The Story of Nuk-Ed-Din and Enis-El-Jelis - Part I

There was, in El-Basrah, a certain King, who loved
the poor and indigent, and regarded his subjects with
benevolence; he bestowed of his wealth upon him who
believed in Mohammad (God bless and save him!) and was
such as one of the poets who have written of him hath
thus described: —

He used his lances as pens ; and the hearts of his enemies, as paper;

their blood being his ink;
And hence, I imagine, our forefathers applied to the lance the term

Khattiyeh.

The name of this King was Mohammad the son of Sulcyman
Ez-Zeyni ; and he had two Wezirs ; one of whom was named
El-Mo'in the son of Sawi ; and the other, El-Fadl the son
of Khakan. El-Fadl the son of Khakan was the most
generous of the people of his age, upright in conduct, so
that all hearts agreed in loving him, and the wise complied
with his counsel, and all the people supplicated for him
length of life: for he was a person of auspicious aspect, a
preventer of evil and mischief: but the Wezir El-Mo'in the
son of Sawi hated others, and loved not good ; he was a
man of inauspicious aspect; and in the same degree that
the people loved Fadl-ed-Din the son of Khakan, so did
they abhor El-Mo'in the son of Sawi in accordance with
the decree of the Almighty,

Now the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-
Zenyi was sitting one day upon his throne, surrounded by
the officers of his court, and he called to his Wezir El-Fadl
the son of Khakan, and said to him, I desire a female slave
unsurpassed in beauty by any in her age, of perfect loveli-
ness and exquisite symmetry, and endowed with all praise-
worthy qualities. — Such as this, replied his courtiers, is not
to be found for less than ten thousand pieces of gold. And
the Sultan thereupon called out to the treasurer, saying.
Carry ten thousand pieces of gold to the house of El-Fadl
the son of Khakan. So the treasurer did as he commanded,
and the Wezir departed, after the Sultan had ordered him
to repair every day to the market, and to commission the
brokers to procure what he had described, and had com-
manded also that no female slave of a greater price than
one thousand pieces of gold should be sold without having
been shewn to the Wezir.

The brokers, therefore, sold no female slave without
shewing her to him, and he complied with the King's com-
mand, and thus he continued to do for a considerable time,
no slave pleasing him : but on a certain day. one of the
brokers came to the mansion of the Wezir El-Fadl, and
found that he had mounted to repair to the palace of the
King; and he laid hold upon his stirrup, and repeated these
two verses : —

O thou who hast reanimated what was rotten in the state ! Thou

art the Wezir ever aided in Heaven.
Thou hast revived the noble qualities that were extinct among men.

May thy conduct never cease to be approved by God !

He then said, O my master, the female slave for the pro-
curing of whom the noble mandate was issued hath arrived.
The Wezir replied. Bring her hither to me. So the man
returned, and, after a short absence, came again, accom-
panied by a damsel of elegant stature, high-bosomed, with
black eyelashes, and smooth cheek, and slender waist, and
large hips, clad in the handsomest apparel ; the moisture of
her lips was sweeter than syrup; her figure put to shame the
branches of the Oriental willow ; and her speech was more
soft than the zephyr passing over the flowers of the garden;
as one of her describers hath thus expressed: —

Her skin is like silk, and her speech is soft, neither redundant nor

deficient :
Her eyes, God said to them, Be. — and they were, affecting men's

hearts with the potency of wine.
May my love for her grow more warm each night, and cease not

until the day of judgment!

The locks on her brow are dark as night, while her forehead shines
like the gleam of morning.

When the Wezir beheld her, she pleased him extremely,
and he looked towards the broker, and said to him, What is
the price of this damsel? The broker answered, The price
bidden for her hath amounted to ten thousand pieces of
gold, and her owner hath sworn that this sum doth not
equal the cost of the chickens which she hath eaten, nor
the cost of the dresses which she hath bestowed upon her
teachers; for she hath learnt writing and grammar and
lexicology, and the interpretation of the Kur'an, and the
fundamentals of law and religion, and medicine, and the
computation of the calendar, and the art of playing upon
musical instruments. The Wezir then said. Bring to me her
master : — and the broker immediately brought him ; and lo.
he was a foreigner, who had lived so long that time had
reduced him to bones and skin, as the poet hath said, —

How hath time made me to tremble ! For time is powerful and
severe.

I used to walk without being weary ; but now I am weary and do
not walk.

