"Payne Volume VII" - читать интересную книгу автора (Paynes Versions)
As if his visage were a lamp that burns all night, hung up, Beneath the darkness of his hair, with chains of ambergris.
And indeed the king loved him with an exceeding great love and summoning his vizier and emirs and the chief officers of state and grandees of his reahn, required of them a binding oath that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after himself; and they took the oath gladly, for the king was beneficent to the people, pleasant in speech and saying nought but that wherein was advantage for them, brief, a very compend of goodness.
On the morrow Shehriman mounted, with all his troops and emirs and grandees, and went forth into the city and returned. When they drew near the palace, the king dismounted, to wait upon his son, whilst the latter abode on horseback, and he and all the emirs and grandees bore the saddle-cloth of honour before him, each in his turn till they came to the vestibule of the palace, where the prince alighted and his father and the emirs embraced him and seated him on the throne of kingship, whilst they all stood before him. Then Bedr judged the people deposing the unjust and appointing the just, till near upon midday, when he descended from the throne and went in to his mother, Julnar of the Sea, with the crown on his head, as he were the moon. When she saw him with the king before him, she rose and kissing him, gave him joy of the sultanate and wished him and his father length of life and victory over their enemies. He sat with her and rested till the hour of afternoon-prayer, when he took horse and repaired, with the emirs before him, to the tilting-ground, where he played at arms with his father and his grandees, till night-fall, when he returned to the palace, preceded by all the folk.
He rode forth thus every day to the tilting-ground, returning to sit and judge the people and do justice between amir and poor man; and thus he did a whole year, at the end of which time he began to ride out a-hunting and to go round about in the cities and countries under his rule, proclaiming peace and security and doing after the fashion of kings; and he was unique among the people of his day for glory and velour and just dealing among the folk.
One day, the old king fell sick and his heart forebode him of translation to the mansion of eternity. His sickness increased on him till he was nigh upon death, when he called his son and commended his mother and subjects to his care and caused all the emirs and grandees once more swear allegiance to the prince and assured himself of them by oaths; after which he lingered a few days and was admitted to the mercy of God the Most High. His son and widow and all the grandees and emirs and viziers mourned over him, and they built him a tomb and buried him therein.
They ceased not to mourn for him a whole month, till Salih and his mother and cousins arrived and condoled with them for the king and said, 'O Julnar, though the king is dead, yet hath he left this noble and peerless youth, the fierce lion and the shining moon; and whoso leaveth the like of him is not dead.' Moreover, the grandees and notables of the empire went in to Bedr
and said to him, 'O king, there is no harm in mourning for the king: but [continuance of] mourning beseemeth none save women; wherefore occupy thou not thy heart and ours with mourning for thy father; for he hath left thee behind him, and whoso leaveth the like of thee is not dead.' Then they comforted him and diverted him and carried him to the bath. When he came out thence, he donned a rich robe, wroughten with gold and embroidered with jewels and jacinths, and setting the royal crown on his head, sat down on his throne of kingship and ordered the affairs of the folk, doing equal justice between the weak and the strong and exacting from the amir the poor man's due; wherefore the people loved him with an exceeding love. Thus he abode a great while, whilst, every now and then, his kinsfolk of the sea visited him, and his life was pleasant and his eye unheated [by tears].
It chanced that his uncle Salih went in one night to Julnar and saluted her; whereupon she rose and embracing him, made him sit by her side and asked him how he did, he and his mother and cousins. 'O my sister,' answered he, 'they are well and in great good case, lacking nought save the sight of thy face.' Then she set food before him and he ate, after which talk ensued between them and they spoke of Bedr Basim and his beauty and grace and symmetry and skill in horsemanship and his wit and good breeding. Now Bedr was reclining [upon a day-bed within ear-shot], and hearing his mother and uncle speak of him, he feigned sleep and listened to their talk. Presently Salih said to his sister, 'Thy son is now seventeen years old and is unmarried, and I fear lest aught befall him and he have no son; wherefore it is my wish to marry him to a princess of the princesses of the sea, who shall be a match for him in beauty and grace.' Quoth Julnar, 'Name them to me, for I know them all.'
