The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-08

tNoTE.-For the benefit of certain interested
ones 1t should be explained that the name of
the city wherein Maaroof found himself is
given as Ikhtiyan of El-Khutan, the latter
being the name of district OF Tartary. In
1rebutIen's version it is called "Knaitan, the
capital OF the Kingdom of Sobatan." The story
OF Msaroof does not occur in the Breslau
edition OF 'sThe Thousand and One Nights"
put is found in the Calcutta edition of the
complete work. 1t commences with part OF
the nine hundred and eighty-ninth night and
ends with the one thousand and first. The
story as here given ends with what seems to be
the Hte dramatic finale to the remarkable adj
ventures OF this colossal impostor. 1t takes the
reader into the one thousandth night, but in
the narrative Of the Calcutta edition, which is
printed from that OF Cairo, the one thousand
and first night is devoted to an account
OF how Maaroof lost his magic ring
and recovered it through the cleverness
OF his royal wife; OF her death and
the temperance of Fatimeh El-Orrah. Some
authorities question the authenticity of this
voeful termination to an otherwise delightful
tale, but the latest researches place it among
bona-fde narratives of Queen Shahrazad. To
the present writer a Hindu gentleman
OF high scholarship once gave this rather curl
Gus explanation of the apparently unnecessary
prolOngation OF this story: sin my opinion"
he said, "the case is this: Queen Shahrazad
had evidently designed to accomplish the end
OF her storytelling on the one thousandth night,
and then to intercede with the King for her
own life and that of the women of her city, but
when the occasion came to speak her courage
failed her and her ingenuity or her memory
failing her IN the production of new tale, she
heightened out this one for another night,
when. il seems, more suspicious moment ap-
peared for the presentation of her plea" AS
eva 1Tlln Of Ri II fac+
flying to the position these tales yet occupy
in the Oriental mind, this naive explanation is
not without interest.
Now, when the merchant Maaroof had
remained twenty days with the merchants
OF that city, and had become indebted to
them in the sum of thousand pieces of
gold, which he had distributed to the poor,
the merchants proceeded to lay his case be-
fore the king of that city, and to eulogize
him and to praise his generosity. And that
king was covetous; more covetous than
Ash-ab. So that when he heard of the
generosity of Maaroof his covetousness
overcame him, and hesaid to his wezeer:
II this merchant did not possess abund-
ant riches this generous conduct would
not procSed from him. His merchandise
without Sail viii arrive, and he will dis
perse amSng these merchants abundant
riches Now, l am more worthy than
they, and therefore / deem that my plan
should be to show affection for MIN, and
TO contract friendship with him, and
viii marry him to my daughter and join
his wealth with mine. But the weZeer
replied: king OF the age, imagine him
10 be naught but an impostor. And the
king answered: 1 will try him. And he
sent for Maaroof, and when he had ap-
reared before him he said to him: o mer-
chant, take this and see what 1t is, and
what Is its value, ana he gave him jewel
the size of hazel nut, which the king had
purchased for thousand pieces of gold,
and he had not another, and held it dear.
And Maaroof took it and crushed it be-
tween his thumb and finger, and broke it.
The king therefore said: Why hast thou
broken the level? And Maaroof laughed
and said: king, this is not jewel, but
a piece of mineral, worth a thousand
pieces Of gold? How is it that thou art
king and calleth this a jewel, when the
Jewel would be worth seventy thousand
pieces of gold. But We are excusable, be-
cause We are poor and have not IN your
possession treasures OF value. AND the
king SAID: o merchant, hast thou among
thy merchandise jewels OF the KIND you
named? And Maaroof said: guidance.
bidding them be patient until the mer-
chandise should arrive, but as 10 him, he
said to his weZeer: weZeer, treat
the merchant Maaroof with courtesy and
take and give with him in talk and men
ton to him my daughter. Now the
wezeer had desired himself to marry the
daughter of the king, and the damsel con-
scented not, so he said to the king:
king, this is none other than an lmpostor,
and the king was wroth and said: de-
ceiver, thou desirest not good fortune 1or
me, but desirest only my daughter ana
he threatened him so that the WeZeer
went forth saying: Set the dogs upon the
oxen. Then he inclined to MaarooI ana IIi
said to him: The king loveth thee, and he
hath a daughter endowed with beauty and
loneliness whom he desireth to marry to
thee. What sayeth thou? And Maaroof
said: No harm.
But he desired the weeZeer that the
king should wait until the merchandise
should arrive that he might suitably
endow the bride and give gifts to her at
tendants and distribute aims among the
poor. The yezeer therefore went and ac-
quainted the king with this. but covetous-
ness had overcome him, and he sent for
Maaroof and gave him the keys OF the
royal treasury, bidding him take what he
required until his merchandise should ar
rive.
And the king ordered the Sheykh ell
Islam to perform the ceremony OF the mar
rage contract, so he performed the cere-
mony of the contract of marriage between
the kings daughter and the merchant
Maaroof. And great feast was made,
and Maaroof took from the kings treasury
end went around among the people ana
gave to every one who played by the hand
full, and bestowed aims and fed the hungry
and clothed the naked, SO that the
treasurer had hardly time to
bring the gold and silver. And
the heart of the wezeer was burst
ing with anger, but he burst not
speak. The festivity lasted for forty days,
and on the one and fortieth they made
procession for the bride, and Maaroof scat
tered gold over the heads of the people;
And they introduced him to the bride and
let down the curtains and closed the doors
and went forth, leaving him with the
bride. And thereupon be smote hand
upon hand and sat sorrowful, saying:
There is no strength or power but IN
God, the high and the great. 80 the
queen said to him: 0 my lord, may
Allah preserve thee Why art thou sor-
sowful? And he said My merchan-
disc hath not arrived, and | desire to give
to thy attendants jewels and ornaments In
(, IS. 81, fohf nt +