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 second youth said:——O my lord the Sultan, I

am by calling a merchant man and none of the guild was younger, I having

just entered my sixteenth year. Like my fellows I sold and bought in the

Bazar every day till, one day of the days, a damsel came up to me and

drew near and handed to me a paper which I opened; and behold, it was

full of verses and odes in praise of myself, and the end of the letter

contained the woman’s name professing to be enamoured of me. When I read

it I came down from my shopboard, in my folly and ignorance, and putting

forth my hand seized the girl and beat her till she swooned away.[103]

After this I let her loose and she went her ways and then I fell into a

brown study saying to myself, “Would Heaven I wot whether the girl be

without relations or if she have kith and kin to whom she may complain

and they will come and bastinado me.” And, O our lord the Sultan, I

repented of what I had done whenas repentance availed me naught and this

lasted me for twenty days. At the end of that time as I was sitting in

my shop according to my custom, behold, a young lady entered and she was

sumptuously clad and sweetly scented and she was even as the moon in its

fullness on the fourteenth night. When I gazed upon her my wits fled and

my sane senses and right judgment forsook me and I was incapable of

attending to aught save herself. She then came up and said, “O youth,

hast thou by thee a variety of metal ornaments?” and said I, “O my lady,

of all kinds thou canst possibly require.” Hereupon she wished to see

some anklets which I brought out for her, when she put forth her feet to

me and showing me the calves of her legs said, “O my lord, try them on

me.” This I did. Then she asked for a necklace[104] and I produced one

when she unveiled her bosom and said, “Take its measure on me:” so I set

it upon her and she said, “I want a fine pair of bracelets,” and I

brought to her a pair when, extending her hands and displaying her

wrists she said to me, “Put them on me.” I did so and presently she

asked me, “What may be the price of all these?” when I exclaimed, “O my

lady, accept them from me in free gift;” and this was of the excess of

my love to her, O King of the Age, and my being wholly absorbed in her.

Then quoth I to her, “O my lady, whose daughter art thou?” and quoth

she, “I am the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islám.”[105] I replied, “My

wish, is to ask thee in marriage of thy father,” and she rejoined, “’Tis

well: but, O youth, I would have thee know that when thou askest me from

my sire he will say:——I have but one daughter and she is a cripple and

deformed even as Satíh was.[106] Do thou, however make answer that thou

art contented to accept her and if he offer any remonstrance cry:——I’m

content, content!” I then enquired, “When shall that be?” and she

replied, “To-morrow about undurn hour[107] come to our house and thou

wilt find my sire, the Shaykh al-Islam, sitting with his companions and

intimates. Then ask me to wife.” So we agreed upon this counsel and on

the next day, O our lord the Sultan, I went with several of my comrades

and we repaired, I and they, to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam, whom I

found sitting with sundry Grandees about him. We made our salams which

they returned and they welcomed us and all entered into friendly and

familiar conversation. When it was time for the noon-meal the

table-cloth[108] was spread and they invited us to join them, so we

dined with them and after dinner drank coffee. I then stood up saying,

“O my lord, I am come hither to sue and solicit thee for the lady

concealed and the pearl unrevealed, thy daughter.” But when the Shaykh

al-Islam heard from me these words he bowed his head for awhile

groundwards——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 Sovran suffer me to survive?”

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-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 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 youth resumed:——Now when the Shaykh

al-Islam heard from me those words he bowed his brow groundwards for a

while in deep thought concerning the case of his daughter who was a

cripple and wondrously deformed. For the damsel who had told me of her

had played me a trick and served me a sleight, I all the time knowing

nothing about her guile. Presently he raised his head and said to me,

“By Allah, O my son, I have a daughter but she is helpless.” Quoth I, “I

am content;” and quoth he, “An thou take her to wife after this

description, ’tis on express condition that she be not removed from my

house and thou also shalt pay her the first visit and cohabit with her

in my home.” I replied, “To hear is to obey;” being confident, O King of

the Age, that she was the damsel who had visited my shop and whom I had

seen with my own eyes. Thereupon the Shaykh al-Islam married his

daughter to me and I said in my mind, “By Allah, is it possible that I

am become master of this damsel and shall enjoy to my full her beauty

and loveliness?” But when night fell they led me in procession to the

chamber of my bride; and when I beheld her I found her hideous as her

father had described her, a deformed cripple. At that moment all manner

of cares mounted my back and I was full of fury and groaned with grief

from the core of my heart; but I could not say a word, for that I had

accepted her to wife of my own free will and had declared myself

contented in presence of her sire. So I took seat silently in a corner

of the room and my bride in another, because I could not bring myself to

approach her, she being unfit for the carnal company of man and my soul

could not accept cohabitation with her. And at dawntide, O my lord the

Sultan, I left the house and went to my shop which I opened according to

custom and sat down with my head dizzy like one drunken without wine;

