"Volume X" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burtons Version)

THE BOOK OF THE
THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT

A Plain and Literal Translation
of the Arabian Nights Entertainments

Translated and Annotated by
Richard F. Burton

VOLUME TEN


To.


His Excellency Yacoub Artin Pasha,


Minister of Instruction, Etc. Etc. Etc. Cairo.



My Dear Pasha,
During the last dozen years, since we first met at Cairo, you have done much for Egyptian folk-lore and you can do much more. This volume is inscribed to you with a double purpose; first it is intended as a public expression of gratitude for your friendly assistance; and, secondly, as a memento that the samples which you have given us imply a promise of further gift. With this lively sense of favours to come I subscribe myself
Ever your friend and fellow worker,
Richard F. Burton.

London, July 12, 1886

MAТARUF THE COBBLER AND HIS WIFE



There dwelt once upon a time in the God-guarded city of Cairo a cobbler who lived by patching old shoes. [FN#1] His name was MaТaruf [FN#2] and he had a wife called Fatimah, whom the folk had nicknamed УThe Dung;Ф [FN#3] for that she was a whorish, worthless wretch, scanty of shame and mickle of mischief. She ruled her spouse and abused him; and he feared her malice and dreaded her misdoings; for that he was a sensible man but poor-conditioned. When he earned much, he spent it on her, and when he gained little, she revenged herself on his body that night, leaving him no peace and making his night black as her book; [FN#4] for she was even as of one like her saith the poet:--

How manifold nights have I passed with my wife * In the saddest plight with all misery rife:
Would Heaven when first I went in to her * With a cup of cold poison IТd taТen her life.

