' 
 
 K 
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GIFT OF 
 
 70 
 

THE STORY OF JEW AD 
 
THE 
 
 STORY OF JEWAD 
 
 A ROMANCE 
 
 BY 
 
 'AH 'Aziz Efendi 
 the Cretan 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE TURKISH 
 
 BY 
 
 
 
 E. J. W. GIBB, M.R.A.S. 
 
 MEMBRE DE LA SOCIETE ASIATIQUE DE PARIS; AUTHOR OF 
 Ottoman Poems, ETC. 
 
 GLASGOW 
 WILSON & McCORMICK, SAINT VINCENT STREET 
 
 1884 
 
CARPENTIKW 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Preface vii 
 
 The Story of Jewad .... i 
 
 The Story of Ebu-'Ali Sma . . 18 
 
 The Story of Jewad Continued . . 30 
 
 The Story of Monla Emm . . 36 
 
 The Story of Jewad Continued . . 53 
 
 The Story of Ferah-Naz, the daughter 
 
 of the King of China . . 75" 
 
 The Story of Khoja 'Abdu-'llah . 81 
 
 The Story of Ferah-Naz Continued 128 
 
 The Story of Jewad Continued . . 129 
 The Story told by Jewad to Iklilu-'l- 
 
 Mulk 141 
 
 The Story of Shabur and Huma . 145 
 
 The Story told by Jewad Continued 159 
 
 The Story of Ghazanfer and Rahila 1 68 
 
 The Story told by Jewad Concluded 183 
 
 The Story of Jewad Continued . . 184 
 
 The Story of Qara Khan . . 223 
 
 The Story of Jewad Concluded . . 232 
 
 588743 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 PREFIXED to the little volume from which 
 the following tale has been extracted, is a 
 short notice to the effect that on the back of 
 the manuscript from which the book was 
 printed, were a few lines stating that 'All 
 'Aziz Efendi of Crete completed his Mu- 
 khayyalat-i Ledun-i Ilahi in the year of the 
 Hijra 1211 (A.D. 1796-7), that he died two 
 years later in 1213 (1798-9), while on a 
 diplomatic mission in Prussia, that he was 
 eminent in mysticism, philosophy, and all 
 the sciences, that he compiled several treatises 
 'on these, containing likewise the convincing 
 solutions he afforded to the difficult questions 
 propounded by European savants ; but that 
 his heirs, ignorant of the value of his writings, 
 destroyed all save a few which fell into the 
 hands of certain of his friends who could 
 
viii. PREFACE. 
 
 appreciate their worth, and who in conse- 
 quence gave them to the world. 
 
 The volume entitled Mukhayyalat-i Ledun-i 
 Ilahi, a name which may be rendered by 
 ' Phantasms from the Divine Presence,' con- 
 sists of three distinct stories, each styled a 
 Mukhayyal or ' Phantasm.' All three have 
 several secondary tales, as is the case in so 
 many Eastern works of fiction. The first 
 Mukhayyal consists for the most part of a 
 series of incidents taken from various roman- 
 ces in The Thousand and One Nights, and 
 woven together into a connected whole. 
 There is little alteration in the tales as here 
 presented, save in the proper names. The 
 second and longest Mukhayyal is the story 
 of Jewad. The third, a very good story, 
 contains the wonderful adventures of an 
 Egyptian prince called Najl-bi-'llah and his 
 son Dil-i Agah. 
 
 The collection seems to have been made 
 with the view of exalting the Occult Sciences 
 as practised by the Dervishes. Jn the first 
 tale Prince Asil, by virtue of a talisman, be- 
 
PREFACE. ix. 
 
 comes King of the Jinn ; in the second, 
 the youthful Jewad, a professed magician, is 
 shown forth as the possessor of every virtue ; 
 and in the third, a learned and pious Sheykh 
 causes Prince Dil-i Agah, while in a trance 
 of brief duration, to experience all the 
 vicissitudes of fortune, and to come through 
 a number of marvellous adventures which 
 appear to last over a long period. 
 
 I have chosen for translation the Story of 
 Jewad, not only because it is in itself the 
 most interesting of the three, but because it 
 shows the most clearly in what light the 
 Occult Sciences and their practitioners used 
 to be regarded in Turkey. It further con- 
 tains more details concerning magic cere- 
 monies and Oriental spiritualism than either 
 of the others. An additional interest is 
 imparted to the tale by the fact that at least 
 a portion of it, that describing the hero's 
 doings in Constantinople, gives (the magic 
 apart) a good idea of a section of life in the 
 Ottoman capital about the close of last cen- 
 tury. The naivett with which Jewad, who, 
 
x. PREFACE. 
 
 as already said, is a model of all the virtues, 
 directs his friend Ibrahim Chelebi to out- 
 bribe the other competitors for the Collector- 
 ship of Aleppo, bears striking witness to the 
 state of official corruption by which the 
 Empire was undermined before the days of 
 the modern reforms. 
 
 Seeing that the first Mukhayyal is made 
 up of adaptations from The Thousand and 
 One Nights, it is not improbable that the 
 plots of the several stories of the second and 
 third may in like manner be borrowed from 
 some other Arabic or Persian collection. 
 However, those here presented will, I think, 
 in any case be new to most readers, as they 
 are to myself. The only incidents I recollect 
 having met with elsewhere are the dream of 
 Ferah-Naz, and the voyage of Qara Khan. 
 Of these, the first is practically identical with 
 the Lady Dunya's dream in The Thousand 
 and One Nights story of Taju-'l-Muluk, 
 while the second bears some resemblance to 
 the opening part of the adventures of the 
 Third Qalender. 
 
PREFACE. xi. 
 
 In the translation (which I have made as 
 literal as possible) I have adopted, in part, 
 at least, a rather antiquated style as being 
 more suited to represent that of the original ; 
 for although the work was written so late as 
 the end of last century it was too early to 
 come under the influence of the great and 
 striking change which has for some years 
 been revolutionising the whole spirit and 
 form of Ottoman literature.* Taking for 
 models the writers of France, as their pre- 
 decessors took those of Persia, the Turkish 
 authors of to-day have elaborated a style 
 utterly unlike anything to be found in the 
 older literature, which had remained com- 
 paratively little altered from the fourteenth 
 century till the time of the great literary re- 
 former, Shinasi Efendi, who died in 1871. 
 This new style, which is much truer and 
 simpler than the ornate and frequently far- 
 
 * In accordance with the system adopted in my Ottoman 
 Poems, all the phrases which in the original occur in Arabic 
 are printed in italics in the translation. 
 
xii. PREFACE. 
 
 fetched and obscure bombast which passed 
 for fine writing in the olden time, seems to be 
 altogether better suited to the Ottoman genius; 
 at least if we may judge from the remark- 
 able group of brilliant writers who have 
 arisen in Turkey since its introduction. Of 
 these it will be sufficient to mention Munlf 
 Pasha, the statesman and scholar ; Ekrem 
 Bey, the poet and Professor of Literature at 
 the Civil College; <Abdu-'l-Haqq Hamid 
 Bey, the dramatist ; and finally, Kemal Bey, 
 who is acknowledged, by general consent, to 
 be the greatest author of modern Turkey. 
 
 It may perhaps be as well to state that the 
 following words, which in the translation 
 appear in conjunction with proper names, 
 are not in themselves names, but titles : 
 Shah, Khan, Khoja, Chelebi, Monla, Agha, 
 Efendi, Khanim, Chawush, Baba, Sheykh, 
 Emir. Of these, Shah and Khan are royal 
 styles (the one Persian, the other Tartar,) 
 and mean 'King'; Khanim is 'Lady'; Baba, 
 'Father,' is given to dervishes. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 In the Name of God, the Merciful, the 
 Compassionate. 
 
 THERE was in Athens, the city of the sages, 
 a prosperous merchant, Lebib by name, who, 
 in the port of the trade of fortune, was en- 
 nobled with wealth and possessions and 
 enriched with all manner of worldly goods. 
 But by reason of his having no son to 
 succeed him, he was exceeding sad and 
 mournful; and as the years of his life had 
 reached seventy, he had at length cut the 
 thread of hope of the possibility of offspring, 
 and unloosed the cord of disappointment 
 and despondency. One day a resplendent 
 person came forth from among the travellers, 
 and, after the salutation, seated himself 
 beside Lebib. After he had gone through 
 
' "2* ' ' THE STOW 'OF JEWAD. 
 
 the ceremony of asking how he fared, the 
 stranger, having watched for a fitting time, 
 opened the mouth of wisdom, and thus 
 began to speak : " My master, is your 
 honoured name Leblb, and was your father's 
 name 'Adnan, and your mother's Libaba, 
 and is your wife's Zahida, and was her 
 father's Nu'rnan, and her mother's Na'ila ? " 
 Leblb was amazed at his question, and said, 
 " Whence have you known it ? " The 
 stranger replied : " My master, I, your ser- 
 vant, am Ebu-'Ali Slna, and of the learned 
 sages and renowned philosophers. As to 
 visit this City of Wisdom is incumbent upon 
 the endeavours of sages, for the end to 
 observe the rule of the ancients I have been 
 for some days a sojourner in your city. Our 
 wont is abstinence and celibacy ; but when 
 viewing the splendours of the city, a thought 
 such as this filled my mind : we can 
 leave no trace on earth ; would that, being 
 wedded, we might at least have sons and 
 grandsons, that the remembrance of us might 
 remain for a little time in this world of 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 3 
 
 decay. Saying to myself, * Had I been 
 wedded, should I have had children ? ' I 
 sought in the almanack the decrees of my 
 ruling star. I found that I should have had 
 no offspring, but that a boy, Jewad* by name, 
 will be born to you, and that he will be my 
 spiritual son one learned in the stars and 
 their ascensions ; and my heart was com- 
 forted." Then he drew forth from his breast 
 a box and took thereout two pills, and said : 
 " Husband and wife, do ye each eat a pill ; 
 and, if it please God (exalted be He f), when 
 your son has reached his fourteenth year, I 
 pray you send him for his education to me, 
 your loyal friend, at Antioch." Then he 
 arose and departed. 
 
 Leblb marvelled exceedingly at this great 
 good news, and was glad. Straightway he 
 hastened to his home and did according as 
 the sage had commanded ; and when the 
 full time was come, he was rejoiced by the 
 birth of the promised boy, and they called 
 
 * Jewad means "Beneficent"; it is not an uncommon- 
 name in Turkey. 
 
4 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 liis name Jewad, even as the sage had 
 bidden. 
 
 When he had passed through childhood 
 and attained the age of youth, the noble 
 Jewad, having heard the story, formed a love 
 for Ebu-'All from what they said. So, un- 
 dazzled by the vain material wealth of his 
 parents, he bade farewell to his father and 
 his mother, and, receiving their blessing, set 
 out with their permission for his master's 
 land. In a short time he was rejoiced by 
 meeting with Ebu-'Ali. All his time was 
 given to the acquisition of science, and Ebu- 
 *AlI instructed him in various kinds of know- 
 ledge ; and, by lavishing on him every care 
 and attention, he made Jewad so wise a 
 master and so wondrous a philosopher, that 
 the saying " An able disciple becomes more 
 a master than the master" beamed forth 
 from his brow. 
 
 As the talent of Jewad was manifest to 
 his master, one day, when by reason of the 
 violence of the rain they had forborne to go 
 to the college of instruction, and, nothing 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 5 
 
 being to do in the house, were sitting alone, 
 engaged in pleasant converse, there came a 
 knocking at the door. Ebu-'All said to 
 Jewad, " Go, see who knocks at the door." 
 So Jewad went and opened the door, but 
 seeing no one, turned in again, when, lo ! 
 what he sees is no longer the house of Ebu- 
 'All, but a kingly palace. " Glory to God ! " 
 he cried, " what has befallen me ? " And 
 while he yet stood bewildered in the middle 
 of the court, some forty or fifty slave-girls, 
 beautiful and lovely, covered with gold and 
 all manner of magnificent raiments and orna- 
 ments and decorations, descended the steps, 
 and taking Jewad under the armpits,* and 
 saying, "Welcome, and fair welcome, my 
 master," they seated him in a lofty pavilion 
 in an upper storey of the palace. They 
 brought him coffee and tobacco in begemmed 
 cup and pipe ; and when he had finished, 
 two of the slave-girls, taking him as before, 
 conducted him to a delightful and splendid 
 
 * Such was the manner in which persons of rank used to 
 be ceremoniously conducted. 
 
6 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 dressing-room. They stript him of the 
 sage's clothes that were on his shoulders 
 and girded him with gold - embroidered 
 towels, and placed him in a bath, which, 
 when he entered, he saw to be a beautiful 
 bath, the dome whereof was as the vault of 
 heaven, and the windows as the flashing 
 stars. Lovely slave-girls, formed as it were 
 of camphor or crystal, girt with simple 
 towels, reverently and respectfully performed 
 for him the bath-attendants' service. Poor 
 Jewad was bewildered, for never in all his 
 life had he seen or heard of such a bath or 
 such fair frames, inciting the passions ; but 
 he let not the rein of continence and virtue 
 slip from his hand, nor cast a look of desire. 
 So when they had rubbed him with soap and 
 bag,* they washed him and led him back to 
 the dressing-room, covered with gold- wrought 
 towels. After drying him gently, they decked 
 his coarse sages' garb with a delicate shirt 
 and elegant vestments, and perfumed him 
 
 * A small hair bag is used in baths for scrubbing the 
 body. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 7 
 
 with aloes-wood and ambergris, and, taking 
 him under the armpits, led him forth, saying, 
 " Come, our mistress awaits your happy 
 advent." 
 
 Poor Jewad, wondering in himself who 
 their mistress might be, accompanied the 
 slave-girls and came to a lofty pavilion, on 
 entering which, a darling of the world, a tor- 
 ment of the age, in the apparel of the 
 daughters of kings, advanced to welcome 
 him, saying, " Noble Jewad, you have 
 honoured me by your coming, and rejoiced 
 me." She took him by the hand and seated 
 him in the place of honour, and with caresses 
 and attentions gladdened his heart. A re- 
 fection was brought, and with a thousand 
 airs and charming graces they partook of 
 the delicious foods and drank of the delicate 
 wines ; and when bashfulness was turned 
 away and reserve cast off, that mistress of 
 the world threw her arms round Jewad's 
 neck, and, playing many a love-trick, they 
 rested till the evening- in mirth and glee. 
 Then the world-adorning lady bade Jewad 
 
8 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 good-night, and departed. They spread a 
 lofty couch for Jewad midmost the royal 
 pavilion, and dressed him in clean night- 
 clothes, and went away they all dispersed 
 to slumber on the pillow of repose, leaving 
 Jewad alone. 
 
 Through his musing upon the circum- 
 stances of his case and on the beauty and 
 sweetness of that darling, sleep came not to 
 the eyes of Jewad till morning ; and behold, 
 when it was morning, the slave-girls came 
 and arrayed him in garments more splendid 
 than the former, and led him to another 
 room. Now, the lady had awaited Jewad 
 since the dawn in the other room, to partake 
 of coffee along with him and to call him to 
 fresh delights ; so she saluted him with 
 " Good morning," and renewed were their 
 mirth and converse, and the party of glee. 
 In the portico of the pavilion, some twenty 
 slave -girls, musicians, playing upon full- 
 toned flute and viol, mandolin and rebeck, 
 made the world re-echo, and with the voices 
 of bejewelled singers and dancers it resounded; 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 9 
 
 and these delighted them. Then that world- 
 adorning darling asked for a lute, and, having 
 gracefully fitted the plectrum on her finger, 
 she screwed the peg of the lute and ap- 
 proached it to her crystal neck to hear how 
 it would sing, and passed her hand over it to 
 learn if it were the champion of the universe 
 of reproach* and the interpreter of the field 
 of art. Then she turned the sound into a 
 beauteous melody of the mode Hijaz,t and, 
 blending this in graceful cadence with the 
 modes Gerdaniyyaf and Buselik,f she dis- 
 played such marvellous arts and such won- 
 drous skill in the science of music, that she 
 inebriated and bewildered Jewad to that 
 degree that but one thread remained that he 
 brake not the chord and rent not the veil of 
 modesty. 
 
 When the noble maiden had thus shown 
 forth the art of playing and the art of en- 
 snaring, she returned the instrument to the 
 
 * Eastern music is of a sad and plaintive nature. 
 
 t These are names of modes in the Persian musical 
 system. 
 
io THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 minstrel, and talking indifferently with 
 Jewad, again conversed with pleasant words 
 and graceful speeches. They partook of a 
 collation, and when they were finished, their 
 conversation took the form of scientific and 
 philosophic discussion. She was so versed 
 in science, and knowledge, and arts, and 
 philosophy, and exhibited such learning and 
 skill, that perfect amazement came over 
 Jewad. Anon in mirth and glee and anon 
 in scientific converse they passed the time 
 till thus eleven days went by. Then when 
 they again sat down to commune, the fair- 
 faced damsel, turning to Jewad, addressed 
 him thus, " My most noble lord, although by 
 reason of your being a sage and a philoso- 
 pher, it is of your glory to be not precipitate 
 in any of your ways, yet, as a thousand 
 opportunities there-for have occurred in our 
 past conversations, your never having asked 
 who I am, is great patience and mighty self- 
 control." Jewad replied, " My mistress, as 
 your lofty permission has been granted to 
 enquire, I crave that, deigning to lavish on 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. n 
 
 me your grace and your favour, you inform 
 me regarding your sweet person, and instruct 
 me concerning your fair self." So the 
 maiden thus commenced her discourse: 
 " This place is the city of Samarqand ; and 
 your handmaid is Fitna-i Dil, the daughter 
 of Gurshasp Shah, who now rules as monarch 
 over this land. Since the days of childhood 
 my desires ' have been restricted to the 
 acquisition of knowledge, and they are 
 grounded on the attainment of arts. Of all 
 learning and sciences I have acquired some- 
 what, according to my capability ; but 
 especially do I incline to the arts of enchant- 
 ment and talismans and magic and charms. 
 My master, who is a learned elder named 
 Khoja Babek, the most wise of those in these 
 parts, has left nought undone in teaching me 
 what he knows of these sciences ; but as his 
 skill in such arts falls short, I asked of him 
 how I might gain the full knowledge thereof. 
 He smiled and said, c My daughter, in Antioch 
 the Chief of the Sages, Ebu-'Ali Sina, has a 
 spiritual son, Jewad by name, noble, high- 
 
12 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 born, and distinguished by beauty. For all 
 he be not a prince, as that sage has taught 
 him all the sciences without exception that 
 he knows, he is a Padishah of the Seven 
 Climes, being possessed of such knowledge 
 as is worth the world. It is long since such 
 a fancy as this has occurred to my dreams 
 that it were more meet an accomplished 
 maiden like Your Felicitous Highness should 
 be married to such an one, a sovereign of the 
 hidden treasures of science and knowledge, 
 than to an unlearned prince. If you consent, 
 though it be not possible to fetch him with 
 the acquiescence of Ebu-'Ali, I your father, 
 will find a time when they think not, and 
 through my spiritual power bring him to 
 you.' Your handmaid became enamoured 
 of you, my lord, on hearing this ; and as my 
 father, the King, approved this matter and 
 gave his consent, I desired that my master 
 should transport you, my lord, in less than 
 a moment, to your lover's hovel. It was my 
 master Khoja Babek who knocked at your 
 door. Dismiss disquiet from your noble 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 13 
 
 heart ; for Praise God (exalted be He !) your 
 handmaid is pure and a virgin, otherwise I 
 had not accepted my lord in marriage ; how 
 could any man enter the harem of our 
 chastity? Behold, my master, such is our 
 case ; and at this moment this palace, this 
 wealth, these riches, yea, the crown and 
 throne of my feeble father belong to my 
 lord ; your handmaid too is your lawful 
 bride but with this condition, that our 
 dower and portion be not as those of others, 
 but that you teach me beforehand, in lieu of 
 dower, the Charm of Harut and Marut ; * 
 and, in place of portion, the Phylacteria of 
 Ahmed." t 
 
 Jewad, opening the mouth of excuse, said,J 
 " It would seem that your teacher has been 
 deceived in this matter by the false informa- 
 tion of some person. Although I, your slave, 
 am in the service of the noble Ebu-'All Slna, 
 
 * Two angels mentioned in the Qur'an as being 
 magicians. 
 
 t Certain kinds of amulets. 
 
 The adepts were forbidden to communicate the 
 mysteries to outsiders. 
 
14 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 I am still a pupil engaged in such matters as 
 pounding with the mortar and weighing with 
 the scales ; I have never even heard the 
 names of the arts that you mention, or seen 
 the forms of the things that you describe." 
 She answered, " My Life, Jewad Chelebi, it 
 is unbecoming to act in this manner ; and, 
 think well and reflect, having once been ad- 
 mitted a confidant of the seclusion of our 
 private palace, how remote is escape ! " 
 Although she entreated with caresses and 
 attentions, Jewad persisted in denying the 
 explanation ; so kindly love was turned to 
 rupture, and respect was changed to dis- 
 courtesy. The damsel knitted her gracious 
 brow, and the frown of anger appeared upon 
 her forehead ; and she said with fierceness, 
 " Alas ! that deeming thee a man, we sought 
 to immerse thee in the ecstasy of union and 
 enrich thee with the vision of our beauty, 
 whilst thou art a low-bred wretch without 
 portion in the grace of favour ; respite is 
 granted thee for this night, gather thy senses 
 into thy head and reflect well ; for if on the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 15 
 
 morrow thou still persist in this thy obstinacy 
 and deny those arts we ask of, death shall be 
 life to thee ! " " Hence with this ill-omened 
 one ! " she cried ; and the slave-girls seized 
 poor Jewad by the collar, and shut him up 
 in a place like a vault. When Jewad entered 
 this prison he repeated magic charms and 
 performed what he knew of strange arts, but 
 as these availed him not one whit, and as no 
 sign appeared therefrom, dread overwhelmed 
 his heart, and he began to weep. He knew 
 that there was here some mighty power, for 
 that his magic incantations and performances 
 had no result ; and he thought in himself, 
 with the finger of bewilderment in the 
 mouth,* " There must be some hidden reason 
 for this maiden's eager desire to learn certain 
 things of me while she herself is conversant 
 with arts that can render all my power of 
 none effect ; this is fitting, that I yield up 
 my head but not my secret ; " and he deter- 
 mined and resolved to part with life. He 
 wept till dawn in the narrow prison, and 
 
 * Biting the finger is considered a sign of perplexity. 
 
16 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 when it was morn some of the eunuchs of 
 the harem opened the door and entered, 
 sword in hand. They made fast the hands 
 and feet of Jewad, and carried him before the 
 maiden, who, again adopting gentleness, 
 counselled and advised and promised him 
 much, and treated him with courtesy ; but 
 after half an hour of this behaviour she 
 abandoned it, and threatened him for a like 
 space with frowns and wrath upon her brow. 
 She saw Jewad to be unbending in obstinacy, 
 that not only would he not reveal his secret, 
 but would not even seek refuge in pardon 
 and compassion ; so she commanded the 
 eunuchs, saying, " Take this wretch and pre- 
 pare his doom." So they seized him by the 
 neck and collar, and haled him to the mouth 
 of a pit ; again she counselled him much, 
 but as not a sound proceeded from him save 
 the words of the Profession of Faith,* they 
 seized him by the feet, and cast him head 
 foremost down the pit. 
 
 * The Profession of Faith is : " 1 'testify that there is no god 
 &ut God, and I testify that Muhammed is the Apostle of God. " 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 17 
 
 "As he descends headlong to the bottom of 
 the pit, he opens his eyes, and sees himself 
 sitting in the presence of Ebu-'All. For the 
 space of quarter of an hour he remained 
 speechless, overwhelmed in the ocean of 
 amaze. When he recovered his senses, he 
 kissed his master's feet, and manifested his 
 bewilderment, saying, " What has befallen 
 me ? " So his wise master thus addressed 
 him : " Son, we have caused thee a little 
 dismay ; but thou wilt hold us pardoned, for 
 this practice is of the honoured traditions of 
 the sages. From my perfect love for thee, I 
 did not much affright thee, but pitied thee. 
 Behold, my life, Jewad, this is a warning to 
 thee, and an example and a precedent to 
 conceal the Secrets.* They who conceal the 
 Secrets and yield up their lives shall find the 
 same in the presence of Glory, and likewise 
 the awakening from incertitude. I shall relate 
 to thee the strange experiences that my 
 master made me undergo to teach me the 
 concealment of the Secrets, that thou mayest 
 
 * The Secrets of Mystic Virtue. 
 B 
 
i8 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 know my gentleness and my tenderness 
 towards thee." 
 
 THE STORY OF EBU-'ALI 8INA. 
 
 " For thirty consecutive years, I, thy 
 father, girded the loins of zeal and ardour 
 in the service of my master, Khoja Dahiti, 
 in the city of Fez. One day, when I had to 
 his satisfaction performed my duty and 
 attained to that degree of knowledge to 
 which thou, my son, hast reached, I went 
 forth with the rest of the disciples to a field 
 for diversion. As the students were nume- 
 rous, pilaws and zerdas* were being cooked 
 in cauldrons ; and, after the manner of 
 amusement, the disciples played and enter- 
 tained themselves with all sorts of games. 
 One of the ushers showed us a game which 
 consisted in tightly binding the eyes of one 
 with a handkerchief; then that blindfolded 
 one tried to catch one of the others, who 
 teased him by plucking his hand and skirt ; 
 when he caught one, his eyes were freed and 
 
 * The names of dishes. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 19 
 
 those of the captive bound. By-and-by, the 
 blindfold lad caught me, and when they 
 were going to cover my eyes, our master said 
 jestingly, ' Ebu-'Ali is a cunning fellow ; 
 let me make fast his eyes.' And he 
 blindfolded me with the handkerchief him- 
 self, and led me into the middle of the field, 
 and there left me. 
 
 " I waited to catch my companions who 
 might come from either side, but no one ap- 
 peared to pluck me. ' Come, now, do not 
 play any tricks when my eyes are thus 
 blindfolded,' cried I ; but no one came. 
 From the stress of my disquietude I tore the 
 handkerchief from my eyes, when what did I 
 see ? No longer the field where I had been 
 I was standing in the midst of a boundless 
 waste. I said, ' Glory to God ! There is no 
 strength nor any power saving in God!* 
 And I sat down, and thinking to myself and 
 pondering, I remained bewildered. Finding 
 no help therefor, I arose and began to wander 
 vacantly over the plain. I fared on for the 
 space of five hours, when my strength and 
 
20 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 endurance failed, but looking round about I 
 saw upon a mound a saddled and capari- 
 soned dromedary. I ascended the mound, 
 and cautiously approaching the dromedary, 
 I seized his bridle and mounted him. The 
 moment I got upon him, he struck his feet 
 upon the ground and soared into the air. 
 What did I see ? That which I rode was a 
 hideous demon, and the bridle which I held 
 in my hand was his elf-lock. Collecting my 
 senses, I put into practice the charms which 
 I had learned from my master ; but when I 
 perceived that these produced no effect 
 soever, I began to weep. 
 
 " After flying in the air for the space of an 
 hour, he alighted in a place like the Vale of 
 Saqar.* There a vast multitude of demons, 
 male and female, had lighted a great fire, 
 and were gathered in a circle round about it ; 
 they had seized and bound a score of hapless 
 ones of the sons of Adam, whom they stript 
 to slaughter. The demon who had brought 
 me took me down from his shoulder and 
 
 * The name of a stage of Hell. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 21 
 
 placed me on the ground. Now, I gathered 
 from their gestures that the demons said on 
 seeing me, * This lean man cannot be eaten 
 until he has been fattened for at least forty 
 or fifty days ; would that thou hadst not 
 brought him ! ' for I was thin of body and 
 meagre of person. And one by one they 
 came and looked at my hands and feet, and 
 they took me in their hands and examined 
 me like a sheep. At length they slaughtered 
 the men who were there, and thrust them 
 upon spits, and devoured them before my 
 eyes. Then they took me and imprisoned 
 me in a cave, and put beside me a measure 
 of walnuts and almonds and a pitcher of 
 water, and they made fast the cave door. 
 
 " Through my dismay I neither ate nor 
 drank, and half the night was passed when 
 sleep overcame me. I woke when it was 
 morning, and I found myself once more in 
 the waste. Praising and thanking God, I 
 wandered along the plain, and while casting 
 my eyes distractedly around lest a wild man 
 might appear, I perceived a frail old man 
 
22 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 proceeding along the road straight before 
 me. On my approaching and saluting him, 
 he said, 'Why dost thou wander in this 
 place ? ' And I related to him all my ad- 
 ventures of the day before. He said : ' O, 
 my son, God hath indeed protected thee ; 
 these are a set of demons such that escape is 
 impossible for those who fall into their 
 hands ; our being able to pass through these 
 parts is only by virtue of our knowledge of 
 the Most Great Name. Do not fear, thy 
 meeting with us is owing to the prayers of 
 thy master ; come, be a guest in our house ; 
 our village is hard by.' 
 
 " We fared along together for about three 
 hours, and while on the road he said a 
 thousand pleasant things. When we entered 
 the village the old man shook himself once, 
 and his stature grew to the height of twenty 
 cubits, and he uttered a yell, like the roar of 
 a cannon, which well-nigh broke the mem- 
 branes of my ear ; and immediately were 
 gathered together four or five hundred 
 creatures hideous like himself. When I 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 23 
 
 beheld this I commenced to repeat charms, 
 and again I saw that these magic rites had 
 no effect, so I remained helpless and be- 
 wildered. Amongst the demons was a form 
 more vile than all the rest, clad in the garb 
 of a woman ; now this was the daughter of 
 the accursed one who had brought me. He 
 made me over to her, saying, 'Take this 
 wretch and fulfil thy duty ; he has wearied 
 me much upon the road.' Then she seized 
 me by the arm, and put me into a dark cave, 
 and sat down beside me, and said, ' Stranger, 
 do not fear ; my father gave thee to me that 
 he might eat thee ; but I have fallen in love 
 with thee. All the demons are ravished with 
 my beauty ; thou seest how fair I am ; al- 
 though the fear of death at present bewilders 
 thee, I doubt not that on the first glance 
 thou too shalt love my beauty and grace and 
 comeliness. My will is to rejoice thee with 
 the delight of union with me ; but in matters 
 like this there must be no precipitation ; see, 
 for some days let us talk and converse with 
 one another, then thou shalt be mine, and I 
 
24 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 will be thine.' She brought me a tin dish in 
 which was a roasted dog, and a pitcher of 
 water, and said, * Now, my darling, eat> 
 drink, and be at ease ; ' and she departed. I 
 sought refuge in God and repented me of 
 my past sins, and through despair and fatigue, 
 wept passing sore. 
 
