Tales from the Arabic/Story of Prince Bihzad

by unknown author

STORY OF PRINCE BIHZAD.

“There was once, of old time, a king and he had a son [named Bihzad], there was not in his day a goodlier than he and he loved to consort with the folk and to sit with the merchants and converse with them. One day, as he sat in an assembly, amongst a number of folk, he heard them talking of his own goodliness and grace and saying, ‘There is not in his time a goodlier than he.’ But one of the company said, ‘Indeed, the daughter of King Such an-one is handsomer than he.’ When Bihzad heard this saying, his reason fled and his heart fluttered and he called the last speaker and said to him, ‘Repeat to me that which thou saidst and tell me the truth concerning her whom thou avouchest to be handsomer than I and whose daughter she is.’ Quoth the man, ‘She is the daughter of King Such-an-one;’ whereupon Bihzad’s heart clave to her and his colour changed.

The news reached his father, who said to him, ‘O my son, this damsel to whom thy heart cleaveth is at thy commandment and we have power over her; so wait till I demand her [in marriage] for thee.’ But the prince said, ‘I will not wait.’ So his father hastened in the matter and sent to demand her of her father, who required of him a hundred thousand dinars to his daughter’s dowry. Quoth Bihzad’s father, ‘So be it,’ and paid down what was in his treasuries, and there remained to his charge but a little of the dower. So he said to his son, ‘Have patience, O my son, till we gather together the rest of the money and send to fetch her to thee, for that she is become thine.’ Therewith the prince waxed exceeding wroth and said, ‘I will not have patience;’ so he took his sword and his spear and mounting his horse, went forth and fell to stopping the way, [so haply that he might win what lacked of the dowry].

It chanced one day that he fell in upon a company of folk and they overcame him by dint of numbers and taking him prisoner, pinioned him and carried him to the lord of that country. The latter saw his fashion and grace and misdoubting of him, said, ‘This is no robber’s favour. Tell me truly, O youth, who thou art.’ Bihzad thought shame to acquaint him with his condition and chose rather death for himself; so he answered, ‘I am nought but a thief and a bandit.’ Quoth the king, ‘It behoveth us not to act hastily in the matter of this youth, but that we look into his affair, for that haste still engendereth repentance.’ So he imprisoned him in his palace and assigned him one who should serve him.

Meanwhile, the news spread abroad that Bihzad, son of the king, was lost, whereupon his father sent letters in quest of him [to all the kings and amongst others to him with whom he was imprisoned]. When the letter reached the latter, he praised God the Most High for that he had not anydele hastened in Bihzad’s affair and letting bring him before himself, said to him, ‘Art thou minded to destroy thyself?’ Quoth Bihzad, ‘[I did this] for fear of reproach;’ and the king said, ‘An thou fear reproach, thou shouldst not practise haste [in that thou dost]; knowest thou not that the fruit of haste is repentance? If we had hasted, we also, like unto thee, we had repented.’

Then he conferred on him a dress of honour and engaged to him for the completion of the dowry and sent to his father, giving him the glad news and comforting his heart with [the tidings of] his son’s safety; after which he said to Bihzad, Arise, O my son, and go to thy father.’ ‘O king,’ rejoined the prince, ‘complete thy kindness to me by [hastening] my going-in to my wife; for, if I go back to my father, till he send a messenger and he return, promising me, the time will be long.’ The king laughed and marvelled at him and said to him, ‘I fear for thee from this haste, lest thou come to shame and attain not thy desire.’ Then he gave him wealth galore and wrote him letters, commending him to the father of the princess, and despatched him to them. When he drew near their country, the king came forth to meet him with the people of his realm and assigned him a handsome lodging and bade hasten the going-in of his daughter to him, in compliance with the other king’s letter. Moreover, he advised the prince’s father [of his son’s coming] and they busied themselves with the affair of the damsel.

When it was the day of the going-in,^[1] Bihzad, of his haste and lack of patience, betook himself to the wall, which was between himself and the princess’s lodging and in which there was a hole pierced, and looked, so he might see his bride, of his haste. But the bride’s mother saw him and this was grievous to her; so she took from one of the servants two red-hot iron spits and thrust them into the hole through which the prince was looking. The spits ran into his eyes and put them out and he fell down aswoon and joyance was changed and became mourning and sore concern.

Return to The Ten Viziers; or the History of King Azadbekht and His Son.

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1. i.e. the wedding-day.