AND THIS IS THE STORY OF NOORNA BIN NOORKA, THE GENIE KARAZ, AND THEPRINCESS OF OOLB
Know, that when I was a babe, I lay on my mother's bosom in thewilderness, and it was the bosom of death. Surely, I slept and smiled,and dreamed the infant's dream, and knew not the coldness of the thing Itouched. So were we even as two dead creatures lying there; but life wasin me, and I awoke with hunger at the time of feeding, and turned to mymother, and put up my little mouth to her for nourishment, and suckedher, but nothing came. I cried, and commenced chiding her, and after awhile it was as decreed, that certain horsemen of a troop passing throughthe wilderness beheld me, and seeing my distress and the helpless being Iwas, their hearts were stirred, and they were mindful of what the poetsays concerning succour given to the poor, helpless, and innocent of thisworld, and took me up, and mixed for me camel's milk and water from thebags, and comforted me, and bore me with them, after they had paidfuneral rites to the body of my mother.
Now, the rose-bud showeth if the rose-tree be of the wilds or of thegarden, and the chief of that troop seeing me born to the uses ofgentleness, carried me in his arms with him to his wife, and persuadedher that was childless to make me the child of their adoption. So I abodewith them during the period of infancy and childhood, caressed and caredfor, as is said:
The flower a stranger's hand may gather, Strikes root into the stranger's breast; Affection is our mother, father, Friend, and of cherishers the best.
And I loved them as their own child, witting not but that I was theirchild, till on a day while I played among some children of my years, thedaughter of the King of Oolb passed by us on a mule, with her slaves anddrawn swords, and called to me, 'Thou little castaway!' and had mebrought to her, and peered upon my face in a manner that frightened me,for I was young. Then she put me down from the neck of her mule where shehad seated me, saying, 'Child of a dead mother and a runaway father, whatneed I fear from thy like, and the dreams of a love-sick Genie?' So shedeparted, but I forgot not her words, and dwelt upon them, and grewfevered with them, and drooped. Now, when he saw my bloom of health gone,heaviness on my feet, the light hollowed from my eyes, my benefactor,Ravaloke--he that I had thought my father--took me between his knees, andasked me what it was and the cause of my ailing; and I told him.
Then said he, 'This is so: thou art not my child; but I love thee asmine, O my little Desert-flower; and why the Princess should fancy fearof thee I like not to think; but fear thou her, for she is a mask ofwiles and a vine trailing over pitfalls; such a sorceress the worldknoweth not as Goorelka of Oolb.'
Now, I was penetrated by what he said, and ceased to be a companion tothem that loved childish games and romps, and meditated by myself ingardens and closets, feigning sleep when the elder ones discoursed, thatI might learn something of this mystery, and all that was spokenperplexed me more, as the sage declareth:
Who in a labyrinth wandereth without clue, More that he wandereth doth himself undo.
Though I was quick as the quick-eyed falcon, I discovered nought, flyingever at false game,--
A follower of misleading beams, A cheated soul, the mock of dreams.
At times I thought that it was the King of Oolb was my father, andplotted to come in his path; and there were kings and princes of farcountries whom I sought to encounter, that they might claim me; but noneclaimed me. O my betrothed, few gave me love beside Ravaloke, and whenthe wife that he cherished died, he solely, for I was lost in waywardnessand the slave of moody imaginings. 'Tis said:
If thou the love of the world for thyself wouldst gain, mould thy breast Liker the world to become, for its like the world loveth best;
and this was not I then.
