Act Three
SCENE I
Bassora.
Ibn Sawy's House.
A room in the outer apartments decorated for a banquet.
Doonya, Anice-Aljalice, Balkis.
DOONYA
Lord, how they pillage! Even the furniture
Cannot escape these Djinns. Ogre Ghaneem
Picks up that costly chain between his teeth
And off to his castle; devil Ayoob drops
That table of mosaic in his pocket;
Zeb sweeps off rugs and couches in a whirlwind.
What purse will long put up with such ill-treatment?
BALKIS
It must be checked.
DOONYA
'Tis much that he has kept
His promise to my uncle. Oh, he's sound!
These villains spoil him. Anice, you are to blame.
However you complain, yourself are quite
As reckless.
ANICE-ALJALICE
I?
DOONYA
Yes, you. Is there a bright
Unnecessary jewel you have seen
And have not bought ? a dress that took your fancy
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And was not in a moment yours ? Or have you lost
A tiny chance of laughter, song and wine,
Since you were with him?
ANICE-ALJALICE
A few rings and chains,
Some silks and cottons I have bought at times.
DOONYA
What did these trifles cost?
ANICE-ALJALICE
I do not know.
DOONYA
Of course you do not. Come, it's gone too far;
Restrain him, curb yourself.
BALKIS
Next time he calls you
To sing among his wild companions, send
Cold answers, do not go.
ANICE-ALJALICE
To break the jest,
The flow of good companionship, drive out
Sweet friendly looks with anger, be a kill-joy
And frowner in this bright and merry world!
Oh, all the sins that human brows grow wrinkled
With frowning at, could never equal this!
DOONYA
But if the skies grew darker ?
ANICE-ALJALICE
If they should!
It was a bright and merry world. To see him
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Happy and gay and kind was all I cared for,
There my horizon stopped. But if the skies
Did darken! Doonya, it shall cease today.
Enter Azeem.
Well, Azeem.
AZEEM
Madam, half the creditors,
And that means half the shops in Bassora,
Hold session in the outer hall and swear
It shall be permanent till they get money.
ANICE-ALJALICE
Where is your master? Call him here. A moment!
Have you the bills ?
AZEEM
All of them, long as pillars
And crammed from head to foot with monstrous sums.
ANICE-ALJALICE
.
Call him.
AZEEM
He's here.
Enter Nureddene.
NUREDDENE
What, cousin Doonya! Balkis!
Did you steal down to see the decorations ?
Are they not pretty ?
DOONYA
Like a painted tombstone
Sculptured and arabesqued, but death's inside
And bones, my brother, bones.
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NUREDDENE
And there are bones
In this fair pleasing outside called dear Doonya,
But let us only think of rosy cheeks,
Sweet eyes and laughing lips and not the bones.
DOONYA
You have boned my metaphor and quite disboned it,
Until there's nothing firm inside; 'tis pulpy.
ANICE-ALJALICE
The creditors besiege you, Nureddene;
You'll pay them.
NUREDDENE
Serious, Anice?
ANICE-ALJALICE
Till you do,
I will not smile again. Azeem, the bills!
NUREDDENE
Is this your doing, Doonya ?
DOONYA
Yours, cousin, yours.
NUREDDENE
Is'tso? Anice?
ANICE-ALJALICE
I've told you.
NUREDDENE
Show me the bills.
Go in, you three.
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ANICE-ALJALICE
Ah, he is grieved and angry!
His eyes are clouded; let me speak to him.
BALKIS
Now you'll spoil all; drag her off, Doonya.
DOONYA
Come.
Exit drawing away Anice, Balkis behind.
NUREDDENE
Well, sir, where are these bills ?
AZEEM
You will see the bills ?
NUREDDENE
The sums, the sums!
AZEEM
To tailor Mardouc twenty-four thousand pieces, namely for caftans, robes, shawls, turbans, Damascus silks, —
NUREDDENE
Leave the inventory.
AZEEM
To tailor Labkan another twenty thousand; to the baker two
thousand; to the confectioner as much; to the Bagdad curio-merchant twenty-four thousand; to the same from Ispahan, sixteen thousand; to the jeweller on account of necklaces, bracelets,
waist-ornaments, anklets, rings, pendents and all manner of trinkets for the slave-girl Anice-Aljalice, ninety thousand only; to the
upholsterer—
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NUREDDENE
Hold, hold! why, what are all these monstrous sums?
Hast thou no word but thousands in thy belly,
Exorbitant fellow?
AZEEM
,
Why, sir, 'tis in the bills; my belly's empty enough.
NUREDDENE
Nothing but thousands!
AZEEM
Here's one for seven hundred, twelve dirhams and some odd
fractions from Husayn cook.
NUREDDENE
The sordid, dingy rogue! Will he dun me so brutally for a base
seven hundred ?
AZEEM
The fruiterer —
NUREDDENE
Away! bring bags.
AZEEM
Bags, sir?
NUREDDENE
Of money, fool. Call Harkoos and all the^ slaves. Bring half my
treasury.
Exit Azeem.
She frown on me! look cold! for sums, for debts!
For money, the poor paltry stuff we dig
By shovels from base mire. Grows love so beggarly
That it must think of piastres ? O my heart!
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Enter Azeem, Harkoos and slaves
with bags of money.
Heap them about the room — Go, Azeem, call
That hungry pack; they shall be fed.
Exit Azeem.
Harkoos,
Open two bags there. Have you broken the seals?
