Part 105

The sultan did not make them wait long for him; and as soon as he arrived, prince Houssain, as the eldest, took his bow and arrow, and shot first. Prince Ali shot next and much beyond him; and prince Ahmed last of all: but it so happened, that nobody could see where his arrow fell; and notwithstanding all the diligence that was used by himself and every body else, it was not to be found far or near. And though it was believed that he shot the farthest, and that he therefore deserved the princess Nouronnihar, it was however necessary that his arrow should be found, to make the matter more evident and certain; and, notwithstanding his remonstrances, the sultan determined in favour of prince Ali, and gave orders for preparations to be made for the solemnizing of the nuptials, which were celebrated a few days after with great magnificence.

Prince Houssain would not honour the feast with his presence; his passion for the Princess Nouronnihar was so sincere and lively, that he could scarce support with patience the mortification of seeing the princess in the arms of prince Ali, who, he said, did not deserve her better, nor loved her more, than himself. In short, his grief was so violent and insupportable, that he left the court, and renounced all right of succession to the crown, to turn dervise, and put himself under the discipline of a famous scheik, who had gained a reputation for his exemplary life, and had taken up his abode, and that of his disciples, whose number was great, in an agreeable solitude.

Prince Ahmed, urged by the same motive, did not assist at prince Ali and the princess Nouronnihar’s nuptials, any more than his brother Houssain, but did not renounce the world as he had done. But as he could not imagine what could become of his arrow, he stole away from his attendants, and resolved to search after it, that he might not have any thing to reproach himself with. With this intent, he went to the place where the princes Houssain and Ali’s were gathered up, and going straight forward from thence, looked carefully on both sides of him. He went so far, that at last he began to think his labour was in vain; yet he could not help going forwards, till he came to some steep craggy rocks, which would have obliged him to return, had he been ever so desirous to proceed. They were situated in a barren country, about four leagues distant from whence he set out.

When prince Ahmed came nigh to these rocks, he perceived an arrow, which he gathered up, looked earnestly at it, and was in the greatest astonishment to find it was the same he shot. Certainly, said he to himself, neither I, nor any man living, could shoot an arrow so far; and finding it laid flat, not sticking into the ground, he judged that it had rebounded from the rock. There must be some mystery in this, said he to himself again, and it may be to my advantage. Perhaps fortune, to make me amends for depriving me of what I thought the greatest happiness of my life, may have reserved a greater blessing for my comfort.

As these rocks were full of sharp points and indentures between them, the prince, full of these thoughts, entered into one of the cavities, and looking about, cast his eyes on an iron door, which seemed to have no lock. He feared it was fastened: but pushing against it, it opened, and discovered an easy descent, but no steps, which he walked down with his arrow in his hand. At first he thought he was going into a dark place, but presently a quite different light succeeded that which he came out of; and entering into a spacious square, at about fifty or sixty paces distant, he perceived a magnificent palace, the admirable structure of which he had not time to look at: for at the same time, a lady of majestic port and air, and of a beauty to which the richness of her clothes and the jewels which adorned her person, added no advantage, advanced as far as the porch, attended by a troop of ladies, of whom it was difficult to distinguish which was the mistress.

As soon as prince Ahmed perceived the lady, he hastened to pay his respects; and the lady on her part, seeing him coming, prevented him. Addressing her discourse to him first, and raising her voice, she said to him, Come near, prince Ahmed; you are welcome.

It was no small surprise to the prince to hear himself named in a palace he had never heard of, though so nigh to his father’s capital, and he could not comprehend how he should be known to a lady who was a stranger to him. At last he returned the lady’s compliment, by throwing himself at her feet, and rising up again, said to her, Madam, I return you a thousand thanks for the assurance you give me of a welcome to a place where I had reason to believe my imprudent curiosity had made me penetrate too far. But, madam, may I, without being guilty of rudeness, presume to ask you by what adventure you know me? and that you, who live in the same neighbourhood with me, should be so little known by me? Prince, said the lady, let us go into the hall; there I will gratify you in your request more commodiously for us both.

