Chapter 7

Presently, the Sultan's daughter came forth and went round about the city and its thoroughfares and diverted herself by viewing it; then she repaired to the bath and when she came thither, she lifted her face-veil, as she entered; whereupon her face shone out, as it were the resplendent sun or a precious pearl, and she was as saith of her one of her describers:

Who sprinkled the kohl of enchantment upon her eyes And gathered the bloom of the rose from her cheeks, fruit-wise? And who was it let down the curtained night of her hair And eke through its glooms made the light of her forehead rise?

When she raised the veil from her face and Alaeddin saw her, he said, "Verily, her fashion glorifieth the Great Creator and extolled be the perfection of Him who made her and graced her with this beauty and goodliness!" And his back was cloven in sunder, [321] when he saw her; his thought was confounded and his understanding [322] dazed and the love of her gat hold upon his whole heart; so he turned back and returning home, went in to his mother, like one distraught. She bespoke him and he answered her neither yea nor nay; then she brought him the morning-meal, as he abode on this wise, and said to him, "O my son, what hath betided thee? Doth there ail thee aught? Tell me what hath befallen thee, for that, against thy wont, I bespeak thee and thou answerest me not."

Now Alaeddin had been used to think that women were all like his mother and he had heard of the beauty of the Lady Bedrulbudour, daughter of the Sultan, but had not known what beauty and grace were; so he turned to his mother and said to her, "Leave me;" but she was instant with him to come and eat. Accordingly, he came forward and ate a little; then, rising, he threw himself on his bed and lay musing till break of morn; and on this wise he abode all next day. His mother was perplexed at his case, unknowing what had befallen him, and bethought herself that belike he was sick; so she came up to him and questioned him, saying, "O my son, an thou feel aught of pain or otherwhat, tell me, that I may go fetch thee a physician, more by token there is presently in the city a physician from the land of the Arabs, whom the Sultan hath sent to bring hither, and report saith of him that he is exceeding skilful; so [tell me] if thou art sick, that I may go and call him to thee."

When [323] Alaeddin heard his mother offer to fetch him the physician, he said to her, "O my mother, I am well and not sick, but I had thought that women were all like unto thee. However, yesterday, I saw the Lady Bedrulbudour, the Sultan's daughter, as she went to the bath;" and he told her all that had happened to him, adding, "And most like thou heardest the crier proclaiming that none should open his shop nor stand in the road, so the Lady Bedrulbudour might pass to the bath; but I saw her even as she is, for that, when she came to the door of the bath, she lifted her veil, and when I noted her favour and viewed that noble form of hers, there befell me, O my mother, a passion of yearning for love of her and desire of her [324] usurped mine every part; nor can I ever more have ease, except I get her, and I purpose, therefore, to demand her of the Sultan her father in the way of law and righteousness."

When Alaeddin's mother heard her son's speech, she thought little of his wit and said to him, "O my son, the name of God encompass thee! Meseemeth thou hast lost thy wit; return to thy senses, [325] O my son, and be not like the madmen!" "Nay, O my mother," replied he, "I have not lost my wits nor am I mad; and this thy speech shall not change that which is in my mind, nor is rest possible to me except I get the darling of my heart, the lovely Lady Bedrulbudour. And my intent is to demand her of her father the Sultan." So she said to him, "O my son, my life upon thee, speak not thus, lest one hear thee and say of thee that thou art mad. Put away from thee this extravagance: [326] who shall undertake an affair like this and demand it of the Sultan? Meknoweth not how thou wilt do to make this request of the Sultan, and if thou speak sooth, [327] by whom wilt thou make it?" "O my mother," rejoined Alaeddin, "by whom [should I make] a request like this, when thou art at hand, and whom have I trustier [328] than thyself? Wherefore my intent is that thou shalt make this request for me." "O my son," quoth she, "God deliver me from this! What, have I lost my wits like thee? Put away this thought from thy mind and bethink thee who thou art, O my son,--the son of a tailor, the poorest and least of the tailors in this city, and I also am thy mother and my folk are exceeding poor; so how wilt thou dare to demand the Sultan's daughter, whom her father would not vouchsafe to marry with kings' sons and Sultans, except they were his peers in puissance and rank and noblesse; nay, were they one degree less than he, he would not give them his daughter."

