TALE OF HIMSELF TOLD BY THE KING607

TALE OF HIMSELF TOLD BY THE KING607

I have a tale, O my lord the Kazi, which bewildereth the wits and it is on this wise. By birth and origin I was the son of a Khwájah, but my father owned much worldly wealth in money and effect and vaiselle and rarities and so forth, besides of landed estates and of fiefs and mortmains a store galore. And every year when the ships of Al-Hind would arrive bringing Indian goods and coffee from Al-Yaman the folk bought thereof one-fourth of the whole and he three-fourths paying in ready cash and hard money.608 So his word was heard and his works were preferred amongst the Traders and the Grandees and the Rulers. Also he had controul609 in counselling the Kings and he was held in awe and obeyed by the merchants, one and all, who consulted him in each and every of their affairs. This endured until one year of the years when suddenly he fell sick and his sickness grew upon him and gained mastery over his frame, so he sent for me, saying, "Bring me my son." Accordingly I went and entered to him and found him changed of condition and nearing his last gasp. But he turned to me and said, "O my son, I charge thee with a charge which do thou not transgress nor contrary me in whatso I shall declare to thee." "What may that be?" asked I, and he answered, "O my son, do thou never make oath in Allah's name, or falsely or truly, even although they fill the world for thee with wealth; but safeguard thy soul in this matter and gainsay it not, nor give ear to aught other." But when it was midnight the Divine Mystery610 left him and he died to the mercy of Allah Almighty; so I buried him, expending much money upon his funeral and graved him in a handsome tomb. He had left to me wealth in abundance such as the pens could not compute, but when a month or so had sped after his decease suddenly came to me a party of folk, each and every claming by way of debt from me and my sire the sum of some five thousand dinars. "Where be your written bond given by my father?" asked I; but they answered, "There be no instrument and if thou believe us not make oath by Allah." Replied I saying, "Never will I swear at all," and paid them whatso they demanded; after which all who feared not the Lord would come to me and say, "We have such-and-such owing to us by thy parent;" and I would pay them off until there remained to me of ready moneys a matter neither great nor small. Hereupon I fell to selling off my landed estates—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was