The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 8 | Page 7

up the contract of marriage between his daughter and Sa'id; after
which they scattered gold and silver and the King bade decorate the
city. So they held high festival and Sayf al-Muluk went in unto Badi'a
al-Jamal and Sa'id went in unto Daulat Khatun on the same night.

Moreover Sayf al-Muluk abode forty days with Badi'a al-Jamal, at the
end of which she said to him, "O King's son, say me, is there left in thy
heart any regret for aught?" And he replied, "Allah forfend! I have
accomplished my quest and there abideth no regret in my heart at all:
but I would fain meet my father and my mother in the land of Egypt
and see if they continue in welfare or not." So she commanded a
company of her slaves to convey them to Egypt, and they carried them
to Cairo, where Sayf al-Muluk and Sa'id foregathered with their parents
and abode with them a week; after which they took leave of them and
returned to Sarandib-city; and from this time forwards, whenever they
longed for their folk, they used to go to them and return. Then Sayf
al-Muluk and Badi'a al-Jamal abode in all solace of life and its joyance
as did Sa'id and Daulat Khatun, till there came to them the Destroyer of
delights and Severer of societies; and they all died good Moslems. So
glory be to the Living One who dieth not, who createth all creatures
and decreeth to them death and who is the First, without beginning, and
the Last, without end! This is all that hath come down to us of the story
of Sayf al-Muluk and Badi'a al-Jamal. And Allah alone wotteth the
truth.[FN#4] But not less excellent than this tale is the History of

HASAN OF BASSORAH.[FN#5]

There was once of days of yore and in ages and times long gone before,
a merchant, who dwelt in the land of Bassorah and who owned two
sons and wealth galore. But in due time Allah, the All-hearing the
All-knowing, decreed that he should be admitted to the mercy of the
Most High; so he died, and his two sons laid him out and buried him,
after which they divided his gardens and estates equally between them
and of his portion each one opened a shop.[FN#6] Presently the elder
son, Hasan hight, a youth of passing beauty and loveliness, symmetry
and perfect grace, betook himself to the company of lewd folk, women
and low boys, frolicking with them in gardens and feasting them with
meat and wine for months together and occupying himself not with his
business like as his father had done, for that he exulted in the
abundance of his good. After some time he had wasted all his ready

money, so he sold all his father's lands and houses and played the
wastrel until there remained in his hand nothing, neither little nor
muchel, nor was one of his comrades left who knew him. He abode
thus anhungred, he and his widowed mother, three days, and on the
fourth day, as he walked along, unknowing whither to wend, there met
him a man of his father's friends, who questioned him of his case. He
told him what had befallen him and the other said, "O my son, I have a
brother who is a goldsmith; an thou wilt, thou shalt be with him and
learn his craft and become skilled therein." Hasan consented and
accompanied him to his brother, to whom he commended him, saying,
"In very sooth this is my son; do thou teach him for my sake." So
Hasan abode with the goldsmith and busied himself with the craft; and
Allah opened to him the door of gain and in due course he set up shop
for himself. One day, as he sat in his booth in the bazar, there came up
to him an Ajamí, a foreigner, a Persian, with a great white beard and a
white turband[FN#7] on his head, having the semblance of a merchant
who, after saluting him, looked at his handiwork and examined it
knowingly. It pleased him and he shook his head, saying, "By Allah,
thou art a cunning goldsmith! What may be thy name?" "Hasan,"
replied the other, shortly.[FN#8] The Persian continued to look at his
wares, whilst Hasan read in an old book[FN#9] he hent in hand and the
folk were taken up with his beauty and loveliness and symmetry and
perfect grace, till the hour of midafternoon prayer, when the shop
became clear of people and the Persian accosted the young man, saying,
"O my son, thou art a comely youth! What book is that? Thou hast no
sire and I have no son, and I know an art, than which there is no
goodlier in the