The Story of Jullanar of the Sea - Part I

There was, in olden time, and in an ancient age and
period, in the land of the Persians, a King named
Shah-Zeman, and the place of his residence was Khu-
rasan. He had a hundred concubines ; but he had not been
blest, during his whole life, with a male child by any of them,
nor a female ; and he reflected upon this, one day, and la-
mented that the greater portion of his life had passed, and
he had not been blessed with a male child to inherit the king-
dom after him as he had inherited it from his fathers and
forefathers. So the utmost grief, and violent vexation, befell
him on this account.

Now while he was sitting one day, one of his memluks
came in to him, and said to him, O my lord, at the door is
a slave-girl with a merchant: none more beautiful than she
hath been seen. And he replied. Bring to me the merchant
and the slave-girl. The merchant and the slave-girl there-
fore came to him ; and when he saw her, he found her to
resemble the Rudeyni' lance. She was wrapped in an izar
of silk embroidered with gold, and the merchant uncovered
her face, whereupon the place was illuminated by her beauty,
and there hung down from her forehead seven locks of hair
reaching to her anklets, like the tails of horses. She had eyes
bordered with kohl, and heavy hips, and slender waist: she
was such as would cure the malady of the sick, and extinguish
the fire of the thirsty, and was as the poet hath said in these
verses : —

I am enamoured of her : she is perfect in beauty, and perfect also

in gravity and in dignity.
She is neither tall nor sliort ; but her hips are such that the izar is

too narrow for them.

Her stature is a mean between the small and the large : so there is
neither tallness nor shortness to find fault with.

Her hair reacheth to her anklets, [and is black as night,] but her
face is ever like the day.

The King, therefore wondered at the sight of her, and at her
beauty and lovehness, and her stature and justness of form;
and he said to the merchant, O sheykh, for how much is this
damsel to be sold? The merchant answered, O my lord, I
purchased her for two thousand pieces of gold of the mer-
chant who owned her before me, and I have been for three
years travelling with her, and she hath cost, to the period of
her arrival at this place, three thousand pieces of gold; and
she is a present from me unto thee. Upon this, the King con-
ferred upon him a magnificent robe of honour, and gave
orders to present him with ten thousand pieces of gold. So
he took them, and kissed the hands o^ the King, thanking him
for his bounty and beneficence, and departed. Then the King
committed the damsel to the tirewomen, saying to them.
Amend the state of this damsel, and deck her, and furnish
for her a private chamber, and take her into it. He also
gave orders to his chamberlains that every thing which she
required should be conveyed to her. The seat of government
where he resided was on the shore of the sea, and his city
was called the White City. And they conducted the damsel
into a private chamber, which chamber had windows over-
looking the sea ; and the King commanded his chamberlains
to close all the doors upon her after taking to her all that
she required.

