"Payne Volume IX" - читать интересную книгу автора (Paynes Versions)

THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT:
Now First Completely Done Into English
Prose and Verse, From The Original Arabic,
By John Payne
(Author of "The Masque of Shadows," "Intaglios: Sonnets," "Songs of Life and Death,"
"Lautrec," "The Poems of Master Francis Villon of Paris," "New Poems," Etc, Etc.).
In Nine Volumes:
VOLUME THE NINTH.
London
Printed For Subscribers Only
1901
Delhi Edition
THE MERCHANT OF OMAN.
The Khalif Haroun er Reshid was one night exceeding wakeful; so he called Mesrour and said to him, 'Fetch me Jaafer in haste.' Accordingly, he went out and returned with the vizier, to whom said the Khalif, 'O Jaafer, wakefulness hath gotten hold of me this night and forbiddeth sleep from me, nor know I what shall do it away from me.' 'O Commander of the Faithful,' answered Jaafer, 'the wise say, "Looking on a mirror, entering the bath and hearkening unto song do away care and chagrin."' 'O Jaafer,' rejoined Haroun, 'I have done all this, but it hath brought me no whit of relief, and I swear by my pious forefathers, except thou contrive that which shall do away this [restlessness] from me, I will strike off thy head.'
Quoth Jaafer, 'O Commander of the Faithful, wilt thou do that which I shall counsel thee?' 'And what is that?' asked the Khalif. 'It is,' replied the vizier, 'that thou take boat with us and drop down the Tigris with the tide to a place called аKern es Serat, so haply we may hear or see some new thing, for it is said, "The solace of care is in one of three things; to wit, that a man see what he never before saw or hear what he never yet heard or tread an earth he hath never yet trodden." It may be this shall be the means of doing away thy restlessness, O Commander of the Faithful, if it be the will of the Most High. There, on both sides of the stream, are windows and balconies facing one another, and it may be we shall hear or see from one of these somewhat wherewith our hearts may be lightened.'
Jaafer's counsel pleased the Khalif, so he rose from his place and taking with him the vizier and his brother El Fezl and Isaac (1) the boon-companion and Abou Nuwas and Abou Delef (2) and Mesrour the headsman, entered the wardrobe, where they all donned merchants' habits. Then they went down to the Tigris and embarking in a gilded boat, dropped down with the stream, till they came to the place they sought, where they heard the voice of a damsel singing to the lute and chanting the following verses:
ааааа I say to my love, whilst the wine-cup is here And the thousand-voiced bird in the coppice sings clear,
ааааа 'How long this delaying from gladness? Awake; For life's but a loan for a day or a year.
ааааа So take thou the cup from a loveling's white hands, Whose languishing lids are as those of a deer.'
ааааа I sowed a fresh rose in his cheek, but amidst His locks a pomegranate for fruit did appear.
ааааа Indeed, very fire wouldst thou deem his fair cheek And the place of the scratching (3) dead ashes and sere.
ааааа Quoth my censor, 'Forget him;' but where's my excuse, When the down sprouts and creeps on the face of my dear?
When the Khalif heard this, he said, 'O Jaafer, how goodly is that voice!' 'O our lord,' answered the vizier, 'never smote my hearing aught sweeter or goodlier than this singing! But hearing from behind a wall is only half hearing; how would it be, if we heard it from behind a curtain?' 'Come, O Jaafer,' said the Khalif, 'let us go up and intrude upon the master of the house; it may be we shall look upon the songstress, face to face.' 'I hear and obey,' answered Jaafer. So they landed and sought admittance; whereupon there came out to them a young man, fair of favour, sweet of speech and eloquent of tongue, who said to them, 'Welcome and fair welcome, O lords that favour me [with your presence!] Enter in all ease and liberty.'
