Arabian Nights (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

“The ten young men, seeing that I was not to be shaken in my resolution, took a sheep and killed it: after they had taken off the skin, they gave me the knife they had made use of, and said, ‘Take this knife: it will serve you for an occasion that will presently arise. We are going to sew you up in this skin, in which you must be entirely concealed. We shall then retire, and leave you in this place. Soon afterwards a bird of most enormous size, which they call a roc,^k will appear in the air; and, taking you for a sheep, it will swoop down upon you, and lift you up to the clouds: but let not this alarm you. The bird will soon return with his prey towards the earth, and will lay you down on the top of a mountain. As soon as you feel yourself upon the ground, rip open the skin with the knife, and set yourself free. On seeing you the roc will be alarmed, and fly away, leaving you at liberty. Tarry not in that place, but go on until you arrive at a castle of enormous magnitude, entirely covered with plates of gold, set with large emeralds and other precious stones. Go to the gate, which is always open, and enter. All of us who are here have been in that castle; but we will tell you nothing of what we saw, nor will we relate what happened to us there, as you will learn everything yourself. The only thing we can tell you of is, that our sojourn in that palace cost each of us a right eye, and that the penance you have seen us perform we are obliged to undergo in consequence of our having been there. The particular history of each of us is full of wonderful adventures; it would make a large book—but we cannot now tell you more.’

“When the young man had finished speaking, I wrapped myself up in the sheepskin, and took the knife which they gave me. After they had taken the trouble to sew me up in the skin they left me, and retired into their apartment. It was not long before the roc which they had mentioned made its appearance. It swooped down upon me, took me up in its talons as if I were a sheep, and carried me to the summit of a mountain. When I perceived that I was upon the ground, I did not fail to make use of my knife. I ripped open the skin, threw it off, and appeared before the roc, which flew away the instant it saw me. This roc is a white bird, of enormous size. Its strength is such, that it can lift up elephants from the ground and carry them to the top of mountains, where it devours them.

“My impatience to arrive at the castle was such, that I lost not an instant in proceeding thither. Indeed, I made so much haste that I reached it in less than half a day; and I may add, that I found it much more magnificent than it had been described. The gate was open, and I entered a square court of vast extent. It contained ninety-nine doors, made of sandalwood and that of the aloe-tree, and one (the hundredth) door was of gold. Besides all these, there were entrances to many magnificent stair-cases, which led to the upper apartments, and some others which I did not then see. The hundred doors I have mentioned formed the entrances either into gardens, or into storerooms filled with riches, or into some other apartments which contained objects most surprising to behold.

“Opposite to me I saw an open door, through which I entered into a large saloon, where forty young ladies were sitting. Their beauty was so perfect that the imagination cannot conceive anything beyond it. They were all very magnificently dressed; and as soon as they perceived me they rose, and without waiting for my salutation they called out, with an appearance of joy, ‘Welcome, my brave lord, you are welcome!’ And one of them, speaking for the rest, said, ‘We have a long time expected a person like you. Your manner sufficiently shows that you possess all the good qualities we could wish; and we hope that you will not find our company disagreeable or unworthy of you.’ After much resistance on my part, they persuaded me to sit down on a seat more raised than those on which they sat; and when I showed embarrassment at this distinction, they said, ‘It is your right: from this moment you are our lord, our master, and our judge; we are your slaves, and ready to obey your commands.’ Nothing in the world could have astonished me more than the desire and eagerness these ladies professed to render me every possible service. One brought me warm water to wash my feet; another poured perfumed water over my hands; some came with a complete change of apparel for me: some of the ladies served up a delicious repast, while others stood before me with glasses in their hands, ready to pour out the most delicious wine. Everything was done without confusion, and in such admirable order and such a pleasant way, that I was quite charmed. I ate and drank; and when I had finished, all the ladies placed themselves around me, and asked me to relate the circumstances of my journey. I gave them so full an account of my adventures that my story lasted till nightfall. Then some of the forty ladies who were seated nearest to me stayed to converse with me, while others, observing it was night, went out to seek for lights. They returned with a prodigious number, that produced almost the brilliance of day; but they were arranged with so much symmetry and taste, that we could hardly wish for the return of daylight.

