Story of a Sultan of Al-Hind and his Son Mohammed.[FN#353]

There was in days of yore a King in the land of Al-Hind, who reigned over wide dominions (and praise be to Him who ruleth the worlds material and spiritual!), but this Sultan had nor daughter nor son.  So once upon a time he took thought and said, “Glory to Thee! no god is there save Thyself, O Lord; withal Thou hast not vouchsafed to me a child either boy or girl.”  On the next day he arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of crimson hue,[FN#354]—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King of Al-Hind arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of crimson hue, and the Wazir, coming into the Divan, found him in such case.  So he salam’d to him and blessed him with the blessing due to Caliphs, and said to him, “O King of the Age, doth aught irk thee that thou art robed in red?” whereto he replied, “O Wazir, I have risen with my heart grips hard.”  Said the other, “Go into thy treasury of moneys and jewels and turn over thy precious ores, that thy sorrow be dispersed.”  But said the Sultan, “O Wazir, verily all this world is a transitory, and naught remaineth to any save to seek the face of Allah the Beneficent:  withal the like of me may never more escape from cark and care, seeing that I have lived for this length of time and that I have not been blessed with or son or daughter, for verily children are the ornament of the world.”  Hereupon a wight dark of hue, which was a Takruri[FN#355] by birth, suddenly appeared before the Sultan and standing between his hands said to him, “O King of the Age, I have by me certain medicinal roots the bequeathal of my forbears and I have heard that thou hast no issue; so an thou eat somewhat thereof haply shall they gladden thy heart.”  “Where be these simples?” cried the King, whereat the Takruri man drew forth a bag and brought out from it somewhat that resembled a confection and gave it to him with due injunctions.  So when it was night-time the Sultan ate somewhat of it and then slept with his wife who, by the Omnipotence of Allah Almighty, conceived of him that very time.  Finding her pregnant the King was rejoiced thereat and fell to distributing