The Bráhman said, ‘They have related that in one of the countries of Hindústán there was a king by name Hílár, possessed of immense treasures and hidden stores and wealth and money without end.

And he was distinguished from the princes of his time by a variety of illustrious actions, and was conspicuous among successful rulers by many glorious deeds. He had two sons, such that the bright sun borrowed splendor from their radiant countenances, and the shining moon moved distractedly in the field of the sky at the beauty of their cheeks, and the delicate grace of their faces. One with stature like an arrow drew towards himself, like the horns of a bow, the quadrigesimal fasters of the corners of pilgrimage,* and the other, with ringlets like the chains of the demented, brought to the sick-bed of suffering the limbs of those who tore their hair. At sight of the symmetrical stature, delightful to the heart, of the one, the straight cypress had its foot plunged in clay through amazement; and from jealousy of the fascinating movements of the other, the mountain-partridge forgot its own gait.

And together with comeliness of form, they were also adorned with excellence of manners, and they decked the young plant of their beauty with the flowers of goodness and perfection. Their outward form was exceeding graceful, and their inner nature excessively enchanting.

They called one Suhail-i Yamaní, and the other Máh-i Khutaní,* and their mother, ’Irán-dukht, was a ravishing beauty, in envy of whose delicate cheek the bride of the sun was hidden behind the veil of inquietude, and from shame at whose falling ringlets the curling hyacinth was writhing and in folds.

The king’s heart was excessively attached to this incomparable gem, and bound in affection to those two peerless sons: and without the sight of their beauty, the repose of his mind and the joy of his bosom were lost. Moreover he had a vazír whom they called Balár, and the meaning of this word in their language is ‘Auspicious face.’ And he was a sage illustrious for the solidity of his understanding, and famed and celebrated for the accuracy of his judgment. The proofs of his sagacity and experience, and the testimonies of his acuteness and attachment, were clearly displayed upon the face of his actions and the forehead of all he did; and the tokens of his sincerity and loyalty, and the happy influences of his special goodness and zeal to give satisfaction, were evident and conspicuous in his virtuous efforts and intense and glorious labors. The tongue of the age used to chant the praises of his perfection after this manner, and sought to attain the delineation of a trifling portion of the laudation due to his worth and greatness with these couplets,

And the king’s private secretary, whose name was Kamál, was a penman such that the planet Mercury* would be unable to draw the bow of his descrip­tion, and the celestial amanuensis could not, with the step of consideration, mount the ladders of his edifices. Thou wouldest say that his reed, clothed in elegance, was the magazine of the secrets of eloquence; and the noise of his pen, marked with ingenuity, was the dawning-place of the lights of rhetoric. Every pearl of reasoning which he perforated with the diamond of reflection was strung by the arranger of his penetrating intellect on the string of lucid words and elegant expressions; and every coin of truth that he weighed with the balance of deliberation, the broker of his right-judging thought submitted with perfect recommendation and complete description to the inspection of the purchasers of the bázár of subtlety.

And for his own especial riding the king had a white elephant, which was wont to hasten into the battle-field like the world-traversing wind, and to pierce with his rock-crushing tusks the bosom of stony-hearted mountains. Iron is ever hidden in mountains, but it, reversing the usual order of things, was a mountain hidden in iron; and hills are ever quiescent in one place, and destitute of pillars; but he, contrary to custom, was a moving mountain on four pillars.

He had also two other elephants of very majestic size, like the mountain Alvand* in the hugeness of their limbs. With their trunks, like bats in the game of chaugán, they drove the heads of rebels like balls along the field, and with their column-resembling fore-feet they crushed the necks of the refractory. Their crystal-like tusks brought forth spouts of coral from the breasts of the king’s foes, and with their ivory pickaxes they displayed from the mines of the bodies of enemies heaps of rubies of Badakhshán.

Moreover he had two dromedaries which could traverse mountains and sandy plains, and which in one night could cross a whole clime, nay, in a single instant could measure with their feet a world. They shewed with their necks and ears the exact resemblance of a bow and arrow, and exhibited with their fore-feet and breasts the similitude of a mace and shield. At the time of running they made the surface of the earth appear like a shield, and when traveling they bore off with their feet, which resembled the bat in the game of chaugán, the ball of precedence from the swift-paced courser of the moon.

Besides these he had a fleet-paced, fiery steed, with silver hoofs and bridle of gold; which, when his reins were slackened, outstripped the world-traversing moon; nor could the earth-crossing north-wind come near the dust which it raised. Thus, so long as the bay courser of the sky has circled round the globe of earth, none had ever beheld the equal of that steed, and while piebald time has traversed the space of ages, no one had ever heard of such a horse.