Now, the sons and daughters of men are used to celebrate the days oftheir birth with gifts and rejoicings, but I could only celebrate thatday which delivered me from death into the hands of Ravaloke, as noneknew my birth-hour. When it was the twelfth return of this event,Ravaloke, my heart's father, called me to him and pressed in my hand aglittering coin, telling me to buy with it in the bazaars what I would.So I went forth, attended by a black slave, after the mid-noon, for I waseager to expend my store, and cared not for the great heat. Scarcely hadwe passed the cheese-market and were hurrying on to shops of thegoldsmiths and jewellers, when I saw an old man, a beggar, in a dirtyyellow turban and pieced particoloured cloth-stuff, and linen in rags hisother gear. So lean was he, and looked so weak that I wondered he didother than lay his length on the ground; and as he asked me for alms hisvoice had a piteousness that made me to weep, and I punished my slave forseeking to drive him away, and gave my one piece of gold into his hand.Then he asked me what I required of him in exchange, and I said, 'Whatcan a poor old man that is a beggar give?' He laughed, and asked me thenwhat I had intended to buy with that piece of money. So, beginning toregret the power that was gone from me of commanding with my gold piecethis and that fine thing, I mused, and said, 'Truly, a blue dressembroidered with gold, and a gold crown, and gold bracelets set withturquoise stones,--these, and toys; but could I buy in this city a bookof magic, that were my purchase.'
The old fellow smiled, and said to my black slave, 'And thou, hadst thouthis coin, what were thy purchase therewith?'
He, scoffing the old beggar, answered, 'A plaister for sores as broad asmy back, and a camel's hump, O thou old villain!'
The old man grunted in his chest, and said, 'Thou art but a camelthyself, to hinder a true Mussulman from passing in peace down a streetof Oolb; so 'twere a good purchase and a fitting: know'st thou what issaid of the blessing given by them that receive a charity?
"'Tis the fertilizing dew that streameth after the sun, Strong as the breath of Allah to bless life well begun."
So is my blessing on the little damsel, and she shall have her wish,wullahy, thou black face! and thou thine.'
This spake the old man, and hobbled off while my slave was jeering him.So I strolled through the bazaars and thought no more of the old man'swords, and longed to purchase a hundred fineries, and came to theconfectioner's, and smelt the smell of his musk-scented sweetmeats andlemon sweets and sugared pistachios that are delicious to crunch betweenthe teeth. My mouth watered, and I said to my slave, 'O Kadrab, a coin,though 'twere small, would give us privilege in yonder shop to select,and feast, and approve the skill of the confectioner.'
He grinned, and displayed in his black fist a petty coin of exchange, butwould not let me have it till I had sworn to give no more away tobeggars. So even as we were hurrying into the shop, another old beggarwretcheder than the first fronted me, and I was moved, and forgot mypromise to Kadrab, and gave him the money. Then was Kadrab wroth, andkicked the old beggar with his fore-foot, lifting him high in air, andlo! he did not alight, but rose over the roofs of the houses and beyondthe city, till he was but a speck in the blue of the sky above. So Kadrabbit his forefinger amazed, and glanced at his foot, and at what wasvisible of the old beggarman, and again at his foot, thinking but of whathe had done with it, and the might manifested in that kick, fool that hewas! All the way homeward he kept scanning the sky and lifting his footaloft, and I saw him bewildered with a strange conceit, as the poet hasexclaimed in his scorn:
Oh, world diseased! oh, race empirical! Where fools are the fathers of every miracle!
