THE HISTORY OF ABOULHASSAN ALI EBN BECAR, AND OF SCHEMSELNIHAR, THE FAVOURITE OF THE CALIPH HAROUN ALRASCHID.

DURING the reign of the Caliph Haroun Alraschid, there lived at Baghdad a druggist whose name was Aboulhassan Ebn Thaher. He was a man of considerable wealth, and was also very handsome, and reckoned an agreeable companion. He possessed more understanding and more politeness than can be generally found among people of his profession. His ideas of rectitude, his sincerity, and the liveliness of his disposition made him beloved and sought after by every one. The caliph, who was well acquainted with his merit, placed the most implicit confidence in him. He esteemed him so highly that he even entrusted to him the sole care of procuring for his favourite ladies everything they required. It was the druggist who chose their dresses, the furniture of their apartments, and their jewellery, and in all his purchases he gave proofs of a most excellent taste.

“His various good qualities and the favour of the caliph caused the sons of the emirs and other officers of the highest rank to frequent this man’s house, which, in this manner, became the rendezvous of all the nobles of the court. Among other young nobles who made almost a daily practice of going there, was one whom Ebn Thaher esteemed above all the rest, and with whom he contracted a most intimate friendship. This young nobleman’s name was Aboulhassan Ali Ebn Becar, and he derived his origin from an ancient royal family of Persia. This family still continued to live at Baghdad from the time when the Mussulman arms made a conquest of that kingdom. Nature seemed to have taken pleasure in combining in this young prince every mental endowment and personal accomplishment. He possessed a countenance of the most finished beauty. His figure was fine, his air elegant and easy, and the expression of his face so engaging that no one could see him without instantly loving him. Whenever he spoke he used the most appropriate words, and his every speech had a certain turn of expression equally novel and agreeable. There was something even in the tone of his voice that charmed all who heard him. To complete the description of him, as his understanding and judgment were of the first rank, so all his thoughts and expressions were most admirable and just. He was moreover so reserved and modest, that he never made an assertion till he had taken every possible precaution to avoid all suspicion of preferring his own opinions or sentiments to those of others. It is not to be wondered at that Ebn Thaher distinguished this excellent young prince in a particular manner from the other young noblemen of the court, whose vices, for the most part, served only to make his virtues appear the more brilliant by contrast.

“The prince was one day at the house of Ebn Thaher when a lady came to the door, mounted upon a black and white mule, and surrounded by ten female slaves, who accompanied her on foot. These slaves were all very handsome, as far as could be judged from their air and through the veils that covered their faces. The lady herself wore a rose-coloured girdle at least four fingers in width, upon which were fastened diamonds and pearls of the largest size; and it was no difficult matter to conjecture that her beauty surpassed the charms of her attendants as much as the moon at its full exceeds the crescent of two days old. She came for the purpose of executing some commission; and as she desired to speak to Ebn Thaher, she went into his shop, which was very large and commodious. He received her with every mark of respect, begged her to be seated, and, taking her by the hand, conducted her to the most honourable place.

“The Prince of Persia in the meantime did not choose to neglect such an excellent opportunity of showing his politeness and his gallantry. He placed a cushion, covered with cloth of gold for the lady to rest upon, and then immediately retired, that she might sit down. After this he made his obeisance by kissing the carpet at her feet, then rose and stood before her at the end of the sofa. As the lady felt herself quite at home in Ebn Thaher’s house, she took off her veil, and displayed to the eyes of the Prince of Persia a beauty so extraordinary that it pierced him to the bottom of his heart. Nor could the lady on her part help looking at the prince, whose appearance made an equal impression on her. She said to him in an obliging manner, ‘I beg you, my lord, to be seated.’ The Prince of Persia obeyed, and sat down on the edge of the sofa. He kept his eyes constantly fixed upon the beautiful lady, and swallowed large draughts of the delicious poison of love. She soon perceived what passed in his mind, and this discovery aroused a kindred feeling in her own breast. She rose and went to Ebn Thaher, and after she had imparted to him, in a whisper, the motive of her visit, she inquired of him the name and country of the Prince of Persia. ‘O lady,’ replied Ebn Thaher, ‘this young prince, of whom you are speaking, is called Aboulhassan Ali Ebn Becar, and is of the blood royal of Persia.’

“The lady was delighted to find that the man whose appearance had won her esteem was of such a high rank. She replied: ‘I understand from what you say that he is descended from the kings of Persia.’ ‘In truth, lady,’ returned Ebn Thaber, ‘the kings of Persia are his ancestors; and since the conquest of that kingdom, the princes of his family have always been held in esteem at the court of our caliphs.’ ‘You will do me a great favour,’ said the lady, ‘if you will make me acquainted with this young prince.’ She added: ‘I shall shortly send this attendant,’ pointing to one of her slaves, ‘to request you to come and see me, and I beg you will bring him with you; I very much wish him to see the splendour and magnificence of my palace, that he may publish to the world that avarice does not hold her court among people of rank at Baghdad. Understand and give heed to my words. Fail not to remember my request. If you do I shall be very angry with you, and will never come and see you again so long as I live.’

“Ebn Thaher possessed too much penetration not to understand by this speech what were the sentiments of the lady. ‘Allah forbid, my princess,’ replied he, ‘that I should give you any cause to be offended with me. To execute your orders will ever be my delight.’ Having received this answer, the lady took leave of Ebn Thaher by an inclination of her head; and after casting a most obliging look at the Prince of Persia, she mounted her mule and departed.

“The prince was violently moved with admiration for this lady. He continued looking at her as long as she was in sight; and even after she had disappeared it was a long time before he turned away his eyes from the direction in which she had gone. Ebn Thaher then remarked to him that he was observed by some people, who were inclined to make merry at his expense. ‘Alas!’ said the prince, ‘you and all the world would have compassion upon me if you knew that this beautiful lady, who has just left your house, had carried away by far the better part of me; and that what remains cannot live separate from her. Tell me, I conjure you,’ added he, ‘who this tyrannical lady is that thus compels people to love her without giving them time to combat their feelings?’ ‘My lord,’ replied Ebn Thaher, ‘that lady is the famous Schemselnihar, the first favourite of our sovereign master the caliph.’ The prince rejoined: ‘She is indeed with great justice and propriety named Schemselnihar, since she is more beautiful than the cloudless meridian sun.’ ‘It is true,’ cried Ebn Thaher; ‘and the Commander of the Faithful loves her, or I may rather say, adores her. He has expressly commanded me to furnish her with everything she wishes, and even to anticipate her thoughts, if it were possible, in anything she may desire.’

“Ebn Thaher told all these particulars to the prince to prevent the young man from giving way to a passion which could only end unfortunately; but the druggist’s words only served to inflame him the more. ‘I cannot hope,’ cried he, ‘charming Schemselnihar, that I shall be suffered to raise my thoughts to you. I nevertheless feel, although I am destitute of all hope of being beloved by you, that it will not be in my power to cease from adoring you. Therefore I will continue to love you, and will bless the fate that has made me the slave of the most beautiful object that the sun shines on.’

“While the Prince of Persia was thus consecrating his heart to the beautiful Schemselnihar, that lady, as she went home, continued to think upon the means she should pursue in order to see and converse with freedom with this prince. So soon as she reached the palace she sent back to Ebn Thaher the female slave whom she had pointed out to him, and in whom she placed the most implicit confidence. The slave brought to the druggist a request that he would see her mistress without delay, and bring the Prince of Persia with him. The slave arrived at the shop of Ebn Thaher while he was still conversing with the prince, and while he was using the strongest arguments in his endeavour to persuade him to think no more of the favourite of the caliph. When the slave thus saw them talking together she said, ‘My most honourable mistress Schemselnihar, the first favourite of the Commander of the Faithful, entreats you both to come to the palace, where she awaits you.’ In order to show how ready he was to obey the summons, Ebn Thaher instantly got up, without answering the slave one word, and followed her, though with much inward reluctance. As for the prince, he followed her without at all reflecting on the perils which might arise to him from this visit. The presence of Ebn Thaher, who had free admission to the favourite, made him feel perfectly at his ease. The two men followed the slave, who walked a little in advance of them. They went into the palace of the caliph, and joined her at the door of the smaller palace appropriated to Schemselnihar, which was already open. The slave introduced them into a large hall, and motioned them to be seated.

“The Prince of Persia thought himself in one of those delightful abodes which are promised to us in a future world. He had hitherto seen nothing that at all approached the magnificence of the place where he now was. The carpets, cushions, and coverings of the sofas, together with the furniture, ornaments, and decorations, were most exceeding rich and beautiful. The visitors had not long remained in this apartment, before a black slave, handsomely dressed, brought in a table covered with the most delicate dishes, the delicious fragrance of which gave token of the richness of the repast prepared for them. While they were eating, the slave who had conducted them to the palace did not leave them: she was very diligent in pressing them to eat of those ragouts and dishes she knew to be best. In the meantime other slaves poured them out some excellent wine, with which they regaled themselves. When the feast was over, the attendants presented to the Prince of Persia and to Ebn Thaher each a separate basin, and a beautiful golden vase, full of water, to wash their hands. They afterwards brought them some perfume of aloes in a beautiful vessel, which was also of gold, and with this perfume the guests scented their beards and dress. Nor was the perfumed water forgotten. It was brought in a golden vase made expressly for this purpose, enriched with diamonds and rubies, and it was poured into both their hands, with which they rubbed their beards and their faces, according to the usual custom. They then sat down again in their places; but in a very few moments the slave requested them to rise up and follow her. She opened a door which led from the hall where they had feasted; and they entered a very large saloon wonderfully constructed. The ceiling was a dome of elegant form, supported by a hundred columns of marble as white as alabaster. The pedestals and capitals of these columns were all ornamented with quadrupeds and birds of various species, worked in gold. The carpet of this splendid saloon was composed of a single piece of cloth of gold, upon which were worked bunches of roses in red and white silk; the dome itself was painted in arabesque, and exhibited to the spectator a multitude of charming objects. There was a small sofa in every interval between the columns, ornamented in the same manner, together with large vases of porcelain, of crystal, jasper, jet, porphyry, agate, and other valuable materials, all enriched with gold and inlaid with precious stones. The spaces between the columns contained also large windows, with balconies of a proper height, and furnished in the same style of elegance as the sofas, with a view into the most delicious garden in the world. The walks in this garden were formed of small stones of various colours, which represented the carpet of the saloon under the dome; and in this manner, when the spectator turned his eyes towards the ground, either in the saloon or garden, it seemed as if the dome and the garden, with all their beauties, formed one splendid whole. The view from every point was terminated at the end of the walks by two pieces of water, as transparent as rock crystal, in which the circular figure of the dome was reproduced. One of these was raised above the other, and from the higher the water fell in a large sheet into the lower one. On their banks, at certain distances, were placed beautiful bronze and gilt vases, all decorated with shrubs and flowers. These walks also separated from each other large lawns, which were planted with lofty and thick trees, in whose branches a thousand birds warbled the most melodious sounds, and diversified the scene by their various flights, and by the battles they fought in the air, sometimes in sport, and at others in a more serious and cruel manner.

 

The concert at the palace of Schemselnihar.

“The Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher stopped a long time to examine the great magnificence of this place. They expressed strong marks of surprise and admiration at everything that struck them. The Prince of Persia especially had never before seen anything at all comparable to this dwelling. Ebn Thaher, too, although he had been before in this enchanting spot, could not refrain from admiring its beauties, which always appeared to possess an air of novelty. In short, the guests had not ceased from their admiration of the singular spectacle around them, and were still agreeably engaged in examining its various beauties, when they suddenly perceived a company of ladies very richly dressed. They were all sitting in the garden, at some distance from the dome, each on a seat made of Indian plantain wood, enriched with silver inlaid in compartments. Each had a musical instrument in her hands, and seemed waiting for the appointed signal to begin to play on it.

“Ebn Thaher and the Prince of Persia went and placed themselves in one of the balconies, from whence they had a direct view of these ladies; and on looking towards the right hand, they saw before them a large court, with an entrance into the garden up a flight of steps. The whole of this court was surrounded with very elegant apartments. The slaves had left them, and as they were alone, they conversed together for some time. ‘I do not doubt,’ said the Prince of Persia to Ebn Thaher, ‘that you, who are a sedate and wise man, look with very little satisfaction upon all this exhibition of magnificence and power. In my eyes nothing in the whole world can be more surprising; and when I add to this reflection the thought that it is the splendid abode of the too beautiful Schemselnihar, and that the foremost monarch of the world makes it the place of his retreat, I confess to you that I think myself the most unfortunate of men. It seems to me that there cannot be a more cruel fate than mine, for I love a being who is completely in the power of my rival; and being in the very spot where my rival is so powerful, I am at this very instant not even secure of my life.’

“To this speech of the Prince of Persia Ebn Thaher thus replied: ‘Would to Allah, O prince, that I could give you as perfect an assurance of the happy issue of your attachment as I can of the safety of your person. Although this superb palace belongs to the caliph, it was erected expressly for Schemselnihar, and is called the Palace of Continual Pleasures; and although it forms a part, as it were, of the sultan’s palace, yet be assured this lady here enjoys the most perfect liberty. She is not surrounded by eunuchs placed to watch her minutest actions. These buildings are appropriated to her sole use, and she has absolute power to dispose of the whole as she thinks proper. She goes out and walks about the city wherever she pleases, without asking leave of any one; she returns at her own time; and the caliph never comes to visit her without first sending Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, to give her notice of his intention, that she may have time to prepare for his reception. Your mind, therefore, need not be disturbed, but you may consider yourself in perfect safety to listen to the concert with which I perceive Schemselnihar is going to entertain us.’

“At the very instant when Ebn Thaher had done speaking, the Prince of Persia and he both observed the slave who was the confidante of the favourite, come and order the women seated in front of them to sing, and play on their several instruments. They all immediately began a sort of prelude, and after playing thus for some time, one of them sang alone, and accompanied herself on a lute most admirably. As she had been informed of the subject upon which she was to sing, the words of her song were in such perfect unison with the feelings of the Prince of Persia, that he could not help applauding her at the conclusion of the strain. ‘Is it possible, ’ he cried, ‘that you can have the faculty of penetrating the inmost thoughts of others, and that the knowledge you have of what passes in my heart has enabled you to give my feelings utterance in the sound of your delightful voice? I could not myself have expressed in more appropriate terms the passion of my heart.’ To this speech the minstrel answered not a word. She resumed, and sang several other stanzas, which so much affected the Prince of Persia, that he repeated some of them with tears in his eyes; and that he applied the song to Schemselnihar and himself was sufficiently evident. When the lady had finished all the couplets, she and her companions stood up and sang all together some words to the following effect: The full moon is going to arise in all its splendour, and will soon approach the sun. The meaning of which was, that Schemselnihar was about to appear, and that the Prince of Persia would immediately have the pleasure of seeing her.

“Indeed, looking towards one side of the court, Ebn Thaher and the prince observed the confidential slave approach, followed by ten black females, who with difficulty carried a large throne of massive silver most elegantly wrought, which the slave made them place at a certain distance from the prince and Ebn Thaher. After they had deposited their burden, the black slaves retired behind some trees at the end of a walk. Then twenty very beautiful females, richly and uniformly dressed, advanced in two rows, singing and playing on different instruments; and they ranged themselves on each side of the throne.

“The Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher beheld all these preparations with the greatest possible attention, eager and curious to know in what the scene would end. At last they saw, issuing from the same door whence the ten black slaves who had brought the throne and the twenty other slaves had emerged, ten other women, as beautiful and as handsomely adorned as the first group. They stopped at the door for some moments waiting for the favourite, who then issued forth, and placed herself in the midst of them. It was very easy to distinguish her from the rest, alike by her beauteous person and majestic air, and by a sort of mantle, of very light materials enriched with azure and gold, which she wore fastened to her shoulders over the rest of her dress, which was the most appropriate, the most elegant, and the most magnificent that could be. The diamonds, pearls, and rubies which ornamented her garb were not scattered in a confused manner: they were few in number, properly arranged, and of inestimable value. She advanced with a degree of majesty which might well be likened to that of the sun in his course, in the midst of clouds which receive its rays without diminishing its splendour. She then proceeded, and seated herself upon the silver throne that had been brought for that purpose.

