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Khalifah The Fisherman Of Baghdad
THERE was once in tides of yore and in ages and times long gone before in
the city of Baghdad a fisherman, Khalifah hight, a pauper wight, who had
never once been married in all his days. It chanced one morning that he
took his net and went with it to the river as was his wont, with the view
of fishing before the others came. When he reached the bank, he girt
himself and tucked up his skirts. Then stepping into the water, he spread
his net and cast it a first cast and a second, but it brought up naught.
He ceased not to throw it till he had made ten casts, and still naught
came up therein, wherefore his breast was straitened and his mind
perplexed concerning his case and he said: "I crave pardon of God the
Great, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal, and unto Him I
repent. There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great! Whatso He willeth is and whatso He nilleth is not!
Upon Allah (to Whom belong Honor and Glory!) dependeth daily bread! When
as He giveth to His servant, none denieth him; and when as He denieth a
servant, none giveth to him." And of the excess of his distress, he
recited these two couplets:
"An Fate afflict thee, with grief manifest,
Prepare thy patience and make broad thy breast;
For of His grace the Lord of all the worlds
Shall send to wait upon unrest sweet Rest."
Then he said in his mind, "I will make this one more cast,
trusting in Allah, so haply He may not disappoint my hope." And he
rose, and casting into the river the net as far as his arm availed,
gathered the cords in his hands and waited a full hour, after which he
pulled at it and, finding it heavy, handled it gently and drew it in,
little by little, till he got it ashore, when lo and behold! he saw in it
a one-eyed, lame-legged ape. Seeing this, quoth Khalifah: "There is
no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah Verily, we are Allah's and
to Him we are returning! What meaneth this heartbreaking, miserable ill
luck and hapless fortune? What is come to me this blessed day? But all
this is of the destinies of Almighty Allah!" Then he took the ape and
tied him with a cord to a tree which grew on the riverbank, and grasping a
whip he had with him, raised his arm in the air, thinking to bring down
the scourge upon the quarry, when Allah made the ape speak with a fluent
tongue, saying: "O Khalifah, hold thy hand and beat me not, but leave
me bounden to this tree and go down to the river and cast thy net,
confiding in Allah; for He will give thee thy daily bread."
Hearing this, Khalifah went down to the river, and casting his net, let
the cords run out. Then he pulled it in and found it heavier than before,
so he ceased not to tug at it till he brought it to land, when, behold,
there was another ape in it, with front teeth wide apart, kohl-darkened
eyes, and hands stained with henna dyes; and he was laughing, and wore a
tattered waistcloth about his middle. Quoth Khalifah, "Praised be
Allah Who hath changed the fish of the river into apes!" Then, going
up to the first ape, who was still tied to the tree, he said to him:
"See, O unlucky, how fulsome was the counsel thou gavest me! None but
thou made me light on this second ape; and for that thou gavest me good
morrow with thy one eye and thy lameness, I am become distressed and
weary, without dirham or dinar."
So saying, he hent in hand a stick and flourishing it thrice in the air,
was about to come down with it upon the lame ape, when the creature cried
out for mercy and said to him: "I conjure thee, by Allah, spare me
for the sake of this my fellow, and seek of him thy need; for he will
guide thee to thy desire!" So he held his hand from him, and throwing
down the stick, went up to and stood by the second ape, who said to him:
"O Khalifah, this my speech will profit thee naught except thou
hearken to what I say to thee; but an thou do my bidding and cross me not,
I will be the cause of thine enrichment." Asked Khalifah, "And
what hast thou to say to me that I may obey thee therein?" The ape
answered, "Leave me bound on the bank and hie thee down to the river,
then cast thy net a third time, and after I will tell thee what to
do."
So he took his net, and going down to the river, cast it once more and
waited awhile. Then he drew it in, and finding it heavy, labored at it and
ceased not his travail till he got it ashore, when he found in it yet
another ape. But this one was red, with a blue waistcloth about his
middle; his hands and feet were stained with henna and his eyes blackened
with kohl When Khalifah saw this, he exclaimed: "Glory to God the
Great! Extolled be the perfection of the Lord of Dominion! Verily, this is
a blessed day from first to last Its ascendant was fortunate in the
countenance of the first ape, and the scroll is known by its
superscription! Verily, today is a day of apes. There is not a single fish
left in the river, and we are come out today but to catch monkeys!"
Then he turned to the third ape and said, "And what thing thou also,
O unlucky?" Quoth the ape, "Dost thou not know me, O
Khalifah!" and quoth he, "Not I!" The ape cried, "I am
the ape of Abu al-Sa'adat the Jew, the shroff." Asked Khalifah,
"And what dost thou for him?" and the ape answered, "I give
him good morrow at the first of the day, and he gaineth five ducats; and
again at the end of the day, I give him good even, and he gaineth other
five ducats." Whereupon Khalifah turned to the first ape and said to
him: "See, O unlucky, what fine apes other folk have! As for thee,
thou givest me good morrow with thy one eye and thy lameness and thy
ill-omened phiz, and I become poor and bankrupt and hungry!" So
saying, he took the cattle stick, and flourishing it thrice in the air,
was about to come down with it on the first ape, when Abu al-Sa'adat's ape
said to him: "Let him be, O Khalifah. Hold thy hand and come hither
to me, that I may tell thee what to do."
So Khalifah threw down the stick, and walking up to him,'cried, 'And what
hast thou to say to me, O monarch of all monkeys?" Replied the ape:
"Leave me and the other two apes here, and take thy not and cast it
into the river; and whatever cometh up, bring it to me, and I will tell
thee what shall gladden thee." He replied, "I hear and
obey," and took the net and gathered it on his shoulder, reciting
these couplets:
"When straitened is my breast I will of my Creator pray,
Who may and can the heaviest weight lighten in easiest way,
For ere man's glance can turn or close his eye by God His grace
Waxeth the broken whole and yieldeth jail its prison prey.
Therefore with Allah one and all of thy concerns commit,
Whose grace and favor men of wit shall nevermore gainsay."
Now when Khalifah had made an end of his verse, he went down to the
river, and casting his net, waited awhile. After which he drew it up and
found therein a fine young fish, with a big head, a tail like a ladle, and
eyes like two gold pieces. When Khalifah saw this fish, he rejoiced, for
he had never in his life caught its like, so he took it, marveling, and
carried it to the ape of Abu al-Sa'adat the Jew, as 'twere he had gotten
possession of the universal world. Quoth the ape, "O Khalifah, what
wilt thou do with this, and with thine ape?" and quoth the fisherman:
"I will tell thee, O monarch of monkeys, all I am about to do. Know
then that first, I will cast about to make away with yonder accursed, my
ape, and take thee in his stead, and give thee every day to eat of whatso
thou wilt." Rejoined the ape: "Since thou hast made choice of
me, I will tell thee how thou shalt do wherein, if it please Allah
Almighty, shall be the mending of thy fortune. Lend thy mind, then, to
what I say to thee and 'tis this! Take another cord and tie me also to a
tree, where leave me and go to the midst of the dike and cast thy net into
the Tigris. Then after waiting awhile, draw it up and thou shalt find
therein a fish than which thou never sawest a finer in thy whole life.
Bring it to me and I will tell thee how thou shalt do after this."
So Khalifah rose forthright, and casting his net into the Tigris, drew up
a great catfish the bigness of a lamb. Never had he set eyes on its like,
for it was larger than the first fish. He carried it to the ape, who said
to him: "Gather thee some green grass and set half of it in a basket;
lay the fish therein and cover it with the other moiety. Then, leaving us
here tied, shoulder the basket and betake thee to Baghdad. If any bespeak
thee or question thee by the way, answer him not, but fare on till thou
comest to the market street of the money-changers, at the upper end
whereof thou wilt find the shop of Master Abu al-Sa'adat the Jew, Sheikh
of the shroffs, and wilt see him sitting on a mattress, with a cushion
behind him and two collers, one for gold and one for silver, before him,
while around him stand his Mamelukes and Negro slaves and servant lads. Go
up to him and set the basket before him, saying: 'O Abu al-Sa'adat, verily
I went out today to fish and cast my net in thy name, and Allah Almighty
sent me this fish.' He will ask, 'Hast thou shown it to any but me?' and
do thou answer, 'No, by Allah!' Then will he take it of thee and give thee
a dinar. Give it him back and he will give thee two dinars; but do thou
return them also, and so do with everything he may offer thee; and take
naught from him, though he give thee the fish's weight in gold.