when lo! there appeared before me the young lady who had caused happen

to me that mishap. She came up and salam’d to me but I arose with

sullenness and abused her and cried, “Wherefore, O my lady, hast thou

put upon me such a piece of work?” She replied, “O miserable,[109]

recollect such a day when I brought thee a letter and thou after reading

it didst come down from thy shop and didst seize me and didst trounce me

and didst drive me away.” I replied, “O my lady, prithee pardon me for I

am a true penitent;” and I ceased not to soften her with soothing[110]

words and promised her all weal if she would but forgive me. At last she

deigned excuse me and said, “There is no harm for thee; and, as I have

netted thee, so will I unmesh thee.” I replied, “Allah! Allah![111] O my

lady, I am under thy safeguard;” and she rejoined, “Hie thee to the Aghá

of the Janákilah,[112] the gypsies, give him fifty piastres and say

him:——We desire thee to furnish us with a father and a mother and

cousins and kith and kin, and do thou charge them to say of me, “This is

our cousin and our blood relation.” Then let him send them all to the

house of the Shaykh al-Islam and repair thither himself together with

his followers, a party of drummers and a parcel of pipers. When they

enter his house and the Shaykh shall perceive them and exclaim, What’s

this we’ve here? let the Agha reply, O my lord, we be kinsmen with thy

son-in-law and we are come to gladden his marriage with thy daughter and

to make merry with him. He will exclaim, Is this thy son a gypsey

musician? and do thou explain saying, Aye, verily I am a Jankali; and he

will cry out to thee, O dog, thou art a gypsey and yet durst thou marry

the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam? Then do thou make answer:—O my

lord, ’twas my ambition to be ennobled by thine alliance and I have

espoused thy daughter only that the mean name of Jankali may pass away

from me and that I may be under the skirt of thy protection.” Hereat, O

my lord the Sultan, I arose without stay and delay and did as the damsel

bade me and agreed with the Chiefs of the Gypsies for fifty

piastres.[113] On the second day about noon lo and behold! all the

Janákilah met before the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and they,

a-tom-toming and a-piping and a-dancing, crowded into the courtyard of

the mansion.——And Shahrazad perceived 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 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 Three Hundred and Fifty-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 the youth continued:—So the Janákilah entered

the house of the Shaykh al-Islam all a-drumming and a-dancing. Presently

the family came out and asked, “What is to do? And what be this hubbub?”

The fellows answered, “We are gypsey-folk and our son is in your house

having wedded the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam.” Hearing these words

the family went up and reported to its head, and he, rising from his

seat, descended to the courtyard which he found full of Jankalis. He

enquired of them their need and they told him that the youth, their

kinsman, having married the daughter of the house, they were come to

make merry at the bride-feast. Quoth the Shaykh, “This indeed be a sore

calamity that a gypsey should espouse the daughter of the Shaykh

al-Islam. By Allah, I will divorce her from him.” So he sent after me, O

our lord the Sultan, and asked me saying, “What is thy breed and what

wilt thou take to be off with thyself?” Said I, “A Jankali; and I

married thy daughter with one design namely to sink the mean name of a

gypsey drummer in the honour of connection and relationship with thee.”

He replied, “’Tis impossible that my daughter can cohabit with thee: so

up and divorce her.” I rejoined “Not so: I will never repudiate her.”

Then we fell to quarrelling but the folk interposed between us and

arranged that I should receive forty purses[114] for putting her away.

And when he paid me the moneys I gave her the divorce and took the coin

and went to my shop, rejoicing at having escaped by this contrivance. On

the next day, behold, came the damsel who had taught me the sleight and

saluted me and wished me good morning. I returned her salam and indeed,

O our lord the Sultan, she was a model of beauty and loveliness, stature

and symmetrical grace and my heart was enmeshed in her love for the

excess of her charms and the limpid flow of her speech and the sweetness

of her tongue. So I said to her, “And when this promise?” and said she,

“I am the daughter of Such-and-such, a cook in such a quarter; and do

thou go ask me in marriage of him.” So I rose up with all haste and went

to her father and prayed that he would give her to me. And presently I

wedded her and went in unto her and found her as the full moon of the

fourteenth night and was subjugated by her seemlihead. Such, then, is

the adventure which befel me; but, O my lord the Sultan, the Story of

the Sage Such-an-one and his Scholar is more wonderful and delectable;

for indeed ’tis of the marvels of the age and among the miracles which

have been seen by man. Thereupon the Sovran bade him speak, and the

Second Lunatic proceeded to recount the

_STORY OF THE SAGE AND THE SCHOLAR._[115]