“Some of the ladies covered the tables with dried fruits and sweetmeats of every kind; they also furnished the sideboard with many sorts of wine and sherbet, while others of the ladies came with several musical instruments. When everything was ready, they invited me to sit down to table; the ladies bore me company, and we remained there a considerable time. Those who entertained us with music sang to the sound of their instruments, thus producing a delightful concert. The rest began to dance, moving in pairs, one after the other, in the most graceful and elegant manner possible. It was past midnight before all these amusements were concluded. One of the ladies then, addressing me, said, ‘You are fatigued with the distance you have come to-day, and it is time you should take some repose. Your apartment is prepared,’ and they conducted me to a magnificent apartment. The other ladies then left me there and retired.

“I had hardly finished dressing myself in the morning, before the ladies came to my apartment. They were as splendidly adorned as on the preceeding day. They saluted me, and conducted me to a bath, but in a different manner; and when I had bathed, they brought me another dress, still more magnificent than the first. In short, Madam, not to tire you by repeating the same thing over again, I may tell you at once that I passed a whole year with these forty ladies, and that during the whole of the time the pleasures of the life I led were not marred by the least uneasiness or disquietude.

“I was therefore greatly surprised when, at the end of the year, the forty ladies, instead of presenting themselves to me in their accustomed good spirits, one morning entered my apartment with their countenances bathed in tears. Each of them came and embraced me, and said, ‘Adieu, dear prince, adieu; we are now compelled to leave you!’

“Their tears affected me deeply. I entreated to know the cause of their grief, and why they were obliged to leave me. ‘In the name of Allah, ye beautiful ladies,’ I exclaimed, ‘tell me, I beseech you, is it in my power to console you, or will my aid and assistance prove useless?’ Instead of answering my question directly, they said, ‘Would to God we had never seen or known you! Many men have done us the honour of visiting us before you came; but no one possessed the elegance, the gentleness, the power of pleasing, the merit we find in you; nor do we know how we shall be able to live without you.’ And as they said this their tears flowed afresh. ‘Amiable ladies,’ I cried, ‘do not, I beg of you, keep me any longer in suspense, but tell me the cause of your sorrow?’ ‘Alas!’ answered they, ‘what can it be that afflicts us but the necessity of separating from you? Perhaps we shall never meet again. Yet still, if you really wish it, and have sufficient command over yourself to observe the conditions, it is not absolutely impossible we may return to you.’ ‘In truth, ladies,’ I replied, ‘I do not at all understand what you mean; I conjure you to speak more openly!’ ‘Well, then, said one of them, ‘to satisfy you, we must inform you we are all Princesses, and the daughters of Kings. You have seen what manner of life we lead here; but at the end of each year we are compelled to absent ourselves for forty days, to fulfil some duties which may not be left undone, but the nature of which we are not at liberty to reveal; after this period we again return to this castle. Yesterday the year ended, and to-day we must leave you. This is the great cause of our affliction. Before we go, we will give you the keys of the whole palace, and particularly of the hundred doors, within which you will find ample room to gratify your curiosity and amuse your solitude during our absence. But, for your own sake, and for our particular interest, we entreat you to keep away from the golden door. If you open it we shall never see you again; and the fear we are in lest you should, increases our sorrow. We hope you will profit by the advice we have given you. Your repose, your happiness, nay your life, depends upon it; therefore be careful. If you indiscreetly yield to your curiosity, you will also do us much injury. We conjure you, therefore, not to be guilty of this fault, but to let us have the joy of finding you here at the end of the forty days. We would take the key of the golden door with us, but it would be an offence to a prince like yourself to doubt your circumspection and discretion.’

“At this speech I was greatly affected. I made them understand that their absence would cause me much pain, and thanked them very much for the good advice they gave me. I assured them I would profit by it, and would perform things much more difficult, if any sacrifice might procure me the happiness of passing the remainder of my life with ladies of such rare and extraordinary merit. We took a most tender leave of one another. I embraced them all; and they departed from the castle, in which I remained quite alone.