Then will he say to thee, 'Tell me what thou wouldst have, and do thou
reply, 'By Allah, I will not sell the fish save for two words!' He will
ask, 'What are they?' And do thou answer, 'Stand up and say, "Bear
witness, O ye who are present in the market, that I give Khalifah the
fisherman my ape in exchange for his ape, and that I barter for his lot my
lot and luck for his luck." This is the price of the fish, and I have
no need of gold.' If he do this, I will every day give thee good morrow
and good even, and every day thou shalt gain ten dinars of good gold;
whilst this one-eyed, lame-legged ape shall daily give the Jew good
morrow, and Allah shall afflict him every day with an avanie which he must
needs pay, nor will he cease to be thus afflicted till he is reduced to
beggary and hath naught. Hearken then to my words, so shalt thou prosper
and be guided aright."
Quoth Khalifah: "I accept thy counsel, O monarch of all the monkeys!
But as for this unlucky, may Allah never bless him! I know not what to do
with him." Quoth the ape, "Let him go into the water, and let me
go also." "I hear and obey," answered Khalifah, and unbound
the three apes, and they went down into the river. Then he took up the
catfish, which he washed, then laid it in the basket upon some green
grass, and covered it with other, and lastly, shouldering his load, set
out with the basket upon his shoulder and ceased not faring till he
entered the city of Baghdad. And as he threaded the streets the folk knew
him and cried out to him, saying, "What hast thou there, O
Khalifah?" But he paid no heed to them and passed on till he came to
the market street of the money-changers and fared between the shops, as
the ape had charged him, till he found the Jew seated at the upper end,
with his servants in attendance upon him, as he were a King of the Kings
of Khorasan. He knew him at first sight; so he went up to him and stood
before him, whereupon Abu al-Sa'adat raised his eyes and recognizing him,
said: "Welcome, O Khalifah! What wantest thou, and what is thy need?
If any have missaid thee or spited thee, tell me and I will go with thee
to the Chief of Police, who shall do thee justice on him." Replied
Khalifah: "Nay, as thy head liveth, O chief of the Jews, none hath
missaid me. But I went forth this morning to the river and, casting my net
into the Tigris on thy luck, brought up this fish."
Therewith he opened the basket and threw the fish before the Jew, who
admired it and said, the Pentateuch and the Ten Commandments, I dreamt
last night that the Virgin came to me and said, 'Know, O Abu al-Sa'adat,
that I have sent thee a pretty present!' And doubtless 'tis this
fish." Then he turned to Khalifah and said to him, "By thy
faith, hath any seen it but I?" Khalifah replied, "No, by Allah,
and by Abu Bakr the Veridical, none hath seen it save thou, O chief of the
Jews!" Whereupon the Jew turned to one of his lads and said to him:
"Come, carry this fish to my house and bid Sa'adah dress it and fry
and broil it, against I make an end of my business and hie me home."
And Khalifah said, "Go, O my lad, let the master's wife fry some of
it and broil the rest." Answered the boy, "I hear and I obey, O
my lord," and, taking the fish, went away with it to the house.
Then the Jew put out his hand and gave Khalifah the fisherman a dinar,
saying, "Take this for thyself, O Khalifah, and spend it on thy
family." When Khalifah saw the dinar on his palm, he took it, saying,
"Laud to the Lord of Dominion!" as if he had never seen aught of
gold in his life, and went somewhat away. But before he had gone far, he
was minded of the ape's charge and turning back, threw down the ducat,
saying: "Take thy gold and give folk back their fish! Dost thou make
a laughingstock of folk?" The Jew, hearing this, thought he was
jesting, and offered him two dinars upon the other, but Khalifah said:
"Give me the fish, and no nonsense. How knewest thou I would sell it
at this price?" Whereupon the Jew gave him two more dinars and said,
"Take these five ducats for thy fish and leave greed." So
Khalifah hent the five dinars in hand and went away, rejoicing, and gazing
and marveling at the gold and saying: "Glory be to God! There is not
with the Caliph of Baghdad what is with me this day!"
Then he ceased not faring on till he came to the end of the market street,
when he remembered the words of the ape and his charge, and returning to
the Jew, threw him back the gold. Quoth he: "What aileth thee, O
Khalifah? Dost thou want silver in exchange for gold?" Khalifah
replied: "I want nor dirhams nor dinars. I only want thee to give me
back folk's fish." With this the Jew waxed wroth and shouted out at
him, saying: "O Fisherman, thou bringest me a fish not worth a sequin
and I give thee five for it, yet art thou not content! Art thou Jinn-mad?
Tell me for how much thou wilt sell it." Answered Khalifah, "I
will not sell it for silver nor for gold, only for two sayings thou shalt
say me."
When the Jew heard speak of the "two sayings," his eyes sank
into his head, he breathed hard and ground his teeth for rage, and said to
him, "O nail paring of the Moslems, wilt thou have me throw off my
faith for the sake of thy fish, and wilt thou debauch me from my religion
and stultify my belief and my conviction which I inherited of old from my
forebears?" Then he cried out to the servants who were in waiting and
said: "Out on you! Bash me this unlucky rogue's neck and bastinado
him soundly!" So they came down upon him with blows and ceased not
beating him till he fell beneath the shop, and the Jew said to them,
"Leave him and let him rise." Whereupon Khalifah jumped up as if
naught ailed him, and the Jew said to him: "Tell me what price thou
asketh for this fish and I will give it thee; for thou hast gotten but
scant good of us this day." Answered the fisherman, "Have no
fear for me, O master, because of the beating, for I can eat ten donkeys'
rations of stick."
The Jew laughed at his words and said, "Allah upon thee, tell me what
thou wilt have and by the right of my faith, I will give it thee!"
The fisherman replied, "Naught from thee will remunerate me for this
fish save the two words whereof I spake." And the Jew said, "Meseemeth
thou wouldst have me become a Moslem." Khalifah rejoined: "By
Allah, O Jew, an thou Islamize, 'twill nor advantage the Moslems nor
damage the Jews. And in like manner, an thou hold to thy misbelief 'twill
nor damage the Moslems nor advantage the Jews. But what I desire of thee
is that thou rise to thy feet and say: 'Bear witness against me, O people
of the market, that I barter my ape for the ape of Khalifah the fisherman
and my lot in the world for his lot and my luck for his luck'." Quoth
the Jew, "If this be all thou desirest, 'twill sit lightly upon
me." So he rose without stay or delay and standing on his feet,
repeated the required words. After which he turned to the fisherman and
asked him, "Hast thou aught else to ask of me?" "No,"
answered he, and the Jew said, "Go in peace!"
Hearing this Khalifah sprung to his feet forthright, took up his basket
and net, and returned straight to the Tigris, where he threw his net and
pulled it in. He found it heavy and brought it not ashore but with
travail, when he found it full of fish of all kinds. Presently up came a
woman with a dish, who gave him a dinar, and he gave her fish for it, and
after her a eunuch, who also bought a dinar's worth of fish, and so forth
till he had sold ten dinars' worth. And he continued to sell ten dinars'
worth of fish daily for ten days, till he had gotten a hundred dinars.
Now Khalifah the fisherman had quarters in the Passage of the Merchants,
and as he lay one night in his lodging much bemused with hashish, he said
to himself: "O Khalifah, the folk all know thee for a poor fisherman,
and now thou hast gotten a hundred golden dinars. Needs must the Commander
of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, hear of this from someone, and haply he
will be wanting money and will send for thee and say to thee: 'I need a
sum of money and it hath reached me that thou hast an hundred dinars, so
do thou lend them to me those same.' I shall answer, 'O Commander of the
Faithful, I am a poor man, and whoso told thee that I had a hundred dinars
lied against me, for I have naught of this.' Thereupon be will commit me
to the Chief of Police, saying, 'Strip him of his clothes and torment him
with the bastinado till he confess and give up the hundred dinars in his
possession.' Wherefore, meseemeth to provide against this predicament, the
best thing I can do is to rise forthright and bash myself with the whip,
so to use myself to beating." And his hashish said to him,
"Rise, doff thy dress."