Alaeddin [329] waited till his mother had made an end of her speech and said to her, "O my mother, all that thou thinkest I know; marry, I know full well that I am the son of poor folk, nor may all this thy talk anywise avail to move me from my purpose; but I beseech thee, an I be thy very son and thou love me, do me this kindness; else wilt thou lose me, for death hasteneth upon me, an I attain not my wish of the beloved of my heart. In any case, O my mother, I am thy son." When his mother heard his speech, she wept of her concern for him and said to him, "Yes, O my son, I am thy mother and thou art my son and the darling of my heart; [330] I have none other than thee and the extreme of my desire is to rejoice in thee and marry thee. So, an thou wilt, I will seek thee a bride of our own rank. But suppose [I do this], they [331] [will] ask at once an thou have craft or land or trade or garden, so thou mayst live, and what shall I answer them. And if I cannot answer poor folk like ourselves, how, O my son, shall I dare to seek the King's daughter of China, who hath none before him and none after him? Wherefore do thou ponder this matter in thine understanding. And who seeketh her? The son of a tailor. [332] Indeed, I know that, an I speak of this, it will but be for the increase of our ill luck, for that this affair will bring us in great danger with the Sultan and belike there will be death therein for thee and for me. As for me, how can I adventure upon this danger and this effrontery? Moreover, O my son, on what wise shall I demand thee his daughter of the Sultan and how shall I avail to go in to him? Nay, if they question me, what shall I answer them? Most like they will deem me a madwoman. And suppose I gain admission to the presence, what shall I take by way of offering to the Sultan's highness? It [333] is true, O my son, that the Sultan is clement and rejecteth none that cometh to him for protection or craveth a boon of him, for that he is bountiful and beneficent unto all, great and small; [334] but he bestoweth his favours upon those who are deserving thereof or who have done some feat of arms before him or have wrought for the service or defence of the realm; and thou, O my son, tell me, what hast thou done for [335] the Sultan or the realm, that thou shouldst merit of him this boon? Again, this that thou cravest is beyond thy condition; [336] so it cannot be that the king will grant thee that which thou seekest. Moreover, whoso presenteth himself before the Sultan and craveth favours of him, it behoveth him take in his hand somewhat that sorteth with the royal dignity; and as I said to thee, how canst thou presume to present thyself before the Sultan and seek of him his daughter, without aught thou mayst proffer him of that which sorteth with his rank?"

"O my mother," replied Alaeddin, "thou speakest justly and deemest that which is true, [337] and it behoveth me consider all that whereof thou mindest me; but, O my mother, the love of the Sultan's daughter, the Lady Bedrulbudour, hath entered into the innermost of my heart; and there can be no rest for me, except I obtain her. Moreover, thou mindest me of somewhat I had forgotten, and that a thing which emboldeneth me to seek of him his daughter by thee. Thou sayst, O my mother, that I have no gift to present to the Sultan, according to the wont of the folk, whilst in fact I have by me a gift and an offering, the like whereof methinketh no king ever possessed, no, nor aught to match therewith; for [338] thou must know, O my mother, that the fruits, which I brought in the purses [339] from the treasure and which I deemed glass or crystal, are very jewels, methinketh all the kings of the world may not compass the least of them, and I, of my companying with the jewellers, know that they are precious stones. Wherefore, an thou please, have the goodness to rise and bring me such a China dish which we have by us, [340] that I may fill it with these jewels, and thou shalt take it as a present to the Sultan. By this means I am assured that the thing will be easy to thee, and do thou stand before the Sultan and seek of him my desire; but, O my mother, an thou refuse to further me with thine endeavour for the attainment of my wish of the Lady Bedrulbudour, know that I am a dead man. Be not concerned for the gift, for these be exceeding precious jewels, and know, O my mother, that I have gone many a time to the market of the jewellers and have seen them sell jewels, that had not an hundredth part [341] of the beauty of these of ours, at exceeding high prices such as man's wit cannot conceive. When, therefore, I saw this, I said [in myself], 'Verily, the jewels that are with us are exceeding precious.' So now, O my mother, arise, as I bade thee, and fetch me the China dish whereof I bespoke thee, that we may range of these jewels therein and see how they show."