Now, when I was in my chamber, what saw I there but a dress of verycostly blue raiment with gold-work broidery and a lovely circlet of gold,and gold bracelets set with stones of turquoise, and a basket of goldwoven wire, wherein were toys, wondrous ones--soldiers that cut off eachother's heads and put them on again, springing antelopes, palm-trees thatturned to fountains, and others; and lo! a book in red binding, withfigures on it and clasps of gold, a great book! So I clapped my handsjoyfully, crying, 'The old beggar has done it!' and robed myself in thedress, and ran forth to tell Ravaloke. As I ran by a window looking onthe inner court, I saw below a crowd of all the slaves of Ravaloke roundone that was seeking to escape from the
m, and 'twas Kadrab with a camel'shump on his back, and a broad brown plaister over it, the wretch howling,peering across his shoulder, and trying to bolt from his burden, as ahorse that would run from his rider. Then I saw that Kadrab also had hiswish, his camel's hump, and thought, 'The old beggar, what was he but aGenie?' Surely Ravaloke caressed me when he heard of the adventure, andwhat had befallen Kadrab was the jest of the city; but for me I sparedlittle time away from that book, and studied in it incessantly the waysand windings of magic, till I could hold communication with Genii, andwield charms to summon them, and utter spells that subdue them,discovering the haunts of talismans that enthral Afrites and are powerfulamong men. There was that Kadrab coming to me daily to call out in theair for the old beggarman to rid him of his hump; and he would wastehours looking up into the sky moodily for him, and cursing the five toesof his foot, for he doubted not the two beggars were one, and that he waspunished for the kick, and lamented it direly, saying in the thick of hiswhimperings, 'I'd give the foot that did it to be released from my hump,O my fair mistress.' So I pitied him, and made a powder and a spell, andmy first experiment in magic was to relieve Kadrab of his hump, and Isucceeded in loosening it, and it came away from him, and sank into theground of the garden where we stood. So I told Kadrab to say nothing ofthis, but the idle-pated fellow blabbed it over the city, and it came tothe ears of Goorelka. Then she sent for me to visit her, and by theadvice of Ravaloke I went, and she fondled me, and sought to get at thedepth of my knowledge by a spell that tieth every faculty save thetongue, and it is the spell of vain longing. Now, because I baffled herarts she knew me more cunning than I seemed, and as night advanced sheaffected to be possessed with pleasure in me, and took me in her arms andsought to fascinate me, and I heard her mutter once, 'Shall I doubt thewarning of Karaz?' So presently she said, 'Come with me'; and I went withher under the curtain of that apartment into another, a long saloon,wherein were couches round a fountain, and beyond it an aviary lit withlamps: when we were there she whistled, and immediately there was aconcert of birds, a wondrous accord of exquisite piping, and she leanedon a couch and took me by her to listen; sweet and passionate was theharmony of the birds; but I let not my faculties lull, and observed thatround the throat of every bird was a ringed mark of gold and stamps ofdivers gems similar in colour to a ring on the forefinger of her righthand, which she dazzled my sight with as she flashed it. When we hadlistened a long hour to this music, the Princess gazed on me as if tomark the effect of a charm, and I saw disappointment on her lovely face,and she bit her lip and looked spiteful, saying, 'Thou art far gone inthe use of magic, and wary, O girl!' Then she laughed unnaturally, andcalled slaves to bring in sweet drinks to us, and I drank with her, andbecame less wary, and she fondled me more, calling me tender names,heaping endearments on me; and as the hour of the middle-night approachedI was losing all suspicion in deep languor, and sighed at the song of thebirds, the long love-song, and dozed awake with eyes half shut. I felther steal from me, and continued still motionless without alarm: so was Imastered. What hour it was or what time had passed I cannot say, when abird that was chained on a perch before me--a very quaint bird, with atopknot awry, and black, heavy bill, and ragged gorgeousness ofplumage--the only object between my lids and darkness, suddenly, in themidst of the singing, let loose a hoarse laugh that was followed by pealsof laughter from the other birds. Thereat I started up, and beheld thePrincess standing over a brazier, and she seized a slipper from her footand flung it at the bird that had first laughed, and struck him off hisperch, and went to him and seized him and shook him, crying, 'Dare tolaugh again!' and he kept clearing his throat and trying to catch thetune he had lost, pitching a high note and a low note; but the marvel ofthis laughter of the bird wakened me thoroughly, and I thanked the birdin my soul, and said to Goorelka, 'More wondrous than their singing, thislaughter, O Princess!'
She would not speak till she had beaten every bird in the aviary, andthen said in the words of the poet:
Shall they that deal in magic match degrees of wonder? From the bosom of one cloud comes the lightning and the thunder.
Then said she, 'O Noorna! I'll tell thee truly my intent, which was toenchant thee; but I find thee wise, so let us join our powers, and thoushah become mighty as a sorceress.'
Now, Ravaloke had said to me, 'Her friendship is fire, her enmity frost;so be cold to the former, to the latter hot,' and I dissembled andreplied, 'Teach me, O Princess!'
So she asked me what I could do. Could I plant a mountain in the sea andpeople it? could I anchor a purple cloud under the sun and live there ayear with them I delighted in? could I fix the eyes of the world upon onehead and make the nations bow to it; change men to birds, fishes to men;and so on--a hundred sorceries that I had never attempted and dreamed notof my betrothed! I had never offended Allah by a misuse of my powers.When I told her, she cried, 'Thou art then of a surety she that's fittedfor the custody of the Lily of the Light, so come with me.'