So he stood up, and putting off his clothes, took a whip he had by him and
set handy a leather pillow. Then he fell to lashing himself, laying every
other blow upon the pillow and roaring out the while-: "Alas! Alas!
By Allah, 'tis a false saying, O my lord, and they have lied against me,
for I am a poor fisherman and have naught of the goods of the world!"
The noise of the whip falling on the pillow and on his person resounded in
the still of night and the folk heard it, and amongst others the
merchants, and they said: "Whatever can ail the poor fellow, that he
crieth and we hear the noise of blows falling on him? 'Twould seem robbers
have broken in upon him and are tormenting him." Presently they all
came forth of their lodgings at. the noise of the blows and the crying,
and repaired to Khalifah's room, but they found the door locked and said
one to other: "Belike the robbers have come in upon him from the back
of the adjoining saloon. It behooveth us to climb over by the roofs."
So they clomb over the roofs, and coming down through the skylight, saw
him naked and flogging himself, and asked him, "What aileth thee, O
Khalifah?" He answered: "Know, O folk, that I have gained some
dinars and fear lest my case be carried up to the Prince of True
Believers, Harun al-Rashid, and he send for me and demand of me those same
gold pieces; whereupon I should deny, and I fear that if I deny, he will
torture me, so I am torturing myself, by way of accustoming me to what may
come." The merchants laughed at him and said: "Leave this
fooling. May Allah not bless thee and the dinars thou hast gotten! Verily
thou hast disturbed us this night and hast troubled our hearts."
So Khalifah left flogging himself and slept till the morning, when he rose
and would have gone about his business, but bethought him of his hundred
dinars and said in his mind: "An I leave them at home, thieves will
steal them, and if I put them in a belt about my waist, peradventure
someone will see me and lay in wait for me till he come upon me in some
lonely place and slay me and take the money. But I have a device that
should serve me well, right well." So he jumped up forthright and
made him a pocket in the collar of his gabardine, and tying the hundred
dinars up in a purse, laid them in the collar pocket. Then he took his net
and basket and staff and went down to the Tigris, where he made a cast,
but brought up naught. So he removed from that place to another and threw
again, but once more the net came up empty. And he went on removing from
place to place till he had gone half a day's journey from the city, ever
casting the net, which kept bringing up naught. So he said to himself,
"By Allah, I will throw my net a-stream but this once more, whether
ill come of it or weal!"
Then he hurled the net with all his force, of the excess of his wrath, and
the purse with the hundred dinars flew out of his collar pocket and,
lighting in midstream, was carried away by the strong current. Whereupon
he threw down the net, and doffing his clothes, left them on the bank and
plunged into the water after the purse. He dived for it nigh a hundred
times, till his strength was exhausted and he came up for sheer fatigue,
without chancing on it. When he despaired of finding the purse, he
returned to the shore, where he saw nothing but staff, net, and basket and
sought for his clothes but could light on no trace of them. So he said in
himself: "O vilest of those wherefor was made the byword: 'The
pilgrimage is not perfected save by copulation with the camel!"' Then
he wrapped the net about him, and taking staff in one hand and basket in
other, went trotting about like a camel in rut, running right and left and
backward and forward, disheveled and dusty, as he were a rebel Marid let
loose from Solomon's prison.
So far for what concerns the fisherman Khalifah; but as regards the Caliph
Harun al-Rashid, he had a friend, a jeweler called Ibn al-Kirnas, and all
the traders, brokers, and middlemen knew him for the Caliph's merchant.
Wherefore there was naught sold in Baghdad by way of rarities and things
of price or Mamelukes or handmaidens but was first shown to him. As he sat
one day in his shop, behold, there came up to him the Sheikh of the
brokers, with a slave girl whose like seers never saw, for she was of
passing beauty and loveliness, symmetry and perfect grace, and among her
gifts that she knew all arts and sciences and could make verses and play
upon all manner musical instruments. So Ibn al-Kirnas bought her for five
thousand golden dinars and clothed her with other thousand. After which he
carried her to the Prince of True Believers, with whom she lay the night,
and who made trial of her in every kind of knowledge and accomplishment
and found her versed in all sorts of arts and sciences, having no equal in
her time. Her name was Kut al-Kulub and she was even as saith the poet:
I fix my glance on her, whene'er she wends,
And nonacceptance of my glance breeds pain.
She favors graceful-necked gazelle at gaze,
And "Graceful as gazelle" to say we're fain.
On the morrow the Caliph sent for Ibn al-Kirnas, the jeweler, and bade
him receive ten thousand dinars to her price. And his heart was taken up
with the slave girl Kut al-Kulub and he forsook the Lady Zubaydah bint al-Kasim,
for all she was the daughter of his father's brother, and he abandoned all
his favorite concubines and abode a whole month without stirring from Kut
al-Kulub's side save to go to the Friday prayers and return to her all in
haste. This was grievous to the lords of the realm and they complained
thereof to the Wazir Ja'afar the Barmecide, who bore with the Commander of
the Faithful and waited till the next Friday, when he entered the
cathedral mosque and, forgathering with the Caliph, related to him all
that occurred to him of extraordinary stories anent seld-seen love and
lovers, with intent to draw out what was in his mind.
Quoth the Caliph, "By Allah, O Ja'afar, this is not of my choice, but
my heart is caught in the snare of love and wot I not what is to be
done!" The Wazir Ja'afar replied: "O Commander of the Faithful,
thou knowest how this girl Kut al-Kulub is become at thy disposal and of
the number of thy servants, and that which hand possesseth soul coveteth
not. Moreover, I will tell thee another thing, which is that the highest
boast of kings and princes is in hunting and the pursuit of sport and
victory; and if thou apply thyself to this, perchance it will divert thee
from her, and it may be thou wilt forget her." Rejoined the Caliph:
"Thou sayest well, O Ja'afar. Come let us go a-hunting forthright,
without stay or delay." So soon as Friday prayers were prayed, they
left the mosque, and at once mounting their she-mules, rode forth to the
chase, occupied with talk, and their attendants outwent them.
Presently the heat became overhot and Al-Rashid said to his Wazir, "O
Ja'afar, I am sore athirst." Then he looked around, and espying a
figure in the distance on a high mound, asked Ja'afar, "Seest thou
what I see?" Answered the Wazir: "Yes; O Commander of the
Faithful. I see a dim figure on a high mound. Belike he is the keeper of a
garden or of a cucumber plot, and in whatso wise water will not be lacking
in his neighborhood," presently adding, "I will go to him and
fetch thee some." But Al-Rashid said: "My mule is swifter than
thy mule, so do thou abide here, on account of the troops, whilst I go
myself to him and get of this person drink and return." So saying, he
urged his she-mule, which started off like racing wind or railing water,
and in the twinkling of an eye made the mound, where he found the figure
he had, seen to be none other than Khalifah the fisherman, naked and
wrapped in the net.
And indeed he was horrible to behold, as to and fro he rolled with eyes
for very redness like cresset gleam and dusty hair in disheveled trim, as
he were, Ifrit or a lion grim. Al-Rashid saluted him and he returned his
salutation, but he was wroth, and fires might have been lit at his breath.
Quoth the Caliph, "O man, hast thou any water?" and quote
Khalifah: "How, thou, art thou blind, or Jinnmad? Get thee to the
river Tigris, for 'tis behind this mound." So Al-Rashid went around
the mound, and going down to the river, drank and watered his mule. Then
without a moment's delay he returned to Khalifah and said to him,
"What aileth thee, O man, to stand here, and what is thy
calling.?" The fisherman cried: "This is a stranger and sillier
question than that about the water! Seest thou not the gear of my craft on
my shoulder?" Said the Caliph, "Belike thou art a
fisherman?" and he replied, "Yes." Asked Al-Rashid,
"Where is thy gabardine, and where are thy waistcloth and girdle, and
where be the rest of thy raiment?"