They followed him into a saloon, four-square, whose roof was decorated with gold and its walls adorned with ultra- marine. (4) At its upper end was an estrade, whereon stood a goodly settle (5) and thereon sat a hundred damsels like moons. The young man cried out to them and they came down from their seats. Then he turned to Jaafer and said to him, 'O my lord, I know not the worshipful of you from the more worshipful, but, in God's name, let him that is highest in rank among you favour me by taking the highest room, and let his brethren sit each in his several station.' So they sat down, each according to his rank, whilst Mesrour abode standing to do them service; and the host said to them, 'O my guests, with your leave, shall I set food before you?' 'Yes,' answered they. So he called for food, whereupon four damsels with girded waists set before them a table, whereon were rare meats of that which flies and walks the earth and swims the seas, sandgrouse and quails and chickens and pigeons [and what not else], and written on the marges of the tray were verses such as sorted with the entertainment.
They ate till they had enough and washed their hands, after which said the young man, 'O my lords, if you have any want, let us know it, that we may have the honour of satisfying it.' 'It is well,' answered they. 'We came not to thy dwelling but because of a voice we heard from behind the wall of thy house, and we would fain hear it [again] and know her to whom it belongs. So, if thou deem well to vouchsafe us this favour, it will be of the munificence of thy nature, and we will after return whence we came.' 'Ye are welcome,' answered the host and turning to a black slave-girl, said to her, 'Fetch me thy mistress such an one.' So she went away and returning with a chair of chinaware, cushioned with brocade, set it down; then withdrew again and presently returned with a damsel, as she were the moon on the night of its full, who sat down on the chair. Then the black girl gave her a bag of satin, from which she brought out a lute, inlaid with jacinths and jewels and furnished with pegs of gold, and tuned its strings, even as saith the poet of her and her lute:
ааааа When in her lap she sets it, the soul in it she sets, Its pegs [and strings] its organs by which its thought hath speech;
ааааа Nor doth her right hand outrage its beauties, (6) but her left On equal wise and measure amendeth still the breach. (7)
Then she strained it to her bosom, bending over it as the mother bends over her child, and swept the strings, which complained as the child complains to its mother; after which she played upon it and sang the following verses:
ааааа Vouchsafe me Fortune the return of him I love, and I Will chide him, saying, 'Pass about thy cups, O friend; fill high
ааааа And drink of wine that mingleth not with heart of man but he Still barters care for cheer and calls a truce with tear and sigh.
ааааа Unto its bearing in its cup the zephyr (8) doth suffice: Didst e'er a full moon (9) in its hand a star (10) that bore espy?
ааааа How many a night with its full moon I've held converse of yore, Whilst, o'er the Tigris shed, its light lit up the darkling sky!
ааааа As to the westward she inclined, it was as if she drew A gilded sword that stretched athwart the water far and nigh.
When she had made an end of her song, she wept sore and all who were in the place cried out with weeping, till they were well-nigh dead; nor was there one of them but took leave of his senses and rent his clothes and buffeted his face, for the goodliness of her singing. Then said Er Reshid, 'This damsel's song denoteth that she is one parted from her beloved.' Quoth her master, 'She hath lost her father and mother.' But the Khalif said, 'This is not the weeping of one who hath lost her father and mother, but the affliction of one who hath lost her beloved.' And he was delighted with her singing and said to Isaac, 'By Allah, I never saw her like!' 'O my lord,' answered Isaac, 'indeed I marvel at her to the utterest and am beside myself for delight.'
Now with all this Er Reshid stinted not to look upon their host and observe his charms and the elegance of his fashion; but he saw on his face a pallor as he would die; so he turned to him and said, 'Harkye!' 'At thy service, O my lord,' answered he. 'Knowest thou who we are?' asked the Khalif; and he said 'No.' Quoth Jaafer, 'Wilt thou that I tell thee the names of each of us?' 'Yes,' answered the young man; and the vizier said, 'This is the Commander of the Faithful, descendant of the uncle of the Prince of the Apostles,' and told him the names of the others of the company; after which quoth Er Reshid, 'I desire that thou tell me the cause of the paleness of thy face, whether it be acquired or natural from thy birth.' 'O Commander of the Faithful,' answered he, 'my case is rare and my affair extraordinary; were it graven with needles on the corners of the eye, it would serve as an admonition to him who will be admonished.' 'Tell it me,' said the Khalif. 'Peradventure, thy healing may be at my hand.' 'O Commander of the Faithful,' said the young man, 'lend me thine ears and give me thy whole mind.' 'Come,' said the Khalif, 'tell it me, for thou makest me long to hear it.'