After these words, the lady led prince Ahmed into the hall, the noble structure of which, and the gold and azure which embellished the dome, and the inestimable richness of the furniture, appeared so great a novelty to him, that he could not enough express his admiration, by crying out that he had never in his life beheld any thing like it, and believed that nothing was to be compared to it. I can assure you, replied the lady, that this is but a small part of my palace, and you will say so when you have seen all the apartments. Then she sat down on a sofa; and when the prince at her entreaty had seated himself by her, she said, You are surprised, you say, that I should know you, and not be known by you; but you will be no longer surprised when I inform you who I am. You cannot be ignorant that your religion teaches you to believe that the world is inhabited by genies as well as men: I am the daughter of one of the most powerful and distinguished of these genies, and my name is Pari Banou; therefore you ought not to wonder that I know you, the sultan your father, the princes your brothers, and the princess Nouronnihar. I am no stranger to your loves or your travels, of which I could tell you all the circumstances, since it was I myself who exposed to sale the artificial apple which you bought at Samarcande, the carpet which prince Houssain met with at Bisnagar, and the tube which prince Ali brought from Schiraz. This is sufficient to let you know that I am not unacquainted with any thing that relates to you. The only thing I have to add is, that you seemed to me worthy of a more happy fate than that of possessing the princess Nouronnihar; and that you might attain to it, I was present when you drew your arrow, and foresaw it would not go beyond prince Houssain’s. I took it in the air, and gave it the necessary motion, to strike against the rocks near which you found it. It is in your power to avail yourself of the favourable opportunity which it presents to make you happy.

As the fairy Pari Banou pronounced these last words with a different tone, and looked at the same time tenderly upon prince Ahmed, with downcast eyes and a modest blush on her cheeks, it was not difficult for the prince to comprehend what happiness she meant. He presently considered that the princess Nouronnihar could never be his, and that the fairy Pari Banou excelled her infinitely in beauty, attractions, agreeableness, transcendant wit, and, as far as he could conjecture by the magnificence of the palace where she resided, in immense riches. He blessed the moment that he thought of seeking after his arrow a second time, and yielding to his inclination, which drew him towards the new object which had fired his heart, Madam, replied he, should I, all my life, have had the happiness of being your slave, and the admirer of the many charms which ravish my soul, I should think myself the happiest of men. Pardon me the boldness which inspires me to ask this favour, and do not refuse to admit into your court a prince who is entirely devoted to you.

Prince, answered the fairy, as I have been a long time my own mistress, and have no dependence on my parents’ consent, it is not as a slave that I would admit you into my court, but as master of my person, and all that belongs to me, by pledging your faith to me, and taking me to be your wife. I hope you will not take it amiss that I anticipate you in making this proposal. I am, as I said, mistress of my will; and must add, that the same customs are not observed among fairies as among other ladies, in whom it would not have been decent to have made such advances: but it is what we do, and we suppose we confer obligation by it.

Prince Ahmed made no answer to this discourse, but was so penetrated with gratitude, that he thought he could not express it better than by coming to kiss the hem of her garment; which she would not give him time to do, but presented her hand, which he kissed a thousand times, and kept fast locked in his. Well, prince Ahmed, said she, will you not pledge your faith to me, as I do mine to you? Yes, madam, replied the prince, in an ecstasy of joy, what can I do better, and with greater pleasure? Yes, my sultaness, my queen, I will give it you with my heart, without the least reserve. Then, answered the fairy, you are my husband, and I am your wife. Our marriages are contracted with no other ceremonies, and yet are more firm and indissoluble than those among men with all their formalities. But as I suppose, pursued she, that you have eaten nothing to-day, a slight repast shall be served up for you while preparations are making for our nuptial feast this evening, and then I will show you the apartments of my palace, and you shall judge if this hall is not the smallest part of it.

Some of the fairy’s women who came into the hall with them, and guessed her intentions, went immediately out, and returned presently with some excellent meats and wines.

When prince Ahmed had eaten and drank as much as he cared for, the fairy Pari Banou carried him through all the apartments, where he saw diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and all sorts of fine jewels, intermixed with pearls, agate, jasper, porphyry, and all kinds of the most precious marbles; not to mention the richness of the furniture, which was inestimable; the whole disposed with such profusion, that the prince, instead of ever having seen any thing like it, acknowledged that there could not be any thing in the world that could come up to it. Prince, said the fairy, if you admire my palace so much, which is indeed very beautiful, what would you say to the palaces of the chief of our genies, which are much more beautiful, spacious, and magnificent? I could also charm you with my garden; but we will leave that till another time. Night draws near, and it will be time to go to supper.