“As soon as the Prince of Persia perceived Schemselnihar, he had eyes only for her. ‘We cease our inquiries after the object of our search,’ said he to Ebn Thaher, ‘when it appears before us; and we are no longer in a state of doubt when the truth is evident. Look at this divine beauty: she is the cause of all my sufferings; sufferings, indeed, which I bless, however severe they have been, and however lasting they may prove. When I behold this charming creature, I am no longer myself: my restless soul revolts against its master, and I feel that it strives to fly from me. Go, then, my soul; I permit thee to stray; but let thy flight be for the advantage and preservation of this weak frame. It is you, too cruel Ebn Thaher, who are the cause of my woes. You thought to give me pleasure by bringing me here; and I find that I am come only to court my destruction.—Pardon me,’ he added, recovering himself a little; ‘I deceive myself, for I was determined to come, and can accuse only my own folly.’ At these words he wept violently. ‘I am rejoiced to find,’ said Ebn Thaher, ‘that you at least do me justice. When I told you that Schemselnihar was the first favourite of the caliph, I did so for the express purpose of nipping this direful and fatal passion, which you seem to take a pleasure in nourishing in your heart. Everything you see here ought to make you endeavour to disengage yourself, and should excite in you only sentiments of gratitude and respect for the honour Schemselnihar has been willing to do you, when she ordered me to introduce you here. Therefore be a man; recall your wandering reason, and be ready to appear before her in a way her kindness and condescension deserve. See, she approaches. If these things were to happen again, I would in truth act very differently; but the thing is done, and I trust in Allah that we shall not have to repent it. I have nothing more to say,’ added he, ‘but that love is a traitor who, if you give him sway, will plunge you in an abyss from which you can never again extricate yourself.’

“Ebn Thaher had no time to say more, as Schemselnihar now came up. She seated herself on the throne, and saluted both her visitors with an inclination of her head. Her eyes, however, were fixed only upon the prince. He was not slow to answer her in the same way, and they both spoke a silent language intermingled with sighs, by which, in a short time, they uttered more than they would have said in an age in actual conversation. The more Schemselnihar looked at the prince, the more did his looks tend to confirm her opinion that she was not indifferent to him; and, thus convinced of his passion, Schemselnihar thought herself the happiest being in the whole world. At length she ceased gazing at him, and ordered the women who had sung to approach. They rose up, and as they came forward the black slaves came from the walk where they had remained, and brought their seats, and placed them near the balcony, in the window of which the Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher were. They were arranged in such a way that, together with the favourite’s throne, and the women who were on each side of her, they formed a semicircle before the two guests.

“When those who had before been seated had again taken their places, by the permission of Schemselnihar, who gave them a sign for that purpose, the charming favourite desired one of her women to sing. After employing a little time in tuning her lute, the woman sang a song, the words of which had the following meaning:—When two lovers, who are sincerely fond of each other, are attached by a boundless passion; when their hearts, although in two bodies, form but one; when an obstacle opposes their union, they may well say mournfully, with tears in their eyes, ‘If we love each other, because each finds the other amiable, ought we to be censured? Fate alone is to blame: we are innocent.’

“Schemselnihar evidently showed, both by her looks and manner, that she thought these words applicable to herself and the prince; and he was no longer master of himself. He rose, and advancing towards the balustrade, he leaned his arm upon it, and coutrived to catch the attention of one of the women who sang. As she was not far from him, he said to her, ‘Listen to me, and do me the favour to accompany with your lute the song I am now going to sing.’ He than sang an air, the tender and impassioned words of which perfectly expressed the violence of his love. As soon as it was finished, Schemselnihar, following his example, said to one of her women, ‘At- tend to me also, and accompany my voice.’ She then sang in a manner that increased and heightened the flame that burnt in the heart of the Prince of Persia, who only answered her by another air still more tender and impassioned than the one he had sung before.

“These two lovers having thus declared their mutual affection by their songs, Schemselnihar at length completely yielded to the strength of her feelings. She rose from her throne, almost forgetting what she did, and proceeded towards the door of the saloon. The prince, who was aware of her intention, instantly rose also, and hurried to meet her. They encountered each other at the very door, where they seized each other’s hands, and embraced with so much transport that they both fainted on the spot. They would have fallen to the ground, if the female attendants who followed Schemselnihar had not supported them. They bore them in their arms to a sofa; and by throwing perfumed water over them, and applying various stimulants, they restored the prince and Schemselnihar to their senses.

“The first thing Schemselnihar did, as soon as she had recovered, was to look round on all sides; and not seeing Ebn Thaher, she eagerly inquired where he was. Ebn Thaher had retired out of respect to her, while the slaves were employed in attending their mistress; for he greatly feared, and not without reason, that some unfortunate consequence would arise from this adventure. As soon as he heard that Schemselnihar had asked for him, he came forward and presented himself before her.

“She seemed highly satisfied at the appearance of Ebn Thaher, and expressed her joy in these flattering words: ‘I know not, Ebn Thaher, by what means I can ever repay the obligations I am under to you; but for you I should never have become acquainted with the Prince of Persia, nor have gained the affections of the most amiable being in the world. Be assured, however, that I shall not be ungrateful, and that my gratitude shall, if possible, equal the benefit I have received through your means.’ Ebn Thaher could only answer this obliging speech by an inclination of his head, and by wishing the favourite the attainment of every blessing she could desire.

“Schemselnihar then turned towards the Prince of Persia, who was seated by her side; and looking at him, not without confusion at the thought of what had passed between them, she said to him: ‘My friend, I cannot but be perfectly assured that you love me; and however strong your passion for me may be, you cannot, I think, doubt that it is thoroughly reciprocated. But do not let us delusively flatter ourselves; whatever unison there may be between your sentiments and mine, I can look forward only to pain, disappointment, and misery for us both. And no consolation, alas! remains to befriend us in our misfortunes, but perfect constancy in love, entire submission to the will of Heaven, and patient expectation of whatever it may please to decree as our destiny.’

“ ‘O lady,’ replied the Prince of Persia, ‘you would do me the greatest injustice in the world, if you could for a moment doubt the constancy and fidelity of my heart. My affection has so completely taken possession of my soul, that it forms in fact a part of my very existence; nay, I shall even preserve it beyond the grave. Neither misery, torments, nor obstacles of any kind can ever succeed in lessening my love for you.’ At the conclusion of this speech his tears flowed in abundance; nor could Schemselnihar restrain her own grief.

“Ebn Thaher took this opportunity to speak to the favourite. ‘O my mistress,’ said he, ‘permit me to say that, instead of thus despairing, you and the prince ought rather to feel the greatest joy in finding yourselves so fortunately in each other’s society. I do not understand the motive for your grief. If it overwhelms you already, what must you feel when necessity shall compel you to separate? But why do I say ‘shall compel’ you? we have already tarried too long here, and, lady, you must know that it is now necessary we should take our departure.’ ‘Alas!’ replied Schemselnihar, ‘how cruel you are! Have not you, who well know the cause of my tears, any pity for the unfortunate situation in which you see me? Oh, miserable destiny! why am I compelled to submit to the hardship of being for ever unable to be united to him who absorbs my whole affection?’

“As, however, she was well persuaded that Ebn Thaher had said nothing but what was dictated by friendship, she was by no means angry at his speech. She even profited by it; for she directly made a sign to the slave her confidante, who immediately went out, and soon returned with a small collation of various fruits upon a silver table, which she placed between the favourite and the Prince of Persia. Schemselnihar chose the fruit she thought the most delicate, and presented it to the prince, entreating him to eat it for her sake. He took it, and instantly carried it to his mouth, taking care that the very part which had felt the pressure of her fingers should first touch his lips. The prince in his turn then presented some fruit to Schemselnihar, who directly took and ate it in the same manner. Nor did she forget to invite Ebn Thaher to partake of the collation with them: but as he knew he was now staying in the palace longer than was perfectly safe, he would rather have returned home, and he therefore joined them only through complaisance. As soon as the table had been removed, the slaves brought some water in a vase of gold, and a silver basin, in which the two friends washed their hands at the same time. After this they returned to their seats, and then three of the ten black women brought each, upon a golden tray, a cup formed of beautiful rock crystal, and filled with the most exquisite wine, which they placed before Schemselnihar, the Prince of Persia, and Ebn Thaher.

“In order to be more at her ease, Schemselnihar retained near her only the ten black slaves and the other ten women who were skilled in music and singing. After she had dismissed all the remaining attendants, she took one of the cups, and holding it in her hand, she sang some tender words, while one of the females accompanied her voice with a lute. When this was finished she drank the wine. She then took one of the other cups, and, presenting it to the prince, requested him to drink it for love of her in the same manner as she had drunk hers. He received it in a transport of love and joy. But before he drank the wine he sang in his turn an air, accompanied by the instrument of another woman; and while he sang the tears fell in abundance from his eyes: the words also which he sang expressed the idea that he knew not whether it was the wine that he was drinking, or his own tears. Schemselnihar then presented the third cup to Ebn Thaher, who thanked her for the honour and attention she had shown him.

“When this was over, the favourite took a lute from one of the slaves, and accompanied her own voice in so impassioned a manner that she was absolutely carried beyond herself; and the Prince of Persia, with his eyes intently fixed upon her, remained perfectly motionless, like one enchanted. In the midst of this scene the trusty slave of the favourite entered in great alarm, and told her mistress that Mesrour and two other officers, accompanied by a number of eunuchs, were at the door, and desired to speak of her, bringing a message from the caliph. When the Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher heard what the slave said, they changed colour and trembled, as if they had been betrayed. Schemselnihar, however, who perceived this, soon dispelled their fears.

“After she had endeavoured to quiet their alarm, she charged her confidential slave to go and keep Mesrour and the two officers of the caliph in conversation while she prepared herself to receive them; and said she would then send to have them introduced. She directly ordered all the windows of the saloon to be shut, and the paintings on silk, which were in the garden, to be taken down; and after having again assured the prince and Ebn Thaher that they might remain where they were in perfect safety, she opened the door that led to the garden, went out, and shut it after her. In spite, however, of all her assurances that they were quite secure from discovery, they could not avoid feeling very much alarmed all the time they were alone.

“As soon as Schemselnihar came into the garden with the women who attended her, she made them take away all the seats on which the women who had sung and played had sat, near the window from whence the prince and Ebn Thaher had heard them. When she saw that everything was arranged as she wished, she sat down on the silver throne, and then sent to inform her confidential slave that she might introduce the chief of the eunuchs and the two officers who accompanied him.

“They appeared, followed by twenty black eunuchs, all handsomely dressed. Each of them had a scimitar by his side, and a large golden belt round his body four fingers in breadth. As soon as they saw the favourite, although they were still at a considerable distance from her, they made a most profound reverence, which she returned them from her throne. When they approached nearer she rose up, and went towards Mesrour, who walked first. She asked him what was his errand; to which he replied, ‘O lady, the Commander of the Faithful, by whose orders I am come, has charged me to say to you that he cannot live any longer without the pleasure of beholding you. He purposes, therefore, to pay you a visit this evening; and I am come in order to inform you of this, that you may prepare for his reception. He hopes, my mistress, that you will feel as much joy in receiving him as he feels impatience to behold you.’

“When the favourite observed that Mesrour had finished his speech, she prostrated herself on the ground, to show the submission with which she received the commands of the caliph. When she rose she said to him, ‘I beg you will inform the Commander of the Faithful that it will ever be my glory to fulfil the commands of his majesty, and that his slave will endeavour to receive him with all the respect that is due to him.’ At the same time she gave orders to her confidential slave to make all the necessary preparations in the palace for the caliph’s reception, by the hands of the black slaves who were kept for this purpose. Then, in dismissing the chief of the eunuchs, she said to him, ‘You must see that the necessary preparations will occupy some time; go, therefore, I pray you, and arrange matters so that the caliph may not be very impatient, and that he may not arrive so soon as to find us quite in confusion.’

“The chief of the eunuchs then retired with his attendants; and Schemselnihar returned to the saloon very much grieved at the necessity she was under of sending the Prince of Persia away sooner than she had intended. She went to him with tears in her eyes; and her apparent confusion very much increased the alarm of Ebn Thaher, who seemed to conjecture from it some unfortunate event. ‘I see, O lady,’ said the prince to her, ‘that you come for the purpose of announcing to me that we must separate. If, however, this is the only misfortune I have to dread, I trust that Heaven will grant me patience, which I greatly need, to enable me to support your absence. ’ ‘Alas! my love, my dear life,’ cried the tender Schemselnihar, interrupting him, ‘how happy do I find your lot when I compare it with my more wretched fate! You doubtless suffer greatly from my absence, but that is your only grief; you can derive consolation from the hopes of seeing me again; but I—just Heaven! to what a painful task am I condemned! I am not only deprived of the enjoyment of the only being I love, but am obliged to bear the sight of one whom you have rendered hateful to me. Will not the caliph’s arrival constantly bring to my recollection the necessity of your departure? And absorbed as I shall be continually with your dear image, how shall I be able to express to that prince any sign of joy at his presence?—I who have hitherto always received him, as he often remarks, with pleasure sparkling in my eyes! When I address him my thoughts will be distracted; and when I must speak to him in the language of affection, my words will be a dagger in my very soul! Can I possibly derive the least pleasure from his kind words and caresses? How dreadful is the idea! Judge, then, my prince, to what torments I shall be exposed when you have left me.’ The tears, which ran in streams from her eyes, and the convulsive throbs of her bosom, prevented her further utterance. The Prince of Persia wished to make a reply, but he had not sufficient strength of mind. His own grief, added to what he saw Schemselnihar suffer, took from him all power of speech.

“Ebn Thaher, whose only object was to get out of the palace, was obliged to console them, and beg them to have a little patience. At this moment the confidential slave broke in upon them. ‘O lady,’ she cried, ‘you have no time to lose; the eunuchs are beginning to assemble, and you know from this that the caliph will very soon be here.’ ‘Oh, Heavens!’ exclaimed the favourite, ‘how cruel is the separation! Hasten,’ she cried to the slave, ‘and conduct them to the gallery which on one side looks towards the garden, and on the other towards the Tigris; and when night shall have hidden the face of the earth in darkness, let them out of the gate that is at the back of the palace, that they may retire in perfect safety.’ At these words she embraced the Prince of Persia, without having the power of saying another word; and then went to meet the caliph, with her mind in a disordered state, as may easily be imagined.

“In the meantime the confidential slave conducted the prince and Ebn Thaher to the gallery whither Schemselnihar had ordered her to repair. As soon as she had introduced them into it she left them there, and went out, shutting the doors after her, after she had first assured them that they had nothing to fear, and that she would come at the proper time and let them out.

“The slave, however, was no sooner gone, than both the prince and Ebn Thaher forgot the assurances she had given them that they had no cause for alarm. They examined the gallery all round; and were extremely frightened when they failed to discover a single outlet by which they could escape, in case the caliph or any of his officers should by any chance happen to come there.

“A sudden light, which they saw through the blinds, in the direction of the garden, induced them to go and examine from whence it came. It was caused by the flames of a hundred flambeaux of white wax, which a hundred young eunuchs carried in their hands. These eunuchs were followed by more than their own number of others who were older. All of them formed part of the guard continually on duty at the apartments of the ladies of the caliph’s household. They were dressed and armed with scimitars, in the same way as those I have before mentioned. The caliph himself walked after these, with Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, on his right hand, and Vassif, the second in command, on his left.

“Schemselnihar waited for the caliph at the entrance of one of the walks. She was accompanied by twenty very beautiful young women, who wore necklaces and ear-rings made of large diamonds, and whose heads were also profusely ornamented with gems of the same description. They all sang to the sound of their instruments, and gave a most delightful concert. When the favourite saw the caliph appear, she advanced towards him, and prostrated herself at his feet. But at the very instant she thus did homage to her master, she said to herself, ‘If your mournful eyes, O Prince of Persia, were witness to what I am now compelled to do, you would be able to judge of the hardness of my lot. It is before you alone that I would wish thus to humble myself; my heart would not then feel the least repugnance.’

“The caliph was delighted to see Schemselnihar. ‘Rise, beautiful lady,’ he cried, as he approached her, ‘and come near to me. I have felt myself but ill at ease while I have been deprived for so long a time of the pleasure of beholding you.’ So saying, he took her by the hand, and continuing to address the most kindly and obliging words to her, he seated himself on the throne of silver which she had ordered to be brought. Thereupon she took her seat before him; and the other twenty women formed an entire circle round them, sitting down on cushions; while the hundred young eunuchs who carried the flambeaux, dispersed themselves at certain distances from each other all over the garden; and the caliph in the meantime at his ease enjoyed the freshness of the evening air.

“When the caliph had taken his seat, he looked round him, and observed with great satisfaction that the garden was illuminated with a multitude of other lights besides those which the eunuchs carried. He noticed, however, that the saloon was shut up: at this he seemed surprised, and asked the reason of this strange appearance. It had been done, in fact, on purpose to astonish him; for he had no sooner spoken than all the windows at once suddenly opened, and he saw the hall lighted up both within side and without with more complete and magnificent illuminations than he had ever yet beheld. ‘Charming Schemselnihar,” he cried at this sight, ‘I understand your meaning: you wish me to acknowledge that the night may be made as beautiful as the day. And after what I now see I cannot deny it.’

“Let us now return to the Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher, whom we left shut up in the gallery. Although he felt himself in a very disagreeable situation, the latter could not help admiring everything that passed, and wondered at the splendour of which he was a spectator. ‘I am not a young man,’ he cried, ‘and have in the course of my life beheld many beautiful sights; but I really think I never saw any spectacle so surprising or grand as this. Nothing that has been related, even of enchanted palaces, at all equals the glories we have now before our eyes. What a profusion of magnificence and riches!’

