The Tale of the Wazir of King Yunan and Rayya-n the Doctor
famous doctor, whose name was Rayy&n, came to King Y*n&n’s city. He had read books written in Greek, Persian, Latin, Arabic, and Syriac; he had studied the craft of medicine and of the stars and knew the principles and rules of each, their good and ill effects. Also he knew the virtues of all plants
and of all herbs both fresh and dry, their good and ill effects. Moreover he had studied philosophy and all the sciences of healing and other sciences. When this doctor had come into the city and stayed there some days he heard of the leprosy with which All&h had seen good 25 THE TALE OF THE WAZ/R OF KING Y1N-N to plague the body of the King and of the utter unsuccess which all the doctors and sages had met with in their treatment. Hearing these things the doctor pondered for a night, but when he woke at morning (when light shone high and All&h’s bountiful jewel, the bright sun, kissed all the earth) he clothed himself in his richest garments and entered the King’s palace. Kissing the earth
between King Y*n&n’s hands, he called down upon him power and pride everlasting and the richest blessings of All&h. After this he told him who he was and said: ‘My lord, I have been told of the evil which has eaten into your body and that no physician may find a way to remove it. So I have come to cure you, nor will I give you any drug to drink in my cure nor salve to rub upon you.’ ‘How will you do that?’ asked King Y*n&n in astonishment. For, as All&h lives, if you cure me I will enrich you, and the sons of your sons after you. I will grant you wishes and realise them for you, and you shall be my cupman and my friend.’ Then the King gave him a fair robe and other gifts and asked again: ‘Is it really true that you will cure this ill of mine without drugs or salves?’ ‘Indeed it is true,’ the other answered. ‘Also the cure shall be without weariness or pain.’ Then the King, being even more astonished, asked eagerly: ‘Great doctor, what day, what hour shall see this thing come to pass? Make haste with it, my
child.’ ‘I hear and I obey!’ said the other. ‘It shall be to-morrow.’ Rayy&n went down out of the palace and hiring a house filled it with his books, his cures, and aromatic plants. Then he made extracts of his drugs and simples, and, carving a short, curved, hollow mallet, placed them inside and then fitted a handle. Also he made a ball as skilfully as he was able. The next day, when his labours were completed, he went up into the palace and kissed the earth between the King’s hands. Then he prescribed to the King that he should ride on his horse to the maidan, the polo-ground, and exercise there with the mallet and the ball. The King went there accompanied by his am(rs, chamberlains, Waz(rs, and the chiefs of his kingdom, and was met at the maidan by Rayy&n, the doctor, who gave him the mallet, saying:
‘Take this mallet and grip it in this way; then strike the ball as hard as you can. Go on doing this until both your palm and all your body sweat. In this way my cure will go in through your palm and travel throughout all your body. When you have sweated and the cure has had time to work, return to your palace and go at once to bathe at the hamm&m. So shall you be cured. And in the meantime, peace be with you!’ THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT 26 Then King Y*n&n took the mallet,
gripped it closely and, when his chosen cavaliers had mounted their horses and set the ball in motion, began to gallop after it, come up with it, hit it forward as hard as he could and gallop after it again. He did this until both his palm and all his body sweated, and the cure went in by his palm and travelled about his body. When the wise Rayy&n saw that the cure had impregnated the whole body of the King, he ordered him back to the palace. King Y*n&n therefore returned and ordered the hamm&m to be prepared. When the carpet-spreaders had made haste and the slaves hurried to prepare the linens and towels, the King bathed and, dressing himself at the hamm&m, rode back to the palace and went to sleep. In the meanwhile, Rayy&n the physician slept in his house. As soon as he woke in the morning, he went up to the palace and, having gained admission, kissed the earth between the King’s hands and
began very solemnly to intone these lines: O chosen father of the sweet speech of kings, Bright burning face that cools the red of the fire, Face of young light, that shall behold undimmed Time putting wrinkles in the face of time, As a cool cloud covers a parched hill So you have covered me over with love-presents, Who are yourself the peak of glory’s hill, Destiny’s darling. She can refuse you nothing.