“The delight of their company, our sumptuous mode of life, and the concerts and various amusements with which the ladies had enlivened my stay, had so entirely engrossed my time during the year, that I had not had the least opportunity, nor indeed inclination, to examine the wonders of this enchanted palace. I had not even paid any attention to the multitude of extraordinary objects which were continually before my eyes; so much had I been enchanted by the charms and accomplishments of the ladies, and the pleasure I felt at finding them always employed in endeavouring to amuse me. I was very sorrowful at their departure; and although their absence was to last only forty days, the time during which I was to be deprived of their society, seemed to me an age.

Agib.—“Left alone.”

“I determined, in my own mind, to observe the advice they had given me, not to open the golden door; but as I was permitted, with that one exception, to satisfy my curiosity, I took the keys belonging to the other apartments, which were regularly arranged, and opened the first door. I entered a fruit garden, to which I thought nothing in the world was comparable; not even that Paradise^l of which our religion promises us the enjoyment after death. The admirable order and arrangement, in which the trees were disposed, the abundance and variety of the fruits, many of which were of kinds unknown to me, together with their freshness and beauty, and the elegant neatness apparent in every spot, filled me with astonishment. Nor must I neglect to inform you, that this delightful garden was watered in a most singular manner: small channels, cut out with great art and regularity, and of different sizes, conveyed the water in great abundance to the roots of some trees which required a liberal supply to make them send forth their first leaves and flowers: while others, whose fruits were already set, received a smaller quantity of moisture; those whose fruit was much swelled had still less, while a fourth sort, on which the fruit had come to maturity, had just what was sufficient to ripen them. The size also, which all the fruits attained very much exceeded what we are accustomed to observe in our gardens. These channels that conducted the water to the trees on which the fruit was ripe, had barely enough water to preserve it in the same state without decaying it.

“I could not grow weary of examining and admiring this beautiful spot; I should never have left it if I had not, from this beginning, conceived a still higher idea of the things which I had not yet seen. I returned with my mind full of the wonders I had beheld. I then closed the first door, and opened the next.

“Instead of a fruit garden I now discovered a flower garden, which was not in its kind less singular. It contained a spacious parterre, not watered so abundantly as the first garden, but with greater skill and management, for each flower received just the amount of irrigation it required. The rose, the jessamine, the violet, the narcissus, the hyacinth, the anemone, the tulip, the ranunculus, the carnation, the lily, and an infinity of other flowers, which in other places bloom at various times, came all into flower at once in this spot; and nothing could be softer than the air in this garden.

“On opening the third door, I discovered a very large aviary. It was paved with marble of different colours, and of the finest and rarest sort. The cages were of sandal wood and aloes, and contained a great number of nightingales, goldfinches, canaries, larks, and other birds, whose notes were sweeter and more melodious than any I had ever heard. The vases which contained their food and water were of jasper, or of the most valuable agate. This aviary also was kept with the greatest neatness; and from its vast extent, I conceive that not less than a hundred persons would be necessary to maintain it in the perfection in which it appeared; and yet I could see no one, either here or in the other gardens, nor did I observe a single noxious weed, nor the least superfluous thing that could offend the sight.

“The sun had already set; and I retired much delighted with the warbling of the multitude of birds, which were flying about in search of commodious resting places where to perch and enjoy the repose of the night. I went back to my apartment, and determined to open all the other doors, except the hundredth, on the succeeding days. The next day I did not fail to go to the fourth door, and open it. But if the sights which I had seen on the foregoing days had surprised me, what I now beheld put me in ecstacy. I first entered a large court, surrounded by a building of a very singular sort of architecture, of which, to avoid being very prolix, I will not give you a description.

