The Arabian Nights II (49 page)

They said, “Forget her and you'll have twenty like her.”

But I'll never forget her, never her like find.

Then he slipped the paper inside the box and, sealing it, wrote on the lid in Kufie characters, “I am Ni'ma ibn-al-Rabi' of Kufa.” Then he placed the box before the old woman, who took it and, bidding them farewell, went to the caliph's palace.

There, she went to Nu'am and, putting the box before her, said, “O my lady, there has come to our city a Persian physician, and I have never seen one more skillful in medicine. When I showed him the bottle and mentioned your name, he knew your ailment and prescribed the remedy. Then he ordered his son to prepare this medicine for you. There is not in all Damascus a lovelier, more charming, or better dressed young man than this son of his, nor is there a shop like his.” Nu'am took the box, and when she found the names of her master and his father written on the lid, she changed color and said to herself, “Undoubtedly, the owner of this shop has come in search of me.” Then she said to the old woman, “Describe to me this young man.” The old woman replied, “His name is Ni'ma, he is finely dressed, he is perfectly handsome, and he has a mark on his right eyebrow.” Nu'am said, “Give me the medicine, with the blessing and help of the Almighty God.” She took the medicine and swallowed it, laughing, and said, “This is a blessed medicine.” Then she searched in the box, and found the paper. So she opened it and read it, and when she understood its meaning, she was sure that it was written by her master, and she rejoiced and became cheerful. When the old woman saw her laughing, she said to her, “This is a blessed day,” and Nu'am replied, “Yes, stewardess. Now I would like some food and drink.” So the old woman said to the female attendants, “Bring the trays of fine foods to your mistress.” They brought the food, and she sat to eat.

At that moment, Abd-al-Melik-ibn-Marwan came in, and when he looked at Nu'am and saw her sitting and eating, he rejoiced. The stewardess said to him, “O Commander of the Faithful, congratulations for the recovery of your slave. A physician has come to the city and I have never seen one more knowledgeable about ailments and their remedies. I brought her some medicine from him, and she took it only once and recovered, O Commander of the Faithful.” The caliph said to her, “Take a thousand dinars and use it for her complete recovery.” Then he went out, rejoicing at Nu'am's recovery. The old woman went back to the physician's shop with the thousand dinars and gave them to him, telling him that she was a female slave of the caliph and giving him a paper Nu'am had written. The physician took it and
gave it to Ni'ma, who, when he looked at it, recognized the handwriting and fell into a swoon. When he recovered, he opened the paper and found written in it, “From the duped slave-girl who is robbed of her happiness, and separated from the darling of her heart. Your letter has reached me, and it has cheered me and gladdened my heart, as the poet says,

The letter reached me. Long live the fingers

That wrote until it was with perfume fraught.

'Twas as if Moses was to his mother restored,

Or Joseph's coat was to blind Jacob brought.”

When Ni'ma read these verses, his eyes flowed with tears, and the old woman asked him, “Son, why do you weep? May God protect your eyes from tears!” The Persian said, “O my lady, how should he not weep, when she is his slave-girl, and he is her master Ni'ma ibn-al-Rabi' of Kufa? Indeed, her recovery depends on seeing him, for her only ailment is her love for him. Take the thousand dinars for yourself (and you will receive from me more than this), and look on us with compassion, for we have no way to remedy the situation except through you.” The old woman asked Ni'ma, “Are you really her master?” Ni'ma replied, “Yes.” She said, “You are telling the truth, for she never stops mentioning you.” Then Ni'ma related to her what had happened from beginning to end, and the old woman said to him, “Young man, you will be reunited with her through none but me.”

Then she mounted and returned immediately and, going to the girl, looked in her face, laughed, and said, “O my daughter, you are justified in weeping and falling sick on account of your separation from you master Ni'ma ibn-al-Rabi' of Kufa.” Nu'am said, “The veil has been lifted, and the truth has been revealed to you.” The old woman said, “Cheer up and relax, for, by God, I will bring you together, even if it costs me my life.” Then she returned to Ni'ma and said to him, “I went to your slave-girl and found that she longs for you more than you do for her, for the Commander of the Faithful wishes to visit her, but she refuses to receive him. If you have determination and courage, I will take a risk and bring you together, by devising a strategy to get you into the caliph's palace, where you will meet her, for she cannot go out.” Ni'ma said to her, “May God reward you.” Then she bade him good-bye and went to Nu'am and said to her, “Your master is dying of love for you, and he wishes to meet with you. What do you say?” Nu'am replied, “I too am dying of love and wish to meet with him.”