So Salih proceeded to name them to her, one by one, but to each she said, 'This one liketh me not for my son; I will not marry him but to one who is his like in beauty and grace and wit and piety and good breeding and worth and dominion and rank and lineage.' Quoth Salih, 'I know none other of the daughters of the kings of the Gear for I have enumerated to thee more than an hundred girls and none of them pleaseth thee: but see, O my sister, whether thy son be asleep or no,' So she felt Bedr and finding on him the signs of sleep, said to Salih, 'He is asleep; what hast thou to say and what is shine object in [assuring thyself of] his sleeping?' 'O my sister,' replied Salih, 'know that I have bethought me of a girl of the girls of the sea who befitteth thy son; but I fear to name her, lest he be awake and his heart be taken with her love and maybe we shall not avail to win to her; so should he and we and the grandees of the realm be wearied [in vain] and trouble betide us through this; for, as saith the poet:
Love, at the first, is as a drip of water, verily; But, when the mastery it gains, 'tis as a spreading sea.
'Tell me the name and condition of this girl,' rejoined Julnar; 'for I know all the damsels of the sea, kings' daughters and others; and if I judge her worthy of him, I will demand her in marriage for him of her father, though I spend on her all that my hand possesseth. So tell me who and what she is and fear nought, for my son is asleep.' Quoth Salih, 'I fear lest he be awake; and the poet says:
I fell in love with him, what time his charms described heard I; For while it chances that the ear doth love before the eye.'
But Julnar said, 'Speak and be brief and fear nothing, O my brother.' So he said, 'O my sister, none is worthy of thy son save the princess Jauhereh, daughter of King Es Semendel, for that she is like unto him in beauty and grace and brightness and perfection; nor is there, in the sea or on the land, a sweeter or pleasanter of parts than she; for she is fair and graceful and shapely, with red cheeks and flower-white brows, teeth like jewels and great black eyes, heavy buttocks and slender waist and a lovely face. When she turns, she shames the wild cattle and the gazelles, and when she walks, the willow branch is jealous of her. When she unveils, her face outshines the sun and the moon and she enslaves all that look on her; and she is sweet-lipped and soft-sided.'
When Julnar heard what Salih said, she answered, 'Thou sayst sooth, O my brother! By Allah, I have seen her many a time and she was my companion, when we were little; but now I have not set eyes on her for eighteen years and we have no knowledge of each other, for constraint of distance. By Allah, none but she is worthy of my son!' Now Bedr heard all they said and fell in love with the princess on report, wherefore fire was kindled in his heart on her account and he was drowned in a sea without shore or bottom. Then said Salih, 'By Allah, O my sister, there is no greater fool among the kings of the sea than her father nor one more violent of temper! So name not thou the girl to thy son, till we demand her in marriage of her father. If he favour us with his assent we will praise God the Most High; and if he refuse to give her to thy son to wife, we will say no more about it and seek another in marriage.' 'It is well judged of thee,' answered Julnar, and they said no more; but Bedr passed the night with a heart on fire with passion for the princess Jauhereh. However, he concealed his case and spoke not of her to his mother or his uncle, albeit he was on coals of fire for love of her.
Next morning, the king and his uncle went to the bath and washed, after which they came forth and drank wine and the servants set food before them, of which they and Julnar ate, till they were satisfied, and washed their hands Then Salih rose and said to his nephew and sister, 'With your leave, I would fain go to my mother [and kindred], for I have been with you some days and they await me and their hearts are troubled concerning me.' But Bedr said to him, 'Abide with us this day;' and he consented. Then said the king, 'Come, O my uncle, let us go forth to the garden.' So they sallied forth to the garden and walked about and took their pleasure awhile, after which Bedr lay down under a shady tree, thinking to rest and sleep; but he called to mind his uncle's description of the princess and her beauty and grace and shed copious tears, reciting the following verses:
If, whilst within mine entrails the fires of hell did stir And flames raged high about me, 'twere spoken in mine ear,
"Which wilt thou have the rather, a draught of water cold Or sight of her thou lovest?" I'd say, "The sight of her."
Then he sighed and wept and lamented, reciting these verses also:
Ah, who shall be my helper in love of a gazelle, Even as the sun in visage, but fairer, sooth to tell?
My heart was free and careless; but now 'tis all on fire With passion for the daughter of King Es Semendel.