“This building had forty doors, all open. Each door was an entrance into a sort of treasury, containing more riches than many kingdoms. In the first room I found large quantities of pearls; and, what is almost incredible, the most valuable, which were as large as pigeons’ eggs, were more numerous than the smaller. The second was filled with diamonds, carbuncles, and rubies; the third with emeralds; the fourth contained gold in ingots; the fifth gold in money; the sixth ingots of silver; and the two following coined silver. The rest were filled with amethysts, chrysolites, topazes, opals, turquoises, jacinths, and every other sort of precious stone we are acquainted with—not to mention agate, jasper, cornelian, and coral, in branches and whole trees, with which one apartment was entirely filled. Struck with surprise and admiration at the sight of all these riches, I exclaimed, ‘It is impossible that all the treasures of every potentate in the universe, if they were collected in the same spot, can equal these! How happy am I in possessing all these treasures, and in sharing them with such amiable Princesses!’

“I will not detain you, Madam, by giving you an account of all the wonderful and valuable things which I saw on the following days; I will only inform you, that I spent nine and thirty days in opening the ninety-nine doors, and in admiring everything the rooms thus disclosed contained. There now remained only the hundredth door, which I was forbidden to touch. The fortieth day since the departure of the charming Princesses now arrived. If only for that one day, I had maintained the power over myself I ought to have had, I should have been the happiest instead of the most miserable of men. The Princesses would have returned the next day; and the pleasure I should have experienced in receiving them ought to have acted as a restraint upon my curiosity; but through a weakness, which I shall never cease to lament, I yielded to the temptation of some demon, who did not suffer me to rest till I had subjected myself to the pain and punishment I have since experienced.

“Though I had promised to restrain my curiosity, I opened the fatal door. Before I even set my foot within this room, a very agreeable odour struck me, but it was so powerful, it made me faint. I soon, however, recovered; but instead of profiting by the warning, instantly shutting the door, and giving up all idea of satisfying my curiosity, I persevered and entered—having first waited till the odour was lessened and dispersed through the air. I then felt no inconvenience from it. I found a very large vaulted room, the floor of which was strewn with saffron. It was illuminated by torches made of aloe-wood and ambergris, and placed on golden stands: these torches exhaled a strong perfume. The brightness caused by them was still further heightened by many lamps of silver and gold, which were filled with oil composed of many perfumes.

“Among the numerous objects which attracted my attention was a black horse, the best shaped and most beautiful that ever was seen. I went close to it, to observe it more attentively. It had a saddle and bridle of massive gold, richly worked. On one side of its manger there was clean barley and sesame, and the other was filled with rosewater. I took hold of the horse’s bridle, and led it towards the light, to examine it the better. I mounted it, and endeavoured to make it go; but as it would not move I struck it with a switch, which I had found in its magnificent stable. So soon as it had felt the stroke the horse began to neigh in a most dreadful manner; then spreading its wings, which I had not till that moment perceived, it rose so high in the air, that I lost sight of the ground. I now thought only of holding fast on its back; nor did I experience any injury, except the great terror with which I was seized. At length my steed began to descend towards the earth, and lighted upon the terraced roof of a castle; then, without giving me time to get down, it shook me so violently that I fell off behind, and with a blow of its tail it struck out my right eye.

“In this way I became blind; and the prediction of the ten young lords was now instantly brought to my recollection. The horse itself immediately spread its wings, took flight, and disappeared. I rose up, much afflicted at the misfortune which I had thus voluntarily brought upon myself. I traversed the whole terrace, keeping my hand up to my eye, as I felt very considerable pain from the stroke. I then went down, and came to a saloon, which I immediately recognized from observing ten sofas disposed in a circle, and a single one, less elevated, in the middle: it was, in fact, in the very castle whence I had been carried up by the roc.

“The ten young lords were not in the castle. I, however, waited, and it was not long before they came, accompanied by the old man. They did not seem at all astonished at seeing me, nor at observing that I had lost my right eye. ‘We are very sorry,’ they said, ‘we cannot congratulate you, on your return, in the manner we could have wished; but you know we were not the cause of your misfortune.’ ‘It would be,’ I replied, ‘very wrong in me to accuse you of it: I brought it entirely upon myself, and the fault lies with me alone.’ ‘If thy misfortune,’ answered they, ‘can derive any consolation from knowing that others are in the same situation, we can afford thee that satisfaction. Whatever may have happened to you, be assured we have experienced the same. Like yourself, we have enjoyed every species of pleasure for a whole year; and we should have continued in the enjoyment of the same happiness if we had not opened the golden door during the absence of the Princesses. You have not been more prudent than we were, and you have experienced the same punishment that has fallen upon us. We wish we could receive you into our society, to undergo the same penance we are performing, and of which we know not the duration; but we have before informed you of the circumstances which prevent us. You must, therefore, take your departure, and go to the Court of Baghdad, where you will meet with the person who will be able to decide your fate.’ They pointed out the road I was to follow; I then took my leave and departed.

