Thousand & One Nights:172nd Night: The Wealthy Man & The Slave Girl - 2

On the same day after nightfall, the maid came to the shop of Abu al-Hasan, greeted him and said, "My lord, Abu al-Hasan, my mistress Shams al-Nahar, the favourite of the Commander of Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, bids you and my lord Nur al-Din Ali, in the name of God to come to her."

Abu al-Hasan rose, and said to Nur al-Din Ali, "very well my lord, let us go."

They disguised themselves and and followed the girl at a distance until she entered the Caliph's palace, and then to the lodging of Shams al-Nahar and later the young man found himself in a room that looked like a chamber in Paradise, furnished with couches, cushions, and pillows, the like of which he had never seen.  After he and Abu al-Hasan were seated, and settled in their places, the black maid set a table with different dishes before them, and waited on them. The young man ate and marveled at the delicious food: suckling lambs, fatted chickens, and other birds, such as grouse, quail, and pigeons, the jar full of assorted pickles, and all the candies. What followed next was accounted by Abu al-Hasan:

"When we had had fill of such delicious food and fine drink, they brought us to gilded basins, and we washed our hands.  Then they brought incense, with which we perfumed ourselves.  Afterwards, rosewater scented with musk, in bowls of gilded crystal, encircled with carved figures of camphor and ambergris and set with all kinds of jewels was brought, and we scented ourselves with it, and returned to our couches.  Then the maid asked us to rise, and we were led to another chamber.  It was covered with silk carpets, under a dome that rested with hundred pillars, at the base of each of which stood a bird or a beast dipped in gold.  We sat and began to admire the carpet, which, with its gold ground and patterns of white and red roses, repeated the colours and patterns of the dome.  In the room, resting on tables, there were more than a hundred trays of crystal and gold set with all kinds of Jewels. At the upper end of the room, numerous lovely couches, covered with fabrics of various colours, stood, each before an arched window that opened on a garden.  The garden looked as if it had same carpet for a floor cover. There were two ponds, one large and the other small. Water from large pond flows to small pond surrounded by sweet basil, lilies, and narcissus in pots of inlaid gold.  The thickly intertwined branches were heavy with ripe fruits, so that whenever the wind passed through them, the fruits dropped on the water, while birds of all kind swooped down after them, clapping their wings and singing.  To the right and left of pond
stood couches of sandalwood covered with silver, and on each coach reclined a damsel more dazzling than sun, wearing a gorgeous dress and holding a lute or some other musical instrument to her bosom.  The damsel's music blended with the cooing of birds, and the wafting wind joined rippling water, as the breeze blew, lifting a rose here and downing a fruit there.  With dazzled eyes  and minds we contemplated such great means and 
reflected on such abundant blessings and turning from the garden with the pond to the room with the dome, we enjoyed the loveliness of the garden, the grace of the art, the magnificence of the endeavour and marveled at the grandeur of the sight and the beauty of the scene."

After concluding, Ali ibn Bakkar turned to Abu al-Hasan, and said, "My lord, a rational, and wise observer will find these scenes fascinating.  The fate has brought me into contact with this place. Now, I would like to ask you why the lady has brought me here?"

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