Now these were the very things which had been taken from Khalifah, like
for like, so when he heard the Caliph name them, he got into his head that
it was he who had stolen his clothes from the riverbank, and coming down
from the top of the mound, swiftlier than the blinding levin, laid hold of
the mule's bridle, saying, "Hark ye, man, bring me back my things and
leave jesting and joking." Al-Rashid replied, "By Allah, I have
not seen thy clothes, nor know aught of them!" Now the Caliph had
large cheeks and a small mouth, so Khalifah said to him: "Belike thou
art by trade a singer, or a piper on pipes? But bring me back my clothes
fairly and without more ado, or I will bash thee with this my staff till
thou bepiss thyself and befoul thy clothes." When Al-Rashid saw the
staff in the fisherman's hand and that he had the vantage of him, he said
to himself, "By Allah, I cannot brook from this mad beggar half a
blow of that staff!" Now he had on a satin gown, so he pulled it off
and gave it to Khalifah, saying, "O man, take this in place of thy
clothes." The fisherman took it and turned it about and said,
"My clothes are worth ten of this painted aba cloak," and
rejoined the Caliph, "Put it on till I bring thee thy gear."
So Khalifah donned the gown, but finding it too long for him, took a knife
he had with him tied to the handle of his basket, and cut off nigh a third
of the skirt, so that it fell only beneath his knees. Then he turned to
Al-Rashid and said to him, "Allah upon thee, O piper, tell me what
wage thou gettest every month from thy master, for thy craft of
piping." Replied the Caliph, "My wage is ten dinars a
month," and Khalifah continued: "By Allah, my poor fellow, thou
makest me sorry for thee! Why, I make thy ten dinars every day! Hast thou
a mind to take service with me, and I will teach thee the art of fishing
and share my gain with thee? So shalt thou make five dinars a day and be
my slavey and I will protect thee against thy master with this
staff." Quoth Al-Rashid, "I will well," and quoth Khalifah:
"Then get off thy she-ass and tie her up, so she may serve us to
carry the fish hereafter, and come hither, that I may teach thee to fish
forthright."
So Al-Rashid alighted, and hobbling his mule, tucked his skirts into his
girdle, and Khalifah said to him, "O piper, lay hold of the net thus
and put it over thy forearm thus and cast it into the Tigris thus."
Accordingly the Caliph took heart of grace and, doing as the fisherman
showed him, threw the net and pulled at it, but could not draw it up. So
Khalifah came to his aid and tugged at it with him, but the two together
could not hale it up. Whereupon said the fisherman: "O piper of
ill-omen, for the first time I took thy gown in place of my clothes, but
this second time I will have thine ass and will beat thee to boot till
thou bepiss and beskit thyself, an I find my net torn." Quoth Al-Rashid,
"Let the twain of us pull at once." So they both pulled
together, and succeeded with difficulty in hauling that net ashore, when
they found it full of fish of all kinds and colors, and Khalifah said to
Al-Rashid: "By Allah, O piper, thou art foul of favor but an thou
apply thyself to fishing, thou wilt make a mighty fine fisherman. But now
'twere best thou bestraddle thine ass and make for the market and fetch me
a pair of frails, and I will look after the fish till thou return, when I
and thou will load it on thine ass's back. I have scales and weights and
all we want, so we can take them with us, and thou wilt have nothing to do
but to hold the scales and punch the price. For here we have fish worth
twenty dinars. So be fast with the frails and loiter not."
Answered the Caliph, "I hear and obey" and mounting, left him
with his fish, and spurred his mule, in high good humor, and ceased not
laughing over his adventure with the fisherman till he came up to Ja'afar,
who said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, belike when thou
wentest down to drink, thou foundest a pleasant flower garden and
enteredst and tookest thy pleasure therein alone?" At this Al-Rashid
fell a laughing again and all the Barmecides rose and kissed the ground
before him, saying: "O Commander of the Faithful, Allah make joy to
endure for thee and do away annoy from thee! What was the cause of thy
delaying when thou faredst to drink, and what hath befallen thee?"
Quoth the Caliph, "Verily, a right wondrous tale and a joyous
adventure and a wondrous hath befallen me.
And he repeated to them what had passed between himself and the fisherman
and his words, "Thou stolest my clothes!" and how he had given
him his gown and how he had cut off a part of it, finding it too long for
him. Said Ja'afar, "By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I had it
in mind to beg the gown of thee, but now I will go straight to the
fisherman and buy it of him." The Caliph replied, "By Allah, he
hath cut off a third part of the skirt and spoilt it! But, O Ja'afar, I am
tired with fishing in the river, for I have caught great store of fish,
which I left on the bank with my master Khalifah, and he is watching them
and waiting for me to return to him with a couple of frails and a matchet.
Then we are to go, I and he, to the market and sell the fish and share the
price." Ja'afar rejoined, "O Commander of the Faithful, I will
bring you a purchaser for your fish." And Al-Rashid retorted: "O
Ja'afar, by the virtue of my holy forefathers, whoso bringeth me one of
the fish that are before Khalifah, who taught me angling, I will give him
for it a gold dinar!" So the crier proclaimed among the troops that
they should go forth and buy fish for the Caliph, and they all arose and
made for the riverside.
Now while Khalifah was expecting the Caliph's return with the two frails,
behold, the Mamelukes swooped down upon him like vultures and took the
fish and wrapped them in gold-embroidered kerchiefs, beating one another
in their eagerness to get at the fisherman Whereupon quoth Khalifah,
"Doubtless these are the fish of Paradise!" and hending two fish
right hand and left, plunged into the water up to his neck and fell
a-saying, "O Allah, by the virtue of these fish, let Thy servant the
piper, my partner, came to me at this very moment." And suddenly up
to him came a black slave which was the chief of the Caliph's Negro
eunuchs. He had tarried behind the rest, by reason of his horse having
stopped to make water by the way, and finding that naught remained of the
fish, little or much, looked right and left till he espied Khalifah
standing in the stream with a fish in either hand, and said to him,
"Come hither, O Fisherman!" But Khalifah replied, "Begone
and none of your impudence!" So the eunuch went up to him and said,
"Give me the fish and I will pay thee their price." Replied the
fisherman: "Art thou little of wit? I will not sell them."
Therewith the eunuch drew his mace upon him, and Khalifah cried out,
saying: "Strike not, O loon! Better largess than the mace."
So saying, he threw the two fishes to the eunuch, who took them and laid
them in his kerchief. Then he put hand in pouch, but found not a single
dirham, and said to Khalifah: "O fisherman, verily thou art out of
luck for, by Allah, I have not a silver about me! But come tomorrow to the
palace of the Caliphate and ask for the eunuch Sandal, whereupon the
castratos will direct thee to me, and by coming thither thou shalt get
what falleth to thy lot and therewith wend thy ways." Quoth Khalifah,
"Indeed, this is a blessed day, and its blessedness was manifest from
the first of it!"
Then he shouldered his net and returned to Baghdad, and as he passed
through the streets, the folk saw the Caliph's gown on him and stared at
him till he came to the gate of his quarter, by which was the shop of the
Caliph's tailor. When the man saw him wearing dress of the apparel of the
Caliph, worth a thousand dinars, he said to him, "O Khalifah, whence
hadst thou that gown?" Replied the fisherman: "What aileth thee
to be impudent? I had it of one whom I taught to fish and who is become my
apprentice. I forgave him the cutting off of his hand for that he stole my
clothes and gave me this cape in their place." So the tailor knew
that the Caliph had come upon him as he was fishing and jested with him
and given him the gown.
Such was his case, but as regards Harun al-Rashid, he had gone out
a-hunting and a-fishing only to divert his thoughts from the damsel Kut
al-Kulub. But when Zubaydah heard of her and of the Caliph's devotion to
her, the lady was fired with the jealousy which the more especially fireth
women, so that she refused meat and drink and rejected the delights of
sleep, and awaited the Caliph's going forth on a journey or what not, that
she might set a snare for the damsel. So when she learnt that he was gone
hunting and fishing, she bade her women furnish the palace fairly and
decorate it splendidly and serve up viands and confections. And amongst
the rest she made a China dish of the daintiest sweetmeats that can be
made, wherein she had put bhang.