“But none of these brilliant sights seemed to have any effect upon the Prince of Persia, who derived no pleasure from them like Ebn Thaher did. His eyes were only intent upon watching Schemselnihar, and the presence of the sultan plunged him into the greatest affliction. ‘Dear Ebn Thaher,’ he cried, ‘would to Heaven I had a mind sufficiently at ease to be interested, like yourself, in everything that is splendid and admirable around us. But, alas! I am in a very different state of mind; and all things serve but to increase my torment. How can I possibly see the caliph alone with her I adore, and not die in despair? Ought an affection, so tender and indelible as mine, to be disturbed by so powerful a rival? Heavens! how extraordinary and cruel is my destiny! Not an instant ago I thought myself the happiest and most fortunate lover in the world; and at this moment I feel a pang at my heart that will cause my death. No, dear Ebn Thaher, I cannot resist it. My patience is worn out; my misfortune completely overwhelms me, and my courage sinks under it.’ As he spoke these last words he observed something going on the garden which obliged him to be silent and give his attention.

“The caliph had commanded one of the women who stood around Schemselnihar that was near to take her lute and sing. The words she sang were very tender and impassioned. The caliph felt assured that she sang them by order of Schemselnihar, who had often given him similar proofs of her affection, and he accordingly interpreted them in favour of himself. But at that moment any compliment to the caliph was very far from the intention of Schemselnihar. She in her heart applied the words to her dear Ali Ebn Becar, the Prince of Persia; and the misery she felt at having, in his stead, a master whose presence she could not endure, had such an effect upon her that she fainted. She fell back in her chair, and would have sunk on the ground if some of her women had not quickly run to her assistance. They carried her away, and bore her into the saloon.

“Astonished at this incident, Ebn Thaher, who was in the gallery, turned his head towards the Prince of Persia, and was yet more surprised when, instead of seeing him leaning against the blind, and looking out into the darkness as he himself had been doing, he found the prince stretched motionless at his feet. By this display of emotion, he judged of the strength of the Prince of Persia’s love for Schemselnihar, and could not help wondering at this strange effect of sympathy, which distressed him the more on account of the place they were then in. He did all he could to recover the prince, but without success. Ebn Thaher was in this embarrassing situation when the confidante of Schemselnihar opened the door of the gallery, and ran in quite out of breath, and like one who did not know what course to take. ‘Come instantly,’ cried she, ‘that I may let you out. Everything here is in such confusion that I believe our very lives are in jeopardy.’ ‘Alas!’ replied Ebn Thaher, in a tone which bespoke his grief, ‘how can we depart? Come hither, and see what a state the Prince of Persia is in.’ When the slave saw that he had fainted, she ran immediately to get some water, without losing time in conversation, and returned in a few moments.

“After they had sprinkled water on his face, the Prince of Persia at length began to recover. When Ebn Thaher saw symptoms of returning animation, he said to him, ‘Prince, we both run a great risk of losing our lives by remaining here any longer, therefore make an effort, and let us fly as quickly as possible.’ The prince was so weak that he could not rise without assistance. Ebn Thaher and the confidante gave him their hands, and, supporting him on each side, they came to a little iron gate, which led towards the Tigris. They went out by this gate, and proceeded to the edge of a small canal communicating with the river. The confidential slave clapped her hands, and instantly there appeared a little boat rowed by one man, and it came towards them. Ali Ebn Becar and his companion embarked in it, and the slave remained on the bank of the canal. As soon as the prince was seated in the boat, he stretched out one hand towards the palace, and placing the other on his heart, cried in a feeble voice, ‘Dear object of my soul, receive from this hand the pledge of my faith, while with my other I assure you that my heart will ever cherish the flame with which it now burns.’

“The boatman rowed with all his strength, and the slave walked on the bank of the canal to accompany the Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher till the boat was floating in the current of the Tigris. Then, as she could not go any farther, she took her leave of them, and returned.

 

The Prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher escape from the palace.

“The Prince of Persia continued extremely weak. Ebn Thaher said all he could do console him, and exhorted him to take courage. ‘Remember,’ said he, ‘that when we disembark we shall still have a long way to go before we arrive at my house; for, considering the state in which you now are, to conduct you to yours, which is so much farther, at this hour, would, I think, be very imprudent. We might also run a risk of meeting the watch.’ They at length got out of the boat, but the prince was so feeble that he could not walk; and this very much increased Ebn Thaher’s embarrassment. He recollected that he had a friend in the neighbourhood, and, with great difficulty, led the prince to that friend’s house. Ebn Thaher’s friend received his visitors very cordially, and when he had made them sit down, he asked them from whence they came at that late hour. Ebn Thaher replied, ‘I heard this evening that a man who owes me a considerable sum of money intended to set out on a very long journey; I therefore immediately went in search of him, and on my way I met this young lord whom you see, and to whom I am under many and great obligations; as he knows my debtor, he did me the favour to accompany me. We had some difficulty in gaining our point, and inducing my debtor to behave with justice towards me. However, at last we succeeded, and this is the reason why we are wandering so late in the city. As we were returning this young lord, for whom I have the utmost regard, felt himself suddenly seized with illness at a few paces from your house; and this induced me to take the liberty of knocking at your door. I flattered myself that you would have the goodness to give us a lodging for this night.’

“The friend of Ebn Thaher was easily imposed on by this fable. He told them they were welcome, and offered the Prince of Persia, whom he did not know, every assistance in his power. But Ebn Thaher, taking upon himself to answer for the prince, said that his friend’s illness was of a nature that required no remedy but repose. The druggist’s friend also understood by this speech that both his guests wanted rest. He therefore conducted them to an apartment, where he left them alone.

“The Prince of Persia soon fell asleep. But his repose was disturbed by the most distressing dreams, representing Schemselnihar fainting at the feet of the caliph, and thus his affliction did not at all subside. Ebn Thaher, who was excessively impatient to get to his own house, for he doubted not that his family were in the utmost distress, because he made it a rule never to sleep from home, got up and departed very early, after taking leave of his friend, who had risen by daybreak to go to early prayers. They at length arrived at Ebn Thaher’s house. The Prince of Persia, who had exerted himself very much to walk so far, threw himself upon a sofa, feeling as much fatigued as if he had accomplished a long journey. As he was not in a fit state to go home, Ebn Thaher ordered an apartment to be prepared for him; and that none of the prince’s people might be uneasy about their master, he sent to inform them where he was. In the meantime he begged the prince to endeavour to make his mind easy, and order everything about him as he pleased. The Prince of Persia replied: ‘I accept with pleasure the obliging offers you make; but that I may not be any embarrassment to you, I entreat you to attend to your own affairs as if I were not with you. I cannot think of staying here a moment if my presence is to be any restraint upon you.’

“As soon as Ebn Thaher had time to collect his thoughts, he informed his family of everything that had occurred in the palace of Schemselnihar, and finished his recital by returning thanks to God for having delivered him from the danger he had escaped. The principal servants of the Prince of Persia came to receive their orders from him at Ebn Thaher’s; and soon afterwards several of his friends arrived who had been informed of his indisposition. His friends passed the greater part of the day with him; and although their conversation could not entirely banish the sorrowful reflections which occasioned his illness, at least it was thus far of advantage, that it gave him some relaxation.

“Towards the close of the day the prince wished to take his leave of Ebn Thaher; but this faithful friend found him still so weak that he induced him to remain till the following morning. In the meantime, to dissipate his gloom, he gave him in the evening a concert of vocal and instrumental music; but this only served to recall to the prince’s memory the beautiful strains he had enjoyed the preceding night, and increased his grief instead of assuaging it; so that the next day his indisposition seemed to be augmented. Finding this to be the case, Ebn Thaher no longer opposed the prince’s wish to return to his own house. He undertook the care of having him conveyed thither, and also accompanied him; and when he found himself alone with the prince in his apartment, he represented to him in strong terms the necessity of making one great effort to overcome a passion which could not terminate happily either for him or the favourite. ‘Alas! dear Ebn Thaher,’ cried the prince, ‘it is easy for you to give this advice; but how difficult a task for me to follow it! I see and confess the importance of your words, without being able to profit by them. I have already said it: the love I have for Schemselnihar will accompany me to the grave.’ When Ebn Thaher perceived that he could make no impression on the mind of the prince, he took his leave with the intention of retiring, but the prince would not let him depart. ‘Kind Ebn Thaher,’ said he to the druggist, ‘though I have declared to you that it is not in my power to follow your prudent counsel, I entreat you not to be angry with me, nor to desist on that account from giving me proofs of your friendship. You could not do me a greater service than by informing me of the fate of my beloved Schemselnihar, if you should hear any tidings of her. The uncertainty I am under respecting her situation, and the dreadful apprehensions I feel on account of her fainting, cause the continuance of the languor and illness for which you reproved me so bitterly.’ ‘My lord,’ replied Ebn Thaher, ‘you may surely hope that her fainting has not produced any bad consequences, and that her confidential slave will shortly come to acquaint me how the affair terminated. As soon as I know the particulars, I will not fail to come and communicate them to you.’

“Ebn Thaher left the prince with this hope, and returned home; where he waited all the rest of the day in expectation of the arrival of Schemselnihar’s favourite slave; but he waited vainly. She did not make her appearance even on the morrow. The anxiety he felt to learn the state of the prince’s health did not allow him to remain any longer without seeing his friend; and he went to him with the design of exhorting him to have patience. He found him stretched upon the bed, and quite as ill as before. Around his couch stood his friends, and several physicians, who were exerting all their professional skill to endeavour to discover the cause of his disease. As soon as he perceived Ebn Thaher, he cast a smiling look on him, which denoted two things: one, that he was rejoiced to see him; the other, that his physicians were deceived in their conjectures on his disease, the cause of which they could not guess.

“The physicians and the friends retired, one after the other, so that Ebn Thaher remained alone with the sick prince. He approached his bed, to inquire how he had felt since he last saw him. ‘I must own to you,’ replied the Prince of Persia, ‘that my love, which every day acquires increased strength, and the uncertainty of the destiny of the lovely Schemselnihar, heighten my disease every moment, and reduce me to a state which causes much grief to my relations and friends, and baffles the skill of the physicians, who cannot understand it. You little imagine,’ added he, ‘how much I suffer at seeing so many people, who constantly importune me, and whom I cannot dismiss without seeming ungrateful. You are the only one whose company affords me any comfort; but do not disguise anything from me, I conjure you. What news do you bring of Schemselnihar? Have you seen her favourite slave?’ Ebn Thaher answered that he had not seen the slave of whom his friend spoke: and he had no sooner communicated this sorrowful intelligence to the prince, than the tears came in the young man’s eyes: he could make no reply, for his heart was full. ‘Prince,’ resumed Ebn Thaher, ‘allow me to say that you are too ingenious in tormenting yourself. In the name of Allah, dry your tears; some of your servants might come in at this moment, and you are well aware how cautious you ought to be to conceal your sentiments, which might be discovered from the emotion you are exhibiting.’ But all the remonstrances of this judicious counsellor were ineffectual to stop the prince’s tears, which he could not restrain. ‘Wise Ebn Thaher,’ cried he, when he had regained the power of speech, ‘I can prevent my tongue from revealing the secret of my heart, but I have no power over my tears, while my heart is distracted with anxiety for Schemselnihar. If this adorable and only delight of my soul were no longer in this world, I should not survive her one moment.’ ‘Do not harbour so afflicting a thought,’ replied Ebn Thaher; ‘Schemsel nihar still lives; you must not doubt it. If she has not sent you any account of herself, it is probably because she has not been able to find an opportunity, and I hope this day will not pass without your receiving some intelligence of her.’ He added many other consoling speeches, and then took his leave.

“Ebn Thaher had scarcely returned to his house, when the favourite slave of Schemselnihar arrived. She had a sorrowful air, which prepared him to hear news of which he conceived an unfavourable presage. He inquired after her mistress. ‘First,’ said she, ‘give me some intelligence of yourselves, for I was in great anxiety on your account, seeing the state in which the Prince of Persia appeared to be when you departed together.’ Ebn Thaher related to her all she wished to know; and when he had concluded his narrative, the slave spoke in the following words: ‘If the Prince of Persia suffers on my mistress’s account, she does not endure less pain for him. After I had quitted you,’ continued she, ‘I returned to the saloon, where I found Schemselnihar, who had not yet recovered from her fainting fit, notwithstanding all the remedies that had been applied. The caliph was seated by her side, showing every symptom of real grief. He inquired of all the women, and of me in particular, if we had any knowledge of the cause of her indisposition; but we all kept the secret, and told him quite the contrary to what we knew to be the fact. We were all in tears at the sight of her sufferings, and tried every means that we thought might relieve her. It was quite midnight when she came to herself. The caliph, who had waited patiently until now, showed great joy, and asked Schemselnihar what had caused this illness. As soon as she heard the caliph’s voice she made an effort to sit up, and kissed his feet before he had time to prevent her. ‘O my lord,’ she said, ‘I ought to complain of Heaven for not having suffered me to die at your majesty’s feet, that I might thus convince you how sincerely I am penetrated by the sense of all your goodness to me.’

“ ‘I am convinced that you love me,’ replied the caliph, ‘but I command you to take care of yourself for my sake. You have probably made some exertion to-day, which has been the cause of this illness; you must be more careful, and I beg you to avoid a repetition of anything that may be injurious. I am happy to see that you are partly recovered, and I advise you to pass the night here, instead of returning to your apartment, for moving might be hurtful to you.’ He then ordered some wine to be brought, of which he made her take a small quantity to give her strength, and he then took his leave of her, and retired to his chamber.

“ ‘So soon as the caliph was gone, my mistress made signs to me to approach her. She anxiously inquired after you. I assured her that you had long since quitted the palace, and set her mind at ease on that subject. I took care not to mention the fainting of the Prince of Persia, for fear she should relapse into the state from which we had with so much difficulty recovered her. But my precaution was useless, as you will shortly hear. ‘O prince,’ cried Schemselnihar, ‘from this time I renounce all pleasures so long as my eyes shall be deprived of the gratification of beholding you: if I understand your heart, I am but following your example. You will not cease your tears until you are restored to me; and it is but just that I should weep and lament until you are given back to my prayers.’ With these words, which she pronounced in a manner that denoted the violence of her love, she fainted a second time in my arms.

“ ‘It was long before my companions and I could recall her to her senses. At length her consciousness returned. I then said to her, ‘Are you resolved, lady, to suffer yourself to die, and to make us die with you? I conjure you in the name of the Prince of Persia, in whom you are so interested, to endeavour to preserve your life. I entreat you to hear me, and to make those efforts which you owe to yourself, to your love for the prince, and to our attachment to you.’ ‘I thank you sincerely,’ returned she, ‘for your care, your attention, and your advice. But, alas! how can they be serviceable to me? We are not permitted to flatter ourselves with any hope; and it is only in the bosom of the grave that we may expect a respite from our torments.’

 

Schemselnihar’s distress.

“ ‘One of my companions wished to divert our lady’s melancholy ideas by singing a little air to her lute; but Schemselnihar desired her to be silent, and ordered her, with the rest, to quit the room. She kept only me to spend the night with her. Heavens! what a night it was! She passed it in tears and lamentations, calling continually on the name of the Prince of Persia. She bewailed the cruelty of her fate, which had thus destined her for the caliph, whom she could not love, and had deprived her of all hope of being united to the Prince of Persia, of whom she was so passionately enamoured.

“ ‘The next day, as it was not convenient for her to remain in the saloon, I assisted to remove her into her own apartment. So soon as she was installed there all the physicians of the palace came to see her, by order of the caliph; and it was not long before he himself made his appearance. The remedies prescribed by the physicians for Schemselnihar had no effect; for these men were ignorant of the cause of her illness; and the restraint she felt in the presence of the caliph increased her sufferings. She has, however, enjoyed a little rest last night, and as soon as she awoke, she charged me to come to your house to obtain some intelligence of the Prince of Persia.’ ‘I have already informed you of the state he is in,’ replied Ebn Thaher; ‘therefore return to your mistress, and assure her that the Prince of Persia expected to hear from her with as much impatience as she could feel to hear news of him. Exhort her especially to moderate and conquer her feelings, lest some word escape her lips in the presence of the caliph, which may prove the destruction of us all.’ ‘As for me,’ returned the slave, ‘I am in constant apprehension, for she has very little command over herself. I took the liberty of telling her what I thought on that subject, and I am certain she will not take it amiss if I give her your message also.’

“Ebn Thaher, who had but just left the Prince of Persia, did not judge it proper to return again so soon. He had, moreover, to transact some important business which would keep him at home; thus he did not see his friend again till the close of day. The prince was alone, and was no better than he had been in the morning. ‘Ebn Thaher,’ said he, when he saw the druggist enter the room, ‘you have, no doubt, many friends; but those friends do not know your worth as I know it; for I have witnessed the zeal, the care, and the pains you take when an opportunity offers to do your friend a service. I am quite confused at the thought of all you do for me. You show so much friendship and affection, that I shall never be able to repay you for your goodness.’