The King then went in to visit the damsel ; but she rose
not to him, nor took any notice of him. So the King said, It
seemeth that she hath been with people who have not taught
her good manners. And looking at the damsel, he saw her
to be a person surpassing in beauty and loveliness, and in
stature and justness of form ; her face was like the disk of
the moon at the full, or the shining sun in the clear sky ; and
he wondered at her beauty and loveliness, and stature and
justness of form, extolling the perfection of God, the Creator:
lauded be his power ! Then the King advanced to the damsel,
and seated himself by her side, pressed her to his bosom, and
seated her upon his thigh; and he kissed her lips, which he
found to be sweeter than honey. After this, he gave orders
to bring tables of the richest viands, comprising dishes of
every kind; and the King ate, and put morsels into her mouth
until she was satisfied, but she spoke not a single word. The
King talked to her, and inquired of her her name ; but she
was silent, not uttering a word, nor returning him an answer,
ceasing not to hang down her head towards the ground; and
what protected her from the anger of the King was the ex-
cess of her beauty and loveliness, and her tenderness of man-
ner. So the King said within himself. Extolled be the per-
fection of God, the Creator of this damsel ! How elegant is
she, saving that she doth not speak ! But perfection belongeth
unto God, whose name be exalted ! — Then the King asked the
female slaves whether she had spoken ; and they answered
him, From the time of her arrival to the present moment she
hath not spoken one word, and we have not heard her talk.
The King therefore caused some of the female slaves and
concubines to come, and ordered them to sing to her, and to
make merry with her, thinking that then she might perhaps
speak. Accordingly the female slaves and concubines played
before her with all kinds of musical instruments, and enacted
sports and other performances, and they sang so that every
one who was present was moved with delight, except the
damsel, who looked at them and was silent, neither laughing
nor speaking. So the heart of the King was contracted. He
however inclined to her entirely, paying no regard to others,
but relinquishing all the rest of his concubines and favourites.
He remained with her a whole year, which seemed as one
day, and still she spoke not ; and he said to her one day, when
his love of her, and his passion, were excessive, O desire of
souls, verily the love that I have for thee is great, and I have
relinquished for thy sake all my female slaves, and the
concubines and the women and the favourites, and made thee
my worldly portion, and been patient with thee a whole year.
I beg God (whose name be exalted!) that He will, in his
grace, soften thy heart towards me, and that thou mayest
speak to me. Or, if thou be dumb, inform me by a sign, that
I may give up hope of thy speaking. I also beg of God
(whose perfection be extolled!) that He will bless me by
thee with a male child that may inherit my kingdom after me ;
for I am single and solitary, having none to be my heir, and
my age hath become great. I conjure thee then by Allah, if
thou love me, that thou return me a reply. — And upon this,
the damsel hung down her head towards the ground, medi-
tating. Then she raised her head, and smiled in the face of
the King, whereat it appeared to the King that lightning
filled the private chamber; and she said, O magnanimous
King, and bold lion, God hath answered thy prayer ; for I am
about to bear thee issue, and the time is [almost] come.
But I know not whether the child is male or female. And
were it not for my being in this state, I had not spoken to
thee one word. — And when the King heard what she said, his
face brightened up with joy and happiness, and he kissed her
head and her hands by reason of the violence of his joy, and
said, Praise be to God who hath favoured me with things that
I desired; the first, thy speaking; and the second, thy infor-
mation that thou art about to bear me issue. Then the King
arose and went forth from her, and seated himself upon the
throne of his kingdom in a state of exceeding happiness ; and
he ordered the Wczir to give out to the poor and the needy
and the widows and others a hundred thousand pieces of gold
as a thank-offering to God (whose name be exalted!) and an
alms on his part. So the Wezir did as the King had com-
manded him. And after that, the King went in to the damsel,
and sat with her, and embraced her and pressed her to his
bosom, saying to her, O my mistress, who ownest me as thy
slave, wherefore hath been this silence, seeing that thou hast
been with me a whole year, night and day, awake and asleep,
yet hast not spoken to me during this year except on this
day? What then hath been the cause of thy silence?