Then she ordered one of her eunuchs go to the damsel Kut al-Kulub and bid
her to the banquet, saying: "The Lady Zubaydah bint alKasim, the wife
of the Commander of the Faithful, hath drunken medicine today, and having
heard tell of the sweetness of thy singing, longeth to divert herself with
somewhat of thine art." Kut al-Kulub replied, "Hearing and
obedience are due to Allah and the Lady Zubaydah," and rose without
stay or delay, unknowing what was hidden for her in the secret purpose.
Then she took with her what instruments she needed and, accompanying the
eunuch, ceased not faring till she stood in the presence of the Princess.
When she entered she kissed the ground before her again and again, then
rising to her feet, said: "Peace be on the Lady of the exalted seat
and the presence whereto none may avail, daughter of the house Abbasi and
scion of the Prophet's family! May Allah fulfill thee of peace and
prosperity in the days and the years!"
Then she stood with the rest of the women and eunuchs, and presently the
Lady Zubaydah raised her eyes and considered her beauty and loveliness.
She saw a damsel with cheeks smooth as rose and breasts like granado, a
face moon-bright, a brow flower-white, and great eyes black as night. Her
eyelids were languor-dight and her face beamed with light, as if the sun
from her forehead arose and the murks of the night from the locks of her
brow. And the fragrance of musk from her breath strayed, and flowers
bloomed in her lovely face inlaid. The moon beamed from her forehead and
in her slender shape the branches swayed. She was like the full moon
shining in the nightly shade. Her eyes wantoned, her eyebrows were like a
bow arched, and her lips of coral molded. Her beauty amazed all who espied
her and her glances amated all who eyed her. Glory be to Him Who formed
her and fashioned her and perfected her!
Quoth the Lady Zubaydah: "Well come, and welcome and fair cheer to
thee, O Kut al-Kulub! Sit and divert us with thine art and the goodliness
of thine accomplishments." Quoth the damsel, "I hear and I
obey," and rose and exhibited tricks of sleight of hand and
legerdemain and all manner pleasing arts, till the Princess came near to
fall in love with her and said to herself, "Verily, my cousin Al-Rashid
is not to blame for loving her!" Then the damsel kissed ground before
Zubaydah and sat down, whereupon they set food before her. Presently they
brought her the drugged dish of sweetmeats and she ate thereof, and hardly
had it settled in her stomach when her head fell backward and she sank on
the ground sleeping. With this, the lady said to her women, "Carry
her up to one of the chambers, till I summon her," and they replied,
"We hear and we obey. Then said she to one of her eunuchs,
"Fashion me a chest and bring it hitherto to me!" And shortly
afterward she bade make the semblance of a tomb and spread the report that
Kut al-Kulub had choked and died, threatening her familiars that she would
smite the neck of whoever should say, "She is alive."
Now, behold, the Caliph suddenly returned from the chase, and the first
inquiry he made was for the damsel. So there came to him one of his
eunuchs, whom the Lady Zubaydah had charged to declare she was dead if the
Caliph should ask for her and, kissing ground before him, said: "May
thy head live, O my lord! Be certified that Kut al-Kulub choked in eating
and is dead." Whereupon cried Al-Rashid, "God never gladden thee
with good news, O thou bad slave!" and entered the palace, where he
heard of her death from everyone and asked, "Where is her tomb?"
So they brought him to the sepulcher and showed him the pretended tomb,
saying, "This is her burial place." The Caliph, weeping sore for
her, abode by the tomb a full hour, after which he arose and went away, in
the utmost distress and the deepest melancholy.
So the Lady Zubaydah saw that her plot had succeeded, and forthright sent
for the eunuch and said, "Hither with the chest!" He set it
before her, when she bade bring the damsel, and locking her up therein,
said to the eunuch: "Take all pains to sell this chest, and make it a
condition with the purchaser that he buy it locked. Then give alms with
its price." So he took it and went forth to do her bidding.
Thus fared it with these, but as for Khalifah the fisherman, when morning
morrowed and shone with its light and sheen, he said to himself, "I
cannot do aught better today than visit the eunuch who bought the fish of
me, for he appointed me to come to him in the palace of the
Caliphate." So he went forth of his lodging, intending for the
palace, and when he came thither, he found Mamelukes, Negro slaves, and
eunuchs standing and sitting, and looking at them, behold, seated amongst
them was the eunuch who had taken the fish of him, with the white slaves
waiting on him. Presently, one of the Mameluke lads called out to him,
whereupon the eunuch turned to see who he was and lo! it was the
fisherman. Now when Khalifah was ware that he saw him and recognized him,
he said to him: "I have not failed thee, O my little Tulip! On this
wise are men of their word." Hearing his address, Sandal the eunuch
laughed and replied, "By Allah, thou art right, O Fisherman,"
and put his hand to his pouch, to give him somewhat. But at that moment
there arose a great clamor. So he raised his head to see what was to do,
and finding that it was the Wazir Ja'afar the Barmecide coming forth from
the Caliph's presence, he rose to him and forewent him, and they walked
about conversing for a longsome time.
Khalifah the fisherman waited awhile, then, growing weary of standing, and
finding that the eunuch took no heed of him, he set himself in his way and
beckoned to him from afar, saying, "O my lord Tulip, give me my due
and let me go!" The eunuch heard him, but was ashamed to answer him
because of the Minister's presence, so he went on talking with Ja'afar and
took no notice whatever of the fisherman. Whereupon quoth Khalifah:
"O slow o' pay! May Allah put to shame all churls and all who take
folk's goods and are niggardly with them! I put myself under thy
protection, O my lord Bran-belly, to give me my due and let me go!"
The eunuch heard him, but was ashamed to answer him before Ja'afar, and
the Minister saw the fisherman beckoning and talking to him, though he
knew not what he was saying. So he said to Sandal, misliking his behavior,
"O Eunuch, what would yonder beggar with thee?" Sandal replied,
"Dost thou not know him, O my lord the Wazir?" and Ja'afar
answered: "By Allah I know him not! How should I know a man I have
never seen but at this moment?"
Rejoined the Eunuch: "O my lord, this is the fisherman whose fish we
seized on the banks of the Tigris. I came too late to get any and was
ashamed to return to the Prince of True Believers emptyhanded when all the
Mamelukes had some. Presently I espied the fisherman standing in
midstream, calling on Allah, with four fishes in his hands, and said to
him, 'Give me what thou hast there and take their worth.' He handed me the
fish and I put my hand into my pocket, purposing to gift him with
somewhat, but found naught therein and said, 'Come to me in the palace,
and I will give thee wherewithal to aid thee in thy poverty.' So he came
to me today and I was putting hand to pouch, that I might give him
somewhat, when thou camest forth and I rose to wait on thee and was
diverted with thee from him, till he grew tired of waiting. And this is
the whole story how he cometh to be standing here."
The Wazir, hearing this account, smiled and said: "O Eunuch, how is
it that this fisherman cometh in his hour of need and thou satisfiest him
not? Dost thou not know him, O chief of the eunuchs?" "No,"
answered Sandal, and Ja'afar said. "This is the master of the
Commander of the Faithful, and his partner and our lord the Caliph hath
arisen this morning strait of breast, heavy of heart, and troubled in
thought, nor is there aught will broaden his breast save this fisherman.
So let him not go till I crave the Caliph's pleasure concerning him and
bring him before him. Perchance Allah will relieve him of his oppression
and console him for the loss of Kut al-Kulub by means of the fisherman's
presence, and he will give him wherewithal to? better himself, and thou
wilt be the cause of this." Replied Sandal: "O my lord, do as
thou wilt, and may Allah Almighty long continue thee a pillar of the
dynasty of the Commander of the Faithful, whose shadow Allah perpetuate
and prosper it, root and branch!"
Then the Wazir Ja'afar rose up and went in to the Caliph, and Sandal
ordered the Mamelukes not to leave the fisherman, whereupon Khalifah
cried: "How goodly is thy bounty, O Tulip! The seeker is become the
sought. I come to seek my due, and they imprison me for debts in
arrears!" When Ja'afar came into the presence of the Caliph, he found
him sitting with his head bowed earthward, breast straitened and mind
melancholy, humming the verses of the poet:
My blamers instant bid that I for her become consoled,
But I, what can I do, whose heart declines to be controlled?