'Know then, O Commander of the Faithful,' replied the young man, 'that I am a merchant of the merchants of the sea and come from the city of Oman, where my father was a rich merchant, having thirty ships trading upon the sea, whose yearly hire was thirty thousand dinars; and he had partners trading with his money and journeying on the sea. He was a man of worth and generosity and taught me writing and all whereof a man hath need. When his last hour drew near, he called me to him and gave me the customary injunctions; then God the Most High admitted him to His mercy and may He continue the Commander of the Faithful [on life!]
One day, as I sat in my house with a company of merchants, one of my servants came in to me and said, "O my lord, there is a man at the door, who craves admittance to thee." So I gave leave and he came in, bearing on his head a covered box. He set it down and uncovered it, and behold, therein were fruits out of season and [vegetables] conserved in salt and fresh, such as are not found in our country. I thanked him and gave him a hundred dinars, and he went away, grateful. Then I divided these things amongst my guests and asked them whence they came. Quoth they, "They come from Bassora," and praised them and went on to expatiate upon the beauties of Bassora and were all of accord that there was nothing in the world goodlier than Baghdad and its people. Then they fell to describing Baghdad and the excellence of its air and the beauty of its ordinance and the goodly manners of its people, till my soul longed for it and all my hopes clave to the sight of it.
So I arose and selling my ships and houses and lands and slaves, male and female, got together a thousand thousand dinars, besides jewels and precious stones, with which I freighted a ship and setting out therein, sailed nights and days till I came to Bassora, where I abode awhile. Then I hired a bark and embarking therein with all my goods, sailed up the river some days till I arrived at Baghdad. I enquired where the merchants abode and what part thereof was pleasantest of sojourn and was answered, "The Kerkh quarter." So I went thither and hiring a house in a street called the Street of Saffron, transported my goods to it and took up my lodging therein.
Here I abode some days, till, one Friday, I sallied forth apleasuring, taking with me somewhat of money. I went first to a mosque, called the Mosque of Mensour, where the Friday service was held, and when we had made an end of prayers, I went out with the folk to a place called Kern es Serat, where I saw a tall and goodly house, with a balcony overlooking the river-bank, wherein was a lattice- window. So I betook myself thither with a company of folk and saw there an old man sitting handsomely clad and exhaling a sweet scent. His beard flowed down upon his breast, where it divided into two waves like silver-wire, and about him were four damsels and five pages in attendance upon him. So I said to one of the folk, "What is the name of yonder old man and what is his business?" "His name is Tahir ibn el Alaa," answered he, "and he is a keeper of girls; all who go in to him eat and drink and look upon fair ones." "By Allah," quoth I, "this long while have I gone about in quest of the like of this!"
So I went up to the old man and saluting him, said to him, "O my lord, I desire to be thy guest to-night." And he said, "With all my heart; but, O my son, with me are many damsels, some whose night is ten dinars, some forty and others more. Choose which thou wilt have." Quoth I, "I choose her whose night is ten dinars." And I counted out to him three hundred dinars, being the price of a month; whereupon he committed me to a page, who carried me to a bath within the house and tended me on goodly wise. When I came out of the bath, he brought me to the door of a chamber and knocked, whereupon out came a damsel, to whom said he, "Take thy guest." She received me with welcome and courtesy, laughing and rejoicing, and brought me into a rare apartment, decorated with gold. I looked at her and saw her like the moon on the night of its full, having in attendance on her two damsels like stars. She made me sit and seating herself by my side, signed to her maids, who set before us a table covered with dishes of various kinds of meats, fowls and quails and sandgrouse and pigeons. So we ate till we were satisfied, and never in my life saw I aught more delicious than this food. When we had eaten, she caused remove the table [of meats] and set on the table of wine and flowers and fruits and sweetmeats; and I abode with her a month on this wise.