 " When it was morning I awoke and 
 opened my eyes, and, lo, I was near a city. 
 Thanking and praising God for the separa- 
 tion from my lover, I arose and proceeded 
 towards the city. On the way I encountered 
 both on hill and plain many animals, such 
 as horses and asses and apes and dogs ; 
 these gathered round me and pulled me by 
 the hand and skirt, and with their mute 
 eloquence would have hindered me from 
 going into the city ; but I repelled them and 
 entered it. When I passed into the city I 
 saw standing ready prepared a fresh and 
 regal horse, with some twenty or thirty ser- 
 vants ; these, saying, 'Welcome, my master!' 
 mounted me on the steed, and, following at 
 my stirrup, conducted me to an imperial 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 25 
 
 palace. I saw the city to be very flourishing, 
 and the palace exceeding splendid and 
 magnificent, and I marvelled. They con- 
 ducted me with respect to the royal divan ; 
 and all the members of the divan were 
 standing, and a veiled monarch was sitting 
 upon a throne on the chief place of a dais. 
 So I went to the foot of the throne and 
 kissed the ground and modestly retired, 
 whereupon the sovereign asked me whence I 
 came. On my narrating how I had by en- 
 chantment fallen into a wilderness, and the 
 adventures I had encountered during the 
 two nights, the monarch smiled wonderingly, 
 and said, ' Thou hast met with marvellous 
 haps,' and he bade fetch a chair and motion- 
 ed me to be seated. When the business of 
 the divan was finished, permission was 
 granted to every one, and they went away. 
 Presently an officer came and took me, and 
 bringing me before the palace-gate, made me 
 over to the harem eunuchs, who conducted 
 me with the greatest deference. On entering 
 a vast pavilion I saw upon a throne a darling 
 
26 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 of the world, a torment of the soul, the 
 description of whose charms would surpass 
 that of Fitna-i Dil's by a hundred degrees. 
 She said, ' All hail ! come hither.' And she 
 took me to her side and, after a thousand 
 caresses and attentions, looked upon me and 
 addressed me thus, 'Ebu-'AlI, speak truly, 
 hast thou ever in the course of thy life seen 
 Or heard of a darling of the world equal to 
 me?' I replied, ' / seek pardon of 'God, my 
 mistress, the truth is, that the like of thy 
 world-adorning beauty exists not on the 
 earth, nor has been heard of.' Then she said, 
 1 O Ebu-'Ali, this city is the city of Surat, 
 and the realm which is under my sway ; for 
 I am Shlrin-Kar, sovereign of the land of 
 Surat. I inherited this realm from my 
 father, and for five years have I sat without 
 misfortune on my paternal throne. I am 
 the monarch whom a little while ago thou 
 sawest covered with a veil, sitting on the 
 throne. As the neighbouring monarchs 
 round about are lords of might, resistance 
 would be difficult, did they make war upon 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 27 
 
 us. Alike my father and your handmaid 
 have been able to rule this country only 
 through the spiritual power of my nurse 
 Ruveyda ; but knowing not what would be- 
 fall me if to that nurse there happened a 
 mischance, I took counsel with her upon this 
 matter, and she gave answer thus : " My 
 daughter, there is in Fez a darling disciple of 
 Khoja DahitI, who possesses much skill in 
 the science of magic, and his science is more 
 potent than our enchantments. I shall bring 
 him to thee, for he is full worthy to be thy 
 mate ; and thou shouldst wed him, and 
 relinquishing crown and throne, rest in the 
 corner of retirement" I said, " If Ebu-'Ali 
 possess such magic power, how can I be 
 safe with him ? Should he be vexed with 
 me, peradventure he might seek to injure 
 me." My nurse replied, " There is a remedy 
 for this too ; let Ebu-'Ali teach thee the 
 Hintij Charm, which is the most potent of 
 all magic charms, and henceforward he will 
 be powerless to harm us." Thus we decided ; 
 and she went and snatched thee from the 
 
28 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 field. That dromedary which thou sawest 
 and which afterwards became a demon, and 
 that aged man thou didst meet the next 
 day were our old nurse. And each of these 
 animals thou sawest without the city is a 
 skilful magician whom my nurse has trans- 
 formed and driven to the wilds for seeking 
 to overcome us. In a word, my object in 
 briefly relating these things to thee and 
 delay and deliberation are needless in this 
 matter is that in an hour's time thou 
 teachest that charm to thy handmaid ; and 
 one day our wedding shall surely be. 5 Now, 
 as the charm she spoke of was the formula 
 which I had several times repeated both on 
 the demon's back and in the negress's cave, 
 and from which I had seen no result, I was 
 doubly astonished, and remained silent. 
 Perceiving from my silence my resolution 
 not to comply, she urged me the more ; and 
 at length when she saw that I absolutely re- 
 fused, she showed forth her anger, and said 
 to frighten me, 'Delay not, or I will slay 
 thee.' When she saw it to be altogether 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 29 
 
 vain, she summoned the executioner, and 
 made me over to him, saying, * Finish the 
 work for me.' So he bound my hands with 
 a handkerchief and made me kneel down, 
 and as I was looking for death, someone 
 brushed against my sleeve. Fancying it to 
 be the executioner, I was about to cry for 
 quarter, when all the disciples shouted out, 
 * He has caught him ! } They did off the 
 bandage from my eyes, and I saw I was 
 again in the playground in the field. My 
 master came up to me and said, ' Ebu-'Ali's 
 stomach is disordered, his head is reeling.' 
 And he took me by the hand and made me 
 sit down beside him, and whispered in my 
 ear, ' Fear not' And he said to one of the 
 ushers, ' Ebu-'All has fasted for three days, 
 bring the pilaw quickly.' Silent and be- 
 wildered I ate of the pilaw and zerda with 
 the disciples ; and when evening was nigh, 
 after we had returned from the field to our 
 old abode, my master no longer concealed 
 from me the knowledge of the arcana the 
 mercy of God on him ! " * 
 
 * These experiences of Jewad and Ebu-'Ali are suggestive 
 
30 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 " Behold ! Jewad, Light of my eyes, be it 
 known unto thee and believed that of such 
 strange sciences one is Sorcery (Sihr), to 
 perform which refuge is in God (exalted be 
 He !) is degradation to our nature and con- 
 trary to the Divine pleasure ; it is an ever- 
 increasing sin dependent on the uttering of 
 vile words blaspheming the Eternal Glory, 
 and connected with abominable acts. There 
 is another which consists of marvels brought 
 about by the means of certain names of 
 Spiritual Beings, and virtues of things, and 
 charms ; this they call Magic (Simya). 
 Another, connected with the influences of the 
 stars, they name the Science of Talismans 
 (Tilsim) or Enchantments (Nlrenjat). An- 
 other, too, is effected by seclusion and vigils 
 and fasts and austerities, with certain Qur- 
 'anic verses and Divine names and charms ; 
 this is called the Science of Occult Virtues 
 ('Ilm-i Khawass). There is yet another 
 
 of the effects of some of the intoxicating preparations, such 
 as bang or hashish, employed in the East. It is probable 
 that the magicians made frequent use of such. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 31 
 
 kind, the Divine Science, the Celestial Know- 
 ledge ; this traversing of time and space 
 which thou hast witnessed is only effected by 
 that glorious Science, those Divine Mysteries. 
 Be it not concealed that the Lords of Truth 
 and the Companions of the Grace of Know- 
 ledge have ascertained that the faculty of 
 imagination exerciseth power in twenty- 
 seven matters. For example, if a pure man 
 conversant with the Divine Subtleties con- 
 ceive in his mind the perfect likeness of 
 the external form of any person, mould an 
 image thereof, and keep the same in some 
 narrow place, like a cupboard, it is well 
 known that he whose image is thus formed, 
 wheresoever he be, will fall a prey to con- 
 traction of breast and heaviness of heart. In 
 like manner the accomplishment of such 
 traversing of space and time is of the powers 
 of the understanding. For this cause were 
 the magic charms that thou knowest of no 
 effect, and wast thou unable to release thy- 
 self from the trammels of the prison that 
 the Divine Knowledge is more potent than 
 
32 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 all other sciences. Moreover, be it believed 
 of thee that what thou sawest were not mere 
 visions, and that we instructed Fitna-i Dil to 
 observe such conduct toward thee. In 
 short, these things which thou didst behold 
 are all at this moment in existence ; and, an 
 it be thy desire, I will wed thee to that 
 darling maiden. But I crave of thee, 
 Endowed with Knowledge, ever to move 
 about a celibate, and that thou violate not 
 the custom of the sages : to be in the world, 
 like Saint Jesus, without a spouse. In truth, 
 my object in the cruel treatment shown to 
 thee by that maiden was to induce thee to 
 shun them, having seen the fickleness of wo- 
 men." 
 
 Ebu-'All, after confirming, as requisite, 
 pledge and troth with Jewad, said, " O son, 
 thou hast gained a manifest right hencefor- 
 ward to acquire the Blessed Knowledge 
 may it be blessed to thee ! " And breast to 
 breast he explained and conveyed to Jewad 
 all that he knew of the Divine Science. So 
 Jewad became a greater master than his 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 33 
 
 master in mystic and philosophic lore, and 
 in the general and special sciences a wonder 
 working sage. 
 
 When seven years had thus passed, total 
 feebleness came over Ebu-'Alf s human ele- 
 ments by reason of the greatness of his age ; 
 and, as the journey to the Hereafter became 
 inevitable, he called all his disciples round 
 his bed, and, after making the necessary 
 testaments, he appointed Jewad his successor, 
 and closed his lips repeating the best of 
 finishings, the words of the Profession of 
 Faith, and set forth for Paradise. 
 
 After the consignment to the sepulchre, 
 whilst the rites of mourning were being ful- 
 filled and completed, Jewad was not negligent 
 of teaching and instructing, but busied in the 
 diffusion of knowledge. But as he was still 
 in the years of his youth, the old ushers could 
 not endure that he should sit on the carpet 
 of master ; and, seeing that they vexed him 
 by ridicule and derision, he was obliged to 
 leave that district ; and he set out alone for 
 the city of Constantinople. When he reached 
 
34 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 the capital he thus said in himself, ' If I go 
 to the colleges where are the learned, my 
 time will again be occupied in instructing 
 and instruction, and I shall assuredly gain 
 no pleasure by reason of the conduct of the 
 vulgar ; a better joy were to conceal my 
 power and skill, and going amongst the 
 people, endeavour to promote their happiness.* 
 So he hired a room in the Armour-Bearer's 
 Khan and remained in the corner of retire- 
 ment, occupying himself in visiting the places 
 worthy to be seen in the streets and markets 
 of the Sublime Capital. 
 
 One day, as he was going up from the Long 
 Bazaar, he saw some dozen of witty-look- 
 ing friends gathered together in the shop of 
 a respectable person who sold cups and soap 
 and certain drugs, opposite the shop of 
 'Ushshaqi-Oghlu ; these invited him to come 
 in and enjoy himself. Saying in himself, 
 ' If they be of the Sublime Capital, they 
 will be an intelligent set,' he saluted them 
 in an easy manner, and got into the shop. 
 The shopkeeper, who was a person named 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 35 
 
 Ibrahim Chelebi, and one of the polished 
 men of the day, treated Jewad courteously, 
 saying, 'Welcome! all hail!' and he regaled 
 him with coffee and tobacco. Jewad paid 
 attention to the converse of the friends, and 
 when he saw that they were all select, agree- 
 able, sweet of speech, clever and witty, he 
 joined in the conversation on fitting oppor- 
 tunities, so that all the friends were delighted 
 at his words, and asked whence he came and 
 where he dwelt ; and the shopkeeper and 
 the comrades sang his praises, requesting he 
 would always rejoice them by coming. 
 
 So Jewad, who loved such gatherings of 
 intelligent friends, began to go regularly to 
 that place, and bound the bonds of friendship 
 and familiarity with all the comrades, but 
 especially with the shopkeeper Ibrahim 
 Chelebi the soap-merchant, to such a degree 
 that if any day he came not, it was because 
 he was indisposed ; and Ibrahim's eyes 
 would be fixed upon the road, and that day 
 he would not smile. 
 
 In the still existing and famous shop of 
 
36 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 'Ushshaql-Oghlu, which was opposite, was 
 then a youth, a darling of the world, a dis- 
 turber of the age, of the House of 'Ush- 
 shaql, about sixteen or seventeen years old, 
 called Monla Emm, who sometimes came 
 to the shop of Ibrahim Chelebi to have 
 private conversations. One day Jewad said 
 to Ibrahim Chelebi, ' This son of * Ushshaqi 
 sometimes comes and sits here, but never 
 joins in the conversation ; I had imagined 
 him vain of his comeliness, but on looking 
 with attention I see that he always sits in 
 his own shop too, sad and sorrowful ; here 
 the signs of grief and distress seem still 
 greater.' Ibrahim Chelebi shook his head 
 and said, ' My master, a strange adventure 
 has befallen him, a circumstance the like of 
 which has not been seen or heard.' And 
 thus began he to relate : 
 
 THE STORY OF MONLA EMIN. 
 
 "Mustejeb Chelebi, the father of this young 
 man, died a year ago, and left his shop, his 
 house, with some other things and about a 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 37 
 
 hundred purses,* which the latter inherited. 
 I had formerly relations with his father, and 
 as Emm was quite young, fearing that he 
 might go astray, I urged him to marry. The 
 lad disputed not my words, but consented ; 
 so sending examinersf round, we began to 
 look for a bride for Monla Emm. One day 
 the old women came and reported that near 
 the Varigated Bath, there was a damsel, 
 daughter of a person named Hajl Mustafa 
 the slipper-seller. She had inherited from 
 her late father, besides a house and much 
 garniture, a monthly income of two hundred 
 and fifty piastres, the rent of some property. 
 She had no friends but her mother, and was 
 now sixteen or seventeen years old ; and no 
 words could describe her beauty, which was 
 worth the world : a lovely maiden, black- 
 eyebrowed, blue-eyed, with skin whiter than 
 whiteness, with figure and stature well- 
 proportioned, with long neck, with hands, 
 
 * A " purse " consists of 500 piastres. 
 
 t The old women mentioned in the next sentence. 
 
38 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 feet, and mouth all to match, with cheek and 
 forehead like the moon, in airs and graces a 
 torment of the world, an ensnarer, a heart- 
 delighter, a cause of joy. And they stated 
 how when they declared that the seeker in 
 marriage was Monla Emln, her mother con- 
 sented, saying, ' Monla Emln shall be an 
 indoor bridegroom (that is he shall come to 
 the maiden's house and we will see to the 
 daily expenses, nothing shall be looked for 
 from him) ; I only want a well-mannered 
 son-in-law, one who will open and shut our 
 doors, and such like.' Much pleased at this 
 news, I informed Monla Emln, who consented 
 and appointed your slave agent ; and two of 
 the companions being the witnesses, we 
 married ' Ayesha, daughter of Mustafa, to 
 Mehemed Emln Agha ; and in the course of 
 a few days their union was consummated. 
 For about a month they got on somehow, for 
 although Monla Emm was satisfied with his 
 wife, his mother-in-law was such a cruel, 
 wicked, unmannerly wretch, that there was 
 not a day but she sent him weeping to the 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 39 
 
 shop. When I saw this state of things, and 
 that the poor young man's health and 
 happiness were banished, at my instance his 
 wife was divorced. 
 
 " Some twenty days after this event, a well- 
 dressed, well-fashioned and handsome man 
 of about sixty-five years of age, attended by 
 four servants, happening to pass by, saw the 
 cases of drugs displayed in my shop. He 
 dismounted and came into my poor shop, and 
 after saluting me politely, asked, 'Master, 
 have you benzoin and crocus martis ?' 
 Answering, 'Yes,' I placed these drugs before 
 him. He separated five drachms of each, 
 and, paying the money, put each into a piece 
 of paper, and taking a bit of muslin from his 
 bosom, placed them in it. That man was so 
 eloquent and polite that both your slave and 
 the friends were delighted with his tone and 
 manners ; but he bade us farewell, and 
 mounted his horse again and departed. 
 In the course of ten days he happened to 
 pass by here, and he alighted and, coming 
 into the shop, said, ' Ibrahim Chelebi, by 
 
40 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Allah I was greatly pleased with thee.' He 
 was very courteous, and your slave treated 
 him with marked attention ; and he tarried 
 for about three hours, and then went away. 
 He continued coming at intervals of a few 
 days, and grew familiar with us ; and in the 
 space of a month he came twenty times to 
 our shop. He mentioned at a fitting time 
 in the course of conversation that he was of 
 the Chartered Fief- Holders and that his 
 name was ' Abbas Agha. Our Monla Emm 
 too was present now and then at the meet- 
 ings. One day I related Emm's adventure 
 to the Agha, just as I have told it to you ; 
 he showed much regret, and finding a break 
 in the conversation, said, ' My dear Ibrahim 
 Chelebi, I pray that to-morrow you honour 
 my poor house with a visit, and bring Monla 
 Emm ; you might have some difficulty in 
 finding the house, so I will send a servant to 
 you.' I replied, * I shall be honoured and 
 delighted.' So at three o'clock next day he 
 sent a servant with two horses with Hayderi 
 bridles and saddle-cloths of Mardln work. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 41 
 
 We mounted the horses and followed the 
 servant till we came to a large door in a 
 blind-alley near the Cap-maker's Mosque in 
 the New Garden. When we entered the 
 court some thirty, tidy, well-dressed pages, 
 with sashes round their waists, came forward 
 to the horse-block to meet us, and taking 
 hold of our skirts, they respectfully led us 
 up-stairs. It was a palace in size nearly 
 equal to the residence of the Grand Vezir ; 
 we entered a room spread with carpets such 
 as are not to be found in the dwellings of the 
 greatest of the great. His Excellency the 
 Agha with a black-fox pelisse on his vezirial 
 shoulders, was seated in a corner, and a 
 similar number of chosen pages were stand- 
 ing before him with folded hands; and I was 
 amazed at the pomp and magnificence of 
 the Agha. When he saw us he rose and 
 said, ' O brothers, you have wearied your 
 feet ; you have done me honour.' And he 
 treated us with courtesy, and we kissed his 
 skirt and sat down. A collation was served, 
 and after it had been partaken of, the Agha 
 
42 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 arose and went into a small room adjoining 
 the other ; then a page appeared and said to 
 me, ' Pray come, the Agha wishes you.' 
 And he took me and brought me into his 
 presence. As he motioned me to sit near 
 him, I sat down facing him, knee to knee, 
 and he said, 'Ibrahim Chelebi, I am about to 
 make a request of thee, and I desire of 
 thee that thou do gratify it ; what sayest 
 thou ?' I replied, * How could I refuse any- 
 thing I can perform ?' Then he said, * In 
 this mansion, the world, I have no heir save 
 one only daughter ; my desire is to make 
 Monla Emm my son-in-law ; but I wish that 
 he be persuaded now, for I desire to make 
 this day the wedding-day and this night the 
 bridal-night ; if thou say ' nay,' it will be 
 needful to sever the thread of friendship.' 
 I replied, 'Lo, my master, I shall go and ex- 
 plain to him.' And I arose and came to 
 him. On my informing him of what had 
 passed, he said, ' Thou art my father, what- 
 soever thou do I approve.' So I went to the 
 Agha and told him that Emin consented. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 43 
 
 He immediately sent men to the imam* and 
 assembly of the parish, and we returned to 
 the first room. Emm kissed the Agha's 
 skirt and blessed him saying, ' Be happy,' 
 and while conversing about how they would 
 get on and such like, the imam and Remzi 
 Chelebi, the mu'ezzinf of the mosque, who 
 was an old friend of ours, and other people 
 of the parish came and seated themselves 
 politely. Remzi Chelebi sat down beside 
 me, bowed to me, and said, ' It is long since 
 we have seen each other.' On my explaining 
 to him in a low voice the reason of his being 
 summoned and what was wanted of the 
 party, he said : * What things God willetk, 
 exalted be He ! May He grant peace and 
 happiness ! Emm has attained to fortune, 
 when not so much as looking for it.' 
 The pipes were now removed, and while 
 censers of aloes-wood and ambergris were 
 smoking, the Imam Efendi, vowing re- 
 pentance and begging forgiveness, recited 
 
 * Precentor. f Caller to Divine Service. 
 
44 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 an eloquent marriage-service, and wedded 
 Khayal Khanim, daughter of 'Abbas Agha, 
 to Mehemed Emm, with a paid-down dower 
 of one thousand piastres. A grey-squirrel 
 pelisse with ample sleeves was given to the 
 Imam Efendi, bags of money to Remzi 
 Chelebi and the two other mu'ezzins, and, 
 according to the usual custom, muslin hand- 
 kerchiefs to the party ; beside me, too, they 
 laid a parcel. After the completion of the 
 ceremony, the Agha said, ' I hope, if it please 
 God, you will also perform the evening- 
 worship here ? ' Leave was then given to 
 every one, and they departed. When we 
 were left alone the Agha said, ' Let us send 
 Emm Agha to the bath.' So we sent him 
 to the bath mounted on a caparisoned horse 
 accompanied by two attendants. Your slave 
 also took leave of His Excellency the Agha, 
 and went to shut the shop, having agreed to 
 come back early on the morrow, if it pleased 
 God. So I closed the shop and went to my 
 house, and praised God for the parcel that 
 had been given me, and thanked Him for 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 45 
 
 Emm's attaining this unlooked-for good 
 fortune. 
 
 " When it was morning I went and opened 
 my shop and got a hired horse, and while I 
 was waiting wondering if it were time to go 
 to Monla Emm's father-in-law, a halberdier* 
 came up, and, saluting me, asked, 'Who is 
 Ibrahim Chelebi the soap-merchant here ? ' 
 On my telling him that I was he, he said, 
 ' Pray come ; some one whom the bastinado- 
 men have wants you, and begs that you come 
 quickly.' As the horse was ready, I mounted 
 and went to the Hotel, when what did I see? 
 it was Monla Emm who was in the prison. 
 My soul leapt into my head, and I asked, 
 1 What is this plight ? ' Then he said : ' O 
 my good father, I have met with a strange 
 adventure, the like of which has never hap- 
 pened to anyone. At the time when they 
 took me to the bath, after the cleansing, they 
 
 * A Janissary employed as an official messenger. 
 
 t The Hotel or Palace, the official residence of the Agha 
 of the Janissaries. 
 
46 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 arrayed me in these splendid garments I 
 have on, and put into my pocket four hun- 
 dred half sequins* for the expenses of the 
 bath the rest are in my pocket still. They 
 took me from the bath and brought me to 
 the mansion ; and after supper, when it was 
 evening, the Imam and the Mu'ezzin RemzT 
 Chelebi and the assembly returned and per- 
 formed the ceremony of evening-worship ; 
 and they put me into the bridal-chamber. I 
 had imagined to myself, 'As I am chosen 
 son-in-law of a distinguished person like this, 
 his daughter must be vile and foul of favour, 
 degraded in the eyes of the great, or smitten 
 with some illness ; but for the sake of this 
 fortune, let it be what it will.' But when I 
 entered the nuptial apartment (I cannot 
 describe the splendours of the bridal-cham- 
 ber) what did I see ? That she was a bride 
 the like of whom in beauty and loveliness 
 and grace and comeliness had never entered 
 the imagination or conception of that son- 
 
 * A sequin was worth about I2s. 6d. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 47 
 
 in-law, the aged Sphere. It was after six 
 o'clock when sleep overcame me. When it 
 was morning I awoke, but finding not my 
 beloved in the bed, I rose up, and what did I 
 see ? that darling of the world lying mur- 
 dered in the middle of the room, with her 
 head and hands and feet separated, in ten 
 pieces. O my dear, my good father ! that 
 moment my breath was stopped ; I fell down 
 fainting. After a time my senses returned, 
 and weeping, I went out of the room. The 
 nurse and slave-girls, who were waiting with- 
 out the door, said, ' What is the matter ? ' 
 I replied, 'Go in and see what is the matter.' 
 Then when the nurse went in and saw the 
 bride in that case, her cries and wails, like 
 the voice of a Mu'ezzin, ascended to Capella ; 
 and all the slave-girls gathered together and 
 wailed aloud. And they informed my father- 
 in-law, and he came, and when he saw his 
 daughter in such case, he fell down in a 
 swoon. They sprinkled water upon his face 
 and brought back his senses ; and he rushed 
 upon me crying, * O wretch ! O fool ! is this 
 
48 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 the return for the favours I conferred upon 
 thee? O traitor! 5 Then he fetched his 
 servants and other retainers, and showed 
 them what had happened, and said, ' Take 
 this wretch to the Agha of the Janissaries 
 and explain what has occurred ; I, too, shall 
 go when she who is slain has been washed 
 and buried.' And he gave me to three of 
 his servants, who, dragging me by hand and 
 collar, brought me here ; and when they had 
 informed the Agha, he imprisoned me in this 
 place.' Crying, * Ah ! my good father, do 
 this with my shop and that with my money/ 
 Emm made his testament, and began to shed 
 tears like rain by reason of the fire within 
 his heart To comfort him, I said, ' Fear 
 not ; God is good ! ' But he made answer : 
 ' How should I fear ? Thou fanciest that I 
 weep through dread of death ; after parting 
 from a fairy-faced bride like her, to die were 
 life to my soul. Would to God that I had 
 died an hour before her, that I might have 
 met her in the Hereafter ! I weep for part- 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 49 
 
 ing from my love.' And he wept full 
 bitterly, so that my heart was pierced. 
 
 " I thought much within myself and thus 
 decided that there was no help save to go 
 once more to 'Abbas Agha and tell him of 
 the anguish of poor Emm, that perchance he 
 might forgive him. With this purpose I 
 mounted upon my beast, and with fear and 
 trembling turned into the blind-alley near 
 the mosque in the New Garden. But I could 
 find no door like the great gate I had seen 
 the night before ; and while I was standing 
 in the middle of the street in perfect bewilder- 
 ment, an old woman called from behind a 
 lattice, ' What seekest thou, son ? ' On my 
 answering, 'There is here one of the chartered 
 fief-holders, 'Abbas Agha ; I am seeking his 
 mansion,' she replied, ' There is no such per- 
 son or mansion as you mention here.' I 
 left the street, and knocking at some doors, 
 asked the same question. When I could 
 get no information, I recollected that Remzi 
 Chelebi had been there the night before ; so 
 thinking to go and enquire of him, I went 
 
50 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 and found him. * Ah ! welcome,' said he ; 
 ' what wind has blown you here ? ' I replied, 
 
 * O brother, I am seeking that house of 
 
 * Abbas Agha where we were last night at 
 the marriage of Monla Emm ; I cannot find 
 it ; would you do me. the kindness to show 
 it to me ? ' Then RemzT Chelebi's gaiety 
 disappeared, and he answered : ' Ibrahim 
 Chelebi, what has happened to thee ? What 
 'Abbas Agha ? What marriage ? It is a 
 year since I have seen thee ; what ails thee?' 
 I replied, * O brother, thou didst sit by my 
 side last evening, and thou didst ask me so- 
 and-so, and I answered thee on such an wise/ 
 
 * Alas, alas, brother/ said he, * do not delay 
 in getting thyself bled and in taking a strong 
 draught.' I then knew there was some 
 mystery here, and I said, * Do not think, 
 brother, Remzl Chelebi, that I am afflicted 
 with melancholia ; listen to my words.' And 
 I related to him the whole story. I said, 
 
 * And Monla Emm is now in prison ; for the 
 love of God come with me to the Hotel and 
 see.' And I took Remzl Chelebi to the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 51 
 
 Hotel of the Agha. When he saw Emm in 
 prison and asked the truth of him, and he 
 related the entire adventure, RemzT Chelebi, 
 unable to comprehend, cried, * Glory to God ! 
 there is no strength nor any power saving in 
 God ! O my son, it is a year since I have 
 seen thee or Ibrahim Chelebi. 5 And he 
 became more bewildered than ourselves. 
 
 " Then we both went up together to the 
 presence of the Agha and related to him all 
 that had happened, and Remzl said : ' My 
 master, I, your slave, am the Mu'ezzin of 
 that parish ; and there is no such man in 
 our parish ; and, whilst I have not seen these 
 two men for a year, they insist that we spoke 
 to each other last night : there is here some 
 strange mystery ; investigate and look into 
 it* The Agha said : ' Yes, the slaves too 
 who brought the murderer in the morning 
 stated that their master was a fief-holder 
 named 'Abbas Agha, who resided near the 
 Cap-maker's Mosque.' And he sent one man 
 to the New Garden and another to enquire 
 of the Chief of the Fief-holders. When these 
 
52 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 returned, the first reported that there was no 
 such person in that quarter, and the second 
 that the Chief of the Fief-holders could find 
 in his register no fief-holder of that name 
 who resided in the capital. So the Agha 
 was plunged in the ocean of amazement, and 
 with the security of us two he liberated Emm 
 from prison and gave him over to us. We 
 took him to the shop, but what was the use ? 
 his eyes would not look upon the world, 
 and he would say nothing but, ' Why did 
 you save me ; and not leave me that they 
 might have killed me, then I should have 
 met my darling a little sooner in the Here- 
 after ? ' We then took him by force to his 
 shop, opened it, and seated him in his place. 
 We perceived a piece of paper, of the size of 
 a ticket, lying on the counter ; and thus was 
 there written thereon : 'Filthy swine, nor 
 has 'Abbas Agha any being, nor has the 
 damsel any existence ; it is I, thy mother-in- 
 law, who have done all this ; I will teach 
 thee to abandon my daughter for a few words 
 of mine ; this thing is the least that I will 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 53 
 
 do ; see, will it suffice thee ? ' When we 
 read the paper we were still more bewildered ; 
 and by reason of the greatness of our fear we 
 again sent an agent and caused Emm to 
 renew the marriage with his divorced wife. 
 He is therefore now compelled to endure 
 suffering, and the grief thereof is the cause of 
 his sadness." 
 