Accordingly, she arose and brought the China dish, saying in herself, "Let us see if my son's speech be true concerning these jewels or not." So she set the dish before Alaeddin and he brought out jewels of all kinds from the purses and proceeded to range them in the dish till he filled it. When it was full, his mother looked at the dish, but could not gaze fixedly thereon, for the radiance of the jewels and their lustre and the excess of their flashing; so she shut her eyes and her wit was confounded at them; yet was she not certified that their value was in very deed so great as her son had said, but bethought her that his speech might be true in that their like was not found with kings. Then Alaeddin turned to her and said, "See, O my mother, this is a magnificent present for the Sultan and I am assured that thou wilt get of him exceeding honour and that he will receive thee with all consideration. And now, O my mother, there remaineth to thee no excuse; so be good enough [342] to take this dish and go with it to the palace."

"O my son," replied she, "true it is that the present is exceedingly costly and precious and as thou sayest, none hath the like thereof; but who shall dare to come forward and seek of the Sultan his daughter Bedrulbudour? Nay, I dare not adventure myself and say to him, 'I want thy daughter,' whenas he asketh me, 'What wouldst thou?' Marry, O my son,, my tongue will be tied. And grant that Allah make [the thing] possible and I take courage and say to him, 'I desire to ally myself to thee by [marrying] thy daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour with my son Alaeddin,' they will straightway deem me mad and will put me out with ignominy and reproach; nay, I need not tell thee that by this I shall fall into danger of death, and not I only, but thou also. Withal, O my son, of regard for thy wish, needs must I take courage and go; but, O my son, if the King receive me and honour me for the gift's sake and I seek of him that which thou wilt in [343] the matter of marrying his daughter and he ask me, after the wont of the folk, what are thy possessions and thy revenues, what shall I say to him? And most like, O my son, he will ask me of this ere he ask me of thyself." And Alaeddin said to her, "Nay, it cannot be that the Sultan will ask this, whenas he seeth the jewels and their magnificence, and it booteth not to think of a thing that will not happen. Do thou but rise and seek me his daughter of him and proffer him these jewels and sit not magnifying the affair in thy thought beforehand. Moreover, O my mother, thou knowest of the lamp which is with me and which presently provideth for our livelihood; [344] nay, all that I seek of it it will bring me, and I trust by its means I shall know how to answer the Sultan, an he ask me of this."

They abode in talk of the matter all that night and when the morning morrowed, Alaeddin's mother arose and fortified her heart, more by token that her son expounded to her somewhat of the properties of the lamp and its uses, in that it would bring them all they sought. But, when he saw that she heartened herself for that which he set forth to her of its virtues, he feared lest she should talk of this to the folk, so he said to her, "O my mother, beware lest thou bespeak any of the lamp and its uses, for that this is our fortune; be careful [345] and exceed not in speech thereof to any one, lest we lose it and lose this our present prosperity, for that it is from it." [346] "Have no fear for that, O my son," answered she and rising, took the dish wherein were the jewels and wrapping it in a fine handkerchief, went forth betimes, so she might reach the Divan and enter, ere it became crowded. When she came to the palace, the Divan was not yet assembled [347] and she saw the Vizier and certain of the chiefs of the state entering the presence-chamber. After a while, the Divan being complete with the Viziers and the chiefs of the state and officers and Amirs and grandees, the Sultan appeared and the Viziers and other the officials and notables ranged themselves before him, whilst he sat down on the throne of his kingship and all who were present in the Divan stood before him, with hands clasped behind them, [348] awaiting his commandment to sit. So he bade them be seated and they all sat down, each in his several room; then the petitioners [349] presented themselves before the Sultan and each affair was decided in its course, [350] till the Divan came to an end, when the King rose and entered the palace and each went his way.