And the Wezir said to him. Art thou content to receive
for this damsel ten thousand pieces of gold from the Sultan
Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni ? The foreigner
answered. As she is for the Sultan, it is incumbent on me to
give her as a present to him, without price. So the Wezir,
upon this, ordered that the money should be brought, and
then weighed the pieces of gold for the foreigner ; after
which, the slave-broker addressed the Wezir, and said. With
the permission of our lord the Wezir. I will speak. — Impart
what thou hast to say, replied the Wezir. — It is my opinion
then, said the broker, that thou shouldst not take up this
damsel to the Sultan to-day; for she hath just arrived from
her journey, and the change of air hath affected her, and the
journey hath fatigued her ; but rather let her remain with
thee in thy palace ten days, that she may take rest, and her
beauty will improve : then cause her to be taken into the
bath, and attire her in clothes of the handsomest description,
and go up with her to the Sultan: so shalt thou experience
more abundant good- fortune. And the Wezir considered
the advice of the slave-broker, and approved it. He there-
fore took her into his palace, and gave her a private apart-
ment to herself, allotting her every day what she required
of food and drink and other supplies, and she continued a
while in this state of enjoyment.

Now the Wezir El-Fadl had a son like the shining full
moon, with brilliant countenance, and red cheek, marked
with a mole like a globule of ambergris, and with grey
down. The youth knew not of this damsel, and his father
had charged her, saying. Know that I have purchased thee
for the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni,
and that I have a son who hath not left a girl in the quarter
without making love to her: therefore keep thyself con-
cealed from him, and beware of shewing him thy face, or
suffering him to hear thy voice. The damsel replied, I hear
and obey : — and he left her and departed. And it happened,
as fate had ordained, that she went one day into. the bath
which was in the house, and, after certain of the female
slaves had bathed her, she attired herself in rich apparel,
and her beauty and loveliness increased in consequence.
She then went in to the Wezir's wife, and kissed her hand,
and said to her. May it be favourable, O Enis-el-Jelis !
How didst thou find this bath? — O my mistress, she
answered, I wanted nothing but thy presence there. And
upon this, the mistress of the house said to the female
slaves, Arise, and let us go into the bath. And they com-
plied with her command, and went, accompanied by their
mistress, who first charged two 3'oung slave-girls to keep the
door of the private apartment in which was Enis-el-Jelis,
saying to them, Suffer no one to go in to the damsel ; — and
they replied. We hear and obey. But while Enis-el-Jelis
was sitting in her chamber, lo, the Wezir's son, w^hose name
was 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, came in, and asked after his mother
and the family. The two girls answered, They are gone
into the bath. Now the damsel Enis-el-Jelis heard the
speech of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din as she sat in her chamber, and
she said within herself, I wonder what this youth is like, of
whom the Wezir hath told me that he hath not left a girl in
the quarter without making love to her: by Allah, I have
a desire to see him. She then rose upon her feet, fresh as
she was from the bath, and, approaching the door of the
chamber, looked at 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and beheld him to be
a youth like the full moon. The sight of him occasioned
her a thousand sighs; and a look from the youth, at her,
affected him also in the same manner. Each was caught in
the snare of the other's love, and the youth approached the
two slave-girls, and cried out at them; whereupon they fled
from before him, and stopped at a distance, looking to see
what he would do. He then advanced to the door of the
chamber, and, opening it, went in, and said to the damsel,
Art thou she whom my father hath purchased for me? She
answered. Yes. And upon this, the youth, who was in a
state of intoxication, went up to her, and embraced her,
while she, in like manner, threw her arms around his neck,
and kissed him. But the two slave-girls, having seen their
young master enter the chamber of the damsel Enis-el-Jelis,
cried out The youth, therefore, soon ran forth, and fled
for safety, fearing the consequence of his intrusion ; and
when the mistress of the house heard the cry of the two
slave-girls, she came out dripping from the bath, saying.
What is the cause of this cry in the house? And when she
drew near to the two slave-girls whom she had placed at the
door of the private chamber, she said to them. Wo to you !
What is the matter? — They answered, as soon as they
beheld her, Our master 'Ali Nur-ed-Din came to us and
beat us, and we fled from him, and he went into the chamber
of Enis-el-Jelis, and when we cried out to thee he fled.
The mistress of the house then went to Enis-el-Jelis, and
said to her. What is the news? — O my mistress, she
answered, as I was sitting here, a youth of handsome per-
son came in to me, and said to me, Art thou she whom
my father hath purchased for me? — And I answered, Yes. —
By Allah, O my mistress, I believed that what he said was
true; and he came up to me and embraced me, and kissed
me three times, and left me overcome by his love.

