THE WELL OF PARAVID
Now, there was haste in the movements of Noorna bin Noorka, and shearrayed herself and clutched Shibli Bagarag by the arm, and the twaindeparted from Feshnavat the Vizier, and came to the outside of the city,and lo! there was the Genie by a well under a palm, and he standing inthe shape of an Ass, saddled. So they mounted him, and in a moment theywere in the midst of the desert, and naught round them save the hotglimmer of the sands and the grey of the sky. Surely, the Ass went atsuch a pace as never Ass went before in this world, resting not by therivulets, nor under the palms, nor beside the date-boughs; it was as ifthe Ass scurried without motion of his legs, so swiftly went he. At lastthe desert gave signs of a border on the low line of the distance, andthis grew rapidly higher as they advanced, revealing a country of hillsand rocks, and at the base of these the Ass rested.
So Noorna, said, 'This desert that we have passed, O my betrothed, manyare they that perish in it, and reach not the well; but give thanks toAllah that it is passed.'
Then said she, 'Dismount, and be wary of moving to the front or to therear of this Ass, and measure thy distance from the lash of his tail.'
So Shibli Bagarag dismounted, and followed her up the hills and therocks, through ravines and gorges of the rocks, and by tumbling torrents,among hanging woods, over perilous precipices, where no sun hath pierced,and the bones of travellers whiten in loneliness; and they continuedmounting upward by winding paths, now closed in by coverts, now upon openheights having great views, and presently a mountain was disclosed tothem, green at the sides high up it; and Noorna bin Noorka said to ShibliBagarag, 'Mount here, for the cunning of this Ass can furnish him noexcuse further for making thee food for the birds of prey.'
So Shibli Bagarag mounted, and they ceased not to ascend the green slopestill the grass became scanty and darkness fell, and they were in a regionof snow and cold. Then Noorna bin Noorka tethered the Ass to a stump of atree and breathed in his ear, and the Ass became as a creature carved instone; and she drew from her bosom two bags of silk, and blew in one andentered it, bidding Shibli Bagarag do likewise with the other bag; and heobeyed her, drawing it up to his neck, and the delightfulness of warmthcame over him. Then said she, 'To-morrow, at noon, we shall reach nearthe summit of the mountain and the Well of Paravid, if my power last overthis Ass; and from that time thou wilt be on the high road to greatness,so fail not to remember what I have done for thee, and be not guilty ofingratitude when thy hand is the stronger.'
He promised her, and they lay and slept. When he awoke the sun washalf-risen, and he looked at Noorna bin Noorka in the silken bag, and shewas yet in the peacefulness of pleasant dreams; but for the Ass, surelyhis eyes rolled, and his head and fore legs were endued with life, whilehis latter half seemed of stone. And the youth called to Noorna binNoorka, and pointed to her the strangeness of the condition of the Ass.As she cast eyes on him she cried out, and rushed to him, and took him bythe ears and blew up his nostrils, and the animal was quiet. Then she andShibli Bagarag mounted him again, and she said to him, 'It is well thouwert more vigilant than I, and that the sun rose not on this Ass while Islept, or my enchantment would have thawed on him, and he would have'scaped us.'
She gave her heel to the Ass, and the Ass hung his tail in sullenness anddrooped his head; and she laughed, crying, 'Karaz, silly fellow! do thywork willingly, and take wisely thine outwitting.'
She jeered him as they journeyed, and made the soul of Shibli Bagaragmerry, so that he jerked in his seat upon the Ass. Now, as they ascendedthe mountain they came to the opening of a cavern, and Noorna bin Noorkahalted the Ass, and said to Shibli Bagarag, 'We part here, and I wait forthee in this place. Take this phial, and fill it with the waters of thewell, after thy bath. The way is before thee--speed on it.'
He climbed the sides of the mountain, and was soon hidden in the cleftsand beyond the perches of the vulture. She kept her eyes on the rockypoint when he disappeared, awaiting his return; and the sun went over herhead and sank on the yon-side of the mountain, and it was by the beams ofthe moon that she beheld Shibli Bagarag dropping from the crags andledges of rock, sliding and steadying himself downward till he reachedher with the phial in his hand, filled; and he was radiant, as it weredivine with freshness, so that Noorna, before she spoke welcome to him,was lost in contemplating the warm shine of his visage, calling to mindthe poet's words:
The wealth of light in sun and moon, All nature's wealth, Hath mortal beauty for a boon When match'd with health.
Then said she, 'O Shibli Bagarag, 'tis achieved, this first of thy tasks;for mutely on the fresh red of thy mouth, my betrothed, speaketh thehoney of persuasiveness, and the children of Aklis will not resist thee.'So she took the phial from him and led forth the Ass, and the twainmounted the Ass and descended the slopes of the mountain in moonlight;and Shibli Bagarag said, 'Lo! I have marked wonders, and lived a lifesince our parting; and this well, 'tis a miracle to dip in it, and by itsit many maidens weeping and old men babbling, and youths that were idleyouths striking bubbles from the surface of the water. The well isrounded with marble, and the sky is clear in it, cool in it, the wholeearth imaged therein.'
Then Noorna said, 'Hadst thou a difficulty in obtaining the waters of thewell?'
He answered, 'Surely all was made smooth for me by thy aid. Now when Icame to the well I marked not them by it, but plunged, and the depth ofthat well seemed to me the very depth of the earth itself, so went I everdownward; and when I was near the bottom of the well I had forgotten lifeabove, and lo! no sooner had I touched the bottom of the well when myhead emerged from the surface: 'twas wondrous! But for a sign thattouched the bottom of the well, see, O Noorna bin Noorka, the Jewel, theone of myriads that glitter at the bottom, and I plucked it for a gift tothee.'
So Noorna took the Jewel from his hand that was torn and crimson, and shecried, 'Thou fair youth, thou bleedest with the plucking of it, and itwas written, no hand shall pluck a jewel at the bottom of that wellwithout letting of blood. Even so it is! Worthy art thou, and I was notmistaken in thee.'
At her words Shibli Bagarag burst forth into praises of her, and he sang:
'What is my worthiness Match'd with thy worth? Darkness and earthiness, Dust and dearth!
O Noorna, thou art wise above women: great and glorious over them.'
In this fashion the youth lauded her that was his betrothed, but sheexclaimed, 'Hush! or the jealousy of this Ass will be aroused, and of asurety he'll spill us.'
Then he laughed and she laughed till the tail of Karaz trembled.