“ ‘Prince,’ replied Ebn Thaher, ‘let us not speak on that subject. I am ready not only to lose one of my eyes to preserve one of yours, but even to sacrifice my life for you. But this is not the business I am come upon: I came to tell you that Schemselnihar sent her confidential slave to me, to inquire after your health, and at the same time to give you some information respecting herself. You may imagine that the message I sent must confirm her belief of the excess of your love for her mistress, and of the constancy with which you adore her.’ Ebn Thaher then gave the prince an exact detail of everything the slave had told him. The prince heard the account with all the different emotions of fear, jealousy, tenderness, and compassion, which such a relation was likely to inspire; and during the progress of the narrative, he made on each circumstance of an afflicting or consoling nature such reflections as so passionate a lover could be capable of.

“The conversation had lasted so long that the night was now far advanced. Accordingly the Prince of Persia made Ebn Thaher remain at his house. The next morning, as this faithful friend was returning home, he saw a woman coming towards him, whom he soon recognised to be the confidential slave of Schemselnihar. She came up to him and said, ‘My mistress salutes you, and I come from her to beg you to deliver this letter to the Prince of Persia.’ The friendly Ebn Thaher took the letter, and returned to the prince, accompanied by Schemselnihar’s attendant.

“When they came to the prince’s house, Ebn Thaher begged her to remain a few minutes in the antechamber and wait for him. As soon as the prince saw his friend, he anxiously inquired what news he had to tell. ‘The best you can possibly wish,’ replied Ebn Thaher: ‘you are beloved as tenderly as you love. Schemselnihar’s confidential slave is in your antechamber; she brings you a letter from your mistress, and only waits your orders to appear before you.’ ‘Let her come in!’ cried the prince in a transport of joy. And saying this he raised himself in his bed to receive her.

“As the attendants of the prince had left the room when Ebn Thaher entered it, that he might be alone with their master, Ebn Thaher went to open the door himself, and desired the confidante to come in. The prince recollected her, and received her with great distinction. ‘My lord,’ said she, ‘I know all the pains you have suffered since I had the honour of conducting you to the boat which waited to take you home; but I hope that the letter I bring you will contribute to your recovery.’ She then presented to him the letter. He took it and after having kissed it several times, he opened it, and read the following words:—

“ ‘Schemselnihar to Ali Ebn Becar, Prince of Persia.

 

“ ‘The person who will deliver this letter to you will give you an account of me better than I myself can give; for all outward things are nothing to me, since I ceased beholding you. Deprived of your presence, I seek to continue the illusion, and converse with you by means of these ill-formed lines; and this occupation affords me some pleasure, while I am debarred from the happiness of speaking to you

“ ‘I have been told that patience is the remedy for all evils; yet the ills I suffer are increased rather than relieved by it. Although your image is indelibly engraven on my heart, my eyes wish again to behold you in person; and their sight will forsake them if they remain longer deprived of that gratification. Dare I flatter myself that yours experience the same impatience to see me? Yes, I may; they have sufficiently proved it to me by their tender glances. Happy would Schemselnihar be, happy would you be, O prince, if my wishes, which are the counterpart of yours, were not opposed by insurmountable obstacles! These obstacles occasion me a grief that is the sharper for being the cause of sorrow to you.

“ ‘These sentiments which my fingers trace, and in the expression of which I feel such inconceivable consolation that I cannot repeat them too often, proceed from the bottom of my heart—from that incurable wound you have made in it; a wound which I bless a thousand times, notwithstanding the cruel sufferings I endure in your absence. I should care little for all the obstacles that oppose our love, were I only permitted to see you occasionally without restraint. I should then enjoy your society; and what more could I desire?

“ ‘Do not imagine that my words convey more than I feel. Alas! whatever expressions I may use, I shall still leave unsaid much more than I can ever say. My eyes, which never cease looking for you, and incessantly weep till they shall behold you again; my afflicted heart, which seeks but you; my sighs, which pour from my lips whenever I think of you, and I am thinking of you continually; my memory, which never reflects any object but my beloved prince; the complaints I utter to Heaven of the rigour of my fate; my melancholy, my uneasiness, my sufferings, from which I have had no respite since you were torn from my gaze, are all sufficient pledges of the truth of what I write.

“ ‘Am I not truly unfortunate to be born to love—to love, without indulging the hope that the object of my affections will ever be mine? This dreadful reflection overpowers me to such a degree that I should die were I not convinced that you love me. But this sweet consolation counteracts my despair, and attaches me to life. Tell me that you love me still. I will preserve your letter as a treasure of price: I will read it a thousand times a day; and I shall then bear my sorrows with less impatience. I pray that Heaven may no longer be angry with us, but may grant us an opportunity of revealing to each other, without restraint, the tender affection we feel, and of mutually declaring that we will never cease to love. Farewell.

“ ‘I salute Ebn Thaher, to whom we are both under so many obligations. ’

“ ‘The Prince of Persia was not satisfied with reading this letter only once. He thought he had not bestowed sufficient attention on it; he read it again more deliberately, and while thus engaged he frequently uttered deep sighs, and as frequently wept. He then would burst into transports of joy and tenderness, according to the different emotions he experienced from the contents of the letter. In short, he could not withdraw his eyes from the characters traced by that beloved hand, and he was going to read the writing a third time, when Ebn Thaher represented to him that the slave had no time to lose, and that he must prepare an answer. ‘Alas!’ cried the prince, ‘how can I reply to so obliging and kind a letter? In what terms shall I describe the anguish of my soul? My mind is agitated by a thousand distressing thoughts, and my sentiments are obliterated before I have time to express them by others, which in their turn are erased as soon as formed. While my bodily frame shares the agitation of my mind, how shall I be able to hold the paper and guide the reed to form the letters? ’

“Saying this, he drew from a little writing case, which was near him, some paper, a cut reed, and an ink-horn; but before he began to write he gave the letter of Schemselnihar to Ebn Thaher, and begged him to hold it open before him, that, by occasionally casting his eyes over it as he wrote, he might be better enabled to answer it. He took up the writing-cane to begin; but the tears, which flowed from his eyes on the paper, frequently obliged him to stop to allow them a free course. He at length finished his letter, and gave it to Ebn Thaher, with these words: ‘Do me the favour to read it, and see if the agitation of my spirits has allowed me to write a proper answer.’ Ebn Thaher took the paper, and read as follows: —

“ ‘The Prince of Persia to Schemselnihar.

 

“ ‘I was sunk in the deepest affliction when your letter was delivered into my hands. At the sight of the words traced by your pen, I was transported with a joy I cannot express; but on reading the lines which your beautiful hand had sent to comfort me, my eyes were sensible of greater pleasure than that which they lost when yours so suddenly closed on the evening when you fell senseless at my rival’s feet. The words contained in your beloved letter, are so many luminous rays, that enliven the obscurity in which my soul was wrapped. They convince me how much you suffer for me, and also prove that you sympathise with the anguish I endure for you, and thus console me in my pain. At one moment they cause my tears to flow in abundant streams; at another they inflame my heart with an inextinguishable fire, which supports it, and prevents my expiring with grief. I have not tasted one instant’s repose since our too cruel separation. Your letter alone afforded me some relief from my misery. I preserved an uninterrupted silence till it was placed in my hands; but that has restored to me the power of speech. I was wrapped in the most profound melancholy; but that has inspired me with joy, which instantly proclaimed itself in my eyes and countenance. My surprise at receiving a favour so unmerited was so great, that I knew not how to express myself, or in what words to testify my gratitude. I have kissed it a thousand times, as the precious pledge of your goodness; I read it again and again, till I was quite lost in the excess of my happiness. You tell me to say that I love you still; alas! had my love for you been less passionate, less tender than is the passion that fills my whole soul, could I have done otherwise than adore you, after all the proofs you give me of the strength and endurance of your affection? Yes, I love you, my dearest life; and to the end of my existence shall glory in the pure flame which you have kindled in my heart. I will never complain of the vivid fire which consumes my being; and however rigorous may be the pains which your absence occasions, I will support them with constancy and firmness, encouraged by the hope of beholding you again. Would to Heaven I could see you to-day, and that, instead of sending you this letter, I might be permitted to present myself before you, that I might die for love of you. My tears prevent me from continuing to write. Farewell.’

 

The Prince sends his letter to Schemselnihar.

“Ebn Thaher could not read the last lines without himself shedding tears. He returned the letter to the prince, assuring him it needed no correction. The prince folded it up, and when he had sealed it, he said to the confidential slave, who had retired to the end of the apartment: ‘I beg you to approach. This is the answer I have written to the letter of your dear mistress. I entreat you to take it to her, and to salute her from me.’ The slave took the letter, and retired with Ebn Thaher, who, after he had walked some distance with her, left her and returned to his house, where he began to make serious reflections on the unhappy affair in which he found himself so unfortunately and deeply engaged. He considered that the Prince of Persia and Schemselnihar, notwithstanding the strong interest they had in concealing their sentiments, behaved with so little discretion that their love could not long remain a secret. He drew from this reflection all the unfavourable conclusions which must naturally suggest themselves to a man of good sense. ‘If Schemselnihar,’ thought he, ‘were not a lady of such high rank, I would exert myself to the utmost of my ability to make her and her lover happy; but she is the favourite of the caliph, and no man can aspire to become the possessor of one who has gained the affections of our master with impunity. The caliph’s anger will first fall on Schemselnihar; the prince will assuredly lose his life; and I shall be involved in his misfortune. But I have my honour, my peace of mind, my family, and my property to take care of; I must, then, while it is in my power, endeavour to extricate myself from the perils in which I find myself involved.’

“Ebn Thaher’s mind was occupied with thoughts of this nature for the whole of that day. The following morning he went to the Prince of Persia with the intention of making one last effort to induce him to conquer his unfortunate passion. In vain he repeatedly urged upon the prince all the arguments he had already employed, declaring that the prince would do much better to exert all his courage to overcome this attachment to Schemselnihar; that he should not suffer himself to be led away to destruction by its means; and that his love for her was dangerous to himself, as his rival was so powerful. ‘In short, my lord,’ added he, ‘if you will take my advice, you will endeavour to overcome your affection; otherwise you run the risk of causing the destruction of Schemselnihar, whose life ought to be dearer to you than your own. I give you this counsel as a friend, and some day you will thank me for it.’

“The prince listened to Ebn Thaher with evident impatience, though he allowed him to finish what he wished to say; but when the druggist had concluded he said: ‘Ebn Thaher, do you suppose that I can cease to love Schemselnihar, who returns my affection with so much tenderness? She does not hesitate to expose her life for me, and can you imagine that the care of preserving mine should occupy me a single moment? No; whatever misfortunes may be the consequence, I will love Schemselnihar to the last moment of my life.’

“Offended at the obstinacy of the prince, Ebn Thaher left him abruptly, and returned home, where, recollecting his reflections on the preceding day, he began to consider very seriously what course he should pursue.

“While he was thus lost in thought, a jeweller, an intimate friend of his, came to see him. This jeweller had observed that the confidential slave of Schemselnihar had been with Ebn Thaher more frequently than usual, and that Ebn Thaher himself had been almost incessantly with the Prince of Persia, whose indisposition was known to every one, although the cause was a secret. All this had created some suspicions in the jeweller’s mind. As Ebn Thaher appeared to be absorbed in thought, he supposed that some important affair occasioned this preoccupation; and thinking he had hit on the cause, he asked him what business the slave of Schemselnihar had with him. Ebn Thaher was somewhat confused at this question; but not choosing to confess the truth, he replied, that it was only on a trifling errand that she came to him so often. ‘You do not speak sincerely,’ resumed the jeweller; ‘and by your dissimulation you will make me suspect that this trifle is of a more important nature than I had at first supposed. ’

“Finding that his friend pressed him so closely, Ebn Thaher said, ‘In very truth, this affair is of the utmost importance. I had determined to keep it secret; but as I know you take a lively interest in everything that concerns me, I will reveal it to you, rather than suffer you to make conclusions for which there is no foundation. I do not enjoin you to secresy, for you understand from what I am going to relate how impossible it would be to keep such a promise.’ After this preface, he related to him the story of the attachment between Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia. ‘You are aware,’ added he, at the conclusion of his tale, ‘in what estimation I am held by the nobles and ladies of the highest rank both in the court and city. What a disgrace will it be for me, if this story becomes known! And, indeed, not only a disgrace—it would be absolute destruction to my whole family as well as to myself. This consideration embarrasses me more than all the rest; but I have resolved how to act. I owe it to my safety, and I must be firm. I intend in the speediest manner possible to collect what sums are owing to me, and satisfy those who are my creditors; and after I have secured all my property, I will retire to Balsora, where I may remain, till the storm, which I see gathering over my head, is passed. The friendship which I feel for Schemselnihar and for the Prince of Persia makes me very anxious on their account: I pray that Allah may make them sensible of the danger to which they expose themselves, and may Heaven be their shield. But if their luckless destiny condemns their attachment to be known to the caliph, I at least shall be sheltered from his resentment; for I do not suspect them of sufficient malice to entangle me in their misfortune. Their ingratitude would be black indeed if they acted thus: they would then repay with baseness the services I have done them, and the good advice I have given, particularly to the Prince of Persia, who might still draw back from the precipice if he were willing, and save his mistress as well as himself. It would be as easy for him to leave Baghdad as for me; and absence would insensibly eradicate a passion which will only increase while he remains in this city.’

“The jeweller heard the words of Ebn Thaher with very great astonishment. ‘What you have now told me,’ said he, ‘is of such vast importance that I cannot comprehend how Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia could be so imprudent as to give way to their violent passion. Whatever inclination they might feel for each other, they ought, instead of yielding to its influence, to have resisted it with firmness, and made a better use of their reason. Could they be blind to the dreadful consequences of their proceedings? How sadly are they mistaken, if they suppose their love can remain secret! Like yourself, I foresee the fatal termination of this affair. But you are prudent and wise, and I entirely approve the resolution you have formed; it is only by putting it in execution that you can escape the direful events you so justly fear.’ After this conversation the jeweller rose, and took his leave of Ebn Thaher; but before he left him, the latter conjured him, by the friendship which united them, not to reveal their conversation to any one. ‘Give yourself no uneasiness,’ replied the jeweller; ‘I will keep the secret at the peril of my life.’

“Two days after, the jeweller happened to pass by the shop of Ebn Thaher; and, observing that it was shut up, he concluded his friend had put his contemplated design into execution. To be quite sure, however, he inquired of a neighbour if he knew why Ebn Thaher’s shop was not open. The neighbour replied that he knew no more than that Ebn Thaher had set off on a journey. This was all the jeweller wanted to hear; and now his thoughts immediately flew to the Prince of Persia. ‘Unhappy prince,’ thought he, ‘how grieved you will be to learn this intelligence! What means can you now devise to hold intercourse with Schemselnihar? I fear despair will put a period to your existence. I feel compassion for you, and must endeavour to replace the loss of the timid friend you has deserted you.’

“The business which led him out was not of immediate consequence; he therefore neglected that, and, although he only knew the prince from having sold him some jewellery, went to his house. He requested one of the servants who stood at the door to tell his master that he wanted to speak to him on an affair of the greatest importance. The servant soon returned to the jeweller, and introduced him into the apartment of the prince, who was reclining on a sofa, with his head on the cushion. The prince, recollecting that he had seen him before, rose to receive him and give him welcome; and after having begged him to sit down, he asked the jeweller if he could render him any service, or if his visitor came on business which related to him. ‘Prince,’ replied the jeweller, ‘although I have not the honour to be intimately known to you, yet the zealous desire I have of serving you has made me take the liberty of coming to acquaint you with a circumstance which concerns you nearly. I hope you will pardon my freedom, as it proceeds from a good intention.’

“After this introduction, the jeweller began his story, and proceeded thus: ‘Prince, will you allow me the honour of telling you, that congenial ity of thought between myself and Ebn Thaher, together with some affairs we had to transact with each other, has given rise to a firm friendship which knits us closely together. I know his acquaintance with you, and that he has, till now, exerted himself to serve you to the utmost of his ability. This I learned from his own lips, for we have no concealments from each other. I just now passed by his shop, and was surprised to find it shut up. I inquired the reason of one of his neighbours, who told me that Ebn Thaher had taken leave of him, and of his other acquaintances, two days since, at the same time offering them his services at Balsora, whither he said he was going on an affair of considerable importance. I was not thoroughly satisfied with this answer; and the interest I feel in whatever concerns him, induced me to come to ask you if you could tell me the particulars of this sudden departure.’

“At this speech, to which the jeweller had given the turn he thought most likely to forward his design, the Prince of Persia changed colour, and looked at the jeweller with an air which evidently proved how much he was grieved at the intelligence. He replied: ‘What you tell me astonishes me: you could not have brought me intelligence more mortifying. Yes!’ cried he, the tears flowing from his eyes, ‘I have no hope left, if what you tell me is true! Does Ebn Thaher forsake me, who was my only consolation and support? I can live no longer after so cruel a blow!’

“The jeweller had heard enough to be fully convinced of the violence of the prince’s love, of which Ebn Thaher had already told him. Simple friendship, he thought, does not express itself in such strong language; love alone has the power to inspire such violent emotion.