When Salih heard what his nephew said, he smote hand upon hand and said, 'There is no god but God! Mohammed is the apostle of God and there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Supreme! O my son, didst thou hear what passed between thy mother and myself respecting the princess Jauhereh?' 'Yes, O my uncle,' answered Bedr. 'And I fell in love with her by report, through what I heard you say. Indeed, my heart cleaves to her and I cannot live without her.' 'O king,' rejoined his uncle, let us return to thy mother and tell her how the case stands and ask her leave that I may take thee with me and seek the princess in marriage of her father; for I fear to take thee without her leave, lest she be wroth with me; and indeed the right would be on her side, for I should be the cause of her separation from thee, even as I was that of her separation from us. Moreover, the [people of the] city would be left without a king and there would be none to govern them and look to their affairs; so should the realm be disordered against thee and the kingship depart from thy hands.' But Bedr said, 'O my uncle, if I return to my mother and consult her, she will not suffer me to do this; wherefore I will not return to her nor consult her, but will go with thee and tell her not and after return.' And he wept before him.
When Salih heard what his nephew said, he was bewildered concerning his case and said, 'I crave help of God the most High in any event.' Then, seeing that Bedr was resolved to go with him, without consulting his mother, he drew from his finger a seal-ring, whereon were graven certain of the names of God the Most High, and gave it to him, saying, 'Put this on thy finger, and thou wilt be safe from drowning and other [the perils of the sea] and from the mischief of its beasts and its great fishes.' So Bedr took the ring and put it on his finger. Then they plunged into the sea and fared on till they came to Salih's palace, where they found Bedr's grandmother, the mother of his mother, seated with her kinsfolk, and going in to them, kissed their hands. When the old queen saw Bedr, she rose to him and embracing him, kissed him between the eyes and said to him, 'A blessed coming, O my son! How didst thou leave thy mother Julnar?' 'She is well in health and fortune,' answered he, 'and salutes thee and her cousins.'
Then Salih told his mother how Bedr had fallen in love with the princess Jauhereh by report and was come, purposing to demand her in marriage of her father; which when the old queen heard, she was exceeding wroth with her son and sore troubled and concerned and said to Salih, 'O my son, of a truth thou didst wrong to name the princess Jauhereh before thy nephew, knowing, as thou dost, that her father is stupid and arrogant, little of wit and exceeding violent of temper, grudging his daughter to these who demand her in marriage; for all the kings of the sea have sought her hand, but he would none of them and rejected them all, saying, "Ye are no match for her in beauty nor grace nor aught else." Wherefore we fear to demand her in marriage of him, lest he reject us, even as he hath rejected others; and we are people of spirit and should return broken-hearted.'
'O my mother,' answered Salih, 'What is to do? For King Bedr says, "Needs must I seek her in marriage of her father, though it cost me my whole kingdom," and avouches that he will die of love and longing for her, if he have her not to wife. Moreover, he is handsomer and goodlier than she; his father was king of all the Persians, whose king he now is, and none but he is worthy of Jauhereh. Wherefore I purpose to carry her father a present of jacinths and jewels, befitting his dignity, and demand her of him in marriage. If he object that he is a king, behold, Bedr also is a king and the son of a king; or, if he object her beauty, behold, Bedr is handsomer than she; or, again, if he object the extent of his dominion, behold, Bedr's dominion is vaster than hers and her father's and he hath greater plenty of troops and guards, for that his kingdom is greater than that of Es Semendel. Needs must I do my endeavour to further the desire of my sister's son, though it cost me my life; because I was the cause of what has happened; and even as I plunged him into the ocean of her love, so will I go about to marry him to her, and may God the Most High help me thereto!' 'Do as thou wilt,' rejoined his mother; 'but beware of giving her father rough words, whenas thou speakest with him; for thou knowest his folly and violence and I fear lest he do thee a mischief, for he knoweth not respect for any.' And Salih answered, 'I hear and obey.'
Then he opened the two bags and displaying their contents before the king, said to him, 'O king of the age, belike thou wilt show favour to me and heal my heart by accepting my present.' Quoth the king, 'With what intent dost thou make me this gift? Tell me thy case and acquaint me with thy need. If it be in my power, I will straightway accomplish it to thee and spare thee toil and trouble; and if I be unable "hereunto, God imposeth not upon a souI aught but that whereto it may avail.' (4) So Salih rose and kissing the earth three times, said, 'O king of the age, thou art indeed able to that which I desire; it is in thy power and thou art master thereof; and I impose not on the king a dilemma, nor am I mad, that I should ask of the king a thing whereto he availeth not; for the sage saith, "If thou wouldst be obeyed, ask that which is possible." Wherefore, that of which I am come in quest, the king (whom God preserve!) is able to grant.' 'Ask what thou wouldst have,' replied the king, 'and expound thy case and seek thy desire.' Then said Salih, 'O king of the age, know that I come as a suitor, seeking the unique pearl and the treasured jewel, the princess Jauhereh, daughter of our lord the king; wherefore, O king", disappoint thou not thy suitor.'