Hearing him say these verses, the King rose and threw himself upon the doctor’s neck, made him sit by his side, and gave him robes of honour, magnificently worked. For you must know that, when the King came out of the hamm&m on the previous day, he looked upon his body and found no trace of the
leprosy there, but rather that his skin had become pure and stainless as virgin silver. Therefore he had rejoiced as if his heart would break, walking with broadened breast and head held high. So it was that, with the coming of morning, when the King had entered the d(w&n with his chamberlains and the great
ones of his kingdom and Rayy&n, the doctor, had presented himself, he rose hastily and made him sit by his side. Then slaves brought meats and draughts of good drink for these two throughout the day, and at nightfall the King gave the physician two thousand d(n&rs over and above the robes of honour 27 THE TALE OF THE WAZ/R OF KING Y1N-N and the other presents he had made him, and set him
upon his own horse. In such happy fashion the physician took leave and returned to his own house. As for the King, he was continuous in his admiration for the art of this physician and many times he said: ‘He has cured me from the outside of my body, not even smearing me with a salve. By All&h, so wonderful a science has he shown that the least of my duties is to overwhelm him with gifts and take
him for my companion and great friend for ever.’ And that night King Y*n&n lay down to sleep in an ecstasy of joy, knowing that he was clean in body and cured of his evil. Next morning when the King sat down upon his throne with the chiefs of the kingdom standing about him and the am(rs and waz(rs seated on his right and left, he called for Rayy&n, who came and kissed the earth between his hands.
Then the King rose as before and made the doctor sit down by him, eat with him, and gave him more robes of honour with other rich things, wishing him long life as he gave them. After, he talked with him until nightfall and gave him as a further fee five robes of honour and a thousand d(n&rs. That night also the doctor returned to his house calling down blessings upon the King. When the sun rose the next morning, the King came down and entered the d(w&n, the am(rs, waz(rs and chamberlains clustering
about him as before. Now among the waz(rs there was one of repellent face and sinister expression, a cruel man of evil omen, grossly avaricious, an envious fellow, eaten out with jealousy. When this Waz(r saw the King raise up Rayy&n to sit by him and give presents to him, he became jealous and vowed the fall of this good man. The proverb says: ‘Each man envies, the strong openly, the weak in secret.’ The waz(r came to the King and, kissing the earth, said to him: ‘King of this hundred years and of all time, you who wrap all men in the garment of your benefits, I have in my heart a counsel of prodigious
weight, nor would I be aught but a bastard and no true servant were I to hide it from you.’ Disturbed by these sinister words, the King commanded him to explain himself, and he went on: ‘O glorious King, the ancients had a saying: “He who regards not the end and the consequence shall never thrive.” Now I have seen, and that even now, my lord failing to regard the end and the consequence in making gifts to
his enemy, to a man who desires the cutting off of his reign; yes, heaping him with generosities, smothering him with favours. Indeed, my lord, this makes me fear for the King’s safety.’ At these words the King became pale and agitated. At length he asked: ‘Who is this man you feign to be my enemy?’ ‘If you are asleep, O King, I pray you wake. I speak of Rayy&n the doctor,’ said the waz(r. ‘He is my
friend.’ answered the King angrily, ‘nearer to me than all men; for he gave me a thing to hold in my hand which took away my leprosy, and delivered me from an evil which no other physician might touch. In this time, in this world, neither in the East nor in the West, is there another like him. How dare you say these things of him? I tell you that from to-day I shall make him a salary and allowances so that he has a thousand d(n&rs every month. Even if I gave him the half of my kingdom it would be a little thing for such as he. No, no, I am convinced that you have said all this out of jealousy, just as it
happened in a tale they told me once about King Sindb&d!’ At this point Shahraz&d saw the approach of morning and fell silent. Then Dunyaz&d said to her: ‘Your words are sweet and pleasant to the taste.’ ‘But this is nothing,’ Shahraz&d answered, ‘to that which I would tell you to-morrow night, if I were still alive and the King wished to preserve me.’ Then the King said in his soul: ‘By All&h, I will not kill
her until I have heard the rest of this truly marvellous tale!’ They passed the remainder of the night in each other’s arms, and in the morning the King went down to the Hall of Justice. When the d(w&n was filled with people, the King sat in judgment, giving power and taking it away, guiding the people and making an end of the cases that were brought before him until the fall of day. Then, when the d(w&n
rose, he went back to his palace and did as was his wont with Shahraz&d, the daughter of the waz(r. And when the fifth night had come SHAHRAZ-D SAID: It is related, O auspicious King, that King Y*n&n said to his waz(r: ‘You have let envy steal into your heart, my waz(r, against this good
physician. You are desirous that I should kill him and then repent, as King Sindb&d repented after he had killed his falcon.’ ‘How did that come to pass?’ asked the waz(r. So King Y*n&n began:
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