And he had a sword adorned with jewels and embellished with precious pearls. One would have said that they had studded a blade of grass with drops of dew, or adorned a sheet of blue sky with royal pearls. The black marks of its original high temper, looked on its diamond blade, like the feet of ants, and on its blue-enameled surface the wings of flies were exhibited. It was not a sword, it was rather a cloud that showered blood or fiery-flashing lightning.

The king’s heart was wholly bound up with these things that have been mentioned, and he always boasted of superiority in all these possessions over the monarchs of all the countries of Hind. Now there were in his kingdom a number of Bráhmans, who regarded themselves as the followers of Brahmá, and acknowledged his prophet and chose to turn aside from the true faith and the right way, and caused people to stray in the waste of error and the gulf of ignorance. However much King Hílár* bade them desist from misleading and deceiving his subjects, they, unheeding his rebuke, did not forsake that reprehensible habit. At last the affair came to this, that the king, through religious zeal and in defence of the faith, slew nearly twelve thousand of them. Their houses he gave up to be plundered, and their wives and children he led into captivity. But four hundred persons of the number who were adorned with the accomplishments of science, and were gifted with a variety of knowledge, he made to wait on the imperial throne. These, against their will, having girt the waist of service, traveled the road of obedience, and watched for an opportunity of revenge and a chance for wreaking their vengeance. One night the king was reposing* on the couch of enjoyment, when he heard seven terrible voices. Through dread of these he awoke, and fell into thought and reflection. In the midst of this, sleep again overpowered him, and in a dream he beheld two red fishes, from the brightness of which the eyes were dazzled, stand on their tails and call to him, Bravo! Again he awoke and entered into a long train of thought, and then went to sleep once more. A second time he saw two ducks of various colors, and a large goose, which flew after him and at last alighted before him and began to utter benedictions. Again he awoke, and remaining bewildered at what had occurred, once more slumbered, and saw a green snake with yellow and white spots, winding about his leg; and that ugly serpent was twisting itself on that branch of sandal-wood. The king awoke in terror, and was sad at those strange spectacles which he had beheld in the curtain of fancy. Again the genius of sleep drawing him by degrees, bore him off to the world of dreams. This time he beheld that he was bathed from head to foot in blood, like a branch of coral, and, as it were, adorned from top to toe in rubies of Badakhshán and precious stones of a red color. The king awoke and began to be sorrowful, and wished to call to one of the officers of the seraglio,—suddenly, sleep overcame him, and he beheld that he was mounted on a swift white mule, which, like leaping lightning, crossed over mountains and yet was easy-paced as dear life itself. It seemed as if he turned the reins of his steed towards the east, and sped on alone. However much he looked about him, he saw none of his attendants, save two chamberlains,* and these on foot. From dread of this occurrence, he started up from sleep once more; and then the sixth time relapsed into slumber. He then saw a fire which was kindled on the top of his head, and the flames of which encompassed all quarters. From beholding this circumstance he awoke again, terrified. The seventh time falling insensible from the wine of sleep, he saw a bird, which perched on his head and pecked the crown of it with its beak. This time the king uttered a shout, such that the attendants round about the royal chamber raised cries, and some of them rushed aghast to the foot of his bed. The king re-assured them and sent them away; and from dismay at those deadly dreams, he, like a serpent whose tail has been cut off, or a snake-bitten man, continued writhing in anguish, and kept saying to himself, ‘What strange variety of horrid sights was this which the pen of omnipotence caused to rise up! and what troops of calamity were these which poured forth one upon another!

Ah me! to whom can I reveal the nature of these occurrences? and what sage can I invoke to solve this difficulty? Whom can I make the confidant of these secrets? and with what person can I hazard the throw* of relating this story?

In short, with a thousand sufferings he passed that night till the dawn of day, and was complaining of gloomy night for its tardy progress and its length, and exclaimed,

Thus he continued till the time when the cheek of bright morning began to shine from the curling ringlets of dark night, and the perfumed taper of the sun began to be visible in the expanse of the azure sky in place of the ambergris-hued tapestry of darkness.

As soon as the hand of Providence removed the veil of darkness from before the beauty of the world-illuminating day, and the monarch of the planets took his seat on the enameled throne of the sky, and conveyed to the ears of mortals the proclamation of justice-dispensing light,* the king arose and summoned the Bráhmans, who were solvers of difficulties and perfect in the science of the interpretation of dreams. Then, without pondering on the consequences, he related to them, in the manner he had beheld them, all his dreams. The Bráhmans having heard these terrible circumstances, and seeing the marks of fear and dismay on the countenance of the king, replied, ‘These visions are portentous, and during the lapse of time no one has ever beheld dreams of such horror, nor has the ear of any interpreter of dreams listened to such an account as this. If the king will grant us permission we will consult together and refer to books which have been written on the art of interpreting visions, and will consider thereof with the most careful scrutiny. Then having represented the interpretation with accuracy, we will devise a plan for averting the injury and evil.