Now, I had heard of the Lily, even this thou holdest may its influence beunwithering!--and desired to see it. So she led me from the palace to theshore of the sea, and flung a cockleshell on the waters, and seatedherself in it with me in her lap; and we scudded over the waters, andentered this Enchanted Sea, and stood by the Lily. Then, I that lovedflowers undertook the custody of this one, knowing not the consequencesand the depth of her wiles. 'Tis truly said:
The overwise themselves hoodwink, For simple eyesight is a modest thing: They on the black abysm's brink Smile, and but when they fall bitterly think, What difference 'twixt the fool and me, Creation's King?
Nevertheless for awhile nothing evil resulted, and I had great joy in theflower, and tended it with exceeding watchfulness, and loved it, so thatI was brought in my heart to thank the Princess and think well of her.
Now, one summer eve as Ravaloke rested under the shade of his gardenpalm, and I studied beside him great volumes of magic, it happened thatafter I had read certain pages I closed one of the books marked on thecover 'Alif,' and shut the clasp louder than I intended, so that he whowas dozing started up, and his head was in the sloped sun in an instant,and I observed the shadow of his head lengthen out along the grass-plottowards the mossed wall, and it shot up the wall, darkening it--thendrawing back and lessening, then darting forth like a beast of darknessirritable for prey. I was troubled, for whatso is seen while the volumeAlif is in use hath a portent; but the discovery of what this might bebaffled me. So I determined to watch events, and it was not many days ereRavaloke, who was the leader of the armies of the King of Oolb, wascalled forth to subdue certain revolted tributaries of the King, and atmy entreaty took me with him, and I saw battles and encounters lasting aday's length. Once we were encamped in a fruitful country by a brookrunning with a bright eye between green banks, and I that had freedom andthe password of the camp wandered down to it, and refreshed my foreheadwith its coolness. So, as I looked under the falling drops, lo! on theopposite bank the old beggar that had given me such fair return for myalms and Kadrab his hump! I heard him call, 'This night is the key to themystery,' and he was gone. Every incantation I uttered was insufficientto bring him back. Surely, I hurried to the tents and took no sleep,watching zealously by the tent of Ravaloke, crouched in its shadow. Aboutthe time of the setting of the moon I heard footsteps approach the tentwithin the circle of the guard, and it was a youth that held in his handnaked steel. When he was by the threshold of the tent, I rose before himand beheld the favourite of Ravaloke, even the youth he had destined toespouse me; so I reproached him, and he wept, denying not the intentionhe had to assassinate Ravaloke, and when his soul was softened heconfessed to me, ''Twas that I might win the Princess Goorelka, and sheurged me to it, promising the King would promote me to the vacant post ofRavaloke.'
Then I said to him, 'Lov'st thou Goorelka?'
And he answered, 'Yea, though I know my doom in loving her; and that itwill be the doom of them now piping to her pleasure and denied theprivilege
of laughter.'
So I thought, 'Oh, cruel sorceress! the birds are men!' And as I mused,my breast melted with pity at their desire to laugh, and the littlerestraint they had upon themselves notwithstanding her harshness; forcould they think of their changed condition and folly without laughter?and the folly that sent them fresh mates in misery was indeed matter forlaughter, fed to fulness by constant meditation on the perch. Meantime, Iuncharmed the youth and bade him retire quickly; but as he was going, hesaid, 'Beware of the Genie Karaz!' Then I held him back, and after aparley he told me what he had heard the Princess say, and it was thatKaraz had seen me and sworn to possess me for my beauty. 'Strangelysmiled Goorelka when she spake that,' said he.