One day she said to him, УO MaТaruf, I wish thee to bring me this night a vermicelli-cake dressed with beesТ honey.Ф [FN#5] He replied, УSo Allah Almighty aid me to its price, I will bring it thee. By Allah, I have no dirhams to-day, but our Lord will make things easy.Ф [FN#6] Rejoined she,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninetieth Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that MaТaruf the Cobbler said to his spouse, УBy Allah, I have no dirhams to-day, but our Lord will make things easy to me!Ф She rejoined, УI wot naught of these words; look thou come not to me save with the vermicelli and beesТ honey; else will I make thy night black as thy fortune whenas thou fellest into my hand.Ф Quoth he, УAllah is bountiful!Ф and going out with grief scattering itself from his body, prayed the dawn-prayer and opened his shop. After which he sat till noon, but no work came to him and his fear of his wife redoubled. Then he arose and went out perplexed as to how he should do in the matter of the vermicelli-cake, seeing he had not even the wherewithal to buy bread. Presently he came to the shop of the Kunafah-seller and stood before it, whilst his eyes brimmed with tears. The pastry-cook glanced at him and said, УO Master MaТaruf, why dost thou weep? Tell me what hath befallen thee.Ф So he acquainted him with his case, saying, УMy wife would have me bring her a Kunafah; but I have sat in my shop till past mid-day and have not gained even the price of bread; wherefore I am in fear of her.Ф The cook laughed and said, УNo harm shall come to thee. How many pounds wilt thou have?Ф УFive pounds,Ф answered MaТaruf. So the man weighed him out five pounds of vermicelli-cake and said to him, УI have clarified butter, but no beesТ honey. Here is drip-honey, [FN#7] however, which is better than beesТ honey; and what harm will there be, if it be with drip-honey?Ф MaТaruf was ashamed to object, because the pastry-cook was to have patience with him for the price, and said, УGive it me with drip-honey.Ф So he fried a vermicelli-cake for him with butter and drenched it with drip-honey, till it was fit to present to Kings. Then he asked him, УDost thou want bread [FN#8] and cheese?Ф; and MaТaruf answered, УYes.Ф So he gave him four half dirhams worth of bread and one of cheese, and the vermicelli was ten nusfs. Then said he, УKnow, O MaТaruf, that thou owest me fifteen nusfs; so go to thy wife and make merry and take this nusf for the Hammam; [FN#9] and thou shalt have credit for a day or two or three till Allah provide thee with thy daily bread. And straiten not thy wife, for I will have patience with thee till such time as thou shalt have dirhams to spare.Ф So MaТaruf took the vermicelli-cake and bread and cheese and went away, with a heart at ease, blessing the pastry-cook and saying, УExtolled be Thy perfection, O my Lord! How bountiful art Thou!Ф When he came home, his wife enquired of him, УHast thou brought the vermicelli-cake?Ф; and, replying УYes,Ф he set it before her. She looked at it and seeing that it was dressed with cane-honey, [FN#10] said to him, УDid I not bid thee bring it with beesТ honey? Wilt thou contrary my wish and have it dressed with cane-honey?Ф He excused himself to her, saying, УI bought it not save on credit;Ф but said she, УThis talk is idle; I will not eat Kunafah save with beesТ honey.Ф And she was wroth with it and threw it in his face, saying, УBegone, thou pimp, and bring me other than this !Ф Then she dealt him a buffet on the cheek and knocked out one of his teeth. The blood ran down upon his breast and for stress of anger he smote her on the head a single blow and a slight; whereupon she clutched his beard and fell to shouting out and saying, УHelp, O Moslems!Ф So the neighbours came in and freed his beard from her grip; then they reproved and reproached her, saying, УWe are all content to eat Kunafah with cane-honey. Why, then, wilt thou oppress this poor man thus? Verily, this is disgraceful in thee!Ф And they went on to soothe her till they made peace between her and him. But, when the folk were gone, she sware that she would not eat of the vermicelli, and MaТaruf, burning with hunger, said in himself, УShe sweareth that she will not eat; so I will eТen eat.Ф Then he ate, and when she saw him eating, she said, УInshallah, may the eating of it be poison to destroy the far oneТs body.Ф [FN#11] Quoth he, УIt shall not be at thy bidding,Ф and went on eating, laughing and saying, УThou swarest that thou wouldst not eat of this; but Allah is bountiful, and to-morrow night, an the Lord decree, I will bring thee Kunafah dressed with beesТ honey, and thou shalt eat it alone.Ф And he applied himself to appeasing her, whilst she called down curses upon him; and she ceased not to rail at him and revile him with gross abuse till the morning, when she bared her forearm to beat him. Quoth he, УGive me time and I will bring thee other vermicelli-cake.