There was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a learned man

who had retired from the world secluding himself in an upper cell of a

Cathedral-mosque, and this place he left not for many days save upon the

most pressing needs. At last a beautiful boy whose charms were

unrivalled in his time went in to him and salam’d to him. The Shaykh

returned the salute and welcomed him with the fairest welcome and

courteously entreated him seating him beside himself. Then he asked him

of his case and whence he came and the boy answered, “O my lord,

question me not of aught nor of my worldly matters, for verily I am as

one who hath fallen from the heavens upon the earth[116] and my sole

object is the honour of tending thee.” The Sage again welcomed him and

the boy served him assiduously for a length of time till he was twelve

years old. Now on one day of the days[117] the lad heard certain of his

fellows saying that the Sultan had a daughter endowed with beauty whose

charms were unequalled by all the Princesses of the age. So he fell in

love with her by hearsay.——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 Sovran suffer me

to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-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 lad who served the Sage fell in love with

the Sultan’s daughter by hearsay. Presently he went in to his master

and told him thereof adding, “O my lord, verily the King hath a

daughter beautiful and lovesome and my soul longeth to look upon her

an it be only a single look.” The Shaykh asked him saying, “Wherefore,

O my son? What have the like of us to do with the daughters of Sovrans

or others? We be an order of eremites and self-contained and we fear

the Kings for our own safety.” And the Sage continued to warn the lad

against the shifts of Time and to divert him from his intent; but the

more words he uttered to warn him and to deter him, the more resolved

he became to win his wish, so that he abode continually groaning and

weeping. Now this was a grievous matter to the good Shaykh who loved

him with an exceeding love passing all bounds; and when he saw him in

this condition he exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is no

Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great.” And his heart was

softened and he had ruth upon the case of his scholar and pitied his

condition, and at last said to him, “O my son, dost thou truly long to

look but a single look at the Sultan’s daughter?” Quoth he, “Yes, O my

lord,” and quoth the other, “Come hither to me.” Accordingly he came

up to him and the Shaykh produced a Kohl-pot and applied the powder to

one of his scholar’s eyes, who behold, forthright became such that all

who saw him cried out, “This is a half-man.”[118] Then the Sage bade

him go about the city and the youth obeyed his commands and fared

forth; but whenas the folk espied him they cried out, “A miracle! a

miracle! this be a half-man!” And the more the youth walked about the

streets the more the folk followed him and gazed upon him for

diversion and marvelled at the spectacle; and as often as the great

men of the city heard of him they sent to summon him and solaced

themselves with the sight and said, “Laud to the Lord! Allah createth

whatso He wisheth and commandeth whatso He willeth as we see in the

fashioning of this half-man.” The youth also looked freely upon the

Haríms of the Grandees, he being fairer than any of them; and this

case continued till the report reached the Sultan who bade him be

brought into the presence, and on seeing him marvelled at the works of

the Almighty. Presently the whole court gathered together to gaze at

him in wonderment and the tidings soon reached the Queen who sent an

Eunuch to fetch him and introduce him into the Serraglio. The women

all admired the prodigy and the Princess looked at him and he looked

at her; so his fascination increased upon him and he said in his

secret soul, “An I wed her not I will slay myself!” After this the

youth was dismissed by the Sultan’s Harim and he, whose heart burned

with love for the King’s daughter, returned home. The Shaykh asked

him, “Hast thou, O my son, seen the Princess?” and he answered, “I

have, O my master; but this one look sufficeth me not, nor can I rest

until I sit by her side and fill myself with gazing upon her.” Quoth

he, “O my child, we be an ascetic folk that shun the world nor have we

aught to do with enmeshing ourselves in the affairs of the Sultan, and

we fear for thee, O my son.” But the youth replied, “O my lord, except

I sit by her side and stroke her neck and shoulders with these my

hands, I will slay myself.” Hereupon the Sage said in his mind, “I

will do whatso I can for this good youth and perchance Allah may

enable him to win his wish.” He then arose and brought out the

Kohl-pot and applied the powder to his scholar’s either eye; and, when

it had settled therein, it made him invisible to the ken of man. Then

he said, “Go forth, O my son, and indulge thy desire; but return again

soon and be not absent too long.” Accordingly the youth hastened to

the Palace and entering it looked right and left, none seeing him the

while, and proceeded to the Harem where he seated himself beside the

daughter of the Sultan. Still none perceived him until, after a time,

he put forth his hand and softly stroked her neck. But as soon as the

Princess felt the youth’s touch, she shrieked a loud shriek heard by

all ears in the Palace and cried “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan

the stoned!” At this proceeding on the girl’s part all asked her

saying, “What is to do with thee?” Whereto she answered, “Verily some

Satan hath this instant touched me on the neck.” Upon this her mother

was alarmed for her and sent for her nurse[119] and when informed of

what had befallen the girl the old woman said, “If there be aught of

Satans here naught is so sovereign a specific to drive them away and

keep them off as the smoke of camel’s dung.”[120] Then she arose and

brought thereof a quantity which was thrown into the fire and

presently it scented and pervaded the whole apartment. All this and

the Youth still sat there without being seen. But when the dung-smoke

thickened, his eyes brimmed and he could not but shed tears, and the

more smoke there was the more his eyes watered and big drops flowed

till at last all the Kohl was washed off and trickled down with the

tears. So he became visible amiddlemost the royal Harem; and, when the

dames descried him, all shrieked one shriek, each at other, upon which

the Eunuchry rushed in; then, finding the young man still seated

there, they laid hands upon him and haled him before the Sultan to

whom they reported his crime and how he had been caught lurking in the

King’s Serraglio a-sitting beside the Princess. Hearing this, the

Sovran bade summon the Headsman and committed to him the criminal

bidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit bepatched

with flame-colour;[121] then, to set him upon a camel and, after

parading him through Cairo city and all the streets, to put him to

death. Accordingly the executioner took the Youth.——And Shahrazad

perceived 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 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 Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth 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 Linkman took the youth and fared forth with

him from the palace: then he looked at him and found him fair of form

and favour, a sans peer in loveliness, and he observed that he showed no

fear nor shrinking from death. So he had pity upon him and his heart

yearned to him and he said in his mind, “By Allah, attached to this

young man is a rare history.” Then he brought a leathern gown which he

put upon him, and the flamey black habit which he passed over his arms:

and setting him upon a camel as the Sultan had commanded, at last

carried him in procession crying out the while, “This is the award and

the least award of him who violateth the Harem of the King;” and he

threaded the streets till they came to the square before the great

Mosque wherein was the Shaykh. Now as all the folk were enjoying the

spectacle, the Sage looked out from the window of his cell and beheld

the condition of his scholar. He was moved to ruth and reciting a spell

he summoned the Jánn and bade them snatch the young man off the camel’s

back with all care and kindness and bring him to his cell; and he also

commanded an ’Aun of the ’Auns[122] to seize some oldster and set him

upon the beast in lieu of the Youth. They did as he bid them for that he

had taken fealty of the Jánn and because of his profound studies in the

Notaricon[123] and every branch of the art magical. And when all the

crowd saw the youth suddenly transformed into a grey-beard they were

awe-stricken and cried, “Alhamdolillah—laud to the Lord—the young man

hath become an old man!” They then looked again and behold, they saw a

person well-known amongst the lieges, one who had long been wont to sell

greens and colocasia at the hostelry gate near the Cathedral-mosque. Now

the headsman noting this case was confounded with sore affright; so he

returned to the palace with the oldster seated on the camel and went in

to the Sultan followed by all the city-folk who were gazing at the

spectacle. Then he stood before the King and the eunuchry and did homage

and prayed for the Sovran and said, “O our lord the Sultan, verily the

Youth hath vanished, and in lieu of him is this Shaykh well known to the

whole city.” Hearing these words the King was startled; sore fear

entered his heart and he said to himself, “Whoso hath been able to do

this deed can do e’en more: he can depose me from my kingship or he can

devise my death.” So his affright increased and he was at a loss how to

contrive for such case. Presently he summoned his Minister and when he

came into the presence said to him, “O Wazir, advise me how to act in

the affair of this Youth and what measures should be taken.” The

Minister bowed his brow groundwards in thought for a while, then raising

it he addressed the Sultan and said, “O King of the Age, this be a thing

beyond experience, and the doer must be master of a might we comprehend

not and haply he may work thee in the future some injury and we fear

from him for thy daughter. Wherefore the right way is that thou issue a

royal autograph and bid the Crier go round about the city and cry

saying:—Let him who hath wrought this work appear before the King under

promise of safety and again safety—safety on the word of a Sultan which

shall never be falsed. Should the Youth then surrender himself, O King

of the Age, marry him to thy daughter when perhaps his mind may be

reconciled to thee by love of her. He hath already cast eyes upon her

and he hath seen the inmates of thy Harem unrobed, so that naught can

save their honour but his being united with the Princess.” Hereupon the

Sultan indited an autographic rescript and placed it in the Crier’s

hands even as the Wazir had counselled: and the man went about the

streets proclaiming, “By Command of the just King! whoso hath done this

deed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under promise of

safety and again safety, the safety of sovereigns—safety on the word of

a Sultan which shall never be falsed.” And the Crier ceased not crying

till in fine he reached the square fronting the great Mosque. The Youth

who was standing there heard the proclamation and returning to his

Shaykh said “O my lord, the Crier hath a rescript from the Sultan and he

crieth saying, Whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and

come to the Palace under promise of safety and again safety—safety on

the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed. And, I must go to him

perforce.” Said the Sage, “O my son, why shouldst thou do on such wise?