 Jewad smiled and said, ' Ibrahim Chelebi, 
 if you have a quiet place I will show you. 
 a strange sight.' Ibrahim replied, 'There 
 cannot be a quieter place than Monla Emln's 
 own house in the neighbourhood of Merjan/ 
 So Monla Emm and Ibrahim Chelebi and 
 Jewad went all three to that house, and 
 entering, locked the door and sat down in a 
 room. Then Jewad addressed Monla Emm, 
 saying, * Get ready a complete suit of clothes 
 of thine own garments, and a piece of myrtle, 
 or laurel, or olive, or pomegranate-wood a 
 span long, and bring them.' So he went, 
 and according to the directions brought the 
 clothes and a piece of myrtle-wood ; then 
 
54 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Jewad cut the wood with a knife to the 
 thickness of a reed-pen, making it four-sided, 
 and said, ' And this is the wand of Tabatib, 
 take it with the hand of El-Qaytara?* And 
 he gave it into the hand of Emm, and thus 
 directed him: 'Do thou go now to thy house, 
 and while talking with thy wife, do thou 
 strike her once with that wand, as it were in 
 play ; and do thou come to the shop and 
 recount to us whatsoever thou mayest have 
 beheld. But let us make trial here : strike 
 thyself once with it, and let us see.' The 
 moment Emm struck himself with the wand 
 all his clothes vanished, and he stood naked 
 as when he came from his mother. At once 
 he got the clothes he had made ready and 
 put them on ; and he and Ibrahim Chelebi 
 were amazed at this occurrence. Then 
 Jewad said, ' Monla Emm, brother, those 
 clothes which thou hadst on were magical 
 unrealities ; from the day when first I beheld 
 
 * I have been unable to ascertain who or what Tabatib 
 and El-Qaytara are. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 55 
 
 thee I have seen thee naked ; now go and 
 strike once thy wife in compliance with ray 
 instructions, and we shall see.' So he sent 
 Emm to his wife's house, and went with 
 Ibrahim Chelebi to the shop. In the course 
 of half-an-hour Emln arrived smiling and 
 delighted, and he kissed the hand of Jewad. 
 And the latter said, ' Restore the trust,' and 
 he took the wand and brake it. Then he 
 asked, saying, 'Now let us see, what hast 
 thou done ?' And Emm thus narrated : 
 * When I got to the house I entered my 
 usual room and sat down, and my wife said 
 to me, ' My life, what has happened that thou 
 comest thus untimely ?' I gave no answer, 
 but struck her once with the wand, and that 
 very moment that peerless beauty turned 
 into a ragged hag, like an eighty-year-old, 
 two-humped, toothless, gipsy sieve-seller ; 
 and that house like a lofty mansion became 
 a vile and filthy one-roomed old hovel ; and 
 that sumptuous garniture was changed into 
 a tattered government-store rug and two 
 canvas bolsters stuffed with straw. The 
 
56 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 woman began to weep and cry, ' Mercy ! for 
 the love of God destroy me not !' ' Who art 
 thou, speak the truth?' said I. She answered, 
 'They call me Bloody 'Ayesha, and she 
 whom thou imaginest to be thy mother-in- 
 law is my younger sister.' * Swear to me/ 
 said I, ' that thou wilt never again bewitch 
 me or come before me, else will I strike thee 
 again and slay thee.' And I made her swear 
 strong oaths, and left her, and am come/ 
 And Ibrahim Chelebi smiled and was 
 delighted, and blessed Jewad ; and he pre- 
 pared musked coffee, and the three of them 
 enjoyed themselves once more alone in the 
 shop. In the course of conversation Jewad 
 said to Ibrahim, ' My dear Ibrahim Chelebi, 
 have we finished our business yet ? We 
 have left Monla Emm wifeless ; it were right 
 that we should make him again head of a 
 house.' But poor Emm, as his wool had 
 been singed twice already, cried out, 'Mercy, 
 my master, henceforward marriage is unlaw- 
 ful for me ; you have delivered me, that is 
 sufficient kindness.' 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 57 
 
 Once, after about ten days had passed in 
 this fashion, when they were wearied with the 
 greatness of the heat of the weather, Jewad 
 said to Ibrahim, 'My life, Ibrahim Chelebi, 
 the heart longs for some shady retreat ; the 
 walks about Hayder Pasha* are said to be 
 beautiful, what if you and Monla Emm and 
 I were all three to go a-pleasuring there ?' 
 ' My master/ replied Ibrahim, ' God knows 
 you have spoken well; your slave too was 
 imagining how delightful it would be. If it 
 please God (exalted be He I) after to-morrow, 
 which is Friday and the holiday of all the 
 folk at Hayder Pasha, your slave and Monla 
 Emm will get ready some eatables.' Said 
 Jewad, * My lord, there is no need for you to 
 trouble ; I, your slave, have one or two 
 domestics who prepare exceeding delicious 
 dishes ; I shall take them and go over first. 
 If at two o'clock you and Monla Emm get 
 into a boat and come across, you will find 
 
 * A suburb of Constantinople on the Asiatic side of the 
 Sea of Marmara. 
 
58 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 your slave in the Chief Florist's Garden.' 
 And they agreed thereto. 
 
 On the appointed day at two o'clock, as 
 had been arranged, Ibrahim Chelebi and 
 Monla Emm got into a boat and passed over 
 to Hayder Pasha. What did they see ? in 
 the Chief Florist's Garden was a regal 
 parade. They wondered where Jewad could 
 be, and just as they were going to search 
 for him, a handsome, well-dressed page, with 
 some servants, came up to them, and ap- 
 proaching Ibrahim Chelebi, saluted him, and 
 said, ' Our master has seen your arrival with 
 a spy-glass, and he desires you.' Poor 
 Ibrahim Chelebi and Emm could not think 
 what had befallen them, and when with fear 
 and trembling they entered the Garden, many 
 pages came forward to salute them, and they 
 brought them before a magnificent tent 
 formed of a single piece of gold brocade ; 
 and they saw that the Padishah of the Age 
 who sat therein clad in lovely raiment was 
 Jewad. When Jewad saw Ibrahim Chelebi 
 he laughed aloud and said, ' Come, brothers, 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 59 
 
 it seems you have been searching for us 
 much.' They could not utter a word, and 
 bewildered, were about to kiss his skirt, but 
 ,he hindered them saying, * / seek pardon of 
 God, brothers, our wish is not to overpower 
 you ; but I thought, c What diversion were 
 there in a poor stroll? Let us have a kingly 
 spectacle.' If you love God, change not 
 your manner ; and if you are afraid we shall 
 leave this pageantry and go alone beneath 
 the trees ; come then, my lords.' And he 
 took his companions and seated them by his 
 side. After coffee had been partaken of in 
 regal style, he said, ' Come, let us go up.' 
 And with Serjeants bearing Chinese bells* 
 marching along side of them and crying to 
 the people to form in order, and with pages 
 respectfully leading them, they ascended in 
 pomp to an elevated saloon like unto the 
 vault of heaven. All the attendants in that 
 palace were rosy-cheeked damsels ; these met 
 
 * The military musical instrument called in French 
 (hapeau chinois. The Turkish name is chevgan ; none of 
 the dictionaries give this meaning of that word. 
 
60 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 them at the head of the steps with jewelled 
 censers, and respectfully conducted them to 
 a lofty pavilion, the walls and doors whereof 
 were like the lustres called ' jewelled musks,' 
 which women fasten on their heads. The 
 description of the garniture of a pavilion of 
 which the very walls were begemmed is 
 needless. About five hundred slave-girls, 
 beautiful, distracters of the world, stood ready 
 to serve ; some of them were attired in the 
 usual garb of women ; others in trousers, 
 waistcoat, jacket, and small fez, with coiled 
 top-knot ; others again in petticoats like 
 Prankish women ; and others like sailors, 
 Greek islanders, and seraglio pages with 
 turbaned cap and girdled waist. The friends 
 sat down in the place of honour in the 
 pavilion, round a jewel -set golden tray, 
 whereon were spread, like a Ramazan break- 
 fast, a thousand unknown and unheard of 
 conserves and fruits and other things, such as 
 salads and Candian curds. After partaking 
 of many strange and wonderful delicacies and 
 luxuries, flavoured with attar and ambergris 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 61 
 
 and musk, things which had never entered 
 into the mind of the cook, the Sphere, they 
 washed their hands in a basin made of 
 a single emerald, the ewer of which was of a 
 single ruby, and when they had wiped them 
 with embroidered towels of silk of Esterabad, 
 they went into a room whereof the doors and 
 walls were of carved and graven aloes-wood 
 of Maverd, gold-embossed, and the windows 
 of crystal-like diamond, and the cushions and 
 carpets of the embroidery of Lahore and 
 Cashmere, one in hue. Some two hundred 
 slave-girls clad in splendid garments in shade 
 like the garniture stood ready to serve. 
 Coffee and pipes were brought ; and after 
 thirty slave-girl musicians, singers and dan- 
 cers, had appeared and entertained them by 
 their arts, they commenced to converse, and 
 Jewad thus addressed Ibrahim Chelebi, * O, 
 my lord, I know that you now think these 
 things which you behold to be like the magic 
 enchantments of Bloody 'Ayesha, and that 
 your heart is no longer troubled ; but be it 
 known unto you that not only this which 
 
62 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 you see, but worlds as they actually exist 
 (many times more strange and marvellous 
 than this), which may not be conceived or 
 imagined, are gifts from the Creator to the 
 Adepts. Through the power of God (exalted 
 be He !) repose is granted to our wishes in 
 these worlds during what time we desire. 
 These things are not sorcery, or magic, or 
 spells, or enchantment, or delusions ; keep 
 your mind at rest, be not dismayed. The 
 cause of your having seen this world, and of 
 your virtues, is but the favour of the Lord 
 Most High towards you. Well, now, Monla 
 Emm, my wish is to marry thee ; if it please 
 God (exalted be He !) thou shalt forget the 
 sorrows thou hast endured.' 
 
 ' Call a messenger,' cried Jewad to the 
 slave-girls ; and immediately there entered 
 a dwarf, hairy and bearded, with propor- 
 tionate hands and feet, and a cap as high as 
 himself upon his head, and suitable clothes 
 upon his shoulders, and he stood respectfully 
 before them. Then Jewad thus commanded 
 him : ' Khayali Chawush, thou shalt go forth 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 63 
 
 and traverse the whole face of the earth, and 
 of every noble and high-born damsel, worthy 
 to be married to myself, whom thou dost see 
 among the pure virgins, ladies of beauty and 
 loveliness, of all the nations who dwell in the 
 Inhabited Quarter, thou shalt paint the like- 
 ness, each on a separate sheet of paper, and 
 write down her name and fame and age and 
 city and parish ; and bring these to me forth- 
 with.' And the dwarf said, f Command and 
 decree are of our lord/ and he kissed the 
 ground and departed. An hour had not 
 passed ere he returned with a box upon his 
 shoulders, which he placed beside Jewad. 
 The latter opened the box and called Emm 
 and Ibrahim Chelebi to come and see ; and 
 they were engrossed with the spectacle. 
 First they saw the picture of a soul-ravishing 
 maiden which bewildered the understanding, 
 and there-under was written : ' This is the 
 portrait of Ferah-Naz, the daughter of Lari 
 Khan the present monarch of the kingdom 
 of Cathay, and she dwells in the imperial 
 palace of the City of Pekin : her age is 
 
64 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 seventeen, and her height a builder's cubit 
 and four-and-fifty ells.' After looking at 
 this picture they lifted it up, and beneath it 
 was a portrait still more beautiful, on which 
 the name, abode, rank, age, and height were 
 detailed in like manner. They took from 
 under it another picture, which when Emm's 
 eyes beheld, he became himself like a lifeless 
 picture, and fell down in a swoon. Jewad 
 and Ibrahim Chelebi on seeing this, sprinkled 
 rose-water upon his face and brought him to 
 himself. When Jewad read beneath the pic- 
 ture this description : * This is the portrait of 
 Khayal Khanim, daughter of 'Abbas Agha 
 of the chartered fief-holders, who dwells in 
 the City of Aleppo in the Rehavl quarter,' 
 he knew the reason of Emm's fainting, and 
 he was pleased. ' My Emm,' said he, ' if it 
 be thus, good tidings to thee, thy desire is 
 accomplished ; ' and he gave him glad news 
 and comforted him. ' Brother,' continued 
 he, 'be it known unto thee that of every 
 form produced by sorcery or enchantment, 
 there must of necessity be some original 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 65 
 
 exactly similar ; but I feared lest what thou 
 hadst seen were the image of one dead : 
 thank God that that Khayal Khanim whom 
 thou didst see and fall in love with is now 
 alive ; henceforth shall she be thy real wife. 
 An it be thy will, I shall cause her now to be 
 brought hither, but I would that I should 
 accomplish it without letting the clue become 
 public ; so, pray, for a few days have 
 patience.' Then he turned the reins of dis- 
 course to another quarter. They remained 
 there enjoying themselves till nearly ten 
 o'clock, when Jewad said, ' O brothers, it is 
 time for us to return to our homes ; do you 
 go first.' And the body of pages escorted 
 Ibrahim Ch^lebi and Emm with honour as 
 far as the gate, then they went to the landing- 
 stage of Hayder Pasha, got into their boat, 
 and returned each to his house. 
 
 All that night till morning, sleep came not 
 to the eyes of Emm or Ibrahim Chelebi, for 
 they remained imagining and marvelling, 
 and mazed and wondering. They went to 
 the shop, and while they were sitting silent 
 
66 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 and overpowered from the perfectness of 
 their bewilderment, musing upon the events 
 that had occurred, Jewad appeared before the 
 shop in his ordinary guise, gay and happy, 
 joyous and smiling ; and he saluted them 
 and came in and sat down. Ibrahim Chelebi 
 prepared coffee, and departing not in any 
 wise from his usual wont, he made no slip 
 in appearing as though he had seen nought 
 of what had happened. Some hours later, 
 when the rest of the companions had dis- 
 persed, and only the three remained in the 
 shop, Jewad said to Ibrahim Chelebi, ' O 
 brother, Emm is anxious now, let us get for 
 him his darling ; but I pray that you follow 
 my plan in this matter.' Ibrahim answered, 
 4 On head and eye;'* and Jewad thus in- 
 structed him : ' If it please God (exalted be 
 He f), do thou rent to-morrow a large man- 
 sion and get for thyself and Emln some suits 
 of clothes such as are worn by grandees ; 
 procure likewise two horses, some servants, 
 
 * /.*., most willingly. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 67 
 
 and all other needful things ; and give thy- 
 self out as a farmer of revenues ; go to the 
 requisite places, and doubling or tripling the 
 present sum, request the Collectorship of 
 Aleppo. Heed not how the money goes ; I 
 will send a slave to thy side who shall always 
 provide the needful amount ; when thou hast 
 got the Collectorship, we shall see each other 
 
 and talk further.' So saying, he arose and 
 
 x 
 went away. 
 
 The next morning Ibrahim Chelebi went 
 forth his house and proceeded to the Suley- 
 maniyya quarter, and asked from the imam 
 of the Cherry Mosque* the hire of a mansion 
 of twenty rooms. The imam went with him 
 till they came to a lofty house opposite the 
 Aqueduct. When they had looked over 
 the house, the imam said, ' Its rent is two 
 hundred and fifty piastres a-month ; but six 
 months' rent is required in advance, and until 
 it be received I cannot give up the key.' 
 Ibrahim Chelebi began to think, ' Truly we 
 
 * The Kirazli Mesjidi, built by the Su-bashi Sunleyma. 
 
68 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 ought not to have sought a house till we had 
 gotten the money/ and was thus pondering 
 when some one touched his arm. He turned 
 to see who it was, and beheld one of the 
 slaves with fur-trinfimed caps whom he had 
 previously seen with Jewad. The slave said, 
 ' My master, shall I give the money to the 
 imam ? ' and he drew from his breast a purse 
 which might contain three thousand piastres 
 in shining Venetian sequins, and counted the 
 money into the imam's hand. He then took 
 the key and thrust it into his girdle, and said, 
 ' O my master, your slave shall bring uphol- 
 sterers to furnish the house ; do you go to 
 the bazaar and buy raiment and other things 
 according to your taste, your slave, too, shall 
 come behind you.' Ibrahim Chelebi went to 
 the shop and informed Emm of all that had 
 happened, and took him with him to the 
 bazaar, and when they purchased garments 
 the slave appeared and paid the money. In 
 short, after buying all manner of things they 
 went to the mansion, which they found 
 garnishdd with furniture of great price. In 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 69 
 
 three or four such days they had a magnifi- 
 cent establishment with slaves, horses, and 
 all accessories ; and Ibrahim Chelebi and 
 Monla Emln, giving out that that they were 
 father and son, attired themselves in the 
 style of the highest nobles of the capital. 
 After finding out about it, Ibrahim Chelebi, 
 offering much in addition to the amount of 
 the former year, requested the Collectorship 
 of Aleppo. He gave the money to the 
 officials in advance, and was arrayed in a 
 robe of honour and appointed Collector of 
 Aleppo. 
 
 Some days afterwards appeared Jewad, 
 crying, l Hu! 'Azizim ! ey-v 'allah 1 "* with a 
 Bektashi turban on his head, a neat robe 
 upon his shoulders, a white cloth cloak and 
 other dervish gear ; and he said, ' Welcome, 
 my master.' Ibrahim Chelebi and Emm 
 Efendi rose to the saint with all honour and 
 respect. The attendants and others present, 
 imagining him to be the sheykh of His 
 
 * Pious ejaculations used by dervishes. The Bektashi 
 Order of dervishes is one of the most celebrated. 
 
70 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Excellency the Agha, stood reverently with 
 hands folded across the girdle. When they 
 were alone, Jewad said, ' O brothers, hence- 
 forward it is necessary that I be with you ; 
 when the time comes take a largish ship and 
 we shall go to the desired quarter. Do you 
 give me a room apart, but show me no 
 greater respect than is usually accorded 
 sheykhs, lest the people become curious.' 
 So he retired to a private room. When the 
 time for taking possession of the Collector- 
 ship drew nigh, they hired a special ship, in 
 which they embarked and set off in the 
 desired direction. 
 
 With favouring weather they reached 
 Aleppo in a short time, and, spreading the 
 carpet of ease and repose, busied themselves 
 with delight. As there was no registry of 
 capital, they laid the foundations of friend- 
 ship and familiarity, and showed to every 
 person the greatest kindness. They became 
 acquainted with the grandees and notables, 
 and prepared banquets in the gardens, and so 
 won the heart of each individual that they 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 71 
 
 became the beloved of high and low. Market 
 and bazaar, khan and house, coffee-house and 
 tavern, were filled with lauds and praises of 
 the virtues of the Collector. 
 
 As every one was pleased some way or 
 other to meet Jewad, the original cause of 
 their coming, 'Abbas Agha himself, one day 
 came to visit them. What did they see ? 
 there was no need of question or of divina- 
 tion, he was altogether the person they had 
 seen before ; there was not a hair's difference 
 in his circumstances, motions, speech, or ap- 
 pearance; there was but this much difference, 
 that he did not know them or salute them, 
 otherwise his actions were exactly those or 
 the well-known 'Abbas Agha whom they had 
 seen in the Sublime Capital. As ' much 
 friendliness was manifested on both sides, 
 'Abbas Agha was again, after a lapse of two 
 days, summoned before them. After having 
 invited him a few times to their parties, 
 where they treated him with kindness, he 
 became an every-day visitor. Particularly, 
 as he 'perceived that Jewad Baba, the Col- 
 
72 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 lector's sheykh, was a possessor of under- 
 standing and an unequalled sage, he would 
 hardly ever be away from his virtuous society. 
 So one day Jewad opened the mouth of 
 wisdom, and began to disclose what was in 
 his heart, saying to 'Abbas Agha, ' Father, 
 Agha, it is well known to you that our Col- 
 lector's son Emm Efendi is a polite and 
 intelligent person ; certain of the grandees of 
 the Sublime Empire wished him for son-in- 
 law ; but as the ways of the Capital are dis- 
 pleasing to my poor taste, I would not 
 consent to his marrying. I have heard that 
 my lord has a virtuous daughter, and have 
 enquired into the matter, and made sure. 
 Now my wish is to make him son-in-law to 
 you, with the condition that even should 
 Ibrahim Agha be dismissed (which will not 
 be the case) Emm Efendi continue to abide 
 in Aleppo ; that is, that he take not your 
 daughter to the Capital, but remain beside 
 you.' Well, after some discussion, they 
 agreed upon the amount of the stipulated 
 dower ; and Khayal Khanim daughter of 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 73 
 
 * 
 
 'Abbas Agha was married to Emm Efendi. 
 Tents were pitched in front of the convent 
 of Sheykh Bekr ; and rope-dancers, jugglers, 
 acrobats, dancers, conjurors, minstrels, and 
 players afforded entertainment. At night 
 all sorts of fireworks were displayed ; and 
 thus for a whole week all the people, high 
 and low, enjoyed themselves with feasts and 
 music. On the completion of the wedding 
 ceremonies in this fashion, with prayers and 
 blessings they conducted Emm Efendi to the 
 nuptial-chamber of his wishes. When, after 
 performing the wedding prayer, he raised the 
 veil from the face of the bride and saw his 
 wife who a year ago had died and for whom 
 he had longed and yearned so much, now his 
 senses fled away, leaving him bewildered, and 
 now he became excited, sighing and crying. 
 However, he praised and thanked God, and 
 remained in perfect delight till morning, sleep 
 entering not his eyes. For the purpose of 
 thanking, he went before his master, and first 
 kissed the hand of Jewad and received his 
 blessing, next he kissed that of Ibrahim Agha 
 
74 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 who acted as his kind father ; and then went 
 back to his beloved. For three weeks he 
 remained in the bridal apartments without 
 coming forth ; and afterwards he occupied 
 himself attending the meetings held by his 
 father and the sheykh. 
 
 About a month after his marriage, Jewad 
 called Ibrahim Chelebi and Emm Efendi 
 before him, and, after a few introductory 
 words, said, ' O brothers, you know how 
 ' every union hath its parting ; ' the necessity 
 of travel has become manifest to your slave. 
 It is needful that, with your permission, I set 
 forth to journey. I confide you to God. For 
 as long as you wear the borrowed robe of life 
 in this transient world, to my master 50,000 
 and to Emm Efendi 50,000, together 100,000 
 piastres a-year, has been appointed as income. 
 On the first day of Muharrem, which is the 
 beginning of the year, that slave whom you 
 know shall come, through power, to the place 
 where you are, and give the money into your 
 hands ; so you will not be troubled about the 
 necessities of life. Forget me not in your 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 75 
 
 prayers.' And he joined himself to a caravan 
 about to go into the land of Persia, leaving 
 Ibrahim Agha and Emm Efendi in the cor- 
 ner of separation, and set forth with the 
 desire of travelling through this perishing 
 world. 
 
 So let the wonder-working Jewad remain 
 viewing the power of God, wandering through 
 towns and cities. 
 
 THE STORY OF FERAH-NAZ, THE DAUGHTER 
 OF THE KING OF CHINA. 
 
 Thus doth the sweet-tongued reed relate 
 and narrate another wondrous tale : Larl 
 Khan, King of the realms of China, had a 
 lovely daughter named Ferah-Naz, the fame 
 of whose beauty and grace and charms and 
 elegance resounded through the world. 
 Though the comeliness of her person thus 
 threw cities into confusion, her nature and 
 character were so sweet and pleasant that 
 the neighbouring emperors and kings desired 
 her in marriage, and sought for union with 
 
76 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 her, expending the coin of their lives. But 
 Ferah-Naz misliked the companionship of 
 men, and chose, like the Virgin Mary, the 
 corner of maidenhood. Her aged father was 
 displeased at this her conduct, and, summon- 
 ing Libaba, his daughter's nurse, to a private 
 interview, he said, 'No one save thou can 
 discover what is the reason and cause of this 
 girl's unwillingness to marry. I wish thee to 
 find out what it is. If she desire not any of 
 the kings and vezirs, but has some one other 
 in view, there is no hindrance ; howsoever 
 mean a person he may be, it were an easy 
 matter for our royal power to exalt him and 
 render him fit to be her mate ; only I wish 
 to behold a grandson. Thou must discover 
 what Ferah-Naz has on her mind, and inform 
 us concerning it. 1 And he strongly urged 
 this upon Libaba. She accepted the King's 
 command, but said, ' My master, your hand- 
 maid shall undertake to unveil the mind and 
 thoughts of Ferah-Naz ; but it is known to 
 Your Majesty that Her Highness the Princess 
 is not as other women : she is a lady endowed 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 77 
 
 with high qualities, upright, learned, versed 
 in the general and special sciences, acquain- 
 ted with the ways of the world, and skilled in 
 polite disputation ; she will not easily give 
 up her secret ; I pray of your favour that you 
 hurry me not.' 
 
 When she obtained permission, she re- 
 turned to her establishment, and, after count- 
 less reflections, when it was evening she went, 
 as of wont, to the room of Ferah-Naz to pass 
 the night. She sat down, and, after many 
 pleasant words, conformably to the saying 
 'speech leads to speech/ she brought about 
 an opportunity and said to Ferah-Naz with 
 tearful eyes and mournful face, 'My mistress, 
 I have a question to ask of you, an it vex not 
 your gentle mind.' ' / seek pardon of God, 
 speak,' answered the Princess. So the nurse 
 thus began her task : * My mistress, in ancient 
 times and past ages many and many lovers 
 and loved ones came into this world, the 
 histories of most of whom your handmaid 
 has studied ; some thousands of stories con- 
 cerning them remain in the memory of your 
 
78 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 well-wisher. Each one had a confidant, a 
 sympathising friend, a self-sacrificer such 
 was the wont of those of yore. But my 
 opinion and belief is this, that not one of 
 those of old time had a slave, a tender hand- 
 maid, a proved concealer of secrets, like this 
 slave of yours ; now, certain actions of my 
 mistress have made her handmaid heart- 
 sore.' Thus going straight to her aim, she 
 sought to fathom Ferah-Naz, and continued : 
 ' My mistress, many times the neighbouring 
 princes, especially the son of the King of 
 Ceylon, who is in beauty unique in the age, 
 have sought you in marriage ; since your 
 answers to all have been absolute despair, 
 grief of heart has overtaken your handmaid. 
 So long as we wear the robe of humanity do 
 human impulses and carnal cravings encircle 
 all of us. And while it is apparent that there 
 must be some hidden reason for this choice 
 of singleness, why confide you not to your 
 handmaid the search for the remedy of your 
 secret grief, but treat her like a stranger ? ' 
 Ferah-Naz smiled wonderingly and said 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 79 
 
 | 
 
 to her nurse with a countenance of dis- 
 pleasure, * O lady, mother, you know this 
 your daughter to be a lady of understanding, 
 yet you imagine that she is as the daughters 
 of the people, swayed by the flesh and over- 
 come of carnal desires. But it is evident 
 from your words (seeing that you have never 
 before during so long a time spoken of this 
 matter, and to-night with an excuse so feeble 
 make thus bold an enquiry) that your auda- 
 city arises not merely from your own zeal, 
 but is to increase the knowledge of my kind 
 and gracious father. Still, as you are so 
 urgent in your questioning, it is needful that 
 I disclose to you what is on my mind : One 
 night, three years ago, I saw in a vision a 
 prince, peerless in beauty, hard by a garden ; 
 never in my life had I beheld the like of him. 
 With the longing of humanity I was bewil- 
 dered at his beauty, when of a sudden, while 
 I was gazing upon him, two deer, a buck and 
 a doe, came into the garden. The buck 
 began to run about, but his foot got caught 
 in a snare, which when the doe saw, she came 
 
80 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 and brake the snare, and set free her mate. 
 They had not gone two steps ere the doe 
 was likewise caught in a trap, and though 
 she showed her distress, the buck cared not 
 about his comrade's capture, but ran off 
 and left her. When I awoke from sleep I 
 thought much and interpreted my dream as 
 a celestial warning to me that if they were 
 to offer me a mate, even though fair as he 
 whom I had seen, I should not accept him ; 
 for husbands show no constancy towards 
 their wives. Behold, by reason of this celes- 
 tial warning I cannot marry ; do you, my 
 mother, and you, my kind father, both give 
 up this fancy ; for your counsel and advice 
 can in no wise take effect.' 
 
 The nurse, after many excuses for her for- 
 mer speech, said, * My mistress, if leave be 
 given to me your handmaid, I pray you 
 graciously to reflect upon my humble words. 
 I can prove that this vision you have related 
 is not divine ; for the glorious Creator of 
 men and jinn has made the coupling of 
 male and female the visible cause of the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 81 
 
 existence of these countless, numberless 
 creatures. It is evident that such a warning 
 were contrary to the will of the Creator ; it 
 is apparent upon the least reflection that this 
 vision is a Satanic deception, which, fixing 
 itself thus firmly in your noble and virtuous 
 mind, has caused you, my mistress, to forget 
 the pleasure of your parents and the pleasure 
 of God. The apprehension and delusion 
 which causes you to oppose your father's 
 pleasure is clearly an instigation of the devil. 
 Moreover, I can conclusively and surely prove 
 that men are more constant in their troth 
 than women ; a true example of my humble 
 assertion is the story of Khoja 'Abdu-'llah 
 which I can relate to the Princess : 
 
 THE STORY OF KHOJA <ABDU-*LLAH. 
 
 " One day, while Harunu-'r-Resh!d, who 
 was the most bounteous, illustrious, and up- 
 right of the 'AbbasI Khalifs, and in every 
 way the most munificent in generosity of his 
 
 predecessors or successors, was conversing 
 F 
 
82 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 with Ja'fer, his vezir, he vaunted himself 
 much on his beneficence and liberality, and, 
 forgetting himself, said, ' Is there in this age 
 anyone more bountiful than we or more 
 lavish in generosity to the world?' Ja'fer 
 boldly replied, * My master, there is in Basra 
 a man of good family whom they call Khoja 
 'Abdu-'llah ; and if all the rulers of the earth 
 were to assemble together and exert every 
 effort thereto, they could not give away as 
 much wealth as he bestows on the deserving 
 in a single day.' Harun's heart was con- 
 tracted at these words, and saying, * If that 
 be so, it has become imperative to go to 
 Basra and see this man,' he disguised himself 
 as a qalender,* and set out with two trusty 
 servants ; and arrived at Basra. 
 
 " On asking of one of the people, according 
 to the wont of strangers, which of the cara- 
 vanseries, that is khans, was suitable to their 
 circumstances, the man replied, ' Holy men, 
 Khoja 'Abdu-'llah has special guest-houses 
 
 * A wandering dervish. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 83 
 
 in this place, faqlrs like yourselves ought 
 not to go elsewhere ; come, my fathers, I 
 will conduct you.' And he led them to a 
 great gate. When the attendants of the 
 guest-house, who were set apart for this duty 
 saw the dervishes, ten of them came forth 
 the gate and met them with the greeting, 
 ' Welcome, and fair welcome ;' and they took 
 them to a room in an upper storey. From 
 the furniture of the room, Harun imagined it 
 to be one of the Khoja's private apartments. 
 Straightway attendants brought in basin and 
 ewer, and washed the dust of the road from 
 their faces. After coffee and pipes,* came 
 three trays of delicious and delicate foods, 
 which were placed on the stools and par- 
 taken of; and as night was come, clean, fresh 
 beds were spread, and they rested in sweet 
 sleep till morning. Then one of the attend- 
 ants came and said, ' My lord, the guest- 
 
 * This is, of course, an anachronism ; coffee and tobacco 
 were not in use till long after the close of the 'AbbasI 
 Khalifate ; but this story, like all the others (except the 
 incident of the Chinese priests), illustrates old Turkish life. 
 
84 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 house has a private bath, pleasant and 
 cleanly ; if you have a mind thereto, pray, 
 come.' Harun, to whom observation was as 
 a second nature, arose and went to the bath 
 with the attendant. He saw it to be a bath 
 the like of which did not then exist in 
 Baghdad, the Abode of the Khalifate. With 
 all respect the attendants of the bath led the 
 sheykh to a bench, stript him of his dervish 
 robe and wrapped him in heavy towels and 
 brought him into the warm-bath apartment, 
 where two lovely servants rubbed and washed 
 him with bag and soap, and then perfumed 
 him with aloes-wood and ambergris, and led 
 him into the dressing-room. There they 
 dried him gently, put on his clothes, and, 
 having conducted him back to his room, pre- 
 pared breakfast, which he partook of and 
 then rested. 
 