The next hall which the fairy led the prince into, and where the cloth was laid for the feast, was the only apartment the prince had not seen, and it was not in the least inferior to the others. At his entrance into it, he admired the infinite number of wax candles perfumed with amber, the multitude of which, instead of being confused, were placed with so just symmetry, as formed an agreeable and pleasant sight. A large beaufet was set out with all sorts of gold plate, so finely wrought, that the workmanship was much more valuable than the weight of the gold. Several chorusses of beautiful women richly dressed, and whose voices were ravishing, began a concert, accompanied with all kinds of the most harmonious instruments he had ever heard. When they were set down to table, the fairy Pari Banou took care to help prince Ahmed to the most delicious meats, which she named as she invited him to eat of them, and which the prince had never heard of, but found so exquisite and nice, that he commended them in the highest terms, crying, that the entertainment which she gave him far surpassed those among men. He found also the same excellence in the wines, which neither he nor the fairy tasted of till the dessert was served up, which consisted of the choicest sweetmeats and fruits.

After the dessert, the fairy Pari Banou and prince Ahmed rose from the table, which was immediately carried away, and sat on a sofa, at their ease, with cushions of fine silk, curiously embroidered with all sorts of large flowers, laid at their backs. Presently after a great number of genies and fairies danced before them to the door of the chamber where the nuptial bed was made; and when they came there, they divided themselves into two rows, to let them pass, and after that retired, leaving them to go to bed.

The nuptial feast was continued the next day; or rather the days following the celebration were a continual feast, which the fairy Pari Banou, who could do it with the utmost ease, knew how to diversify, by new dishes, new meats, new concerts, new dances, new shows, and new diversions; which were all so extraordinary, that prince Ahmed, if he had lived a thousand years among men, could not have imagined.

The fairy’s intention was not only to give the prince essential proofs of the sincerity of her love, and the violence of her passion, by so many ways; but to let him see, that as he had no pretensions at his father’s court, he could meet with nothing comparable to the happiness he enjoyed with her, independent of her beauty and her charms, and to attach him entirely to herself, that he might never leave her. In this scheme she succeeded so well, that prince Ahmed’s passion was not in the least diminished by possession; but increased so much, that if he had been so inclined, it was not in his power to forbear loving her.

At the end of six months prince Ahmed, who always loved and honoured the sultan his father, conceived a great desire to know how he did; and as that desire could not be satisfied without his absenting himself to go and hear it in person, he mentioned it to the fairy, and desired she would give him leave.

This discourse alarmed the fairy, and made her fear it was only an excuse to leave her. She said to him, What disgust can I have given you to oblige you to ask me this leave? Is it possible you should have forgotten that you have pledged your faith to me, and that you no longer love one who is so passionately fond of you? Are not the proofs I have repeatedly given you of my affection sufficient?

My queen, replied the prince, I am perfectly convinced of your love, and should be unworthy of it, if I did not testify my gratitude by a reciprocal love. If you are offended at the leave I asked, I entreat you to forgive me, and I will make all the reparation I am capable of. I did not do it with any intention of displeasing you, but from a motive of respect towards my father, whom I wish to free from the affliction my so long absence must have overwhelmed him in; which must be the greater, as I have reason to presume he believes that I am dead. But since you do not consent that I should go and afford him that comfort, I will do what you will, and there is nothing in the world that I am not ready to do to please you.

Prince Ahmed, who did not dissemble, and loved her in his heart as much as he had assured her by these words, no longer insisted on the leave he had asked; and the fairy expressed her satisfaction thereat. But as he could not absolutely abandon the design he had formed to himself, he frequently took an opportunity to speak to her of the great qualifications of the sultan his father; and above all, of his particular tenderness towards him, in hopes he might at length be able to move her.

As prince Ahmed supposed, the sultan of the Indies, in the midst of the rejoicings on account of prince Ali’s and princess Nouronnihar’s nuptials, was sensibly afflicted at the absence of the other two princes his sons, though it was not long before he was informed of the resolution prince Houssain had taken to forsake the world, and the place he had made choice of for his retreat. As a good father, whose happiness consists in seeing his children about him, especially when they are deserving of his tenderness, he would have been better pleased had he stayed at his court, about his person; but as he could not disapprove of his choice of the state of perfection in which he had engaged, he supported his absence more patiently. He made the most diligent search after prince Ahmed, and despatched couriers to all the provinces of his dominions, with orders to the governors to stop him, and oblige him to return to court; but all the pains he took had not the desired success, and his trouble, instead of diminishing, increased. He would often talk with his grand vizier about it; and say to him, Vizier, thou knowest I always loved Ahmed the best of all my sons; and thou art not insensible of the means I have used to find him out, without success. My grief is so lively, I shall sink under it, if thou hast not compassion on me; if thou hast any regard for the preservation of my life, I conjure thee to assist and advise me.

