Thousand & One Nights: 150th Night: Lame Young Man & Baghdad Barber -12

Shahrazad is the frame story teller. The subject story was originally told by the Lame Young Man to guests assembled at the Quran recitation. The tailor involved in the murder was also present among the guests. Later, he told this story to King of China to get a reprieve from punishment.

Lame young man was attracted by the judge's daughter and affected by unrequited love towards her. An old woman came to his rescue and act as a go between, and obtains the permission to meet her. The lame young man calls a barber to have a shave for the occasion. The cunning and talkative barber follows the lame young man without his knowledge to the lady's house. The young man entered the house and went upstairs to meet the lady. The maid of the house made some offence and the master beat her. A male slave came to her rescue and the judge beat him also. The barber thought the judge was beating the young lame man and went to his rescue. The ensuing commotion attracted a crowd and the barber ran out saying, "My master is being murdered in the judge's house."

Continue to read the story, as told by the lame young man:

The crowd with the barber at the head arrived at my house, crying, "My master is being murdered in the judge's house." My relatives joined them and fled to judge's house.

My relatives kept crying out, "Alas for our murdered one, alas for our murdered one." More people gathered around them. The judge hearing the uproar and screams at his door said to one of his servants, "Go and see what is the matter." The servant went out and came back. "O my lord, there are more than ten thousand men and women at the door, crying out, 'Alas for our murdered one,' and pointing to our house." The judge became worried and apprehenssive and, opening the door, went out and saw a great crowd of people. He was very much amazed. He asked the crowd, "O people what is the matter?"

They replied, "O Cursed, O pig, you have killed our master."

"What had your master done to me that I should kill him. My house is open to you."

The barber said, "You beat him with a rod, and I heard him screaming inside the house."

The judge repeated, "What has your master done to me that I should beat him, and what brings him into my house?"

The barber replied, "Don't be perverse vile old man. I know everything. Your daughter is in love with him and he with her, and when you found them out, you bade your servants beat him. By God none shall judge between us and you, but the Caliph, unless you bring out our master to his relatives, before I go in and bring him out myself and put you to shame"
 
The judge stood blushing and tongue-tied before the crowd and could only mumble, "If you are speaking the truth, come in and fetch him." The barber pushed forward and entered the house.

I saw the barber entering the house. I looked for an exit. There was none. 
Then I looked for a place to hide. There was none save a large chest that stood in the room. I got into the chest and pulled the lid down on me, and held my breath. The barber came into the room, searched left and right, but seeing nothing  save chest, placed it on his head and left with it in a hurry. I lost my mind, and feeling certain that he would not let me alone, took courage, and opening the chest threw myself to the ground and broke my leg. I opened the door and saw a great crowd. Now I happened to have a good sum of money hidden in my sleeve for such a day; so I took the money out and began to scatter it among the crowd, and while they were busy scrambling for it, I fled, running right and left through the alleys of Baghdad, while the cursed barber, whom nothing could divert, kept running after me from place to place.

Morning overtook, and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.


 





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

( 16 )CHARLES DICKENS: DAVID COPPERFIELD: CHAPTER 16: I AM A NEW BOY IN MORE SENSES THAN ONE

Next morning, after breakfast, I entered on school life again.  I went, accompanied by Mr Wickfield to the scene of my future studies- a grave building in a courtyard, with a learned air about it that suited very well to the stray rooks and jackdaws who came down from the Cathedral tower to walk with a clerkly bearing on the grass plot - and was introduced to my new master, Doctor Strong. Doctor Strong looked almost as rusty, to my thinking, as the tall iron rails and gates outside the house; and almost as stiff and heavy as the great stone urn that flanked them, and were set up, on the top of red brick wall, at regular distances all round the court, like sublimated skittles for Time to play at.  Doctor Strong was in his library, with his clothes not particularly well brushed, and his hair not particularly combed, his knee-small unbraced, his long black gaiters unbuttoned, and his shoes  yawning like two caverns on the hearth-rug.  Turning upon me a lustreless eye, t...
Read more

Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Eight

Updated 02/11/2024 In the last Section, at Zula (ancient Avalites) the unknown sailor had been giving an account of imports and exports into and out of ports around Zula. Lret us see his further course: After Avalites there is another market-town, better than this, called Malao  distant a sail of about eight hundred stadia. The anchorage is an open roadstead, sheltered by a spit running out from the east. Here the natives are more peaceable. There are imported into this place the things already mentioned, and many tunics, cloaks from Arsinoe, dressed and dyed; drinking cups, sheets of soft copper in small quantity, iron and gold and silver coins, not much. There are exported from these places myrrh, a little frankincense (that is known as far-side), the harder cinnamon, duaca, Indian copal, and macir, which are imported into Arabia; and slaves, but rarely. Notes:- 1. Malao: A coastal town in Eritrea; in Semien-ki-Bahri region known for its beaches and historic port. Now it is calle...
Read more

Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Five

Updated 30/11/2024 In the last Section, last point was Debealuwa/Dhalak (Alalaei )island in the Red Sea, The island is northeast of Gulf of Zula, and the mountain island is in Northern Red Sea Region. And about eight hundred stadia beyond there is another very deep bay, with a great mound of sand piled up at the right of the entrance; at the bottom of which the opsian stone is found, and this is the only place where it is produced. These places, from the Calf-Eaters to the other Berber country, are governed by Zoscales , who is miserly in his ways and always striving for more, but otherwise upright, and acquainted.    My Search:- 1. Opsian stones: Also known as obsidian stones. They are volcanic glass artefacts used for various purposes like making of tools, in jewellery, mirrors and ritual objects. They were widely used in Asian, African and Mediterranean cultures  2. Berber countries: Berbers are the indigenous peoples of Africa, like that of Morocco, Algeria, Libya e...
Read more