Now, the City of Oolb fronts the sea, and behind it is a mountain and awood, where the King met Ravaloke on his return victorious over therebels. So, to escape the eye of the King I parted with Ravaloke, andsought to enter the city by a circuitous way; but the paths wound aboutand zigzagged, and my slaves suffered nightfall to surprise us in theentanglements of the wood. I sent them in different directions to strikeinto the main path, retaining Kadrab at the bridle of my mule; but thatcreature now began to address me in a familiar tone, and he saidsomething of love for me that enraged me, so that I hit him a blow. Thencame from him sounds like the neighing of mares, and lo! he seized me androse with me in the air, and I thought the very heavens were opening tothat black beast, when on a sudden he paused, and shot down with me fromheights of the stars to the mouth of a cavern by the Putrid Sea, anddragged me into a cavern greatly illuminated, hung like a palace chamber,and supported on pillars of shining jasper. Then I fell upon the floor ina swoon, and awaking saw Kadrab no longer, but in his place a Genie. O mysoul, thou halt seen him!--I thought at once, ''tis Karaz!' and when hesaid to me, 'This is thy abode, O lady! and I he that have sworn topossess thee from the hour I saw thee in the chamber of Goorelka,' thenwas I certain 'twas Karaz. So, collecting the strength of my soul, Isaid, in the words of the poet:
'Woo not a heart preoccupied! What thorn is like a loathing bride? Mark ye the shrubs how they turn from the sea, The sea's rough whispers shun? But like the sun of heaven be, And every flower will open wide. Woo with the shining patience we Beheld in heaven's sun.'
Then he sang:
Exquisite lady! name the smart That fills thy heart. Thou art the foot and I the worm: Prescribe the Term.
Finding him compliant, I said, 'O great Genie, truly the search of mylife has been to discover him that is, my father, and how I was left inthe wilderness. There 's no peace for me, nor understanding the word oflove, till I hear by whom I was left a babe on the bosom of a deadmother.'
He exclaimed, and his eyes twinkled, ''Tis that? that shalt thou know ina span of time. O my mistress, hast thou seen the birds of Goorelka? Thyfather Feshnavat is among them, perched like a bird.'
So I cried, 'And tell me how he may be disenchanted.'
He said, 'Swear first to be mine unreluctantly.'
Then I said, 'What is thy oath?'
He answered, 'I swear, when I swear, by the Identical.'
Thereupon I questioned him concerning the Identical, what it was; and he,not suspecting, revealed to me the mighty hair in his head now in thehead of Shagpat, even that. So I swore by that to give myself to thepossessor of the Identical, and flattered him. Then said he, 'O lovelydamsel, I am truly one of the most powerful of the Genii; yet am I inbondage to that sorceress Goorelka by reason of a ring she holdeth; andcould I get that ring from her and be slave to nothing mortal an hour, Icould light creation as a torch, and broil the inhabitants of earth atone fire.'
I thought, 'That ring is known to me!' And he continued, 'Surely I cannotassist thee in this work other than by revealing the means ofdisenchantment, and it is to keep the birds laughing uninterruptedly anhour; then are they men again, and take the forms of men that arelaughers--I know not why.'
So I cried, ''Tis well! carry me back to Oolb.'
Then the Genie lifted me into the air, and ceased not speeding rapidlythrough it, till I was on the roof of the house of Ravaloke. O sweetyouth! moon of my soul! from that time to the disenchantment ofFeshnavat, I pored over my books, trying experiments in magic, dreadfulones, hunting for talismans to countervail Goorelka; but her power wasgreat, and 'twas not in me to get her away from the birds one hour tofree them. On a certain occasion I had stolen to them, and kept themlaughing with stories of man to within an instant of the hour; and theywere laughing exultingly with the easy happy laugh of them that perceivedeliverance sure, when she burst in and beat them even to the door ofdeath. I saw too in her eyes, that glowed like the eyes of wild cats inthe dark, she suspected me, and I called Allah to aid the just causeagainst the sinful, and prepared to war with her.
Now, my desire, which was to liberate my father and his fellows intribulation, I knew pure, and had no fear of the sequel, as is declared:
Fear nought so much as Fear itself; for arm'd with Fear the Foe Finds passage to the vital part, and strikes a double blow.