The king gave them permission, and they, issuing from his presence, held a private meeting; and from the foulness of their minds and the impurity of their thoughts, began to agitate the chain of revenge, and said to one another, ‘This cruel tyrant has but lately slain several thousands of our tribe, and given to the wind of spoliation our goods and wealth. To-day we have got hold of a clue, by means of which we may wreak* our spite on him, and remedy and alleviate the distress of our affairs. And since he has made us his confidants in this matter, and has placed confidence in our interpretation and representation, we must not let slip the opportunity, nor make a long delay in exacting retaliation.

Our best course is to speak boldly in this matter and terrify him with the strongest threats, and say, ‘These visions are a proof that seven great perils, such that there is mortal danger in each, are to come. The means of averting these evils is as follows: that they should kill with the sword of high temper a number of the Pillars of the State and of the ministers of the king, and of those animals on which he is wont to ride, and pour their blood into a laver, and let the king sit for a time in that blood, and we will breathe spells over him, and will rub some of the blood upon his body. Afterwards having washed his person with pure water, we will anoint him with unguents, and will bring him back to his court safe and free from care.’* Then after that, by this stratagem, we have destroyed his nearest attendants, in the lapse of time, when he is alone, we will settle his business. Thus, though during these days, the foot of our heart has been wounded by the thorn of his injuries, still there is hope that we shall pluck the rose of our desire with the hand of our wish, and we shall see our powerful enemy fallen as we could desire into a position of weakness.

Wherefore, thus perfidiously and traitorously having conspired together against their master, they went again to the king, and said,

It has been in a general way signified to the luminous mind of the king that the interpretation of these dreams exhibits nought but the assault of calamity, and pain, and woe, and trouble, and we have thought of a good way of averting the injurious effects of these occurrences. If the king will receive with the hearing of acceptance our words, which will be spoken with the truest desire for his welfare, and the purest intention to gratify him, the evil which is about to follow these dreams will assuredly be averted. But if he refuse to hearken to our directions he must be prepared for a great calamity; nay, even for the decline of his empire and the extinction of life itself.’ The king feared, and falling into the circle of dismay, his heart failed him, and he said, ‘Ye must declare the particulars of this advice, in order that in every way, which enters the range of possibility, exertion be made to remedy this. They, beholding the oven of deceit hot, shut into it the leaven of guile, and thus continued, ‘Those two fishes which stood on their tails are the sons of the king; and that serpent which wound round his leg is Irán-dukht, and those two colored ducks are the two elephants, and the large goose is the white elephant, and the swift mule is the easy-paced courser of the king, and the two chamberlains on foot are the dromedaries, and the fire that shone on the king’s head is the vazír Balár, and the bird which struck its beak into the king’s head is the secretary Kamál, and that blood with which the king’s body was besmeared is caused by the high-tempered sword which they smite on the king’s head and stain his body with. Now we have devised a remedy for the injurious effects of these dreams in the following manner: that they should slay with that sword both the king’s sons, and their mother, and the secretary, and vazír, and the elephants, and the horse, and the dromedaries, and having taken some of the blood of each, collect it in one place, and having broken the sword, bury it with the corpses of the slain under ground. Then we having mixed the blood with river-water will pour it into a laver, and causing the king to sit there, will repeat spells and benedictions, and afterwards write talismans with that blood on the forehead of the king, and smearing his shoulders and breast with that mixture of blood and water, will allow three hours to pass. Then we will wash with spring-water the king’s head, and having dried him, will make an unguent with olive oil, so that the pernicious effects will be altogether removed: and except this contrivance no help will avail.

When the king heard these words, the fire of regret consumed the goods of patience and composure, and the blast of dismay gave to the winds the stock of his endurance and mildness; and he said, ‘O foes with friendly faces! and O foolish men! death is better than this plan of yours, and to drink the beverage of fate preferable to this proposal full of mischief. When I shall have slain this group, some of which are precious to me as my own soul’ and all of whom are the pivot of the state and of its wealth, and the source of the ornament of my grandeur and renown, what enjoyment shall I have in life, and what advantage shall I reap from continuing to exist?

But perhaps ye have not heard the story of Sulaimán (on whom be peace!) and the Heron, and the purport of their conversation has not reached you?’ The Bráhmans humbly asked, ‘How was that?’