Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/75

57 ‘O king of the age,’ rejoined the vizier, ‘I am older than thou by a hundred years, yet have I never been blest with a child and cease not day and night from care and concern; so how shall we do, I and thou?’ And Aasim said, ‘O vizier, hast thou no device or shift in this matter?’ Quoth the vizier, ‘Know, O king, that I have heard of a king in the land of Seba by name Solomon son of David, who pretendeth to prophetship and [avoucheth that he] hath a mighty Lord who can do all things and whose kingdom is in the heavens and [who hath dominion] over all mankind and birds and beasts and over the wind and the Jinn. Moreover, he knoweth the language of all birds and of all [other] created things; and withal, he calleth all creatures to the worship of his Lord and discourseth to them of their service. So let us send him a messenger in the king’s name and seek of him our desire, beseeching him to make petition to his Lord, that He vouchsafe each of us a child. If his faith be true and his Lord avail to do all things, He will assuredly bless each of us with a child, male or female, and if the thing betide thus, we will enter his faith and worship his Lord; else will we take patience and devise us another shift.’

Quoth the king, ‘This is well seen, and my heart is lightened by this thy speech; but where shall we find a messenger befitting this grave matter, for that this Solomon is no little king and the approaching him is no light matter? Indeed, I will send him none, on the like of this affair, but thyself, for thou art old and versed in all manner of affairs and the like of thee is the like of myself; wherefore I desire that thou weary thyself and journey to him and occupy thyself diligently with [the accomplishment of] this matter, so haply solace may be at thy hand.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered the vizier; ‘but rise thou forthright and seat thyself upon the throne, so the amirs