 " Three days passed thus, and on the 
 fourth he said to one of the attendants, 'This 
 courtesy and kindness is good, but cannot 
 we see our host Khoja 'Abdu-'llah ? ' The 
 servant answered on this wise, ' The Khoja 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 85 
 
 has thus directed us : " Trouble not any of 
 the guests by saying, 'Go to the Khoja,' unless 
 he desire to come to us : " therefore it de- 
 pends upon your wish if it be your desire, 
 come, I shall take you.' Harun left his com- 
 panions in the guest-house and went alone ; 
 they entered through a great gate into a vast 
 and spacious court, in which stood ready har- 
 nessed about a hundred Arab horses tied in 
 a row and decorated with princely saddles 
 and caparisons. When they perceived the 
 guest, many handsomely-dressed attendants, 
 of the attendants of the palace, came forward 
 to greet him, and, taking hold of his skirt 
 and arms, reverently led him up. He saw a 
 lofty saloon containing about forty doors, 
 over each of which was hung a curtain, like 
 the canopy of a throne, all of one colour, and 
 he judged each curtain to be worth a hun- 
 dred purses. They raised one of the curtains 
 and said, 'Go forward.' When he entered 
 the room, its adornment with decorations such 
 as cannot be described plunged Harun into 
 amazement. On seeing his guest, the Khoja 
 
86 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 advanced to the threshold of the room, say- 
 ing, ' My master, father, sultan, you have 
 honoured us ; all hail ! ' And he seated 
 Harun in the place of honour, and sat down 
 near him, and began to entreat him with 
 courtesy and kindness. 
 
 " After coffee and sherbets had been drunk 
 and other ceremonies of that time observed, 
 the Khoja said, ' Come, my lord, let us eat/ 
 and he led him into another room more mag- 
 nificent than the first, and they sat down at 
 a spread table and partook of food. Let us 
 not expatiate on the qualities of the meats 
 or the description of the vases and vessels. 
 When finished they went into another room 
 and gave themselves up to ease ; Khoja 
 'Abdu-'llah, begging to be excused, asked, 
 ' My saint, whence have you brought honour? 
 Of what land are you a son ? ' ' My master, 
 replied Harun, 'our name is Muhammed, 
 and our land Baghdad the Abode of the 
 Khalifate.' The Khoja manifested great 
 delight, and said, ' My saint, you are a fellow- 
 townsman ; your slave too is originally of 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 87 
 
 Baghdad,' and they continued to converse 
 earnestly and profoundly. The Khoja intro-' 
 duced the subject of objects of vertu, and said, 
 ' My lord, it is true that there are no curiosi- 
 ties the like of which may not be found in 
 the Abode of the Khalifate ; but this poor 
 slave of yours has a jewelled image of a 
 lemon-tree which is in his belief a rarity.' 
 ' Bring it,' cried he, ' and let the father, my 
 fellow-townsman, see it.' A Cathayan slave- 
 boy, a leveling of world-disturbing beauty, 
 whose like for comeliness Harun had never 
 seen in all his life, clad in costly garments, 
 brought in a curiosity of immense value, a 
 flower-pot formed of a single ruby in which 
 was a large tree, the branches whereof were 
 made of gold, the blossoms of diamonds, the 
 leaves of emeralds, the lemons of topazes, 
 and the oranges of rubies. The boy kissed 
 the skirt of the sheykh's robe and placed the 
 tree beside him for examination. While 
 Harun was wondering whether to look at the 
 boy or inspect the tree, the Khoja said, 'Take 
 it away.' ' By God, my master,' said the 
 
88 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 sheykh, ' the truth is this, that that is a curi- 
 osity such as exists not in the Khalifs 
 treasury. ' My lord,' replied the other, ' while 
 you are with your slave there is always by 
 him an object of virtue.' * Bring that parrot- 
 cage!' Immediately there appeared a slave- 
 girl, more beautiful than the boy, adorned" 
 with ornaments and decorations, bearing a 
 cage, which she placed beside the sheykh, 
 whose hand she kissed. It was a cage em- 
 bellished with peerless jewels, and in it was 
 a parrot, formed from one emerald, which 
 every quarter of an hour spake in a strange 
 tongue. It also they left but a very brief 
 while, and then bore away. Six such won- 
 derful curiosities were seen, three of which 
 were brought by boys and three by damsels. 
 Harun grew angry and said in himself, ' It 
 beseems not the rank of this fellow that he 
 unseasonably shows off curiosities for glory 
 among men ;' and he asked permission to 
 depart. ' By God, my brother!' said the 
 Khoja, * I pray that you will honour me 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 89 
 
 again;' and he accompanied him to the door 
 of the room. 
 
 "When Harun descended to the horse-block 
 they brought forward one of the choice steeds, 
 and mounted him thereon, and two servants, 
 marching at his stirrups, conducted him to 
 the guest-house. On entering the room, 
 what did he behold ? the three damsels 
 and the three boys, along with the curiosities 
 he had seen, were standing in the apartment. 
 One of the boys had a note in his hand 
 which he presented to Harun, and in it was 
 written : ' The following trifling objects are 
 presented to Sheykh Muhammed,of Baghdad, 
 by Khoja 'Abdu-'llah on the second day of 
 such and such a month : slave-girls, three ; 
 beardless slave-youths, three; Cossack slaves 
 attired as servants, two ; curiosities, six ; 
 caparisoned horse, one ; sequins for one 
 month's expenses, five thousand.' When 
 Harun read this note his senses were bewil- 
 dered, and he said in himself, ' That he should 
 give such objects to a miserable Bektashl 
 is a thing which cannot come within the 
 
90 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 scale of understanding ; there must be some 
 hidden mystery here, but until I disclose 
 myself to the Khoja it is manifestly impossible 
 to learn his secret. But to disclose myself in 
 this state were derogatory to the dignity of 
 the Khalifate ; it were more becoming to 
 hasten forthwith to Baghdad, and, summon- 
 ing Khoja 'Abdu-'llah to the Abode of the 
 Khalifate, ask of him his secret and so solve 
 the puzzle.' 
 
 " The next day he set out ; and when he 
 reached Baghdad he informed Ja'fer of what 
 had happened. So an order was written to 
 bring thither Khoja 'Abdu-'llah with all 
 becoming respect and honour, and one of 
 the chamberlains was despatched. In twenty 
 days, the chamberlain returned and reported 
 that, three days before his reaching Basra, 
 Khoja 'Abdu-'llah had passed away to the 
 Abode of Permanency, and that therefore 
 meeting with him was deferred till the 
 Resurrection - Day. The Khalif mourned 
 passing sore at this news, and bewailed the 
 death of Khoja -Abdu-'llah. 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 91 
 
 "A year and three months after this, a son 
 named Me'mun* was born to Harun, and one 
 day while the month of festivities was in 
 progress, when dancers were performing at 
 the Imperial palace and a great throng of 
 people was assembled to see them, one of 
 the slaves whom Khoja 'Abdu-'llah had pre- 
 sented to the Khalif perceived 'Abdu-'llah in 
 the dress of a beggar, standing among the 
 spectators. He went to his side and said, 
 4 My master, is it thou ? ' And, waiting not 
 while 'Abdu-'llah said this thing and that 
 thing, he ran off and told the Khalif. Harun 
 despatched an officer along with the slave, 
 telling the former to bring the person whom 
 the latter pointed out. Whenever the Khalif 
 saw him he recognised him beyond all doubt, 
 and ordered him to sit down ; and he dis- 
 played all manner of kindness towards him, 
 with honour and respect. After his fears had 
 been dispelled, he sent him to the bath and 
 clad him in one of his own suits of clothes. 
 
 * He was afterwarck Khalif. 
 
92 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Harun dined with him and removed all cares 
 of ceremony and pomp, and retired into a 
 private room with Ja'fer and 'Abdu-'llah, and, 
 spreading the carpet of familiarity, said, 
 'O Khoja 'Abdu-'llah, knowest thou me?' 
 'My lord,' replied the Khoja, 'how should 
 not I know you ? no one can doubt that you 
 are our lord who now sits upon the Throne 
 of the Khalifate, that your slave should not 
 know you.' * Nay,' said Harun, ' but have 
 you never seen me before, in another place, 
 and in other guise ?' * No, my lord,' was the 
 reply, and the Khoja pondered. Then the 
 Khalif explained to him how he had gone, 
 expressly to see him, in the dress of a 
 qalender : how he had lodged in his guest- 
 house, how he had been treated by him with 
 exceeding kindness, and how he had, in con- 
 sequence, sent an officer to summon him who 
 had brought back word of his death. Next 
 he asked the cause of all that had happened, 
 and said, 'What is the reason of your now 
 coming hither in beggar's guise, of your 
 having fallen into this poverty and penury, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 93 
 
 while you used to be possessor of so great 
 wealth?' 'My lord,' replied he, 'the adven- 
 tures of your slave are marvellous, and his 
 experiences wonderful ; if it weary you not, 
 he shall relate what has befallen him from 
 the commencement of his fortunes till this 
 hour.' Permission being accorded, he thus 
 began his story. 
 
 "'There was in the Abode of the Khalifate, 
 during the reign of your departed father, a 
 famous merchant, by name Nasr. I am his 
 son. On the death of my father, I was only 
 sixteen years old ; a youth, beautiful and 
 comely, inclined to pleasure and mirth, heed- 
 less of the heat and cold of fortune. Think- 
 ing not of the extent of the vast wealth 
 which my father had earned by the labour 
 of his right hand and the sweat of his brow, 
 I wasted and squandered and lavished and 
 lost it, and sank so low that I considered 
 with myself how it were better to die in a 
 foreign land than to live in degradation 
 among my associates and equals. So, say- 
 ing to myself, ' I have no resource but 
 
94 THE STORY OF JEW AD. 
 
 travel,' I became servant to one of a cara- 
 van about to start, and went into Egypt. 
 
 " * The day we entered Cairo, I left my 
 companions, and set out alone to see the 
 bazaars of the city. While I was wandering 
 aimlessly along, my eyes fell upon a houri- 
 like damsel about to shut a window in a 
 lofty mansion. A single glance at her so 
 took me out of myself that my senses and 
 reason and understanding passed away, and 
 I fell upon the ground. I lay on the street 
 for about an hour unconscious, like a lifeless 
 figure. When my senses were in a measure 
 returned, I reasoned strenuously with my- 
 self, and, rushing away, went back to the 
 khan where we had alighted with the cara- 
 van. Free from all thoughts of food or 
 drink, I remained that night in a corner, 
 reasoning with myself till dawn. Now tears 
 overcame me, and I would weep, and now 
 reason got the upper hand, and I would say, 
 ' O luckless one ! it sufficeth not that, fallen 
 into the dust of degradation and sunken 
 from affluence to indigence, covered with 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 95 
 
 shame and disgrace among thy comrades, 
 thou hast had to choose exile and banish- 
 ,ment, struggling on. What hath befallen 
 thee that thou must become enamoured of 
 a form concerning which thou knowest 
 nothing above all, as it is manifest from 
 its embellishments and walls that the man- 
 sion in which thou sawest the phantom is 
 the establishment of one of the greatest of 
 the grandees of this country ? Setting that 
 aside, and supposing she were the daughter 
 of one of the lowest and meanest of the 
 people, thou couldst not marry her. Who 
 would have aught to do with thee in such a 
 guise who would look upon thee in such 
 rags ? This is a vain thing, the result of thy 
 calamities. The Tempter hath taken the 
 form of a woman to plunge thee into the 
 abyss of ruin,*he is so eager for thy life.' 
 
 "'Howsoever much I strove to shake off 
 and forget my longing, showing its futility 
 to my unhappy self, it was vain ; and when 
 the dawn appeared I arose, and again went 
 straight to opposite the window, and sat 
 
96 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 down, and, after the manner of beggars, 
 bowing my head, besought alms of the 
 passers-by. But of what use? It was im- 
 possible for me to withdraw my eyes for a 
 single moment from the window. Food and 
 drink passed altogether away from my mind. 
 In the evening I went to the khan, and in 
 the morning to the corner opposite the 
 window ; and seven days passed thus dis- 
 tractedly, and I neither ate nor drank. At 
 length my frame grew so weak that I was 
 unable to return to the khan, when, lo ! an 
 old woman came forth with a bowl of soup 
 and a loaf of fine bread in her hand, which 
 she placed before me, and said, ' They have 
 sent thee this bread and soup from the palace 
 which is opposite ; take and eat.' From the 
 greatness of my joy and delight, I ate. She 
 took the bowl, and asked, 'Whence art 
 thou ? ' I told her that I was of a strange 
 country, and informed her of the khan where 
 I passed the night. And she put ten sequins 
 into my hand, and said, 'Take these, and go 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 97 
 
 to the khan where thou lodgest, and come 
 hither no more.' 
 
 " ' Having no resource, I returned to the 
 khan weeping, and sat down, sad and 
 sorrowful, in my accustomed corner. I 
 mourned, sighing, ' Would to God that I 
 had died of my hunger opposite to my 
 beloved ! ' And thus the night passed. 
 When it was morning, I saw the old woman 
 coming again with soup and fine bread in 
 her hand, and she placed them beside me, 
 and saluted me, and said, 'O hapless one, 
 how art thou ? ' My hands and feet trembled 
 through joy, and I began to weep. She 
 asked, 'Who art thou, and from what land 
 art thou come, and what business hast thou 
 here?' So I narrated to her briefly my 
 fortunes and adventures. When she said, 
 ' What is the cause of thy being thus ill ? ' 
 I, fearing to reveal, remained silent. 'Be 
 not afraid,' said she, 'I am none of the in- 
 discreet ; relate to me thy woes.' So, with a 
 thousand writhings, I loosed the collar of 
 speech, and hinted how I had encountered a 
 
98 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 phantom from behind the veil. Driving 
 horses over me, she compelled me to speak 
 plainly and confess all ; and then she said, 
 ' O unhappy one, that mansion which thou 
 sawest is the palace of Mansur-Bi-'llah, the 
 present Sultan of Egypt, and that damsel is 
 one of his favourite slave-girls ; to turn thy 
 thoughts to thus impossible a fancy is unlaw- 
 ful for a man like thee, and an abyss of ruin. 
 It were best to drive these frightful thoughts 
 altogether from thy mind, and to occupy 
 thyself with some work that will earn thy 
 daily bread.' Smiling sadly, I replied, ' O 
 my mistress, mother, lady all these words 
 are vain. What fear ? What ruin ? What 
 daily bread ? My work is finished. I knew 
 from the beginning that this fancy was vain. 
 But this matter is from Destiny. For me 
 there is no remedy save to die thinking on 
 the loved one, and, in the Hereafter, to be 
 raised with Mejnun and Ferhad and Wamiq 
 and 'Azra* one of the victims of Love. The 
 
 * The names of famous lovers in the Eastern romances. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 99 
 
 time for advice is past. But I beg of you, 
 my mother, that, if you bring me this bread 
 and soup out of charity, you will, to favour 
 me, bring it no more ; for the cursed flesh 
 cannot refrain from eating, and if I eat but 
 once in three or four days the event will be 
 delayed, and you will be guilty ; for to die 
 were to me great joy do not, with your 
 soup and bread, deprive me of that joy.' 
 
 " * When I had, with fervour like to that, 
 told the old woman what lay on my heart, 
 she was constrained to tears, and full bitterly 
 did she weep for my case ; and she took the 
 bowl and went away. Although hopeless of 
 ever possessing the beauty of the beloved, 
 yet the learning who was my hitherto un- 
 known mistress was that night a fresh wound 
 in my heart, and yet a plaything. 
 
 "'When it was morning, the old woman 
 again appeared, at the same hour as before, 
 with soup and a package in her arms. I 
 cried, * Why have you brought this, and not 
 listened to my request ? ' and would have 
 repulsed her, but she said, 'Take the soup 
 
loo THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 this time, and be not rebellious, for that 
 beauty, the love of whom has enslaved thee, 
 sends thee greeting.' When she uttered 
 these words, trembling seized my whole 
 frame from head to foot ; and the bird, the 
 soul, was well-nigh released from its cage, 
 the body. Who could have looked at the 
 soup ? I gazed at the source of the water of 
 life, the lips of the old woman, to see if there 
 might be there another blessing. Power of 
 motion departed from me, but the old woman 
 roused me from my bewilderment, and said, 
 ' I have somewhat that has been confided to 
 me to say to thee, but do thou first collect 
 thy senses that thou mayst understand the 
 words I am about to speak.' At these glad 
 tidings I came to myself; and when I ap- 
 peared tranquil the old woman thus addressed 
 me : * Son, there is no doubt that thy for- 
 tunes are of the hidden providence of God. 
 She whom thou hast seen, and whom I have 
 told thee to be of the favourite slave-girls 
 of the Sultan of Egypt, is a pure virgin, a 
 maiden modest as Mary, by name Durr- 
 
THE STORY OY )EWAi>. Mbi? 
 
 Dana. Two years ago, the Sultan of Egypt 
 purchased her, and enrolled her among his 
 wives ; but when she saw how much he in- 
 clined to other damsels, she repulsed his 
 advances and opposed him, saying, 'Thou 
 mayst slay me, but I will not submit to 
 thee.' She has persisted in this attitude for 
 two years, but by reason of her beauty and 
 grace the Sultan of Egypt cannot bring him- 
 self to expel her ; and they are still in this 
 contention. One day, when great weariness 
 and vexation had come upon her, after the 
 noon worship, she recited many supereroga- 
 tory prayers, and, weeping, raised her hands 
 to the Court of the Creator of all beings, and 
 said, 'Make me the mate of a poor man, but 
 constant, though the meanest of all the 
 people, rather than the wife of thus faithless 
 a Sultan, who knows not true worth.' And 
 she humbled herself and wept, and thereupon 
 she opened the window and beheld thee ; 
 and thou sawest her. And there came this 
 thought into her sad heart 'Lo! meaner 
 and poorer than yon man there cannot be, 
 
loz ; , , TIIE ( ST,OkV OF JEWAD. 
 
 yet am I content with him, so that he be but 
 of those that are constant.' She went the 
 next day to the window for a diversion, and 
 beheld thee gazing abstractedly thereat, and, 
 looking upon thee with attention, she per- 
 ceived that no other action proceeded from 
 thee, and that thy eyes were ever fixed upon 
 the window. Then she knew that the prayer 
 she had made in sincerity had met with the 
 Divine acceptance, and that thou hadst be- 
 come enamoured of her at a single glance. 
 After this, she watched thee for some days, 
 and she wept, and love for thee took root in 
 her breast. Fearing lest if thou were ob- 
 served gazing at the harem windows they 
 would persecute thee, she sent me with the 
 soup and supplies, and ordered that thou 
 shouldst not return. When I told her all 
 thy case, and how that thy death was at 
 hand if she delayed, putting aside all other 
 fears, she sent me to inform thee of the posi- 
 tion. She has sent thee a suit of clothes and 
 a hundred sequins, and begs that thou wilt 
 repair to the bath, and cleanse thee, and 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 103 
 
 put on these clothes, and enjoy thyself for 
 four or five days in ease, and collect thy 
 senses, and be hopeful of union with thy 
 beloved. And when thou art all recovered 
 and rested we shall think upon some plan.' 
 
 " ' The joy that came upon me at this intel- 
 ligence will be understood of him who has 
 loved a darling and fallen in the wilderness 
 of woe. I straightway took the package, 
 kissed it, and raised it to my forehead. And 
 I arose and, according to the command of 
 the beloved, went to the bath and cleansed 
 me of filth and mire, and put on the 
 clothes that had been presented to me, and 
 returned to the khan. I passed that night 
 in perfect repose, and then began to think of 
 eating and drinking ; and waited from mo- 
 ment to moment, wondering what news 
 would come from the direction of the loved 
 one. A week passed thus, when the old 
 woman again appeared and gave me new 
 life with salutations and greetings from the 
 beloved. She said, ' Durr-Dana desires to 
 converse with you. See, I have brought you 
 
104 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 a suit of female clothes and a cloak ; there is 
 an empty ruined mosque in such and such a 
 place, come there, I shall wait at the door 
 while you change your dress, for I must 
 conduct you to Durr-Dana ; but be very 
 careful, for if it become known, our fate is 
 sealed.' I took the bundle of clothes, and we 
 went to the ruined mosque ; where I did off 
 my man's dress and arrayed myself as a 
 woman. As I was a beardless youth my 
 appearance in no wise differed from that of 
 a female when I had put on the cloak and 
 shawl ; and I walked by the side of the old 
 woman as though I were her daughter. 
 
 " ' We entered the palace at the time of the 
 evening call to worship, and we passed into 
 a private room to the presence of Durr-Dana. 
 When my eyes fell upon the face of my 
 beloved, my breath was stopped and my 
 senses fled away, and I fell to the ground. 
 The old woman sprinkled rose-water on my 
 face and brought me to myself again, and 
 seated me at the side of the room. When 
 my confusion was dispelled, Durr-Dana 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 105 
 
 opened her gracious mouth and said, ' * Abdu- 
 'llah, behold, thy woes are ended. But in 
 what way wilt thou be able to deliver me 
 hence ? It is manifest that if I gave thee 
 money and thou were to go about to purchase 
 me, it would be impossible ; nothing remains 
 but to seek some means of flight. If we 
 betake ourselves to some other country thou 
 wilt there marry me. At present thou art 
 not calm enough to devise plans ; but reflect 
 well when alone. I too shall consider ; we 
 can communicate by means of the old 
 woman, and then take. flight.' 
 
 " ' Whilst we were talking, suddenly a noise 
 was heard in the vestibule ; and I saw the 
 Sultan of Egypt and twenty executioners, 
 with drawn swords, enter the room. The 
 enemies of Durr-Dana had been watching 
 and had given the clue. The Sultan rushed 
 upon Durr- Dana, crying, * O ungrateful 
 wretch, is this the cause of thy aversion 
 towards me?' And as he raised his sword 
 the executioners caught his hand and said, 
 * Master, that work is ours, do not you stain 
 
106 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 with blood your hand of glory !' He shouted, 
 'Take these wretches and bind their hands 
 and feet and cast them into the River Nile !' 
 So the executioners seized Durr-Dana and 
 myself and made fast our hands and feet, 
 and, two of them taking us upon their shoul- 
 ders, carried us to the brink of the Nile. 
 Having for so long looked for death, I had 
 no fear thereof ; but I grieved for Durr-Dana, 
 and begged the executioner who was carrying 
 me to cast me first into the river that I might 
 not see Durr-Dana being drowned. He 
 granted my request, and, raising me up, hurled 
 me into the stream. I first sank to the 
 bottom, but rose again to the surface, and, 
 as it was the season of the overflow of the 
 Nile, I was borne along a great distance in 
 the twinkling of an eye. I was filled up to 
 throat with water and my eyes were dimmed, 
 when my foot got entangled at the ankle 
 with the root of a reed. Now some Arabs 
 who were fishing on the bank of the river 
 saw me struggling, and, thinking it to be a 
 fish, they came up to me. Seeing that the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 107 
 
 vital spark was still within me, they drew me 
 out with the harpoon they had in their hands, 
 and stretched me upon the sand, and, pressing 
 my belly, got out the water I had swallowed ; 
 and they took off my wet clothes and clad 
 me in a dry shirt of their own. After a time, 
 my senses returned, and I grieved for that 
 I had been saved after Durr-Dana had 
 perished, and I sorrowed for my life. But 
 what was the use ? I thanked the fishermen, 
 and these put into my hand by way of 
 charity a sequin one of those that had been 
 in my pocket, and said, * Now stay not, but 
 be off.' 
 
 " ' I fared on for about an hour, but through 
 sad sorrow and grief at parting from my 
 beloved, and the shock of drowning, my 
 strength was exhausted, and I sat down and 
 thought in myself, * The only way possible 
 to join my loved one is to die and be united 
 with her in the Hereafter. Henceforward it 
 is unbecoming for me to live ; but to throw 
 myself into the River Nile and be drowned 
 were unlawful. All undesirous of the world, 
 
io8 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 my only resource is to retire into some corner 
 and await death from the anguish of separa- 
 tion.' I cast away the sequin that was in 
 my hand, and went straight from the bank 
 of the Nile. When it was near morning, I 
 happened to pass through a village, where I 
 met the imam going to mosque. He, per- 
 ceiving me to be a stranger, took me to the 
 mosque, and we together performed the 
 morning worship. When it was finished, he 
 left me in the mosque, and went and brought 
 a platter of qusqus,* which I ate for his 
 sake. Then he asked if I were going 
 to Rosetta, and when I replied that I was, he 
 said, 'We have a barge going there this day: 
 I shall put thee therein.' So he called the 
 master and made me over to him. When we 
 reached Rosetta, I got on board a ship going 
 to the Syrian Tripoli, where, on our arrival, 
 I joined a caravan, and wandered aimlessly 
 through cities and towns till I came to Basra. 
 " ' Five months had now passed since I left 
 
 * Name of a dish, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 109 
 
 Egypt, and I was beginning to recover and 
 regain my senses in a measure. I went to a 
 coffee-house, the keeper of which, when he 
 saw me, knew me to be a stranger, and en- 
 treated me kindly. After I had been for two 
 days a guest in the coffee-house, the keeper 
 said to me, ' Son, thou art a stranger here ; 
 if thou wilt be my apprentice, I will give 
 thee a monthly salary of so many piastres.' 
 ' Most willingly,' replied I, * but I want not 
 the salary ; it is enough if thou give me of 
 the food thou dost thyself eat.' And I 
 kissed his hand, and entered with assiduity 
 into service at the coffee-house. 
 
 " 'Thousands of people came to the coffee- 
 house ; but there was one handsome, sweet- 
 spoken, elegantly-dressed man, called 'All 
 Efendi, who came regularly every day, and 
 spent each day five or ten piastres. As he 
 was a regular customer at the coffee-house, I 
 showed greater honour and attention to him 
 than to any of the others ; and he grew very 
 fond of me, and always treated me with kind- 
 ness. One day, when we were alone in the 
 
ilo THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 shop, he called me to his side, and gently 
 said, ' 'Abdu-'llah, I doubt not that thou art 
 a high-born youth, but from what country 
 art thou and of whom art thou the son ? ' I 
 tried to evade, but it was no use, he persisted ; 
 so, when I saw I could not help it, I related 
 to him in detail all that had befallen me. He 
 was silent, and remained for a long time 
 wondering and reflecting. A day or two 
 afterwards, again finding me alone, he said, 
 * Son, thou must be miserable in this coffee- 
 house ; come and reside with me, and I will 
 make thee my son, and, if it please God 
 (exalted be He /), thou shalt be happy.' 
 These words of the Efendi touched my 
 heart, and I kissed his hand ; and he took 
 me thence to his house. He had ten or so 
 slaves besides myself. In very truth, that 
 man treated me in a fatherly manner, and 
 paid much attention to my education ; he 
 made me go about in all sorts of magnificent 
 clothes, more sumptuous than his own, and 
 always seated me beside himself, and took 
 great care in teaching me to read and write. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. ill 
 
 " 'Two years passed thus, when my master 
 'All Efendi fell ill, and day by day his feeble- 
 ness increased upon him. When he had 
 reached the verge of dissolution and given 
 up hope of recovery, he called me to his 
 side, and having dismissed the other attend- 
 ants, brought his face close to mine, and 
 said, 'My son, 'Abdu-Mah, I have a testa- 
 mentary bequest, a sect et which I must make 
 
 known to thee ; but thou must swear and 
 
 i 
 
 convince me that thou wilt never disclose it 
 to anyone so long as thou livest.' When I 
 had sworn by God, the High, the Most High, 
 to conceal it, he continued, ' Son, I am pos- 
 sessor of a hidden treasure which has 
 descended from my ancestors ; since I have 
 no children it has been decreed to thee ; and 
 it is but for this trust that I have brought 
 thee up. When I am dead and buried, thou 
 wilt find it ; it is in such and such a place ; 
 open it and take out the amount of gold thou 
 mayst need, but take great care to avoid 
 waste and extravagance ; and beware of 
 going to its further extremity, for it is very 
 
112 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 terrible : all of this did my father tell me.' 
 And he pulled out the key of the treasure 
 and gave it into my hand ; and a few hours 
 later he died and was buried with all fitting 
 pomp. 
 
 " ' I freed all the male and female slaves who 
 were in the house, and presented them with 
 the carpets and vases that were therein, and 
 dismissed them. As no one remained in the 
 house but myself, that night I took a candle 
 in my hand and entered the treasury. I saw 
 it to be an underground place, like an arsenal, 
 a hundred and fifty cubits in length and 
 twenty cubits in breadth, and on either side 
 thereof were coins of gold and silver piled up 
 like wheat and barley. I offered thanks to 
 God and said in myself, 'There is nothing 
 frightful here, although my master warned 
 me, let me go forward and see ; it ill becomes 
 one to be afraid of things like these.' So I 
 was constrained to penetrate to its depths, 
 and went on without fear. Squeezing myself 
 through a narrow door, I entered a portico in 
 which were some strange forms, which, in 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 113 
 
 truth, seemed very terrible ; still, mustering 
 courage, I went through among the forms 
 and passed through a door at the other end 
 into a hall, forty cubits long and forty cubits 
 broad, all round which at intervals of one 
 cubit were shelves covered with curiosities, 
 wonders of the world, * such as eye hath not 
 seen nor ear heard.' Passing thence through 
 a door, I entered another hall as large as the 
 first, in the midst of which was a golden 
 tank, ten cubits by ten, filled to overflowing 
 with diamonds and rubies and emeralds and 
 other jewels, the very smallest of which 
 would be the envy of monarchs. There were 
 fifty doors round the hall, and in the centre 
 of it upon a throne on a dais were the statues 
 of a man and woman who supported a tablet 
 between them the right hand of the one 
 being placed upon it, and the left hand of the 
 other. I approached the statues and looked 
 at the tablet, and there was inscribed thereon 
 in a beautiful pendant hand :* * Be it known 
 
 * The Ta'liq, or pendant, is a beautiful variety of hand- 
 writing, much used in fine manuscripts. 
 H 
 
H4 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 unto thee, O thou who hast come hither to 
 visit us, that I am Mellqa, who for a thousand 
 years was sovereign of the Nation of the 
 Jinn, and that this is my wife Laqiyur. For 
 nine hundred years I lived with this my wife 
 on such happy and joyous wise that, unable 
 to bear the sundering of death, I gathered all 
 \my possessions into this place, and, having 
 ordered that we should both be bufied 
 beneath this dais, poisoned myself. Each of 
 the doors which thou beholdest is that of a 
 treasure-hoard ; and the understanding is 
 unable to conceive the amount and extent of 
 the riches here. But sages have reckoned 
 thus : seeing that not more than a single 
 man can pass through the second door at 
 once, if the portals of this cavern were thrown 
 open and permission accorded to all men to 
 sack and plunder, it would require one hun- 
 dred and twenty years to empty it.' 
 