When the king heard this, he laughed till he fell backward, in derision of him, and said, 'O Salih, I had thought thee a man of worth and sense, seeking nought but what was reasonable and speaking not but advisedly. What then hath befallen thy reason and urged thee to this monstrous matter and mighty hazard, that thou seekest in marriage the daughters of kings, lords of cities and countries? Art thou of a rank to aspire to this great eminence and hath thy wit failed thee to this pass that thou affrontest me with this demand?'
'God amend the king!' replied Salih. 'I seek her not for myself (albeit, an I did, I am her match and more than her match, for thou knowest that my father was king of the kings of the sea, for all thou art now our king), but for King Bedr Basim, lord of the lands of the Persians and son of King Shehriman, whose puissance thou knowest. If thou object that thou art a great king, King Bedr is a greater; and if thou object thy daughter's beauty, he is handsomer than she and fairer of form and more excellent of rank and lineage; and he is the champion of the people of his day. Wherefore, O king of the age, if thou grant my request, thou wilt have set the thing in its place; but, if thou deal arrogantly with us, thou wilt not use us justly nor travel the right road with us Moreover, O king, thou knowest that the princess Jauhereh, the daughter of our lord the king, must needs be married, for the sage saith, "Needs must for a girl marriage or the grave." So, if thou mean to marry her, my sister's son is worthier of her than any other man.'
When King Es Semendel heard Salih's words, he was exceeding wroth; his reason fled and his soul was like to depart his body for rage, and he said, 'O dog, shall the like of thee dare to bespeak me thus and name my daughter in the assemblies, (5) saying that the son of thy sister Julnar is a match for her? Who art thou and who are thy sister and her son and who was his father, that thou shouldst dare to say these things to me? What are ye all, in comparison with my daughter, but dogs?' And he cried out to his servants, saying, 'Take yonder good-for-nought's head!' So they drew their swords and fell upon Salih, but he fled and made for the palace gate, where he found more than a thousand horse of his cousins and kinsfolk and servants, armed cap-a-pie in iron and strait-knit coats of mail, with spears and naked swords in their hands, whom his mother had despatched to his succour.
When they saw Salih come running out of the palace, they questioned him and he told them what was to do; whereupon they knew that the king was a violent-tempered fool. So they alighted and drawing their swords, went in to King Es Semendel, whom they found seated upon the throne of his kingship, unaware of their coming and violently enraged against Salih; and they saw his guards and servants and officers unprepared. When the king saw them enter, sword in hand, he cried out to his people, saying, 'Out on you! Take me these dogs' heads!' But, before long, Es Semendel's party were put to the rout and addressed themselves to flight, and Salih and his kinsfolk seized upon the king and bound his hands behind him. When Jauhereh awoke and knew that her father was a captive and his guards slain, she fled forth the palace to a certain island and climbing up into a high tree, hid herself therein.
Now, when the two parties came to blows, some of King Es Semendel's servants fled and Bedr, meeting them, questioned them and they told him what had happened, adding that the king was a prisoner, whereupon Bedr feared for himself and said in his heart, 'Verily, all this turmoil is on my account and none is sought for but I.' So he sought safety in flight, knowing not whither he went; but fate fore-ordained from all eternity drove him to the island where the princess had taken refuge, and he came to the very tree on which she sat and cast himself down, like a dead man, thinking to lie and rest and knowing not that there is no rest for the pursued, for none knoweth what destiny hides for him in the future. As he lay down, he raised his eyes to the tree and they met those of the princess. So he looked at her and seeing her to be like the shining moon, said, 'Glory to Him who created yonder perfect form, Him who is the Creator of all things and Almighty! Glory to the Great God, the Creator, the Shaper and Fashioner! By Allah, except my presentiments deceive me, this is Jauhereh, daughter of King Es Semendel! Methinks that, when she heard of our coming to blows with her father, she fled to this island and hid herself in this tree; but, if this be not the princess herself, it is one yet goodlier than she.'