So one day as I leaned from my casement looking on the garden seaward, Isaw a strange red and yellow-feathered bird that flew to the branch of acitron-tree opposite, with a ring in its beak; and the bird was singing,and with every note the ring dropped from its bill, and it descendedswiftly in an arrowy slant downward, and seized it ere it reached theground, and commenced singing afresh. When I had marked this to happenmany times, I thought, 'How like is this bird to an innocent soulpossessed of magic and using its powers! Lo, it seeketh still to sing asone of the careless, and cannot relinquish the ring and be as thecareless, and between the two there is neither peace for it norpleasure.' Now, while my eyes were on the pretty bird, dwelling on it, Isaw it struck suddenly by an arrow beneath the left wing, and the birdfluttered to my bosom and dropped in it the ring from its beak. Then itsprang weakly, and sought to fly and soar, and fluttered; but a blue filmlodged over its eyes, and its panting was quickly ended. So I looked atthe ring and knew it for that one I had noted on the finger of Goorelka.Red blushed my bliss, and 'twas revealed to me that the bird was of thebirds of the Princess that had escaped from her with the ring. I buriedthe bird, weeping for it, and flew to my books, and as I read a glowstole over me. O my betrothed, eyes of my soul! I read that the possessorof that ring was mistress of the marvellous hair which is a magnet to thehomage of men, so that they crowd and crush and hunger to adore it, eventhe Identical! This was the power that peopled the aviary of Goorelka,and had well-nigh conquered all the resistance of my craft.
Now, while I read there arose a hubbub and noise in the outer court, andshrieks of slaves. The noise approached with rapid strides, and before Icould close my books Goorelka burst in upon me, crying, 'Noorna! Noorna!'Wild and haggard was her head, and she rushed to my books and saw themopen at the sign of the ring: then began our combat. She menaced me asnever mortal was menaced. Rapid lightning-flashes were hertransformations, and she was a serpent, a scorpion, a lizard, a lionessin succession, but I leapt perpetually into fresh rings of fire and ofwitched water; and at the fiftieth transformation, she fell on the floorexhausted, a shuddering heap. Seeing that, I ran from her to the aviaryin her palace, and hurried over a story of men to the birds, that rockedthem on their perches with chestquakes of irresistible laughter. Thenflew I back to the Princess, and she still puffing on the floor,commenced wheedling and begging the ring of me, stinting no promises. Atlast she cried, 'Girl! what is this ring to thee without beauty? Thybeauty is in my keeping.'
And I exclaimed, 'How? how?' smitten to the soul.
She answered, 'Yea; and I can wear it as my own, adding it to my own,when thou'rt a hag!'
My betrothed! I was on the verge of giving her the ring for this secret,when a violent remote laughter filled the inner hollow of my ears, and itincreased, till the Princess heard it; and now the light of my casementwas darkened with birds, the birds of Goorelka, laughing as on a wind oflaughter. So I open
ed to them, and they darted in, laughing all of them,till I could hold out no longer, and the infection of laughter seized me,and I rolled with it; and the Princess, she too laughed a hyaena-laughunder a cat's grin, and we all of us remained in this wise some minutes,laughing the breath out of our bodies, as if death would take us. Whosoin the City of Oolb heard us, the slaves, the people, and the King,laughed, knowing not the cause. This day is still remembered in Oolb asthe day of laughter. Now, at a stroke of the hour the laughter ceased,and I saw in the chamber a crowd of youths and elders of various ranks;but their visages were become long and solemn as that of them that haveseen a dark experience. 'Tis certain they laughed little in their livesfrom that time, and the muscles of their cheeks had rest. So I caughtdown my veil, and cried to the Princess, 'My father is among these; pointhim out to me.'
Ere she replied one stepped forth, even Feshnavat, my father, and calledme by name, and knew me by a spot on the left arm, and made himself knownto me, and told me the story of my dead mother, how she had missed herway from the caravan in the desert, and he searching her was set upon byrobbers, and borne on their expeditions. Nothing said he of the sorceriesof Goorelka, and I, not wishing to provoke the Princess, suffered hisdread to exist. So I kissed him, and bowed my head to him, and she fledfrom the sight of innocent happiness. Then took I the ring, and summonedKaraz, and ordered him to reinstate all those princes and chiefs andofficers in their possessions and powers, on what part of earth soeverthat might be. Never till I stood as the Lily and thy voice sweetened thename of love in my ears, heard I aught of delicate delightfulness, likethe sound of their gratitude. Many wooed me to let them stay by me andguard me, and do service all their lives to me; but this I would notallow, and though they were fair as moons, some of them, I responded notto their soft glances, speaking calmly the word of farewell, for I wasburdened with other thoughts.