And how can I in patience bear the loss of lovely maid
When fails me patience for a love that holds with firmest hold!
Ne'er I'll forget her nor the bowl that 'twixt us both went round
And wine of glances maddened me with drunkenness ensouled.
Whenas Ja'afar stood in the presence, he said: "Peace be upon
thee, O Commander of the Faithful, Defender of the honor of the Faith and
descendant of the uncle of the Prince of the Apostles, Allah assain him
and save him and his family one and an!" The Caliph raised his head
and answered, "And on thee be. peace and the mercy of Allah and His
blessings!" Quoth Ja'afar, "With leave of the Prince of True
Believers, his servant would speak without restraint." Asked the
Caliph: "And when was restraint put upon thee in speech, and thou the
Prince of Wazirs? Say what thou wilt." Answered Ja'afar: "When I
went out, O my lord, from before thee, intending for my house, I saw
standing at the door thy master and teacher and partner, Khalifah the
fisherman, who was aggrieved at thee and complained of thee, saying:
'Glory be to God! I taught him to fish and he went away to fetch me a pair
of frails, but never came back. And this is not the way of a good partner
or of a good apprentice.' So, if thou hast a mind to partnership, well and
good; and if not, tell him, that he may take to partner another."
Now when the Caliph heard these words, he smiled and his straitness of
breast was done away with and he said, "My life on thee, is this the
truth thou sayest, that the fisherman standeth at the door?" and
Ja'afar replied, "By thy life, O Commander of the Faithful, he
standeth at the door." Quoth the Caliph: "O Ja'afar, by Allah, I
will assuredly do my best to give him his due! If Allah at my hands send
him misery, he shall have it, and if prosperity, he shall have it."
Then he took a piece of paper, and cutting it in pieces, said to the Wazir:
"O Ja'afar, write down with thine own hand twenty sums of money, from
one dinar to a thousand, and the names of all kinds of offices and
dignities from the least appointment to the Caliphate; also twenty kinds
of punishment, from the hightest beating to death." "I hear and
I obey, O Commander of the Faithful," answered Ja'afar, and did as he
was bidden.
Then said the Caliph: "O Ja'afar, I swear by my holy forefathers and
by my kinship to Hamzah and Akil, that I mean to summon the fisherman and
bid him take one of these papers, whose contents none knoweth save thou
and I. And whatsoever is written in the paper which he shall choose, I
will give it to him. Though it be the Caliphate, I will divest myself
thereof and invest him therewith and grudge it not to him. And on the
other hand, if there be written therein hanging or mutilation or death, I
will execute it upon him. Now go and fetch him to me." When Ja'afar
heard this, he said to himself: "There is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great' It may be somewhat will fall
to this poor wretch's lot that will bring about his destruction and I
shall be the cause. But the Caliph hath sworn, so nothing remains now but
to bring him in, and naught will happen save whatso Allah willeth."
Accordingly he went out to Khalifah the fisherman and laid hold of his
hand, to carry him in to the Caliph, whereupon his reason fled and he said
in himself: "What a stupid I was to come after yonder ill-omened
slave, Tulip, whereby he hath brought me in company with Bran-belly!"
Ja'afar fared on with him, with Mamelukes before and behind, whilst he
said, "Doth not arrest suffice, but these must go behind and before
me, to hinder my making off?" till they had traversed seven
vestibules, when the Wazir said to him: "Mark my words, O Fisherman!
Thou standest before the Commander of the Faithful and Defender of the
Faith!"
Then he raised the great curtain and Khalifah's eyes fell on the Caliph,
who was seated on his couch, with the lords of the realm standing in
attendance upon him. As soon as he knew him, he went up to him and said:
"Well come, and welcome to thee, O piper! 'Twas not right of thee to
make thyself a fisherman and go away, leaving me sitting to guard the
fish, and never to return! For, before I was aware, there came up
Mamelukes on beasts of all manner colors, and snatched away the fish from
me, I standing alone. And this was all of thy fault, for hadst thou
returned with the frails forthright, we had sold a hundred dinars' worth
of fish. And now I come to seek my due, and they have arrested me. But
thou, who hath imprisoned thee also in this place?" The Caliph
smiled, and raising a corner of the curtain, put forth his head and said
to the fisherman, "Come hither and take thee one of these
papers." Quoth Khalifah the fisherman: "Yesterday thou wast a
fisherman, and today thou hast become an astrologer, but the more trades a
man hath, the poorer he waxeth." Thereupon Ja'afar said: "Take
the paper at once, and do as the Commander of the Faithful biddeth thee,
without prating."
So he came forward and put forth his hand saying, "Far be it from me
that this piper should ever again be my knave and fish with me!"
Then, taking the paper, he handed it to the Caliph, saying: "O piper,
what hath come out for me therein? Hide naught thereof." So Al-Rashid
received it and passed it on to Ja'afar and said to him, "Read what
is therein." He looked at it and said, "There is no Majesty and
there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" Said the
Caliph: "Good news, O Ja'afar? What seest thou therein?"
Answered the Wazir: "O Commander of the Faithful there came up from
the paper, 'Let the Fisherman receive a hundred blows with a stick.'"
So the Caliph commanded to beat the Fisherman and they gave him a hundred
sticks, after which he rose, saying: "Allah damn this, O Branbelly!
Are jail and sticks part of the game?"
Then said Ja'afar: " O Commander of the Faithful, this poor devil is
come to the river, and how shall he go away thirsting? We hope that among
the alms deeds of the Commander of the Faithful he may have leave to take
another paper, so haply somewhat may come out wherewithal he may succor
his poverty." Said the Caliph: "By Allah, O Ja'afar, if he take
another paper and death be written therein, I will assuredly kill him, and
thou wilt be the cause." Answered Ja'afar, "If he die he will be
at rest." But Khalifah the fisherman said to him: "Allah ne'er,
gladden thee with good news! Have I made Baghdad strait upon you, that ye
seek to slay me?" Quoth Ja'afar, "Take thee a paper, and crave
the blessing of Allah Almighty!"
So he put out his hand, and taking a paper, gave it to Ja'afar, who read
it and was silent. The Caliph asked, "Why art thou silent, O son of
Yahya?" and he answered: "O Commander of the Faithful, there
hath come out on this paper, 'Naught shall be given to the
fisherman."' Then said the Caliph: "His daily bread will not
come from us. Bid him fare forth from before our face." Quoth Ja'afar:
"By the claims of thy pious forefathers, let him take a third paper.
It may be it will bring him alimony," and quoth the Caliph, "Let
him take one and no more."
So he put out his hand and took a third paper, and behold, therein was
written, "Let the Fisherman be given one dinar." Ja'afar cried
to him, "I sought good fortune for thee, but Allah willed not to thee
aught save this dinar." And Khalifah answered: "Verily, a dinar
for every hundred sticks were rare good luck. May Allah not send thy body
health!" The Caliph laughed at him and Ja'afar took him by the hand
and led him out. When he reached the door, Sandal the eunuch saw him and
said to him: "Hither, O Fisherman! Give us portion of that which the
Commander of the Faithful hath bestowed on thee whilst jesting with
thee." Replied Khalifah: "By Allah, O Tulip, thou art right!
Wilt thou share with me, O nigger? Indeed, I have eaten stick to the tune
of a hundred blows and have earned one dinar, and thou art but too welcome
to it." So saying, he threw him the dinar and went out, with the
tears flowing down the plain of his cheeks.
When the eunuch saw him in this plight, he knew that he had spoken sooth
and called to the lads to fetch him back. So they brought him back and
Sandal, putting his hand to his pouch, pulled out a red purse, whence he
emptied a hundred golden dinars into the fisherman's hand, saying,
"Take this gold in payment of thy fish, and wend thy ways." So
Khalifah, in high good humor, took the hundred ducats and the Caliph's one
dinar and went his way, and forgot the beating.