 " * After reading the tablet, I went forth the 
 cavern. My first thought was to erect 
 mosques and soup-kitchens and guest-houses 
 and other pious and charitable buildings to 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 115 
 
 the soul of Durr-Dana. In short, my opul- 
 ence and splendour and alms and bounties 
 and liberality grew so famous that they were 
 heard of and seen by Your Glorious Majesty. 
 There is no need for detail : a year passed 
 thus, when the circumstance of our magni- 
 ficence was reported to 'Azadu-'d-Devlet, the 
 present King of Basra, and they denounced 
 me; saying, ' This man must indeed have 
 found a hidden treasure, it were well were 
 you to call him before you and compel him 
 to discover it' So he sent a chamberlain 
 who brought me into his presence, when he 
 said to me, with all bitterness, 'Look, 'Abdu- 
 'llah, denial is impossible for thee, thou hast 
 assuredly found a hidden treasure ; declare 
 where it is, else is there no escape for thee, 
 for I will slay thee cruelly.' * My master,' 
 replied I, ' I have indeed found a hidden 
 treasure ; but though you were to cut me in- 
 to pieces, small even as my ear, it is im- 
 possible and inconceivable that I should dis- 
 close it. Still, I shall make a compact with 
 you to send, so long as I live, a thousand 
 
ii6 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 sequins a day to the royal treasury ; if you 
 consent not, and insist on being shown the 
 cavern, your slave is prepared for death and 
 all manner of torture. There is no need of 
 further speech.' The King pondered, and I 
 made sure of death ; but he agreed, and gave 
 into my hand a note in his own writing de- 
 claring that I should not be troubled or 
 molested either by himself or any other. 
 Ten years passed, without any negligence 
 in my performance of the contract. 
 
 "'Although I was in affluence, Durr-Dana 
 was never absent a single moment from my 
 mind ; not only did I not marry, but though 
 I had numberless fair slave-girls, the thought 
 never occurred to me that there were women 
 and allurements to love in my establishment. 
 One night, between the two hours of worship, 
 while I was sitting still, a woman, in an old 
 veil and ragged dress, came into my house, 
 and kissed my hand. I said to her, ( Daugh- 
 ter, what seekest thou ? ' She replied, * My 
 master, pray come from the room, for I have 
 somewhat to say to you.' When we had 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 117 
 
 passed into a private apartment, she threw 
 off her veil and cloak, and came and sat be- 
 side me. What did I see ? she was a lovely 
 beauty, such as the painter, the imagination, 
 were powerless to portray ; in a moment 
 she overcame me, and drove the image of 
 Durr-Dana from my mind. * My master/ 
 said she, 'I, your handmaid, am your neigh- 
 bour here ; seeing you, my master, from time 
 to time, I am become your devoted lover. 
 Although you have a thousand damsels like 
 to me, yet take compassion on me, and 
 favour me with permission to come every 
 four or five nights that I may behold the 
 beauty of my master.' I was amazed, but 
 took her by the hand and led her to a de- 
 lightful room in the harem, and ordered 
 fruits and wine to be brought ; and we began 
 to amuse ourselves. In the hilarity caused 
 by the wine, I threw my arm round her neck 
 to cull a kiss, when the damsel looked very 
 sad, and her eyes filled with tears. On be- 
 holding this the joyousness departed from 
 me, and I said to her, * Speak truly, what is 
 
u8 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 the cause of this thy grief?' Then she fell to 
 weeping aloud, and, clasping my feet, kissed 
 them, and said, ' My master, it is vain, thou 
 art a man kind and honourable, I may not 
 conceal my secret from thee if thou pity my 
 sad case, mercy is thine ; if thou pity not, 
 command is thine ; but if thou pity not, 
 woeful is my lot I am Na'ila, the daughter 
 of that shameless wretch, that infamous man, 
 called Elqam, who is Vezir to the present 
 King of Basra. I am now betrothed to a 
 noble youth named Emir Hayder, and we 
 were to have been united, when that wretch, 
 my so-called father, envious of your wealth 
 and knowing that by reason of the letter the 
 King had given you promising that none 
 should molest you, it was impossible to 
 acquire knowledge concerning your cavern 
 by oppressing you, conceived the following 
 stratagem. He summoned me to his private 
 room and said, ' Thy beauty is unique in the 
 world ; go to Khoja 'Abdu-'llah in such and 
 such a dress and act in such and such a 
 manner, and even yield thyself to him, do 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 119 
 
 whatever is needful, only see where is his 
 hidden treasure, and come and tell me ; and 
 if thou succeed not in this undertaking, most 
 surely will I slay thee.' And he sware to do 
 so, and brought me himself as far as thy 
 door. Therefore do I weep ; life is dear, yet 
 the preservation of the veil of honour is more 
 precious than the believer's blood. Mercy, 
 my master, I am in thy power, whatsoever 
 thou mayst deem fit, grace is thine ! ' 
 
 " ' When she said this my heart bled, and I 
 replied, ' My daughter, henceforward art thou 
 my child ; the protection of thy honour is my 
 bounden duty, and thy defence is incumbent 
 on my zeal. Fear not, be at ease. Willingly 
 shall I show thee that hidden treasure ; but 
 first I must blindfold thine eyes, and I shall 
 take a sword in my hand and hold it above 
 thy head, and lead thee to the hoard, and 
 show it all to thee ; but if, before I unbind 
 thine eyes, thou raise thy hand to free them, 
 I will slay thee without mercy, without pity.' 
 She agreed, and in that way I took her into 
 the cavern and showed it to her, and I said, 
 
120 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 ' Permission is thine, take whatsoever thou 
 pleasest of these jewels.' And she filled her 
 bosom and her pocket. There was round 
 the neck of the statue of the King's wife a 
 string of a hundred pearls, each large as a 
 partridge's egg and each worth a treasure- 
 hoard in itself ; this I took from the neck of 
 the statue and hung round that of the 
 maiden. Again blindfolding her eyes as 
 before, we returned to the house. I made 
 her wrap herself in her cloak, and sent her 
 with some trusty men to her father's abode. 
 
 " ' The infamous Vezir, having failed to dis- 
 cover the treasure by this stratagem, sold 
 one of his slaves in the market. Our officer 
 who purchased slaves bought him and brought 
 him to our establishment. After a time he 
 was placed among those slaves who prepared 
 the food ; he watched his opportunity, and 
 put some intoxicating drug upon a dish, of 
 which I was very fond. When I rose after 
 eating, a weakness came over my heart, and 
 I fainted, exclaiming, ' I am dead.' They 
 washed and shrouded me, and buried me in 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 121 
 
 the mausoleum I had built When it was 
 evening that accursed one sent some dis- 
 guised men, who conveyed me to another 
 place. After they had tightly bound my 
 hands and feet, they made me inhale some 
 spirit, and brought back my senses. On 
 waking I found myself in woeful case, the 
 Vezir was standing opposite me with a whip 
 in his hand, he addressed me thus, * O 
 wretch, I will teach thee to find a hidden 
 treasure and then keep it all to thyself; 
 come, where is the hoard?' I thought in 
 myself how there was no escape from the 
 fellow's hands, and severed the thread of 
 hope, and returned no answer ; but made 
 sure of death, and repeated the words of the 
 Profession of Faith. The pitiless wretch, 
 enraged at my making no reply, beat me 
 until he was exhausted, and said, 'There, 
 think well, I shall not get tired, twice every 
 day and every night will I beat thee thus, 
 thou knowest if thou canst endure it ; when 
 thou tellest of the treasure thou shalt be 
 freed ; ' and he left. 
 
122 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 " 'Two hours afterwards, while I was groan- 
 ing under the pain of the wounds, I heard 
 some one open the door. I imagined that 
 that wretch had returned, when there entered 
 the Vezir's daughter Na'ila, and with her a 
 beardless youth, her husband, Emir Hayder. 
 They both came up and unloosed my hands 
 and feet, and, weeping for my sad plight, 
 told me how the Vezir had got possession of 
 me by means of his slave who dressed my 
 food, how I had been buried, and how he had 
 spread among the folk the report of my 
 death, and then removed me from the. tomb 
 and brought me hither. But they had 
 a horse ready waiting, upon which they 
 mounted me, and, saying, ' Go, God be thy 
 helper ! ' sent me off. Thanking and prais- 
 ing God, I galloped on, and in the morning 
 I dismounted at a certain place, and took a 
 short rest, and then set forth again. I got 
 my wounds dressed at the villages on the 
 road ; and at length I arrived at the Abode 
 of the Khalifate. To-day I came to the 
 palace to witness the pageant of Our Puissant 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 123 
 
 Sovereign. Behold, I have narrated all my 
 story ; for the rest, command and decree are 
 of His Majesty.' " 
 
 " The Khalif was deeply grieved at the mis- 
 chances of 'Abdu-'llah, and said to comfort 
 him, * Well, now, if it please God (exalted be 
 He!\ thy fortune and prosperity are at hand. 
 Brother, thy kindness and courtesy towards 
 us are not things to be forgotten. Although 
 I sorrow because of the woes that have_ 
 befallen thee, still I am glad at having found 
 a way to repay the favours thou hast shown 
 me. First of all, I beg of thee that, no more 
 slighting the boundless kindness of God for 
 the sake of Durr-Dana who has rested thus 
 long a time in the Abode of Permanency, 
 thou abandon celibacy and monachism. 
 There are in my imperial palace damsels a 
 hundred times more beautiful than she ; I 
 will show thee all, save only my own concu- 
 bines, that thou mayest choose one from 
 among them and be married to her, and 
 pass a time here in pleasure. Then will I 
 
I2 4 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 send thee with Ja'fer to Basra, and cause thy 
 hidden treasure to be restored to thee.' 
 
 " 'Abdu-'llah was constrained to obey the 
 injunction of the Khalif, and the latter called 
 one of the harem eunuchs and sent word to 
 Her Majesty Zubeyda* to assemble all the 
 slave-girls, save only his own concubines, in 
 such and such a place. When the eunuch re- 
 turned and informed him that they were 
 ready, Harun took 'Abdu-'llah and they went 
 to the harem. Some three thousand damsels 
 covered with gold and jewels were modestly 
 standing in ranks in a vast hall. Midmost 
 the hall were placed two chairs, on one of 
 which the Khalif sat, and on the other of 
 which 'Abdu-'llah was permitted to seat him- 
 self. All the damsels were ordered to pass 
 one by one before 'Abdu-'llah. While they 
 were passing, displaying form and figure, and 
 exhibiting dress and deportment, the glance 
 of 'Abdu-'llah alighted upon one amongst 
 them, and forthwith he swooned and fell 
 
 * The chief wife of the Khalif. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 125 
 
 from his chair. Crying, 'What has hap- 
 pened ?' They flocked around him, and as 
 soon as that damsel looked upon his face 
 she too fainted and fell to the ground. They 
 sprinkled water upon their faces, and when 
 they had brought back their senses the 
 Khalif said to 'Abdu-'llah, 'What is it?' 
 Scarce able to articulate, he faltered, * My 
 Sovereign, it is my Durr-Dana.' Khalif 
 Reshid, fearing he should die for joy, got 
 him carried out straightway, and when, by 
 causing him to be bled and to take stimu- 
 lants, he had restored calmness to his heart, 
 Harun experienced a delight such as cannot 
 be described. 
 
 "Thinking that if they were allowed to meet 
 at once they would both die, he determined 
 that for the first two or three times they 
 should talk to one another and relate their 
 stories from behind a curtain ; so that their 
 fervour might be somewhat cooled. So a 
 curtain was hung up, and they brought Durr- 
 Dana for 'Abdu-'llah to converse with, and 
 placed her behind it. The Khalif perceiving 
 
126 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 that neither of them was able to commence 
 the conversation, addressed Burr-Dana him- 
 self, saying, ' I have heard 'Abdu-'llah's ad- 
 ventures from himself this morning ; but he 
 said that they cast thee into the Nile ; how 
 didst thou contrive to escape ? ' ' My lord,' 
 replied she, ' after throwing 'Abdu-'llah into 
 the Nile, the executioners conversed among 
 themselves, saying, " It were better we sold 
 this poor creature to some foreign slave- 
 dealer and got a few thousand sequins, than 
 that we cast her into the water." And after 
 much consultation, one of them took me and 
 led me to a ruin, in which he hid me, and 
 there he threatened me thus : " Be silent ; if 
 thou utterest a word I will slay thee ; " and 
 then he departed. He went to a slave-dealer 
 and, making me out to be a run-away slave- 
 girl, sold me for two thousand sequins. The 
 dealer came and made me put on a suit of 
 men's clothes, and that same day we set out 
 with a caravan. As he was afraid, he did not 
 sell me in these parts, but brought me to the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 127 
 
 Abode of the Khalifate, where it was my lot 
 to be sold into your imperial circle.' 
 
 " Then 'Abdu-'llah, gaining courage, began 
 to speak. After they had once or twice thus 
 cooled the flame of their ardour by convers- 
 ing from behind the curtain, they were mar- 
 ried and attained all their desires. 
 
 " One day, when they had remained for a 
 month in the palace of the Khalif, attended 
 with all honour and respect, and in delight, 
 Harun, after a few preliminary words, said 
 to 'Abdu-'llah, ' It is my will to make thee 
 King of Basra.' But 'Abdu-'llah clasped the 
 feet of the Khalif, and said, ' My master, if 
 your imperial clemency see right to grant 
 my humble request, you will appoint to that 
 post the cause of my life, Emir Hayder, son- 
 in-law of the accursed Elqam ; and that it 
 may be remorse to his soul during the whole 
 remainder of his life, you will confirm that 
 wretch in his office ; and you will kindly re- 
 instate this your slave in his house as hereto- 
 fore ; and by these means you will make 
 him twofold more your slave than he is now.' 
 
128 THE STORY OF JEW AD. 
 
 "The Khalif granted the request of 'Abdu- 
 'llah ; and sent the Vezir Ja'fer with twenty 
 thousand horsemen to seat Emir Hayder on 
 the throne of Basra, and restore 'Abdu-'llah 
 safe and well to his house and cavern. After 
 their arrival Durr - Dana and 'Abdu-'llah 
 passed the rest of their lives together in joy ; 
 and their story remains in the mouths of 
 men." 
 
 1 See now/ said Libaba to Ferah-Xaz, ' is 
 there no constancy in men ?' But Ferah-Xaz, 
 criticising this story, said, ' Mother, lady, this 
 which you have related cannot be considered 
 constancy. What kindness or what love had 
 'Abdu-'llah experienced from Durr -Dana 
 that he should bring himself to the point of 
 death ? Sincere constancy is brought about 
 by the acceptance of love ; looked at in this 
 light, 'Abdu-'llah's passion was occasioned 
 by mere fleshly desire, and was patent bru- 
 tality. Even supposing it were sincere, ac- 
 cording to the confession of your own mouth, 
 when gay with wine he desired to kiss Na'ila, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 129 
 
 daughter of Elqam. Was not that opposed 
 to constancy ? And again, when the Khalif 
 proposed to give him a slave-girl, was not 
 his acceptance opposed to constancy? If 
 Durr-Dana had not appeared among the 
 damsels, he would surely have accepted 
 another and married her. Ah ! no, the con- 
 stancy of men is not proved by this story ; I 
 am still in the right' For all that Libaba 
 strove to convince Ferah-Naz, it was in vain ; 
 she ever confounded her nurse with clever 
 refutations and wise demonstrations. 
 
 Let us leave them thus, endeavouring to 
 persuade Ferah-Naz, and return to Jewad. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 When Jewad set out from Aleppo, he saw 
 city after city and town after town, and 
 acquired information concerning the condi- 
 tion of many peoples. His road led him to 
 the city of Cashmere. As Cashmere was then 
 the most flourishing and prosperous of all 
 
i jc THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 the cities of the East, he determined to pass 
 some time there, and hired a room and occu- 
 pied himself making acquaintance with the 
 men of learning and culture in the town. All 
 with whom he became acquainted and all 
 with whom he conversed praised and extolled 
 IklHu-1-Mulk, the son of their King, Hurmuz 
 Shah, to such an extent that Jewad conceived 
 an affection for him without having seen 
 him, and sought a pretext for meeting with 
 him. 
 
 The Prince, who was only seventeen or 
 eighteen years old, but clever, upright, virtu- 
 ous, and versed in the general and special 
 sciences, always passed his time conversing 
 with wise masters on sciences and arts. 
 Having heard of the arrival of one of the 
 wandering philosophers, a Bektashi called 
 Jewad Baba, who was in all manner of know- 
 ledge unique in the age, the Prince felt on 
 his part likewise a desire for mutual acquaint- 
 ance. But as it would not have been courte- 
 ous to summon at once so eminent a person 
 into his presence, he deemed it best to disguise 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 131 
 
 himself and go and visit him. So taking two 
 men along with him, he went to the cell of 
 Jewad. The latter, as nothing is hidden to 
 the seer, omitted nought in doing him rever- 
 ence, and said, ' O my Prince, you have done 
 me honour, you have raised this your slave 
 from the dust ; but there was no need for 
 this trouble. Had you sent an order to your 
 slave, he would have gone to your threshold.' 
 After such expressions of politeness, they 
 began to converse, and he bewildered IkM 
 by the extent of his knowledge. When they 
 had talked for two hours, the Prince bade 
 Jewad farewell, and requested him to come 
 to the palace the following day. 
 
 When the Prince entered the presence of 
 his father, he praised Jewad before him to 
 such a degree that he bewildered him. And 
 on the following day a horse royally capari- 
 soned and many attendants were sent, and 
 they brought Jewad with honour. After the 
 observance of all ceremonies due to kings, he 
 held a scientific discussion with the Prince, 
 fair of fortune, before the King and delighted 
 
:.:- THE STORY OF JZWAD. 
 
 iox When they had partaken of food, die 
 
 ""---- T __ 
 
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 a qalender, to be in ^ 
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 fifce yoBTsetf should hw in die comer of 
 - : .~. - . _-~ :r.er^ r.~: .-. :: - 
 
 d reside with us 
 
 Jevad gratefully accepted the offer of die 
 
 M J ir._ :: - ,: _,: j\.-i::ce ir. :Jie ;i^:;. 
 
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 ulC8S2DC -~ ^. -^- - r ~ ^.^r 
 
 . : "/ t:ir_r : i . . : t -~ t r r:-r t : f - : .~ .. 
 degiec Aol cack ictad i~ :h:u~:i he wane Ac 
 other's brother. One clay when Hurmnz 
 Shah was talking alone with Jewad, he said, 
 'Jewad Baba, I have a secret sorrow; are 
 JOB ware of it? ^iy lord, 7 replied the 
 
 other, 'pray let me hear:' Then die King 
 said, 'You know how I hare no child save 
 adopted brother Ikffl; and that the 
 
THE STOKT OF JEW AD. : ; 
 
 *.- " ^. ~ " ~ *" ~ ^. """ -*-_-__ ^ ^ - - _ , - , _^ _^ . fc _ 
 
 kings. For tfarcc years I hare wisiicd lum to 
 a visaon and his opposhioo is base 
 
 " ' _* " ". _ "" " ^2. ' * " 
 
 this imtt^f, 4o prc\afl npoo the 
 
 : " r-." : : ~ ~~~~ _ ~ - . : : ~ i: 
 not how I have spoken to yon 
 Jewad replied, 'Most 
 
 Iklil came to Jewad 
 
 c the sciences, wearing the web of 
 vonls on the 
 caD to 
 
 ; - I- ::.::-: 
 
134 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 your friend is not married.' Then Jewad 
 appearing astonished, said, ' Since you know 
 that it is not conformable to sense and reason 
 for princes to remain single, why do you 
 delay?' 
 
 With pain and diffidence Iklll began to 
 speak on this wise, 'My lord, Jewad Baba, 
 although I know that I have no power to 
 reason with you, unique in wisdom, and am 
 assured that with one word you can refute 
 all I say, still, if you kindly respect the pro- 
 verb, " Men speak according to the extent of 
 their ability," I shall explain to you the cause 
 of my celibacy. Now, I saw in a vision a 
 beautiful garden, on the verge of which stood 
 a fair woman, in the apparel of the daughters 
 of kings, such that the harem, the imagina- 
 tion, could not contain the bride, her loveli- 
 ness ; far less could she be described. Just 
 then two deer, a buck and a doe, passed into 
 the garden ; of a sudden the doe was caught 
 in a trap, and the buck, after a thousand 
 efforts, brake the snare with his teeth and set 
 free his mate. Little time elapsed ere the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 135 
 
 foot of the buck was likewise entangled in a 
 snare, and he fell to moaning and crying ; 
 but the doe, heeding not his anguish, aban- 
 doned her consort in that plight, and fled 
 away. Thereupon, I awoke from sleep, and 
 I knew this to be a celestial warning to me 
 from the Merciful that I should accept no 
 wife, even though she wore the form of the 
 beauty I had beheld. It is this vision which 
 has made me averse to marriage.' 
 
 Jewad smiled and replied, ' My lord, well 
 known is the story of the sheykh who 
 preached many days to the folk on the 
 virtue of liberating purchased slaves, and, 
 seeing that had no effect, bought a slave him- 
 self and set him free, and then saw how great 
 an effect was produced thereby. 'Seeing that 
 I, your slave, am myself a celibate, mayhap 
 I ought not to advise my lord on this matter ; 
 but I beg of you to give your attention care- 
 fully. : It is known unto you, distinguished by 
 nobility, that "in plurality oneness, and in 
 oneness plurality " is an axiom agreed upon 
 among the mystics. The reason of the rules 
 
136 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 of the chiefs of the qalenders being that these 
 poor ones who struggle along the Mystic 
 Path should wear coarse and tattered gar- 
 ments of this sort and be ill-fed and marry 
 not (but remain, like Jesus, mateless), is not 
 merely that, having abandoned attachment 
 to the world, they may walk lightly in the 
 Path of Truth ; nay, there is a hidden cause 
 therefor, within the veil. If you will deign 
 to reflect, there are among the Divine favours 
 and eternal mysteries certain hidden arcana 
 more adapted for comprehension in this world 
 of intermediary void, acquaintance with which 
 is a wondrous grace of the Merciful to the 
 adepts. When the pilgrim reaches that land 
 of knowledge, if he have adopted celibacy 
 and the drapery of nakedness, it is impossible 
 that the bonds and affections of the lusts of 
 humanity should obstruct the road of him, 
 having staked his all. For example, if a 
 qalender hunger, but a few halfpence are 
 needful for him to repel the pangs of famine ; 
 now, it is a thousand times better to blow the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 137 
 
 conch* and collect in the two-beaked alms- 
 bowl enough of the gifts of Providence to 
 appease the cravings of hunger than to 
 trouble over furnace and bellows and crucible 
 and charcoal and mercury and calx and 
 alacab and sulphur and tin and arsenic f 
 all for a handful of coppers ! If the poor 
 one initiated into these attainable mysteries 
 called by the names of the Powers of Magic, 
 Occult Influence, Contraction and Expansion, 
 the Secret Virtues of Things, and the Divine 
 Knowledge, be married and have a family, 
 the cares of children and wife will render 
 him incapable of bearing the hardships of the 
 world, and it is clear that he must fall a prey 
 to slovenliness and vanities, and so lose the 
 resigned soul in the vale of abandonment. 
 It is for this weighty reason that the 
 qalenders who tread the path of poverty and 
 wander through many lands are restrained 
 from marrying and having families. Because 
 
 * Some dervishes make use of a kind of horn, 
 t i.e., to labour at alchemy. 
 
138 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 I am a seeker after strange knowledge and a 
 newly-started traveller on that path am I 
 wifeless ; which by the rule of mutual simi- 
 larity might be worthy of note as an example 
 for a beggar :* yea, thus is it. But since celi- 
 bacy and freedom from care of earthly things 
 necessarily causes exemption from the pomp 
 of the world, it is an evident matter that the 
 opposite thereof is the fitting condition for 
 kings and kings' sons. That celibacy is an 
 obvious error on the part of sovereigns will 
 appear a self-evident proposition, if you will 
 deign to consider with the measure of 
 sagacity. Philosophers have likened empire 
 and sovereignty to a bath ; the men outside 
 of which desire to enter it ; but when they 
 enter, the warmth of the water afflicts them, 
 and great weariness comes upon them by 
 reason of the fierceness of the heat and of the 
 arising of perspiration and lassitude, so that 
 full speedily doth their desire to depart 
 appear. That the most part of the possessors 
 
 * But not for a prince. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 139 
 
 of exceeding riches* fancy the severing of the 
 thread of connection with the rush and crush 
 of men, and sit with the head hanging on the 
 collar of the robe of retirement, and some- 
 how choose the corner of privacy, is of the 
 things proved by the legion of the learned. 
 But this fancy is unlawful for kings ; for 
 besides it being impossible for them to aban- 
 don the pomp of earth, the possession of 
 their world-swaying minds by this idle notion 
 is parallel to long-continued relaxation of 
 the rein of the steed, their royal zeal. Now, 
 it is not hidden from your imperial far-seeing 
 sagacity that the only way of preserving the 
 just constitution of sovereigns from that 
 deadly poison of the well-being of states, the 
 nurture of those fancies aforesaid, is that, 
 bound by the tether of family and offspring 
 and the solicitude for the circumstances of 
 their successors and descendants, they should 
 be devoted to the aim of rendering prosper- 
 ous their possessions and realms. But putting 
 
 * i.e, spiritual riches. 
 
140 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 those opinions aside, as you have explained 
 that the only reason of your desire for celi- 
 bacy is based on the inconstancy of women, 
 grant that the charger, discourse, may curvet 
 through that valley too. My lord, in what 
 creature or being, in what thing perceived by 
 the understanding or the senses, nay, in what 
 in all creation, in the world, in the universe* 
 in the dwellers therein, in the ages, in the 
 days and nights, is there stability and en- 
 durance and unchangeableness and fidelity, 
 that there should be firmness and constancy 
 in that seat of human passions called the 
 heart ? So you must see it becomes not you 
 or me to talk of constancy ; but as the saw 
 hath it, ' therein is a resemblance with a differ- 
 ence y 'so we shall not say 'constancy,' but 'stead- 
 fastness in conduct.' Now it is manifest that 
 there is more steadfastness in women than in 
 men, and it is clear that their character is 
 superior. Above all doth the fact that the 
 submission and fidelity of the wife to the 
 husband are greater than those of the hus- 
 band to the wife require no commentary. A 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 141 
 
 strange event, which proves all this, occurred 
 recently in Persia ; deign to give ear, that I 
 may recount it : ' 
 
 THE STORY TOLD BY JEWAD TO IKLILU-'L- 
 
 MULK. 
 
 " It is a strange story and a wondrous tale 
 which will serve as an example to the ear of 
 intelligence. Like as of old time the 
 supremacy of the 'AbbasI Khalifs extended 
 over other sovereigns, so was the rule of the 
 Kings of Isfahan, who were also the monarchs 
 of India, China and Persia, acknowledged by 
 all the potentates of these parts. A large 
 body of the inhabitants of El-Bostan pre- 
 sented a petition to the divan of Shabur 
 Shah, King of Isfahan, wherein they be- 
 sought justice and redress against the 
 oppressions of their King, Ghazanfer Shah, 
 and announced and declared the extent of 
 his mercilessness how every day he walked 
 the markets and bazaars in different dis- 
 
142 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 guises, and paying no attention to Haji or 
 Khoja, slew the guiltless and innocent ones 
 engaged in their shops and work-places ; how, 
 besides slaughtering most of the men, he 
 broke into the houses of chaste and virtuous 
 ladies ; and how through his hanging and 
 killing and shedding the believers' blood, the 
 half of the inhabitants had perished and the 
 rest fled on account of their terror and they 
 prayed for his dismissal and the appointment 
 of another, that the People of Muhammed 
 might be saved. When he learned this, the 
 King sent an order by a chamberlain to 
 Ghazanfer Shah, in which was written : ' On 
 the arrival of my imperial letter do thou come 
 hither alone that thou mayest dispute with 
 thine adversaries : if thou disobey, thy king- 
 dom shall surely be given to another, and 
 thyself made an example to thy peers ? ' 
 
 " Ghazanfer sent back the messenger with 
 the answer that he would start in a little 
 while ; and three days later he set out alone 
 for Isfahan, in compliance with the royal 
 order. He journeyed on till he came to a spot 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 143 
 
 three hours' distance from Isfahan, where he 
 dismounted at the brink of a fountain a little 
 way off the road. There he thought in him- 
 self, ' I am going, imagining that I shall be 
 allowed to explain my circumstances to the 
 King ; but supposing he allow me not to 
 speak, neither grant me leave to declare my 
 hidden sorrow, were it not a pity to cast 
 myself of my own free will into the gulf of 
 the royal displeasure ? Rather than do so, 
 it were better to betake me to some place 
 and hide there, and secrete myself in the 
 corner of privacy. It is probable I shall 
 meet my family some day ; but life is dearer 
 than all.' When his reflections had led to 
 this conclusion, he saw a flock of sheep on a 
 hillock opposite, which were coming to water 
 where he was. Determining to go and ask 
 the shepherd what places lay in the various 
 directions, he mounted his horse and as- 
 cended the hillock. When he had approached 
 the shepherd, what did he see? no shep- 
 herd, but one of the youths of Paradise 
 arrayed in shepherd's garb. As Ghazanfer 
 
144 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 had never before seen any of the sons of 
 Adam so fair of form, he dismounted from 
 his horse in his bewilderment, and saluted 
 the shepherd, and stood gazing on his perfect 
 beauty. The shepherd, on beholding the 
 bewilderment of Ghazanfer, asked him, 'Who 
 are you, and what seek you here?' He 
 replied, ' I am a stranger who has met with 
 a wonderful adventure, and I know not 
 whither I am going ; but who are you, for it 
 is clear as the noontide sun that that world- 
 inflaming beauty is not the beauty of a shep- 
 herd ? ' 'Sit down that we may converse a 
 little,' said the other ; and they seated them- 
 selves in the shade of a tree. Then said the 
 shepherd to Ghazanfer, ' Until thou hast told 
 me the truth concerning thine adventures, I 
 will not tell thee who I am.' So Ghazanfer, 
 concealing nothing, related how he was the 
 King of El-Bostan, how he had come in con- 
 sequence of being summoned, and how he 
 had changed his intention on that spot and 
 resolved on flight Then the shepherd said, 
 ' Ah ! beware, rely not on them, rush not of 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 145 
 
 thine own accord into the abyss of death ; 
 the present king is not the former king ; too 
 late repentance profits not.' After much 
 advice to Ghazanfer, the shepherd began the 
 narration and thus explained the mystery : 
 
 THE STORY OF SHABUR AND HUM A. 
 
