give commandment for the marriage of thy daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour with my son Alaeddin,'--he turned to the Vizier and spoke to him. The Vizier replied to him in a whisper and after that the Sultan returned me an answer.” Then she told him what the Sultan required of him and added, ”O my son, he would fain have present answer of thee; but methinketh we have no answer to give him.”
When [429] Alaeddin heard his mother's speech, he laughed and said, ”O my mother, thou sayest we have no answer to make him and deemest the thing exceeding hard; but now be good enough to rise [430] and fetch us somewhat to eat, and after we have dined, thou shalt (an it please the Compa.s.sionate) see the answer. The Sultan like thyself, thinketh he hath sought of me an extraordinary matter, so he may divert me from the Lady Bedrulbudour; but the fact is that he seeketh a thing less than I had looked for. But go now and buy us somewhat we may eat and leave me to fetch thee the answer.” Accordingly, she arose and went out to buy her need from the market, so she might make ready the morning-meal; whilst Alaeddin entered his chamber and taking the lamp, rubbed it. The genie immediately appeared to him and said, ”Seek what thou wilt, O my lord;”
whereupon quoth Alaeddin, ”I seek the Sultan's daughter in marriage and he requireth of me forty dishes of pure gold, each ten pounds in weight and full of the jewels which be in the garden of the treasure, the forty dishes to be borne by forty slave girls and each slave-girl to be accompanied by a male slave; wherefore I will have thee bring me this, all of it.” ”Hearkening and obedience, O my lord,” replied the genie and disappearing, was absent awhile, then returned with the forty slave-girls, each attended by a male slave and bearing on her head a dish of pure gold, full of precious jewels. So he brought them before Alaeddin and said to him, ”Here is that which thou soughtest. Tell me an thou need thing or service other than this.” Quoth Alaeddin, ”I need nothing [more]; if I need aught, I will summon thee and tell thee.”
Accordingly, the genie vanished and after a little, Alaeddin's mother returned and entering the house, saw the slaves and slave-girls; whereat she marvelled and said, ”All this is of the Lamp; G.o.d continue it unto my son!” Then, before she put off her veil, Alaeddin said to her, ”O my mother, this is thy time, ere the Sultan enter his palace [and withdraw]
to his harem. Take him what he seeketh, and that forthright, so he may know that I can avail unto that which he requireth, ay, and more, and that he was deluded by the Vizier; albeit he thought to baffle me, he and his Vizier.” Then he arose and opening the house-door, let out the damsels and the slaves, pair by pair, each damsel with a slave by her side, so that they filled the street. His mother forewent them and the people of the quarter, when they saw that rare and magnificent sight, stood looking and marvelling and gazing upon the faces of the slave-girls and their grace and goodliness [and their apparel], for that they were clad in clothes all inwoven with gold and studded with jewels; nay, the least one's clothes of them were worth thousands. Moreover they looked at the dishes [431] and saw flas.h.i.+ng therefrom a radiance that outshone the light of the sun, albeit each dish was covered with a piece of brocade, gold-inwrought and studded eke with precious jewels.
Alaeddin's [432] mother fared on and the damsels and slaves followed after her, in all fair ordinance and disposition, whilst the folk stood to gaze on the beauty of the slave-girls and extolled the perfection of the Almighty Creator, till she reached the palace and entered it with them.
When the eunuchs and chamberlains and captains of the guard saw them, wonder took them and they were breathless for amaze at this sight, the like whereof they had never in their lives seen, and especially at the slave girls, each one of whom would ravish the wit of an anchorite.
Withal, the chamberlains and captains of the Sultan's guards were all of them sons of grandees and Amirs; and they marvelled yet more at the damsels' costly raiment and the dishes which they bore on their heads and on which they might not open their eyes, [433] for the excess of their flas.h.i.+ng and radiance. Then the guards [434] entered and told the Sultan, who bade bring them before him forthright into the Divan.
So Alaeddin's mother entered with them and when they came before the Sultan, they all did obeisance to him with the utmost courtliness and gravity and invoked on him glory and prosperity; then, raising the dishes from their heads, they set them down before him and stood with their hands clasped behind them, after they had removed the covers.