Hast thou not already suffered thy sufficiency?” But the young man

exclaimed, “Nothing shall prevent my going;” and at this the Shaykh

replied, “Go then, O my son, and be thy safeguarding with the Living,

the Eternal.” Accordingly, the Youth repaired to the Hammam and having

bathed attired himself in the richest attire he owned, after which he

went forth and discovered himself to the Crier who led him to the Palace

and set him before the Sovran. He salamed to the Sultan and did him

obeisance and prayed for his long life and prosperity in style the most

eloquent, and proffered his petition in verse the most fluent. The

Sultan looked at him (and he habited in his best and with all of beauty

blest), and the royal mind was pleased and he enquired saying, “Who art

thou, O Youth?” The other replied, “I am the Half-man whom thou sawest

and I did the deed whereof thou wottest.” As soon as the King heard this

speech he entreated him with respect and bade him sit in the most

honourable stead, and when he was seated the twain conversed together.

The Sultan was astounded at his speech and they continued their

discourse till they touched upon sundry disputed questions of learning,

when the Youth proved himself as superior to the Sovran as a dinar is to

a dirham: and to whatever niceties of knowledge the monarch asked, the

young man returned an all-sufficient answer, speaking like a book. So

the Sultan abode confounded at the eloquence of his tongue and the

purity of his phrase and the readiness of his replies; and he said in

his mind, “This Youth is as worthy to become my daughter’s mate as she

is meet to become his helpmate.” Then he addressed him in these words,

“O Youth, my wish is to unite thee with my daughter and after thou hast

looked upon her and her mother none will marry her save thyself.” The

other replied, “O King of the Age, I am ready to obey thee, but first I

must take counsel of my friends.” The King rejoined, “No harm in that:

hie thee home and ask their advice.” The Youth then craved leave to

retire and repairing to his Shaykh,——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 Sovran

suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Sixtieth 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 Youth then craved leave to retire and,

repairing to his Shaykh, informed him of what had passed between himself

and the Sultan and said to him, “’Tis also my wish, O my lord, to marry

his daughter.” The Sage replied, “There be no fault herein if it be

lawful wedlock: fare thee forth and ask her in marriage.” Quoth the

Youth, “But I, O my lord, desire to invite the King to visit us;” and

quoth the Sage, “Go invite him, O my son, and hearten thy heart.” The

Youth replied, “O my lord, since I first came to thee and thou didst

honour me by taking me into thy service, I have known none other home

save this narrow cell wherein thou sittest, never stirring from it or by

night or by day. How can we invite the King hither?” The Sage rejoined,

“O my son, do thou go invite him relying upon Allah, the Veiler who

veileth all things, and say to him:——My Shaykh greeteth thee with the

salam and inviteth thee to visit him next Friday.” Accordingly, the

Youth repaired to the King and saluted him and offered his service and

blessed him with most eloquent tongue and said, “O King of the Age, my

Shaykh greeteth thee and sayeth to thee:——Come eat thy pottage[124] with

us next Friday,” whereto the Sultan replied, “Hearing is consenting.”

Then the Youth returned to the Sage and waited upon him according to

custom, longing the while for the coming of Friday. On that day the Sage

said to the Youth, “O my son, arise with me and I will show thee what

house be ours, so thou mayst go fetch the King.” Then he took him and

the two walked on till they came upon a ruin in the centre of the city

and the whole was in heaps, mud, clay, and stones. The Sage looked at it

and said, “O my son, this is our mansion; do thou hie thee to the King

and bring him hither.” But the Youth exclaimed, “O my lord, verily this

be a ruinous heap! How then can I invite the Sultan and bring him to

such an ill place? This were a shame and a disgrace to us.” Quoth the

Sage, “Go and dread thou naught.” Upon this the Youth departed saying in

himself, “By Allah, my Shaykh must be Jinn-mad and doubtless he

confoundeth in his insanity truth and untruth.” But he stinted not

faring till he reached the Palace and went in to the Sultan whom he

found expecting him; so he delivered the message, “Deign honour us, O my

lord, with thy presence.”[125] Hereupon the King arose without stay or

delay and took horse, and all the lords of the land also mounted,

following the Youth to the place where he told them his Shaykh abode.