Then he bethought himself and said, 'I will arise and lay hands on her and question her of her case; and if she be indeed Jauhereh, I will demand her in marriage of herself and so accomplish my desire.' So he stood up and said to her, 'O end of all desire, who art thou and who brought thee hither?' She looked at him and seeing him to be as the full moon, when it breaks from under the black clouds, slender of shape and sweet of smile, answered, saying, 'O fair of fashion, I am the princess Jauhereh, daughter of King Es Semendel, and I took refuge in this place, becanse Salih and his men made war on my father and slew his troops and took him prisoner, with some of his men; wherefore I fled, fearing for m' life, and know not what fortune hath done with my father.'
When Bedr heard this, he marvelled exceedingly at the strange chance and said in himself, 'Doubtless I have come to my desire by the taking of her father.' Then he looked at Jauhereh and said to her, 'Come down, O my lady; for I am one slain for love of thee and thine eyes have captived me. Know that all these broils and troubles are on thine account and mine; for I am Bedr Basim, King of the Persians, and Salih is my uncle, and he it is who came to thy father to demand thee in marriage. As for me, I have left my kingdom for thy sake, and our meeting here is a rare coincidence. So come down to me and let us go to thy father's palace, that I may beseech my uncle Salih to release him and take thee to wife according to the law.' When Jauhereh heard his words, she said in herself, 'It was on this vile wretch's account, then, that all this hath befallen and that my father hath been made a prisoner and his guards and chamberlains slain and I constrained to flee far away from my palace and seek refuge in this island, a miserable exile. But, an I go not about with him, to defend myself against him, he will possess himself of me and take his will of me; for he is in love and a lover is not blamed for aught that he cloth.'
Then she beguiled him with [fair] words and soft speeches, whilst he knew not the perfidy she purposed against him, and said to him, 'O my lord and light of my eyes, art thou indeed King Bedr Basim, son of Queen Julnar?' And he answered, 'Yes, O my lady.' 'May God cut off my father,' rejoined she, 'and make his kingdom to cease from him and heal not his heart neither avert from him strangerhood, if he could desire a comelier than thou or aught goodlier than these fair fashions of shine! By Allah, he is little of wit and judgment! But, O king of the age, be thou not wroth with him for that which he hath done; for, if thou love me a span, verily I love thee a cubit. Indeed, I have fallen into the snare of thy love and am become of the number of those thou hast slain. The love that was with thee hath transferred itself to me and there is left thereof with thee but a tithe of that which is with me.'
So saying, she came down from the tree and strained him to her bosom and fell to kissing him; whereat passion and desire for her waxed on him and he doubted not but she loved him and trusted in her. So he returned her caresses and said to her, 'By Allah, O princess, my uncle Salih set forth to me not a fortieth part of thy charms, no, nor a quarter of a carat (6) thereof!' Jauhereh pressed him to her bosom and pronounced some unintelligible words then spat in his face, saying, 'Quit this shape of a man and take that of a bird, the handsomest of birds, white of plumage, with red bill and feet' Hardly had she spoken, when Bedr found himself transformed into a bird, the handsomest of birds, which shook itself and stood, looking at her.
Now Jauhereh had with her one of her slave-girls, by name Mersineh; so she called her and said to her, 'By Allah, but that I fear for my father, who is his uncle's prisoner, I would kill him! May God not requite him with good! How unlucky was his coming to us; for all this trouble is due to him! But do thou carry him to the Thirsty Island and leave him there to die of thirst.' So Mersineh carried him to the island in question and would have returned and left him there; but she said in herself, 'By Allah, one of such beauty and grace deserveth not to die of thirst!' So she brought him to another island, abounding in trees and fruits and streams, and leaving him there, returned to her mistress and told her that she had set him on the Thirsty Island.