“The prince remained for some minutes absorbed in the most distressing reflections. At length he raised his head, and, addressing one of the attendants, said: ‘Go to Ebn Thaher’s house; speak to some of his servants, and inquire if it be true that their master has set out for Balsora. Run there instantly, and return as quickly as possible, that I may learn what you have heard.’ While the servant was gone, the jeweller endeavoured to converse with the prince on different subjects; but his host seemed totally inattentive, and sat lost in thought. Sometimes he could not persuade himself that Ebn Thaher was really gone; then again he felt convinced of it, when he recollected the conversation he had held with his friend the last time he had seen him, and the abrupt manner in which the druggist had left him.

“At length the servant of the prince returned, and said that he had spoken with one of the people belonging to Ebn Thaher, who assured him that his master was no longer in Baghdad, but that he had set off two days before for Balsora; and he added these words: ‘As I was coming out of the house of Ebn Thaher, a well-dressed female slave accosted me; and after asking me if I had not the honour of being one of your attendants, she said that she wanted to speak to you, and therefore begged me to allow her to come with me. She is in the antechamber, and, I believe, has a letter to deliver from some person of consequence.’ The prince immediately desired that she might be admitted, not doubting that it was the confidential slave of Schemselnihar; and he was not mistaken in his conjecture “The jeweller knew this woman from having met her sometimes at Ebn Thaher’s, who had told him who she was. She could not have arrived at a more seasonable time to prevent the prince from giving way to despair. She saluted him, and he returned her greeting. The jeweller had risen as soon as she entered, and had withdrawn to a little distance, to leave them at liberty to converse together. After an interview of some length with the prince, the slave took her leave, and went away. She left him quite altered from what he had been before: his eyes appeared to sparkle, and his countenance was more cheerful. These appearances led the jeweller to suppose that the confidential slave had been saying something favourable to his hopes.

“The jeweller resumed his place near the prince, and said to him with a smile, ‘I see, prince, you have some important affairs at the palace of the caliph.’ Surprised and alarmed at this speech, the prince replied, ‘What induces you to think that I have any affairs at the palace of the caliph?’ ‘I conclude so,’ resumed the jeweller, ‘from your speaking to the slave who has just left you.’ ‘And to whom do you suppose this slave belongs?’ resumed the prince. ‘To Schemselnihar, the favourite of the caliph,’ replied the jeweller. ‘I know this slave,’ he continued, ‘and her mistress also, who has sometimes done me the honour of coming to my shop to buy jewellery. I know, moreover, that this slave is admitted into all the secrets of Schemselnihar. I have seen her for some days past continually walking about the streets with a pensive air, and from this I imagine she is now concerned in something of consequence which relates to her mistress.’

“These words of the jeweller confused the Prince of Persia. ‘This man would not talk to me thus,’ thought he, ‘if he did not suspect, or rather if he did not know, my secret.’ He remained silent for a few minutes, not knowing how to act. At length he roused himself, and said to the jeweller, ‘You tell me some things which lead me to think you know still more than you have revealed. It is very necessary to my peace of mind that I should know everything; I entreat you, therefore, to conceal nothing from me.’

“The jeweller, who desired no better opportunity, then gave the prince an exact detail of the conversation he had had with Ebn Thaher, and thus let him know that he was well aware of the intercourse that subsisted between him and Schemselnihar. He did not omit telling his hearer that Ebn Thaher, alarmed at the danger in which he was placed by his position as the prince’s friend, had imparted to him the design he had formed of quitting Baghdad for Balsora, where he intended to remain until the storm which he dreaded had passed away. ‘This design he has put in execution,’ continued the jeweller, ‘and I am surprised that he could prevail on himself to abandon you in the state in which he described you to be. As for me, prince, I confess to you that I was moved with compassion for your sufferings, and I have come to offer you my services; if you will do me the honour to accept them, I promise to observe the same fidelity towards you that Ebn Thaher has observed; and engage, moreover, to continue more firm and constant than he has been. I am ready to sacrifice my life and honour in your service; and, that you may have no doubts of my sincerity, I swear by everything most sacred in our holy religion to preserve your secret inviolably. Be assured, then, prince, that in me you will find a friend equal to him you have lost.’

 

The jeweller and the letter.

“This speech afforded the Prince of Persia great consolation, and reconciled him to the desertion of Ebn Thaher. He replied: ‘I am very fortunate to find in you so good a substitute for the loss I have suffered. I cannot sufficiently express the gratitude I feel to you; and I trust that God will amply recompense your generosity. I accept, therefore, with great pleasure, the kind offer you have made me.’ A moment afterwards he resumed: ‘Should you suppose that Schemselnihar’s confidential slave has been talking to me of you? She told me that it was you who advised Ebn Thaher to leave Baghdad. These were the very last words she said as she left me, and she seemed thoroughly persuaded of their truth. But she did you great injustice; and everything you have now told me convinces me that she was completely deceived.’ ‘Prince,’ replied the jeweller, ‘I have had the honour to give you both a literal and a faithful narrative of the conversation that took place between Ebn Thaher and myself. It is true that, when he told me of his intention of retiring to Balsora, I did not dissuade him from his design. I even told him I thought him both prudent and wise; but this ought not to prevent you from putting your whole confidence in me. I am ready to give you my time and faithful services, and to exert myself most warmly and indefatigably in your cause. If you doubt me and decline my offer, I will nevertheless keep the solemn oath I have made, and religiously preserve your secret.’ To this the prince replied: ‘I have already told you that I place not the least confidence in anything the slave has said. It is her zeal only that has raised these suspicions in her mind, and I am convinced they have not the least foundation. You ought, therefore, to excuse her on that account, as I do.’

“They continued their conversation for some time longer, and consulted together upon the best and most suitable means of keeping up a correspondence between the prince and Schemselnihar. The first point upon which they agreed was the necessity of undeceiving the confidante, who was so unjustly prejudiced against the jeweller. The prince took upon himself the task of explaining this matter the first time he should see her; and also to desire her, whenever she brought any more letters, or had any message from her mistress, to apply directly to the jeweller. They thought it imprudent that she should make her appearance at the prince’s house so often; for her continual presence there might cause disclosures of circumstances it was so much the interest of all parties to conceal. The jeweller then rose, and, after again assuring the prince he might place entire confidence in him, took his leave.

“As the jeweller turned away from the Prince of Persia’s house, he observed a letter in the street which some one seemed to have dropped. As it was not sealed he unfolded it, and found it contained the following words:—

“ ‘Schemselnihar to the Prince of Persia.

 

“ ‘I am now about to inform you, by means of my slave, of a circumstance which causes me as much affliction as it will occasion you. In losing Ebn Thaher we truly suffer a great loss; but do not let this, beloved prince, prevent you from taking care of yourself. If the friend in whom we trusted has abandoned us through a dread of the consequences, let us consider it as an evil we could not avoid, and let us console ourselves under the misfortune. I own to you that Ebn Thaher has forsaken us at a time when his presence and aid were most necessary; but let us fortify ourselves with patience under this most unexpected event; nor let our affection fail us even for an instant. Strengthen your mind against this disastrous event. Remember that we seldom attain our wishes without difficulty. Do not, then, let this misfortune damp our courage; let us hope that Heaven will be favourable; and that after all our numerous sufferings we shall at last arrive at the full and happy completion of our wishes. Farewell.’

“While the jeweller had been engaged in conversation with the Prince of Persia, the confidante had had time to return to the palace, and give her mistress the disastrous intelligence of Ebn Thaher’s departure. Schemselnihar had in consequence immediately written the foregoing letter, and sent her slave back to carry it to the prince without delay; and the slave had accidentally dropped it as she went along.

“The jeweller was much pleased at finding it; for this letter afforded him an excellent method of justifying himself in the mind of Schemselnihar’s slave, and bringing the matter to the point at which he wished to see it. As he finished reading the letter, he perceived the slave herself, who was looking for the lost writing in great distress and anxiety. He directly folded it up and put it in his bosom; but the woman, who observed this action, ran up to him. ‘My master,’ she said, ‘I have dropped the letter which you had just now in your hand; I beg you to have the goodness to return it me.’ The jeweller pretended not to hear her, and continued to walk on till he came to his own house, without answering a word: he did not shut the door after him, that the confidante, who still followed him, might come in if she pleased. This she immediately did; and when she had reached his apartments, she said to him: ‘My master, you can make no use of the letter you have found, and you would not hesitate for a moment to give it back to me if you knew from whom it comes, and to whom it is addressed. Give me leave to tell you, also, that you do not act justly in detaining it.’

“Before he returned any answer to the slave, the jeweller made her sit down. He then said to her: ‘Is it not true that the letter of which you speak is from Schemselnihar, and that it is addressed to the Prince of Persia?” The slave, who did not expect this question, turned pale. ‘This question seems to embarrass you,’ continued the jeweller; ‘but understand that indiscreet curiosity is not my motive for asking it. I could have given you the letter in the street, but I wished to induce you to follow me here, because I am desirous of explaining my motives to you. Tell me, is it just to impute a disastrous event to a man who has not in the most distant manner contributed to it? This, however, is exactly what you did when you told the Prince of Persia that I advised Ebn Thaher for his own security to leave Baghdad. I will not lose time in justifying myself to you; it is enough that the Prince of Persia is fully convinced of my innocence on this point. I will only say that, instead of having aided Ebn Thaher in his departure, I am extremely mortified at it; not so much on account of my friendship for him, as from my sincere compassion for the situation in which he has left the prince, of whose intercourse with Schemselnihar he made me aware. As soon as I was certain that Ebn Thaher was no longer in Baghdad, I ran and presented myself to the prince, with whom you found me. I informed him of this news, and at the same time offered him the same offices which Ebn Thaher had performed till his departure. I have succeeded in my design; and provided you place as much confidence in me as you did in Ebn Thaher, it will be your own fault if I am not as useful as he has ever been. Go and report to your mistress what I have now said to you, and assure her that, though I may lose my life by my participation in the dangerous enterprise, I shall never repent having sacrificed myself for two lovers so worthy of each other.’

“The confidential slave listened with great satisfaction to the words of the jeweller. She requested him to pardon her for the bad opinion she had entertained of him, a misconception which had arisen merely from the zeal she felt for Schemselnihar’s interests. She continued: ‘I rejoice greatly that the favourite and the Prince of Persia have been fortunate enough to find in you a proper person to supply the place of Ebn Thaher; and I will not fail to give my mistress a favourable account of the strong inclination you have to serve her.’

“After Schemselnihar’s slave had thus expressed the pleasure it afforded her to find the jeweller so disposed to be useful to Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia, the jeweller took the letter out of his bosom, and gave it her. ‘Take it,’ he cried, ‘and carry it immediately to the prince; and then come back this way, that I may see what answer he sends. And remember also to give him an account of our conversation.’

The slave took the letter, and carried it to the Prince of Persia, who answered it without delay. She then returned to the jeweller’s to show him the reply, which contained these words:—

“ ‘The Prince of Persia to Schemselnihar.

 

“ ‘Your dear letter has produced a great effect upon me; but yet not such an effect as I could wish. You endeavour to console me for the loss of Ebn Thaher. Alas! however sensible I may be of this misfortune, it is only the least of the evils I endure. You know what those evils are; and you know that your presence alone can cure them. Oh! when will the period arrive in which I can enjoy that dear presence without the dread of being again deprived of it? How distant does it appear to me! Perhaps, indeed, we ought not to flatter ourselves that we shall ever meet again. You tell me to be careful of my health: I will obey you, since I have made every inclination of my heart subservient to you. Farewell.’

“When he had read this letter, the jeweller returned it to the slave, who said to him, as she was departing, ‘I am going to induce my mistress to place the same confidence in you which she placed in Ebn Thaher. To morrow you shall have some intelligence from me.’ Accordingly she came the very next day, with great satisfaction expressed in her countenance. ‘Your very appearance,’ said he, ‘proves to me that you found Schemselnihar in the disposition of mind you wished.’ ‘It is true,’ she answered; ‘and you shall hear the manner in which I brought it about. I found her yesterday waiting for me with the greatest impatience. I put the letter of the prince into her hand, and while she read it her eyes filled with tears. As I perceived she was going to give herself up to her accustomed grief, I said, ‘O dear lady, it is doubtless the departure of Ebn Thaher which so much grieves you; but permit me to conjure you, in the name of Allah, not to alarm yourself any more on that subject. We have found another friend like him, who has offered to engage in your service with equal zeal, and, what is of more consequence, with greater courage.’ I then mentioned you to her, and told her the motives which induced you to visit the Prince of Persia. In short, I assured her that you would ever preserve inviolable the secret of her attachment to the prince, and that you were determined to aid their cause with all your power. She appeared greatly consoled at this speech, and exclaimed, ‘How greatly bound ought we to feel ourselves to the excellent man of whom you speak! I wish to know him, to see him, to hear from his own lips what you have now told me, and to thank him for his almost unheard-of generosity towards persons who have not the slightest reason to expect him to interest himself so zealously in their behalf. His presence will afford me pleasure, and I will omit nothing that I think may confirm him in his good opinion and intentions. Do not fail to go to him to-morrow morning, and bring him here.’ Therefore, my master, I beg you to take the trouble to go with me to her palace.

“These words of the slave of Schemselnihar very much embarrassed the jeweller. He replied: ‘Your mistress must permit me to say, that she has not thought sufficiently of what she has required of me. The free access which Ebn Thaher had to the caliph gave him admission everywhere, and the officers and attendants, who knew him, suffered him to go backwards and forwards unnoticed and unquestioned in the palace of Schemselnihar. But how dare I enter that dwelling? You must yourself see that this is impossible. I entreat you, therefore, to explain to Schemselnihar the reasons which prevent me from giving her this satisfaction, and represent to her all the unpleasant consequences that might happen from my acquiescence. And if she will quietly reconsider the matter, she will easily see that she exposes me to a very great danger without gaining the least advantage. ’

“The confidential slave endeavoured to encourage the jeweller. She said, ‘Do you suppose that Schemselnihar is so regardless of your safety as to expose you, from whom she expects a continuance of the most important services, to the least danger, in ordering you to come to her? Reflect for a moment, and you will find there is not even the appearance of danger. Both my mistress and myself are too much interested in this affair to engage you in it without due consideration. You may therefore very safely trust me to conduct you; and you will readily acknowledge, when the interview is over, that your alarms are without foundation.’

“The jeweller yielded to the arguments of the confidential slave, and rose up to follow her. But in spite of all the courage he piqued himself upon possessing, his fears so far got the better of him that he trembled from head to foot. Thereupon the slave said: ‘Judging by the state in which you appear to be, I am sure you had better remain at home, and let Schemselnihar devise some other mode of seeing you; and I have no doubt that her great anxiety to behold you will induce her to come and seek you herself. Therefore I request you will not go out; for I am convinced it will not be long before you see her arrive.’ The woman was not wrong in her conjectures; for when she informed Schemselnihar of the jeweller’s alarm, the favourite instantly made preparations to go to his house.

“He received her with every mark of the most profound respect. As soon as she had seated herself, for she was somewhat fatigued with her walk, she took off her veil, and revealed so much beauty to the eyes of the jeweller, that he instantly confessed in his own mind how natural it was that the Prince of Persia should have devoted his heart to the favourite of the caliph. She accosted the jeweller in the kindest manner, and said to him: ‘I could not possibly become acquainted with the great interest you take in the welfare of the Prince of Persia and myself, without at once determining to thank you in person; and I am truly grateful to Heaven for having so soon and so completely supplied the great loss we suffered in the departure of Ebn Thaher.’

“Schemselnihar said much more that was complimentary and kind to the jeweller, and then returned to her palace. The jeweller himself instantly went and gave an account of this visit to the Prince of Persia, who called out, when he saw him arrive, ‘I have been waiting for you with the greatest impatience. The confidential slave has brought me a letter from her mistress; but this letter has afforded me no comfort. Although the amiable Schemselnihar may endeavour to give me every encouragement, yet I dare not indulge any hope, and my patience is quite exhausted. I know not what plan to pursue. The departure of Ebn Thaher has thrown me into despair. He was my great support; and in losing him I have lost everything; for in the free access he had to Schemselnihar I flattered myself with some hopes of success.’

 

Schemselnihar and the jeweller.

“To these words, which the prince uttered in a very expressive manner, and so rapidly that the jeweller had no opportunity of putting in a word, the jeweller replied: ‘O prince, no one can take a greater interest in your misfortunes than I, and if you will have the patience to listen to me you will find that I can afford you some comfort.’ On hearing these words the prince held his tongue, and listened eagerly while the jeweller continued: ‘I very clearly see that the only means of satisfying you is to enable you to see and to converse with Schemselnihar without any restraint. This is a satisfaction I wish to procure you; and I will set about the task to-morrow. I trust it will not be necessary to expose you to the risk of going to the palace of Schemselnihar. You know from experience how dangerous a plan that is. I am acquainted with a much safer place for this interview—a place where you will both be in safety.’ When the jeweller had spoken thus, the prince embraced him with the greatest transport.

