One day of the days, as I stood at the door of my house, and the heat
was excessive, behold, I saw a fair woman approaching, and with her a
slave-girl carrying a parcel. They gave not over going till they came
up to me, when the woman stopped and asked me, “Hast thou a draught of
water?” Answered I, “Yes, enter the vestibule, O my lady, so thou
mayst drink.” Accordingly she came in and I went up into the house and
fetched two gugglets of earthenware, smoked with musk[464] and full of
cold water. She took one of them and discovered her face, the better
to drink; whereupon I saw that she was as the rising moon or the
resplendent sun and said to her, “O my lady, wilt thou not come up
into the house, so thou mayst rest thyself till the air cool and
afterwards fare thee to thine own place?” Quoth she, “Is there none
with thee?” and quoth I, “Indeed I am a bachelor and have none
belonging to me, nor is there a wight in the site;”[465] whereupon she
said, “An thou be a stranger, thou art he in quest of whom I was going
about.” So she went up into the house and doffed her walking dress and
I found her as she were the full moon. I brought her what I had by me
of food and drink and said to her, “O my lady, excuse me: this is all
that is ready;” and said she, “This is right good[466] and indeed ’tis
what I sought.” Then she ate and gave the slave-girl that which was
left; after which I brought her a casting-bottle of musked rose-water,
and she washed her hands and abode with me till the season of
mid-afternoon prayer, when she brought out of the parcel she had with
her a shirt and trousers and an upper garment[467] and a gold-worked
kerchief and gave them to me; saying, “Know that I am one of the
concubines of the Caliph, and we be forty concubines, each of whom
hath a cicisbeo who cometh to her as often as she would have him; and
none is without a lover save myself, wherefore I came forth this day
to get me a gallant and now I have found thee. Thou must know that the
Caliph lieth each night with one of us, whilst the other
nine-and-thirty concubines take their ease with the nine-and-thirty
masculines, and I would have thee company with me on such a day, when
do thou come up to the palace of the Caliph and sit awaiting me in
such a place, till a little eunuch come out to thee and say to thee a
certain watch-word which is, Art thou Sandal? Answer Yes, and wend
thee with him.” Then she took leave of me and I of her, after I had
strained her to my bosom and thrown my arms round her neck and we had
exchanged kisses awhile. So she fared forth and I abode patiently
expecting the appointed day, till it came, when I arose and went out,
intending for the trysting-place; but a friend of mine met me by the
way and made me go home with him. I accompanied him and when I came up
into his sitting-chamber he locked the door on me and walked out to
fetch what we might eat and drink. He was absent until midday, then
till the hour of mid-afternoon prayer, whereat I was chagrined with
sore concern. Then he was missing till sundown, and I was like to die
of vexation and impatience; and indeed he returned not and I passed my
night on wake, nigh upon death, for the door was locked on me, and my
soul was like to depart my body on account of the assignation. At
daybreak, my friend returned and opening the door, came in, bringing
with him meat-pudding[468] and fritters and bees’ honey, and said to
me, “By Allah, thou must needs excuse me, for that I was with a
company and they locked the door on me and have let me go but this
very moment.” I returned him no reply; however, he set before me that
which was with him and I ate a single mouthful and went out running at
speed so haply I might overtake the rendezvous which had escaped me.
When I came to the palace, I saw over against it eight-and-thirty
gibbets set up, whereon were eight-and-thirty men crucified, and under
them eight-and-thirty[469] concubines as they were moons. So I asked
the cause of the crucifixion of the men and concerning the women in
question, and it was said unto me, “The men thou seest crucified the
Caliph found with yonder damsels, who be his bed-fellows.” When I
heard this, I prostrated myself in thanksgiving to Allah and said,
“The Almighty requite thee with all good, O my friend!” For had he not
invited me and locked me up in his house that night, I had been
crucified with these men, wherefore Alhamdolillah—laud to the Lord!
“On this wise,” (continued Shahrazad), “none is safe from the
calamities of the world and the vicissitudes of Time, and in proof of
this, I will relate unto thee yet another story still rarer and
stranger than this. Know, O king, that one said to me: A friend of
mine, a merchant, told me the following tale of