Ф Then he went out to the mosque and prayed, after which he betook himself to his shop and opening it, sat down; but hardly had he done this when up came two runners from the KaziТs court and said to him, УUp with thee, speak with the Kazi, for thy wife hath complained of thee to him and her favour is thus and thus.Ф He recognised her by their description; and saying, УMay Allah Almighty torment her!Ф walked with them till he came to the KaziТs presence, where he found Fatimah standing with her arm bound up and her face-veil besmeared with blood; and she was weeping and wiping away her tears. Quoth the Kazi, УHo man, hast thou no fear of Allah the Most High? Why hast thou beaten this good woman and broken her forearm and knocked out her tooth and entreated her thus?Ф And quoth MaТaruf, УIf I beat her or put out her tooth, sentence me to what thou wilt; but in truth the case was thus and thus and the neighbours made peace between me and her.Ф And he told him the story from first to last. Now this Kazi was a benevolent man; so he brought out to him a quarter dinar, saying, УO man, take this and get her Kunafah with beesТ honey and do ye make peace, thou and she.Ф Quoth MaТaruf, УGive it to her.Ф So she took it and the Kazi made peace between them, saying, УO wife, obey thy husband; and thou, O man, deal kindly with her. [FN#12]Ф Then they left the court, reconciled at the KaziТs hands, and the woman went one way, whilst her husband returned by another way to his shop and sat there, when, behold, the runners came up to him and said, УGive us our fee.Ф Quoth he, УThe Kazi took not of me aught; on the contrary, he gave me a quarter dinar.Ф But quoth they УТTis no concern of ours whether the Kazi took of thee or gave to thee, and if thou give us not our fee, we will exact it in despite of thee.Ф And they fell to dragging him about the market; so he sold his tools and gave them half a dinar, whereupon they let him go and went away, whilst he put his hand to his cheek and sat sorrowful, for that he had no tools wherewith to work. Presently, up came two ill-favoured fellows and said to him, УCome, O man, and speak with the Kazi; for thy wife hath complained of thee to him.Ф Said he, УHe made peace between us just now.Ф But said they, УWe come from another Kazi, and thy wife hath complained of thee to our Kazi.Ф So he arose and went with them to their Kazi, calling on Allah for aid against her; and when he saw her, he said to her, УDid we not make peace, good woman?Ф Whereupon she cried, УThere abideth no peace between me and thee.Ф Accordingly he came forward and told the Kazi his story, adding, УAnd indeed the Kazi Such-an-one made peace between us this very hour.Ф Whereupon the Kazi said to her, УO strumpet, since ye two have made peace with each other, why comest thou to me complaining?Ф Quoth she, УHe beat me after that;Ф but quoth the Kazi, УMake peace each with other, and beat her not again, and she will cross thee no more.Ф So they made peace and the Kazi said to MaТaruf, УGive the runners their fee.Ф So he gave them their fee and going back to his shop, opened it and sat down, as he were a drunken man for excess of the chagrin which befel him. Presently, while he was still sitting, behold, a man came up to him and said, УO MaТaruf, rise and hide thyself, for thy wife hath complained of thee to the High Court [FN#13] and Ab· Tabak [FN#14] is after thee.Ф So he shut his shop and fled towards the Gate of Victory. [FN#15] He had five nusfs of silver left of the price of the lasts and gear; and therewith he bought four worth of bread and one of cheese, as he fled from her. Now it was the winter season and the hour of mid-afternoon prayer; so, when he came out among the rubbish-mounds the rain descended upon him, like water from the mouths of water-skins, and his clothes were drenched. He therefore entered the ТAdiliyah, [FN#16] where he saw a ruined place and therein a deserted cell without a door; and in it he took refuge and found shelter from the rain. The tears streamed from his eyelids, and he fell to complaining of what had betided him and saying, УWhither shall I flee from this whore? I beseech Thee, O Lord, to vouchsafe me one who shall conduct me to a far country, where she shall not know the way to me!Ф Now while he sat weeping, behold, the wall clave and there came forth to him therefrom one of tall stature, whose aspect caused his body-pile to bristle and his flesh to creep, and said to him, УO man, what aileth thee that thou disturbest me this night? These two hundred years have I dwelt here and have never seen any enter this place and do as thou dost. Tell me what thou wishest and I will accomplish thy need, as ruth for thee hath got hold upon my heart.Ф Quoth MaТaruf, УWho and what art thou?Ф; and quoth he, УI am the Haunter [FN#17] of this place.