that therein dwelt a man who was an Emir and who had a son Mohammed
Shalabi[457] hight, a youth in his day unique for beauty and loveliness,
nor in his time was there his peer for comeliness and seemlihead amongst
women or amongst men. Now when he had attained the age of ten and was
approaching puberty, his sire betrothed him and wedded him to a fair
wife who loved him with fondest love even after marriage. There was also
in Misr a Kazi al-’Askar, a Judge of the Army, who had a daughter
singular for form and favour and bloom and brilliancy, and stature and
symmetric grace and she was known as Sitt al-Husn—the Lady of
Loveliness. Now one chance day of the days she went forth together with
her mother and the handmaidens to the Baths and when they reached the
half way behold, they were confronted by the young Shalabi whose glance
fell upon the girl and her glance lit upon the youth, wherefrom love and
affection for him settled in her heart and it was with him after the
same fashion. Presently she began to send him messages and letters and
he to do on like guise, yet could neither win possession of other nor
indeed could the twain meet privately in one place. This endured for the
space of three years therefore were their hearts melted in fire of
mutual love-longing, until on a certain day when desire in the girl
surged high for her lover and likewise did his yearning for his beloved;
withal neither availed to win union. Hereupon befel them sore travail
and trouble and the young lady sent an old woman to her dearling praying
him to meet her in such a site; and when the go-between had informed him
thereof, he arose to obey her without stay or delay, unknowing what was
hidden from him in the Secret Purpose. He fared till he came to the
place in question when it was the hour of sunset and here the Shalabi
forgathered with the Kazi’s daughter who had kept tryst with him
accompanied by her handmaidens; and anon the twain, he and she, repaired
to a retired spot. Now by the decree of the Decreer which is written
upon the foreheads and the brows of mankind, one of the folk belonging
to the Chief of Police was loitering about the place when the couple
entered that secret stead; and as soon as they had settled themselves
comfortably, each began complaining to other of the pangs of separation.
After this the handmaidens brought to them food, meat and wine, and they
ate and drank and toyed and were cheered and made merry from set of sun
till the noon o’ night and they conversed together as boon companions
until either was fulfilled of other and the pains of parting had
vanished from their hearts. Such was the case with the lover and the
beloved; but as regards the Wali’s man who was looking upon them and
listening, he well knew the place wherein the couple had retired and
having noted it and certified himself thereof, he went to the Chief of
Police and made his report saying, “In such a site of such a ward are a
man and a maid whereupon show the signs of affluence, and doubtless an
thou seize them thou shalt easily get from each and either some fifteen
purses.” The Wali hearing these words forthwith led out his party and
marched with them to the spot appointed; and he ceased not wending for
half the night until they all came to the trysting place. Then he pushed
forward axe[458] in hand and smote the door and broke it down; and
forthright he rushed into the room without being expected by the youth
or the young lady whom he found sitting together in the very height of
enjoyment. But when they saw him suddenly appear they were consterned
and confounded and confused as to their affair, so he arrested them and
led them off and carried them to his house, where he placed them in
prison.[459] Forthwith the bruit concerning the youth went abroad and
reached his family; to wit, how Mohammed Shalabi had been seized by the
Chief of Police, together with the girl his beloved. Now after
imprisoning them the Wali said, “This pair shall remain with me for a
day or two days and until I catch them in their robbery;”[460] but quoth
one of the party, “Indeed thou knowest not and thou hast not learnt that
this damsel is the daughter of the Kazi of the Army who throughout the
past year wrought for the slaying of thee by the Sultan.” And hardly had
the Wali heard these words than his heart was filled with joy and he
exclaimed, “By Allah, needs must I have his wench disgraced and
proclaimed by bell[461] about the thoroughfares of Cairo and him
dishonoured in the presence of the Sultan and degraded from his degree.”