At the end of the month, I repaired to the bath; then, going to the old man, I said to him, "O my lord, I want her whose night is twenty dinars." "Pay down the money," said he. So I fetched money and counted out to him six hundred dinars for a month's hire, whereupon he called a boy and said to him, "Take thy lord here." So he carried me to the bath and thence to the door of a chamber, at which he knocked and there came out a damsel, to whom quoth he, "Take thy guest." She received me on the goodliest wise and I found in attendance on her four slave-girls, whom she commanded to bring food. So they brought a table spread with all kinds of meats, and I ate. When I had made an end of eating and the table had been removed, she took the lute and sang the following verses:
ааааа O windwafts of musk, from the land of Babel to us-ward that fare, In the name of my passion and heat, I charge you my messages bear;
ааааа For lo, in those regions of yours are dwellings of yore that I knew, The homes of our loved ones, to wit, the noblest of all that are there;
ааааа And in them abideth the maid, for whom many a lover doth pine, Distraught with the pangs of desire, but getteth no grace of the fair.
I abode with her a month, after which I returned to the old man and said to him, "I want her of the forty dinars [a night]." "Pay the money," said he. So I counted out to him twelve hundred dinars and abode with her a month, as it were one day, for what I saw of the beauty of her person and the goodliness of her converse. After this I went to the old man one evening and heard a great clamour and loud voices. So I said to him, "What is to do?" And he answered, saying, "This is the night of our greatest holiday, whereon all the townsfolk embark on the river and divert themselves by gazing upon one another. Hast thou a mind to go up to the roof and amuse thyself by looking upon the folk?" "Yes," answered I, and went up to the roof, whence I [looked down upon the river and] saw [a great multitude of] folk with flambeaux and cressets, and great mirth and merriment toward.
Then I went up to the end of the roof and saw there a little chamber railed off by a goodly curtain, and in its midst a couch of juniper-wood, plated with gold and covered with a handsome carpet. On this sat a lovely young lady, confounding all beholders with her beauty and grace and symmetry, and by her side a youth, whose hand was on her neck; and he was kissing her and she him. When I saw them, O Commander of the Faithful, I could not contain myself nor knew I where I was, so dazzled was I by her beauty: but, when I came down, I questioned the damsel with whom I was and described the young lady to her. "What wilt thou with her?" asked she; and I said, "She hath taken my wit." She smiled and said, "O Aboulhusn, hast thou a mind to her?" "Ay, by Allah!" answered I; "for she hath captived my heart and soul." Quoth she, "This is the daughter of Tahir ibn el Alaa; she is our mistress and we are all her handmaids; but knowest thou, O Aboulhusn, what is the price of her night and day?" And I said, "No." "Five hundred dinars," answered she; "for she is one for whom kings might sigh in vain." (11)
"By Allah," quoth I, "I will spend all I have on this damsel!" And I lay, heartsore for desire, till the morning, when I donned a suit of the richest royal raiment and betaking myself to Ibn el Alaa, said to him, "O my lord, I want her whose night is five hundred dinars." Quoth he, "Pay the money." So I counted out to him fifteen thousand dinars for a month's hire and he took them and said to the page, "Carry him to thy mistress such an one." So he took me and carried me to a saloon, than which my eyes never saw a goodlier on the face of the earth, and there I found the young lady seated. When I saw her, O Commander of the Faithful, my reason was dazed with her beauty, for she was like the full moon on its fourteenth night, full of grace and symmetry and loveliness. Her speech put to shame the tones of the lute, and it was as it were she to whom the poet referred in the following verses:
ааааа Quoth she (and verily desire ran riot in her side, What while the dusky night let down the darkness like a tide),
ааааа "Night, in thy blackness is there none to company with me? Is there no swiver for this kaze of all men, far and wide?"
ааааа Then with her palm she smote thereon and said, what while she sighed The sighing of the sorrowful, the sad, the weeping-eyed,