“ ‘By this delightful promise,’ he exclaimed, ‘you give new life to an unfortunate lover, who felt himself already condemned to death. From what I have already heard, I am sure the loss of Ebn Thaher has been fully supplied to me. Whatever you undertake will, I know, be done well; and I give myself up entirely to your direction.’

“The prince again thanked the jeweller for the zeal he had shown in his service, and the latter then returned home. The confidential slave of Schemselnihar came the next morning to seek him. He informed her that he had given the Prince of Persia some hopes of speedily seeing Schemselnihar. She replied: ‘I am come expressly to concert some measures with you for that purpose. It appears to me that this very house is well adapted for their meeting.’ ‘I should not have the least objection to their coming here,’ said the jeweller, ‘but I think they will be much more at liberty in another house which belongs to me, and which is entirely uninhabited. I will immediately have it handsomely furnished and prepared for their reception. ’ ‘In that case,’ rejoined the slave, ‘nothing remains to be done but to procure the consent of the favourite. I will go and speak to her on the subject, and will return in a very short time, and bring you her answer.’

“It was not long before the slave came back; and she told the jeweller that Schemselnihar would not fail to be at the appointed place towards the close of the day. At the same time she put a purse into his hands, and told him to provide an excellent collation. The jeweller directly brought the slave to the house where the lovers were to meet, that she might know where to find it, and be able to conduct her mistress thither; and after he had dismissed her he went to borrow some gold and silver plate, and certain very rich carpets and cushions, and other furniture, with which he furnished the house in the most magnificent manner. When everything was in readiness, he went to the Prince of Persia.

“Great was the joy of the prince when the jeweller informed him that he had come for the purpose of conducting him to a house which had been prepared for the reception of Schemselnihar and her lover. This intelligence made the prince forget all his vexations, all his disappointments, and all his sufferings. He put on a most magnificent dress, and went out, without even one attendant, with the jeweller, who led him to the house through many unfrequented streets, in order that no one might observe them, and introduced him into his new abode, and there they remained in conversation till the arrival of Schemselnihar.

“They had not long to wait for the coming of the beautiful favourite. She arrived directly after sunset prayers, accompanied by her confidential attendant and two other slaves. It would be useless to attempt to express the excess of joy these two lovers evinced at the sight of each other. They sat down upon a sofa, and at first looked at each other without being able to utter a single word, so much were their minds absorbed in the contemplation of their happiness. But when after a time they recovered the use of their speech, they made ample amends for their former silence. They expressed themselves in so tender and affecting a manner that the jeweller, the confidante, and the two slaves, could not refrain from shedding tears. The jeweller was the first to recover himself; he went out, and returning, set the collation before them with his own hands. The lovers ate and drank very sparingly; after which they returned to the sofa, and Schemselnihar asked the jeweller if he could procure her a lute, or any other instrument. The jeweller, who had taken care to provide everything which might afford them pleasure, immediately brought a lute. After a few moments occupied in tuning it, the favourite began to sing.

“While Schemselnihar was thus delighting the Prince of Persia, by expressing her love for him in words which she improvised as she sang, they suddenly heard a great noise; and a slave, whom the jeweller had brought with him, presently rushed in, breathless with alarm, and said that some people were forcing the door. He had demanded to know what they wanted, but instead of returning any answer, they redoubled their blows. The jeweller, greatly alarmed, left Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia, to go and ascertain the meaning of this interruption. He had advanced as far as the court, when, through the obscurity of the place, he observed a troop of men, armed with scimitars, who had already forced the door, and were coming directly towards him. The jeweller pressed close to the wall as quickly as possible, and he saw them pass by, to the number of ten, without being himself observed.

“As he thought he could be of no assistance to the Prince of Persia and Schemselnihar, he contented himself with lamenting their sad situation, and fled as fast as possible. He ran out of his own house, and took refuge in the abode of a neighbour, who was not yet retired for the night; not doubting that this unforeseen and violent attack was made by order of the caliph, who had by some means been informed of the place where the favourite and the Prince of Persia had appointed to meet. The house to which he fled for safety was so near that he distinctly heard the noise the invaders made at his own; and this noise continued till midnight. Then, as everything appeared to be silent, the jeweller requested his neighbour to lend him a sabre, armed with which he sallied forth. He went to the door of his own house; and entering the court, to his great alarm, encountered a man, who demanded who he was. He instantly recognised the voice of his own slave. ‘How have you been able,’ cried the jeweller, ‘to escape being taken by the guard?’ ‘O master,’ replied the slave, ‘I concealed myself in the corner of the court, and I came out as soon as the noise had ceased. It was not the guard that broke into your house, but a band of robbers, who for some days past have invested this quarter of the city, and plundered a great many dwellings. They have doubtless remarked the quantity of rich furniture that has been brought here; and it was to steal this that they came.’

“The jeweller thought the conjecture of his slave very probable. He examined the house, and found that the robbers had really carried off the beautiful furniture of the apartment in which he had received Schemselnihar and her lover, and stolen all the gold and silver plate, not leaving a single piece behind them. At this sight he was quite in despair. ‘Oh, Heavens! ’ he exclaimed, ‘I am undone without the chance of redress or recovery! What will my friends say? And what excuse can I make to them, when I have to tell them the thieves have broken open my house, and robbed me of everything they had so generously lent me? How can I ever compensate them for the loss they have suffered through me? And what can have become of Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia? This affair will make a great noise, and it must certainly reach the ears of the caliph. He will hear of this meeting, and I shall be the victim of his rage.’ The slave, who was very much attached to his master, tried to console him. He said, ‘O master, with regard to Schemselnihar, there is no doubt but that the robbers would be content with despoiling her of her valuables. You may be assured she will return to her palace with her slaves; and the Prince of Persia has probably fared no worse. You have every reason, therefore, to hope that the caliph will remain in total ignorance of this adventure. As for the loss which your friends have suffered, it is a misfortune you cannot help, nor can you be said to have caused it. They know very well that the robbers are here in great numbers, and that they have had the boldness to pillage not only the houses I have mentioned to you, but many others belonging to the principal noblemen of the court. It is also well known that, in spite of the orders which have been issued to seize these miscreants, not one of them has hitherto been taken, notwithstanding all the exertions and diligence that have been used. Even after you have made every recompense to your friends, by paying them the full value of the things you have been robbed of, thanks be to Allah you will still have a tolerable fortune remaining.’

“While they were waiting for daylight the jeweller made the slave mend the door of the house that had been forced, as well as he could. He then went back with his slave to the abode he commonly lived in, and during his walk he made the most melancholy reflections. He said to himself: ‘Alas! Ebn Thaher has been wiser than I; he has foreseen this misfortune, into which I have blindly run headlong. Would to Heaven I had never meddled in this unfortunate business, which may perhaps cost me my life.’

“With the returning daylight the report that his house had been broken open and pillaged spread through the city, and in consequence a great number of the jeweller’s friends and neighbours assembled. The greater number came under the pretext of expressing their sorrow for this accident, but really only to hear the particulars of the affair. He did not forget to thank them for the kindness of their inquiries; and he had at least the consolation of finding that no one mentioned either the Prince of Persia or Schemselnihar, and this led him to hope that they had either returned home or had retired to some place of safety.

“When the jeweller was again alone his people served up a repast; but he could not eat anything. It was about mid-day, when one of his slaves came and informed him there was a man at the door, a stranger, who said he wanted to speak with him. As the jeweller did not wish to admit an unknown man into his house, he rose up and went to speak to him at the door. His visitor said: ‘Although you do not know me, I am not unacquainted with you, and I am come to you upon a most important affair.’ On hearing these words the jeweller requested him to come into the house. ‘By no means,’ replied the stranger; ‘I must request you to take the trouble to go with me to your other house.’ ‘How came you to know,’ asked the jeweller, ‘that I have any house besides this?’ The stranger replied, ‘I am very well aware of that, and therefore you have only to follow me, and fear nothing: I have something to communicate to you that will give you pleasure.’ The jeweller then went with him; but informed him by the way in what manner his house had been robbed the day before, and that it was not in a state for the reception of visitors.

“When they had arrived opposite to the house, and the stranger perceived that the door was broken, he said to the jeweller, ‘I see, indeed, that you have spoken the truth; I will conduct you to a place where we shall be better accommodated.’ When he had said this, they continued walking on, nor did they stop during the remainder of the day. Fatigued with the distance they had come, vexed at seeing night so near at hand, and wondering at the stranger’s obstinate silence respecting the place they were going to, the jeweller began to lose all his patience; but at length they arrived at an open place, which led down to the Tigris. When they had come to the banks of that river they embarked in a small boat, and passed over to the other side. The stranger then conducted the jeweller down a long street, where he had never before been; and after passing through a great number of unfrequented lanes, he stopped at a door, which he opened. He desired the jeweller to go in, and following, shut the door after him, and fastened it with a large iron bar. He then conducted his guest into an apartment where there were ten other men, as completely unknown to the jeweller as the one who had brought him there.

“These ten men received the jeweller without much ceremony. They desired him to sit down, and he complied. He had, indeed, great occasion for repose, for he was not only fatigued and out of breath from his long walk, but the alarm which had seized him when he found himself with strangers under such novel circumstances was so great that he was hardly able to stand. As they only waited for the chief before they went to supper, the meal was served up when he made his appearance. The men first washed their hands, and compelled the jeweller to do the same; they then made him sit down at table with them. After supper was over they asked him if he was aware with whom he was conversing. The jeweller answered that he knew them not, nor did he even know either the quarter of the city or the place he was in. They said: ‘Relate to us, then, your adventure of last night, and do not conceal anything from us.’ The jeweller was much astonished at this demand, and answered, ‘O my masters, I doubt not you are already acquainted with it.’ ‘True,’ replied they, ‘the young man and young lady who were with you yesterday evening have related it to us; but we wish nevertheless to know it from your own lips.’

 

The jeweller and his strange visitor.

“This was quite enough to make the jeweller understand that he was now speaking to the very robbers who had broken open and pillaged his house. ‘Masters,’ said he, ‘I am in great distress about that young man and that young lady. Can you give me any information concerning them?’ They answered: ‘Do not fear on their account; they are in a place of safety, and are quite well.’ Thereupon they pointed out two small apartments to the jeweller, and they assured him the persons in question were there. ‘They informed us,’ added the strangers, ‘that you were the only person who is acquainted with their affairs, and interested about them. As soon as we knew that we took all possible care of them on your account. So far from having made use of the least violence towards them, we have, on the contrary, done them every service in our power, and not one of us has attempted to treat them ill; we assure you also of the same fair usage, and you may place the fullest confidence in us.’

“Encouraged by this speech, and delighted to find that Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia were in safety, at least with respect to their lives and persons, the jeweller endeavoured to engage the robbers still further in their service. He praised and flattered them, and returned them a thousand thanks. He said to them: “I confess, my friends, that I have not the honour of knowing you; but it is a very great happiness to me to find that you are not unacquainted with me, and I cannot sufficiently thank you for the gratification you have afforded me by making yourselves known. Not to speak of the great humanity and kindness of this action, I see very clearly that it is only among men like you that a secret can be faithfully kept, where there is any danger of a discovery to be dreaded; and if there be any enterprise of a nature more than usually difficult, you well know how to carry it through, by your alacrity, your courage, and your intrepidity. Relying upon these qualifications, which appear so brilliantly in you, I shall make no difficulty in relating my history, and also that of the two persons whom you found at my house, with all the distinctness and truth you can require.’

“After the jeweller had taken all these precautions to interest the robbers in everything he was going to reveal to them, he gave them a complete detail, without omitting a single circumstance, of the attachment and adventures of the Prince of Persia and Schemselnihar, from the very beginning till the time of the meeting he had procured them at his house.

“The robbers were in the greatest astonishment at what they heard. ‘What!’ they cried, when the jeweller had concluded his narration, ‘is it possible that this young man is the illustrious Ali Ebn Becar, Prince of Persia, and this lady the beautiful and celebrated Schemselnihar?’ The jeweller swore that he had told them nothing but the strict and literal truth, and added, that they ought not to think it strange that persons of such exalted rank as Schemselnihar and Ali Ebn Becar should be unwilling to make themselves known.

“Upon this assurance the robbers all went, one after the other, and threw themselves at the feet of Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia, entreating their pardon, and protesting that nothing of what had happened should have taken place if they had known the rank of the guests before they broke open the jeweller’s house. They added: ‘We will now endeavour to make some reparation for the fault we have committed.’ They then returned to the jeweller, and said: ‘We are very sorry that we are unable to restore everything we have taken from you, as some part of it is no longer at our disposal; we beg that you will, therefore, be satisfied with the plate and silver articles, which shall be immediately given up to you.’

“The jeweller thought himself very fortunate to regain what the robbers promised to give. They accordingly restored to him the articles in question, and then they requested the Prince of Persia and Schemselnihar to come, and informed them and the jeweller that they were ready to conduct them back to a certain place, from whence each might return to his own house; but before they did this they wished to bind each of their prisoners by an oath not to betray them. The Prince of Persia, Schemselnihar, and the jeweller, all said they were ready to pledge their word; and added, that if the robbers particularly wished it, they would swear solemnly to preserve the whole transaction a most profound secret. Upon this, perfectly satisfied with their oath, the robbers went out with them.

“As they were going along, the jeweller, who felt much disturbed at not seeing either the confidante or the other two slaves, went up to Schemselnihar, and requested her to inform him if she knew what was become of them. She replied: ‘I know nothing about them; all that I can tell you is, that they carried us with them from your house, that we were taken across the river, and at last brought to the house where you found us.’

“This was all the conversation which the jeweller had with Schemselnihar. They then suffered themselves, together with the prince, to be escorted by the robbers, and they soon came to the side of the river. The robbers immediately took a boat, embarked with them, and landed them on the opposite bank.

“At the instant when the Prince of Persia, Schemselnihar, and the jeweller were stepping ashore, they heard a great noise. It was caused by the horse patrol, who came towards them, and arrived the moment after they had landed, and while the robbers were rowing back to the other side with all their strength.

“The officer of the guard demanded of the prince, Schemselnihar, and the jeweller, where they were coming from at that late hour, and who they were. As they were all in a state of considerable alarm, and therefore fearful of saying anything that might lead them into difficulties, they remained silent. It was, however, absolutely necessary to make some answer; and the jeweller took upon himself to reply, as he was not quite so disturbed as his companions. ‘My lord,’ he replied, ‘let me assure you, in the first place, that we are people of character, who live in the city. The men who are in the boat from which we have just landed are robbers, who last night broke open the house where we were. They despoiled it of everything, and carried us away with them. Ever since our capture we made use of every means in our power, by persuasions and entreaties, to procure our liberty, and have at last succeeded, and in consequence of this they brought us to this spot. Nay, they even did more—they restored to us a part of the plunder they had taken, and we now have it with us.’ He then showed the officer the parcel of plate the robbers had returned to him.

“The commander of the patrol was by no means satisfied with this answer of the jeweller’s. He went up to him and to the Prince of Persia, and said to them, looking in their faces, ‘Tell me the strict truth; who is this lady? How came you acquainted with her, and in what quarter of the city do you live?’

“These questions very much embarrassed them, and they knew not what answer to make. Schemselnihar, however, came to their assistance. She took the officer aside, and had no sooner spoken to him, than he got off his horse, and showed her every mark of great respect and honour. He directly ordered some of his attendants to bring two boats.

“When these were brought, the officer requested Schemselnihar to embark in one, while the prince and the jeweller went into the other. Two of the officer’s attendants were also placed in each, with orders to conduct the passengers wherever they wished to go. The two boats then began to steer each a different course: and we will now only follow that in which the Prince of Persia and the jeweller had embarked.

“In order to save the persons whom the officer had ordered to conduct them home some trouble, the prince told them he would take the jeweller home with him, and told them of the part of the city in which he lived. Upon this information the attendants rowed the boat towards the shore close to the caliph’s palace. The Prince of Persia and the jeweller were in the greatest possible alarm, although they durst not betray their fears. Notwithstanding that they had heard the order which the officer had given, they nevertheless were fully convinced that they were going to be taken to the guardhouse for the night, and that they should be brought before the caliph in the morning.

“This was, however, by no means the intention of their conductors; for as soon as they had landed, as they themselves were obliged to return to their party, they transferred their passengers to an officer belonging to the caliph’s guard, who sent two soldiers with them to attend them by land to the Prince of Persia’s house, which was at a considerable distance from the river. They at length arrived there, so worn out with toil and fatigue that they could scarcely move.

“In addition to this great weariness, the Prince of Persia felt so much grieved at the unfortunate and disastrous interruption he and Schemselnihar had experienced, and which seemed for ever to shut out all hope of another interview, that when he threw himself down on the sofa he absolutely fainted. While most of his people were employed in assisting to recover him, the rest surrounded the jeweller, and requested him to inform them what had happened to the prince, whose absence had occasioned them the greatest anxiety.

