As related by Yussef al Mussa, Scribe and Register to the Shellyh of Kuznetz, in recitation to the sons and daughters of the sheik, so they might be instructed as the Nahmeh directs.
"In the annals and legends, oh my children, there are many stories of bygone men and things, of antique races, departed rulers, vanished cities, and mysteries without end_ many stories indeed, but this is all that I might tell you, so that my wisdom does not show thin and so that your suppers do not grow cold.
"In the beginning there was the sand and the wind, and into that sand and wind came the nomad_the man of the swift steed, the white tent, and the restless herd. From whence he came, none might know but the Eternal. Some say he came from the north, from the grassland-without-end that stretches to the top of the world. Some say he came from across the sea, exiled from distant continents and unimagined empires. Some say he has always been here.
"But here the nomad came, and he found sand and wind, but he also found the winter grazing land, and the spring rains, and the summer grottos, the watering holes of the fall, and his herds thrived, and he was happy And many of the nomad settled in the grazing land, around the oases and spring rivers, and they became the hazer_the house dweller the cultivator, and the builder of cities.
"For many years the bold nomad and the diligent hazer viewed one another with scorn, for the hazer saw the nomad as cruel and crude, and the nomad saw the hazer as soft and cowardly And many chiefs and emirs ruled these nomad and hazer tribes, and they were each the enemy of the other_nomad against nomad, for they fought for the grazing land, hazer against hazer, for they fought for water, and nomad against hazer, for they fought for food and for the hate of one another. And this war lasted forever, or at least so long that only the Eternal might have witnessed it.
"Then into the south came the Thyatian. And into the east came the Alphatian. They built great cities, and they fought for the land, and pushed aside the nomad and the hazer whom they enslaved and stole the fruit of his labor.
"For bitter centuries the foreigner ruled our land, and though we were proud and mighty in arms, we were not united, and the foreigner crushed our rebellions and scattered us before them. Your forefathers sought sanctuary in the deep desert, where the foreigner may not go, and nursed for generations a hatred of these cruel foreign lords, and a yearning for revenge.
"And then came Al-Kalim, the Prophet, author of the Nahmeh, and bearer of the Word of the Eternal Truth. And he said, 'Put aside your hatred for one another, take up your love for justice and honor, and none shall stand before your swords.'
"And the chiefs and emirs of all the tribes stood before him, and were ashamed, and they put aside their hatreds for one another. Together they raised their voices in a single cry, and they brought our people together, tribe with tribe, nomad with hazer, brigand with merchant, farmer with warrior. They raised their swords as one, and as one they fell upon the foreigner, and where they came, none could stand before them. The land was ours once again, praise the Eternal, whose will is All-Powerful.
"But once the foreigner was vanquished, the chiefs and emirs would have had their tribes fall upon one another again, as it was before, but Al-Kalim spoke to them, saying, 'You have seen what you might do together for the Dream of Justice and Honor. Such dreams are still great, but I challenge you with a still greater dream_the Dream of the Desert Garden_where the sand shall bring forth ripe grain and lush grass for grazing, and where the rock shall spill water in plenty, and free as the air.'
"And Al-Kalim gave us the Nahmeh, which teaches us the Way and the Dream. And the chiefs and emirs shared the Nahmeh, and they revered it, seeing that it truly showed them good, and a dream to own together, tribe and tribe, nomad and hazer. And the chiefs and emirs beseeched Al-Kalim that he might set himself as a chief above them, to order their wisdom and direct them in their Dream.
"And he acceded, saying, "To hear is to obey," and they named him sultan, Chief among Chiefs. And he built a great capital, Mighty Ylaruam of the Glittering Spires, from which he might order the chiefs and emirs according to their request, and that they might visit him and his university, so they, too, might learn the great wisdom of the Eternal.
"And the prophets and sages of Al-Kalim searched the writings of philosophy, science, and magic for the means of making the desert bloom as a garden and the rock to flow with clear springs. What they learned they shared with the chiefs and emirs, and they with their tribes, and the people grew in wealth and comfort.
"And in Al-Kalim's time Ylaruam grew to be a mighty nation and confederacy of tribes. The people flourished, and the land put forth lush green growth, and the herds grew tall and sleek, and there was much wealth and happiness.
"And even as yet today our leaders are reckoned in the councils of the mighty, and our armies are the finest in the world. The roads and tracks of the Alasiyan desert are strung with caravans bearing goods from our renowned craftsmen and from distant lands, and many foreign ports swarm with our seaman merchanters, laden with exotic wares.
"And Al-Kalim's successors, the sultans of Ylaruam, have proved to be wise and generous princes, and their scholars and advisers as shrewd and cunning as Farid, Al-Kalim's clever companion. And even as your mother, the honored Shellyh, rules our tribe with wisdom and generosity, so do the other chiefs and emirs rule their tribes, guided by the Word of the Eternal and the counsellors of the sultan.
"So that, my children, is how it has been and how it is, and, by the will of the Eternal, so it shall be. And that ends your lesson for today
"Now, rise up and brush the dust from your skirts, and hurry in to your supper, or surely Jamila will snatch the beard from my chin for keeping you young whelps from your untidy feasting. Go! "