The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Andrew Lang - HTML preview

saying by way of greeting, "My father, may your days be long in the land, and

may all your wishes be fulfilled!"

The dervish did his best to reply, but his moustache was so thick that his words

were hardly intelligible, and the prince, perceiving what was the matter, took a

pair of scissors from his saddle pockets, and requested permission to cut off

some of the moustache, as he had a question of great importance to ask the

dervish. The dervish made a sign that he might do as he liked, and when a few

inches of his hair and beard had been pruned all round the prince assured the

holy man that he would hardly believe how much younger he looked. The dervish

smiled at his compliments, and thanked him for what he had done.

"Let me," he said, "show you my gratitude for making me more comfortable by

telling me what I can do for you."

"Gentle dervish," replied Prince Bahman, "I come from far, and I seek the Talking

Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water. I know that they are to be found

somewhere in these parts, but I am ignorant of the exact spot. Tell me, I pray

you, if you can, so that I may not have travelled on a useless quest." While he

was speaking, the prince observed a change in the countenance of the dervish,

who waited for some time before he made reply.

"My lord," he said at last, "I do know the road for which you ask, but your

kindness and the friendship I have conceived for you make me loth to point it

out."

"But why not?" inquired the prince. "What danger can there be?"

"The very greatest danger," answered the dervish. "Other men, as brave as you,

have ridden down this road, and have put me that question. I did my best to turn

them also from their purpose, but it was of no use. Not one of them would listen

to my words, and not one of them came back. Be warned in time, and seek to go

no further."

"I am grateful to you for your interest in me," said Prince Bahman, "and for the

advice you have given, though I cannot follow it. But what dangers can there be

in the adventure which courage and a good sword cannot meet?"

"And suppose," answered the dervish, "that your enemies are invisible, how

then?"

"Nothing will make me give it up," replied the prince, "and for the last time I ask

you to tell me where I am to go."

When the dervish saw that the prince's mind was made up, he drew a ball from a

bag that lay near him, and held it out. "If it must be so," he said, with a sigh, "take

this, and when you have mounted your horse throw the ball in front of you. It will

roll on till it reaches the foot of a mountain, and when it stops you will stop also.

You will then throw the bridle on your horse's neck without any fear of his

straying, and will dismount. On each side you will see vast heaps of big black

stones, and will hear a multitude of insulting voices, but pay no heed to them,

and, above all, beware of ever turning your head. If you do, you will instantly

become a black stone like the rest. For those stones are in reality men like

yourself, who have been on the same quest, and have failed, as I fear that you

may fail also. If you manage to avoid this pitfall, and to reach the top of the

mountain, you will find there the Talking Bird in a splendid cage, and you can ask

of him where you are to seek the Singing Tree and the Golden Water. That is al I

have to say. You know what you have to do, and what to avoid, but if you are

wise you will think of it no more, but return whence you have come."

The prince smilingly shook his head, and thanking the dervish once more, he

sprang on his horse and threw the ball before him.

The ball rolled along the road so fast that Prince Bahman had much difficulty in

keeping up with it, and it never relaxed its speed till the foot of the mountain was

reached. Then it came to a sudden halt, and the prince at once got down and

flung the bridle on his horse's neck. He paused for a moment and looked round

him at the masses of black stones with which the sides of the mountain were

covered, and then began resolutely to ascend. He had hardly gone four steps

when he heard the sound of voices around him, although not another creature

was in sight.

"Who is this imbecile?" cried some, "stop him at once." "Kill him," shrieked

others, "Help! robbers! murderers! help! help!" "Oh, let him alone," sneered

another, and this was the most trying of all, "he is such a beautiful young man; I

am sure the bird and the cage must have been kept for him."

At first the prince took no heed to all this clamour, but continued to press forward

on his way. Unfortunately this conduct, instead of silencing the voices, only

seemed to irritate them the more, and they arose with redoubled fury, in front as

well as behind. After some time he grew bewildered, his knees began to tremble,

and finding himself in the act of falling, he forgot altogether the advice of the

dervish. He turned to fly down the mountain, and in one moment became a black

stone.

As may be imagined, Prince Perviz and his sister were all this time in the

greatest anxiety, and consulted the magic knife, not once but many times a day.

Hitherto the blade had remained bright and spotless, but on the fatal hour on

which Prince Bahman and his horse were changed into black stones, large drops

of blood appeared on the surface. "Ah! my beloved brother," cried the princess in

horror, throwing the knife from her, "I shall never see you again, and it is I who

have killed you. Fool that I was to listen to the voice of that temptress, who

probably was not speaking the truth. What are the Talking Bird and the Singing

Tree to me in comparison with you, passionately though I long for them!"