Ф So MaТaruf told him all that had befallen him with his wife and he said, УWilt thou have me convey thee to a country, where thy wife shall know no way to thee?Ф УYes,Ф said MaТaruf; and the other, УThen mount my back.Ф So he mounted on his back and he flew with him from after supper-tide till daybreak, when he set him down on the top of a high mountain--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninety-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Marid having taken up MaТaruf the Cobbler, flew off with him and set him down upon a high mountain and said to him, УO mortal, descend this mountain and thou wilt see the gate of a city. Enter it, for therein thy wife cannot come at thee.Ф He then left him and went his way, whilst MaТaruf abode in amazement and perplexity till the sun rose, when he said to himself, УI will up with me and go down into the city: indeed there is no profit in my abiding upon this highland.Ф So he descended to the mountain-foot and saw a city girt by towering walls, full of lofty palaces and gold-adorned buildings which was a delight to beholders. He entered in at the gate and found it a place such as lightened the grieving heart; but, as he walked through the streets the townsfolk stared at him as a curiosity and gathered about him, marvelling at his dress, for it was unlike theirs. Presently, one of them said to him, УO man, art thou a stranger?Ф УYes.Ф УWhat countryman art thou?Ф УI am from the city of Cairo the Auspicious.Ф УAnd when didst thou leave Cairo?Ф УI left it yesterday, at the hour of afternoon-prayer.Ф Whereupon the man laughed at him and cried out, saying, УCome look, O folk, at this man and hear what he saith!Ф Quoth they, УWhat doeth he say?Ф; and quoth the townsman, УHe pretendeth that he cometh from Cairo and left it yesterday at the hour of afternoon-prayer!Ф At this they all laughed and gathering round MaТaruf, said to him, УO man, art thou mad to talk thus? How canst thou pretend that thou leftest Cairo at mid-afternoon yesterday and foundedst thyself this morning here, when the truth is that between our city and Cairo lieth a full yearТs journey?Ф Quoth he, УNone is mad but you. As for me, I speak sooth, for here is bread which I brought with me from Cairo, and see, Тtis yet new.Ф Then he showed them the bread and they stared at it, for it was unlike their country bread. So the crowd increased about him and they said to one another, УThis is Cairo bread: look at it;Ф and he became a gazing-stock in the city and some believed him, whilst others gave him the lie and made mock of him. Whilst this was going on, behold, up came a merchant riding on a she-mule and followed by two black slaves, and brake a way through the people, saying, УO folk, are ye not ashamed to mob this stranger and make mock of him and scoff at him?Ф And he went on to rate them, till he drave them away from MaТaruf, and none could make him any answer. Then he said to the stranger, УCome, O my brother, no harm shall betide thee from these folk. Verily they have no shame.Ф [FN#18] So he took him and carrying him to a spacious and richly-adorned house, seated him in a speak-room fit for a King, whilst he gave an order to his slaves, who opened a chest and brought out to him a dress such as might be worn by a merchant worth a thousand. [FN#19] He clad him therewith and MaТaruf, being a seemly man, became as he were consul of the merchants. Then his host called for food and they set before them a tray of all manner exquisite viands. The twain ate and drank and the merchant said to MaТaruf, УO my brother, what is thy name?Ф УMy name is MaТaruf and I am a cobbler by trade and patch old shoes.Ф УWhat countryman art thou?Ф УI am from Cairo.Ф УWhat quarter?Ф УDost thou know Cairo?Ф УI am of its children. [FN#20] I come from the Red Street. [FN#21]Ф УAnd whom dost thou know in the Red Street?Ф УI know such an one and such an one,Ф answered MaТaruf and named several people to him. Quoth the other, УKnowest thou Shaykh Ahmad the druggist? [FN#22]Ф УHe was my next neighbour, wall to wall.Ф УIs he well?Ф УYes.Ф УHow many sons hath he?Ф УThree, Mustafр, Mohammed and Ali.Ф УAnd what hath Allah done with them?Ф УAs for Mustafр, he is well and he is a learned man, a professor [FN#23]: Mohammed is a druggist and opened him a shop beside that of his father, after he had married, and his wife hath borne him a son named Hasan.Ф УAllah gladden thee with good news!Ф said the merchant; and MaТaruf continued, УAs for Ali, he was my friend, when we were boys, and we always played together, I and he. We used to go in the guise of the children of the Nazarenes and enter the church and steal the books of the Christians and sell them and buy food with the price. It chanced once that the Nazarenes caught us with a book; whereupon they complained of us to our folk and said to AliТs father:--An thou hinder not thy son from troubling us, we will complain of thee to the King. So he appeased them and gave Ali a thrashing; wherefore he ran away none knew whither and he hath now been absent twenty years and no man hath brought news of him.