 " ' I am Huma, daughter of Gushtesp Khan 
 the sovereign of Turan. I grew up amidstT 
 tenderness and pleasure till I reached my 
 fifteenth year ; when one night, having occa- 
 sion to go out, I took a candle in my hand, 
 and, without wakening the slave-girls, went 
 forth. When I came back I left the door 
 open. I had a favourite cat which, having 
 got in, came in beside me, and playing about, 
 put me off my sleep. I had placed my 
 bracelets which I had taken off in the evening 
 upon the mattress, and while I was watching 
 the gambols of the cat, it seized one of them 
 in its mouth and fled out of the room. 
 Fearing it would drop it somewhere, I ran 
 after it and tried to catch it, but it escaped 
 
:? ;~ .-/; 
 
:? ;i ".--I :.- 
 
 -: : 
 
 
 not enter by ; 
 
 -r.tr ::" 
 of the r 
 
 jj- 1 _n. ^.-a - - C-*. 
 . . ^.- r -r 
 
 :: :".-; 
 
148 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 youth and damsel asleep. We examined 
 other rooms, and in each we found as before 
 a pair of beauties. In the eleventh were 
 seated a youth and lady conversing in a 
 world of their own. We made bold and 
 entered. When they saw us they smiled 
 and said, ' Have you come at last ? ' and, 
 showing great delight, they arose and wel- 
 comed us. The youth whom we found in 
 the room then said with smiles, * What things 
 God wills! do not these suit each other 
 beautifully? Banish your dismay, there is 
 nought to fear.' They made us sit down, 
 and that youth said joyously to our youth, 
 * My lord, your slave is Monla Idrls, son of 
 the Sultan Monla Yezid ; so I am your 
 brother, being likewise a prince. And this 
 my companion is the daughter of Sultan 
 Imanu-'d-Dln the Tubba* of Yemen, just as 
 that pure one by your side is the child of 
 some Sultan. We, both of us, in one day, in 
 one moment, met with an adventure similar 
 to that which has befallen you, and found 
 ourselves here. You may ask how we know 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 149 
 
 you to be the children of kings ; well, in 
 each of these rooms is there a prince and a 
 king's daughter. This vast place is the 
 palace of a crafty sorceress ; however, no 
 treatment but kindness and attention is 
 observed towards any of us by her ; once a 
 week she comes and jests and plays with us 
 and counsels us to employ ourselves with 
 pleasure and delight She has appointed 
 special attendants to observe and gratify our 
 every fancy, whatever it may be, in the 
 manner we may wish ; indeed, all those ap- 
 pliances of joy which, while under the shade 
 of our fathers we could not obtain, are here 
 lavished upon us without stint, agreeably to 
 each one's due. Thus is it that henceforth 
 we hope no more to see our parents ; for this 
 unbeliever ever tells us that her object in 
 bringing hither the sons and daughters of 
 kings is that, the race of monarchs being cut 
 off, anarchy and confusion may fill the world ; 
 and she gives us friendly counsel, saying, 
 4 There is no escape hence for you till the 
 Resurrection, vex not your hearts with the 
 
ISO THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 thought thereof.' See, after this explanation 
 nothing remains for you to fret about ; now 
 go to your room, there is a clean bed in the 
 press, spread it out, and occupy yourselves 
 with pleasure, with hearts at ease. In the 
 morning you will meet with the other 
 brethren, and all anxiety will disappear.' So 
 saying, they sent us back to our room, where 
 each of us in a separate corner, while musing 
 and marvelling, was overcome by sleep. 
 
 " * We woke when it was morning, and five 
 or six beautiful slave-girls came in and 
 brought us breakfast and coffee and tobacco, 
 and waited on us. In a little while, couple 
 by couple, entered some thirty princes and 
 kings' daughters, and they assembled in 
 our room. After performing the ceremony 
 of greeting, they proceeded to comfort us, 
 each telling of what king he or she had been 
 the darling, and in what manner he or she 
 appeared to have come there. Just then a 
 slave-girl brought in a chair, and saying, 
 * The lady is coming,' placed it in the middle 
 of the room. I saw a corpulent woman of 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 151 
 
 about sixty years of age come in, who said, 
 * Hail, my sons, my parrots.'* After she had 
 treated them all with kindness and favour, 
 she called for us, asking with great respect, 
 ' Where are the Kings' children who arrived 
 last night?' When she had flattered and 
 caressed us, she said to the others, ' Now, my 
 darlings, do you rise and go to your rooms, 
 that I may marry these.' Having sent them 
 all away, she smiled on us and said, * See, 
 now, you are husband and wife ; hencefor- 
 ward do you ever occupy yourselves with 
 pleasure ; if either of you oppose the other, we 
 shall quarrel.' Having said this she retired ; 
 and when we were left alone, scarce knowing 
 what I did, I ran and fell at the Prince's feet 
 and cried, ( Mercy, my lord, for the sake of 
 God and the Prophet have compassion upon 
 me, and deface not the honour of me forlorn !' 
 Weeping, the Prince replied, * Be at peace ; I 
 am not of the men you fear ; I knew from 
 your conduct of last evening that you were 
 
 * i.e., My fair girls. 
 
152 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 virtuous and chaste. May the Most High 
 Creator preserve us from committing acts 
 forbidden. Amen ! No other occupations 
 than adoration and entreaty of the All-Per- 
 former and worship of the Deliverer befit 
 thee and me in a strait like this. Now, let 
 us unite our hearts, and, as much as in us 
 lies, wait at the Door of the Divine Power, 
 where answers are accorded. God Almighty 
 is able to save us. But if we commit vile 
 crimes like these shameless ones whom we 
 have seen, no portion shall be ours in the 
 world or the Hereafter but ruin and despair. 
 If it please God (exalted be He) that we be 
 delivered from this misfortune, we shall be 
 wedded and married conformably to the 
 Divine ordinance ; but if escape be impossible 
 and we die, our hope is that we may be 
 united for ever in the bowers of Paradise.*' 
 
 " ' When he said this I was rejoiced as 
 though the world were my own, and I wept 
 with a loud voice and clasped the Prince's 
 feet. We were delighted at the concord of 
 our hearts and forgot our sorrows, and, having 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 153 
 
 recited the Fatiha* over our agreement, oc- 
 cupied ourselves worshipping the Deliverer 
 in sincerity. Thus we continued to act 
 without giving the others any idea thereof ; 
 and we shut the doors of the room as though 
 we were employed like themselves, and all 
 the while we were engaged in uninterrupted 
 devotions, worshipping the Saver. When 
 forty days had thus passed and the number 
 of prayers had reached forty thousand, and 
 we, having found an opportunity at noon, 
 had recommenced the recitation, that vile 
 sorceress fell of a sudden a victim to the 
 invincible sword of the All-Compeller, and 
 her wicked soul was consigned to the fire of 
 hell. And the slave-girls began to cry out, 
 ' The old lady is dead ! ' Just then there was 
 a great earthquake and a frightful roar, and 
 a black smoke filled the domes of the palace, 
 and it grew so dark that we could not see 
 one the other. For a quarter of an hour the 
 
 * The First Chapter of the Qur'an, recited over all com- 
 pacts, and upon other occasions of importance. 
 
154 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 smoke grew denser, when suddenly in a 
 second it cleared away : when what did I 
 see ? I was in my own room in my father's 
 palace in Turan. 
 
 " ' When I saw my slave-girls I was 
 amazed, and they screamed and ran to my 
 father and mother, and told them of my 
 reappearance in my room. They both came 
 and fell upon me, and, weeping much, asked 
 about my absence and appearance. I told 
 them the whole of my adventures, and be- 
 sought my father to send a man to Isfahan 
 to ascertain if the Prince had likewise been 
 delivered. So my father despatched a special 
 chamberlain to the King of Isfahan with 
 some presents, and a note setting forth my 
 strange experiences, and enquiring concern- 
 ing the lot of the Prince. But that mine of 
 constancy, the Prince Shabur, had also sent 
 a man to my father to enquire about my 
 fate ; and the two letter-bearers met half- 
 way. When they had communicated one 
 with the other, and discovered that the object 
 of both parties was the same, they compared 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 155 
 
 the letters and saw that the King of Isfahan's 
 note contained these words additional : ' in 
 the time of their tribulation your daughter 
 Huma promised to wed my Prince Shabur, 
 conformably to the Divine ordinance ; if she 
 remain faithful to her plight, I shall send 
 men to fetch her hither to be married.' As 
 this question required an answer, our mes- 
 senger returned with the Isfahan officer. 
 Whenever the request was made known for 
 my father, he asked me, and, having seen 
 my desire, sent off an envoy with the answer 
 that all were agreeable. 
 
 " ' But let us not be prolix ; in a little 
 while came the Vezir as the Prince's repre- 
 sentative, and some of the women and 
 eunuchs of the harem to keep us company, 
 and more than ten thousand soldiers to 
 guard us on the way, and they took us off 
 to Isfahan. I was married to Prince Shabur; 
 and so our desires were fulfilled on earth by 
 the union we had imagined deferred till 
 heaven. Two years afterwards my father-in- 
 
156 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 law, Gudurz Shah, was received into mercy ; 
 and Shabur sat upon his throne. 
 
 " ' We lived for five years with perfect love 
 and great devotion towards one another, so 
 much so that we could not endure to be 
 parted even for a single hour. Fifteen days 
 ago I undressed the King in the evening and 
 laid him in his bed, and then went myself 
 into a room near the bed-chamber to perform 
 the evening worship. Having completed it, 
 I put on my night-clothes and returned to 
 the King, when I beheld someone lying in 
 his arms. 'Who is that?' I cried; and the 
 King and she who was in his embrace turned 
 round and looked in his face ; I too looked 
 with attention, and saw the woman clasping 
 the King ; and the King and I, and she who 
 resembled me, we all three of us, stared 
 amazed and bewildered, one at the other. 
 Then the King addressed me, saying, ' Who 
 art thou that comest thus untimely in the 
 form of my wife and frightenest us ? ' My 
 senses fled from me and I began to weep, 
 and said, ' My lord, thy wife Huma ; what is 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 157 
 
 that phantom by thy side? for the love of 
 God look attentively at me ! ' Then the 
 other said, * That wretch who has appeared 
 will drive us mad ; call the slave-girls on 
 guard that they may turn her away ;' and 
 again she clung to the neck of the King and 
 wept. The King clapped his hands, and 
 the slave-girls on guard entered, and they 
 marvelled at seeing me doubled, and at 
 hearing the dispute between us. The King, 
 who was intelligent, remembered that I had 
 a mole upon my body ; he looked at the 
 same part of the person of the phantom by 
 his side, and saw the mole was there ; then 
 he told me to open my dress, and as I knew 
 that his object was to see that mole, I opened 
 it. When he saw the mole upon me likewise, 
 he was confounded and called for my nurse. 
 On coming in, the poor old woman began to 
 cry aloud at seeing Huma in two cages ; * 
 but the King called out to her, * Cease thy 
 
 * There is a play here upon the word Huma, which is the 
 name of a fabulous bird ; the two cages being the two 
 bodies, the Queen and the phantom. 
 
158 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 weeping, and take her who is standing there 
 aside, and ask her concerning the events of 
 her childhood, by that means thou mayst 
 discover which is the true.' So my nurse 
 took me apart, and put to me certain ques- 
 tions about some things that had happened 
 in my childhood, all of which I truthfully 
 answered. When she had likewise ques- 
 tioned the other in private, and received full 
 and correct answers, my nurse cried out, 
 ' My lord, each of those is without doubt 
 Huma.' The King was sore distressed ; 
 and when he had himself asked me about 
 certain private things which had happened 
 between us, and interrogated the other, he 
 saw that there was not a hair's difference 
 betwixt her and me. He took council, and 
 said to my nurse, ' One of these must neces- 
 sarily be a phantom, and is to us some sort 
 of delusion ; and what seems self-evident is 
 this, that the one which came afterwards, 
 while I was with my wife, is the false one ; 
 send it away, but use no violence ; begone ! ' 
 and he motioned me away. Although I 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 159 
 
 implored it was of no avail, and my own 
 nurse took me by the hand and thrust me 
 without the gate, and crying, ' Begone, vile 
 wretch ! ' drove me forth. Knowing not 
 where to go, weeping I wandered on in the 
 middle of the night through the wards of the 
 city, till I passed beyond its bounds. The 
 Lord Most High protected me from inter- 
 ference of evil men ; and without the city I 
 met a shepherd ninety years of age, who was 
 tending his sheep. I went up to him, but he 
 was so old that he could not discern that I 
 was a woman. He treated me with kind- 
 ness, and I went with him to his fold, and 
 took refuge with him ; and for fifteen days 
 have I been in that old man's service." 
 
 " Ghazanfer marvelled at the adventures 
 of Huma, and she wept in silence thinking 
 of her lot. After much reflection Ghazanfer 
 addressed her thus, ' From this story of thine 
 it is evident that thou wilt never be able to 
 make thyself known hereafter ; come then 
 with me and be my companion and let us off 
 
160 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 to another land.' Huma smiled sadly and 
 said, c Brother is the object of flight escape 
 from the condition of a shepherd? Know 
 this for certain, that I would not exchange 
 this condition of shepherd in which I can see 
 from afar the city where dwells my King for 
 the empire of the world ; this is a trial to me 
 from the Merciful, and it is known unto the 
 wise that patience is the only resource in trial.' 
 "Whilst they were thus talking, a man 
 mounted on a chestnut horse appeared com- 
 ing at full speed from the direction of the 
 fountain ; he rushed up the hillock and 
 passed by them like the blinding lightning. 
 He was a young man, seemingly of twenty- 
 two or twenty-three years, elegantly dressed, 
 and his horse was richly caparisoned. When 
 Huma beheld his face she exclaimed, ' Lo, it 
 is King Shabur ! ' Just then appeared an- 
 other man upon a grey horse, with a sword 
 in his hand advancing with furious speed 
 and excitement ; when he passed they saw 
 him to be identical with the former, in ap- 
 pearance he too was King Shabur. Huma 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 161 
 
 cried out, ' Mercy ! what form is that ? they 
 are both my lord ! ' Ghazanfer, who was a 
 bold and valiant man, unable to brook this, 
 straightway mounted'his steed and pursued 
 them at full speed. He overtook the Sultan 
 with the sword, who, on seeing him, cried, ' O 
 brother, seize yon wretch ! ' and besought his 
 aid. As Ghazanfer' s horse was in good con- 
 dition, he came up with the fellow, and, 
 without allowing him to speak, struck him on 
 the head with his mace and hurled him to 
 the ground. The King too came up and 
 waved his sword over him, when the fellow 
 exclaimed, * Mercy ! hold, kill me not, that I 
 may tell thee who I am.' And he drew from 
 his finger a ring, like the ring of the door of 
 the Ka'ba,* and thereupon he became a 
 white-bearded old man of sixty. He fell to 
 begging forgiveness and crying, ' Mercy ! my 
 King, pardon my crime ;' and Shabur Shah 
 and Ghazanfer were amazed, and on their 
 questioning him, he thus explained : 
 
 * The Sacred Temple at Mekka. 
 
162 THE STORY OF JEW AD. 
 
 " ( The woman now in your palace, whom 
 you think to be your wife, was in the time of 
 her youth a harlot. She had very many 
 gallants, of whom I was one ; but as she 
 loved me beyond the rest, she one day said 
 to me, " Thou knowest that I have a thou- 
 sand lovers, none of whom I may renounce, 
 but thou art dearer to me than all ; if thou 
 desire it, marry me that thou mayest freely 
 enter and leave my house, but thou must 
 agree to molest none of the gallants." I con- 
 sented to this arrangement and married her. 
 For a long; time we lived in the shade of the 
 
 o 
 
 gallants, but the woman grew old and her 
 trade left her, and no one would look at her ; 
 and we became anxious for the necessities of 
 life. One day the woman said to me, " Hus- 
 band, we have no remedy left us save this: there 
 is in a certain city a skilful sorceress whom I 
 have known for long. If we enter her service 
 I think it will be the means of obtaining our 
 livelihood with ease." I agreed to this pro- 
 posal, and we went to the city where the 
 sorceress lived. When she saw us she was 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 163 
 
 greatly delighted, and she entertained us 
 with kindness for a month. At the end of 
 that time she said, " Since you have come 
 seeking me, I shall make you a gift such that 
 you may be free from penury for ever." She 
 then performed a disgusting magic ceremony 
 by which she produced two silver rings, one 
 of which she gave to me and the other to the 
 woman. And she said, " Lo, take these, and 
 when you desire to be changed into the form 
 of any of the great or rich, put your ring 
 upon your finger, and that moment you shall 
 assume the appearance and become ac- 
 quainted with the position, ideas, and know- 
 ledge of him whom you select, that is, you 
 shall become his double ; prosper in your 
 undertakings." And she sent us away. We, 
 husband and wife, consulted and agreed that 
 it were better to assume the forms of a king 
 and queen, and pass the rest of our lives in 
 sovereignty, than to choose those of any 
 meaner persons. So fifteen days ago the 
 woman came to your couch in the form of 
 Huma and deceived you, and made you 
 
164 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 drive away your real wife. To-day I, too, 
 took your form, but have failed to succeed. 
 Thus is it. If you will have pity because my 
 crime is by reason of the greatness of my 
 poverty, compassion is yours ; if you pity not 
 but slay, I am in your hands.' 
 
 " Shabur Shah said to Ghazanfer, ' What 
 sayest thou? look at the crime of this 
 wretch, and look at his request for pardon.' 
 * My lord,' replied he, ' I have good news for 
 you, as a thank-offering perchance you may 
 incline to forgiveness.' And he told him 
 how Huma, in the dress of a shepherd, was 
 waiting under the tree. 'Well/ said King 
 Shabur, 'take the fellow and come ;' and he 
 took the ring himself and went to the place 
 where Huma was. When the latter saw the 
 King she fell down before him and they 
 wept much together, and Shabur Shah thus 
 related, ' To-day I desired to go out in dis- 
 guise, and, having put on other clothes, went 
 out by the palace gate, when I recollected 
 that I had forgotten something which I had 
 to say to Huma. As it was a private matter, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 165 
 
 I could not send a message by anyone, so I 
 turned back and entered the harem, when I 
 saw a fellow exactly like myself sitting with 
 Huma. I straightway drew my sword, and 
 he fled and mounted upon my horse that 
 was harnessed, and took to flight ; I leapt 
 upon another horse and pursued him to this 
 spot ; lo, the rest has been seen of your- 
 selves.' 
 
 " Ghazanfer brought the horse which the 
 fellow had ridden, and covering Huma with 
 a shawl, seated her upon it. He and the 
 King mounted also, and, having made fast 
 the man's hands, leading him after them, 
 they proceeded quietly to the city. The 
 King, attending not to Huma's alighting, 
 hastened to the harem, and came up to the 
 side of the wretch who wore the Queen's 
 form. She, imagining him to be her own 
 husband, said, ' Hast thou won to kill him ? ' 
 ' Out on thee, vile unbeliever, take the ring 
 from off thy finger,' cried the King. The 
 woman, perceiving that the secret was dis- 
 covered, and that he who had arrived was 
 
166 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 not her husband, but Shabur Shah, unable 
 to find any escape, pulled off the ring which 
 was on her finger, and she became a vile and 
 hideous old hag. The King took the ring 
 from her hand also, and, crying, ' Take this 
 wretch and shut her up somewhere,' went 
 out. They brought Huma into the harem 
 in her shepherd's dress, and, after she had 
 resumed her proper attire, her nurse and all 
 the slave-girls came and kissed the ground 
 at her feet. 
 
 " Next day the grandees of the empire 
 were assembled, and the old man and woman 
 were summoned, and along with them the 
 witness of all that had happened, Ghazanfer, 
 who was as yet unknown to the King and 
 court. When the King had related the 
 events, all were silent ; and, out of gratitude 
 for re-union with Huma, he refrained from 
 the shedding of blood, and ordered his Vezir 
 to banish the sorcerers to a distant city. 
 
 " After that he called Ghazanfer to his side 
 i 
 
 and said, ' Brother, thou art the cause of my 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 167 
 
 life. Art thou Khizr?* who art thou ?' 
 * My master,' replied he, ' I am your slave, 
 Ghazanfer, King of El-Bostan, whom you 
 did summon to a dispute.' Then the King 
 manifested great delight and said, ' Thine 
 aiding us in our time of need is a sufficient 
 proof of the goodness of thy nature, and that 
 the rumours concerning thee are calumnies.' 
 1 Nay, my sovereign/ answered Ghazanfer, 
 ' your slave would not that the people should 
 say concerning my lord the King, " Ghazan- 
 fer, having done somewhat at the Capital, 
 has been acquitted ; the King heeds not the 
 rights of his poor subjects." In very deed 
 their complaint was not a lie or a calumny. 
 I am constrained to speak the truth in your 
 imperial presence ; but there are some of 
 those grandees standing before you for 
 whom it is unlawful to hear my poor story.' 
 ' If thou desire,' said Shabur Shah, * they all 
 shall leave, and when the room is emptied 
 
 * A mysterious personage who comes to the aid of 
 Muslims in distress. 
 
168 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 thou mayest relate.' ' No, my sovereign/ 
 replied Ghazanfer, ' it is very necessary that 
 the others hear.' The King asked which of 
 them he wished sent away, so he pointed out 
 six of the vezirs and ministers. As among 
 them was one, a favourite of the King, the 
 latter thought in himself, ' Surely he imagines 
 that these have received bribes from the 
 people that he wants them dismissed.' So he 
 asked Ghazanfer, ' Dost thou know who the 
 persons are whom thou hast made to be 
 turned out of the room ?' And he answered, 
 ' No, my sovereign, never in the course of 
 our lives have I seen them or have they seen 
 me ; and now I know not even their names 
 or theif offices ; but when I have finished my 
 adventures, the reason of their dismissal will 
 be known to your Majesty.' And he thus 
 began to disclose his secrets and relate his 
 wondrous story : 
 
 THE STORY OF GHAZANFER AND RAHILA. 
 
 " ' I am the son of a wealthy merchant of 
 Shiraz, Zeynu-'d-Dm by name, and am 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 169 
 
 descended through my father from the 
 Imam Ja'fer Sadiq.* In my childhood I 
 went for instruction to a school, at which 
 attended a damsel named Rahila, six or 
 seven years old, the daughter of a person 
 named Qadi Huseyn, one of the descendants 
 of 'All through El-Hanefiyya.f We learned 
 the alphabet at the desk of the same usher, 
 and grew fond of each other after the way of 
 children ; and on holidays I would sometimes 
 go to their house, and she would sometimes 
 come to ours to play. As we grew older 
 our attachment to one another increased 
 till human passion pointed us to " figurative 
 love, the bridge to Truth ;"t and we pledged 
 each the other to become husband and wife. 
 When Rahila reached her tenth year she 
 left the school, and they hid her sweet beauty 
 
 * The sixth of the Imams, descendants of 'All, revered by 
 the Shi 'a sect. 
 
 t The second wife of 'AIT. 
 
 t The affection of lovers or of husband and wife has been 
 called "figurative love," as held to shadow forth love for 
 God, which is Truth. 
 
170 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 from me. Two years after this separation, 
 my parents, having learned of the tie between 
 Rahila and myself, asked her in marriage for 
 me from her father. He made no objection, 
 so we were married according to the Divine 
 ordinance ; and for fourteen years with per- 
 fect love we acted towards one another as 
 husband and wife, without fault on either 
 side. 
 
 " ' One Sacrificial-Feast-day, having per- 
 formed the festival worship, I went straight 
 to my house ; but Rahila had fallen asleep, 
 waiting for me. Seeing her asleep, I thought 
 to frighten her by way of jest, and threw my- 
 self upon her, when the dagger which was in 
 my sash fell from its sheath, and penetrated 
 to her vitals and came out at her back, nail- 
 ing her to the board. As I saw that Rahila 
 did not awake, I rose from her and I beheld 
 the dagger which was in my sash plunged 
 up to the hilt in the body of my beloved, and 
 I fell down in a swoon. 
 
 "'In the course of an hour my senses re- 
 turned and I thought in myself, "What has 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 171 
 
 happened ? I have slain my darling, my 
 soul cannot endure to look no more upon the 
 beauty of Rahila," and without telling any- 
 one in the house, I went out While I was 
 going along I saw an old man standing at 
 a door, who, on perceiving me, cried out, 
 " My son, my master, come in ;" and he took 
 me by the hand and led me into his house 
 and shut the door. He gave me a chair and 
 treated me with kindness and courtesy, and 
 said, " Son, thy passing is a mercy ; my child 
 'Abdu-'l-Malik has gone somewhere, appar- 
 ently one of our brethren has got hold of him 
 to assist him ; but there is no difference 
 between thee and him ; kill these sheep ac- 
 cording to our rites ; see, there are the four 
 sheep, this big one is 'All, the son of Abu- 
 Talib, this one is Fatima, this is Hasan, and 
 this Huseyn."* And over each of them he 
 repeated opprobrious expressions God (ex- 
 alted be He !) guard us ! the very hearing 
 
 * Fatima is the daughter of the Prophet and wife of 'AIT, 
 Hasan and Huseyn are their sons, all are sacred with the 
 Shi'a sect which prevails in Persia. 
 
172 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 of which were a sufficient cause for the wrath 
 of the Creator and reason for the ire of the 
 Almighty. On my perceiving that he was a 
 despiser of the House of the Apostolate, the 
 vein of Hashimi* zeal throbbed in my heart 
 and I cried, " Where is the knife ? " " Here, 
 my son," he replied, " I sharpened it with 
 my own hand," and he handed me a large 
 knife. I seized it, and crying " God is most 
 great /" struck with all my might at the neck 
 of the old man, so that he knew not in what 
 manner his vile soul was consigned to the 
 flames of hell. 
 
 " * The horse of the slain heretic was ready 
 saddled, so I mounted it and went forth the 
 city, and fled to the mountains and wilds. 
 After wandering for two months I happened 
 upon El-Bostan, where, hiring a room in one 
 of the caravan serays, I dwelt for five months 
 with my griefs and woes. One of the inmates 
 of the khan who used sometimes to come to 
 
 * Hashim is the great-grandfather of the Prophet, whose 
 descendant Ghazanfer was through Fatima. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 173 
 
 my room and keep me company, imagining 
 that my ceaseless melancholy arose from my 
 lack of worldly goods, addressed me thus, 
 " Brother, God is gracious, this much dejec- 
 tion is not lawful, God is gracious ; I have a 
 fellow-townsman at the royal court, to whom 
 I spoke of thee, and he told me to bring thee 
 to him for that he would find thee a fitting 
 office. If it be thy desire, come, let us go." 
 " Very well," said I, " we shall see what will 
 be the favour of God in this matter ; " and 
 we went together to the palace. 
 
 " ' Now he whom that man had spoken of 
 as his fellow-townsman was the King's sher- 
 bet-server ; and I advanced and kissed his 
 skirt, and he asked my name and country. 
 I answered all, and he, perceiving my intelli- 
 gence from my manner and replies, requested 
 the officer of the palace who held the position 
 of sword-bearer to appoint me assistant to 
 the sherbet-server ; and so he got me entered 
 on the roll of the King's servants. As I held 
 up the curtain while sherbet and coffee were 
 being served, I was constantly in the presence 
 
174 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 of the King. The King, who was a fair prince 
 called Riza Quli Khan, was pleased with my 
 manners and appearance, and from time to 
 time he addressed me with kindness, and he 
 honoured me and favoured me till I became 
 of those who approached near unto him. I 
 loved the King, and his goodness made me 
 forget my sorrow ; I was of his favourite 
 attendants, and I rose step by step till I 
 became page of the key.* 
 
 " ' One day, six years after my entrance 
 into the King's establishment, I went out into 
 the garden alone, and having performed the 
 afternoon-worship, I sat down in the shade 
 of a tree and thought of Rahila and wept till 
 slumber overcame me, and I slept. It was 
 evening, near the time for retiring ; now the 
 harem of the King had received permission 
 to go into the garden to see some fireworks, 
 and the place had been cleared of men ; but 
 as it was near night some of the ladies had 
 gone in, when I heard a sound as of running 
 
 * An officer of trust in the houses of great men. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 175 
 
 while I yet slept, and I awoke. What did I 
 behold ? it was night, and a lovely damsel 
 stood before me in the moonlight gazing into 
 my face. When I looked at her I saw her 
 to be a woman differing not one hair's tip 
 from Rahila. Seeing me greatly bewildered, 
 she asked, " Who art thou ?" I told her that 
 I was page of the key, and that while I was 
 walking about the garden sleep had over- 
 come me ; and I asked her who she wasr~ 
 She told me that she was 'Ayn-i Wefa, one 
 of the favourites of the king ; then I implored 
 her to let me escape ere any of the other 
 damsels should see me. " Well done, master, 
 and then thou wilt go and say that thou hast 
 seen me ; that shall not be." And she came 
 and sat down beside me and cried out, 
 " Come damsels, see what God has given 
 me ; " and about a hundred damsels, her 
 mates, flocked round her, and she showed 
 me to them all. Then she led me to a 
 room ; unable to resist, I acquiesced, for by 
 reason of the greatness of her resemblance 
 to Rahila I was infatuated by her, and no 
 
i ;6 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 apprehension came into my mind. We 
 amused ourselves with music and other 
 diversions till morning, when she sent me 
 out, begging me to be in the same spot 
 again on a certain night. When I left I 
 went to my own room, and, recalling the 
 image of Rahila, I would now tear my collar 
 through grief at the thought that it was 
 treachery towards her I was practising, and 
 now be overcome of the beauty of 'Ayn-i Wefa 
 through my love and affection for Rahila. 
 " ' However, when the promised night 
 arrived, I went with the greatest eagerness 
 to the appointed place. One of the damsels 
 was waiting for me : she took me and brought 
 me to the same room as before. When 
 'Ayn-i Wefa saw me she ran to welcome me, 
 and led me in and seated me in the place 
 of honour ; and we diverted ourselves with 
 music and all sorts of amusements. Now, it 
 was six years since this 'Ayn-i Wefa had 
 been procured, and the King, pleased with 
 her beauty, had entered her among his wives 
 and sought to marry her. But she had 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 177 
 
 shown no liking for the King, and he, out of 
 the greatness of his love, had deemed it un- 
 becoming to use any manner of force ; and, 
 thinking that she would become reconciled 
 by kindness, had ordered all the damsels 
 nowise to oppose her in anything she should 
 wish. But the ignoring and tolerating of 
 conduct such as this being altogether im- 
 possible, one of the harem eunuchs who had 
 observed us on the first occasion told it to 
 the King. The latter, not having believed 
 his mere word, was waiting for some way of 
 making sure when the same eunuch informed 
 him that the page of the key was again in 
 the harem. As for us, we were playing and 
 laughing and crying out when the King 
 entered the room, shouting, * O cursed 
 wretch ! ' 'Ayn-i Wefa sprang forward and 
 seized the King's hand with extreme delight, 
 and said, * Hold, my King, no manner of 
 anger ever becomes kings until they are 
 aware of the true condition of its object ; 
 now, rest a little, sit down and learn about 
 us ; afterwards no one may oppose our lord's 
 
178 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 ire, should he still retain it.' And she made 
 the King sit down and kissed his feet and 
 said, ' My King, this is not a man to do any 
 wrong. Your handmaid intended that they 
 should go and tell our lord, and that he 
 should discover us thus engaged, that so she 
 might find a way to unfold her wish. Be 
 gracious, and drive away the urgings of 
 anger; be tranquil, and listen for a little 
 while to the adventures of your handmaid.' 
 When she had thus cooled the wrath of the 
 King, he said to her, ' Speak and we shall 
 see ; ' and I was standing aside, trembling 
 with shame and terror. 
 