Prince Perviz's grief at his brother's loss was not less than that of Princess

Parizade, but he did not waste his time on useless lamentations.

"My sister," he said, "why should you think the old woman was deceiving you

about these treasures, and what would have been her object in doing so! No, no,

our brother must have met his death by some accident, or want of precaution,

and to-morrow I will start on the same quest."

Terrified at the thought that she might lose her only remaining brother, the

princess entreated him to give up his project, but he remained firm. Before

setting out, however, he gave her a chaplet of a hundred pearls, and said, "When

I am absent, tell this over daily for me. But if you should find that the beads stick,

so that they will not slip one after the other, you will know that my brother's fate

has befallen me. Still, we must hope for better luck."

Then he departed, and on the twentieth day of his journey fell in with the dervish

on the same spot as Prince Bahman had met him, and began to question him as

to the place where the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree and the Golden Water were

to be found. As in the case of his brother, the dervish tried to make him give up

his project, and even told him that only a few weeks since a young man, bearing

a strong resemblance to himself, had passed that way, but had never come back

again.

"That, holy dervish," replied Prince Perviz, "was my elder brother, who is now

dead, though how he died I cannot say."

"He is changed into a black stone," answered the dervish, "like al the rest who

have gone on the same errand, and you will become one likewise if you are not

more careful in following my directions." Then he charged the prince, as he

valued his life, to take no heed of the clamour of voices that would pursue him up

the mountain, and handing him a ball from the bag, which still seemed to be half

full, he sent him on his way.

When Prince Perviz reached the foot of the mountain he jumped from his horse,

and paused for a moment to recall the instructions the dervish had given him.

Then he strode boldly on, but had scarcely gone five or six paces when he was

startled by a man's voice that seemed close to his ear, exclaiming: "Stop, rash

fellow, and let me punish your audacity." This outrage entirely put the dervish's

advice out of the prince's head. He drew his sword, and turned to avenge

himself, but almost before he had realised that there was nobody there, he and

his horse were two black stones.

Not a morning had passed since Prince Perviz had ridden away without Princess

Parizade telling her beads, and at night she even hung them round her neck, so

that if she woke she could assure herself at once of her brother's safety. She was

in the very act of moving them through her fingers at the moment that the prince

fell a victim to his impatience, and her heart sank when the first pearl remained

fixed in its place. However she had long made up her mind what she would do in

such a case, and the following morning the princess, disguised as a man, set out

for the mountain.

As she had been accustomed to riding from her childhood, she managed to

travel as many miles daily as her brothers had done, and it was, as before, on

the twentieth day that she arrived at the place where the dervish was sitting.

"Good dervish," she said politely, "will you allow me to rest by you for a few

moments, and perhaps you will be so kind as to tell me if you have ever heard of

a Talking Bird, a Singing Tree, and some Golden Water that are to be found

somewhere near this?"

"Madam," replied the dervish, "for in spite of your manly dress your voice betrays

you, I shall be proud to serve you in any way I can. But may I ask the purpose of

your question?"

"Good dervish," answered the princess, "I have heard such glowing descriptions

of these three things, that I cannot rest till I possess them."

"Madam," said the dervish, "they are far more beautiful than any description, but

you seem ignorant of all the difficulties that stand in your way, or you would

hardly have undertaken such an adventure. Give it up, I pray you, and return

home, and do not ask me to help you to a cruel death."

"Holy father," answered the princess, "I come from far, and I should be in despair

if I turned back without having attained my object. You have spoken of difficulties;

tell me, I entreat you, what they are, so that I may know if I can overcome them,

or see if they are beyond my strength."

So the dervish repeated his tale, and dwelt more firmly than before on the

clamour of the voices, the horrors of the black stones, which were once living

men, and the difficulties of climbing the mountain; and pointed out that the chief

means of success was never to look behind till you had the cage in your grasp.

"As far as I can see," said the princess, "the first thing is not to mind the tumult of

the voices that follow you till you reach the cage, and then never to look behind.

As to this, I think I have enough self-control to look straight before me; but as it is

quite possible that I might be frightened by the voices, as even the boldest men

have been, I will stop up my ears with cotton, so that, let them make as much

noise as they like, I shall hear nothing."

"Madam," cried the dervish, "out of all the number who have asked me the way to

the mountain, you are the first who has ever suggested such a means of

escaping the danger! It is possible that you may succeed, but all the same, the

risk is great."

"Good dervish," answered the princess, "I feel in my heart that I shall succeed,

and it only remains for me to ask you the way I am to go."

Then the dervish said that it was useless to say more, and he gave her the ball,

which she flung before her.

