The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume III by Anonymous

Author:Anonymous [Anonymous]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Unread
Publisher: Project Gutenberg
Published: 2005-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Women are very devils, made to work us dole and death; Refuge I seek with God Most High from all their craft and scaith. Prime source are they of all the ills that fall upon mankind, Both in the fortunes of this world and matters of the faith.

'We desire of thee nought but this,' continued Amjed, 'except that thou have patience with us, whilst I repeat other two lines to my brother.' Then he wept sore and recited the following verses:

Examples many, thou and I, We have in kings of days gone by, How many, alack, have trod this road, Of great and small and low and high!

At this the treasurer wept, till his beard was wet, whilst Asaad's eyes filled with tears and he in turn repeated these verses:

Fate, when the thing itself is past, afflicteth with the trace, And weeping is not, of a truth, for body or form or face.[FN#60] What ails the nights?[FN#61] May God blot out our error from the nights And may the hand of change bewray and bring them to disgrace! They wreaked their malice to the full on Ibn ez Zubeir[FN#62] erst, And on the House and Sacred Stone[FN#63] his safeguard did embrace. Would God, since Kharijeh[FN#64] they took for Amrou's sacrifice, They'd ransomed Ali with whome'er they would of all our race!

Then, with cheeks stained with thick-coming tears, he recited these also:

The days and nights are fashioned for treachery and despite; Yea, they are full of perfidy and knavish craft and sleight. The mirage is their lustre of teeth, and to their eyes The horror of all darkness the kohl that keeps them bright. My crime against them (hateful their nature is!) is but The sword's crime, when the sworder sets on into the fight.

Then he sobbed and said:

O thou that seeketh the worthless world, give ear to me and know The very net of ruin it is and quarry of dole and woe; A stead, whom it maketh laugh to-day, to-morrow it maketh weep: Out on it then for a dwelling-place, since it is even so! Its raids and its onsets are never done, nor can its bondsman win To free himself from its iron clutch by dint of stress and throe. How many an one in its vanities hath gloried and taken pride, Till froward and arrogant thus he grew and did all bounds o'ergo! Then did she[FN#65] turn him the buckler's back and give him to drink therein Full measure and set her to take her wreak of the favours she did show. For know that her blows fall sudden and swift and unawares, though long The time of forbearance be and halt the coming of fate and slow. So look to thyself, lest life in the world pass idle and profitless by, And see that thou fail not of taking thought to the end of all below. Cast loose from the chains of the love and the wish of the world and thou shalt find Guidance and help unto righteousness and peace of heart, I trow.

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