 " ' 'Ayn-i Wefa thus commenced, 'My lord, 
 my original name is Rahila, and I am at this 
 moment the wedded wife of yon Ghazanfer.' 
 When I heard her say this, the bird, my soul, 
 well-nigh escaped from the cage, my body ; 
 for I swooned and fell senseless on the 
 ground. ' What is this ! ' cried the King, 
 * here there must be some strange mystery ; ' 
 and he himself arose, and sprinkling water 
 on my face, revived me. However it may be, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 179 
 
 the moment I recovered, unrestrained and 
 undaunted by the presence of the King, I 
 threw my arms round Rahila's neck, and 
 again fainted. The King, out of the greatness 
 of his kindness, comforted me, saying, 'Gently, 
 son, we will arrange the matter ; ' and he 
 made Rahila and myself sit down. As he 
 enquired about the circumstances from the 
 beginning, Rahila told him our story from its 
 commencement ; and thus did she detail 
 what happened after she had been killed : 
 
 " * When the bird, my soul, flew from the 
 cage, my body, I found myself in a wondrous 
 place, the description whereof were impos- 
 sible. Ere a moment had elapsed an unseen 
 voice called to me, ' Daughter someone 
 seeketh thee without ; ' and straightway I 
 moved from my place to go forth. I raised 
 my eyes, and there was standing before me 
 a glorious personage, just of stature and 
 most sweet of face, and I saw that in his 
 hand was a blood-stained dagger. No fear 
 came upon me from his presence, and I 
 asked, 'Who are you, and what seek you 
 
i8o THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 here ? ' He answered, ' Fear not, my daugh- 
 ter, I am 'All, the son of the uncle of the 
 Prophet, the consort of the Virgin.* Thy 
 husband, Ghazanfer, thought to sport with 
 thee, when his dagger (which is this dagger) 
 fell from its sheath, and he slew thee unwit- 
 tingly. He fled, and while on the way an 
 infidel, of the enemies of our family, thinking 
 him to be of his own people, took him into 
 his house to perform a wicked deed. When 
 Ghazanfer had made sure that the infidel was 
 of our enemies, crying, " God is most great ! " 
 he slew him. By the permission of God, the 
 Mighty, the sound of his shout reached my 
 ears, and I am sent to restore thee to life.' 
 When he had said this, I kissed the dust at 
 his feet and asked, ' In what plight is Ghaz- 
 anfer now ? ' He answered, * Rise and put 
 on this suit of men's clothes and go forth and 
 thou shalt find him. And when thou hast 
 found him salute him from me and say that 
 in these days one of the vile marks and signs 
 
 * Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 181 
 
 of which the enemies of the Apostolic House /J " 
 make use, in order to recognise each other, is 
 a counterfeit mole. There is on the neck of 
 Ghazanfer a mole of the creation of God, and 
 that slaughtered infidel by reason of his age 
 could not distinguish that it was not counter- 
 feit, so, imagining him to be of his own 
 people, he revealed to him his secret. Tell 
 thou him that henceforward he is commis- 
 sioned from God to slay all those upon whom 
 he may see that mole.' 
 
 " ' When he had said this he vanished from 
 beside me. My King, Glory to God! ever 
 from the time that the Blessed 'All said to 
 me, * Fear not,' has all dismay passed from 
 my heart ; so I dreaded not you, and the 
 reason of my not seeking my enfranchise- 
 ment by the relation of my adventures was 
 my being without fear. Conformably to the 
 command, I put on the men's clothes and 
 went forth. Somehow, from my manners 
 and movements they knew me for a woman 
 in the city of the Moguls ; and the officer, 
 
182 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 taking me to be a run-away slave -girl, 
 arrested me and sent me to my King.' 
 
 "When she had finished speaking, the 
 King arose from his seat and said, 'And have 
 those eyes seen our Lord 'All?' And he 
 kissed Rahila between the eyes and myself 
 upon the forehead. And he said to me, 
 * Sit here and condole with Rahila ;' and to 
 the slave-girls, 'These are your master and 
 mistress, serve ye them ; ' and he left and 
 went to his own apartments. I leave the 
 estimating of the happiness and value of 
 that night to the heart that has yearned. 
 When it was morning the King returned to 
 the room where we were, and said to me with 
 great respect, 'Come, my life, my son ;' and 
 he took me by the hand and led me to the 
 court of the divan. The grandees of the 
 empire were present at the divan, and he 
 addressed them thus : 'Of my own free 
 choice and will I have resigned to this my 
 son Ghazanfer the crown and throne which I 
 inherited from my ancestors.' And he mo- 
 tioned me to sit upon the throne. I resisted 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 183 
 
 not, but sat upon it. The King was the first 
 to swear allegiance to me, and he whispered 
 in my ear, * My son, show no negligence in 
 the matter of the holy-warfare to which thou 
 hast been called ; ' and he then retired to his 
 private abode. Since that day I have been 
 King of El-Bostan ; and, having myself 
 sought out all the cruel wretches in those 
 parts, have severed their accursed veins, and 
 cleansed that land of them. Lo, my King, 
 that is the reason of my shedding of blood. 
 And it is because that mark is upon them 
 that I turned these villains from your 
 presence.' 
 
 " The hearts of all present melted within 
 them, and King Shabur ordered the imme- 
 diate execution of the men who had been 
 turned out, and then kissed Ghazanfer on the 
 forehead, and thus commanded him, * Search 
 likewise Isfahan, and slay all those upon 
 whom thou seest the mark of sin, and when 
 thou hast cleansed these parts from the filth 
 
184 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 of the Yezids,* go back to the government of 
 El-Bostan.' He willingly consented to slay 
 the Yezids who were in the imperial city, 
 but as he begged that El-Bostan should be 
 again conferred on Riza Quli Khan, and 
 that he himself should be allowed to rest 
 with Rahila in the shade of the King, El- 
 Bostan was given as before to Riza Quli, 
 and, having completed the holy-warfare by 
 the total annihilation of the hypocrites in 
 Isfahan, Ghazanfer brought thither Rahila 
 with every honour ; and they remained in 
 the capital for the rest of their lives." 
 
 When Jewad had finished this story, by 
 the moral of which he hoped to induce 
 Iklllu-'l-Mulk to marry, the latter said doubt- 
 fully, ' It is good, my master, but how can it 
 be known that a lady of honour and con- 
 stancy such as Rahila is to be found?' 
 
 * Yezid was son of Mu'aviyya, and second Khalif of the 
 House of 'Umeyya. He brought about the murder of 
 Hasan and Huseyn, the sons of 'AH, and is never men- 
 tioned by the Shi 'a sect without execration. His name is 
 here used as a term of abuse. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 185 
 
 Jewad replied, 'My Prince, in very truth 
 your objection is worthy of attention ; the 
 universe is comprehended of the knowledge 
 of the Divine Majesty ; but not a creature 
 knows in what condition the fickle human 
 heart may next moment be ; in sooth, no 
 person knows his own self, how then could 
 he be known of another ? It cannot be right 
 for anyone to exceed in this matter and 
 pledge himself for the conduct of another, 
 that I should urge my lord, pointing out and 
 describing a certain damsel and saying, ' there 
 is of the chaste beauties of such and such a 
 place a lady of constancy of such and such a 
 character.' But the Divine Knowledge can 
 not be gainsaid. If it please God (exalted be 
 He !) we shall go to-morrow for a stroll to a 
 quiet spot without the city ; and if I can 
 convince you, you will yield.' Having said 
 this, they left talking, and the Prince retired 
 and Jewad lay down in a world of his own. 
 
 When it was morning the Prince mounted 
 with two of his confidential pages, and, having 
 placed Jewad upon a royal horse, they went 
 
186 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 forth of the city to an oratory called ' the 
 Pilgrims' Seat' They sat down in the shade 
 of a tent which was erected, and, after par- 
 taking of coffee, Jewad dismissed the pages, 
 telling them to return to the city and come 
 back in an hour. When they were left alone 
 he said, ' My Prince, the reason of my causing 
 thee to perform this act of power (and thus 
 disclosing a mystery) is to convince thee ; but 
 thou must promise me never again to do the 
 deed I am about to teach thee.' Having 
 made I kill swear many oaths, he drew forth 
 a piece of paper, a reed-pen, and an inkhorn, 
 and gave them to the Prince ; he then showed 
 him how to construct a five-square charm 
 vacant in the centre. Thus, according to the 
 rule of the aerial figure, he made Iklll com- 
 mence at the beginning with the number 18, 
 and complete the igneous houses by the addi- 
 tion of 4 to the number in each, and then 
 subtract 5 1 from the total. Next he caused 
 him to write in the middle house the name 
 of the Spiritual Minister resulting from this 
 calculation, cut off the edges of the paper, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 187 
 
 and lay down the charm ; then he instructed 
 him to repeat the Spiritual Name as many 
 times as the total of the numbers on one side. 
 When the repetitions of the Spiritual Name 
 had reached the number of the total amount 
 of the figures on one side of the charm, the 
 paper rose from the ground and began to fly 
 in the air as it were a bird, at about the 
 height of a man. Jewad and Iklil ran after 
 it, but they had gone scarce forty or fifty 
 steps when the charm fell to the ground. On 
 reaching it, they found it burned and reduced 
 to ashes, whereat Iklil marvelled. Jewad, 
 who had brought with him the paper, reed, 
 and ink, again handed them to Iklil, and 
 made him draw from left to right a figure of 
 steps, then three ovals, then four upright 
 staves, then four horizontal staves, then one 
 Solomon's seal. When it was finished, they 
 placed this paper upon the former burnt 
 charm, and returned to the tent. Then 
 
 N 
 
 Jewad made Iklil trace the same figures on 
 another paper and present it all round the 
 tent and call upon the Spiritual Minister's 
 
i88 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 name. The moment the number of repeti- 
 tions was completed, a dreadful crash, like 
 the firing of a mine, was heard, and the 
 ground where lay the charm was blown up, 
 and the earth opened sheer like a cliff. They 
 both went forward and saw an open door 
 through which they entered into an immense 
 cavern filled with silver and gold and jewels 
 and precious things. After carefully examin- 
 ing it all round, they went back to the tent, 
 where Iklil was made to trace the same 
 figures again, but from right to left ; and 
 they sat down. He was told to recommence 
 the repetition of the Name, and when the 
 number was complete there was a terrific 
 roar like the first, and the place where lay 
 the buried treasure became smooth as before, 
 so that it was irrecognisable ; and Iklil mar- 
 velled exceedingly at these events. A little 
 later the pages and the animals came back ; 
 and they mounted and returned to the im- 
 perial palace. 
 
 When it was evening and they were left 
 alone, Jewad earnestly addressed Iklil, say- 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 189 
 
 ing, ' My Prince, you have this day seen and 
 ascertained that if it please God (exalted be 
 He!) it is possible to become through science 
 initiated into the unseen mysteries of Provi- 
 dence ; and that while there are in certain 
 secret places buried treasures whereof none 
 knoweth save the Eternal, it is still conceiv- 
 able that a knowledge of them may pass to 
 human wisdom through the medium of the 
 Divine Science. Now you will not doubt 
 that it is possible also to discover through 
 this science whether there exist a maiden, 
 chaste, refined, and constant, such as we 
 desire. And he produced the paper, the 
 reed, and the ink-horn, and handed them to 
 I kill and said, c My lord, say in all sincerity 
 of heart, "Doth there exist a lady, modest, 
 honourable, such as is desired ? and, if so, 
 where ? " and then repeat the Noble Verse, 
 
 ' And with Him are the keys of the unseen** 
 
 and then breathe upon the reed and draw 
 
 *Qur'an, vi., 59. 
 
igo THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 four sets of points.'* After he had made the 
 points, according to the instructions of Jewad, 
 he was shown the way of arranging them ; 
 and, when they were arranged, they saw that 
 the first figure gave Acquisitio ; the second, 
 Letitia ; the third, Cauda ; and the fourth, 
 Populus. On seeing this, Jewad said, * My 
 Prince, good tidings to thee ; Acquisitio being 
 in the first house signifies that the desired 
 exists.' When he had made him produce 
 the other houses according to the rule, he 
 said, * Join the second house with the tenth, 
 and the third with the fourteenth, and then 
 join the two figures resulting therefrom, and 
 so produce yet another.' He did so, and the 
 figure Puella appeared. Seeing that Puella 
 was located in the fifth house, Jewad judged 
 thus: 'The First Clime is Africa; the Second, 
 America ; the Third, Europe ; the Fourth, 
 Persia and Tartary ; the Fifth, Cathay and 
 China ; this indicates that the desired is in 
 China ; but in which city ? ' He made Iklil 
 
 * The following ceremony is geomantic. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 191 
 
 work the rule for the bearings, and discovered 
 that the city was Pekin, the capital of the 
 Empire. He then began to work by another 
 science, and showed Iklil the system of the 
 Circular Table of the Universe, and thus ex- 
 plained it to him : ' My master, Iklil, the 
 best branch of the Science of Onomancy is 
 the beautiful Science of the Circular Table ; 
 this again consists of two kinds, one of which 
 is called 'determinative/ and the other 'false- 
 positive ; ' the latter is the simpler, and you 
 will easily grasp it. First, write down in any 
 language you please, as if you were asking me, 
 in what ward is the damsel we seek (we know 
 her to be in Pekin), and what relation is she 
 to whom, and what is her name.' Iklil 
 wrote down these questions, and Jewad said, 
 * Separate the letters of the sentence you 
 have written, and strike out these which 
 occur more than once, and take those remain- 
 ing, beginning at the end.' When this was 
 done eighteen letters remained. * My lord,' 
 resumed Jewad, 'in the technical language 
 of the cabalists are employed phrases figura- 
 
192 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 tive in the mysteries of onomancy, such as 
 this/ and he repeated an incomprehensible 
 Arabic distich, and resumed, ' the sixteenth 
 letter of this distich is the letter of the 
 answer ; collect the others in like fashion/ 
 When they had collected them, there resulted 
 the following sentence : She is the daughter 
 of Lar\ Emperor of China ; and they call her 
 name Ferah-Naz. And I kill perceived the 
 extent of the science and talent of Jewad, 
 and how great a philosopher he was ; and he 
 rose and kissed his hand and begged his 
 sublime assistance. 
 
 The Real EfTectuator planted firmly in a 
 mysterious manner the love of Ferah-Naz in 
 the heart of Iklll ; and as he yearned and 
 longed for her excessively, imaging her and 
 picturing union with her, the traces of love- 
 longing clouded his perfect beauty, and the 
 sadness of melancholy began to be apparent 
 in the manner of his speech and in the tint 
 of his rosy cheek. One day his father, the 
 King, having perceived the dejection of his 
 son, said to Jewad, 'My life, Jewad Baba, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 193 
 
 I like not the appearance of your adopted 
 brother Iklll ; what has happened to the 
 Prince, you must surely know ? ' ' My lord/ 
 replied Jewad, ' can it be that you have for- 
 gotten your imperial command to me to ren- 
 der the Prince desirous of marriage ? Com- 
 plying with your order, I have not only 
 rendered him desirous of marriage, but have 
 made him enamoured of an unseen maiden. 
 What you see is the stress of love.' Then 
 the King rejoiced as though he had become 
 lord of all the world, and said, ' My master, 
 Jewad Baba, may God be pleased with thee ; 
 but would it were not a matter connected 
 with another clime, whereof the accomplish- 
 ment is well-nigh impossible.' When the 
 other replied, ' My lord, it is the daughter of 
 Larl Khan, Emperor of the realms of Cathay,' 
 the King said, * Alas ! we have fallen upon a 
 great difficulty, our rank will not permit of 
 our gaining her.' 'My master,' answered 
 Jewad, 'be calm of heart, your slave is 
 pledged to unite them ; but he begs of you 
 not to disclose this until the love of the 
 
 N 
 
194 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Prince grows ardent, for the ardour of love 
 causeth the endurance of affection and attach- 
 ment so long as God doth will.' After this 
 conversation with the King, he repaired to 
 the room of Iklil, whom he thus addressed, 
 ' If you grant permission I shall inform your 
 father of what has passed, and beg him to 
 use his royal endeavour to procure at all 
 hazards Ferah-Naz.' Iklil smiled and said, 
 ' My master, Jewad Baba, be kind, there is 
 no use in speaking to my father ; our condi- 
 tion is that of the meanest of the servants of 
 the Emperor ; it were very far from our 
 sphere to endeavour to gain his daughter ; 
 we should only vex and grieve my father to 
 no end.' ' Ah ! my lord,' Jewad answered ^ 
 ' there is not in this world any affair to 
 which no way exists, nor any business to 
 which no path can be found. Come, then, I 
 will talk for once on the subject with your 
 father.' 
 
 So, having forced the Prince's consent, he 
 again entered the presence of the King, and 
 detailed to him the conversation he had held 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 195 
 
 with Iklll, and then said, ' My lord, now call 
 Iklil and ask him gaily concerning his plight; 
 and I will show my lord somewhat.' They 
 sent a man to summon the Prince, whom, on 
 his entrance, the King motioned to sit re- 
 spectfully beside Jewad Baba. Then smiling, 
 according to the injunction, the King thus ad- 
 dressed Iklll, * My son, thy adopted brother 
 has at last turned thee from thy foolish 
 notions ; although the object of thy desire is 
 apparently difficult of accomplishment, still 
 nothing can overcome manly endeavour. If 
 it please God (exalted be He !) we shall ere 
 long gratify thy wishes.' Iklll bashful and 
 confused, was looking straight in front of 
 him, when Jewad said to the King, 'My lord, 
 there is indeed no doubt that everything 
 can ere long be accomplished by your lofty 
 endeavour ; still it is strange that the Prince 
 should so fall in love with a being whom he 
 knows not, and that for one or two tales 
 and meaningless jests of mine his moon- 
 bright beauty should be thus dimmed 
 through longing for her. This morning 
 
196 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 I scarce recognised him at first. Dost 
 thou know what thou art like, my Prince? 
 Rise and look at thyself for a moment 
 in that mirror.' And he motioned him 
 to look in a mirror that was opposite 
 the King. The King too, following Jewad's 
 instructions, ordered him to do so, and Iklll 
 rose and looked in the mirror, and the mo- 
 ment he did so his appearance and the colour 
 of his face were altered, and he stood cata- 
 leptic like a Sa'di dervish.* When the King 
 saw this plight of his darling, he said in the 
 greatest consternation, ' What has befallen 
 thee ? ' ' O my lord/ replied the Prince, 
 < I saw in the mirror that very damsel whom 
 I beheld in my vision long ago.' And the 
 King and the Prince were bewildered and 
 looked in the face of Jewad. And Jewad 
 thus addressed Iklll, 'My Prince, that maiden 
 whom thou sawest is the daughter of the 
 Emperor ; if it please God (exalted be He !), 
 
 * A dervish of the order founded by Sa'du-'d-Dm el- 
 Jebavl. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 197 
 
 I shall ere long gratify thy wishes ; but till 
 I come beware that thou do nothing in this 
 matter, and vex not thy heart, be assured 
 that the maiden shall be thine.' So saying, 
 Jewad vanished from before the King and 
 Prince, leaving them both plunged in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 When Jewad disappeared from before the 
 King and Prince he went to the city of 
 Pekin, where he changed his appearance and 
 assumed that of a heathen priest. Now, they 
 ha;l in that city a false god called the Great 
 Kisa, a mighty idol, a monster about the size 
 of Leander's Tower,* some two hundred 
 cubits high. At each corner of his temple 
 was a column, and between each of the four 
 columns was hung a curtain of Cathayan 
 gold-brocade ; round the curtains was a space 
 ten cubits wide, which, instead of being paved 
 with marble, was covered with fire, and all 
 round the fire there was a moat of water, 
 thirty cubits wide. This water was always 
 
 * At Constantinople. 
 
198 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 boiling, but its heat was not as that of ordi- 
 nary warm water, for if a piece of wood or a 
 stone were thrown therein, it at once melted 
 it and caused it to disappear, as nitric 
 acid corrodes, but more quickly. All round 
 about this lake were erected strange and 
 wonderful buildings ; those were numerous 
 temples where thousands of priests were en- 
 gaged in worshipping from a distance the idol 
 which was behind the curtain. They called 
 the chief priest the Per-No-Per, and he was 
 more revered by them than the Emperor 
 himself. 
 
 Jewad, having discovered this by his 
 science, went straight to the temple of the 
 Chief Priest and entered the room where he 
 was ; and, enquiring for his health and cir- 
 cumstances, after the fashion of an equal, 
 passed up and seated himself. The Priest, 
 seeing the youth of Jewad and his unman- 
 nerly conduct, waxed exceeding wroth and 
 said, ' Who art thou, and what art thou, and 
 whence art thou ? ' 'I am of China,' re- 
 plied Jewad, ' and am come at the summons 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 199 
 
 of the Great Kisa ; last night while I was 
 worshipping alone, the Great Kisa appeared 
 to me and said, " I have chosen thee to be 
 my guardian, do thou come into my presence; 
 and tell the man who is now the Per-No-Per 
 that by reason of his great age he must yield 
 to thee his office and retire into the corner of 
 seclusion. If he obey not this order he shall 
 become the object of my wrath and fury. 
 Should he ask of thee, he has committed 
 such and such a sin at such and such a time 
 in such and such a place, and to gain pardon 
 for that crime he held up his left hand for 
 twelve years, and was forgiven ; no person 
 knows these things, only I and he. This is 
 proof enough ; let him credit thee." ' The 
 poor old man, quaking and trembling, rose 
 and swept the dust at Jewad's feet with his 
 white beard and said, ' My master, what is 
 your command ? I shall this moment arise 
 and go whithersoever you order me.' * No/ 
 answered Jewad, 'thou art an acceptable 
 servant of the Great Idol, having been so 
 many years in his service, we shall remain 
 
loo THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 together ; but now go thou to the Emperor 
 and the other great men and tell them all to 
 assemble here on the morrow ; for the Great 
 Kisa has ordered that they all be here when 
 I go into his presence.' ' Most willingly/ 
 said the old man, and having laid his face in 
 the dust, he went to summon them. 
 
 This wonderful event was noised through 
 the city ; and in the morning all assembled, 
 and the Emperor and the army stood respect- 
 fully, observing the beauty of Jewad. Taking 
 the old Per-No-Per to his side, Jewad said, 
 ' Let us pray to the Great Kisa ; ' and while 
 he was passing through the throng of people 
 to the water's edge, he saw that Ferah-Naz 
 was standing by her father's side looking on. 
 When he reached the water Jewad raised his 
 hands as if he were praying, while in reality 
 he was invoking many a curse on the vile 
 soul of the infamous sorcerer who had made 
 the Kisa. They saw a part of the curtain 
 drawn aside and a terrible dragon, such as 
 may not be pictured or imagined, emerged. 
 It came straight up to Jewad and said, * My 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 201 
 
 master, if your leave be granted, I shall 
 devour the daughter of the Emperor/ 
 ' Nay/ was the reply, ' until I have gone 
 into the presence of the Image and learned 
 her crime thou shalt do her no hurt; return 
 to thy place ; ' and he sent it back. There- 
 upon there came from the place of the Kisa 
 a richly-caparisoned horse ; when it stood by 
 Jewad's side he gracefully mounted it, and 
 while he was riding on he said to the old 
 priest, 'Go, tell the Emperor to take that 
 vain girl hence and let her not stand there in 
 front of the Kisa.' Having thus warned him, 
 Jewad rose into the air, and when he came 
 near to the curtain it opened of its own ac- 
 cord and he entered and it closed again. 
 And the folk stared with wonder at these 
 strange events. 
 
 In the meantime the old priest went to the 
 Emperor and said, ' For Heaven's sake, stay 
 not here, take away that vain creature, thy 
 daughter, and begone. Didst not thou see 
 the dragon and hear the reason of its com- 
 ing ? ' When he had related the whole 
 
* 
 202 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 incident, the unhappy Emperor returned to 
 his palace with fear and trembling. These 
 events well nigh turned the people of the city 
 from their old faith and made them invest 
 Jewad with divinity ; and the cries of ' ezin- 
 ku-per,' which in the language of Cathay 
 means extolled be the perfection of God, and 
 the peals of the bells which were tolled in 
 the temples ascended to the star Capella. 
 When two hours had elapsed, Jewad returned 
 as before and descended with dignity from 
 the horse which went back again. And 
 Jewad came and sat in his place, and the 
 folk advanced in companies and rubbed their 
 faces in the dust at his feet, and gave him 
 joy of his return, and showered upon him 
 sequins and jewels innumerable. 
 
 That night passed, and when it was morn- 
 ing a servant of the Emperor came and said, 
 ' If the permission of the Per-No-Per be 
 granted, the Emperor seeks leave to come 
 and kiss the dust at his feet.' As he granted 
 permission, though assuming indifference, 
 the Emperor came with great humility and 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 203 
 
 rubbed his face in the dust at Jewad's feet, 
 and humbly begged forgiveness for his past 
 sins, Comforting the Emperor and treating 
 him with kindness, Jewad said, ' The god is 
 well pleased with thee because thou art a 
 wise and merciful Emperor, and has forgiven 
 all of thy faults ; but thy daughter is living 
 in mighty sin, and I much entreated the 
 Great Kisa and have saved her from his fury.' 
 Then the Emperor wept much and bitterly 
 and said, ' My master, whatsoever her sin be, 
 she shall turn from it and repent ; or, if it be 
 possible to expiate it by lavishing treasure, 
 I shall thus seek its pardon ;' and he clasped 
 the feet of Jewad. ' Send word to Ferah- 
 Naz that she come, and we shall see ; if she 
 repent, her pardon is probable,' was the 
 reply. So Ferah-Naz was summoned into 
 the presence of Jewad. When she came 
 she made to fall at the feet of the Per-No- 
 Per, but he cried harshly and sternly, ' Hold ! 
 approach me not, it is grievous sin even to 
 look on the face of a sinner like to thee.' 
 When he said this, the peerless frame of 
 
204 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Ferah-Naz, formed of the young rose-leaf, 
 trembled as though seized with fever, and she 
 fell to weeping. Jewad had become ac- 
 quainted through spiritual means with all 
 that had occurred during the conversations 
 between the Princess and Libaba, so he 
 addressed the Emperor thus : * Though few 
 have been created like this thy daughter, a 
 possessor of honour and a lady of refinement, 
 yet by reason of a certain evil notion she has 
 become more guilty in the eyes of the Great 
 Kisa than all the other women in the world. 
 Her sin is this : having seen a vision, she 
 refuses to have any intercourse with men ; 
 and howsoever much her nurse has coun- 
 selled her she still remains obstinate and 
 positive. If this obstinacy should spread to 
 other women and they acquire the custom of 
 not marrying, it will be the cause of the ex- 
 tinction of the worshippers of the Great Kisa ; 
 that is her sin.' Then turning to Ferah- 
 Xaz, he said, * Dost not thou know that the 
 interpretation of a vision is the opposite of 
 what is seen, not the very thing itself? Why 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 205 
 
 didst not thou make the male deer the 
 female, and the female the male ? There is 
 no constancy in those ; what madman ever 
 believed that it existed in scheming women ? 
 That fair youth whom thou sawest in the 
 vision is Iklllu-'l-Mulk, son of the King of 
 Cashmere ; the Great Kisa has given thee to 
 him, and if thou accept him not from heart 
 and soul, thou shalt repent it' The poor 
 Emperor, who, imagining his daughter's sin 
 to be something reflecting on her honour, 
 had been ashamed, was overcome with joy 
 and delight on hearing those words, and 
 kissed the feet of Jewad. His daughter too 
 repented of her sin from the depths of her 
 heart ; and, having beheld the beauty of the 
 Prince in her vision, she declared that she 
 accepted him from heart and soul, and said 
 that if it were ordered her she should walk 
 forthwith all the way to Cashmere and kiss 
 the dust at his feet Jewad, altering his 
 manner, said, ' Well done, my daughter, see, 
 how this will please the Great Kisa ! But 
 departure is dependant on his will ; let them 
 
206 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 provide thee with a private room, and there 
 for a few days occupy thyself with worship 
 along with thy nurse Libaba, all of whose 
 sins are pardoned for her having exhorted 
 thee, and who is a most acceptable servant of 
 the Kisa. After that we shall see what the 
 god will ordain.' Then Ferah-Naz kissed 
 the ground before Jewad and returned joyous 
 to her private room ; and the Emperor also 
 went to his palace with a happy heart. 
 