Now when it was morning-tide a rumour flew about town that the Judge’s
daughter had been seized by the Wali and the watch together with the
young Shalabi in a certain place and presently the report reached her
father who cried, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great! O Saving God, save me! Oh vile disgrace
and foul dishonour before Sultan and subjects who shall say the Kazi’s
daughter hath been seduced and abused. However may the Veiler enveil
me!” On his part the Wali went up to the Palace and sought the Sovran to
acquaint him therewith; but, finding that he had business, he sat him
down to await its ending when he purposed informing him concerning the
daughter of his enemy the Chief Kazi. On such wise it befel him; but as
regards the wife of the youth who was lover to the girl, as soon as the
rumour reached her that the Shalabi had been arrested by the Wali and
the watch, she arose to her feet without stay and delay and doffing
whatso of woman’s dress was upon her——And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day, and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this
compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the
Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Seven Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that as soon as the Shalabi’s wife was informed
touching her husband how the Wali had seized him in company with the
Kazi’s daughter, she arose forthright and doffing whatso of woman’s
dress was upon her and donning man’s disguise provided herself with
somewhat of provaunt[462] and went forth intending for the gaol in the
Wali’s house. She asked for the road as she went and a man of the people
directed her to the office until she reached the place carrying her
victuals; then she enquired for the gaoler. So they made him meet her
and quoth she, “Open to me the prison wherein they have gaoled the
Shalabi and the maiden,” and she promised him by signs a gold piece;
hereupon he admitted her and she passed into the room where lay her
spouse and the girl and set meat before him. But he knew her not and
cried, “Indeed I will nor eat nor drink, and do thou fare from me and
leave me in this my plight.” Quoth she, “Nay, thou must eat and gladness
shall befal thee.” Accordingly he came forward and ate a small matter
and she after sitting with him for an hour or so, arose and doffed her
man’s dress. Then she stripped the Kazi’s daughter of all the clothes
she was wearing and garbed her in the masculine garb wherewith she had
entered to the twain. The young lady did as she was bidden and showed
likest to the Shalabi’s wife who lastly served her with what remained of
the meat and said to her, “Up with thee and hie thee home.” So the
Kazi’s daughter fared forth under the disguise of a dainty youth such an
one as he who anon had entered the gaol; and as soon as she had wended
her way the wife took seat beside her husband. When he saw her habited
in the habit of the Kazi’s daughter he recognised her and knew her for
his spouse; so he asked of her, “What hath brought thee hither?” and she
answered, “I have come with this contrivance for the purpose of saving
thee and of saving the honour of the girl thou lovest.” But as soon as
the Kazi’s daughter had departed in her disguise the gaoler was deaf to
entreaty and closed the prison doors upon the pair and the Shalabi and
his spouse sat down together and his heart was satisfied and his secret
was safe-directed,[463] and fell from him all the sorrow which had
settled upon his heart. Such was the case with these two; but as regards
the Chief of Police, when he went up to the Sultan and saw that he was
busied he took patience until the work was ended, after which he came
forward and kissed ground before him and salam’d to him and blessed him.
The King returned his salute and then said, “What is to do?” and said
he, “O King of the Age, I found during the past night the Lady Sitt
al-Husn, daughter to the Kazi al-’Askar, companying with her lover a
certain Mohammed Shalabi son of the Emir Such-and-such; so I seized the
couple and confined them by me and now I myself come to report the case
in thy presence.” When the Sultan heard these words, he was wroth with
exceeding wrath and his eyes flashed red and his outer jugulars[464]
swelled and he foamed at the mouth and roaring cried, “How can it be
that the daughter of the Kazi al-Islam companieth with a lover and
alloweth herself to be debauched? By Allah, needs must I slay her and
slay her father and slay the youth her lover.” Thus befel it with the
Sultan and the Wali; but as regards the matter of the girl Sitt al-Husn,
when she went forth the prison in the dress of a Shalabi, a dainty
youth, she ceased not wending till she reached her paternal home. Here
she repaired to a place which was private and having doffed her man’s
dress garbed her in maidenly garments, then retiring secretly to her own
room lay her down and her heart was heartened and trouble and turmoil
and travail of mind fell from her. Now at that time her mother was
lamenting like a funeral mourner and buffeting her face and her breast
and kept crying out, “Oh the shame of us! Oh the dishonour of us! When
they shall have informed the Sultan of this, he shall surely slay her
sire.” And the Kazi waxed distraught and full of thought and he also
said in his mind, “How shall I remain Kazi al-Islam when the folk of
Cairo say:—Verily the daughter of our Lord High Chancellor hath been
debauched?” With these words he kept visiting his wife’s apartment and
sitting with her for awhile, then faring forth and coming in from place
to place[465] and he wandered about like one bewildered of wits. When