Upon this, the mistress of the house wept, and slapped
her face, and her female slaves did the like, fearing for 'Ali
Nur-ed-Din, lest his father should slay him ; and while they
were in this state, lo, the Wezir came in, and inquired what
had happened. His wife said to him, Swear that thou wilt
listen to that which I shall say. He replied, Well ? So she
told him what his son had done; and he mourned, and rent
his clothes, and slapped his face, and plucked his beard.
His wife then said to him, Kill not thyself, I will give thee,
of my own property, ten thousand pieces of gold, her price. —
But upon this, he raised his head towards her, and said to
her. Wo to thee ! I want not her price ; but I fear the loss
of my life and my property. — Wherefore, O my master?
she asked. — Knowest thou not, said he, that we have this
enemy El-Mo'in the son of Sawi ? When he heareth of this
event, he will repair to the Sultan, and say to him, Thy
Wezir whom thou imaginest to love thee hath received from
thee ten thousand pieces of gold, and purchased therewith
a female slave such as no one hath seen equalled, and when
she pleased him, he said to his son. Take her; for thou art
more worthy of her than the Sultan : — and he took her ; and
the damsel is now with him. — Then the King will say. Thou
liest. And he will say to the King, With thy permission, I
will break in upon him suddenly, and bring her to thee.
And he will give him permission to do so: he will therefore
make a sudden attack upon the house, and take the damsel,
and conduct hei? into the presence of the Sultan, and he will
question her, and she will not be able to deny : he will then
say, O my lord, I give thee good counsel, but I am not in
favour with thee: — and the Sultan will make an example of
me, and all the people will make me a gazing-stock, and
my life will be lost. — His wife, however, replied. Acquaint
no one; for this thing hath happened privily: commit,
therefore, thine affair unto God, in this extremity. And
upon this, the heart of the Wezir was quieted, and his mind
was relieved.

Such was the case of the Wezir. — Now as to Nur-ed-Din,
he feared the result of his conduct, and so passed each day
in the gardens, not returning to his mother until towards the
close of tlie night: he then slept in her apartment, and rose
before morning without being seen by any one else. Thus
he continued to do for the space of a month, not seeing the
face of his father; and at length his mother said to his
father, O my master, wilt thou lose the damsel and lose the
child? For if it long continue thus with the youth, he will
flee his country. — And what is to be done? said he. She
answered, Sit up this night, and when he cometh, lay hold
upon him, and be reconciled to him, and give him the
damsel; for she loveth him, and he loveth her; and I will
give thee her price. So the Wezir sat up the whole night,
and when his son came, he laid hold upon him, and would
have cut his throat ; but his mother came to his succour,
and said to her husband. What dost thou desire to do unto
him? He answered her, I desire to slay him. The youth
then said to his father, Am I of so small account in thy
estimation? And upon this, the eyes of his father filled
with tears, and he said to him, O my son, is the loss of my
property and my life of small account with thee? — Listen,

my father, rejoined the youth : — and he implored his
forgiveness. So the Wezir rose from the breast of his son,
and was moved with compassion for him ; and the youth
rose, and kissed his father's hand; and the Wezir said, O
my son, if I knew that thou wouldst act equitably to Enis-
el-Jelis, I would give her to thee. — O my father, replied the
youth, wherefore should I not act equitably towards her?
And his father said, I charge thee, O my son, that thou take
not a wife to share her place, and that thou do her no injury,
nor sell her. He replied, O my father, I swear to thee that

1 will neither take a wife to share her place, nor sell her: —
and he promised him by oaths to act as he had said, and
took up his abode with the damsel, and remained with her
a year; and God (whose name be exalted!) caused the
King to forget the afifair of the female slave ; but the matter
became known to El-Mo'in the son of Sawi ; yet he could
not speak of it, on account of the high estimation in which
the other Wezir was held by the Sultan.