So the old woman put a woman's suit and some ornaments and jewelry in a wrapper and, going to Ni'ma said to him, “Take us to some place where we can be by ourselves.” He took her to a room
behind the shop, where she dressed him like a slave-girl, made up his face, styled his hair, put bracelets on his wrists, and bedecked him with the finest ornaments that girls wear until he looked like one of the maids of Paradise. When she saw how he looked, she exclaimed, “Blessed be God, the best of Creators. By God, you are more beautiful than the girl!” Then she said to him, “Walk with your left shoulder forward, and swing your hips.” He walked in front of her, as she instructed him, and when she saw that he knew how to walk like a woman, she said, “Wait until I return to you tomorrow night and, God the Almighty willing, take you into the palace. When you see the chamberlains and eunuchs, don't be afraid, but bow your head and speak to no one, for I will speak for you, and may God grant us success.”

The following day, the old woman returned to him and took him up to the palace. She entered before him, and he followed her, and the chamberlain was about to prevent him from entering, but the old woman said to him, “O most wretched slave, this is the slave-girl of Nu'am, the caliph's favorite. How dare you prevent her from entering?” Then she said to Ni'ma, “Enter, girl.” Ni'ma walked with her until they came near the door leading to the inner court of the palace. The old woman said to him, “Ni'ma, summon your determination and courage, and enter the court. Turn to the left, count five doors, and enter the sixth, for it is the door of the place prepared for you. Don't be afraid, and if anyone speaks to you, don't answer.” Then she proceeded with him until they came to the doors, where the eunuch assigned to guard them met them and asked her, “Who is this slave-girl?” The old woman replied, “Our mistress wishes to buy her.” The eunuch said, “No one enters without the permission of the Commander of the Faithful. Go back with her, for I will not let her enter. These are my orders.” The old woman said, “O chief chamberlain, use your head. Nu'am is the slave-girl of the caliph, who loves her and who is happy at her recovery, and she wishes to buy this slave-girl. Don't prevent her from entering, lest Nu'am hears about it and gets angry with you and causes your head to be cut off.” Then she said to Ni'ma, “Enter, girl; don't mind the chamberlain, and don't tell your mistress that he tried to prevent you from entering.” Ni'ma bowed his head and entered, but, instead of turning to the left, he turned to the right by mistake, and instead of counting five doors and entering the sixth, he counted six and entered the seventh.

When he was in, he found himself in a place carpeted with brocade and hung with silk curtains embroidered with gold. There were censers of aloewood, ambergris, and pungent musk, and at the upper end was a couch covered with brocade. Ni'ma sat on the couch, thinking about his situation, unaware of what God had destined for him,
when suddenly the caliph's sister entered, followed by her maid. When she saw the young man, she thought that he was a slave-girl and, approaching him, asked, “Who are you, girl, and why are you here?” Ni'ma did not reply, and she said, “If you are one of my brother's favorites, and he is angry with you, I will intercede on your behalf.” But again Ni'ma did not reply. So she said to her maid, “Stand at the door, and don't let anyone enter.” Then she went up to him and gazed on his beauty and said, “Young lady, tell me who you are, what is your name, and why are you here, for I have never seen you in our palace before.” When Ni'ma again did not reply, she got angry and, putting her hand to his chest, found no breasts, and she was about to pull aside his outer garment, in order to find out who he was, but he said to her, “O my lady, I am your slave, and I throw myself at your mercy; buy me and protect me.” She said, “You will not be harmed, but who are you, and who brought you into my chamber?” Ni'ma replied, “O Princess, my name is Ni'ma ibn-al-Rabi' of Kufa, and I have risked my life for my slave-girl Nu'am whom al-Hajjaj took by trickery and sent here.” She said to him again, “You will not be harmed.” Then she called to her maid and said to her, “Go to Nu'am's chamber.”