The grand vizier, no less attached to the person of the sultan, than zealous to acquit himself well of the administration of the affairs of state, considering how to give his sovereign some ease, bethought himself of a sorceress, of whom he had heard wonders, and proposed to send for her to consult her. The sultan consented, and the grand vizier, after he had sent for her, introduced her to him himself.

The sultan said to the magician, The affliction I have been in since the marriage of my son prince Ali to the princess Nouronnihar, my niece, on account of the absence of prince Ahmed, is so well known, and so public, that undoubtedly thou canst be no stranger to it. By thy art and skill canst thou tell me what is become of him? If he is alive, where he is? What he is doing, and if I may hope ever to see him again? To this the sorceress made answer, It is impossible, sir, for me, though ever so skilful in my profession, to answer immediately the questions your majesty asks me; but if you allow till to-morrow, I will give an answer. The sultan granted her the time, and sent her away, with a promise to recompense her well, if her answer proved according to his desire.

The magician returned the next day, and the grand vizier presented her a second time to the sultan. Sir, said she, notwithstanding all the diligence I have used in applying the rules of my art, to obey your majesty in what you desire to know, I have not been able to discover any thing more than that prince Ahmed is alive. This is very certain, and you may depend on it; but as to the place where he is I cannot find it out.

The sultan of the Indies was obliged to be satisfied with this answer; which left him in the same uneasiness as before as to the prince’s fate.

To return to prince Ahmed. He so often entertained the fairy Pari Banou with talking about the sultan his father, without speaking any more of his desire to see him, that she fully comprehended what he meant; and perceiving this restraint he put upon himself, and his fear of displeasing her after her first refusal, she first inferred that his love for her was, by the repeated proofs he had given her, sincere; and then judging by herself the injustice she was guilty of in opposing a son’s tenderness for his father, and endeavouring to make him renounce that natural inclination, she resolved to grant him the leave which she saw he always so ardently desired. One day she said to him, Prince, the leave you have asked me to go and see the sultan your father, gave me a just fear that it was only a pretext to show your inconstancy, and to leave me, and that was the sole motive for my refusing you; but now I am so fully convinced by your actions and words, that I can depend on your constancy, and the steadiness of your love. I change my resolution, and grant you that leave, upon condition that you will swear to me first, that your absence shall not be long. You ought not to be concerned at this condition, as if I asked it out of distrust. I do it only because I know that it will give you no uneasiness, convinced as I am, as I have already told you, of the sincerity of your love.

Prince Ahmed would have thrown himself at the fairy’s feet, to show his gratitude, but she prevented him. My sultaness, said he, I am sensible of the great favour you grant me, but want words to return the thanks I wish. Supply this defect, I conjure you, and whatever you can suggest to yourself, be persuaded I think much more. You may believe that the oath will give me no uneasiness, and I take it more willingly, since it is not possible for me to live without you. I go, but the haste I shall make to return shall show you, that it is not for fear of being foresworn, but that I follow my inclination, which is to live with you for ever; and if I am absent some time with your consent, I shall always avoid the trouble a too long absence will create me.

Pari Banou was the more charmed with these sentiments of prince Ahmed, because they removed the suspicions she had entertained of him, fearing that his earnest desire to go to see the sultan his father was only a pretext to break his faith with her. --Prince, said she, go when you please; but first do not take it amiss that I give you some advice how you shall behave yourself where you are going. First, I do not think it proper for you to tell the sultan your father of our marriage, nor of my quality, nor the place where you are settled. Beg of him to be satisfied with knowing you are happy, and that you desire no more; and let him know that the sole end of your visit is to make him easy about your fate.

She appointed twenty horsemen, well mounted and equipped, to attend him. --When all was ready, prince Ahmed took his leave of the fairy, embraced her, and renewed his promise to return soon. Then his horse, which was most finely caparisoned, and was as beautiful a creature as any in the sultan of the Indies’ stables, was brought to him, and he mounted him with an extraordinary grace, with great pleasure to the fairy; and after he had bid her adieu, set forward on his journey.

As it was not a great way to his father’s capital, prince Ahmed soon arrived there. The people, glad to see him again, received him with acclamations of joy, and followed him in crowds to the sultan’s apartment. --The sultan received and embraced him with great joy; complaining at the same time, with a fatherly tenderness, of the affliction his long absence had been to him, which he said was the more grievous, for that fortune having decided in favour of prince Ali his brother, he was afraid he might have committed some act of despair.