Meanwhile, King Salih sought for Jauhereh, but, finding her not, returned to his palace and said to his mother 'Where is my sister's son, King Bedr?' 'By Allah, O my son,' replied she, 'I know nothing of him! For, when he heard that you and King Es Semendel had come to blows and that strife and slaughter had betided between you, he took fright and fled.' When Salih heard this, he grieved for his nephew and said, 'By Allah, O my mother, we have dealt negligently by King Bedr and I fear lest he perish or lest one of King Es Semendel's soldiers or his daughter Jauhereh fall in with him. So should we come to shame with his mother and no good betide us from her, for that I took him without her leave.' Then he despatched guards and scouts throughout the sea and elsewhere to seek for Bedr; but they could learn nothing of him: so they returned and told King Salih, wherefore grief and concern redoubled on him and his breast was straitened for King Bedr.
Meanwhile, Julnar abode many days in expectation of her son's return; but he came not and she heard no news of him. So, when she was weary of waiting, she arose and going down into the sea, repaired to her mother, who rose to her and embraced her and kissed her, as did her cousins. Then she questioned her mother of King Bedr and she answered, saying, 'O my daughter, he came hither with his uncle, who took jacinths and jewels and carrying them to King Es Semendel, demanded his daughter in marriage for thy son; but he consented not and offended against thy brother in words. Now I had sent Salih nigh upon a thousand horse and there befell strife between him and King Es Semendel; but God aided thy brother against him, and he slew his troops and took himself prisoner. Meanwhile, tidings of this reached thy son, and it would seem as if he feared for himself; wherefore he fled forth from us, without our will, and returned not, nor have we heard any news of him.' Then Julnar enquired for King Salih and his mother said, 'He is seated on the throne of kingship, in the stead of King Es Semendel, and hath sent in all directions to seek thy son and the princess Jauhereh.'
When Julnar heard this, she mourned sore for her son and was sore incensed against her brother Salih for that he had taken him and gone down with him into the sea, without her leave; and she said, 'O my mother, I fear to tarry with thee, lest the state fall into disorder and the kingdom pass from our hands; for I came to thee without letting any know. Wherefore I deem well to return and govern the realm, till it please God to order our son's affair for us. But look ye forget him not neither neglect his case; for, should he come to any harm, it would infallibly be the death of me, since I see the world only in him and delight but in his life.' 'With all my heart, O my daughter,' replied the old queen. 'Ask not what we suffer by reason of his loss and absence.' Then she sent to seek for Bedr, whilst Julnar returned to her kingdom, weeping-eyed and mournful-hearted, and indeed the world was straitened upon her and she was in evil case.
To return to King Bedr. He abode days and nights in the semblance of a bird, in the island where Mersineh had left him, eating of its fruits and drinking of its waters and knowing not whither to go nor how to fly; till, one day, there came a fowler to the island to catch somewhat wherewithal to get his living. He espied King Bedr in his form of a white bird, with red bill and feet, captivating the sight and bewildering the thought [with his beauty], and said in himself, 'Verily, yonder is a handsome bird: never saw I its like in make or beauty.' So he cast his net over Bedr and taking him, carried him to the town to sell him. On his way, one of the townsfolk accosted him and asked the price of the bird. Quoth the fowler 'What wilt thou do with him?' 'I will kill him and eat him, answered the other; whereupon said the fowler 'Who could have the heart to kill this bird and eat him? I mean to present him to the king, who will give me more than thou and will not kill him, but will divert himself by gazing on his beauty and grace, for in all my life, since I have been a fowler, I never saw his like among land or water fowl. The utmost thou wouldst give me for him would be a dirhem, and by the Great God, I will not sell him!'
Then he carried the bird up to the king's palace, and when the latter saw it, its beauty pleased him and the red colour of its feet and beak. So he sent an eunuch to buy it, who accosted the fowler and said to him, 'Wilt thou sell this bird?' 'No,' answered he; 'it is a gift from me to the king.' So the eunuch carried the bird to the king and told him what the man had said, and he took it and gave the fowler ten dinars, whereupon he kissed the earth and went away. Then the eunuch carried the bird to the king's palace and placing him ih a handsome cage, set meat and drink by him and hung him up.
When the king came down [from the throne], he said to the eunuch, 'Where is the bird? Bring it to me, that I may look upon it, for, by Allah, it is handsome!' So the eunuch brought the cage and set it before the king, who looked and seeing the food untouched, said, 'By Allah, I know not what it will eat, that I may feed it!' Then he called for food and they laid the tables and the king ate. When the bird saw the meat and froits and sweetmeats and what not, he ate of all that was before the king, whereat the latter and all the bystanders marvelled and the king said to his attendants, 'In all my life I never saw a bird eat as doth this!' Then he sent an eunuch to fetch his wife, that she might look upon the bird, and he went in to her and said, 'O my lady, the king desireth thy presence, that thou mayst divert thyself with the sight of a bird he hath bought. It is goodly of aspect and is a wonder of the wonders of the age; for, when we set on the food, it flew down from its cage and perching on the table, ate of all that was thereon.'
