The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 9 | Page 7

bellies showed, and birds sang on boughs aloud and its rills in manifold
runnels flowed. And indeed it was as saith the poet and saith well and
accomplisheth the hearer's desire,
"Rosy red Wady hot with summer-glow, * Where twofold tale of
common growth was piled. In copse we halted wherein bent to us *
Branches, as bendeth nurse o'er weanling-child. And pure cold water
quenching thirst we sipped: * To cup-mate sweeter than old wine and
mild: From every side it shut out sheen of sun * Screen-like, but wooed
the breeze to cool the wild: And pebbles, sweet as maidens deckt and
dight * And soft as threaded pearls, the touch beguiled."
And as saith another,
"And when birdies o'er warble its lakelet, it gars * Longing[FN#7]
lover to seek it where morning glows; For likest to Paradise lie its
banks * With shade and fruitage and fount that flows."
Presently Princess Miriam and Nur al-Din alighted to rest in this
Wady,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninety-first Night,
She said, It hat reached me, O auspicious King, that when Princess
Miriam and Nur al-Din alighted in that valley, they ate of its fruits and

frank of its streams, after turning the stallions loose to pasture: then
they sat talking and recalling their past and all that had befallen them
and complaining one to other of the pangs of parting and of the
hardships suffered for estrangement and love-longing. As they were
thus engaged, behold, there arose in the distance a dust-cloud which
spread till it walled the world, and they heard the neighing of horses
and clank of arms and armour. Now the reason of this was, that after
the Princess had been bestowed in wedlock upon the Wazir who had
gone in to her that night, the King went forth at daybreak, to give the
couple good morrow, taking with him, after the custom of Kings with
their daughters, a gift of silken stuffs and scattering gold and silver
among the eunuchs and tire-women, that they might snatch at and
scramble for it. And he fared on escorted by one of his pages; but when
he came to the new palace, he found the Wazir prostrate on the carpet,
knowing not his head from his heels; so he searched the place right and
left for his daughter, but found her not; whereat he was troubled sore
with concern galore and his wits forlore. Then he bade bring hot water
and virgin vinegar and frankincense[FN#8] and mingling them together,
blew the mixture into the Wazir's nostrils and shook him, whereupon he
cast the Bhang forth of his stomach, as it were a bit of cheese. He
repeated the process, whereupon the Minister came to himself and the
King questioned him of his case and that of his daughter. He replied,
"O mighty King, I have no knowledge of her save that she poured me
out a cup of wine with her own hand; and from that tide to this I have
no recollection of aught nor know I what is come of her." When the
King heard this, the light in his eyes became night, and he drew his
scymitar and smote the Wazir on the head, then the steel came out
gleaming from between his grinder teeth. Then, without an instant
delay, he called the groom sand syces and demanded of them the two
stallions: but they said, "O King, the two steeds were lost in the night
and together with them our chief, the Master of Horse; for, when we
awoke in the morning, we found all the doors wide open." Cried the
King, "By the faith of me and by all wherein my belief is stablished on
certainty, none but my daughter hath taken the steeds, she and the
Moslem captive which used to tend the Church and which took her
aforetime! Indeed I knew him right well and none delivered him from
my hand save this one-eyed Wazir; but now he is requited his deed."

Then the King called his three sons, who were three doughty
champions, each of whom could withstand a thousand horse in the field
of strife and the stead where cut and thrust are rife; and bade them
mount. So they took horse forthwith and the King and the flower of his
knights and nobles and officers mounted with them and followed on the
trail of the fugitives till Miriam saw them, when she mounted her
charger and baldrick'd her blade and took her arms. Then she said to
Nur al-Din, "How is it with thee and how is thy heart for fight and strife
and fray?" Said he, "Verily, my steadfastness in battle-van is as the