Ф Quoth the host, УI am that very Ali, son of Shaykh Ahmad the druggist, and thou art my playmate MaТaruf.Ф [FN#24] So they saluted each other and after the salam Ali said, УTell me why, O MaТaruf, thou camest from Cairo to this city.Ф Then he told him all that had befallen him of ill-doing with his wife Fatimah the Dung and said, УSo, when her annoy waxed on me, I fled from her towards the Gate of Victory and went forth the city. Presently, the rain fell heavy on me; so I entered a ruined cell in the Adiliyah and sat there, weeping; whereupon there came forth to me the Haunter of the place, which was an Ifrit of the Jinn, and questioned me. I acquainted him with my case and he took me on his back and flew with me all night between heaven and earth, till he set me down on yonder mountain and gave me to know of this city. So I came down from the mountain and entered the city, when people crowded about me and questioned me. I told them that I had left Cairo yesterday, but they believed me not, and presently thou camest up and driving the folk away from me, carriedst me this house. Such, then, is the cause of my quitting Cairo; and thou, what object brought thee hither?Ф Quoth Ali, УThe giddiness [FN#25] of folly turned my head when I was seven years old, from which time I wandered from land to land and city to city, till I came to this city, the name whereof is Ikhtiyсn al-Khatan. [FN#26] I found its people an hospitable folk and a kindly, compassionate for the poor man and selling to him on credit and believing all he said. So quoth I to them:--I am a merchant and have preceded my packs and I need a place wherein to bestow my baggage. And they believed me and assigned me a lodging. Then quoth I to them:--Is there any of you will lend me a thousand dinars, till my loads arrive, when I will repay it to him; for I am in want of certain things before my goods come? They gave me what I asked and I went to the merchantsТ bazar, where, seeing goods, I bought them and sold them next day at a profit of fifty gold pieces and bought others. [FN#27] And I consorted with the folk and entreated them liberally, so that they loved me, and I continued to sell and buy, till I grew rich. Know, O my brother, that the proverb saith, The world is show and trickery: and the land where none wotteth thee, there do whatso liketh thee. Thou too, an thou say to all who ask thee, IТm a cobbler by trade and poor withal, and I fled from my wife and left Cairo yesterday, they will not believe thee and thou wilt be a laughing-stock among them as long as thou abidest in the city; whilst, an thou tell them, An Ifrit brought me hither, they will take fright at thee and none will come near thee; for they will say, This man is possessed of an Ifrit and harm will betide whoso approacheth him. And such public report will be dishonouring both to thee and to me, because they ken I come from Cairo.Ф MaТaruf asked:--ФHow then shall I do?Ф; and Ali answered, УI will tell thee how thou shalt do, Inshallah! To-morrow I will give thee a thousand dinars and a she-mule to ride and a black slave, who shall walk before thee and guide thee to the gate of the merchantsТ bazar; and do thou go into them. I will be there sitting amongst them, and when I see thee, I will rise to thee and salute thee with the salam and kiss thy hand and make a great man of thee. Whenever I ask thee of any kind of stuff, saying, Hast thou brought with thee aught of such a kind? do thou answer, УPlenty. [FN#28]Ф And if they question me of thee, I will praise thee and magnify thee in their eyes and say to them, Get him a store-house and a shop. I also will give thee out for a man of great wealth and generosity; and if a beggar come to thee, bestow upon him what thou mayst; so will they put faith in what I say and believe in thy greatness and generosity and love thee. Then will I invite thee to my house and invite all the merchants on thy account and bring together thee and them, so that all may know thee and thou know them,Ф--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninety-second Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the merchant Ali said to MaТaruf, УI will invite thee to my house and invite all the merchants on thy account and bring together thee and them, so that all may know thee and thou know them, whereby thou shalt sell and buy and take and give with them; nor will it be long ere thou become a man of money.Ф Accordingly, on the morrow he gave him a thousand dinars and a suit of clothes and a black slave and mounting him on a she-mule, said to him, УAllah give thee quittance of responsibility for all this, [FN#29] inasmuch as thou art my friend and it behoveth me to deal generously with thee. Have no care; but put away from thee the thought of thy wifeТs misways and name her not to any.