 When Jewad had thus gained his object 
 and secured his treasure, he thought in him- 
 self, ' Although her conversion is of those 
 things possible at any time, yet it were not 
 well to bring her in this heathenism ; it were 
 better to convert her here.' Having thus 
 decided, two days afterwards he called Ferah- 
 Naz before him and received her with much 
 kindness and rejoiced her by telling her that 
 all her sins were pardoned, and said, * Thou 
 canst not conceive how I am pleased at thy 
 thus repenting and loving Iklll in sincerity ; 
 above all, the Great Kisa, besides forgiving 
 all thy faults, has deemed thee worthy an 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 207 
 
 honour never till this moment granted any 
 person: he has commanded thee to be brought 
 into his presence ; come, let us go/ And he 
 took her hand, and when they came to the 
 edge of that dread and terrible water, he said, 
 ' My daughter, Ferah-Naz, let not my robe 
 slip from thy hand, and fear nothing and 
 follow me ;' and he began to walk upon the 
 water. Ferah-Naz, too, gathering courage, 
 stepped upon the water, and when she per- 
 ceived that it was as if she trod upon a lawn, 
 without fear and without dismay she passed 
 to the fire ; and not only had the fire no 
 effect upon her, but she felt not even the 
 slightest heat therefrom. They came to the 
 curtain and Jewad raised it, and they passed 
 within. Ferah-Naz looked and saw that 
 there was behind the curtain nought save an 
 empty space, and she asked, 'Where is the 
 Great Kisa?' 'Sit down and I shall tell 
 thee,' said Jewad, and he seated her and sat 
 down beside her, and thus spoke : ' My 
 daughter, for many thousand years has thy 
 nation been deceived by this strange sorcery, 
 
208 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 blindly believing in a false god behind this 
 curtain. The Absolute Deity who hath 
 created this earth and these heavens and thee 
 and me and all men and all worlds is unfet- 
 tered by the conditions of place and space. 
 Just as the soul is surely existent in 
 the human body and yet can have no 
 special place assigned to it, so is the True 
 Deity, who is the Creator of all beings, ex- 
 empt from any definite locality. And like 
 as the soul is unable to be seen, so, too, is the 
 True Deity invisible. But as speech and the 
 motions of the body are signs and proofs 
 that the soul is present in the body, so do 
 the revolutions and motions of the planets 
 and the spheres, and the rotation of the four 
 seasons, and the growth and decay of all 
 creatures, show that this world has a Creator 
 and a Lord. And many other signs there 
 are ; yea, every atom is a witness, if thou but 
 consider it. And the universe is not merely 
 this world which thou dost see ; as while 
 asleep we wander in the world of dreams, so 
 when we die must we pass to another world, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 209 
 
 which they call the World of the Hereafter. 
 Then shall all those who have believed in 
 that Deity be blessed in bowers and gardens 
 amid joys and pleasures innumerable, such 
 as eyes have not seen or ears heard, and 
 which fade not away or vanish, but are eter- 
 nal. But those who trust in lies and sorceries 
 like this Kisa must enter then a fire, not like 
 the false fire of this Kisa, but such that if a 
 single spark therefrom were to fall upon the 
 earth, it would reduce the whole world to 
 ashes. That fire they call Hell. But we 
 have not found this sure and certain know- 
 ledge through our own learning ; a beloved 
 one, faithful and upright, called Muhammed, 
 came from that True Deity and taught us ; 
 and we know and believe him to be true. It 
 is by reason of my greatly loving thee that I 
 have brought thee here, that thou might 
 know this place to be void and turn from 
 this idolatry. My suffering no hurt from the 
 sorceries of this Kisa, and my knowing what 
 thou sawest in that vision, and my compre- 
 hending many thousand things unseen, and 
 
210 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 my being able to nullify and set aside these 
 falsities, are through my believing in that 
 True Deity, whose glorious name is God, and 
 through my acknowledging and confessing 
 Muhammed, His Beloved. Thou too, if thou 
 believe that there is in the heavens and the 
 earth no other god than that God, and that 
 whatsoever Muhammed, His Beloved, hath 
 said is right and true, shalt attain to those 
 eternal joys and shalt be, like me, able to 
 annul such sorceries and to know things un- 
 seen. But, if thou believe not my words, 
 thou must without doubt remain for ever in 
 the fire.' 
 
 When Ferah-Naz, whose wisdom and up- 
 rightness have been mentioned in her con- 
 versation with her nurse, heard from Jewad 
 these words of guidance, she fell at his feet 
 and thus made confession, * It is not un- 
 known to the God of whom you speak that 
 from the time when I attained to discretion, 
 I have known the rites of the idolaters to be 
 vain through this reasoning, that although 
 this perilous sea is wondrous when beheld, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 211 
 
 there is many and many a realm far from 
 here, the people of which know not even the 
 name thereof ; yet bread is provided to those 
 people from the unseen world. Thus con- 
 sidered, it is clear that the truth concerning 
 this Kisa is that it is vanity and enchant- 
 ment Thus have I ever thought : praise be 
 to God that by your aid I have solved the 
 problem.' When she had become a Muslim 
 by repeating the Two Words of the Profes- 
 sion, she said, ' Things are so ; but you, my 
 master, who are you ? ' So he told her that 
 his name was Jewad, and all about how he 
 had come on purpose to take her to I kill. 
 She asked, * O my master, how shall we go?* 
 And Jewad answered her, ' Do thou go out 
 from here and fear not the fire and the water, 
 henceforward such enchantments can have 
 no effect on thee. Go straight to thy father 
 and tell him that I brought thee hither, and 
 that after my entrance here the Great Kisa 
 will never give me leave to come forth, and 
 that the Image has ordered him to send thee 
 this day to Cashmere. I now go thither, 
 
212 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 and, if it please God, I will come forth to 
 meet thee with the troops when thou arrivest. 
 But should they ask thee what the image is 
 like, answer that it is unlawful to describe it, 
 and let not anyone discover the secret.' 
 
 So saying he sent Ferah-Naz to her father, 
 and transported himself to the door of the 
 King's room in Cashmere. By happy chance 
 Iklll was in the presence of the King, and 
 they were talking about Jewad when he 
 entered. 'Thank God !' he cried, and he 
 paid the respects due to royalty, and the King 
 and Iklll both rose to welcome him, manifest- 
 ing great delight. But Iklll trembled, for it 
 was only five days since he had started, and 
 he feared some obstacle had arisen which 
 had occasioned his return. Jewad compre- 
 hended his thoughts and said, *O my Prince, 
 be happy. I have constrained Ferah-Naz to 
 love thee, and she is coming here desiring 
 union with thee ;' and he related everything 
 as it had happened. And they both of them 
 wondered and marvelled, and they perceived 
 what manner of man was Jewad, though in 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 213 
 
 appearance but a dervish. Although the 
 King was pleased at the joy of his son, he 
 dreaded the power and might of Jewad, and 
 a fear such as this took possession of his 
 heart : ' should he be in any way offended 
 with us, it is certain that in a single moment 
 he could give our kingdom and our life to 
 the winds.' So assuming great politeness, he 
 said, as if ashamed of his past conduct, 'Pray 
 come up here, my master,' and motioned to 
 a place at his side. Jewad, by his divine 
 insight, perceived what was passing in the 
 mind of the King, and, smiling, answered, 
 ' No, my lord, this sort of conduct is a scold- 
 ing of your servant. I am your slave. It is 
 not right that my master's royal heart should 
 be changed towards me because of my dis- 
 playing a few Bektashi tricks. I beg that 
 you doubt not that Providence in appointing 
 me for your glorious service means to bless 
 your royal heart, and that you believe me to 
 be among the meanest of your slaves, howso- 
 ever much I may be unworthy of that honour. 
 But if you are going to consider me a magic- 
 
2i4 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 working scoundrel, who, if he be not honoured 
 and flattered, will play you some trick, tell 
 me so at once, there is no need of ceremony, 
 and I shall be off and away to some other 
 land.' The King was amazed at this know- 
 ledge and penetration of Jewad, and he 
 strained him to his bosom and received him 
 as a son in no wise differing from Iklil, and 
 swore by God the Most High Ruler never 
 again to cease from trusting him. And 
 Jewad likewise promised henceforward to 
 accept Hurmuz Shah in all respects as his 
 true father and Iklll as his dear brother; and 
 they grasped one another's hands and spliced 
 the bond of paternity and fraternity ; and 
 their hearts were filled with joy. 
 
 Two or three days afterwards when Iklll 
 was with Jewad he began to recite the chorus: 
 
 * Alas ! alas ! my love, my life, when is it thou wilt 
 come ? ' 
 
 to which Jewad, to console him, answered 
 with the song : 
 
 'Be patient, heart, one day shalt thou to thy desire 
 attain.' 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 215 
 
 Another day when Jewad and Iklil were 
 seated in the presence of the King, engaged 
 in mystic . converse and spiritual diversion, 
 one of the ministers entered bearing a docu- 
 ment. When the King had made himself 
 aware of its contents the colour of his face 
 changed, and he handed it to Jewad, who 
 Booked at it and saw that they had written 
 thereon that Qara Khan the King of the 
 Moguls, an ancient enemy, had now crossed 
 the frontier with an army greater than the 
 land could hold and, by hurrying as if on a 
 foray, had approached to within three days' 
 journey of the capital. Jewad gave back the 
 document to the King and smiled, where- 
 upon the latter said, ' My dear, this is no 
 affair of mirth, the foe is mighty ; what is 
 your advice in this matter ? ' On help and 
 aid being thus sought from him, Jewad re- 
 plied, * My King, my lord, seeing that God 
 who maketh hard things easy hath given thee 
 a son like Jewad, it is not right that thou be 
 anxious over an evident plaything such as 
 this. To-morrow, if it please God (exalted be 
 
21 6 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 He!), order thou a levee to be held in such 
 and such a pavilion by the city gate ; an op- 
 portunity for a fine spectacle has arisen. 
 But, my lord, my brother's patience and 
 repose have departed he will not accept 
 comfort ; it cannot be helped though, the 
 cause being a maid, my King,' \VliCn lie 
 had thus jestingly changed the subject, the 
 King was assured of his might and power 
 and was comforted. But still the human 
 nature is wonderful, he could not dismiss the 
 idea of external means and outward causes, 
 so he again betrayed his anxiety by saying, 
 'Is no preparation of the appliances of de- 
 fence necessary? Let us at least order the 
 generals and officers to get ready the troops 
 they have at hand.' ' No, my Sovereign,' 
 answered Jewad, ' summon now your minis- 
 ter and instruct him how that the people are 
 to put on their best clothes and adorn them- 
 selves as they do at the Festival and the 
 New Year, how that nothing of the nature of 
 a weapon of war is to be worn by any person, 
 and how that they are to range themselves 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 217 
 
 outside the city gate. Though the minister 
 should appear dismayed, pay thou no atten- 
 tion to his promptings and suggestions/ 
 Having thus instructed the King, he went 
 with I kill to his own room, where they gave 
 themselves up to mirth. 
 
 So the minister was summoned, and when 
 he heard from the King these orders like a 
 hashish-eater's dream, he was confounded, 
 and returned and sat down in his place and 
 thus thought, * There must be some vision 
 which the eyes of that man can see, other- 
 wise there were no use of such instructions : 
 / extol the perfection of God : There is no 
 strength nor any power saving in God? So 
 he assembled all the officers and grandees 
 of the State, and began his address with 
 the noble verse, ' Verily we belong unto Godl* 
 and when he had explained what were the 
 orders of the King, surprise fell upon every 
 one and they despaired of their lives, and 
 each retired and wept. 
 
 *Qur'an, ii., 151. 
 
21 8 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Two days afterwards the levee was held 
 according to the instructions of Jewad, and 
 while the grandees and the vezirs and the 
 officers and the ministers and all were eagerly 
 watching the road, they saw an ass upon 
 which was a man whose two hands were 
 firmly tied to the pommel of the saddle, and 
 a lad twelve years old led the animal by the 
 headstall. Behind the ass came four men 
 bound with chains, their hands manacled be- 
 hind their backs ; after these came other four 
 bound men, with chains round their necks 
 joining them with the first four ; behind those 
 came others, and so on till twelve thousand 
 men all bound with chains passed like a file 
 of cranes. Great terror fell upon the people, 
 and while they were gazing, wondering what 
 it could be, Jewad whispered in the ear of 
 the King, ' Lo, the man on the ass is Qara 
 Khan ; send your minister to welcome him 
 and bring him before you ; lodge the rest, 
 fettered, in prison.' ' Who is the lad who 
 leads the ass ? ' asked the King. ' My lord,' 
 answered Jewad, ' he is one of the slaves in 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 219 
 
 the service of your slave ; I sent that child 
 out last night and he has bound all that 
 army.' Then said the King addressing the 
 minister, ' Dost thou see the mercy of God ? 
 Thanks be to Him ; he who is on the ass is 
 our enemy Qara Khan ; go, bring him before 
 us.' 
 
 So the Vezir went and met Qara Khan 
 and loosed his bonds and brought him to the 
 King. He omitted nought of the honours 
 due to kings ; and Hurmuz Shah said to 
 him with dignity, ' What is this ? ' ' Last 
 night,' replied Qara Khan, ' great fatigue fell 
 upon myself and my army, and we slept 
 heavily ; when it was morning we found our- 
 selves upon the road fettered in this fashion. 
 I know not what is the cause thereof ; but it 
 would seem to be a punishment for my 
 having meditated evil against thee without 
 provocation, a sign of the might of the 
 Merciful Ruler.' Hurmuz Shah replied to 
 comfort him, ' Very good, your confession 
 of your sin is an indication that henceforward 
 you will live peaceably.' And they each 
 
220 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 mounted a royal steed and rode side by 
 side to the palace. That night there was a 
 regal banquet ; and on the morrow, accord- 
 ing to Jewad's instructions, a high divan was 
 held. Two thrones were erected in the place 
 of honour, and the Kings sat side by side. 
 Hurmuz Shah then called to him the Chief 
 Preceptor and said, 'Interrogate my brother, 
 Qara Khan, concerning the peace and alliance 
 that is between us ; and write down what he 
 says.' When Qara Khan was asked, that 
 poor man, knowing not what he ought to 
 say, rose and held up his hands before 
 the divan and made answer, * People of 
 Muhammed, bear witness that henceforward 
 I and my children's children gird the loins 
 of obedience to the commands of Hurmuz 
 Shah and his children's children. If I depart 
 from this pledge, or if any of my children 
 rebel against this house, may we be the 
 objects of the wrath of God, and disgraced 
 in this world and in that to come.' When 
 he had uttered these words in a loud voice, 
 they were written in gold upon a paper, 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 221 
 
 which was handed to Hurmuz Shah, who 
 said, ' O my King, I beg that you will rest 
 at ease for a few days our guest ; but order 
 your troops to take their tents and baggage 
 back from the place where they now are to 
 your capital ; and retain here only your 
 private attendants.' So all Qara Khan's 
 soldiers and servants were liberated ; and 
 after they had been treated with feasts for 
 a day or two, Hurmuz Shah instructed his 
 minister to see about their departure ; thus, 
 having got rid of the presence of the troops, 
 they passed each day with joy and pleasure 
 in some charming spot or promenade. 
 
 Let us go to Ferah-Naz : she went forth 
 from the Kisa, and, having without fear 
 passed over the fire and the water, came to 
 her father's palace and met with her parents. 
 When she had told the Emperor that the 
 Per-No-Per was going to remain in the pre- 
 sence of the image, and that he had ordered 
 the old Per-No-Per to be reinstated, and 
 herself to set out in three days' time for 
 Cashmere, and had given him some other 
 
222 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 messages, he wondered and marvelled at 
 the case of the priest. And straightway he 
 made preparations for the road, and gave 
 her, by way of dower, countless rarities and 
 curiosities worth the world, which for these 
 many thousand years had been being col- 
 lected in the treasuries of Cathay, and ap- 
 pointed some thousands of horsemen and 
 footmen as guards, and sent her to the bridal 
 bower, the city of Cashmere. When she was 
 come near that city, private emissaries in- 
 formed Jewad, who with a grand array went 
 forth to meet the bride. Jewad was para- 
 nymph ; and for forty days they feasted and 
 made merry, and they married Iklll and 
 Ferah-Naz, and grafted those two fair trees 
 of the garden of the earth. 
 
 One day, while the mirth and merriment 
 were yet going on, the guest Qara Khan, 
 observing the regal attention shown to Jewad 
 in the presence of the King, and imagining 
 that Hurmuz Shah was fond of dervishes, 
 and that that person was his sheykh, but 
 thinking that even were such the case, it 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 223 
 
 was unbecoming that one so young should 
 be the guide and director of an old man, 
 said to the King, * My lord, surely yonder 
 dervish is of your kindred.' The King 
 replied, 'My lord, he is my son, who prayeth 
 for you ; but judge not of him by the fewness 
 of his years : he studies spiritual sciences and 
 chooses to wear that form.' 'Very good, 
 my lord,' answered he ; and then addressing 
 Jewad with much affection, said, ' Son, I 
 much love dervishes ; indeed my Kingship 
 which now I owe to the pardon and kindness 
 of this monarch of lofty rank is the blessing 
 arising from the noble words of an honoured 
 saint ; if the King grant permission, I shall 
 relate the story.' Leave having been given, 
 he thus began the tale of his adventures : 
 
 THE STORY OF Q_ARA KHAN. 
 
 "I am a native of Basra. Being a poor 
 man, I became, through reason of my 
 poverty, a sailor in one of the ocean ships, 
 and in that manner I gained my livelihood. 
 
224 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 After many other voyages, we went to New 
 Holland, and on our return, when we were 
 over against the island of Ceylon, we en- 
 countered a great storm, so that we ran on 
 for five days and nights, it being impossible 
 to look at the chart or compass. On the 
 sixth day the hurricane abated, and we had 
 not gone far ere the wind fell altogether, and 
 the calm was such that even a twig would 
 have lain motionless upon the sea. The 
 master took the astrolabe in his hand, and 
 looked at the sun ; he found that we had 
 deviated twenty-one degrees from our course, 
 so, according to the reckoning that every 
 degree is sixty-six and two-thirds miles, we 
 were 1350 miles astray; but as we had no 
 register we were ignorant as to what longi- 
 tude we were in. While we were thinking of 
 these things the ship began to move although 
 there was no wind, and her speed gradually 
 increased to such a rate that favouring 
 breezes could not have borne her along so 
 quickly ; and we all marvelled at this. In 
 the course of two hours we could discern a 
 
THE STORY OF JEW AD. 225 
 
 shore, and a little afterwards we reached it. 
 The vessel came upon the shore broadside 
 on, and we saw her cleave thereto as though 
 she had been fastened to it by a thousand 
 nails. Crying ' We extol the perfection of God T 
 we all streamed out ; but what did we see ? 
 the shore was composed of mountains of 
 loadstone ; and then we knew that to be 
 the reason of the vessel's advancing with so 
 great rapidity. But there was no help for it 
 We all assembled together and consulted, 
 and we came to the conclusion that there 
 was no resource but that each should go in 
 a different direction and see if he could find 
 any village or road, and should return in the 
 evening and inform his comrades. 
 
 " So we each set out, with this purpose, in a 
 different direction to seek and search. In 
 that which I went was a high hill. Thinking 
 to myself that it were better to climb to the 
 top of this mountain and look around than 
 wander vacantly in the plain, I ascended to 
 the summit, heeding not the fatigue. I saw 
 there a temple ; I gave God thanks thinking 
 
226 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 it an omen of good ; but looking round I 
 could see no signs of habitation. I entered 
 the temple, it was empty, but a drum and a 
 stick were hanging on one wall and opposite 
 them was a tablet. I approached and saw 
 inscribed thereon in a beautiful hand in the 
 Persian language : ' O ye shipmen who hap- 
 pen here ! be it known unto you that hence 
 is no escape. I, who am Zabir of the chil- 
 dren of Jupiter, versed in magic and enchant- 
 ments : an adverse wind having cast me 
 here, I have raised this building as my monu- 
 ment and have placed herein this talisman, 
 by means of which, if any man of a ship's 
 company that falleth into this woe consent 
 through zeal and love of God to sacrifice 
 himself that he may save the rest, he may 
 avail thereto. Let all the travellers enter the 
 ship, and when all is ready let that self-sacri- 
 ficer come here and strike this drum with 
 the stick three times : at the first stroke the 
 ship shall be removed from this place as far 
 as the sight can reach, at the second stroke 
 to a distance of five hundred miles, at the 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 227 
 
 third stroke they shall gain a place of safety/ 
 When I had read this and understood it, I 
 sped back with haste to the vessel's side, and, 
 having discovered that none of the others 
 had any information, I mentioned the drum 
 and the stick and the writing on the tablet. 
 We all sat down together and deliberated. 
 Each said, ' After I am dead what matter is 
 the safety of the rest to me ? If we must die, 
 let us die together.' I saw that none of them 
 had zeal enough for this deed, so I thus ad- 
 dressed them, * Brothers, since we have made 
 sure of death in this place, now is the Here- 
 after at hand for us and the world afar ; is 
 not it needful at last to prepare for the Here- 
 after? I will sacrifice myself for the love of 
 God ; do ye rise and enter the ship.' 
 
 "Taking some bread and a skin full of 
 water, I went to the place of the drum, and, 
 heeding not the suggestions of Satan, struck 
 it with the stick as soon as I entered. I went 
 forth and saw that the ship was no longer in 
 her place, but far out at sea. I entered again 
 and twice struck the drum with the stick ; 
 
228 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 and went out and saw that the ship was 
 wholly lost to view, and I knew that they 
 were in safety. Swinging the skin on to my 
 back, I went down the other side of the 
 hill, and after I had wandered on for ten 
 days the sea again appeared before my eyes, 
 and I knew that the place was an island. 
 When I reached the shore I sat down, and 
 as the bread and water were finished I 
 awaited the coming of death. While lying 
 on the margin of the ocean, it came into my 
 mind how it was better to die in the sea 
 than on the land ; and, having a little 
 strength left, and knowing that an effort to 
 save one's self in the deep is the cause of a 
 reward in the other world,* I blew out the 
 empty skin and firmly tied its mouth. 
 Mounting upon it as on a horse, I launched 
 myself out into the sea and began to move 
 my legs like oars. Now, just as the property 
 of the one side of the loadstone was attrac- 
 tion, that of the other was repulsion ; I had 
 
 * A person who has been drowned is considered a martyr. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 229 
 
 a key with me, and I saw that the speed of 
 the skin was quicker than that of a six-oared 
 boat. Its speed gradually increased, and at 
 the end of two hours I perceived a shore. 
 When I had arrived thereat, I landed and I 
 saw that it was a place like a false Paradise^ 
 adorned with various sorts of trees and 
 numerous streams and all kinds of fruits. I 
 bowed my face to the ground, and ate of the 
 fruits and satisfied my hunger, and drank of 
 the sweet water of the streams and gave 
 thanks and praise to God. 
 
 " As night came on, I laid myself in a cor- 
 ner and went to sleep. When it was morn- 
 ing, I rose again and ate some fruits, and 
 went along, following the course of a stream, 
 and I found every spot to be beautiful and 
 charming. Having ascended a hill, I saw 
 before me in the distance in the middle of a 
 plain a vast dome covered with gold. ' Praise 
 be to God ! ' I cried, 'I doubt not but that is 
 the sign of deliverance ; but the presence of 
 a golden dome in the midst of an empty 
 plain like yon is remote from reason ; is it a 
 
2jo THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 magic phantom, or what is it ? But whatever 
 it be it would not do but to go to it' So I 
 went to the dome and found it to be a build- 
 ing such that if all the kings of the earth 
 were to assemble together for the purpose, 
 they could not produce one stone like those 
 of which it was constructed : that description 
 is sufficient. I went three times round its 
 four sides, but could discover no trace of 
 door or window, and while I was looking 
 at it in bewilderment, I saw a man 
 in the distance beckoning me with his 
 hand to come to him. I at once went to 
 him ; he was a grey-bearded qalender, and 
 he said, ' Come, brother, you are welcome.' 
 We sat down in the shade of a tree, and he 
 drove away my fears by his great kindness. 
 He then took from his wallet a warm nicely 
 cooked fowl, and a loaf of fine bread ; these 
 he placed before me telling me to eat them. 
 I ate the whole of the fowl and the bread, 
 and satisfied myself and praised God, and I 
 asked out of gratitude, * My saint, who are 
 you and what manner of place is that ? ' 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 231 
 
 'Son,' answered he, 'that place is the holy 
 tomb of Our Lord Imam Muhammed Baqir,* 
 the descendant of the pure Prophet ; and I 
 am of its guardians and attendants. God's 
 bringing thee hither is because of His satis- 
 faction with thee for thy sacrificing of thyself.' 
 When the dervish said this I was amazed at 
 his penetration. About an hour afterwards 
 he asked me, saying, ' O brother, dost thou 
 now desire to go?' 'Where should I go ? ' 
 I asked. ' To thine own country,' he replied. 
 'Thou shalt pass beyond that hill and go on,' 
 said he ; and he gave me a tablet of Chinese 
 jade, about the size of the palm of the hand, 
 engraven with strange characters. Then he 
 continued, ' Wear it upon thy head, and by 
 the virtue of this tablet thou shalt wear a 
 kingly crown ; the tablet itself shall surely 
 reach him whom I intend.' 
 
 " I placed the tablet upon my head, and 
 thereupon a giddiness came over me, and I 
 shut my eyes ; I wished myself in Basra, and 
 
 * The Fifth Imam. 
 
232 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 I found myself sitting in my mother's house. 
 Ere long the ship with my companions 
 returned ; and they were astonished at find- 
 ing me in Basra, and asked concerning my 
 adventures. I told them that there was a 
 harbour on the other side of the island, and 
 that I had got on board a ship and come. 
 From that time the Lord Most High has 
 given me ease of circumstances and abun- 
 dance of wealth ; day by day these increased 
 till the extent of my riches reached such a 
 degree that it was the cause of a dispute with 
 the King of Basra. I fled with many men 
 to the country of the Moguls, and stretched 
 forth my hand on every side ; and at last, 
 behold, I am, thank God, King of the 
 Moguls. Look you, son, that is how a der- 
 vish ought to be." 
 
 Jewad said, ' My lord, is it possible to see 
 that tablet?' * Surely, surely/ replied Qara 
 Khan, and he unrolled his turban ; upon his 
 cap was a purse firmly sewed up. He ripped 
 open the purse and handed the tablet to 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 233 
 
 Jewad, who looked at it with attention and 
 saw the following written upon it in the basil 
 hand :* * O my brother Jewad, the Divine 
 Knowledge is not to be gained by viewing 
 the circumstances of the earth ; the travel of 
 the Mystic Journey is a boundless ocean, the 
 shore of which not even the Prophets have 
 been able to reach, as is attested by the 
 pearl-scattering words, ' Glory be to Thee ! 
 We have not known Thee according to the due 
 of thine acquaintanceship^ After thousands 
 of years of travel through the climes of truths 
 and the plains of the exposition of subtleties* 
 all that thou wouldst see would be thine own 
 art or thine own knowledge. Waste not 
 time ; restrain thyself from looking at thy- 
 self, and draw tight the girdle of endurance 
 to reach the realm of dissolution. 
 
 Light thy heart then with that brilliant radiancy : 
 How long wilt thou lick the plate of 'Bu-'AlI?J 
 
 * Reyham, a sort of ornamental hand- writing, said to be 
 so named because of the resemblance of the pen with which 
 it is written to the leaf of the sweet basil. 
 
 t This is a Hadls, or traditional saying of the Apostle. 
 
 t 'Bii-'Ali for Ebu-'Ali, his teacher. 
 
234 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 Success in this matter is dependent on seek- 
 ing inspiration with pure belief. And peace 
 is on him who followeth direction? 
 
 When Jewad understood the meaning of 
 what was written on the tablet, he uttered a 
 great cry ; and he restored it to Qara Khan. 
 Hurmuz Shah and I kill asked the reason of 
 the cry, and he replied : 
 
 ' That same moment when I washed me at the fountain 
 
 pure of Love, 
 
 Over the Two Worlds and all things I the burial-service 
 read.* 
 
 O my master, you ask of its reason and its 
 cause ; travel is now incumbent on your 
 slave.' And he embraced the King and 
 Iklll and bade them farewell. Then he went 
 to his room, and with joy performed the 
 ablution and sat upon the prayer-mat and 
 repeated this supplication : * O Helper of 
 understanding ; and no one attaineth to under- 
 standing unless Thou perfect his understand- 
 ing. And Viewer of the heart ; and its 
 
 * i.e., When I was filled with the Divine Love I gave up 
 all thought alike for this world and the next. 
 
THE STORY OF JEWAD. 235 
 
 knowledge sufficeth not unless Thou make 
 sufficient its inspiration. And Thou Pre- 
 sent to every existent thing ; and there is no 
 existent thing, unless lost in the necessity of 
 His existence' And he laid his head on the 
 pillow of seeking inspiration. 
 
 Straightway he opened his eyes, and he 
 found himself lying on a shore near a vast 
 city, a mighty capital. He rose, and wonder- 
 ing, said in himself, * My life, I was in my 
 room in such and such a place, this that is 
 before me resembles not our city. There is 
 no strength nor any power, saving in God. 
 Am I in a vision?' In a single moment 
 poor Jewad forgot all that he knew those 
 spiritual sciences and strange arts that he 
 had learned and practised for so long, all his 
 wisdom and attainments, his manifest gifts, 
 his initiation into the arcana ; nay, even 
 what he had learned and comprehended 
 through his five outer and inner human 
 senses ; and he stood as though new born 
 from his mother, staring all around him in 
 confusion. He saw a person of seemingly 
 
236 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 threescore-and-five years, and he said to him, 
 ' My life, my good father, what manner of 
 city is this, and who are you ? ' The man 
 replied, 'They call this city the City of 
 Belovedness,* and my name is Hafiz Mus- 
 tafa ; I am of the inhabitants of the city, a 
 poor man, one who has abandoned the world. 
 But thou seemest to be a stranger?' Jewad 
 answered, ' Yes, I am of the city of Athens.' 
 Then the man said, ' Since thou art a 
 stranger, come with me to my private 
 house;' and he took Jewad by the hand, 
 and they entered the city. It was a 
 city, the stones and blocks of all the 
 gates and walls and houses of which were of 
 red ruby, even the flags wherewith it was 
 paved were of pomegranate-coloured ruby, 
 and engraven with beautiful characters ; so 
 that it were impossible for one in a thousand 
 years to complete the study of the Divine 
 Mysteries which the art of the Sempiternal 
 had written upon its every stone, and upon 
 
 * Mahbubiyya. 
 
THE STORY OF JENYAP. 237 
 
 every leaf of its every tree. But what could 
 poor Jewad do? That time was not the 
 time for study, and his skill in deciphering 
 had passed away. They somehow reached 
 that person's dwelling ; as he was of those 
 who had abandoned the world, there were no 
 ceremonial restraints in his house ; it was a 
 house so free of ceremony that it were im- 
 possible to describe it ; yet the meanest of 
 its countless servants could have made a 
 beggar a Korah* and a King of the Kings 
 of the earth. After resting a little the man 
 said, ' O son, as you have come to our city, 
 it is necessary you go before our King.' 
 And he took Jewad by the hand and led 
 him to the palace of the King. The appear- 
 ance of the palace, and the splendour of the 
 courtiers, and the magnificence of the divan, 
 may be judged from the circumstances of a 
 poor man of the city. The hapless Jewad 
 had left him no eye to see, or understanding 
 
 * Korah, like Croesus, typifies an enormously wealthy 
 man. 
 
238 THE STORY OF JEWAD. 
 
 to observe, or comprehension to know, or 
 tongue to speak. When he entered the 
 Royal presence and raised his eyes to look 
 upon the beauty of the King, he saw that 
 he who sat upon the indescribable throne 
 was HIMSELF. 
 
 Temma-l-Kitab 
 Bi-'awni-llahi-l- Wahhab. 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 Fcap. fto, Cloth) i8s. ; on hand-made paper, parcht., 405. 
 
 Ottoman Poems 
 
 TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH VERSE IN THE 
 ORIGINAL FORMS 
 
 WITH 
 
 INTRODUCTION, BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES, AND NOTES 
 
 BY 
 E. J. W. GIBB, M.R.A.S. 
 
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 too, in what varied shapes the intellectual life of a people 
 presents itself. " Athenaum. 
 
 "Mr. Gibb has evidently long studied Turkish, and has 
 been accustomed, as his notes evidence, to consider the 
 subtle conceits of the poets and trace out their bearings 
 and intentions." Academy. 
 
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 ish ; they have not lost the look of the fez or acquired an 
 English or even a Western flavour." Observer. 
 
 "The essay, partly historical and partly critical, with 
 which the book opens, tells pretty nearly all that an 
 average reader will care to know, and is admirably 
 written . ' ' Standard. 
 
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