Classics Retold

The following night Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, when Caliph in disguise of a fisherman said, "I will write a letter to the king, and he will no longer harm you." Nur al-Din asked, "Is there in the whole world a fisherman writing letter to a king?" The Caliph in Fisherman said, "The king and I studied together under the same tutor.  I was above him, but somehow, by hook or crook, or by luck, he became the king. Kings are made by his followers.  And kings have to make false promises to his followers like 'I will give you fifteen hundred thousand dinars to each of you, when I am made king.'  Later the idiot followers forget it as king's jumla. So king also conveniently forgets it." Since these are alien to me I became a fisherman.  Yet whenever I write to ask him, he obliges. Nur al-Din said, "Very well, write and show me." The Caliph in Fisherman took the paper and ink, and after the invocation to God wrote the following: Thi...

The following night Shahrazad said: When the Caliph heard her concluded with the words, "You gave me to Karim," he turned to Nur al-Din and asked, "My lord, the girl said in her verses that you had transgressed against her lord and master.  Against whom did you transgress and who is it who has a claim on you?" Nur al-Din replied, "Fisherman, what has happened to me and to this girl is extraordinary." The Caliph said, "Tell me your story." Nur al-Din: "Do you wish it in prose or in verse?" The Caliph in Fisherman: "O my lord, prose is words, but verses are  pearls in strings." Nur al-Din bowed his head and recited: O my friend, since I left my home,  My grief is always with me, but sleep Comes an irregular guest; I had a  Father who loved me well, but lay Dead long long ago. And after him Misfortunes fell on me. This girl he Bought for me.  I loved her, spent on Her.  And lavished all I had on my  Friends.  All was gone,  frien...

The following night Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, that Nur al-Din took out a paper purse containing thirty dinars, which were the remainder of the money the Chamberlain had given him before he fled, and said to the Caliph, "O fisherman, excuse me, for this is all I have.  I would have given you more if I had not spent all my inheritance. I would have done away with the bitterness of poverty. It is there in all of us. Take this as a token of my goodwill."  Then he threw the money to the Caliph, who caught it, and kissing it, put away. The Caliph said, "My lord, you have rewarded me handsomely, but I would like you to do me one more favour, and let the young lady sing for me." Nur al-Din said, "O Anis al Jalis, sing a beautiful song for the sake of this fisherman."  Anis al Jalis took the lute, tuned it and played it accompanied by the following verses: Fair fingers caressed the string Ravished the soul with dulcet lute Her singing cured the very de...

The following night Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, that the fisherman happened to look back and suddenly saw the Caliph.  His when body began to tremble and he said, "O Commander of the Faithful, I did not do this because, I took your commandment lightly, but because of my poverty and need drove me to do it."  The Caliph said, "Do not be afraid, cast the net for me." The fisherman cast the net.  When he pulled it up he found in it various kinds of fish.  The Caliph was pleased, and said, "Pick out the salmon, and clean them."  The fisherman did as he bade.  The Caliph said, "Take off your clothes," and the fisherman took a robe sewen in ninety patches and a turban.  The Caliph took the fisherman's clothes and put them on, saying to him,  "Put on my clothes."  The fisherman did so.  Then the Caliph veiled his face, and said to the the fisherman, "Go on your business."  Then, he took a clean basket and covered the bo...

The following night Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King that Anis al Jalis replied, "If you had some musical instruments our joy would be complete." The old man said, "I do." And he rose to his feet.  The Caliph asked Ja'far, "what is he going to bring?" Ja'far replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, I do not know." The old man went out and soon returned with a lute.  When the Caliph saw the lute, he recognised it as one belonging to Ishak al Nadim and said to vizier, "Ja'far, this girl is going to play lute.  By the tomb of my father and forefathers, if she sings well, I will pardon them and hang you, but if she sings badly, I will hang you all."  Ja'far replied, " O God, let her sing badly!" The Caliph asked him, "Why so?" Ja'far replied, "Because of you hang us together, we will entertain each other."  The Caliph laughed.  The girl tuned the lute and began to play a melancholy so wel...

The following night Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, that the Caliph said to Ja'far, I will meet the pious men assembled at the function of circumcision of Ibrahim's sons at Palace of statues. Ja'far the vizier said, "It is very late and the gathering may be over now." "I must go," said the Caliph.  Ja'far was perplexed, and did not know what to do. The Caliph, and Ja'far accompanied by Masrur the eunuch left the palace disguised as merchants. They went through the streets of Baghdad and reached the Garden of Delight.  The Caliph went up to the gate and was surprised to find it opened. He said to his vizier, "O Ja'far, Shaikh Ibrahim has left the gate open to this hour. It is unusual for him." They entered and crossed the garden, and stood before the palace.  Caliph said to his vizier, "Ja'far, let us watch them secretly."  Then he looked around and saw a tall tree. Its branches come near up to one of the windows...

The following night Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, that the girl filled the fourth cup and gave it to the old man, and he was about to drink it when Nur al-Din sat up and said, "Shaikh, what is this?" Did I not invite you to drink?  But you refused, saying, 'I have forsworn drinking.' The old man who was embarassed, replied, "It is not my fault."  Nur al-Din laughed and they resumed drinking. Then Anis al Jalis whispered to Nur al-Din, "Drink, but don't entreat him to drink, I will show you what he will do." When the two of them began to drink and sat by themselves, the old man looked at them and asked, "What is this?  Why do you give me nothing to drink?" They burst out laughing, then they drank and gave him to drink, well into the night.  When half of the night was gone, the girl said, "I will go and light one of these candles."  The old man said, "Do, but light only one."  But she went and lighted all ca...