Ф УAllah requite thee with good!Ф replied MaТaruf and rode on, preceded by his blackamoor till the slave brought him to the gate of the merchantsТ bazar, where they were all seated, and amongst them Ali, who when he saw him, rose and threw himself upon him, crying, УA blessed day, O Merchant MaТaruf, O man of good works and kindness [FN#30]!Ф And he kissed his hand before the merchants and said to them, УOur brothers, ye are honoured by knowing [FN#31] the merchant MaТaruf.Ф So they saluted him, and Ali signed to them to make much of him, wherefore he was magnified in their eyes. Then Ali helped him to dismount from his she-mule and saluted him with the salam; after which he took the merchants apart, one after other, and vaunted MaТaruf to them. They asked, УIs this man a merchant?;Ф and he answered, УYes; and indeed he is the chiefest of merchants, there liveth not a wealthier than he; for his wealth and the riches of his father and forefathers are famous among the merchants of Cairo. He hath partners in Hind and Sind and Al-Yaman and is high in repute for generosity. So know ye his rank and exalt ye his degree and do him service, and wot also that his coming to your city is not for the sake of traffic, and none other save to divert himself with the sight of folkТs countries: indeed, he hath no need of strangerhood for the sake of gain and profit, having wealth that fires cannot consume, and I am one of his servants.Ф And he ceased not to extol him, till they set him above their heads and began to tell one another of his qualities. Then they gathered round him and offered him junkets [FN#32] and sherbets, and even the Consul of the Merchants came to him and saluted him; whilst Ali proceeded to ask him, in the presence of the traders, УO my lord, haply thou hast brought with thee somewhat of such and such a stuff?Ф; and MaТaruf answered,ФPlenty.Ф Now Ali had that day shown him various kinds of costly clothes and had taught him the names of the different stuffs, dear and cheap. Then said one of the merchants, УO my lord, hast thou brought with thee yellow broad cloth?Ф: and MaТaruf said, УPlentyФ! Quoth another, УAnd gazellesТ blood red [FN#33]?Ф; and quoth the Cobbler, УPlentyФ; and as often as he asked him of aught, he made him the same answer. So the other said, УO Merchant Ali had thy countryman a mind to transport a thousand loads of costly stuffs, he could do soФ; and Ali said, УHe would take them from a single one of his store-houses, and miss naught thereof.Ф Now whilst they were sitting, behold, up came a beggar and went the round of the merchants. One gave him a half dirham and another a copper, [FN#34] but most of them gave him nothing, till he came to MaТaruf who pulled out a handful of gold and gave it to him, whereupon he blessed him and went his ways. The merchants marvelled at this and said, УVerily, this is a KingТs bestowal for he gave the beggar gold without count, and were he not a man of vast wealth and money without end, he had not given a beggar a handful of gold.Ф After a while, there came to him a poor woman and he gave her a handful of gold; whereupon she went away, blessing him, and told the other beggars, who came to him, one after other, and he gave them each a handful of gold, till he disbursed the thousand dinars. Then he struck hand upon hand and said, УAllah is our sufficient aid and excellent is the Agent!Ф Quoth the Consul, УWhat aileth thee, O Merchant MaТaruf?Ф; and quoth he, УIt seemeth that the most part of the people of this city are poor and needy; had I known their misery I would have brought with me a large sum of money in my saddle-bags and given largesse thereof to the poor. I fear me I may be long abroad [FN#35] and Тtis not in my nature to baulk a beggar; and I have no gold left: so, if a pauper come to me, what shall I say to him?Ф Quoth the Consul, УSay, Allah will send thee thy daily bread [FN#36]!Ф; but MaТaruf replied, УThat is not my practice and I am care-ridden because of this. Would I had other thousand dinars, wherewith to give alms till my baggage come!Ф УHave no care for that,Ф quoth the Consul and sending one of his dependents for a thousand dinars, handed them to MaТaruf, who went on giving them to every beggar who passed till the call to noon-prayer. Then they entered the Cathedral-mosque and prayed the noon-prayers, and what was left him of the thousand gold pieces he scattered on the heads of the worshippers. This drew the peopleТs attention to him and they blessed him, whilst the merchants marvelled at the abundance of his generosity and openhandedness. Then he turned to another trader and borrowing of him other thousand ducats, gave these also away, whilst Merchant Ali looked on at what he did, but could not speak. He ceased not to do thus till the call to mid-afternoon prayer, when he entered the mosque and prayed and distributed the rest of the money. On this wise, by the time they locked the doors of the bazar, [FN#37] he had borrowed five thousand sequins and given them away, saying to every one of whom he took aught, УWait till my baggage come when, if thou desire gold I will give thee gold, and if thou desire stuffs, thou shalt have stuffs; for I have no end of them.