"Know you, O Hasib, there was once in the city of Cairo a King of the Banu Isra'il, a wise and a pious, who was bent double by poring over books of learning, and he had a son named Bulúkiyá. When he grew old and weak and was almost death, his Grandees and Officers of state came up to salute him, and he said to them, 'O folk, know that at hand is the hour of my march from this world to the next, and I have no charge to lay on you, save to commend to your care my son Bulukiya.' Then he said, 'I testify that there is no god save the God;' and, heaving one sigh, departed the world the mercy of Allah be upon him! They laid him out and washed him and buried him with a procession of great state. Then they made his son Bulukiya Sultan in his stead; and he ruled the kingdom justly and the people had peace in his time. Now it befell one day that he entered his father's treasuries, to look about him, and coming upon an inner compartment and finding the semblance of a door, opened it and passed in. And lo! he found himself in a little closet, in which stood a column of white marble, on the top of which was a casket of ebony; he opened this also and saw within it another casket of gold, containing a book. He read the book and found in it an account of our lord Mohammed (whom Allah bless and preserve!) and how he should be sent in the latter days and be the lord of the first Prophets and the last. On seeing the personal description Bulukiya's heart was taken with love of him, so he at once assembled all the notables of the Children of Israel, the Cohens or diviners, the scribes and the priests, and acquainted them with the book, reading portions of it to them and, adding, 'O folk needs must I bring my father out of his grave and burn him.' The subjects asked,
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'Why will you burn him?'; and he answered, 'Because he hid this book from me and imparted it not to me. Now the old King had excerpted it from the Torah or Pentateuch and the Books of Abraham; and had set it in one of his treasuries and concealed it from all living. Rejoined they, 'O King, your father is dead; his body is in the dust and his affair is in the hands of his Lord; you will not take him forth of his tomb So he knew that they would not suffer him to do this thing by his sire and leaving them he repaired to his mother, to whom he said, 'O my mother, I have found, in one of my father's treasuries a book containing a description of Mohammed (whom Allah bless and keep!), a prophet who shall be sent in the latter days, and my heart is captivated with love of him. Why am I resolved to wander over the earth, till I foregather with him; else I shall die of longing for his love.' Then he doffed his clothes and donned an Abá gown of goat's hair and coarse sandals, saying, 'O my mother, forget me not in your prayers.'
She wept over him and said, 'What will become of us after you?'; but Bulukiya answered, 'I can endure no longer, and I commit my affair and yours to Allah who is Almighty.' Then he set out on foot Syria wards without the knowledge of any of his folk, and coming to the sea board found a vessel on which he shipped as one of the crew. They sailed till he made an island, where Bulukiya landed with the crew, but straying away from the rest he sat down under a tree and sleep got the better of him. When he awoke, he sought the ship but found that she had set sail without him, and in that island he saw serpents as big as camels and palm trees, which repeated the names of Allah (be He extolled and exalted!) and blessed Mohammed (whom the Lord assain and save!), proclaiming the Unity and glorifying the Glorious; at which he wondered" —
When it was the Four Hundred and Eighty seventh night
Hasib, said, "And what answer did you make him?" She said, "Know, O Hasib, that when I saw Bulukiya, I saluted him with the salam, and he returned my salutation, and I said to him, 'Who and what are you and what is yours errand and from where come you and where go you?' Answered he, 'I am of the Children of Israel, my name is Bulukiya, and I am a wanderer for the love of Mohammed, whose description I have read in the revealed scriptures, and of whom I go in search. But what are you and what are these serpents about you?' I, said, 'O Bulukiya, I am the Queen of the Serpents; and when you will foregather with Mohammed (whom Allah assain and save!) bear him my salutation.' Then Bulukiya took leave of me and journeyed till he came to the Holy City which is Jerusalem. Now there was in that stead a man who was deeply versed in all sciences, more especially in geometry and astronomy and mathematics, as well as in white magic and Spiritualism; and he had studied the Pentateuch and the Evangel and the Psalms and the Books of Abraham. His name was Affan; and he had found in certain of his books, that whoever should wear the seal ring of our lord Solomon, men and Jinn and birds and beasts and all created things would be bound to obey him. Moreover, he had discovered that our lord Solomon had been buried in a coffin which was miraculously transported beyond the Seven Seas to the place of burial;"—
When it was the Four Hundred and Eighty eighth night
When it was the Four Hundred and Eighty ninth night
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(continued the Serpent queen) "I went in quest of my host and found it fallen in piteous case, the stronger of them having grown weak in my absence and the weaker having died. When they saw me, they rejoiced and flocking about me, asked, 'What has befallen you, and where have you been?' So I told them what had passed, after which I gathered my forces together and repaired with them to the mountain Kaf, where I was wont to winter, summer freshing in the place where you now see me, O Hasib Karim al-Din. This, then, is my story and what befell me." Thereupon Hasib marvelled at her words and said to her, "I beseech you, of your favour, bid one of your guards bear me forth to the surface of the earth, that I may go to my people." She replied, "O Hasib, you will not have leave to depart from us till winter come, and needs must you go with us to the Mountain Kaf and solace yourself with the sight of the hills and sands and trees and birds magnifying the One God, the Victorious; and look upon Marids and Ifrits and Jinn, whose number none knows save Almighty Allah."
