Tales from the Arabic — Volume 01

John Payne

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• Publié par: irgya
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 16
• Langue: English

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Arabic Volume 1, by John Payne (#2 in our series
by John Payne)
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Title: Tales from the Arabic Volume 1Author: John Payne
Release Date: March, 2004 [EBook #5242] [Yes,
we are more than one year ahead of schedule]
[This file was first posted on June 10, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
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TALES FROM THE ARABIC
Of the Breslau and Calcutta (1814-18) editions of
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night
not occurring in the other printed texts of the work,
Now first done into EnglishBy John Payne
In Three Volumes:
VOLUME THE FIRST.
1901
Delhi Edition
Contents of The First Volume.
Breslau Text.
1. Asleep and Awake a. Story of the Lackpenny
and the Cook 2. The Khalif Omar Ben Abdulaziz
and the Poets 3. El Hejjaj and the Three Young
Men 4. Haroun Er Reshid and the Woman of the
Barmecides 5. The Ten Viziers; or the History of
King Azadbekht and His Son a. Of the Uselessness
of Endeavour Against Persistent Ill Fortune i. Story
of the Unlucky Merchant b. Of Looking to the
Issues of Affairs i. Story of the Merchant and His
Sons c. Of the Advantages of Patience i. Story of
Abou Sabir d. Of the Ill Effects of Precipitation i.
Story of Prince Bihzad e. Of the Issues of Good
and Evil Actions i. Story of King Dadbin and His
Viziers f. Of Trust in God i. Story of KingBexhtzeman g. Of Clemency i. Story of King
Bihkerd h. Of Envy and Malice i. Story of Ilan Shah
and Abou Temam i. Of Destiny or That Which Is
Written on the Forehead i. Story of King Abraham
and His Son j. Of the Appointed Term, Which, If it
Be Advanced, May Not Be Deferred and If it Be
Deferred, May Not Be Advanced i. Story of King
Suleiman Shah and His Sons k. Of the Speedy
Relief of God i. Story of the Prisoner and How God
Gave Him Relief 6. Jaafer Ben Yehya and
Abdulmelik Ben Salih the Abbaside 7. Er Reshid
and the Barmecides 8. Ibn Es Semmak and Er
Reshid 9. El Mamoun and Zubeideh 10. En Numan
and the Arab of the Benou Tai 11. Firouz and His
Wife 12. King Shah Bekht and His Vizier Er
Rehwan a. Story of the Man of Khorassan, His Son
and His Governor b. Story of the Singer and the
Druggist c. Story of the King Who Knew the
Quintessence of Things d. Story of the Rich Man
Who Gave His Fair Daughter in Marriage to the
Poor Old Man e. Story of the Rich Man and His
Wasteful Son f. The King's Son Who Fell in Love
with the Picture g. Story of the Fuller and His Wife
h. Story of the Old Woman, the Merchant and the
King i. Story of the Credulous Husband j. Story of
the Unjust King and the Tither i. Story of David and
Solomon k. Story of the Thief and the Woman l.
Story of the Three Men and Our Lord Jesus i. The
Disciple's Story m. Story of the Dethroned King
Whose Kingdom and Good Were Restorfd to Him
n. Story of the Man Whose Caution Was the
Cause of His Death o. Story of the Man Who Was
Lavish of His House and His Victual to One Whom
He Knew Not p. Story of the Idiot and the Sharperq. Story of Khelbes and His Wife and the Learned
Man
Breslau Text.
ASLEEP AND AWAKE[FN#1]
There was once [at Baghdad], in the Khalifate of
Haroun er Reshid, a man, a merchant, who had a
son by name Aboulhusn el Khelia.[FN#2] The
merchant died and left his son great store of
wealth, which he divided into two parts, one of
which he laid up and spent of the other half; and he
fell to companying with Persians[FN#3] and with
the sons of the merchants and gave himself up to
good eating and good drinking, till all that he had
with him of wealth[FN#4] was wasted and gone;
whereupon he betook himself to his friends and
comrades and boon-companions and expounded
to them his case, discovering to them the failure of
that which was in his hand of wealth; but not one of