The damsel answered. Hear, O King of the age, and know
that I am a poor person, a stranger, broken-hearted: I have
become separated from my mother and my family and my
brother. And when the King heard her words, he knew her
desire, and he replied, As to thy saying that thou art poor,
there is no occasion for such an assertion ; for all my kingdom
and my goods and possessions are at thy service, and I also
have become thy memluk: and as to thy saying, I have be-
come separated from my mother and my family and my
brother — inform me in what place they are, and I will send
to them, and bring them to thee. So she said to him, Know,
O fortunate King, that my name is Jullanar of the Sea. My
father was one of the Kings of the Sea, and he died, and
left to us the kingdom; but while we were enjoying it, one
of the Kings came upon us, and took the kingdom from our
hands. I have also a brother named Salih, and my mother is
of the women of the sea; and I quarrelled with my brother,
and swore that I would throw myself into the hands of a man
of the inhabitants of the land. Accordingly I came forth from
the sea, and sat upon the shore of an island in the moon-
light, and there passed by me a man who took me and con-
ducted me to his abode, and desired to make me his concubine;
but I smote him upon his head, and he almost died ; where-
fore he went and sold me to this man from whom thou tookest
me, and he was an excellent, virtuous man, a person of re-
ligion and fidelity and kindness. But had not thy heart loved
me, and hadst thou not preferred me above all thy concubines,
I had not remained with thee one hour ; for I should have
cast myself into the sea from this window, and gone to my
mother and my people. I was ashamed, however, to go to
them in the state in which I am ; for they would imagine evil
of me, and would not believe me, even though I should
swear to them, were I to tell them that a King had pur-
chased me with his money, and had made me his worldly
portion, and chosen me in preference to his wives and all
that his right hand possessed. This is my story, and peace
be on thee ! — And when he heard her words, he thanked
her, and kissed her between her eyes, and said to her. By
Allah, O my mistress, and light of my eyes, I cannot endure
thy separation for one hour; and if thou quit me, I shall die
instantly. How then shall the affair be? — She answered, O
my master, the time of the birth is near, and my family
must come. — And how, said the King, do they walk in the
sea without being wetted? She answered, \\*e walk in the
sea as ye walk upon the land, through the influence of the
names engraved upon the seal of Suleyman the son of
Da'ud, upon both of whom be peace ! But, O King, when
my family and my brethren come, I will inform them that
thou boughtest me with thy money, and hast treated me with
kindness and beneficence, and it will be meet that thou con-
firm my assertion to them. They will also see thy state with
their eyes, and will know that thou art a King, the son of
a King. — And thereupon the King said, O my mistress, do
what seemeth fit to thee, and what thou wishest; for I will
comply with thy desire in all that thou wilt do. And the
damsel said, Know, O King of the age, that we walk in
the sea with our eyes open, and see what is in it, and we
see the sun and the moon and the stars and the sky as on
the face of the earth, and this hurteth us not.^ Know also,
that in the sea are many peoples and various forms of all the
kinds that are on the land; and know, moreover, that all
that is on the land, in comparison with what is in the sea, is
a very small matter. — And the King wondered at her words.
Then the damsel took forth from her shoulders two pieces
of Kamari aloes-wood, and took a bit of them, and, having
lighted a fire in a perfuming-vessel, threw into it that bit,
and she uttered a loud whistle, and proceeded to speak
words which no one understood ; whereupon a great smoke
arose, while the King looked on. After this, she said to
the King, O my lord, arise and conceal thyself in a closet,
that I may shew thee my brother and my mother and my
family without their seeing thee; for I desire to bring them,
and thou shalt see in this place, at this time, a wonder, and
shalt wonder at the various shapes and strange forms that
God (whose name be exalted!) hath created. So the King
arose immediately, and entered a closet, and looked to see
what she would do. And she proceeded to burn perfume
and repeat spells until the sea foamed and was agitated, and
there came forth from it a young man of comely form, of
beautiful countenance, like the moon at the full, with shining
forehead, and red cheek, and hair resembling pearls and
jewels; he was, of all the creation, the most like to his
sister, and the tongue of the case itself seemed to recite in
his praise these verses: —

The moon becometh perfect once in each month ; but the loveliness

of thy face is perfect every day.
Its abode is in the heart of one sign at a time ; but thine abode is

in all hearts at once.


Afterwards, there came forth from the sea a grizzly-haired
old woman, and with her five damsels, resembling moons,
and bearing a likeness to the damsel whose name was
Jullanar. Then the King saw the young man and the old
woman and the damsels walk upon the surface of the water
until they came to the damsel Jullanar ; and when they drew
near to the window, and Jullanar beheld them, she rose to
them and met them with joy and happiness. On their seeing
her, they knew her, and they went in to her and embraced
her, weeping violently; and they said to her, O Jullanar, how
is it that thou leavest us for four years, and we know not
the place in which thou art? By Allah, the world was con-
tracted unto us, by reason of the distress occasioned by thy
separation, and we had no delight in food nor in drink a
single day, weeping night and day on account of the excess
of our longing to see thee. — Then the damsel began to kiss
the hand of the young man her brother, and the hand of her
mother, and so also the hands of the daughters of her uncle,
and they sat with her a while, asking her respecting her
state, and the things that had happened to her, and her
present condition.