The first thing the princess did on arriving at the mountain was to stop her ears

with cotton, and then, making up her mind which was the best way to go, she

began her ascent. In spite of the cotton, some echoes of the voices reached her

ears, but not so as to trouble her. Indeed, though they grew louder and more

insulting the higher she climbed, the princess only laughed, and said to herself

that she certainly would not let a few rough words stand between her and the

goal. At last she perceived in the distance the cage and the bird, whose voice

joined itself in tones of thunder to those of the rest: "Return, return! never dare to

come near me."

At the sight of the bird, the princess hastened her steps, and without vexing

herself at the noise which by this time had grown deafening, she walked straight

up to the cage, and seizing it, she said: "Now, my bird, I have got you, and I shall

take good care that you do not escape." As she spoke she took the cotton from

her ears, for it was needed no longer.

"Brave lady," answered the bird, "do not blame me for having joined my voice to

those who did their best to preserve my freedom. Although confined in a cage, I

was content with my lot, but if I must become a slave, I could not wish for a

nobler mistress than one who has shown so much constancy, and from this

moment I swear to serve you faithfully. Some day you will put me to the proof, for

I know who you are better than you do yourself. Meanwhile, tell me what I can

do, and I will obey you."

"Bird," replied the princess, who was filled with a joy that seemed strange to

herself when she thought that the bird had cost her the lives of both her brothers.

"bird, let me first thank you for your good will, and then let me ask you where the

Golden Water is to be found."

The bird described the place, which was not far distant, and the princess filled a

small silver flask that she had brought with her for the purpose. She then

returned to the cage, and said: "Bird, there is still something else, where shall I

find the Singing Tree?"

"Behind you, in that wood," replied the bird, and the princess wandered through

the wood, till a sound of the sweetest voices told her she had found what she

sought. But the tree was tall and strong, and it was hopeless to think of uprooting

it.

"You need not do that," said the bird, when she had returned to ask counsel.

"Break off a twig, and plant it in your garden, and it will take root, and grow into a

magnificent tree."

When the Princess Parizade held in her hands the three wonders promised her

by the old woman, she said to the bird: "All that is not enough. It was owing to

you that my brothers became black stones. I cannot tell them from the mass of

others, but you must know, and point them out to me, I beg you, for I wish to

carry them away."

For some reason that the princess could not guess these words seemed to

displease the bird, and he did not answer. The princess waited a moment, and

then continued in severe tones, "Have you forgotten that you yourself said that

you are my slave to do my bidding, and also that your life is in my power?"

"No, I have not forgotten," replied the bird, "but what you ask is very difficult.

However, I will do my best. If you look round," he went on, "you will see a pitcher

standing near. Take it, and, as you go down the mountain, scatter a little of the

water it contains over every black stone and you will soon find your two brothers."

Princess Parizade took the pitcher, and, carrying with her besides the cage the

twig and the flask, returned down the mountain side. At every black stone she

stopped and sprinkled it with water, and as the water touched it the stone

instantly became a man. When she suddenly saw her brothers before her her

delight was mixed with astonishment.

"Why, what are you doing here?" she cried.

"We have been asleep," they said.

"Yes," returned the princess, "but without me your sleep would probably have

lasted till the day of judgment. Have you forgotten that you came here in search

of the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water, and the black

stones that were heaped up along the road? Look round and see if there is one

left. These gentlemen, and yourselves, and all your horses were changed into

these stones, and I have delivered you by sprinkling you with the water from this

pitcher. As I could not return home without you, even though I had gained the

prizes on which I had set my heart, I forced the Talking Bird to tell me how to

break the spell."

On hearing these words Prince Bahman and Prince Perviz understood all they

owed their sister, and the knights who stood by declared themselves her slaves

and ready to carry out her wishes. But the princess, while thanking them for their

politeness, explained that she wished for no company but that of her brothers,

and that the rest were free to go where they would.

So saying the princess mounted her horse, and, declining to allow even Prince

Bahman to carry the cage with the Talking Bird, she entrusted him with the

branch of the Singing Tree, while Prince Perviz took care of the flask containing

the Golden Water.

Then they rode away, followed by the knights and gentlemen, who begged to be

permitted to escort them.

It had been the intention of the party to stop and tell their adventures to the

dervish, but they found to their sorrow that he was dead, whether from old age,

or whether from the feeling that his task was done, they never knew.

As they continued their road their numbers grew daily smaller, for the knights

turned off one by one to their own homes, and only the brothers and sister finally

drew up at the gate of the palace.

The princess carried the cage straight into the garden, and, as soon as the bird

began to sing, nightingales, larks, thrushes, finches, and all sorts of other birds

mingled their voices in chorus. The branch she planted in a corner near the

house, and in a few days it had grown into a great tree. As for the Golden Water

it was poured into a great marble basin specially prepared for it, and it swelled

and bubbled and then shot up into the air in a fountain twenty feet high.