Now, when the Genie had done my bidding, he returned to me joyfully. Mysoul sickened to think myself his by a promise; but I revolved the wordsof my promise, and saw in them a loophole of escape. So, when he claimedme, I said, 'Ay! ay! lay thy head in my lap,' as if my mind treasured it.Then he lay there, and revealed to me his plans for the destruction ofmen. 'Or,' said he, 'they shall be our slaves and burden-beasts, forthere 's now no restraint on me, now thou art mistress of the ring, andmine.' Thereupon his imagination swelled, and he saw his evil willenthroned, and the hopes of men beneath his heel, crying, 'And the more Icrush them the thicker they crowd, for the Identical compelleth theirvery souls to adore in spite of distaste.'
Then said I, 'Tell me, O Genie! is the Identical subservient to me inanother head save thine?'
He answered, 'Nay I in another head 'tis a counteraction to the power ofthe Ring, the Ring powerless over it.'
And I said, 'Must it live in a head, the Identical?'
Cried he, 'Woe to what else holdeth it!'
I whispered in his hairy pointed red ear, 'Sleep! sleep!' and lulled himwith a song, and he slept, being weary with my commissioning. Then I badeFeshnavat, my father, fetch me one of my books of magic, and read in itof the discovery of the Identical by means of the Ring; and I took theRing and hung it on a hair of my own head over the head of the Genie, andsaw one of the thin lengths begin to twist and dart and writhe, and shiftlustres as a creature in anguish. So I put the Ring on my forefinger, andturned the hair round and round it, and tugged. Lo, with a noise thatstunned me, the hair came out! O my betrothed, what shrieks and roarswere those: with which the Genie awoke, finding himself bare of theIdentical! Oolb heard them, and the sea foamed like the mouth of madness,as the Genie sped thunder-like over it, following me in mid-air. Such aflight was that! Now, I found it not possible to hold the Identical, forit twisted and stung, and was nigh slipping from me while I flew. I sawwhite on a corner of the Desert, a city, and I descended on it by theshop of a clothier that sat quietly by his goods and stuffs, thinking offate less than of kabobs and stews and rare seasonings. That city hathnow his name. Wullahy, had I not then sown in his head that hair which heweareth yet, how had I escaped Karaz, and met thee? Wondrous are thedecrees of Providence! Praise be to Allah for them! So the Genie, when hefound himself baffled by me, and Shagpat with the mighty hair in hishead, the Identical, he yelled, and fetched Shagpat a slap that sent himinto the middle of the street; but Kadza screamed after him, and therewas immediately such lamentation in the city about Shagpat, and suchtearing of hair about him, that I perceived at once the virtue that wasin the Identical. As for Karaz, finding his claim as possessor of theIdentical no more valid, he vanished, and has been my rebellious slavesince, till thou, O my betrothed, mad'st me spend him in curing thy follyon the horse Garraveen, and he escaped from my circles beyond thedominion of the Ring; yet had he his revenge, for I that was keeper ofthe Lily, had, I now learned ruefully, a bond of beauty with it, andwhatever was a stain to one withered the other. Then that sorceressGoorelka stole my beauty from me by sprinkling a blight on the petals ofthe fair flower, and I became as thou first saw'st me. But what am I as Inow am? Blissful! blissful! Surely I grew humble with the loss of beauty,and by humility wise, so that I assisted Feshnavat to become Vizier bythe Ring, and watched for thy coming to shave Shagpat, as a starwatcheth; for 'tis written, 'A barber alone shall be shearer of theIdentical'; and he only, my betrothed, hath power to plant it in Aklis,where it groweth as a pillar, bringing due reverence to Aklis.