“The jeweller, who took good care to reveal to them nothing they ought not to know, told them that the adventure was a very extraordinary one; but that he had not then sufficient leisure to give them the particulars, but advised them to turn their attention to assisting their master. The prince fortunately at this moment recovered his senses, and those persons, therefore, who had so recently asked the questions, retired to a distance, and showed the greatest respect; and at the same time evinced much joy that his fainting fit had lasted but a short time.

“Although the Prince of Persia had recovered his consciousness, he remained in such a weak state that he could not open his lips to speak a word. He answered only by signs, even when his relations spoke to him. He continued in the same condition till the next morning, when the jeweller took his leave of him. The prince answered his farewell only by a glance of his eye; at the same moment he took the jeweller by the hand; and as he observed that he was encumbered with the bundle of plate which the robbers had returned to him, he made a sign to one of his attendants to accompany the jeweller, and carry it home for him.

“The jeweller’s return had been expected by his family with the greatest impatience during the whole of the day on which he had gone out with the man who had called to inquire for him. Who this man could be they did not know; and when the time by which the jeweller ought to have returned had elapsed, they were convinced some accident even worse than the robbery had happened to him. His wife, his children, and servants were all in the greatest alarm, and were in tears when he arrived. Their joy at seeing him was great for the moment, but it was soon succeeded by pain and regret at finding him so much altered during his short absence. The excessive fatigue of the preceding day, succeeded by a long night passed in sleeplessness and in the midst of alarms, were the causes of this change; and many of his people, for a moment, hardly knew him again. As he felt himself very much weakened, he remained two whole days at home without once stirring out. During that time he saw only his most intimate friends, whom he had ordered to be admitted.

“On the third day, the jeweller, who felt his strength partly re-established, thought that a walk in the open air would contribute to his recovery. He went, therefore, to the shop of a rich merchant, with whom he had been upon a friendly footing for some length of time. As he rose to take his leave and go away, he perceived a female, who made him a sign; and he instantly recognised her as the confidential slave of Schemselnihar. Her appearance confounded him with such a mixture of joy and alarm, that he went out of the shop without returning her greeting. She, however, followed him, as he was convinced she would do, for the place they were then in was not proper for conversation. As he walked rather quickly, the confidential slave could not overtake him, and therefore from time to time called out to him to stop. He heard her distinctly, but, after what had happened to him, he did not choose to speak to her in public, through the dread of giving rise to suspicion that he had any acquaintance with Schemselnihar. For it was very well known throughout Baghdad that this slave belonged to the favourite, who employed her upon every occasion. The jeweller continued to walk rapidly on, till he came to a mosque, which was but little frequented, and where he knew there would not be any one at that time of the day. The slave followed him into the mosque, and they had there an opportunity for a long conversation without any danger of interruption.

“The jeweller and the confidante of Schemselnihar felt great pleasure in seeing each other again after the singular adventure with the robbers, and after the fear each had felt for the other, not to mention the alarm they had endured on their own account. The jeweller wished the confidential slave to inform him, in the first instance, by what means she and her two companions had been able to make their escape, and if she had gained any intelligence of Schemselnihar since he had seen her. The confidante herself, however, was so very eager to learn what had happened to him since their unexpected separation, that he was obliged to satisfy her curiosity. ‘This,’ said he, when he had finished his story, ‘is all that you wish to know from me; now, therefore, I beg of you, tell me in your turn what I desire to know.’

“The slave of Schemselnihar replied: ‘As soon as I saw the robbers make their appearance, I took them for some soldiers belonging to the caliph’s guard, imagining that the caliph had been informed of Schemselnihar’s expedition, and that he had sent them with orders to kill her, the Prince of Persia, and all of us. I therefore instantly ran up to the terrace on the top of your house, while the robbers went into the apartment where the prince and Schemselnihar were sitting; the other two slaves also made haste to follow my example. We hastened away, stepping from the terrace of one house to that of another, till we came to a habitation belonging to some people of good character, who received us with great kindness, and under whose protection we passed the night.

“ ‘The next morning, after thanking the master of the house for the favour he had done us, we returned to Schemselnihar’s palace. When we arrived we were in the greatest anxiety and alarm; and felt the more distressed, as we were entirely ignorant of the destiny of these two unfortunate lovers. The other female attendants of Schemselnihar were much surprised at seeing us return without their mistress. We told them, as we had previously agreed between ourselves to do, that we had left her at the house of a lady who was one of her friends, and that she would send for us again to accompany her home when she intended to return. With this excuse they were quite satisfied.

‘You may imagine that I passed the day in the greatest uneasiness. When night came on, I opened the small private gate, and saw a boat upon the canal that branched off from the river and terminated at the gate. I called out to the boatman, and begged him to row up and down by the banks of the river, and look if he could not see a lady; and, if he met with one, to bring her over.

“ ‘The two slaves were with me, and as much distressed as myself. We waited till midnight in expectation of his return. Then the same boat came back with two other men in it, and a woman, who was lying down in the stern. When the boat reached the shore, the two men assisted the lady to rise, and she landed. I immediately discovered her to be Schemselnihar; and my joy at seeing and finding her again was greater than I can possibly express to you. I instantly gave her my hand to assist her in getting out of the boat. Indeed, she had no little need of my assistance; for she was so agitated she could scarcely stand. As soon as she was on shore, she whispered in my ear, and in a tone which bore witness to her sufferings, desired me to go and get a purse containing a thousand pieces of gold, and give it to the two soldiers who accompanied her. I then entrusted her to the two slaves to help her along, and charging the soldiers to wait a moment, I ran for the purse, and returned with it almost instantly. I gave it to them, paid the boatman, and then shut the gate.

 

Landing from the boat.

“ ‘I soon overtook Schemselnihar, who had not yet reached her apartment. We lost no time in undressing and putting her to bed, where she continued all night in such a state that we thought her soul was on the eve of quitting its habitation.

“ ‘The next day her other attendants expressed a great desire to see her; but I told them she had returned home very much fatigued, and had great need of repose to recruit her strength. In the meantime the other two slaves and myself afforded her all the assistance and comfort we could impart, and which she could possibly expect from our zeal. At first she seemed determined not to eat anything; and we should have despaired of her life, if we had not perceived that the wine which we gave her, from time to time, very much supported and strengthened her. At length, by means of our repeated entreaties, and even prayers, we prevailed on her to eat something.

“ ‘As soon as I saw that she was able to speak without injury to herself (for she had hitherto done nothing but shed tears, intermingled with dismal groans), I requested her to do me the favour of informing me by what fortunate accident she had escaped from the power of the robbers. ‘Why do you ask me,’ she replied, with a profound sigh, ‘to recall to my recollection a subject that causes me so much affliction? Would to Heaven the robbers had taken my life, instead of preserving me. My woes would then have been at an end; but now my sufferings will, I know, long continue to torment me.’

‘O lady,’ I answered, ‘I beg of you not to refuse my request. You cannot be ignorant that the unhappy sometimes derive a degree of consolation when they open their hearts by relating even their worst misfortunes. My request, then, will be of service to you, if you will have the goodness to comply.’

“ ‘Listen, then,’ she replied, ‘to a narrative of the most distressing circumstances that could possibly happen to any one so much in love as I am, and one who had almost dared to hope for happiness in her love. When I saw the robbers enter each with a sabre in one hand and a poniard in the other, I concluded the very last moment of my existence was at hand, and that the Prince of Persia was in equal danger. I did not indeed lament my own death. I felt a kind of satisfaction in the reflection that we should die together. But instead of instantly falling upon us, and plunging their weapons in our hearts, as I fully expected they would have done, two of the robbers stood by us to guard us, while the others were engaged in packing up whatever they could find in the room where we were, and in the other apartments. When they had finished their preparations, and had taken all the plunder upon their shoulders, they went out, and made us go with them.

“ ‘While we were on the way, one of those who accompanied us demanded our names. I told him that I was a dancing woman. He asked the same question of the prince, who replied that he was a citizen.

“ ‘When we arrived at the robbers’ dwelling we experienced new alarms. They collected round me, and, after examining my dress and the valuable jewels with which I was adorned, they seemed very much to doubt the truth of my assertion. ‘A dancing girl,’ they said, ‘is not likely to be dressed as you are. Tell us truly what is your name and rank.’

‘As they found I was not inclined to give them any answer, they put the same question to the Prince of Persia. ‘Inform us,’ they cried, ‘who you are. We can easily see that you are not a common citizen, as you wish us to believe by your former answer.’ But the prince gave them no greater satisfaction than I had done. He only told them that, in order to amuse himself, he had come on a visit to a certain jeweller, whose name he mentioned, and that the house, where they found us, belonged to him.

“ ‘One of the robbers, who seemed to have some authority among them, cried out, ‘I know that jeweller, and I am under some obligations to him, although he is not perhaps aware of it: I know also that he has another house. To-morrow I will make it my business to bring him hither, and we will not release you till we know from him who you are. In the meantime be assured that no harm shall happen to you.’

“ ‘The jeweller was brought here the next day, and as he thought to oblige us (and in fact he did so), he informed the robbers precisely who we were. They immediately came and begged my pardon, and I believe they likewise asked pardon of the prince, who was in another apartment. They protested to me, at the same time, that if they had known that the house where they discovered us belonged to the jeweller, they would not have broken it open. They then took us all three, and conducted us to the banks of the Tigris; they put us on board a boat, in which we crossed the water; but at the very instant when we landed, a party of the guard came up to us on horseback.

“ ‘I took the commander aside, told him my name, and informed him that on the evening before, as I was visiting one of my friends, some robbers met and stopped me, and then carried me with them; and that only on my informing them who I was would they release me. I also added that on my account they set at liberty the two persons the officer then saw with me, because I assured them I knew who they were. The officer of the guard immediately alighted, as a mark of respect to me, and after expressing his boy at being able to oblige me in anything, he ordered two boats to come to the shore. Into one of these he put me and two of his people, whom you saw, and who escorted me hither. The Prince of Persia and the jeweller embarked in the other, with two more of his soldiers, who were charged to conduct them safely home.

“ ‘I hope,’ added Schemselnihar, with her eyes swimming in tears, as she finished this account, ‘that no fresh misfortune has happened to them since our separation; and I firmly believe that the grief and distress of the prince is equal to mine. The jeweller who has served us with so much zeal and affection deserves at least to be reimbursed for the loss he has sustained through his friendship for us; do not, therefore, fail to take to him to-morrow morning, on my behalf, two purses with a thousand pieces of gold in each; and at the same time ask some intelligence from him concerning the Prince of Persia.’

“ ‘When my good mistress had concluded her story, I endeavoured, when she thus ordered me to obtain some information of the Prince of Persia, to persuade her to make use of every method to conquer her feelings; urging the greatness of the danger she had just encountered, and from which she had escaped only as it were by a miracle. But she replied: ‘Answer me not, but do as I command you.’

“ ‘I was therefore obliged to hold my tongue, and immediately set out to obey her orders. I first proceeded to your house, where I did not find you; and feeling quite uncertain whether I should meet with you at the place where they told me you were gone, I was on the point of going to the Prince of Persia’s house, but was afraid to make the attempt. I left the two purses, as I came hither, with a person of my acquaintance. If you will wait here a little while for me, I will go and bring them.’

“The confidential slave then departed, but returned almost directly to the mosque where she had left the jeweller. She gave him the two purses, and said: ‘Take these, and make compensation to your friends for their losses.’ ‘There is much more in those purses,’ replied the jeweller, ‘than is necessary to reimburse my friends; but I dare not refuse the present which so kind and generous a lady wishes to make to the humblest of her slaves. I beg you to assure her that I shall for ever preserve the recollection of her kindness.’ He then made an agreement with the confidential slave, that she should come and inquire for him at the house where she at first met him whenever she had anything to communicate from Schemselnihar, or wished to gain any intelligence of the Prince of Persia. And thus they separated.

The jeweller returned home very well satisfied with the ample sum of money he had received for the purpose of making up the loss his friends had suffered, and greatly relieved in his mind; for he was sure no person in Baghdad knew that the Prince of Persia and Schemselnihar had been discovered in his other house, which had been robbed. He had certainly acquainted the robbers themselves with that fact; but he was tolerably secure that they would keep the secret for their own sakes. Besides, he thought they did not mix sufficiently with the world to cause him any danger, even if they did divulge it. The next morning he saw the friends to whom he was under obligations for the loan of the furniture, and he had no difficulty in giving them perfect satisfaction; and, after paying all expenses, he had enough money remaining to furnish his other house again very handsomely. He did this, and sent some of his domestics to inhabit it. Thus employed, he quite forgot the danger which he had so lately escaped; and in the evening he went to visit the Prince of Persia.

The officers and attendants of the prince who received him told him he came very opportunely; for that since he left him the prince had fallen into a state which alarmed them for his life, and that they had not been able to get him to speak a single word. They introduced him into the young man’s chamber without making the least noise; and he found the prince lying in his bed with his eyes shut, and in a state which very much excited his compassion. He saluted the sufferer, took him by the hand, and exhorted him to keep up his spirits.

“The Prince of Persia perceived that it was the jeweller who spoke to him. He opened his eyes, and gave him a look which plainly evinced how much he was afflicted, and how much more he now suffered than when he first saw Schemselnihar. He took the jeweller’s hand, and pressed it, as a mark of his friendship; and at the same time said, in a very feeble tone of voice, how much he felt himself obliged to this friendly visitor for the trouble he took in coming to see so unfortunate and wretched a being as himself.

 

The Prince and the jeweller.

“The jeweller replied: ‘I beseech you, prince, do not speak of the obligations you are under to me. I wish most earnestly that the good offices which I endeavour to do you were more effectual. Let us think only of your health. From the state in which I find you, I fear you suffer yourself to be too much depressed, and that you do not take so much nourishment as is absolutely necessary.’

“The attendants who were in waiting seized this opportunity to inform the jeweller that they had tried every method in their power to induce their master to eat something, but all their efforts had been in vain; and that the prince had taken nothing for a very long time. This compelled the jeweller to request that the Prince of Persia would suffer his servants to bring him something to eat; and, after much entreaty, he at length obtained his consent.

“When, through the persuasions of the jeweller, the Prince of Persia had eaten much more heartily than he had hitherto done, he ordered his people to retire, that he might be alone with his visitor. And after the attendants were gone out, he addressed these words to the jeweller: ‘In addition to the misfortune which overwhelms me, I feel very great pain for the loss that you have suffered from your regard to me; and it is but just that I should think of some means to recompense you. But in the first place, after requesting you most earnestly to pardon me, I entreat you to inform me if you have heard how Schemselnihar fared after I was compelled to separate from her.’

As the jeweller had before received the whole account from Schemselnihar’s confidential slave, he now related what he knew of her arrival at her own palace, and described the state she had been in from that moment; and added that she now felt herself so much better as to be able to send her confidante to get some intelligence of him.

“To this speech of the jeweller’s the prince answered only by his sighs and tears. He then made an effort to get up: he called his people, and went himself to the room where he kept his valuables, and ordered it to be opened. He then caused his servants to bring forth many pieces of rich furniture and plate, and ordered that these should be carried to the jeweller’s.

“The jeweller wished to decline accepting the present of the Prince of Persia; but, although he represented to him that Schemselnihar had already sent him much more than sufficient to replace everything that his friends had lost, the prince nevertheless would be obeyed. Therefore the only thing the jeweller could do was to express how much he felt confused at the prince’s great liberality, and to assure him he could not be sufficiently thankful for all this kindness. He then wished to take his leave, but the prince desired him to remain; and they passed the greater part of the night in conversation.

“Before he went away the next morning the jeweller saw the prince again, and the latter made him sit down near him. He said: ‘You know very well that there must be an end to everything. All the aspirations and wishes of a lover are centred in her he loves: if he once loses sight of this hope, it is certain that he can no longer wish to live. You must be well convinced that I am in a very miserable situation. Twice, when I have flattered myself that a happier time was beginning to dawn upon me, have I been torn from the object of my affections in the most cruel manner. I have now, therefore, only to think of death. I would myself put an end to my very unhappy existence, but that my religion prevents my becoming a self-murderer. I feel, however, that I have no occasion to hasten the approach of death, for I am well convinced I shall not have long to await its arrival.’ After these words the prince was silent, and then gave full vent to his tears; nor did he endeavour to suppress his sighs and lamentations.

“The jeweller, who knew of no better method to pursue to lead the prince away from this hopeless and despairing train of thought than by recalling Schemselnihar to his recollection and holding out some slight ray of hope, told him that he was afraid the confidential slave was already come, and he declared that it would not therefore be right if he delayed his departure. To this the prince replied: ‘I permit you to go; but, if you see the slave, I entreat you to urge her to assure Schemselnihar that if I die, as I really expect very soon to be the case, I shall adore her with my last breath, nor will my affection cease even in the tomb.’

“The jeweller then returned home, and remained there in hopes that the slave would soon make her appearance. She arrived a few hours afterwards; but she came bathed in tears and in the greatest disorder. Alarmed at seeing her in this condition, the jeweller eagerly inquired what was the matter.