So she said to them. Know ye, that when I quitted you,
and came forth from the sea, I sat upon the shore of an
island, and a man took me, and sold me to a merchant, and
the merchant brought me to this city, and sold me to its
King for ten thousand pieces of gold. Then he treated me
with attention, and forsook all his concubines and his women
and his favourites for my sake, and was diverted by his
regard for me from every thing that he possessed and what
was in his city. — And when her brother heard her words, he
said. Praise be to God who hath reunited us with thee!
But it is my desire, O my sister, that thou wouldst arise and
go with us to our country and our family. — So when the
King heard the words of her brother, his reason fled in
consequence of his fear lest the damsel should accept the
proposal of her brother, and he could not prevent her,
though he was inflamed with love of her; wherefore he
became perplexed, in violent fear of her separation. But
as to the damsel Jullanar, on hearing the words of her
brother, she said, By Allah, O my brother, the man who
purchased me is the King of this city, and he is a great
King, and a man of wisdom, generous, of the utmost
Hberality. He hath treated me with honour, and he is a
person of kindness, and of great weakh, but hath no male
child nor a female. He hath shewn favour to me, and
acted well to mc in every respect ; and from the day when
I came to him to the present time, I have not heard from
him a bad word to grieve my heart; but he hath not ceased
to treat me with courtesy, and hath done nothing without
consulting me, and I am living with him in the best of
states, and the most perfect of enjoyments. Moreover, if I
quitted him, he would perish : for he can never endure my
separation even for a single hour. I also, if I quitted him,
should die, by reason of the violence of my love for him in
consequence of the excess of his kindness to me during the
period of my residence with him ; for if my father were
living, my condition with him would not be like my condition
with this great, glorious King. Ye have seen, too, that I am
about to bear him issue ; and praise be to God who hath
made me to be a daughter of a King of the Sea, and my
husband the greatest of the Kings of the Land. God (whose
name be exalted!) afflicted me not, but compensated me
well ; and as the King hath not a male child nor a female,
I beg God (whose name be exalted!) to bless me with a
male child that may inherit of this great King these buildings
and palaces and possessions of which God hath made him
owner. — And when her brother and the daughters of her
uncle heard her words, their eyes became cheerful thereat,
and they said to her, O Jullanar, thou knowest the place
which thou hast in our estimation, and art acquainted with
our affection for thee, and thou art assured that thou art the
dearest of all persons to us, and art certain that we desire
for thee comfort, without trouble or toil. Therefore if thou
be not in a state of comfort, arise and accompany us to our
country and our family; but if thou be comfortable here, in
honour and happiness, this is our desire and wish; for we
desire not aught save thy comfort in every respect, — And
Jullanar replied. By Allah, I am in a state of the utmost
comfort and enjoyment, in honour and desirable happiness.
So when the King heard these words from her, he rejoiced.
and his heart became tranquillized, and he thanked her for
them ; his love for her increased, and penetrated to his
heart's core, and he knew that she loved him as he loved
her, and that she desired to remain with him to see his
child which she was to bear him.

Then the damsel Jullanar of the Sea gave orders to the
female slaves to bring forward the tables and the viands of all
kinds; and Jullanar herself was the person who superintended
the preparation of the viands in the kitchen. So the female
slaves brought to them the viands and the sweetmeats and
the fruits; and she ate with her family. But afterwards they
said to her, O Jullanar, thy master is a man who is a stranger
to us, and we have entered his abode without his permission
and without his knowledge of us, and thou praisest to us his
excellence, and hast also brought to us his food, and we
have eaten, but have not had an interview with him, nor
seen him, nor hath he seen us, nor come into our presence,
nor eaten with us, that the bond of bread and salt might be
established between us. And they all desisted from eating,
and were enraged at her, and fire began to issue from their
mouths as from cressets. So when the King beheld this,
his reason fled, in consequence of the violence of his fear
of them. Then Jullanar rose to them, and soothed their
hearts ; after which she walked along until she entered the
closet in which was the King her master; and she said to
him, O my master, didst thou see, and didst thou hear my
thanks to thee, and my praise of thee in the presence of
my family ; and didst thou hear what they said to me, that
they desired to take me with them to our family and our
country? The King answered her, I heard and saw. May
God recompense thee for us well ! By Allah, I knew not
the extent of the love that thou feelest for me until this
blessed hour, and I doubt not of thy love for me. — She
replied, O my master, is the recompense of beneficence
aught but beneficence? Thou hast treated me with
beneficence, and bestowed upon me great favours, and I
see that thou lovest me with the utmost love, and thou hast
shewn me every kindness, and preferred mc above all whom
thou lovest and dcsircst. How then could my heart be
happy to quit thee, and to depart from thee ; and how
could that be when thou bestowest benefits and favours
upon me? Now I desire of thy goodness that thou come
and salute my family, and see them, and that they may see
thee, and that pleasure and mutual friendship may ensue.
But know, O King of the age, that my brother and my
mother and the daughters of my uncle have conceived a
great love for thee in consequence of my praising thee to
them, and they have said, We will not depart from thee
to our country until we have an interview with the King,
and salute him. So they desire to behold thee, and to
become familiar with thee. — And the King said to her, I
hear and obey ; for this is what I desire. He then rose
from his place, and went to them, and saluted them with
the best salutation ; and they hastened to rise to him ; they
met him in the most polite manner, and he sat with them
in the pavilion, ate with them at the table, and remained
with them for a period of thirty days. Then they desired
to return to their country and abode. So they took leave
of the King, and the Queen Jullanar of the Sea, and
departed from them, after the King had treated them with
the utmost honour.