So she came in haste; but, when she saw the bird, she veiled her face and turned to go away. The king followed her and said to her, 'Why cost thou veil thy face, when there is none in presence save the eunuchs and women that wait on thee and thy husband?' 'O king,' answered she, 'this is no bird, but a man like thyself.' 'Thou liest,' rejoined he. 'This is too much of a jest. How should he be other than a bird?' 'By Allah,' replied she, 'I do not jest with thee nor do I tell thee aught but the truth; for this bird is King Bedr Basim, son of King Shehriman,
lord of the land of the Persians, and his mother is Julnar of the Sea.' And how came he in this shape?' asked the king; and she said, 'The princess Jauhereh, daughter of King Es Semendel, hath enchanted him:' and told him all that had befallen King Bedr from first to last; for this queen was the greatest enchantress of her day.
The king marvelled exceedingly at his wife's words and conjured her, on his life, to free Bedr from his enchantment and not leave him in torment, saying, 'May God the Most High cut off Jauhereh's hand, for a foul witch as she is! How little is her piety and how great her craft and perfidy!' Quoth the queen, 'Do thou say to him, "O Bedr Basim, enter yonder closet!"' So the king bade him enter the closet and he did so.
Then the queen veiled her face and taking in her hand a bowl of water, entered the closet, where she pronounced over the water certain words, that might not be uunderstood, and sprinkling the bird therewith, said to him, 'By the virtue of these mighty names and holy verses and of the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, the Quickener of the dead and Appointer of the means of livelihood and the terms of existence, quit this thy present form and return to that in which God created thee!' Hardly had she made an end of these words, when the bird trembled and became a man; and the king saw before him a handsome youth, than whom there was none goodlier on the face of the earth.
When Bedr found himself thus restored to his own shape, he said, 'There is no god but God and Mohammed is the apostle of God! Glory be to the Creator and Provider of all creatures and the Ordainer of their terms of life!' Then he kissed the king's hand and wished him long life, and the king kissed his hand and said to him, 'O Bedr, tell me thy history from beginning to end.' So he told him his whole story, concealing nought: and the king marvelled thereat and said to him, 'O Bedr, God hath delivered thee from the enchantment: but what hath thy judgment decided and what thinkest thou to do?' 'O king of the age,' answered Bedr, 'I desire of thy bounty that thou equip me a ship with a company of thy servants and all that is needful; for I have been long absent and fear lest the kingdom depart from me. And I misdoubt me my mother is dead of grief for my loss; for she knows not what is come of me nor whether I am alive or dead. Wherefore, I beseech thee, O king, to crown thy favours to me by granting me what I seek.'
The king was moved by Bedr's beauty and sweet speech and said, 'I hear and obey.' So he fitted him out a ship, which he furnished with all that was needful and mamled with a company of his servants; and Bedr set sail in it, after having taken leave of the king". They sailed ten days with a favouring wind; but, on the eleventh day, the sea became exceeding troubled, the ship rose and fell and the sailors availed not to govern her. So they drifted at the mercy of the waves, till the ship drove upon a rock and broke up and all on board were drowned, except Bedr, who got astride one of the planks of the vessel, after having been nigh upon death. The sea and the wind carried the plank along for three days, whilst he knew not whither he went and had no means of directing its motion; till, on the fourth day, the plank grounded with him on the sea-shore in sight of a white city, as it were a passing white dove, goodly of ordinance, with high towers and lofty walls, builded upon a tongue of land that jutted out into the sea and the waves beating against its walls.
When Bedr saw this, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy, for he was well-nigh dead with hunger and thirst, and dismounting from the plank, would have gone up the beach to the city; but there came down to him mules and asses and horses, in number as the sands [of the sea] and fell a-striking at him and hindering him from landing. So he swam round to the back of the city, where he landed and entering the place, found none therein and marvelled at this, saying, 'I wonder to whom does this city belong, wherein is no king nor any inhabitant, and whence came the mules and asses and horses that hindered me from landing?'
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