“The slave replied, ‘We are all undone! Schemselnihar, the Prince of Persia, you, myself—every one of us! Listen to the terrible news I heard yesterday, when I left you and returned to the palace.

“ ‘For some fault or other, Schemselnihar had ordered one of the two slaves who were with us at your house to be punished. Enraged at this ill-treatment, and finding a door of the palace open, the slave ran out, and we doubt not that she went and told everything to one of the eunuchs of our guard, with whom she has stayed ever since.

“ ‘Nor is this all: the other slave, her companion, has also fled, and has taken refuge in the palace of the caliph, to whom we have every reason to believe she has revealed all she knew; and what confirms this opinion is, that the caliph this morning sent twenty eunuchs to bring Schemselnihar to his palace. I found an opportunity to steal away, and to come and give you information of all this. I know not what has happened, but, I conjecture, nothing good. Whatever it may be, I entreat you to keep our secret.’

“The slave then added, that she thought it would be proper that the jeweller should go, without losing a moment, to the Prince of Persia, and inform him of the whole affair, that he might hold himself in readiness for any turn events might take; and also to admonish him that he might be true and faithful to the common cause. She said not another word, but suddenly went away, without even waiting for an answer.

“And what, indeed, could the jeweller have answered in the confusion of mind this speech produced? He stood motionless, like a person stunned by a blow. He was nevertheless aware that the business required decisive and prompt measures. Therefore he made all the haste he could to the Prince of Persia’s house, and as soon as he saw him he accosted him with an air that instantly showed he was the messenger of bad news. ‘Prince,’ he cried, ‘arm yourself with patience, constancy, and courage; prepare for the most dreadful shock you have ever encountered.’

“The prince replied: ‘Tell me briefly what has happened, and do not thus keep me in suspense. I am ready to die, if it must be so.’

“The jeweller then related to him everything he had heard from the confidential slave, and said, moreover, ‘You see that your destruction is inevitable. Arise up, then, and endeavour to escape without a moment’s delay. Time is precious. You ought not to expose yourself to the anger of the caliph, still less to confess anything, although you should be in the midst of torments.’

“Very little more would at this moment have actually killed the prince, so much was he already broken down by affliction, sorrow, and terror. He at length recollected himself, and inquired of the jeweller what plan he advised him to pursue in these critical circumstances, when prompt decision was so absolutely necessary. ‘There is nothing that you can do,’ replied the jeweller, ‘but to get on horseback as soon as possible, take the road to Anbar, and endeavour to reach that place before daylight to- morrow. Let as many of your people as you think necessary accompany you, and some good horses, and suffer me to escape with you.’

“The Prince of Persia, who knew of no better method to pursue, gave orders to have such preparations made as were quite necessary for the journey. He carried some money and jewels with him, and after taking leave of his mother, set out, and made all speed to get at a distance from Baghdad, in company with the jeweller and the attendants he had chosen.

“They travelled for the rest of the day, and most of the following night, without making any stay on the road, till about two or three hours before day, when the fatigue of the long journey, and the absolute exhaustion of their horses, compelled them to alight, and take some little repose.

“They had hardly had time to breathe before they were attacked by a considerable troop of robbers. They defended themselves for some time with the greatest courage, till all the attendants of the prince were killed; the prince and the jeweller then laid down their arms, and yielded at discretion. The robbers spared their lives; but, after taking their horses and baggage, they rifled and even stripped the persons of their victims, and then retreating with their plunder, left them where they were.

“Directly the robbers were at some distance, the prince said to the jeweller, who was in the utmost distress, ‘What think you of our late adventure, and of the state in which we are now left? Do you not rather wish that I had remained at Baghdad, and had there awaited my death, in what manner soever it might have come upon me?’ The jeweller replied: ‘O prince, we must submit to the decrees of Allah. It is His will that we should suffer affliction upon affliction. It is not for us to murmur, but we must receive everything, whether good or evil, from His hands with absolute submission. However, we must not stay here; let us push on, and endeavour to find out some place where we shall be able to obtain relief in our misfortune.’

“But the Prince of Persia cried, ‘Leave me here, and suffer me to end my days in this place; for of what consequence is it where I breathe my last? Perhaps at this very instant, while we are speaking, Schemselnihar is suffering death, and it is not my wish, nor is it even in my power, to outlive her.’ At length, with much entreaty, the jeweller persuaded him to move. They walked on for a long time, and at last came to a mosque, which they found open. They went in, and passed the rest of the night there.

“At daybreak only one person came into the mosque. He said his prayers, and when he had finished them was retiring, when he perceived the Prince of Persia and the jeweller, who were seated in a corner. He went up to them, saluted them with great civility, and thus accosted them: ‘O my masters, if I may judge from your appearance, you seem to me to be strangers.’ The jeweller, who took upon himself to be spokesman, answered: ‘You are not wrong in your supposition. Last night, in coming along the road from Baghdad, we were robbed, as you may conjecture, if you notice the state we are in; and we have great need of assistance, but know not to whom to apply.’ The stranger replied: ‘If you will take the trouble to come to my house, I will very readily give you all the help and assistance in my power.’

“On hearing this obliging offer, the jeweller turned towards the Prince of Persia, and whispered in his ear that he thought this man did not know either of them, and that if they waited until other people came, they might be recognised. He continued: ‘We ought not, therefore, to refuse the favour which this good man offers us.’ The prince replied: ‘It is for you to decide; I agree to everything you wish.’

“As the stranger saw the prince and the jeweller consulting together, he thought that they were reluctant to accept the proposal he had made them. He asked, therefore, on what they had determined. ‘We are ready to follow you,’ replied the jeweller; ‘but what causes us the greatest distress is that we are almost naked, and we feel ashamed to appear in this condition.’ Fortunately the man had sufficient clothes about him to be able to bestow enough on them to cover them while they followed him to his house. So soon as they arrived at his dwelling, their host ordered a dress to be brought for each of them; and, as he naturally imagined that they were greatly in want of food, and would be much more at ease if they ate by themselves, he sent a female slave with a variety of dishes. But they could scarcely touch anything, particularly the prince, who was reduced to such a languid state, and was so worn out, that the jeweller felt considerable alarm for his life.

“Their host visited them several times during the day, and he left them early in the evening, as he knew they stood in great need of repose. But the jeweller was obliged to call him again almost immediately, to help him in attending on the Prince of Persia, who, he thought, was very near death. The jeweller perceived that the prince’s respiration was difficult and rapid, and from this he judged he had only a few moments to live. He went up to him, and then the prince said: ‘As you must perceive, the moment is at hand when I must die, and I am well satisfied that you should be present to witness the last sigh I shall ever breathe. I resign my life with much satisfaction, nor need I inform you why I do so: you know the reason. All the regret I feel is because I do not breathe my last in the arms of my dearest mother, who has always shown the tenderest affection for me, and to whom, I trust, I have always shown due love and respect. She will grieve much that she had not the melancholy consolation of closing my eyes, or even of burying me with her own hands. I beg of you to tell her that I have also grieved for this; and request her, on my behalf, to have my body conveyed to Baghdad, that she may water my grave with her tears, and may afford me the benefit of her prayers.’ He did not forget the master of the house where he lay. He thanked him for the generous reception he had afforded to two strangers; and after requesting that his body might be allowed to remain in the house till his own attendants came to bury it, he expired.

“The day after the death of the Prince of Persia, the jeweller took advantage of a large caravan which happened at that time to be going to Baghdad; travelling with these, he arrived there in safety. He immediately went to his own house, and, after changing his dress, he proceeded to the abode of the deceased Prince of Persia, where the inmates were all much alarmed at not seeing the prince himself come back with him. He desired the attendants to inform the prince’s mother that he wished to speak to her; and it was not long before they introduced him into a hall, where she sat surrounded by many of her women. ‘O my princess,’ said the jeweller on entering, but in a tone and manner that evidently proved he was the messenger of ill news, ‘may Allah preserve you, and heap abundance of His favours upon you. But I need not remind you that the Almighty disposes of mortals according to His will.’

“The lady gave the jeweller no time to say more. She at once exclaimed, ‘You come to announce the death of my son!’ and immediately began to utter the most melancholy cries, and her women joined in their lamentations; and this pitiful sight renewed the grief of the jeweller, and made his tears flow afresh. She continued to suffer these torments, and remained a long time overcome by affliction before she would permit the jeweller to go on with what he had to say. At length she suppressed for a time her lamentations and tears, and begged him to continue his account, and not to conceal any circumstance of this melancholy history. He complied with her desire; and when he had concluded, she asked him if the prince her son had not charged him with any particular message to give to her while he was lying at the point of death. He assured her that Ali Ebn Becar only expressed the greatest regret at breathing his last at a distance from his affectionate mother, and that the only thing he wished was that she would take care and have his body brought to Baghdad. Accordingly, early the next morning the princess set out, accompanied by all her women and a great number of slaves.

“When the jeweller, who had been detained by the mother of the Prince of Persia, had seen her take her departure, he returned home, his eyes cast down, and in the most melancholy state of mind; for he himself deeply regretted the death of so accomplished and amiable a prince, who had thus perished in the very flower of his age.

“As he was walking along meditating thus within himself, a woman came up, and stopped directly before him. He raised his eyes, and perceived the confidential slave of Schemselnihar. She was dressed in mourning, and her eyes were bathed in tears. This sight renewed the jeweller’s grief to a great degree; and without even opening his lips to speak to her, he continued walking on till he came to his own house. The confidential slave followed him, and entered the house at the same time with him.

 

The jeweller returning home.

“They sat down, and the jeweller began the conversation by asking her, with a deep sigh, if she had already been informed of the death of the Prince of Persia, and if it was for him that she wept. ‘Alas, no!’ she answered: ‘is that amiable prince dead? Truly he has not long survived his adorable Schemselnihar. O happy spirits!’ added she, alluding to the departed lovers, ‘in whatever place you may be, you are now much to be envied; for in future you may love each other without any obstacle. Your life here was an invincible hindrance to your wishes, and Heaven has freed you from them that your souls may be united.’

“The jeweller, who had not heard until now of the death of Schemselnihar, and who had not noticed the circumstance of the confidential slave’s being in mourning, felt an additional pang when he learnt this intelligence, ‘Schemselnihar dead too!’ he exclaimed. ‘Is she no more?’ ‘Alas! it is too true,’ replied the slave, with a fresh burst of tears. ‘It is for her that I wear this mourning garb. The circumstances attending her death are singular; and it is proper that you should be made acquainted with them. But before I relate these events to you, I beg of you to inform me of everything relative to the death of the Prince of Persia, whose loss I shall continue all my life to lament, as I now mourn the death of my dear and amiable mistress Schemselnihar.’

“The jeweller related to the confidante all the circumstances she wished to know, and as soon as he had finished his account of what had passed, from the time when he last saw her, to the moment when the prince’s mother began her journey for the purpose of bringing her son’s body to Baghdad, she went on as follows: ‘I have already told you how the caliph sent for Schemselnihar to his own palace. It was true, as we had reason to believe, that the caliph had been informed of the attachment and meeting between Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia. The two slaves, whom he had separately questioned, had betrayed the secret. You may perhaps imagine that he was in great anger against the favourite, and that he showed strong feelings of jealousy and revenge against the Prince of Persia. But this was not the case. He thought not for an instant about his rival. He only pitied Schemselnihar. Nay, it is thought he attributed what had happened only to himself, and to the permission which he had given her to go freely about the city unaccompanied by any eunuchs. At least we cannot form any other conjecture from the extraordinary manner in which he conducted himself towards her from first to last. You shall hear what he did.

“ ‘The caliph received Schemselnihar with an open countenance. He perceived the traces of the grief with which she was overwhelmed, but which nevertheless did not in the least diminish her beauty, for she appeared before him without any symptoms either of surprise or fear. He addressed her thus, with his usual air of kindness: ‘Schemselnihar, I cannot bear that you should appear before me with a countenance so strongly impressed by sorrow. You know with what ardour I have always loved you: you must be convinced of my sincerity by all the proofs I have given you of it. I am not changed, for I still love you more than ever. You have some enemies, and these enemies have spread evil reports of the manner in which you conduct yourself; but everything that they can say of you makes not the least impression upon my mind. Therefore drive away this melancholy, and dispose yourself to receive me this evening with as amusing and diverting an entertainment as you used to provide.’ He continued to say many other obliging things to her, and then conducted her into a magnificent apartment near his own, where her requested her to await his return.

“ ‘The wretched Schemselnihar was sensibly affected at these kindly proofs of the caliph’s concern for her person; but the more she felt herself under obligations to him, the more was her bosom penetrated with grief at being separated, perhaps for ever, from the Prince of Persia, without whom she was convinced she could not exist.’

“The confidential slave continued her narrative thus: ‘This interview between the caliph and Schemselnihar took place while I was coming to speak to you; and I learnt the particulars of it from my companions who were present. But as soon as I left you I hastened back to Schemselnihar, and was witness to what passed in the evening. I found my mistress in the apartment I have mentioned; and as she was very sure I came from your house, she desired me to approach her; and, without being overheard by any one, she said to me: ‘I am much obliged to you for the service you have just now rendered me. I feel that it will be the last I shall require at your hands.’ This was all she said; and it was not a place where I could say anything that might afford her consolation.

“ ‘The caliph in the evening entered Schemselnihar’s palace to the sound of instruments, which were touched by the females belonging to the favourite; and a banquet was served on his arrival. The caliph took Schemselnihar by the hand, and made her sit near him upon a sofa. The effort she made in complying with this invitation had such a violent effect upon her feelings, that in a few moments after we saw her expire. She was in fact hardly seated before she fell back dead. The caliph thought that she had only fainted, nor had we at first any other idea. We rendered her every assistance in our power; but she never breathed again. This, then, was the manner in which this great misfortune came upon us.

“ ‘The caliph honoured her with tears, which he was unable to restrain; and before he retired to his apartment, he gave orders that all the musical instruments should be instantly destroyed, and his command was at once obeyed. I remained near the body the whole night, and washed and prepared it for burial with my own hands, almost bathing it with my tears. It was the next day interred, by the command of the caliph, in a magnificent tomb, which he had once ordered to be built in a spot that Schemselnihar had herself chosen. And since you have told me the body of the Prince of Persia is to be brought to Baghdad, I am determined that it shall be placed in the same tomb with that of the favourite.’

“The jeweller was very much astonished at the resolution thus announced by Schemselnihar’s attendant. ‘You do not surely recollect,’ said he, ‘that the caliph will never allow it.’ ‘You may believe the thing impossible, ’ she replied, ‘but I assure you it is not. And you will agree with me, when I have informed you that the caliph has given freedom to all the slaves that belonged to Schemselnihar, with a pension to each of them sufficient to support herself; and that he has moreover appointed me to take care of and watch the favourite’s tomb, with a considerable salary both for its repair and my subsistence. Besides, the caliph, who, as I have told you, is not ignorant of the attachment of Schemselnihar and the Prince of Persia, and who is not now offended or hurt at it, will never have any objection to this proceeding.’ In answer to this the jeweller had nothing to say; he only requested the confidante to conduct him to the tomb, that he might offer up his prayers there. When he arrived he was greatly surprised at seeing a crowd of people of both sexes, who had collected from all parts of Baghdad. He could not even get near the tomb, and could only pray at some distance. When he had finished his prayers, he said to the confidante in a satisfied tone of voice, ‘I do not now think it impossible to accomplish what you so affectionately planned. We need only make known the various facts we know concerning the favourite and the Prince of Persia, and particularly the death of the latter, which took place almost at the instant when Schemselnihar died.’ Before his body arrived all Baghdad agreed in demanding that the two thus strangely associated should not be separated in the grave. The scheme succeeded, and on the day in which it was known the body would arrive, a multitude of people went out as far as twenty miles to meet it.

“The confidential slave waited at the gate of the city, where she presented herself before the mother of the Prince of Persia, and requested her, in the name of all the inhabitants, who so ardently desired it, to allow the bodies of the two lovers, whose hearts had formed but one from the commencement of their attachment to the last moment of their lives, to be united in the tomb. The lady agreed to the proposal; and the body was carried to the tomb of Schemselnihar, followed by an immense number of people of all ranks; and it was placed by her side. From that time all the inhabitants of Baghdad, and even strangers from all parts of the world where Mussulmen are known, have never ceased to feel a great veneration for that tomb, and many go to offer up their prayers before it.

“This, O great king,” said Scheherazade, “is what I had to relate to your majesty concerning the history of the beautiful Schemselnihar, the favourite of the Caliph Haroun Alraschid, and the amiable Aboulhassan Ali Ebn Becar, Prince of Persia.”

 

When Dinarzade perceived that the sultana her sister had concluded her story, she thanked her most heartily for the pleasure she had afforded her by the recital of that interesting history. Scheherazade replied, “If the sultan would suffer me to live till to-morrow, I would relate to him the history of The Three Apples, which he would find still more agreeable than that of Schemselnihar.” She was then silent; and Shahriar, who could not yet determine to give orders for her death, deferred passing the sentence, that he might listen to the new story which the sultana began to relate on the following night.