Tales from the Arabic/Story of the Rich Man Who Gave His Fair Daughter in Marriage to the Poor Old Man

by Unknown

STORY OF THE RICH MAN WHO GAVE HIS FAIR DAUGHTER IN MARRIAGE TO THE POOR OLD MAN.

A certain wealthy merchant had a fair daughter, who was as the full moon, and when she attained the age of fifteen, her father betook himself to an old man and spreading him a carpet in his sitting-chamber, gave him to eat and caroused with him. Then said he to him, ‘I desire to marry thee to my daughter.’ The other excused himself, because of his poverty, and said to him, ‘I am not worthy of her nor am I a match for thee.’ The merchant was instant with him, but he repeated his answer to him, saying, ‘I will not consent to this till thou acquaint me with the reason of thy desire for me. If I find it reasonable, I will fall in with thy wish; and if not, I will not do this ever.’

‘Know, then,’ said the merchant, ‘that I am a man from the land of China and was in my youth well-favoured and well-to-do. Now I made no account of womankind, one and all, but followed after boys, and one night I saw, in a dream, as it were a balance set up, and it was said by it, “This is the portion of such an one.” Presently, I heard my own name; so I looked and beheld a woman of the utmost loathliness; whereupon I awoke in affright and said, “I will never marry, lest haply this loathly woman fall to my lot.” Then I set out for this city with merchandise and the voyage was pleasant to me and the sojourn here, so that I took up my abode here awhile and got me friends and factors, till I had sold all my merchandise and taken its price and there was left me nothing to occupy me till the folk^[1] should depart and depart with them.

One day, I changed my clothes and putting money in my sleeve, sallied forth to explore the holes and corners of this city, and as I was going about, I saw a handsome house. Its goodliness pleased me; so I stood looking on it, and behold, a lovely woman [at the lattice]. When she saw me, she made haste and descended, whilst I abode confounded. Then I betook myself to a tailor there and questioned him of the house and to whom it belonged. Quoth he, “It belongeth to such an one the notary, may God curse him!” “Is he her father?” asked I; [and he replied, “Yes.”] So I repaired in haste to a man, with whom I had been used to deposit my goods for sale, and told him that I desired to gain access to such an one the notary. Accordingly he assembled his friends and we betook ourselves to the notary’s house.

When we came in to him, we saluted him and sat with him, and I said to him, “I come to thee as a suitor, desiring the hand of thy daughter in marriage.” Quoth he, “I have no daughter befitting this man.” And I rejoined, “God aid thee! My desire is for thee and not for her.”^[2] But he still refused and his friends said to him, “This is an honourable man and thine equal in estate, and it is not lawful to thee that thou hinder the girl of her fortune.” Quoth he to them, “Verily, my daughter whom ye seek is passing foul-favoured and in her are all blameworthy qualities.” And I said, “I accept her, though she be as thou sayest.” Then said the folk, “Extolled be the perfection of God! A truce to talk! [The thing is settled;] so say the word, how much wilt thou have [to her dowry]?” Quoth he, “I must have four thousand dinars.” And I said, “Hearkening and obedience.”

So the affair was concluded and we drew up the contract of marriage and I made the bride-feast; but on the wedding-night I beheld a thing^[3] than which never made God the Most High aught more loathly. Methought her people had contrived this by way of sport; so I laughed and looked for my mistress, whom I had seen [at the lattice], to make her appearance; but saw her not. When the affair was prolonged and I found none but her, I was like to go mad for vexation and fell to beseeching my Lord and humbling myself in supplication to Him that He would deliver me from her. When I arose in the morning, there came the chamber-woman and said to me, “Hast thou occasion for the bath?” “No,” answered I; and she said, “Art thou for breakfast?” But I replied, “No;” and on this wise I abode three days, tasting neither meat nor drink.

When the damsel^[4] saw me in this plight, she said to me, “O man, tell me thy story, for, by Allah, an I may avail to thy deliverance, I will assuredly further thee thereto.” I gave ear to her speech and put faith in her loyalty and told her the story of the damsel whom I had seen [at the lattice] and how I had fallen in love with her; whereupon quoth she, “If the girl belong to me, that which I possess is thine, and if she belong to my father, I will demand her of him and deliver her to thee.” Then she fell to calling slave-girl after slave-girl and showing them to me, till I saw the damsel whom I loved and said, “This is she.” Quoth my wife, “Let not thy heart be troubled, for this is my slave-girl. My father gave her to me and I give her to thee. So comfort thyself and be of good heart and cheerful eye.”

Then, when it was night, she brought her to me, after she had adorned her and perfumed her, and said to her, “Gainsay not this thy lord in aught that he shall seek of thee.” When she came to bed with me, I said in myself, “Verily, this damsel^[5] is more generous than I!” Then I sent away the slave-girl and drew not nigh unto her, but arose forthright and betaking myself to my wife, lay with her and did away her maidenhead. She straightway conceived by me and accomplishing the time of her pregnancy, gave birth to this dear little daughter; in whom I rejoiced, for that she was lovely to the utterest, and she hath inherited her mother’s wit and her father’s comeliness.

Indeed, many of the notables of the people have sought her of me in marriage, but I would not marry her to any, for that, one night, I saw, in a dream, the balance aforesaid set up and men and women being weighed, one against the other, therein, and meseemed I saw thee [and her] and it was said to me, “This is such a man,^[6] the allotted portion of such a woman.”^[7] Wherefore I knew that God the Most High had allotted unto her none other than thyself, and I choose rather to marry thee to her in my lifetime than that thou shouldst marry her after my death.’

When the poor man heard the merchant’s story, he became desirous of marrying his daughter. So he took her to wife and was vouchsafed of her exceeding love.

Return to King Shah Bekht and His Vizier Er Rehwan.

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1. i.e. the caravan with which he came.
2. i.e. I seek to marry thy daughter, not for her own sake, but because I desire thine alliance.
3. i.e. the face of his bride.
4. i.e. his wife.
5. i.e. his wife.
6. Naming the poor man.
7. Naming his daughter.