Now as Allah willed it for the furthering of that which He had decreed, he
passed by the mart of the handmaidens, and seeing there a mighty ring
where many folks were forgathering, said to himself, "What is this
crowd?" So he brake through the merchants and others, who said,
"Make wide the way for Skipper Rapscallion, and let him pass."
Then he looked, and behold, he saw a chest, with a eunuch seated thereon
and an old man standing by it,-and the Sheikh was crying: "O
merchants, O men of money, who will hasten and hazard his coin for this
chest of unknown contents from the palace of the Lady Zubaydah bint al-Kasim,
wife of the Commander of the Faithful? How much shall I say for you? Allah
bless you all!" Quoth one of the merchants; "By Allah, this is a
risk! But I will say one word, and no blame to me. Be it mine for twenty
dinars." Quoth another, "Fifty," and they went on bidding,
one against other, till the price reached a hundred ducats.
Then said the crier, "Will any of you bid more, O merchants?"
And Khalifah the fisherman said, "Be it mine for a hundred dinars and
one dinar." The merchants, hearing these words, thought he was
jesting and laughed at him, saying, "O Eunuch, sell it to Khalifah
for a hundred dinars and one dinar!" Quoth the eunuch: "By
Allah, I will sell it to none but him! Take it, O Fisherman. The Lord
bless thee in it, and here with thy gold." So Khalifah pulled out the
ducats and gave them to the eunuch, who, the bargain being duly made,
delivered to him the chest and bestowed the price in alms on the spot,
after which he returned to the palace and acquainted the Lady Zubaydah
with what he had done, whereat she rejoiced. Meanwhile the fisherman hove
the chest on shoulder, but could not carry it on this wise for the excess
of its weight, so he lifted it onto his head and thus bore it to the
quarter where he lived. Here he set it down, and being weary, sat awhile
bemusing what had befallen him and saying in himself, "Would Heaven I
knew what is in this chest!"
Then he opened the door of his lodging and haled the chest till he got it
into his closet, after which he strove to open it, but failed. Quoth he:
"What folly possessed me to buy this chest? There is no help for it
but to break it open and see what is herein." So he applied himself
to the lock, but could not open it, and said to himself, "I will
leave it till tomorrow." Then he would have stretched him out to
sleep, but could find no room, for the chest filled the whole closet. So
he got upon it and lay him down. But when he had lain awhile, behold, he
felt something stir under him, whereat sleep forsook him and his reason
fled. So he arose and cried: "Meseems there be Jinns in the chest.
Praise to Allah Who suffered me not to open it! For had I done so, they
had risen against me in the dark and slain me, and from them would have
befallen me naught of good."
Then he lay down again, when lo! the chest moved a second time, more than
before, whereupon he sprang to his feet and said: "There it goes
again. But this is terrible!" And he hastened to look for the lamp,
but could not find it and had not the wherewithal to buy another. So he
went forth and cried out, "Ho, people of the quarter!" Now the
most part of the folk were asleep, but they awoke at his crying and asked,
"What aileth thee, O Khalifah?" He answered, "Bring me a
lamp, for the Jinn are upon me." They laughed at him and gave him a
lamp, wherewith he returned to his closet. Then he smote the lock of the
chest with a stone and broke it, and opening it, saw a damsel like a houri
lying asleep within. Now she had been drugged with bhang, but at that
moment she threw up the stuff and awoke. Then she opened her eyes, and
feeling herself confined and cramped, moved. At this sight quoth Khalifah,
"By Allah, O my lady, whence art thou?" and quoth she,
"Bring me jessamine, and narcissus." And Khalifah answered,
"There is naught here but henna flowers."
Thereupon she came to herself, and considering Khalifah, said to him,
"What art thou?" presently adding, "And where am I?"
He said, "Thou art in my lodging." Asked she, "Am I not in
the palace of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid?" And quoth he: "What
manner of thing is Al-Rashid? O madwoman, Thou art naught but my slave
girl. I bought thee this very day for a hundred dinars and one dinar, and
brought thee home, and thou wast asleep in this here chest." When she
heard these words she said to him, "What is thy name?" Said he:
"My name is Khalifah. How comes my star to have grown propitious,
when I know my ascendant to have been otherwise?" She laughed and
cried: "Spare me this talk! Hast thou anything to eat?" Replied
he: "No, by Allah, nor yet to drink! I have not eaten these two days,
and am now in want of a morsel." She asked, "Hast thou no
money?" and he said: "Allah keep this chest which hath beggared
me. I gave all I had for it and am become bankrupt."
The damsel laughed at him and said: "Up with thee and seek of thy
neighbors somewhat for me to eat, for I am hungry." So he went forth
and cried out, "Ho, people of the quarter!" Now the folk were
asleep, but they awoke and asked, "What aileth thee, O
Khalifah?" Answered he, "O my neighbors, I am hungry and have
nothing to eat." So one came down to him with a bannock and another
with broken meats and a third with a bittock of cheese and a fourth with a
cucumber, and so on till his lap was full and he returned to his closet
and laid the whole between her hands, saying, "Eat." But she
laughed at him, saying: "How can I eat of this when I have not a mug
of water whereof to drink? I fear to choke with a mouthful and die."
Quoth he, "I will fill thee this pitcher." So he took the
pitcher, and going forth, stood 'm the midst of the street and cried out,
saying, "Ho, people of the quarter!" Quoth they, "What
calamity is upon thee tonight, O Khalifah!" And he said, "Ye
gave me food and I ate, but now I am athirst, so give me to drink."
Thereupon one came down to him with a mug and another with an ewer and a
third with a gugglet, and he filled his pitcher, and bearing it back, said
to the damsel, "O my lady, thou lackest nothing now." Answered
she, "True, I want nothing more at this present." Quoth he,
"Speak to me and say me thy story." And quoth she: "Fie
upon thee! An thou knowest me not, I will tell thee who I am. I am Kut al-Kulub,
the Caliph's handmaiden, and the Lady Zubaydah was jealous of me, so she
drugged me with bhang and set me in this chest," presently adding:
"Alhamdolillah- praised be God- for that the matter hath come to easy
issue and no worse! But this befell me not save for thy good luck, for
thou wilt certainly get of the Caliph Al-Rashid money galore, that will be
the means of thine enrichment." Quoth Khalifah, "Is not Al-Rashid
he in whose palace I was imprisoned?" "Yes," answered she,
and he said: "By Allah, never saw I more niggardly wight than he,
that piper little of good and wit! He gave me a hundred blows with a stick
yesterday and but one dinar, for all I taught him to fish and made him my
partner, but he played me false." Replied she: "Leave this
unseemly talk, and open thine eyes and look thou bear thyself respectfully
whenas thou seest him after this, and thou shalt win thy wish."
When he heard her words, it was if he had been asleep and awoke, and Allah
removed the veil from his judgment, because of his good luck, and he
answered, "O my head and eyes!" Then said he to her,
"Sleep, in the name of Allah." So she lay down and fell asleep
(and he afar from her) till the morning, when she sought of him ink case
and paper, and when they were brought, wrote to Ibn al-Kirnas, the
Caliph's friend, acquainting him with her case and how at the end of all
that had befallen her she was with Khalifah the fisherman, who had bought
her. Then she gave him the scroll, saying-"Take this and hie thee to
the jewel market and ask for the shop of Ibn al-Kirnas the Jeweler and
give him this paper, and speak not." "I hear and I obey,"
answered Khalifah, and going with the scroll to the market, inquired for
the shop of Ibn al-Kirnas. They directed him thither, and on entering it
he saluted the merchant, who returned his salaam with contempt and said to
him, "What dost thou want?" Thereupon he gave him the letter and
he took it, but read it not, thinking the fisherman a beggar who sought an
alms of him, and said to one of his lads, "Give him half a dirham."
Quoth Khalifah: "I want no alms. Read the paper."
So Ibn al-Kirnas took the letter and read it, and no sooner knew its
import than he kissed it and laid it on his head. Then he arose and said
to Khalifah, "O my brother, where is thy house?" Asked Khalifah:
"What wantest thou with my house? Wilt thou go thither and steal my
slave girl?" Then Ibn al-Kirnas answered: "Not so. On the
contrary, I will buy thee somewhat whereof you may eat, thou and
she." So he said, "My house is in such a quarter," and the
merchant rejoined: "Thou hast done well. May Allah not give thee
health, O unlucky one!" Then he called out to two of his slaves and
said to them: "Carry this man to the shop of Mohsin the shroff and
say to him, 'O Mohsin, give this man a thousand dinars of gold,' then
bring him back to me in haste."