behold, a handmaid of the handmaidens entered the room wherein lay the
Kazi’s daughter and finding her strown upon her bed looked upon her and
recognised her. So she left her and running in her haste hied her to the
mistress and cried, “O my lady, indeed Sitt al-Husn of whom you are
talking is lying down in such a room of the Harem.” Thereupon the mother
arose and went and came upon her daughter, so she rejoiced in her and
returning to the Kazi in his apartment acquainted him therewith. He also
repaired to his daughter’s bower and finding her therein quoth he,
“Where hast thou been?” Quoth she, “O my father, my head began to ache
after sunset-time, so I lay me down in this place.” Hereupon without
stay or delay the Kazi took horse, he and his Officials, and repaired to
the Sultan——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister,
Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would
relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Seven Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and goodwill! It hath
reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of
the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy
celebrating, that the Kazi of the Army repaired to the Sultan, he and
the whole of his officials, and he ceased not wending until he entered
the presence, where he salam’d and said, “O King of the Age, is it
lawful and allowed of Allah Almighty that thy Wali charge us with
calumnious charge and false?” As the Chief of Police was standing hard
by, the Sultan asked him, “How can the Wali have misspoken thee and thy
daughter when she is still imprisoned by him and in his house?” whereto
the Chief of Police added, “’Tis true! his daughter is surely with us in
durance vile, she along with her lover, for indeed I found the pair in
such a place.” Said the Kazi, “O King of the Age, I will abide here
beside thee and do thou let the Wali go down and bring before thee that
which is with him in gaol, and the case shall be made manifest, because
hearing with the ear is not like eyeing with the eye.” The Sultan
replied, “This rede is right,” whereupon the Chief of Police returned to
his house and ordered the gaoler to open the gaol and bring thereout the
maiden Sitt al-Husn and her lover the youth Mohammed Shalabi. The man
did his bidding and leading forth of prison the couple committed them to
the Chief of Police who took them and fared with them to the Sovran,
rejoicing the while with all joy. The citizens of Cairo heard of all
this, so they flocked in crowds to solace them with the spectacle; and
when the Wali reached the presence, the maiden and the young man being
with him, he set them before the Sultan. Presently the King asked the
youth saying, “Who mayest thou be, O young man, and who is thy father?”
and answered he, “I am son of such an Emir;” when the King who believed
that she was the daughter of the Chief Kazi continued, “And this maiden
that is with thee, who may she be and whose daughter?” The youth
replied, “This is my wife, O King of the Age,” and the King rejoined,
“How can she be thy wife?” So the youth retorted, “Indeed she is; and
Such-an-one and So-and-so and Such-another together with a host of thy
favoured courtiers wot right well that she is my spouse and that she is
the daughter of So-and-so.” Hereupon they accosted her and bespoke her
and she bespake them, so they recognized her and were certified that she
was lawful wife to the Shalabi. Then asked the King, “How is it that the
Wali arrested thee and her?” and the youth answered, “O King of the Age,
I went out with this my wife intending to enjoy ourselves and, finding a
place that was cheerful and pleasant we tarried there until midnight
when the Wali broke in upon us and seized us, scandalously declaring
that I was companying with the Kazi’s daughter. Then he carried us off
and gaoled us in his house and now (Alhamdolillah!) here we are between
thy hands. So do thou whatso thou will and command according to Holy Law
and whoever shall deserve chastisement deal it to him, for thou art the
lord of our necks and the master of our good.” Now when the youth spake
these words the King bade put to death the Chief of Police and harry his
house and enslave his women and he commanded the Crier before the
execution to cry about the thoroughfares of Cairo in front of the Wali
that he was being led to die and declare, “This is the award of him who
dishonoureth the noble and chargeth the folk with lying charges and
false!” After that they slew the Chief of Police and thus carried out
the King’s commandment.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
The Seven Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that after the Wali had been put to death the Sultan
bestowed his good upon Mohammed Shalabi and having gifted him with
munificent gifts sent him home with his spouse in all honour. And when
the youth returned to his quarters he fell to kissing his wife’s hands
and feet, for that he had been saved at her hands by the stratagem she
had wrought for him and she had preserved the honour of the Kazi’s
daughter and had enabled her father to prevail over his enemy the
Wali.[466] “And now I will relate to thee” (quoth Shahrazad) “another
tale touching the wiles of women;” and thereupon she fell to recounting
the story of
THE FELLAH AND HIS WICKED WIFE.[467]
There was of olden time in the land of Egypt a Fellah, or tiller of the
ground, who had a fair woman to wife and she had another man to friend.
The husband used to sow every year some fifty faddán[468] of
seeding-wheat wherein there was not one barley-grain, and grind it in
the mill and pass this meal to his spouse who would sift it and bolt it.
