书城公版Volume Seven
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第99章

And presently she continued,'See then,O my brother,how thou mayest aid me in mine affliction.'So Marzawan bowed his head groundwards awhile,wondering and not knowing what to do,then he raised it and said to her,'All thou hast spoken to me I hold to be true,though the case of the young man pass my understanding:but I will go round about all lands and will seek for what may heal thee;haply Allah shall appoint thy healing to be at my hand. Meanwhile,take patience and be not disquieted.'

Thereupon Marzawan farewelled her,praying that she might be constant and left her repeating these couplets,'Thine image ever companies my sprite,For all thou'rt distant from the pilgrim's sight:

But my heartwishes e'er attract thee near:

What is the lightning's speed to Thought's swift flight?

Then go not thou,my very light of eyes

Which,when thou'rt gone,lack all the Kohl of light.'

Then Marzawan returned to his mother's house,where he passed the night. And when the morrow dawned,having equipped himself for his journey,he fared forth and ceased not faring from city to city and from island to island for a whole month,till he came to a town named AlTayrab.[285] Here he went about scenting news of the townsfolk,so haply he might light on a cure for the Princess's malady,for in every capital he entered or passed by,it was reported that Queen Budur,daughter of King Ghayur,had lost her wits. But arriving at AlTayrab city,he heard that Kamar alZaman,son of King Shahriman,was fallen sick and afflicted with melancholy madness. So Marzawan asked the name of the Prince's capital and they said to him,'It is on the Islands of Khalidan and it lieth distant from our city a whole month's journey by sea,but by land it is six months' march.'So he went down to the sea in a ship which was bound for the Khalidan Isles,and she sailed with a favouring breeze for a whole month,till they came in sight of the capital;and there remained for them but to make the land when,behold,there came out on them a tempestuous wind which carried away the masts and rent the canvas,so that the sails fell into the sea and the ship capsized,with all on board,And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the One Hundred and Ninetyfifth Night,She said,It hath reached me,O auspicious King,that when the ship capsized with all on board,each sought his own safety;and as for Marzawan the set of the sea carried him under the King's palace,wherein was Kamar alZaman. And by the decree of destiny it so happened that this was the day on which King Shahriman gave audience to his Grandees and high officers,and he was sitting,with his son's head on his lap,whilst an eunuch fanned away the flies;and the Prince had not spoken neither had he eaten nor drunk for two days,and he was grown thinner than a spindle.[286] Now the Wazir was standing respectfully afoot near the latticed window giving on the sea and,raising his eyes,saw Marzawan being beaten by the billows and at his last gasp;whereupon his heart was moved to pity for him,so he drew near to the King and moving his head towards him said,'I crave thy leave,O King,to go down to the court of the pavilion and open the watergate that I may rescue a man who is at the point of drowning in the sea and bring him forth of danger into deliverance;peradventure,on this account Allah may free thy son from what he hath!'The King replied,'O thou Wazir,enough is that which hath befallen my son through thee and on shine account. Haply,if thou rescue this drowning man,he will come to know our affairs,and look on my son who is in this state and exult over me;but I swear by Allah,that if this halfdrowned wretch come hither and learn our condition and look upon my son and then fare forth and speak of our secrets to any,I will assuredly strike off thy head before his;for thou,O my Minister art the cause of all that hath betided us,first and last. Now do as thou wilt.'Thereupon the Wazir sprang up and,opening the private pastern which gave upon the sea,descended to the causeway;then walked on twenty steps and came to the water where he saw Marzawan nigh unto death. So he put out his hand to him and,catching him by his hair,drew him ashore in a state of insensibility,with belly full of water and eyes half out of his head. The Wazir waited till he came to himself,when he pulled off his wet clothes and clad him in a fresh suit,covering his head with one of his servants' turbands;after which he said to him,Know that I have been the means of saving thee from drowning:do not thou requite me by causing my death and shine own.'嶢nd Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the One Hundred and Ninetysixth Night,She said,It hath reached me,O auspicious King,that when the Wazir did to Marzawan what he did,he thus addressed him Know that I have been the cause of saving thee from drowning so requite me not by causing my death and shine own.'Asked Marzawan,And how so?';and the Wazir answered,'Thou art at this hour about to go up and pass among Emirs and Wazirs all of them silent and none speaking,because of Kamar alZaman the son of the Sultan.'Now when Marzawan heard the name of Kamar alZaman,he knew that this was he whom he had heard spoken of in sundry cities and of whom he came in search,but he feigned ignorance and asked the Wazir,'And who is Kamar alZaman? Answered the Minister,'He is the son of Sultan Shahriman and he is sore sick and lieth strown on his couch restless alway,eating not nor drinking neither sleeping night or day;indeed he is nigh upon death and we have lost hope of his living and are certain that he is dying. Beware lest thou look too long on him,or thou look on any other than that where thou settest thy feet:else thou art a lost man,and I also.'He replied,'Allah upon thee,O Wazir,I implore thee,of thy favour,acquaint me touching this youth thou describest,what is the cause of the condition in which he is.'