Richard Burton - A plain and literal translation of the Arabian nights entertainments, now entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 4 (of 17)

And when he heard her chant these lines he ended his recitation of the chapter, and began also to sing and repeated the following couplet: —

My Salám to the Fawn in the garments concealed, ✿ And to roses in gardens of cheek revealed.

The lady rose up when she heard this, and her inclination for him redoubled and she lifted the curtain; and Ala al-Din, seeing her, recited these two couplets: —

Thereupon she came forward, swinging her haunches and gracefully swaying a shape the handiwork of Him whose boons are hidden; and each of them stole one glance of the eyes that cost them a thousand sighs. And when the shafts of the two regards which met rankled in his heart, he repeated these two couplets: —

And when she drew near him, and there remained but two paces between them, he recited these two couplets: —

And as she was hard by him he said to her, “Keep away from me, lest thou infect me.” Whereupon she uncovered her wrist 60 60 Where the “Juzám” (leprosy, elephantiasis, morbus sacrum, etc. etc.) is supposed first to show: the swelling would alter the shape. Lane (ii. 267) translates “her wrist which was bipartite.” to him, and he saw that it was cleft, as it were in two halves, by its veins and sinews and its whiteness was as the whiteness of virgin silver. Then said she, “Keep away from me, thou! for thou art stricken with leprosy, and may be thou wilt infect me.” He asked, “Who told thee I was a leper?” and she answered, “The old woman so told me.” Quoth he, “’Twas she told me also that thou wast afflicted with white scurvy;” and so saying, he bared his forearms and showed her that his skin was also like virgin silver. Thereupon she pressed him to her bosom and he pressed her to his bosom and the twain embraced with closest embrace, then she took him and, lying down on her back, let down her petticoat-trousers, and in an instant that which his father had left him rose up in rebellion against him and he said, “Go it, O Shaykh Zachary 61 61 Arab. “Zakariyá” (Zacharias): a play upon the term “Zakar” = the sign of “masculinity.” Zacharias mentioned in the Koran as the educator of the Virgin Mary (chapt. iii.) and repeatedly referred to (chapt. xix. etc.), is a well-known personage amongst Moslems and his church is now the great Cathedral-Mosque of Aleppo. of shaggery, O father of veins!”; and putting both hands to her flanks, he set the sugar-stick 62 62 Arab. “Ark al-Haláwat” = vein of sweetness. to the mouth of the cleft and thrust on till he came to the wicket called “Pecten.” His passage was by the Gate of Victories 63 63 Arab. “Futúh,” which may also mean openings, has before occurred. and therefrom he entered the Monday market, and those of Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, 64 64 i. e. four times without withdrawing. and, finding the carpet after the measure of the daïs-floor, 65 65 i. e. a correspondence of size, concerning which many rules are given in the Ananga-ranga Shastra which justly declares that discrepancy breeds matrimonial troubles. he plied the box within its cover till he came to the end of it. And when morning dawned he cried to her, “Alas for delight which is not fulfilled! The raven 66 66 Arab. “Ghuráb al- Bayn ” = raven of the waste or the parting: hence the bird of Odin symbolises separation (which is also called Al-bayn). The Raven (Ghurab = Heb. Oreb and Lat. Corvus, one of the prehistoric words) is supposed to be seen abroad earlier than any other bird; and it is entitled “Abu Zájir,” father of omens, because lucky when flying towards the right and v. v. It is opposed in poetry to the (white) pigeon, the emblem of union, peace and happiness. The vulgar declare that when Mohammed hid in the cave the crow kept calling to his pursuers, “Ghár! Ghár!” (cavern, cavern): hence the Prophet condemned him to wear eternal mourning and ever to repeat the traitorous words. This is the old tale of Coronis and Apollo (Ovid, lib. ii.) – who blacked the raven o’er And bid him prate in his white plumes no more. taketh it and flieth away!” She asked, “What meaneth this saying?”; and he answered, “O my lady, I have but this hour to abide with thee.” Quoth she, “Who saith so?” and quoth he, “Thy father made me give him a written bond to pay ten thousand dinars to thy wedding-settlement; and, except I pay it this very day, they will imprison me for debt in the Kazi’s house; and now my hand lacketh one half-dirham of the sum.” She asked, “O my lord, is the marriage-bond in thy hand or in theirs?”; and he answered, “O my lady, in mine, but I have nothing.” She rejoined, “The matter is easy; fear thou nothing. Take these hundred dinars: an I had more, I would give thee what thou lackest; but of a truth my father, of his love for my cousin, hath transported all his goods, even to my jewellery, from my lodging to his. But when they send thee a serjeant of the Ecclesiastical Court,” – And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young lady rejoined to Ala al-Din, “And when they send thee at an early hour a serjeant of the Ecclesiastical Court, and the Kazi and my father bid thee divorce me, do thou reply, By what law is it lawful and right that I should marry at nightfall and divorce in the morning? Then kiss the Kazi’s hand and give him a present, and in like manner kiss the Assessors’ hands and give each of them ten gold pieces. So they will all speak with thee, and if they ask thee, Why dost thou not divorce her and take the thousand dinars and the mule and suit of clothes, according to contract duly contracted? do thou answer, Every hair of her head is worth a thousand ducats to me and I will never put her away, neither will I take a suit of clothes nor aught else. And if the Kazi say to thee, Then pay down the marriage settlement, do thou reply, I am short of cash at this present; whereupon he and the Assessors will deal in friendly fashion with thee and allow thee time to pay.” Now whilst they were talking, behold, the Kazi’s officer knocked at the door; so Ala al-Din went down and the man said to him, “Come, speak the Efendi, 67 67 This use of a Turkish title, “Efendi” being = our esquire, and inferior to a Bey, is a rank anachronism, probably of the copyist. for thy father-in-law summoneth thee.” So Ala al-Din gave him five dinars and said to him, “O Summoner, by what law am I bound to marry at nightfall and divorce next morning?” The serjeant answered, “By no law of ours at all, at all; and if thou be ignorant of the religious law, I will act as thine advocate.” Then they went to the divorce-court and the Kazi said to Ala al-Din, “Why dost thou not put away the woman and take what falleth to thee by the contract?” Hearing this he went up to the Kazi; and, kissing his hand, put fifty dinars in it and said, “O our lord the Kazi, by what law is it lawful and right that I should marry at nightfall and divorce in the morning in my own despite?” The Kazi answered, “Divorce on compulsion and by force is sanctioned by no school of the Moslems.” Then said the young lady’s father, “If thou wilt not divorce, pay me the ten thousand dinars, her marriage-settlement.” Quoth Ala al-Din, “Give me a delay of three days;” but the Kazi said, “Three days is not time enough; he shall give thee ten.” So they agreed to this and bound him after ten days either to pay the dowry or to divorce her. And after consenting he left them and taking meat and rice and clarified butter 68 68 Arab. “Samn” = Hind. “Ghi;” butter melted, skimmed and allowed to cool. and what else of food he needed, returned to the house and told the young woman all that had passed; whereupon she said, “’Twixt night and day, wonders may display; and Allah bless him for his say: —