As [351] for Alaeddin's mother, having come before all, she found room to enter, but withal none bespoke her, so he should bring her in before the Sultan; wherefore she ceased not standing till the Divan broke up and the Sultan rose and entered the palace and all went their ways. When she saw the Sultan rise from his throne and enter the harem, she took her way homeward and returning on her steps, entered her house. Alaeddin, seeing her with the dish in her hand, knew that most like some mischance had betided her, but cared not to question her till she entered and setting down the dish, told him what had passed and finally said to him, "God be praised, O my son, I mustered courage to find myself a place in the Divan, albeit I could not win to speak with the Sultan to day; but to-morrow, an it please God the Most High, I will bespeak him. To-day there were many other folk, like myself, unable to get speech of the Sultan; but be easy, O my son; to-morrow I will without fail bespeak him on thy behalf, and what happened not shall happen." When Alaeddin heard his mother's words, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy, albeit, of the excess of his love and longing for the Lady Bedrulbudour, he had looked for the matter to be accomplished then and there; nevertheless, he used patience.

They slept that night and on the morrow Alaeddin's mother arose and went with the dish to the Sultan's Divan, but found it closed; so she asked the folk and they said to her, "The Sultan holdeth a Divan but thrice a week;" wherefore she was compelled [352] to return home. Then she proceeded to go every day, and whenas she found the Divan open, she would stand before the door, [353] till it broke up, when she would return home; and whiles she went and found the Divan closed. [354] On this wise she abode a week's space [355] and the Sultan saw her at each Divan; so, when she went on the last day [of the week] and stood, according to her wont, before the Divan, till it was ended, but could not muster courage to enter [356] or say aught, the Sultan arose and entering the harem, turned to his chief Vizier, who was with him, and said to him, "O Vizier, these six or seven days [357] past I have seen yonder old woman come hither at every Divan and I note that she still carrieth somewhat under her veil. [358] Hast thou any knowledge of her, O Vizier, and knowest thou what is her want?" "O our lord the Sultan," replied the Vizier, "verily women are little of wit; and most like this woman cometh to complain to thee of her husband or one of her folk," The Sultan was not content with the Vizier's reply, but bade him, an she came again to the Divan, bring her before him forthright; [359] whereupon the Vizier laid his hand on his head and answered, "Hearkening and obedience, O our lord the Sultan."

Meanwhile, [360] Alaeddin's mother, albeit she was grown exceeding weary and dejected, yet made light of all weariness, for her son's sake, and continued, as of her wont, to go every court-day and stand in the Divan before the Sultan. [361] Accordingly, one day of the days, she went to the Divan, as of her wont, and stood before the Sultan; and when he saw her, he called his Vizier and said to him, "Yonder is the woman of whom I bespoke thee yesterday; bring her now before me, so I may see what her suit is and accomplish unto her her occasion." So the Vizier arose forthright and let bring Alaeddin's mother in before the Sultan. When she came into the latter's presence, she made her obeisance to him and did him reverence, wishing him glory and continuance and eternity of prosperity and kissing the ground before him. Then said he to her, "O woman, I see thee come every day to the Divan and thou speakest not of aught. Tell me an thou have a want, that I may accomplish it unto thee;" whereupon she kissed the earth a second time and called down blessings upon him, then answered, "Ay, O King of the Age, as thy head liveth, I have indeed a want; but before all things do thou give me thine assurance, [362] so I may make bold to prefer my suit to the hearing of our lord the Sultan, for that belike Thy Grace will find it a strange one."