Then would she take the softest and best of the flour to make thereof
either scones or cakes[469] or something more toothsome which she would
give to her friend and feed him therewith, whereas the refuse of the
flour[470] she would make into loaves for her husband so this bread
would be ruddy-brown of hue.[471] Now every day about dawn-time the
Fellah was wont fare to his field either to ear or to delve and tarry
there working till noon at which time the wife would send him the bread
of bran and refuse flour, whilst to those beside him who wrought as he
did, would be brought from their homes white bread and clean. So they
said, “Ho certain person! thy wheat is from fine sowing-seed, nor is
there in it a barley-corn, how then be your bread like unto barley?”
Quoth he, “I know not.” He remained in such case for a while of time
whilst his wife fed her playmate with all the good food and served to
her husband the vilest of diet, until one chance day of the days the
Fellah took his plough and went off at early dawn to work and wrought
till midday when his wife sent him his dinner of dirty bread. Hereupon
he and his neighbours, who were earing in the same field, took seat and
each one set before him white bread and seeing the Fellah’s scones brown
as barley-meal they marvelled thereat. They had with them a scald-head
boy who was sitting with them at the noon-meal, so they said to the
peasant, “Take thee to servant this youngster and he shall manifest thee
the case wherein thou art from the doings of thy dame.” He obeyed their
bidding——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent
and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
“How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would
relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now
when it was the next night, and that was
The Seven Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other
than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching
of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It
hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,
lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and
worthy celebrating, that the Fellah obeyed their bidding and took with
him the scald-head youngster for house-service and on the second day the
lad fell to grinding at the mill and carried the meal to his mistress
and sat beside her and anon she rose and sifted and bolted the flour;
still he stayed by her stealthily watching her while she kneaded it and
balled it and breaded it. After this he carried off the early meal for
his master and faring to the field set it before him and when the Fellah
looked upon it he cried, “O Boy, by Allah this bread is white and ’tis
clean unlike the foregone.” Quoth he, “O my master, I have ground it
with my own hands and I sat beside my mistress the while she got it
ready, kneading it and baking it, wherefor she availed not to do aught
else with it.” Now when the servant-lad had left the hut her lover came
in asking, “Hast thou made bread for me?” and she answered, “Indeed the
boy with the scald-head ceased not sitting beside me, nor was I able to
bake aught for thee.” But when the lad had gone forth to the field with
his master’s dinner he set it before him and returned in hot haste and
hurry to the house, where he found the friend of his mistress conversing
with her; so he hid himself behind the door and fell to overhearing them
and to noting whatso they said. Amongst other things quoth she, “Take
this quartern of good wheat and clean grain and grind it in this mill
and I will make thee a platter of bread from handrubbed flour[472] which
I will send to thee on the morrow.” Asked he, “How shalt thou know the
field?” and she answered, “Carry with thee a basket of bran and drop the
contents as thou walkest along the highway; then leave it hard by the
land belonging to thee and I will follow the traces and find thee
a-field; and so do thou remain at rest.” All this and the scald-head boy
was standing behind the door hearkening to their words until he had
understood them all. On the next day the lad took a basket of bran which
he scattered on the way to his master’s land and then sat with him
whilst the wife, after baking the platter full of scones, carried it
upon her head and fared forth intending for her lover in the field. She
marked the traces of the bran which the scald-head had dropped and she
ceased not following them until she came to her husband’s field.
Hereupon the lad arose and taking the platter from her said, “By Allah,
O my master, verily my mistress loveth thee and favoureth thee, for that
she hath brought a bannock made from handrubbed grain; and so saying he
set it before him.” Presently she looked out of the corner of her eye
and saw her lover ploughing at a little distance from them; so she said
to her husband, “Allah upon thee, O certain person, call aloud to
so-and-so our neighbour that he may come and eat the noon-meal with
thee.” The man said, “’Tis well;” and presently added, “O Boy, go forth
and shout to such-an-one.” Now the lad had brought with him a parcel of
green dates, so he arose and scattered them at intervals upon the
highway; and when he came to his mistress’s lover he cried aloud, “Do
thou come dine with my master.” But the man refused so to do wherefore
the scald-head returned and said, “He will not;” and hereupon the wife
bade her husband go himself and fetch him. The Fellah trudged along the
highway and finding thereon the scattered dates bowed himself downwards
to gather them when the lover said to himself, “This one is picking up
stones wherewith to beat me;”[473] and as he saw the man often stoop he
fled and left the place, and the more the other cried to him, “Come
hither, O certain person,” the faster sped he in his running.——And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!”
Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Seven Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,