When Hasib heard this, he was sore chafed and chagrined: then he said to her, "Tell me of Affan and Bulukiya; when they departed from you and went their way, did they cross the Seven Seas and reach the burial place of our lord Solomon or not; and if they did had they power to take the ring or not?" Answered she, "Know, that when they left me, they anointed their feet with the juice; and, walking over the water, fared on from sea to sea, diverting themselves with the wonders of the deep, nor ceased they faring till they had traversed the Seven Seas and came in sight of a mountain, soaring high in air, whose stones were emeralds and whose dust was musk; and in it was a stream of running water. When they made it they rejoiced, saying each to other, 'truly we have won our wish'; and they entered the passes of the mountain and walked on, till they saw from afar a cavern surmounted by a great dome, shining with light. So they made for the cavern, and entering it beheld within it a throne of gold studded with all manner jewels, and about it stools whose number none knows save Allah Almighty.
And they saw lying at full length upon the throne our lord Solomon, clad in robes of green silk inwoven with gold and broidered with jewels and precious minerals: his right hand was passed over his breast and on the middle finger was the seal ring whose lustre outshone that of all other gems in the place. Then Affan taught Bulukiya adjurations and conjurations galore and said to him, 'Repeat these conjurations and do not stop repeating until I take the ring.' Then he went up to the throne; but, as he drew near unto it lo! a mighty serpent came forth from beneath it and cried out at him with so terrible a cry that the whole place trembled and sparks flew from its mouth, saying, 'Begone, or you are a dead man!' But Affan busied himself with his incantations and suffered himself not to be startled by that. Then the serpent blew such a fiery blast at him, that the place was like to be set on fire, and said to him, 'Woe to you! Except you turn back, I will consume you!' Hearing these words Bulukiya left the cave, but Affan, who suffered himself not to be troubled, went up to the Prophet: then he put out his hand to the ring and touched it and strove to draw it off the lord Solomon's finger; and behold, the serpent blew on him once more and he became a heap of ashes. Such was his case; but as regards Bulukiya he fell down in a swoon."—
When it was the Four Hundred and Nineties night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety first night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety second night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety third night
—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety fourth night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety fifth night
Upon this Hasib Karim al-Din after he had marvelled at her story, again besought the Serpent queen saying, "I pray you of your goodness and graciousness command one of your subjects conduct me to the surface of the earth, that I may return to my family;" but she answered, "O Hasib, I know that the first thing you will do after seeing the face of the earth will be to greet your family and then repair to the Hammam bath and bathe; and the moment you endest yours ablutions will see the last of me, for it will be the cause of my death." Hasib, said, "I swear that I will never again enter the Hammam bath so long as I live, but when washing is incumbent on me, I will wash at home." Rejoined the Queen, "I would not trust you though you should swear to me an hundred oaths; for such abstaining is not possible and I know you to be a son of Adam for whom no oath is sacred. Your father Adam made a covenant with Allah the most High; who kneaded the clay whereof He fashioned him forty mornings and made His angels prostrate themselves to him; yet after all his promise did he forget and his oath violate, disobeying the commandment of his Lord."