After this year had expired, the Wezir Fadl-ed-Din the
son of Khakan entered the bath, and came out in a state of
excessive perspiration, in consequence of which the external
air smote him, so that he became confined to his bed, and
long remained sleepless; and his malady continued unre-
mittingly ; so he called, thereupon, his son, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din,
and when he came before him, said to him, O my son, verily
the means of life are apportioned, and its period is decreed,
and every soul must drink the cup of death. I have nothing
with which to charge thee but the fear of God, and fore-
thought with regard to the results of thine actions, and that
thou conduct thyself kindly to the damsel Enis-el-Jelis. — O
my father, said the youth, who is like unto thee? Thou
hast been celebrated for virtuous actions, and the praying of
the preachers for thee on the pulpits. — O my son, rejoined
the Wezir, I hope for the approbation of God, whose name
be exalted ! And then he pronounced the two professions
of the faith, and uttered a sigh, and was recorded among
the company of the blest. And upon this, the palace was
filled with shrieking, and the news reached the ears of the
Sultan, and the people of the city heard of the death of El-
Fadl the son of Khakan, and even the boys in the schools
wept for him. His son 'Ali Nur-ed-Din arose, and pre-
pared his funeral, and the Emirs and Wezirs and other
officers of the state attended it, and among them was the
Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi; and as the procession
passed out from the mansion, one of the mourners recited
these verses : —

I said to the man who was appointed to wash him, — Would that

he had yielded obedience to my counsel, —
Put away from liim the water, and wash him with the tears of

honour, shed in himentation for him :
And remove these fragrant substances collected for his corpse, and

perfume him rather with the odours of his praise :
And order the noble angels to carry him in honour. Dost thou

not behold them attending him?
Cause not men's necks to be strained by bearing him : enough are

they laden already by his benefits.

'Ali Nur-ed-Din for a long time remained in a state of
violent grief for the loss of his father; but as he was sitting
one day in his father's house, a person knocked at the door,
and he rose up and opened it, and lo, there was a man who
was one of his father's intimate companions, and he kissed
the hand of Nur-ed-Din, and said to him, O my master, he
who hath left a son like thee hath not died. This is the
destination of the lord of the first and the last among
mankind.^ O my master, cheer up thy heart, and give over
mourning. — And upon this, 'AH Nur-ed-Din arose, and went
to the guest-chamber, and removed thither all that he
required, and his companions came together to him, and he
took again his slave. Ten of the sons of the merchants
became his associates, and he gave entertainment after
entertainment, and began to be lavish with presents. His
steward, therefore, came to him, and said to him, O my
master Nur-ed-Din, hast thou not heard the saying, He who
expendeth and doth not calculate is reduced to poverty?
This profuse expenditure, and these magnificent presents,
will annihilate the property. — But when 'Ali Nur-ed-Din
heard these words of his steward, he looked at him, and
replied. Of all that thou hast said to me, I will not attend
to one word. How excellent is the saying of the poet: —

If I be possessed of wealth and be not liberal, may my hand never

be extended, nor my foot raised !
Shew me the avaricious who hath attained glory by his avarice, and

the munificent who hath died through his munificence.

Know, O steward, he continued, that if there remain in thy
hands what will suffice for my dinner, thou shalt not burden
me with anxiety respecting my supper. — So the steward left
him, and went his way; and 'Ali Nur-ed-Din resumed his
habits of extravagant generosity : whenever any one of his
companions said^ Verily this thing is beautiful ! — he would
reply. It is a present to thee : — and if any said, O my
master, verily such a house is delightful ! — he would reply,
It is a present to thee.

He ceased not to give entertainments to his companions
from the commencement of day, one after another, until he
had passed in this manner a whole year ; after which, as he
was sitting with them, he heard the slave-girl recite these
two verses : —

Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,
and fearedst not the evid that destiny was bringing.

Thy nights were peaceful, and thou wast deceived by them : in the
midst of their brightness there cometh gloom.

And immediately after, a person knocked at the door; so
Nur-ed-Din rose, and one of his companions followed him
without his knowledge; and when he opened the door, he
beheld his steward, and said to him, What is the news? —
O my master, answered the steward, that which I feared on
thy account hath happened to thee. — How is that? asked
Nur-ed-Din. The steward answered, Know that there re-
maineth not of thy property in my hands, anything equivalent
to a piece of silver, or less than a piece of silver ; and these
are the accounts of thy expenses, and of thy original property.
When 'Ali Nur-ed-Din heard these words, he hung down
his head towards the ground, and exclaimed, There is no
strength nor power but in God ! And the man who had
followed him secretly to pry into his case, as soon as he heard
what the steward told him, returned to his companions, and
said to them. See what ye will do ; for 'Ali Nur-ed-Din hath
become a bankrupt. So when Nur-ed-Din returned to them,
grief appeared to them in his countenance, and immediately
one of them rose, and. looking towards him, said to him, O
my master, I desire that thou wouldst permit me to depart. —
Why thus depart to-day? said Nur-ed-Din. His guest an-
swered. My wife is to "give birth to a child this night, and it
is impossible for me to be absent from her : I desire, therefore,
to go and see "her. And he gave him leave. Then another
rose, and said to him, O my master Nur-ed-Din, I desire
to-day to visit my brother; for he celebrateth the circum-
cision of his son. Thus each of them asked leave of him
deceitfully, and went his way, until all had departed.