them took heed of him neither inclined unto him.
So he returned to his mother (and indeed his spiritwas broken), and related to her that which had
happened to him and what had betided him from
his friends, how they, had neither shared with him
nor requited him with speech. "O Aboulhusn,"
answered she, "on this wise are the sons[FN#5]of
this time: if thou have aught, they make much of
thee,[FN#6] and if thou have nought, they put thee
away [from them]." And she went on to condole
with him, what while he bewailed himself and his
tears flowed and he repeated the following verses:
An if my substance fail, no one there is will
succour me,
But if my wealth abound, of all I'm held in
amity.
How many a friend, for money's sake, hath
companied with me!
How many an one, with loss of wealth, hath
turned mine
enemy!
Then he sprang up [and going] to the place
wherein was the other half of his good, [took it] and
lived with it well; and he swore that he would never
again consort with those whom he knew, but would
company only with the stranger nor entertain him
but one night and that, whenas it morrowed, he
would never know him more. So he fell to sitting
every night on the bridge[FN#7] and looking on
every one who passed by him; and if he saw him to
be a stranger, he made friends with him and
carried him to his house, where he caroused with
him till the morning. Then he dismissed him and
would never more salute him nor ever again drewnear unto him neither invited him.
On this wise he continued to do for the space of a
whole year, till, one day, as he sat on the bridge,
according to his custom, expecting who should
come to him, so he might take him and pass the
night with him, behold, [up came] the Khalif and
Mesrour, the swordsman of his vengeance,
disguised [in merchants' habits] as of their wont.
So he looked at them and rising up, for that he
knew them not, said to them, "What say ye? Will
you go with me to my dwelling-place, so ye may
eat what is ready and drink what is at hand, to wit,
bread baked in the platter[FN#8] and meat cooked
and wine clarified?" The Khalif refused this, but he
conjured him and said to him, "God on thee, O my
lord, go with me, for thou art my guest this night,
and disappoint not my expectation concerning
thee!" And he ceased not to press him till he
consented to him; whereat Aboulhusn rejoiced and
going on before him, gave not over talking with him
till they came to his [house and he carried the
Khalif into the] saloon. Er Reshid entered and
made his servant abide at the door; and as soon
as he was seated, Aboulhusn brought him
somewhat to eat; so he ate, and Aboulhusn ate
with him, so eating might be pleasant to him. Then
he removed the tray and they washed their hands
and the Khalif sat down again; whereupon
Aboulhusn set on the drinking vessels and seating
himself by his side, fell to filling and giving him to
drink and entertaining him with discourse.
His hospitality pleased the Khalif and thegoodliness of his fashion, and he said to him, "O
youth, who art thou? Make me acquainted with
thyself, so I may requite thee thy kindness." But
Aboulhusn smiled and said, "O my lord, far be it
that what is past should recur and that I be in
company with thee at other than this time!" "Why
so?" asked the Khalif. "And why wilt thou not
acquaint me with thy case?" And Aboulhusn said,
"Know, O my lord, that my story is extraordinary
and that there is a cause for this affair." Quoth the
Khalif, "And what is the cause?" And he answered,
"The cause hath a tail." The Khalif laughed at his
words and Aboulhusn said, "I will explain to thee
this [saying] by the story of the lackpenny and the
cook. Know, O my lord, that
STORY OF THE
LACKPENNY AND THE
COOK.
One of the good-for-noughts found himself one day
without aught and the world was straitened uponhim and his patience failed; so he lay down to
sleep and gave not over sleeping till the sun burnt
him and the foam came out upon his mouth,
whereupon he arose, and he was penniless and
had not so much as one dirhem. Presently, he
came to the