THE STORY OF THE VIZIER NOUREDINE, HIS BROTHER THE VIZIER CHAMSEDDINE, AND HASSAN BADREDDINE
Harun al-Rashid
Source
Following the instructions of the genie, Hassan perturbates the wedding of El-Hosn with the hunchback. And she wants to marry Hassan, not the hunchback.
ON THE SEVENTH NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
The genie said to Hassan: "Everything that happens to you there happens to you by the will and power of Allah Most High!" At these words, the genie disappeared.
Then Hassan Badreddine, of Basra, at these words of the genie, said to himself: “What can all this mean? And of what service to render me did he wish to speak, this astonishing genie?" But, without stopping to wonder any longer, he walked and relighted his candle, which had gone out, by the candle of one of the guests, and arrived at the hammam just at the moment when the hunchback, who had finished taking his bath, came out on horseback and dressed in new clothes.
Then Hassan Badreddine, from Basra, mingled with the crowd and maneuvered so well that he arrived at the head of the procession, alongside the hunchback. It was then that all the beauty of Hassan appeared in its marvelous brilliance. Moreover, Hassan was always dressed in his sumptuous Basra clothes: on his head, he had a fez headdress surrounded by a magnificent silk turban, all embroidered in gold and silver, and rolled up in the style of Basra; and he had a cloak woven with silk interwoven with threads of gold. And that only enhanced her imposing air and her beauty.
Each time therefore that a singer or a dancer broke away from the group of players of instruments, during the march of the procession, and approached him, facing the hunchback, Hassan Badreddine immediately plunged his hand into his pocket and, withdrawing his hand full of gold, he threw this gold in large handfuls all around him, and he also put large handfuls of it in the little drum with bells of the young dancer or the young singer, and filled it up for them each time, and that with unparalleled manner and grace.
Also, all these women, as well as all the crowd, were in the greatest admiration, and, moreover, all were delighted with her beauty and her charms.
The procession eventually arrives at the palace. There the chamberlains pushed aside the crowd, and only let in the players of the instruments and the troupe of dancers and singers, behind the hunchback. And no one else.
Then the singers and dancers unanimously challenged the chamberlains and said to them: “By Allah! you are right to prevent the men from entering the harem with us, to witness the dressing of the new bride! But we also absolutely refuse to enter, unless you bring in with us this young man who has showered us with his blessings! And we refuse to party at the bride unless it is in the presence of this young man, our friend!"
And, by force, the women seized young Hassan, and took him with them to the harem, in the middle of the large assembly hall. He was thus the only man, with the little hunchbacked groom, in the middle of the harem, in spite of the hunchback's nose which could not prevent the thing. In the meeting room were assembled all the ladies, wives of the emirs, viziers, and chamberlains of the palace. All these ladies lined up in two rows, each holding a large candle; and all had their faces covered with their white silk veils, because of the presence of the two men. And Hassan and the hunchbacked newlywed passed between the two rows and sat down on a raised platform, crossing those two rows of women which stretched from the assembly hall to the bridal chamber, from which was soon exiting the new bride for the wedding.
At the sight of Badreddine Hassan, of her beauty, of her charms, of her luminous face like the new crescent of the moon, the women, with emotion, stopped breathing and felt their reason fly away. And each one of them yearned to be able to embrace this marvelous boy, and throw themselves into his bosom, and remain attached there for a year, or a month, or at least an hour, only long enough to be charged once, and to feel it inside her!
At one point, all these women, at the same time, could no longer hold on, and uncovered their faces by removing their veils! And they showed themselves without restraint, forgetting the presence of the hunchback! And they all began to approach Hassan Badreddine to admire him more closely, and to say a word or two of love to him or at least to give him a sign of the eye which could show him how they wanted it. Moreover, the dancers and singers went even further on this by telling of Hassan's generosity, and by encouraging these ladies to serve him as well as possible. And the ladies said to each other: “Allah! God! there's a young man! This one, yes! can sleep with Sett El-Hosn! They are made for each other! But this cursed hunchback, may Allah confuse him!"
While the ladies in the room continued to praise Hassan and curse the hunchback, suddenly the female instrument players rapped on their instruments, the door of the nuptial chamber opened, and the new bride, Sett El -Hosn, surrounded by the eunuchs and attendants, entered the reception hall.
Sett El-Hosn, the daughter of the vizier Chamseddine, entered among the women, and she shone like a houri, and the others, besides her, were only stars to form her procession, as the stars surround the moon coming out from under a cloud! It was scented with amber, musk, and rose; she had combed her hair, and her hair shone under the silk which covered it; her shoulders stood out admirably under the sumptuous clothes which covered them. She was, indeed, royally dressed; among other things, on her, she had a dress all embroidered with red gold, and on the fabric were drawn figures of beasts and birds; but that was only the outer dress; because for the other dresses below, Allah alone would be able to know them and estimate them at their value! Around her neck, she had a necklace that could be worth who knows how many thousands of dinars! Each jewel that composed it was so rare that no single living man, even the king in person, had seen the like.
In a word, Sett El-Hosn, the new bride, was as beautiful as, on her fourteenth night, the full moon is!
As for Hassan Badreddine, from Basra, he was still seated, admiring the whole group of ladies. So it was towards him that the new bride went. She approached the platform, giving her body very graceful movements, right and left. So immediately the hunchbacked groom stood up and rushed to kiss her. But she pushed him away with horror and turned quickly, and, with a movement, placed herself in front of the handsome Hassan. And to think that it was her cousin and that she didn't know it, nor did he!
At the sight of this scene, all the women present began to laugh, especially when the young bride stopped in front of the handsome Hassan, for whom she was instantly consumed with ardor, and cried, raising her hands. in heaven: “Allahumma! let this handsome boy become my husband! And get rid of this hunchbacked groom!"
At this point in her narration, Sheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.*
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