But when they drew near it they found a royal mansion and eunuchry

standing at the gates in costliest gear as if robed from a talismanic

hoard. When the young man saw this change of scene, he was awe-struck

and confounded in such way that hardly could he keep his senses, and he

said to himself, “But an instant ago I beheld with mine own eyes this

very place a ruinous heap: how then hath it suddenly become on this same

site a Palace such as belongeth not to our Sultan? But I had better keep

the secret to myself.” Presently the King alighted as also did his

suite, and entered the mansion, and whenas he inspected it he marvelled

at the splendour of the first apartment, but the more narrowly he looked

the more magnificent he found the place, and the second more sumptuous

than the first. So his wits were bewildered thereat till he was ushered

into a spacious speak-room where they found the Shaykh sitting on one

side of the chamber[126] to receive them. The Sultan salam’d to him

whereupon the Sage raised his head and returned his greeting but did not

rise to his feet. The King then sat him down on the opposite side when

the Shaykh honoured him by addressing him and was pleased to converse

with him on various themes; all this while the royal senses being

confounded at the grandeur around him and the rarities in that Palace.

Presently the Shaykh said to his Scholar, “Knock thou at this door and

bid our breakfast be brought in.” So the young man arose and rapped and

called out “Bring in the breakfast;” when lo! the door was opened and

there came out of it an hundred Mamelukes[127] of the Book, each bearing

upon his head a golden tray, whereon were set dishes of precious metals;

and these, which were filled with breakfast-meats of all kinds and

colours, they ranged in order before the Sultan. He was surprised at the

sight for that he had naught so splendid in his own possession; but he

came forwards and ate, as likewise did the Shaykh and all the courtiers

till they were satisfied. And after this they drank coffee and sherbets,

and the Sultan and the Shaykh fell to conversing on questions of lore:

the King was edified by the words of the Sage who on his part sat

respectfully between the Sovran’s hands. Now when it was well nigh noon,

the Shaykh again said to his Scholar, “Knock thou at that door and bid

our noon-day meal be brought in.” He arose and rapped and called out,

“Bring in the dinner;” when lo! the door opened of itself and there came

out of it an hundred white slaves all other than the first train and

each bearing a tray upon his head. They spread the Sufrah-cloth before

the Sultan and ranged the dishes, and he looked at the plates and

observed that they were of precious metals and stones; whereat he was

more astonished than before and he said to himself, “In very deed this

be a miracle!” So all ate their sufficiency when basins and ewers, some

of gold and others of various noble ores, were borne round and they

washed their hands, after which the Shaykh said, “O King, at how much

hast thou valued for us the dower of thy daughter?” The Sovran replied,

“My daughter’s dower is already in my hands.” This he said of his

courtesy and respect, but the Shaykh replied, “Marriage is invalid save

with a dower.” He then presented to him a mint of money and the tie of

wedlock was duly tied; after which he rose and brought for his guest a

pelisse of furs such as the Sultan never had in his treasury and

invested him therewith and he gave rich robes to each and every of his

courtiers according to their degree. The Sultan then took leave of the

Shaykh and accompanied by the Scholar returned to the Palace.——And

Shahrazad perceived 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 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 Three Hundred and Sixty-first 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 Sultan took with him the Scholar and they

fared till they reached the citadel and entered the Palace, during which

time the King was pondering the matter and wondering at the affair. And

when night came he bade them get ready his daughter that the first visit

might be paid to her by the bridegroom. They did his bidding and carried

the Youth in procession to her and he found the apartment bespread with

carpets and perfumed with essences; the bride, however was absent. So he

said in his mind, “She will come presently albeit now she delayeth;” and

he ceased not expecting her till near midnight, whilst the father and

the mother said, “Verily the young man hath married our daughter and now

sleepeth with her.” On this wise the Youth kept one reckoning and the

Sultan and his Harem kept another till it was hard upon dawn——all this

and the bridegroom watched in expectation of the bride. Now when the day

brake, the mother came to visit her child expecting to see her by the

side of her mate; but she could not find a trace of her, nor could she

gather any clear tidings of her. Accordingly she asked the Youth, her

son-in-law, who answered that since entering the apartment he had

expected his bride but she came not to him nor had he seen a sign of

her. Hereupon the Queen shrieked and rose up calling aloud upon her

daughter, for she had none other child save that one. The clamour

alarmed the Sultan who asked what was to do and was informed that the

Princess was missing from the Palace and had not been seen after she had

entered it at eventide. Thereupon he went to the Youth and asked him

anent her, but he also told him that he had not found her when the

procession led him into the bridal chamber. Such was the case with

these; but as regards the Princess, when they conducted her to the

bridal room before the coming of the bridegroom, a Jinni[128] of the

Márids, who often visited the royal Harem, happened to be there on the

marriage-night and was so captivated by the charms of the bride that he

took seat in a corner, and upon her entering and before she was ware

snatched her up and soared with her high in air. And he flew with her

till he reached a pleasant place of trees and rills some three months’