The Sultan wondered with an exceeding wonderment and was confounded at the beauty of the girls and their loveliness, which overpa.s.sed description; his wit was bewildered, when he saw the golden dishes, full of jewels that dazzled the sight, and he was amazed at this marvel, so that he became as one dumb, unable to speak aught, of the excess of his wonderment; nay, his wit was the more perplexed, forasmuch as this had all been accomplished in an hour's time. Then he bade carry the slave-girls and their burdens to the pavilion of the Lady Bedrulbudour; so the damsels took up the dishes and entered; whereupon Alaeddin's mother came forward and said to the Sultan, ”O my lord, this is no great matter for the Lady Bedrulbudour's exalted rank; nay, she deserveth manifold this.” So the Sultan turned to the Vizier and said to him, ”How sayst thou, O Vizier? He that can in so short a time avail unto riches like these, is he not worthy to be the Sultan's son-in-law and to have his daughter to bride?” Now the Vizier marvelled at the greatness of these riches yet more than the Sultan, but envy was killing him and waxed on him more and more, when he saw that the Sultan was content with the bride-gift [435] and the dowry; withal he could not gainstand the [manifest] truth and say to the Sultan, ”He is not worthy;” so he cast about to work upon him by practice, that he might hinder him from giving his daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour to Alaeddin, and accordingly said to him, [436] ”O my lord, all the treasures of the world were not worth a paring of thy daughter Bedrulbudour's nails; indeed, Thy Highness overrateth this upon her.” [437]
When [438] the Sultan heard the Vizier's words, he knew that this his speech arose from the excess of his envy; so he turned to Alaeddin's mother and said to her, ”O woman, go to thy son and tell him that I accept of him the marriage-gift and abide by my promise to him and that my daughter is his bride and he my son-in-law; so bid him come hither, that I may make acquaintance with him. There shall betide him from me nought but all honour and consideration and this night shall be the beginning of the bridal festivities. But, as I said to thee, let him come hither to me without delay.” So she returned home swiftlier than the wind, [439] of her haste to bring her son the good news; and she was like to fly for joy at the thought that her son was to become the Sultan's son-in-law. As soon as she had taken her leave, the Sultan bade break up the Divan and entering the Lady Bedrulbudour's pavilion, commanded to bring the damsels and the dishes before his daughter and himself, so she should see them. So they brought them and when the Lady Bedrulbudour saw the jewels, she was amazed and said, ”Methinketh there is not one of these jewels found in the treasuries of the world.” Then she looked at the damsels and marvelled at their beauty and grace and knew that this was all from her new bridegroom and that he had proffered it to her service. So she rejoiced, albeit she had been sad and sorry for her [whilom] bridegroom the Vizier's son,--she rejoiced, [I say], with an exceeding joy, when she saw the jewels and the beauty of the damsels, and was cheered; whilst her father rejoiced exceedingly in her joy, in that he saw her put off chagrin and dejection. Then he said to her, ”O my daughter Bedrulbudour, doth this please thee? Indeed, methinketh this thy bridegroom is goodlier [440] than the Vizier's son, and G.o.d willing, O my daughter, thou shalt rejoice with him abundantly.”
[441]
So much for the Sultan and as for Alaeddin, when his mother came to the house and entered and he saw her laughing of the excess of her joy, he foreboded good news and said, ”To G.o.d Everlasting [442] be praise!
Accomplished is that which I sought.” And she said to him, ”Glad tidings, O my son! Let thy heart rejoice and thine eye be solaced in the attainment of thy desire, for that the Sultan accepteth thine offering, to wit, the bride gift and the dowry of the Lady Bedrulbudour, and she is thy bride and this, O my son, is the night of your [443] bridal and thy going in to the Lady Bedrulbudour. Nay, the Sultan, that he might certify me of his word, proclaimed thee his son-in-law before the folk and declared that this should be the wedding-night; but he said to me, 'Let thy son come hither to me, so I may make acquaintance with him, and I will receive him with all honour and wors.h.i.+p.' And now, O my son, my office [444] is ended, whatsoever remaineth is a matter for thee.” [445]
Alaeddin kissed his mother's hand and thanked her amain for her kindness; [446] then he arose and entering his chamber, took the lamp and rubbed it; whereupon the genie presented himself and said to him, ”Here am I; seek what thou wilt.” Quoth Alaeddin, ”My will is that thou take me to a bath, whose like is not in the world, and fetch me a suit of royal raiment and exceeding costly, such as no king can boast.”
”Hearkening and obedience,” replied the Marid and taking him up, brought him intro a bath, never saw King nor Kisra [447] its like, for it was of alabaster and agate and full of marvellous limnings that ravished the sight, and therein was a saloon all embossed with precious jewels. None was there; but, when Alaeddin entered, there came in to him one of the Jinn in human semblance and washed him and bathed him to the utmost of the wish: after [448] which he went forth the bath to the outer saloon, where he found his clothes taken away and in their stead a suit of the richest royal apparel. Then sherbets were brought him and coffee with ambergris and he drank and arose; whereupon there came to him a troop of slaves and clad him in those [449] sumptuous clothes [450] and he dressed and perfumed himself with essences and sweet-scented smoke.