So they carried him to the money-changer, who paid him the money, and
returned with him to their master, whom they found mounted on a dapple
she-mule worth a thousand dinars, with Mamelukes and pages about him, and
by his side another mule like his own, saddled and bridled. Quoth the
jeweler to Khalifah, "Bismillah, mount this mule." Replied he,
"I won't, for by Allah, I fear she throw me," and quoth Ibn al-Kirnas,
"By God, needs must thou mount." So he came up, and mounting
her, face to crupper, caught hold of her tail and cried out, whereupon she
threw him on the ground and they laughed at him. But he rose and said,
"Did I not tell thee I would not mount this great jenny-ass?"
Thereupon Ibn al-Kirnas left him in the market, and repairing to the
Caliph, told him of the damsel, after which he returned and removed her to
his own house.
Meanwhile Khalifah went home to look after the handmaid and found the
people of the quarter forgathering and saying: "Verily, Khalifah is
today in a terrible pickle! Would we knew whence he can have gotten this
damsel!" Quoth one of them: "He is a mad pimp. Haply he found
her lying on the road drunken, and carried her to his own house, and his
absence showeth that he knoweth his offense." As they were talking,
behold, up came Khalifah, and they said to him: "What a plight is
thine, O unhappy! Knowest thou not what is come to thee?" He replied,
"No, by Allah!" and they said: "But just now there came
Mamelukes and took away thy slave girl whom thou stolest, and sought for
thee, but found thee not." Asked Khalifah, "And how came they to
take my slave girl?" and quoth one, "Had he fallen in their way,
they had slain him."
But he, so far from heeding them, returned running to the shop of Ibn al-Kirnas,
whom he met riding, and said to him: "By Allah, 'twas not right of
thee to wheedle me and meanwhile send thy Mamelukes to take my slave
girl!" Replied the jeweler, "O idiot, come with me, and hold thy
tongue." So he took him and carried him into a house handsomely
builded, where he found the damsel seated on a couch of gold, with ten
slave girls like moons round her. Sighting her, Ibn al-Kirnas kissed
ground before her, and she said, "What hast thou done with my new
master, who bought me with all he owned?" He replied, "O my
lady, I gave him a thousand golden dinars,' and related to her Khalifah's
history from first to last, whereat she laughed and said: "Blame him
not, for he is but a common wight. These other thousand dinars are a gift
from me to him, and Almighty Allah willing, he shall win of the Caliph
what shall enrich him."
As they were talking, there came a eunuch from the Commander of the
Faithful in quest of Kut al-Kulub, for when he knew that she was in the
house of Ibn al-Kirnas, he could not endure, the severance, but bade bring
her forthwith. So she repaired to the Palace, taking Khalifah with her,
and going into the presence, kissed ground before the Caliph, who rose to
her, saluting and welcoming her, and asked her how she had fared with him
who had brought her. She replied: "He is a man, Khalifah the
fisherman hight, and there he standeth at the door. He telleth me that he
hath an account to settle with the Commander of the Faithful, by reason of
a partnership between him and the Caliph in fishing." Asked Al-Rashid,
"Is he at the door?" and she answered, "Yes." So the
Caliph sent for him and he kissed ground before him and wished him
endurance of glory and prosperity. The Caliph marveled at him and laughed
at him, and said to him, "O Fisherman, wast thou in very deed my
partner yesterday?" Khalifah took his meaning, and heartening his
heart and summoning spirit, replied: "By Him who bestowed upon thee
the succession to thy cousin, I know her not in anywise and have had no
commerce with her save by way of sight and speech!"
Then he repeated to him all that had befallen him since he last saw him,
whereat the Caliph laughed and his breast broadened and he said to
Khalifah, "Ask of us what thou wilt, O thou who bringest to owners
their own!" But he was silent, so the Caliph ordered him fifty
thousand dinars of gold and a costly dress of honor such as great
sovereigns don, and a she-mule, and gave him black slaves of the Sudan to
serve him, so that he became as he were one of the kings of that time. The
Caliph was rejoiced at the recovery of his favorite and knew that all this
was the doing of his cousin-wife, the Lady Zubaydah, wherefore he, was
sore enraged against her and held aloof from her a great while, visiting
her not, neither inclining to pardon her. When she was certified of this,
she was sore concerned for his wrath, and her face, that was wont to be
rosy, waxed pale and wan till, when her patience was exhausted, she sent a
letter to her cousin, the Commander of the Faithful, making her excuses to
him and confessing her offenses, and ending with these verses:
I long once more the love that was between us to regain,
That I may quench the fire of grief and bate the force of bane.
O lord of me, have ruth upon the stress my passion deals,
Enough to me is what you doled of sorrow and of pain.
'Tis life to me an deign you keep the troth you deigned to plight,
'Tis death to me an troth you break and fondest vows profane.
Given I've sinned a sorry sin, yet grant me ruth, for naught,
By Allah, sweeter is than friend who is of pardon fain.
When the Lady Zubaydah's letter reached the Caliph, and reading it, he
saw that she confessed her offense and sent her excuses to him therefor,
he said to himself, "Verily, all sins doth Allah forgive-aye,
Gracious, Merciful is He!" And he returned her an answer expressing
satisfaction and pardon and forgiveness for what was past, whereat she
rejoiced greatly.
As for Khalifah the fisherman, the Caliph assigned him a monthly solde of
fifty dinars, and took him into especial favor, which would lead to rank
and dignity, honor and worship. Then he kissed ground before the Commander
of the Faithful and went forth with stately gait. When he came to the
door, the eunuch Sandal, who had given him the hundred dinars, saw him,
and knowing him, said to him, "O Fisherman, whence all this?" So
he told him all that had befallen him, first and last, whereat Sandal
rejoiced, because he had been the cause of his enrichment, and said to
him, "Wilt thou not give me largess of this wealth which is now
become thine?" So Khalifah put hand to pouch and taking out a purse
containing a thousand dinars, gave it to the eunuch, who said, "Keep
thy coins, and Allah bless thee therein!" and marveled at his
manliness and at the liberality of his soul, for all his late poverty.
Then, leaving the eunuch, Khalifah mounted his she-mule and rode, with the
slaves' hands on her crupper, till he came to his lodging at the khan,
whilst the folk stared at him in surprise for that which had betided him
of advancement. When he alighted from his beast, they accosted him and
inquired the cause of his change from poverty to prosperity, and he told
them an that had happened to him from incept to conclusion. Then he bought
a fine mansion and laid out thereon much money, till it was perfect in all
points. And he took up his abode therein and was wont to recite thereon
these two couplets:
Behold a house that's like the Dwelling of Delight,
Its aspect heals the sick and banishes despite.
Its sojourn for the great and wise appointed is,
And Fortune fair therein abideth day and night.
Then, as soon as he was settled in his house, he sought him in marriage
the daughter of one of the chief men of the city, a handsome girl, and
went in unto her and led a life of solace and satisfaction, joyaunce and
enjoyment; and he rose to passing affluence and exceeding prosperity. So
when he found himself in this fortunate condition, he offered up thanks to
Allah (extolled and excelled be He!) for what He had bestowed on him of
wealth exceeding and of favors ever succeeding, praising his Lord with the
praise of the grateful. And thereafter Khalifah continued to pay frequent
visits to the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, with whom he found acceptance and
who ceased not to overwhelm him with boons and bounty. And he abode in the
enjoyment of the utmost honor and happiness and joy and gladness, and in
riches more than sufficing and in rank ever rising- brief, a sweet life
and a savory, pure as pleasurable, till there came to him die Destroyer of
delights and the Sunderer of societies. And extolled be the perfection of
Him to whom belong glory and permanence and He is the Living, the Eternal,
who shall never die!
And amongst the tales they, tell is one of Abu
Kir The Dyer And Abu Sir The Barber.
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