Ф At eventide Merchant Ali invited MaТaruf and the rest of the traders to an entertainment and seated him in the upper end, the place of honour, where he talked of nothing but cloths and jewels, and whenever they made mention to him of aught, he said, УI have plenty of it.Ф Next day, he again repaired to the market-street where he showed a friendly bias towards the merchants and borrowed of them more money, which he distributed to the poor: nor did he leave doing thus twenty days, till he had borrowed threescore thousand dinars, and still there came no baggage, no, nor a burning plague. [FN#38] At last folk began to clamour for their money and say, УThe merchant MaТarufТs baggage cometh not. How long will he take peopleТs monies and give them to the poor?Ф And quoth one of them, УMy rede is that we speak to Merchant Ali.Ф So they went to him and said, УO Merchant Ali, Merchant MaТarufТs baggage cometh not.Ф Said he, УHave patience, it cannot fail to come soon.Ф Then he took MaТaruf aside and said to him, УO MaТaruf, what fashion is this? Did I bid thee brown [FN#39] the bread or burn it? The merchants clamour for their coin and tell me that thou owest them sixty thousand dinars, which thou hast borrowed and given away to the poor. How wilt thou satisfy the folk, seeing that thou neither sellest nor buyest?Ф Said MaТaruf, УWhat matters it [FN#40]; and what are threescore thousand dinars? When my baggage shall come, I will pay them in stuffs or in gold and silver, as they will.Ф Quoth Merchant Ali, УAllah is Most Great! Hast thou then any baggage?Ф; and he said, УPlenty.Ф Cried the other, УAllah and the Hallows [FN#41] requite thee thine impudence! Did I teach thee this saying, that thou shouldst repeat it to me? But I will acquaint the folk with thee.Ф MaТaruf rejoined, УBegone and prate no more! Am I a poor man? I have endless wealth in my baggage and as soon as it cometh, they shall have their moneyТs worth two for one. I have no need of them.Ф At this Merchant Ali waxed wroth and said, УUnmannerly wight that thou art, I will teach thee to lie to me and be not ashamed!Ф Said MaТaruf, УEТen work the worst thy hand can do! They must wait till my baggage come, when they shall have their due and more.Ф So Ali left him and went away, saying in himself, УI praised him whilome and if I blame him now, I make myself out a liar and become of those of whom it is said:--Whoso praiseth and then blameth lieth twice.Ф [FN#42] And he knew not what to do. Presently, the traders came to him and said, УO Merchant Ali, hast thou spoken to him?Ф Said he, УO folk, I am ashamed and, though he owe me a thousand dinars, I cannot speak to him. When ye lent him your money ye consulted me not; so ye have no claim on me. Dun him yourselves, and if he pay you not, complain of him to the King of the city, saying:--He is an impostor who hath imposed upon us. And he will deliver you from the plague of him.Ф Accordingly, they repaired to the King and told him what had passed, saying, УO King of the age, we are perplexed anent this merchant, whose generosity is excessive; for he doeth thus and thus, and all he borroweth, he giveth away to the poor by handsful. Were he a man of naught, his sense would not suffer him to lavish gold on this wise; and were he a man of wealth, his good faith had been made manifest to us by the coming of his baggage; but we see none of his luggage, although he avoucheth that he hath baggage-train and hath preceded it. Now some time hath past, but there appeareth no sign of his baggage-train, and he oweth us sixty thousand gold pieces, all of which he hath given away in alms.Ф And they went on to praise him and extol his generosity. Now this King was a very covetous man, a more covetous than AshТab [FN#43]; and when he heard tell of MaТarufТs generosity and openhandedness, greed of gain got the better of him and he said to his Wazir, УWere not this merchant a man of immense wealth, he had not shown all this munificence. His baggage-train will assuredly come, whereupon these merchants will flock to him and he will scatter amongst them riches galore. Now I have more right to this money than they; wherefore I have a mind to make friends with him and profess affection for him, so that, when his baggage cometh whatso the merchants would have had I shall get of him; and I will give him my daughter to wife and join his wealth to my wealth.Ф Replied the Wazir, УO King of the age, methinks he is naught but an impostor, and Тtis the impostor who ruineth the house of the covetous;Ф--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Ninety-third Night,