The Tale of al-Barrāq Son of Rawḥān and Laylā the Chaste: A Translation

Abstract

The romance between al-Barrāq and his cousin Laylā unfolds against a backdrop of internecine Arab military skirmishes, where al-Barrāq proves his valour as a warrior. Laylā’s father reneges on a promise to allow the cousins to marry and accepts a proposal from an Arab king. Meanwhile, a Persian king, Shahrmayh, also desires to marry her. Laylā is abducted by a stooge of King Shahrmayh named Burd, who imprisons and tortures her. Laylā then recites a poem in which she describes her suffering and calls on her kinsmen to rescue her. Her poem is overheard by a sympathetic servant and conveyed to al-Barrāq through a series of messengers. Al-Barrāq then appeals to his fellow Arabs to rally to Laylā’s rescue. United, they nearly defeat the Persians, but they are vastly outnumbered. The Arab armies retreat, leaving al-Barrāq alone in enemy territory. Al-Barrāq, through a combination of ruse and might, succeeds in slaying both Burd and King Shahrmayh, frees his beloved from captivity and returns with her astride his horse to Arab lands. At the tale’s end, al-Barrāq and Laylā marry, and it is discovered that she is a virgin, despite all the threats to her chastity.