journey from the city, and in that shady place he set her down. But he

wrought her no bodily damage and every day he would bring her whatso she

wanted of meat and drink and solaced her by showing her the rills and

trees. Now this Jinni had changed his shape to that of a fair youth

fearing lest his proper semblance affright her, and the girl abode in

that place for a space of forty days. But the father, after failing to

find his daughter, took the Youth and repaired to the Shaykh in his

cell, and he was as one driven mad as he entered and complained of the

loss of his only child. The Shaykh hearing these words dove into the

depths of meditation for an hour: then he raised his head and bade them

bring before him a chafing-dish of lighted charcoal. They fetched all he

required and he cast into the fire some incenses over which he

pronounced formulæ of incantation, and behold! the world was turned

topsy-turvy and the winds shrieked and the earth was canopied by

dust-clouds whence descended at speed winged troops bearing standards

and colours.[129] And amiddlemost of them appeared three Sultans of the

Jánn all crying out at once, “Labbayka! Labbayka! Adsumus, hither we

speed to undertake thy need.” The Shaykh then addressed them, saying,

“My commandment is that forthright ye bring me the Jinni who hath

snatched away the bride of my son,” and they said, “To hear is to obey,”

and at once commanded fifty of their dependent Jinns to reconduct the

Princess to her chamber and to hale the culprit before them. These

orders were obeyed: they disappeared for an hour or so and suddenly

returned, bringing the delinquent Jinni in person; but as for the

Sultan’s daughter, ten of them conveyed her to her Palace, she wotting

naught of them and not feeling aught of fear. And when they set the

Jinni before the Shaykh, he bade the three Sultans of the Jann burn him

to death and so they did without stay or delay. All this was done whilst

the Sovran sat before the Shaykh, looking on and listening and

marvelling at the obedience of that host and its Sultans and their

subjection and civil demeanour in presence of the Elder. Now as soon as

the business ended after perfectest fashion, the Sage recited over them

a spell and all went their several ways; after which he bade the King

take the Youth and conduct him to his daughter. This bidding was obeyed

and presently the bridegroom abated the maidenhead of the bride, what

while her parents renewed their rejoicings over the recovery of their

lost child. And the Youth was so enamoured of the Princess that he

quitted not the Harem for seven consecutive days. On the eighth the

Sultan was minded to make a marriage-banquet and invited all the

city-folk to feast for a whole month and he wrote a royal rescript and

bade proclaim with full publicity that, according to the commands of the

King’s majesty, the wedding-feast should continue for a month, and that

no citizen, be he rich or be he poor, should light fire or trim lamp in

his own domicile during the wedding of the Princess; but that all must

eat of the royal entertainment until the expiry of the fête. So they

slaughtered beeves and stabbed camels in the throat and the kitcheners

and carpet-spreaders were commanded to prepare the stables, and the

officers of the household were ordered to receive the guests by night

and by day. Now one night King Mohammed of Cairo said to his Minister,

“O Wazir, do thou come with me in changed costume and let us thread the

streets and inspect and espy the folk: haply some of the citizens have

neglected to appear at the marriage-feast.” He replied, “To hear is to

obey.” So the twain after exchanging habits for the gear of Persian

Darwayshes went down to the city and there took place

_THE NIGHT-ADVENTURE OF SULTAN MOHAMMED OF CAIRO._[130]

The Sultan and the Wazir threaded the broadways of the city and they

noted the houses and stood for an hour or so in each and every greater

thoroughfare, till they came to a lane, a cul-de-sac wherethrough none

could pass, and behold, they hit upon a house containing a company of

folk. Now these were conversing and saying, “By Allah, our Sultan hath

not acted wisely nor hath he any cause to be proud, since he hath made

his daughter’s bride-feast a vanity and a vexation and the poor are

excluded therefrom. He had done better to distribute somewhat of his

bounty amongst the paupers and the mesquin, who may not enter his palace

nor can they obtain aught to eat.” Hearing this the Sultan said to the

Wazir, “By Allah, needs must we enter this place;” and the Minister

replied, “Do whatso thou willest.” Accordingly the King went up to the

door and knocked, when one came out and asked, “Who is at the door?” The

Sultan answered, “Guests;” and the voice rejoined, “Welcome to the

guests;” and the door was thrown open. Then they went in till they

reached the sittingroom where they found three men of whom one was lame,

the second was broken-backed and the third was split-mouthed.[131] And

all three were sitting together in that place. So he asked them,

“Wherefore sit ye here, ye three, instead of going to the Palace?” and

they answered him, “O Darwaysh, ’tis of the weakness of our wits!” The

King then turned to his Minister and said, “There is no help but thou

must bring these three men into my presence, as soon as the

wedding-fêtes be finished, that I may enquire into what stablished their

imbecility.”——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 Sovran suffer me to survive?”

