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Updated: May 7, 2025
So Janshah dismounted and kissed her between the eyes; and she asked him, 'O my beloved and coolth of mine eyes, knowest thou how many days' journey we have come since yesterday?; and he answered, 'No, when she said, 'We have come thirty months' journey. Quoth he, 'Praised be Allah for safety! Then they sat down side by side and ate and drank and toyed and laughed.
Verily I have lost my son, and the enemy is still before me. But his Wazirs and vassals said to him, 'Patience, O King of the age! Patience bringeth weal in wake. Meanwhile Janshah, parted from his lover and pained for his father, was in sore sorrow and dismay, with heart seared and eyes tear-bleared and unable to sleep night or day.
Then the King departed to his pavilion and Janshah carried his mother to his own tent, where they sat talking till there came up some of the lady Shamsah's attendants who said, The Princess is now walking hither in order to salute thee. When the Queen heard this, she rose and going to meet Shamsah, saluted her and seated her awhile by her side.
But wait till the birds and beasts and chiefs of the Jann come to do their homage to me and I will question them of it; peradventure, some one of them may be able to give us news of it and Allah Almighty shall make all things easy to thee. So Janshah homed with the hermit, until the day of the assembly, when all the birds and beasts and Jann came to swear fealty; and Yaghmus and his guest questioned them anent Takni, the Castle of Jewels; but they all replied, 'We never saw or heard of such a place. At this, Janshah fell a weeping and lamenting and humbled himself before the Most High; but, as he was thus engaged, behold, there flew down from the heights of air another bird, big of bulk and black of blee, which had tarried behind the rest, and kissed the hermit's hands.
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "the fowl ceased not flying with Janshah two full days; till it reached the spot where the nest was, and set him down there and said, 'O Janshah, this is where our nest was. He wept sore and replied, 'I pray thee bear me farther on to where thy parents used to forage for food. The bird consented; so it took him up again and flew on with him seven nights and eight days, till it set him down on the top of a high hill Karmus highs and left him there saying, 'I know of no land behind this hill. Then it flew away and Janshah sat down on the hill-top and fell asleep.
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "when Bulukiya heard out Janshah's tale he wondered and exclaimed, 'By Allah, methought I had indeed wandered over the world and compassed it about; but now I forget all I have seen after listening to these adventures of thine! He was silent a while and then resumed, 'I beg thee, of thy favour and courtesy, to direct me in the way of safety. So Janshah directed him into the right road, and Bulukiya farewelled him and went his ways."
Then wine was served up and they drank; after which the Jew rose and bringing Janshah a purse of a thousand diners and a slave-girl of rare beauty, said to him, 'Take maid and money to thy hire. Janshah took them and seated the girl by his side when the trader resumed, 'To-morrow to the work!; and so saying he withdrew and Janshah slept with the damsel that night.
Then comes "The Queen of the Serpents" with the history of Janshah, famous on account of the wonderful Split Men the creatures already referred to in this work, who used to separate longitudinally. The Sindbad cycle is followed by the melancholy "City of Brass," and a great collection of anecdotes illustrative of the craft and malice of woman.
Then quoth the Queen to him, 'Welcome, O my son, our daughter Shamsah hath indeed sinned against thee, but do thou pardon her misdeed for our sakes. When Janshah heard this, he cried out and fell down fainting, whereat the King marvelled and they sprinkled on his face rose water mingled with musk and civet, till he came to himself and, looking at Princess Shamsah, said, 'Praised be Allah who hath brought me to my desire and hath quenched the fire of my heart! Replied she, 'May He preserve thee from the Fire!, but now tell me, O Janshah, what hath befallen thee since our parting and how thou madest thy way to this place; seeing that few even of the Jann ever heard of Takni, the Castle of Jewels; and we are independent of all the Kings nor any wotteth the road hither. Thereupon he related to her every adventure and peril and hardship he had suffered and how he had left his father at war with King Kafid, ending with these words, 'And all for thy sake, my lady Shamsah! Quoth the Queen, 'Now hast thou thy heart's desire, for the Princess is thy handmaid, and we give her in free gift to thee. Janshah joyed exceedingly at these words and the Queen added, 'Next month, if it be the will of Almighty Allah, we will have a brave wedding and celebrate the marriage festival and after the knot is tied we will send you both back to thy native land, with an escort of a thousand Marids of our body-guard, the least of whom, an thou bid him slay King Kafid and his folk, would surely destroy them to the last man in the twinkling of an eye.
Quoth Hasib, "And what did Janshah do with the apes?"; so the Queen resumed her tale: "He and his men were sore affrighted at the appearance of the apes, but a company of them came up to the throne whereon he sat and, kissing the earth before him, stood awhile in his presence with their paws upon their breasts in posture of respect.
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