The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 13 | Page 9

it more than twofold." Now when the Prince
was aroused from his sleep he recounted to his mother all he had seen
in his dream; but his parent began to laugh at him, and he said to her,
"Mock me not: there is no help but that I wend Egypt-wards." Rejoined
she, "O my son, believe not in swevens which be mere imbroglios of
sleep and lying phantasies;" and retorted saying, "In very sooth my
vision is true and the man whom I saw therein is of the Saints of Allah
and his words are veridical." Then on a night of the nights mounting
horse alone and privily, he abandoned his Kingdom; and took the
highway to Egypt; and he rode day and night until he reached
Cairo-city. He entered it and saw it to be a mighty fine capital; then,
tethering his steed he found shelter in one of its Cathedral-mosques,
and he worn out by weariness; however, when he had rested a little he
fared forth and bought himself somewhat of food. After eating, his
excessive fatigue caused him fall asleep in the mosque; nor had he slept
long ere the Shaykh[FN#17] appeared to him a second time in vision
and said to him, "O Zayn al-Asnam,"--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety-ninth 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 the Shaykh again appeared to the Prince in a vision and
said to him, "O Zayn al-Asnam, though hast obeyed me in whatso I
bade thee and I only made trial of thee to test an thou be valiant or a
craven. But now I wot thy worth, inasmuch as thou hast accepted my
words and thou hast acted upon my advice: so do thou return
straightway to thy capital and I will make thee a wealthy ruler, such an
one that neither before thee was any king like unto thee nor shall any
like unto thee come after thee." Hereat Zayn al-Asnam awoke and cried
"Bismillah,--in the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the
Compassionate--what be this Shaykh who verily persecuted me until I
travelled to Cairo; and I having faith in him and holding that he was
either the Apostle (whom Allah save and assain!) or one of the
righteous Hallows of God; and there is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! By the Lord, but I did
right well in not relating my dream to any save to my mother, and in
warning none of my departure. I had full faith in this oldster; but now,
meseemeth, the man is not of those who know the Truth (be He
extolled and exalted!); so by Allah I will cast off all confidence in this
Shaykh and his doings." With this resolve the Prince slept that night in
the Mosque and on the morrow took horse and after a few days of
strenuous travel arrived at his capital Bassorah. Herein he entered by
night, and forthright went in to his mother who asked him, "Say me,
hast thou won aught of whatso the Shaykh promised thee?" and he
answered her by acquainting her with all his adventure. Then she
applied her to consoling and comforting him, saying, "Grieve not, O
my son; if Almighty Allah have apportioned unto thee aught thou shalt
obtain it without toil and travail.[FN#18] But I would see thee wax
sensible and wise, abandoning all these courses which have landed thee
in poverty, O my son; and shunning songstresses and commune with
the inexperienced and the society of loose livers, male and female. All
such pleasures as these are for the sons of the ne'er-do-well, not for the
scions of the Kings thy peers." Herewith Zayn al-Asnam sware an oath
to bear in mind all she might say to him, never to gainsay her
commandments, nor deviate from them a single hair's breadth; to

abandon all she should forbid him, and to fix his thoughts upon rule
and goverance. Then he addrest himself to sleep, and as he slumbered,
the Shaykh appeared to him a third time in vision, and said, "O Zayn
al-Asnam, O thou valorous Prince; this very day, as soon as thou shalt
have shaken off thy drowsiness, I will fulfil my covenant with thee. So
take with thee a pickaxe, and hie to such a palace of thy sire, and turn
up the ground, searching it well in such a place where thou wilt find
that which shall enrich thee."