Enter Azeem ushering in the creditors.
Who asks for money?
COOK
I, sir, seven hundred denars, twelve dirhams and three fourths of
a dirham, that is my amount.
NUREDDENE
Take thy amount, thou dingy-hearted rogue.
Throws a bag towards him.
You there, take yours.
JEWELLER
Sir, this is not a hundredth part of your debt to me.
NUREDDENE
Give him two hundred bags.
HARKOOS
Bags, sir?
NUREDDENE
Do you grin, rogue, and loiter? Take that!
Strikes him.
HARKOOS
Exactly. Your peg's loose, beat Harkoos. Old master or young,
'tis all one to Harkoos. Stick or leather! cuff or kick! these are
all the houses of my horoscope.
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NUREDDENE
I am sorry I struck thee; there's gold. Give them all the money;
all, I say. Porter that home, you rascals, and count your sums.
What's over, cram your throats with it; or, if you will, throw it
in the gutter.
CREDITORS
{scrambling and quarrelling for the bags)
That's mine! that's mine! no, mine! Leave go, you robber.
Whom do you call robber, thief?
NUREDDENE
Cudgel them from the room.
Exeunt creditors snatching bags
and pursued by the slaves.
AZEEM
Tis madness, sir.
Nureddene motions him way. Exit Azeem.
NUREDDENE
If she were clothed in rags
And beggary her price, I'd follow her
From here to China. She to frown on me
For money!
Enter Anice.
ANICE-ALJALICE
Nureddene, what have you done?
NUREDDENE
You bade me pay the fellows: I have paid them.
ANICE-ALJALICE
You are angry with me ? I did not think you could
Be angry with me for so slight a cause.
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NUREDDENE
I did not think that you could frown on me
For money, for a matter of money!
ANICE-ALJALICE
You
Believe that ? Is it so you know me ? Dear,
While for my sake you ruined yourself, must I
Look smiling on? Nay, ruin then yourself
And try me.
NUREDDENE
Dear Anice, it was with myself
I was angry, but the coward in me turned
On you to avenge its pain. Let me forget
All else and only think of you and love.
ANICE-ALJALICE
Shall I sing to you ?
NUREDDENE
Do, Anice.
ANICE-ALJALICE
There's a song —
Song
Love keep terms with tears and sorrow?
He's too bright.
Born today, he may tomorrow
Say good night.
Love is gone ere grief can find him;
But his way
Tears that falling lag behind him
Still betray.
I cannot sing.
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NUREDDENE
Tears, Anice ? O my love,
What worst calamity do they portend
For him who caused them ?
ANICE-ALJALICE
None, none, or only showers
The sunlight soon o'ertakes. Away with grief!
What is it after all but money lost ?
Beggars are happier, are they not, my lord ?
NUREDDENE
Much happier, Anice.
ANICE-ALJALICE
Let us be beggars, then.
Oh, we shall wander blissfully about
In careless rags. And I shall take my lute
And buy you honey-crusts with my sweet voice.
For is not my voice sweet, my master ?
NUREDDENE
Sweet
As Gabriel's when he sings before the Lord
And Heaven listens.
ANICE-ALJALICE
We shall reach Bagdad
Some day and meet the Caliph in the streets,
The mighty Caliph Haroun al Rasheed,
Disguised, a beggar too, give him our crusts
And find ourselves all suddenly the friends
Of the world's master. Shall we not, my lord ?
NUREDDENE
Anice, we shall.
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ANICE-ALJALICE
Let us be beggars then,
Rich, happy paupers singing through the world.
Oh, but you have a father and a mother!
Come, sit down there and I will stand before you
And tell a story.
NUREDDENE
Sit by me and tell it.
ANICE-ALJALICE
No, no, I'll stand.
NUREDDENE
Well, willful. Now, your tale.
ANICE-ALJALICE
I have forgotten it. It was about
A man who had a gem earth could not buy.
NUREDDENE
As I have you.
ANICE-ALJALICE
Be silent, sir. He kept it
With ordinary jewels which he took
Each day and threw into the street, and said,
"I'll show this earth that all the gems it has,
Together match not this I'll solely keep."
NUREDDENE
As I'll keep you.
ANICE-ALJALICE
Ah, but he did not know
What slender thread bound to a common pearl
That wonder. When he threw that out, alas!
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His jewel followed, and though he sought earth through,
He never could again get back his gem.
NUREDDENE
(after a pause)
Tomorrow I will stop this empty life,
Cut down expense and only live for you.
Tonight there is the banquet. It must stand,
My word being given. Azeem!
Enter Azeem.
What money still
Is in the treasury ? What debts outstand ?
AZEEM
More now than you can meet. But for today's folly, all would
have been well, — your lordly folly! Oh, beat me! I must speak.
NUREDDENE
Realize all the estate, the house only excepted; satisfy the
creditors. For what's left, entreat delay.
AZEEM
They will not be entreated. They have smelt the carrion and are
all winging up, beak outstretched and talons ready.
NUREDDENE
Carrion indeed and vile! Wherefore gave God
Reason to his best creatures, if they suffer
The rebel blood to o'ercrow that tranquil, wise
And perfect minister ? Do what thou canst.
I have good friends to help me in my need.
Exit.
AZEEM
Good friends? good bloodsuckers, good thieves! Much help
his need will have out of them!
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ANICE-ALJALICE
There's always Ajebe.
AZEEM
Will you trust him? He is the Vizier's nephew.
Exeunt.
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