Agib looses his eye.

“During my journey I shaved my beard and eyebrows, and put on the habit of a calender. I was a long time on the road, and it was only this evening that I arrived in this city. At one of the gates I encountered these two calenders, my brethren, who were equally strangers with myself. On thus accidentally meeting, we were all much surprised at the singular circumstance, that each of us had lost his right eye. We had not, however, much leisure to converse on the subject of our mutual misfortune. We had only time, Madam, to implore your assistance, which you have generously afforded us.

“When the third calender had finished the recital of his history, Zobeidè, addressing herself both to him and his brethren, said, ‘Depart! You are all three at liberty to go wherever you please.’ But one of the calenders answered, ‘We beg of you, Madam, to pardon our curiosity, and permit us to stay and hear the adventures of these guests, who have not yet spoken. The lady then turned to the side where sat the caliph, the vizier Giafar, and Mesrour, of whose real condition and character she was still ignorant, and desired each of them to relate his history.

“The grand vizier, Giafar, who was always prepared to speak, immediately answered Zobeidè. ‘We obey, Madam,’ said he; ‘but we have only to repeat to you what we already related before we entered. We are merchants of Moussoul, and we are come to Baghdad for the purpose of disposing of our merchandise, which we have placed in the warehouses belonging to the khan where we live. We dined to-day together, with many others of our profession, at a merchant’s of this city. Our host treated us with the most delicate viands and finest wines, and had moreover provided a company of male and female dancers, and a set of musicians, to sing and play. The great noise and uproar which we all made attracted the notice of the watch, who came and arrested many of the guests; but we had the good fortune to escape. As, however, it was very late, and the door of our khan would be shut, we knew not whither to go. It happened, accidentally, that we passed through your street; and as we heard the sounds of pleasure and gaiety within your walls, we determined to knock at the door. This is the only history we have to tell, and we have done according to your commands.’

“After listening to this narration, Zobeidè seemed to hesitate as to what she should say. The three calenders, observing her indecision, entreated her to be equally generous to the three pretended merchants of Moussoul as she had been to them. ‘Well then,’ she cried, ‘I will comply. I wish all of you to be under the same obligation to me. I will therefore do you this favour, but it is only on condition that you instantly quit this house, and go wherever you please.’ Zobeidè gave this order in a tone of voice that showed she meant to be obeyed: the caliph, the vizier, Mesrour, the three calenders, and the porter, therefore, went away without answering a word; for the presence of the seven armed slaves served to make them very respectful. So soon as they had left the house and the door had been closed behind them, the caliph said to the three calenders, without letting them know who he was, ‘Ye are strangers, and but just arrived in this city; what do you intend to do, and which way do you think of going, as it is not yet daylight?’ And they answered, ‘This very thing, sir, embarrasses us.’ ‘Follow us then,’ returned the caliph, ‘and we will relieve you from this difficulty.’ He then whispered his vizier, and ordered him to conduct them to his own house, and bring them to the palace in the morning. ‘I wish,’ added he, ‘to have their adventures written; for they are worthy of a place in the annals of my reign.’

“The vizier Giafar took the three calenders home; the porter went to his own house, and the caliph, accompanied by Mesrour, returned to his palace. He retired to his couch; but his mind was so entirely occupied by all the extraordinary things he had seen and heard, that he was unable to close his eyes. He was particularly anxious to know who Zobeidè was, and the motives she could possibly have for treating the two black dogs so ill, and also the reason that Aminè’s bosom was so covered with scars. The morning at length broke, while he was still engaged with these reflections. He immediately rose, and went into the council-chamber of the palace; he then gave audience, and seated himself on his throne.