[451] Now thou knowest [452] that Alaeddin was the son of a poor man, a tailor: yet now none had thought it, [453] but had said, ”This is the chiefest of the sons of the kings,” extolled be the perfection of Him who changeth and is not changed!
Then the slave of the lamp came to him and taking him up, set him down in his house and said to him, ”O my lord, dost thou need aught?” ”Yes,”
answered Alaeddin; ”I will have thee bring me eight-and-forty mamelukes, [454] four-and-twenty to walk before me and four-and-twenty to walk behind me, with their horses and clothes and arms, and let all that is upon them and their horses be of stuffs costly and precious exceedingly, such as are not found in kings' treasuries. Then bring me a stallion fit for the riding of the Chosroes and be his trappings all of gold, embossed with n.o.ble jewels; and bring me eight-and-forty thousand diners, in each mameluke's hand a thousand, for that I purpose presently to visit the Sultan; wherefore delay thou not on me, since I cannot go thither without all that whereof I have bespoken thee. Bring me also twelve slave-girls, who must be unique in loveliness and clad in the richest of raiment, so they may attend my mother to the Sultan's palace, and let each slave-girl have with her a suit of apparel fit for the wearing of kings' wives.” [455]
”Hearkening and obedience,” replied the genie and disappearing, brought him in the twinkling of an eye all that he had commanded him withal, whilst in his hand he held a stallion, whose like is not among the horses of the Arabs of the Arabs, [456] with housings of the richest stuffs brocaded with gold; whereupon Alaeddin called his mother forthright and delivered her the twelve slave-girls and gave her the [twelve] suits, [457] so she might dress herself [458] and go with them to the Sultan's palace. Then he despatched one of the mamelukes thither, to see an the Sultan were come forth of the harem or not; so he went and returning, swiftlier than lightning, said to him, ”O my lord, the Sultan awaiteth thee.” Accordingly he arose and mounting, [set forth], whilst the mamelukes rode before him and after him, (extolled be the perfection of the Lord who created them with [459] that which clothed them of beauty and grace!), strewing gold upon the folk before their lord Alaeddin, who overpa.s.sed them all of his grace and goodliness, and ask thou not of kings' sons, [460] extolled be the perfection of the Giver, the Eternal! Now all this was of the virtue of the wonderful lamp, [461]
which gifted whoso possessed it with goodliness and grace and wealth and wisdom.
The folk marvelled at Alaeddin's bounty and at the excess of his munificence and were amazed when they saw that which graced him of beauty and goodliness and his courtliness and dignity; yea, they extolled the perfection of the Compa.s.sionate One for this His n.o.ble creature and all of them great and small [462] called down blessings on him, albeit they knew him for the son of such an one the tailor; yet none envied him, but all said, ”He is deserving.” So [463] he fared on his way, with the mamelukes before him and behind him, scattering gold upon the folk, till he came to the palace.
Now the Sultan had summoned to his presence the chiefs of his state and telling them that he had pa.s.sed his word for the marriage of his daughter to Alaeddin, bade them await the latter, commanding them that, when he came, they should all go out to meet him; moreover, he a.s.sembled the amirs and viziers and chamberlains and guards and captains of the troops and they were all awaiting Alaeddin at the door of the palace.
When he arrived, he would have dismounted at the door, but there came up to him one of the Amirs, whom the Sultan had deputed to that office, and said to him, ”O my lord, the commandment is that thou enter, riding on thy charger, so thou mayst alight at the door of the Divan.” So they all forewent him and he entered till they brought him to the door of the Divan. There sundry of them came forward and held his stirrup, whilst some supported him on both sides and other some took him by the hand, and so they dismounted him. Then the Amirs and officers of state forewent him and brought him into the Divan, till he drew near the Sultan's throne; whereupon the latter came down forthright from his seat and embracing him, hindered him from kissing the carpet and seated him beside himself on his right hand. Alaeddin did that which behoveth and befitteth unto kings of obeisance and invocation and said to him, ”O our lord the Sultan, thy Grace's munificence hath vouchsafed [464] to accord me the Lady Bedrulbudour thy daughter, albeit I am unworthy of this great favour, for that I am of the lowliest of thy slaves; wherefore I beseech G.o.d that He keep and continue thee. Indeed, O King, my tongue faileth to thank thee [as were behoving] for the greatness of this boon, overpa.s.sing its competence, [465] wherewith thou hast favoured me, and I beseech Thy Grace to vouchsafe me ground, such as is meet, so I may build thereon a palace that shall be fit for the Lady Bedrulbudour.”