The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 13 | Page 8

addressed him before them with excellent counsel saying,
"O my son, O Zayn al-Asnam, seeing that I be shotten in years and at
the present time sick of a sickness which haply shall end my days in
this world and which anon shall seat thee in my stead, therefore, I
bequeath unto thee the following charge. Beware, O my son, lest thou
wrong any man, and incline not to cause the poor complain; but do
justice to the injured after the measure of thy might. Furthermore, have
a care lest thou trust to every word spoken to thee by the Great; but
rather lend thou ever an ear unto the voice of the general; for that thy
Grandees will betray thee as they seek only whatso suiteth them, not
that which suiteth thy subjects." A few days after this time the old
Sultan's distemper increased and his lifeterm was fulfilled and he died;
whereupon his son, Zayn al-Asnam, arose and donned mourning-dress
for his father during six days; and on the seventh he went forth to the

Divan and took seat upon the throne of his Sultanate. He also held a
levee wherein were assembled all the defenders of the realm, and the
Ministers and the Lords of the land came forward and condoled with
him for the loss of his parent and wished him all good fortune and gave
him joy of his kingship and dominion and prayed for his endurance in
honour and his permanence in prosperity. --And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, tell us
one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the waking hours of
this our night;" and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath reached me, O King of
the Age, that Zayn al-Asnam seeing himself in this high honour and
opulence[FN#13] and he young in years and void of experience,
straightway inclined unto lavish expenditure and commerce with the
younglings, who were like him and fell to wasting immense wealth
upon his pleasures; and neglected his government, nor paid aught of
regard to his subjects.[FN#14] Thereupon the Queen-mother began to
counsel him, and forbid him from such ill courses, advising him to
abandon his perverse inclinations and apply his mind to rule and
commandment, and to further the policy of his kingdom, lest the lieges
repudiate him and rise up against him and depose him. But he would on
no wise hearken to a single of her words and persisted in his ignorant
folly; whereat the folk murmured, inasmuch as the Lords of the land
had put forth their hands to tyranny and oppression when they saw the
King lacking in regard for his Ryots. And presently the commons rose
up against Zayn al-Asnam and would have dealth harshly with him had
not his mother been a woman of wits and wisdom and contrivance,
dearly loved of the general. So she directed the malcontents aright and
promised them every good: then she summoned her son Zayn al-Asnam
and said to him, "Behold, O my child, that which I foretold for thee, to
wit that thou wastest thy realm and lavishest thy life to boot by
persevering in what ignorance thou art; for that thou hast placed the
governance of thy Kingdom in the hands of inexperienced youth and
hast neglected the elders and hast dissipated thy moneys and the
moneys of the monarchy, and thou hast lavished all thy treasure upon

wilfulness and carnal pleasuring." Zayn al-Asnam, awaking from the
slumber of negligence, forthright accepted his mother's counsel and,
faring forth at once to the Diwan,[FN#15] he entrusted the management
of the monarchy to certain old officers, men of intelligence and
experience. But he acted on this wise only after Bassorah-town was
ruined, inasmuch as he had not turned away from his ignorant folly
before he had wasted and spoiled all the wealth of the Sultanate, and he
had become utterly impoverished. Thereupon the Prince fell to
repenting and regretting that which had been done by him, until the
repose of sleep was destroyed for him and he shunned meat and drink;
nor did this cease until one night of the nights which had sped in such
grief and thoughtfulness and vain regret until dawn drew nigh and his
eyelids closed for a little while. Then an old and venerable Shaykh
appeared to him in a vision[FN#16] and said to him, "O Zayn al-Asnam,
sorrow not; for after sorrow however sore cometh naught but joyance;
and, would'st thou win free of this woe, up and hie thee to Egypt where
thou shalt find hoards of wealth which shall replace whatso thou hast
wasted and will double