The Sultan, that he might learn what her suit was and for that he was of his nature exceeding clement, gave her his assurance and bidding all who were with him go out forthright, abode alone [with her], he and the Grand Vizier. Then he turned to her and said, "Tell me thy suit, and the assurance [363] of God the Most High be upon thee." Quoth she, "O King of the Age, I wish thy pardon also." And he said to her, "God pardon thee!" [364] Then said she to him, "O our lord the Sultan, I have a son, whose name is Alaeddin, and one day of the days he heard the crier proclaim that none should open his shop nor show himself in the thoroughfares of the city, [365] for that the Lady Bedrulbudour, the daughter of our lord the Sultan, was going to the bath. When my son heard this, he wished to see her; so he hid himself in a place, whence he might see her well, and this was behind the door of the bath. Accordingly, when she came up, he saw her and viewed her well, beyond his wish; and from that time till now, O King of the Age, life hath not been pleasant to him [366] and he will e'en have me seek her of Thy Grace, [367] so thou mayst marry her with him, and I cannot do away this conceit from his wit, for that the love of her hath gotten possession of his vitals, so that he saith to me, 'Know, O mother mine, that, except I attain my desire, assuredly I am a dead man.' Wherefore I crave Thy Grace's clemency and hope that thou wilt pardon me and my son this effrontery neither be wroth with us therefor."

When the King heard her story, he fell a-laughing, of his clemency, [368] and asked her, "What is that thou hast with thee and what is that bundle?" [369] Whereupon she, seeing that he was not angered at her words, but laughed, opened the handkerchief forthright and proffered him the dish of jewels. When the Sultan saw the jewels (and indeed, whenas she raised the handkerchief from them, the Divan became as it were all illumined with lamp-clusters and candlesticks), he was amazed and confounded at their radiance and fell a-marvelling at their lustre and bigness and beauty; and [370] he said, "Never saw I the like of these jewels for beauty and bigness and perfection, nor methinketh is one of them found in my treasuries." Then he turned to his Vizier and said to him, "How sayst thou, O Vizier? Sawest thou ever in thy life the like of these magnificent jewels?" "Never, O our lord the Sultan," replied the Vizier, "nor, methinketh, is the least of those which be here found in the treasuries of our lord the King." Quoth the Sultan, "Doth not he who giveth me these jewels deserve to be bridegroom to my daughter Bedrulbudour? Marry, by what I see, meseemeth none is worthier of her than he."

When the Vizier heard the Sultan's words, his tongue was tied for despite and he was overcome with exceeding chagrin, forasmuch as the King had promised him that he would marry his daughter to his son; so, after a little, he said to him, "O King of the age, Thy Grace condescended to promise me [371] that the Lady Bedrulbudour should be my son's; wherefore it behoveth thine exalted highness appoint a delay of three months, [372] and God willing, my son's present shall be greater than this." The King, for all he knew that this was a thing whereto the Vizier might not avail, no, nor the greatest King, [373] nevertheless exercised his clemency [374] and granted him the delay he sought; then, turning to the old woman, he said to her, "Go to thy son and tell him I give him [my] word that my daughter shall be in his name; [375] but needs must I take order for her equipment; [376] wherefore it behoveth him grant us a delay of three months."

Alaeddin's mother took the answer and thanked the Sultan and prayed for him, then went forth and fared homeward in haste, flying of her joy, till she came to the house and entered. Her son saw her laughing-faced and foreboded good news; more by token that she returned forthright and tarried not, as on each day past, neither brought back the dish. Accordingly he asked her and said to her, "God willing, O my mother, thou bringest me good news; the jewels and their value have wrought their work and thou wilt have found acceptance with the Sultan; yea, he will have shown thee favour and given ear unto thy suit." So she told him all that had passed and how the Sultan had received her and had marvelled, both he and his Vizier, at the size and beauty of the jewels, and how he had promised her that [quoth she] "his daughter shall be in thy name. But, O my son, ere he promised me, the Vizier whispered [377] him somewhat, whereupon he appointed me for three months hence; and I am fearful lest the Vizier be a man of evil disposition, [378] who will change the King's mind."