The fame of these wonders soon spread abroad, and people came from far and

near to see and admire.

After a few days Prince Bahman and Prince Perviz fell back into their ordinary

way of life, and passed most of their time hunting. One day it happened that the

Sultan of Persia was also hunting in the same direction, and, not wishing to

interfere with his sport, the young men, on hearing the noise of the hunt

approaching, prepared to retire, but, as luck would have it, they turned into the

very path down which the Sultan was coming. They threw themselves from their

horses and prostrated themselves to the earth, but the Sultan was curious to see

their faces, and commanded them to rise.

The princes stood up respectfully, but quite at their ease, and the Sultan looked

at them for a few moments without speaking, then he asked who they were and

where they lived.

"Sire," replied Prince Bahman, "we are sons of your Highness's late intendant of

the gardens, and we live in a house that he built a short time before his death,

waiting till an occasion should offer itself to serve your Highness."

"You seem fond of hunting," answered the Sultan.

"Sire," replied Prince Bahman, "it is our usual exercise, and one that should be

neglected by no man who expects to comply with the ancient customs of the

kingdom and bear arms."

The Sultan was delighted with this remark, and said at once, "In that case I shall

take great pleasure in watching you. Come, choose what sort of beasts you

would like to hunt."

The princes jumped on their horses and followed the Sultan at a little distance.

They had not gone very far before they saw a number of wild animals appear at

once, and Prince Bahman started to give chase to a lion and Prince Perviz to a

bear. Both used their javelins with such skill that, directly they arrived within

striking range, the lion and the bear fell, pierced through and through. Then

Prince Perviz pursued a lion and Prince Bahman a bear, and in a very few

minutes they, too, lay dead. As they were making ready for a third assault the

Sultan interfered, and, sending one of his officials to summon them, he said

smiling, "If I let you go on, there will soon be no beasts left to hunt. Besides, your

courage and manners have so won my heart that I will not have you expose

yourselves to further danger. I am convinced that some day or other I shall find

you useful as well as agreeable."

He then gave them a warm invitation to stay with him altogether, but with many

thanks for the honour done them, they begged to be excused, and to be suffered

to remain at home.

The Sultan who was not accustomed to see his offers rejected inquired their

reasons, and Prince Bahman explained that they did not wish to leave their

sister, and were accustomed to do nothing without consulting all three together.

"Ask her advice, then," replied the Sultan, "and to-morrow come and hunt with

me, and give me your answer."

The two princes returned home, but their adventure made so little impression on

them that they quite forgot to speak to their sister on the subject. The next

morning when they went to hunt they met the Sultan in the same place, and he

inquired what advice their sister had given. The young men looked at each other

and blushed. At last Prince Bahman said, "Sire, we must throw ourselves on your

Highness's mercy. Neither my brother nor myself remembered anything about it."

"Then be sure you do not forget to-day," answered the Sultan, "and bring me

back your reply to-morrow."

When, however, the same thing happened a second time, they feared that the

Sultan might be angry with them for their carelessness. But he took it in good

part, and, drawing three little golden balls from his purse, he held them out to

Prince Bahman, saying, "Put these in your bosom and you will not forget a third

time, for when you remove your girdle to-night the noise they will make in falling

will remind you of my wishes."

It all happened as the Sultan had foreseen, and the two brothers appeared in

their sister's apartments just as she was in the act of stepping into bed, and told

their tale.

The Princess Parizade was much disturbed at the news, and did not conceal her

feelings. "Your meeting with the Sultan is very honourable to you," she said, "and

will, I dare say, be of service to you, but it places me in a very awkward position.

It is on my account, I know, that you have resisted the Sultan's wishes, and I am

very grateful to you for it. But kings do not like to have their offers refused, and in

time he would bear a grudge against you, which would render me very unhappy.

Consult the Talking Bird, who is wise and far-seeing, and let me hear what he

says."

So the bird was sent for and the case laid before him.

"The princes must on no account refuse the Sultan's proposal," said he, "and

they must even invite him to come and see your house."

"But, bird," objected the princess, "you know how dearly we love each other; will

not all this spoil our friendship?"

"Not at all," replied the bird, "it will make it all the closer."

"Then the Sultan will have to see me," said the princess.

The bird answered that it was necessary that he should see her, and everything

would turn out for the best.

The following morning, when the Sultan inquired if they had spoken to their sister

and what advice she had given them, Prince Bahman replied that they were

ready to agree to his Highness's wishes, and that their sister had reproved them

for their hesitation about the matter. The Sultan received their excuses with great

kindness, and told them that