So 'Ali Nur-ed-Din remained alone ; and he called his
slave-girl, and said to her, O Enis-el-Jelis, seest thou not
what hath befallen me? And he related to her what the
steward had told him. She replied, O my master, for some
nights past, I have been anxious to speak to thee of this
affair; but I heard thee reciting these two verses: —

When fortune is liberal to thee, be thou liberal to all others before
she escape from thee :

For liljerality will not annihilate thy wealth when she is favour-
able ; nor avarice preserve it when she deserteth thee.

And when I heard thee repeat these words, I was silent,
and would not make any remark to thee. — O Enis-el-Jelis,
he rejoined, thou knowest that I have not expended my
wealth but on my companions; and I do not think that they
will abandon me without relief. — By Allah, said she, they
will be of no use to thee. But he said, I will immediately
arise and go to them, and knock at their doors; perhaps I
shall obtain from them something which I will employ as
a capital wherewith to trade, and I will cease from diversion
and sport. So he arose instantly, and proceeded without
stopping until he arrived at the by-street in which his ten
companions resided; for they all lived in that same street:
and he advanced to the first door, and knocked; and there
came forth to him a slave-girl, who said to him. Who art
thou? He answered, Say to thy master, — 'AH Nur-ed-Din
is standing at the door, and saith to thee. Thy slave kisseth
thy hands, looking for a favour from thee. — And the girl
entered and acquainted her master ; but he called out to her,
saying, Return, and tell him. He is not here. — The girl, there-
fore, returned to Nur-ed-Din, and said to him, My master,
Sir, is not here. And he went on, saying within himself, H
this is a knave, and hath denied himself, another is not. He
then advanced to the next door, and said as he had before ;
and the second also denied himself; and Nur-ed-Din ex-
claimed, —

They are gone, who, if thou stoodest at their door, would bestow
upon thee the bounty thou desirest.

By Allah, he added, I must try all of them: perchance one
of them may stand me in the place of all the others. And
he went round to all the ten ; but found not that one of them
would open the door, or shew himself, or even order him a
cake or bread ; and he recited the following verses : —

A man in prosperity resembleth a tree, around which people flock

as long as it hath fruit ;
But as soon as it hath dropped all that it bore, they disperse from

beneath it, and seek another.
Perdition to all the people of this age ! for I find not one man of

integrity among ten.

He then returned to his slave : his anxiety had increased,
and. she said to him, ^ my master, said I not unto thee that
they would not profit thee? — By Allah, he replied, not one
of them shewed me his face. — O my master, rejoined she,
sell of the movables of the house a little at a time, and
expend the produce. And he did so until he had sold all
that was in the house, and there remained nothing in his
possession ; and upon this he looked towards Enis-el-Jelis,
and said to her. What shall we do now? — It is my advice,
O my master, she answered, that thou arise immediately,
and take me to the market, and sell me; for thou knowest
that thy father purchased me for ten thousand pieces of gold,
and perhaps God may open to thee a way to obtain a part
of this price; and if God have decreed our reunion, we
shall meet again. But he replied, O Enis-el-Jelis, it is not
easy for me to endure thy separation for one hour. — Nor
is the like easy to me, said she : but necessity is imperious.
And upon this, he took Enis-el-Jelis, his tears flowing down
his cheeks, and went and delivered her to the broker, saying
to him, Know the value of that which thou art to cry for
sale. — O my master Nur-ed-Din, replied the broker, noble
qualities are held in remembrance. Is she not Enis-el-Jelis,
whom thy father purchased of me for ten thousand pieces of
gold? — He answered. Yes. And the broker thereupon went
to the merchants; but he found that they had not all yet
assembled; so he waited until the rest had come; and the
market was filled with all varieties of female slaves, Turkish
and Greek and Circassian and Georgian and Abyssinian ;
and when he beheld its crowded state, he arose and exclaimed,
O merchants ! O possessors of wealth ! everything that is
round is not a nut; nor is everything long, a banana; nor
is everything that is red, meat ; nor is everything white, fat ;
nor is everything that is ruddy, wine ; nor is everything
tawny, a date ! O merchants ! this precious pearl, whose
value no money can equal, with what sum will ye open the
bidding for her? — And one of the merchants answered,
With four thousand and five hundred pieces of gold.