When Hasib heard this, he held his peace and burst into tears; nor did he leave weeping for the space of ten days, at the end of which time he said to the Queen, "please acquaint me with the rest of Bulukiya's adventures." Accordingly, she began again as follows: "Know, O Hasib, that Bulukiya, after abiding two months with King Barakhiya, farewelled him and fared on over wastes and deserts nights and days, till he came to a high mountain which he ascended. On the summit he beheld seated a great Angel glorifying the names of God and invoking blessings on Mohammed. Before him lay a tablet covered with characters, these white and those black, on which his eyes were fixed, and his two wings were outspread to the full, one to the western and the other to the eastern horizon. Bulukiya approached and saluted the Angel, who returned his salam adding, 'Who are you and from where come you and where go you and what is your story?' Accordingly, he repeated to him his history, from beginning to end, and the Angel marvelled mightily at that, whereupon Bulukiya said to him, "I pray you in return acquaint me with the meaning of this table and what is writ thereon; and what may be yours occupation and your name.' Replied the Angel, 'My name is Michael, and I am charged with the shifts of night and day; and this is my occupation till the Day of Doom.' Bulukiya wondered at his words and at his aspect
The Adventures Of Bulukiya. 323 and the vastness of his stature and, taking leave of him, fared onwards, night and day, till he came to a vast meadow over which he walked observing that it was traversed by seven streams and abounded in trees. He was struck by its beauty and in one corner of it he saw a great tree and under it four Angels. So he drew near to them and found the first in the likeness of a man, the second in the likeness of a wild beast, the third in the likeness of a bird and the fourth in the likeness of a bull, engaged in glorifying Almighty Allah, and saying, 'O my God and my Master and my Lord, I conjure You, by Your truth and by the decree of Your Prophet Mohammed (on whom be blessings and peace!) to vouchsafe Your mercy and grant Your forgiveness to all things created in my likeness; for You over all things art Almighty!' Bulukiya marvelled at what he heard but continued his journey till he came to another mountain and ascending it, found there a great Angel seated on the summit, glorifying God and hallowing Him and invoking blessings on Mohammed (whom Allah assain and save!) and he saw that Angel continually opening and shutting his hands and bending and extending his fingers. He accosted him and saluted him; whereupon the Angel returned his salam and enquired who he was and how he came there.
So Bulukiya acquainted him with his adventures including his having lost the way; and besought him to tell him, in turn, who he was and what was his function and what mountain was that. the Angel, said, 'Know, O Bulukiya, that this is the mountain Kaf, which encompasses the world; and all the countries the Creator has made are in my grasp. When the Almighty is minded to visit any land with earthquake or famine or plenty or slaughter or prosperity, He bids me carry out His commands and I carry them out without stirring from my place; for know you that my hands lay hold upon the roots of the earth,' "—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety sixth night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety seventh night
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety eighth night
Hearing this much Hasib again interrupted the Queen of the Serpents and said to her, "in God's name, O Queen, release me and command one of your servants carry me forth to the surface of the earth, and I will swear an oath to you that I will never enter the Hammam bath as long as I live." But she said, "This is a thing which may not be nor will I believe you upon yours oath." When he heard this, he wept and all the serpents wept on his account and took to interceding for him with their Queen, saying, "We beseech you, bid one of us carry him forth to the surface of the earth, and he will swear you an oath never to enter the bath his life long."
Now when Yamlaykhá (for such was the Queen's name) heard their appeal, she turned to Hasib and made him swear to her an oath; after which she bade a serpent carry him forth to the surface of the earth. The serpent made ready, but as she was about to go away with him, he turned to Queen Yamlaykha and said, "I would glad have you tell me the history of the youth whom Bulukiya saw sitting between two tombs." So she said: "Know, O Hasib, that when Bulukiya sat down by the youth and told him his tale, from beginning to end, in order that the other might also recount his adventures and explain the cause of his sitting between the two tombs"—
When it was the Four Hundred and Ninety ninth night
She said, the Queen continued: "When Bulukiya ended his recount, the youth said, 'How few things of marvel have you seen in your life O unhappy! Now I have looked upon our lord Solomon while he was yet living and I have witnessed wonders beyond compt and conception.' And he began to relate
The Story of Janshah. 329