“It was not long before the grand vizier arrived, and hastened to perform the customary obeisances. ‘Vizier,’ said the caliph to him, ‘the business which is now before us is not very pressing; that of the three ladies and the two black dogs is of more consequence; and my mind will not be at rest till I am fully informed of everything that has caused me so much astonishment. Go, and order these ladies to attend; and at the same time bring back the three calenders with you. Hasten, and remember I am impatient for your return.’

“The vizier, who was well acquainted with the hasty and passionate disposition of his master, hurried to obey him. He arrived at the house of the ladies, and, with as much politeness as possible, informed them of the orders he had received to conduct them to the caliph; but he made no reference to the events of the night before.

“The ladies immediately put on their veils, and went with the vizier, who, as he passed his own door, called for the calenders. They had just learnt that they had already seen the caliph, and had even spoken to him without even knowing it was he. The vizier brought them all to the palace; he had executed his commission with so much diligence that his master was perfectly satisfied. The caliph ordered the ladies to stand behind the doorway which led to his own apartment, that he might preserve a certain decorum before the officers of his household. He kept the three calenders near him; and these men made it sufficiently apparent, by their respectful behaviour, that they were not ignorant in whose presence they had the honour to appear.

“When the ladies were seated, the caliph turned towards them and said, ‘When I inform you, ladies, that I introduced myself to you last night, disguised as a merchant, I shall, without doubt, cause you some alarm. You are afraid, probably, that you offended me, and you think, perhaps, that I have ordered you to come here—only to show you some marks of my resentment; but be of good courage, be assured that I have forgotten what is past, and that I am even very well satisfied with your conduct. I wish that all the ladies of Baghdad possessed as much sense as I have observed in you. I shall always remember the moderation with which you behaved after the incivility we were guilty of towards you. I was then only a merchant of Moussoul, but I am now Haroun Alraschid, the Seventh Caliph of the glorious House of Abbas, which holds the place of our Great Prophet. I have ordered you to appear here, only that I may be informed who you are, and to learn the reason why one of you, after having ill-treated the two black dogs, wept with them: nor am I less curious to hear how the bosom of another became so covered with scars.’

“Though the caliph pronounced these words very distinctly, and the three ladies understood them very well, the vizier Giafar did not fail to repeat them, according to custom. The prince had no sooner encouraged Zobeidè by this speech, which he addressed to her, than she gave him the satisfaction he required.

“Commander of the Faithful!—The history, which I am going to relate to your Majesty, is probably one of the most surprising you have ever heard. The two black dogs and myself are three sisters, daughters of the same mother and father; and I shall, in the course of my narration, inform you by what strange accident my two sisters have been transformed into dogs. The two ladies, who live with me, and who are now here, are also my sisters, by the same father, but by a different mother. She whose bosom is covered with scars is called Aminè; the name of the other is Safiè, and I am called Zobeidè.

After both Zobeidè and Aminè had told their histories, a fairy summoned by the burning of two hairs restored the two dogs to their original form and cured Aminè of her scars and reunited her with her husband, the caliph’s eldest son, Prince Amin.

“Then it was that this great caliph, filled with wonder and astonishment, and well satisfied at the alterations and changes that he had been the means of effecting, performed some actions which will be eternally spoken of. He first of all summoned before him his son, Prince Amin, told him he was acquainted with the secret of his marriage, and informed him of the cause of the wound in Aminè’s cheek. The prince did not wait for his father’s command to reinstate his wife—he immediately became reconciled to her.

“The caliph next declared that he bestowed his heart and hand upon Zobeidè, and proposed her other three sisters to the calenders, the sons of kings, who joyfully accepted them for their wives. The caliph then assigned to each of the calender-princes a most magnificent palace in the city of Baghdad; he raised them to the first offices of the empire, and admitted them into his council. The principal cadi of Baghdad was summoned, and, with proper witnesses, drew up the forms of marriage; and in bestowing happiness on a number of persons who had experienced incredible misfortunes, the illustrious and magnificent Caliph Haroun Alraschid earned for himself a thousand benedictions.”