The old stewardess had gone to Nu'am's chamber and asked her, “Has your master come to you?” Nu'am replied, “No, by God.” She said, “He has probably missed his way and entered another chamber by mistake.” Nu'am exclaimed, “There is no power and no strength save in God the Almighty, the Magnificent! Our appointed hour has come, and we are going to perish.” As they sat pondering, the princess's maid came in and, saluting Nu'am, said to her, “My mistress invites you to her entertainment.” Nu'am replied, “I hear and obey.” The old woman said to Nu'am, “Perhaps you master is with the caliph's sister, and the affair is exposed.” Nu'am rose and went immediately into the caliph's sister, who said to her, “Here is your master, sitting with me. It seems that he entered my chamber by mistake, but God the Almighty willing, no harm will come to either of you.” When Nu'am heard this from the Caliph's sister, her fear subsided, and she advanced to her master Ni'ma, and when he saw her, he got up, and each of them pressed the other to their bosom and fell into a swoon.

When they recovered, the caliph's sister said to them, “Sit here until we find a way out of this predicament.” They replied, “We hear and obey. Our fate is in your hands.” She said, “By God, I have nothing but goodwill toward you.” Then she said to her maid, “Bring the food and the beverage,” and when she did so, they ate until they had their fill. Then they sat to drink, passing the cups around, until they forgot their sorrows. But Ni'ma said, “I wonder what is going to happen
next.” The caliph's sister asked him, “Ni'ma, do you love your slave-girl Nu'am?” He replied, “O my lady, it is my love for her that has driven me to risk my life.” Then she said to Nu'am, “Nu'am, do you love your master Ni'ma?” Nu'am replied, “O my lady, it is my love for him that has made me ill and wasted my body.” The princess said, “By God, you love each other, and may no one separate you. Cheer up and rejoice.” They were happy to hear this, and Nu'am asked for a lute, and when it was brought, she tuned it and sang the following verses to a melody that delighted her audience,

When the traitors labored to part us two,

Although we gave them no cause for foul play,

And on our ears waged war with poisoned darts

And my protectors and aids drove away,

I fought them with your eyes, and with my tears and soul—

With the sword, the torrent, and the fire, aye.

Then she handed the lute to her master Ni'ma and said, “Sing to us,” and he tuned it and sang the following verses to a melody that delighted his audience,

Were it not freckled, the full moon would look like you

And were it not eclipsed, would shine like you the sun.

I wonder, but of wonders love is full,

Passion and joy and sorrows, all in one,

When I go to her, short does seem my way,

But long it seems when I journey away.

When he finished his song, Nu'am filled a cup and gave it to him, and he drank it. Then she filled another and gave it to the caliph's sister, who drank it and, taking the lute, tuned it and sang the following verses,

Passion torments my breast, and in my heart,

Sorrow and grief are dwellers, there to stay.

My wasting body is for all to see,

For racked by love, I pine and waste away.

Then she gave the lute to Ni'ma, who tuned it and sang the following verses,

O you to whom I gave my soul and who

Tormented it, and free it I could not,

Redeem a lover from perdition now,

For this is his last breath and death his certain lot.

They continued to sing and drink to the sweet sound of the strings, full of joy and merriment, when suddenly the Commander of the
Faithful came in. As soon as they saw him, they stood up and kissed the ground before him. When he looked at Nu'am and saw her with the lute in her hand, he said to her, “O Nu'am, praise be to God who has cured you of your affliction and pain.” Then looking toward Ni'ma, who was dressed as described before, he asked, “Sister, who is this girl sitting beside Nu'am?” His sister replied, “O Commander of the Faithful, she is one of your concubines, a close friend of Nu'am who does not eat or drink without her.” Then she recited the poet's saying,

Two opposites met, each with beauty lit,

And beauty shines more brightly 'gainst its opposite.

The caliph said, “By the Great God, she is as beautiful as Nu'am. Tomorrow, I will give her a chamber next to Nu'am's and send her furniture and clothes and everything suitable, in honor of Nu'am.” Then his sister called for food and placed it before her brother, who ate and remained sitting with them. Then he filled a cup and made a sign to Nu'am to sing for him. So she took the lute, after she had drunk two cups, and sang the following verses,