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Sixty-second 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 Sultan said to the Wazir, “Needs must thou

bring these three men into my presence, as soon as the wedding-fêtes be

finished, and we will enquire into what proved their imbecility.” Then

quoth the King to them, “Wherefore fare ye not, ye three, and eat of the

royal banquet day by day?” and quoth they, “O Darwaysh, we are crippled

folk who cannot go and come, for this be grievous to us; but, an the

Sultan would assign to us somewhat of victual, and send it hither, we

would willingly eat thereof.” He rejoined, “What knoweth the Sultan that

ye sit in this place?” and they retorted, “Ye be Darwayshes who enter

everywhere: so when ye go in to him, tell him our tale; haply shall

Almighty Allah incline his heart uswards.” The King asked them, “Be you

three ever sitting together in this stead?” and they answered, “Yea,

verily: we never leave one another by night or by day.” Then the King

and the Minister rose up and having presented them with a few silvers

took leave and departed. Now it was midnight when they reached a

tenement wherein sat three girls with their mother spinning and eating;

and each one appeared fairer than her fellows, and at times they sang

and then they laughed and then they talked. The Sultan said to the

Wazir, “There is no help but we enter to these damsels;” whereto the

Minister replied “What have we to do with going near them? Let them be

as they are!” The Sultan, however, rejoined, “Needs must we enter,” and

the Wazir retorted, “Hearkening and obedience;” and he rapped at the

door when one of the sisterhood cried out, “Who knocketh in this gloom

of the night?” The Minister answered, “We are two Darwayshes, guests and

strangers;” and the girl rejoined, “We are maidens with our mother and

we have no men in our house who can admit you; so fare ye to the

marriage-feast of the Sultan and become ye his guests.” The Minister

continued, “We are foreigners and we know not the way to the Palace and

we dread lest the Chief of Police happen upon us and apprehend us at

this time o’ night. We desire that you afford us lodging till daylight

when we will go about our business and you need not expect from us aught

save respect and honourable treatment.” Now when the mother heard this,

she pitied them and bade one daughter open the door. So the damsel threw

it open and the Sultan and Wazir entered and salam’d and sat down to

converse together; but the King gazed upon the sisters and marvelled at

their beauty and their loveliness, and said in his mind, “How cometh it

that these maidens dwell by themselves unmated and they in such case?”

So quoth he to them, “How is it ye lack husbands, you being so

beautiful, and that ye have not a man in the house?” Quoth the youngest,

“O Darwaysh, hold thy tongue[132] nor ask us of aught, for our story is

wondrous and our adventures marvellous. But ’ware thy words and shorten

thy speech; verily hadst thou been the Sultan and thy companion the

Wazir an you heard our history haply ye had taken compassion upon our

case.” Thereupon the King turned to the Minister and said, “Up with us

and wend we our ways; but first do thou make sure of the place and affix

thy mark upon the door.” Then the twain rose up and fared forth but the

Wazir stood awhile and set a sign upon the entrance and there left his

imprint; after which the twain returned to the Palace. Presently the

youngest sister said to her mother, “By Allah, I fear lest the

Darwayshes have made their mark upon our door to the end that they may

recognise it by day; for haply the twain may be the King and his

Minister.” “What proof hast thou of this?” asked the mother, and the

daughter answered, “Their language and their questioning which were

naught save importunity!” And saying this she went to the door where she

found the sign and mark. Now besides the two houses to the right and to

the left were fifteen doors, so the girl marked them all with the same

mark set by the Wazir.[133] But when Allah had caused the day to dawn,

the King said to the Minister, “Go thou and look at the sign and make

sure of it.” The Wazir went as he was commanded by the Sultan, but he

found all the doors marked in the same way, whereat he marvelled and

knew not nor could he distinguish the door he sought. Presently he

returned and reported the matter of the door-marks to the King who

cried, “By Allah, these girls must have a curious history! But when the

bride-feast is finished we will enquire into the case of the three men

who are weakwitlings and then we will consider that of the damsels who

are not.” As soon as the thirtieth feast-day passed by, he invested with

robes of honour all the Lords of his land and the high Officers of his

estate and matters returned to their customed course. Then he sent to

summon the three men who had professed themselves weak of wits and they

were brought into the presence, each saying of himself, “What can the

King require of us?” When they came before him he bade them be seated

and they sat; then he said to them, “My requirement is that ye relate to

me proofs of the weakness of your minds and the reason of your maims.”

Now the first who was questioned was he of the broken back, and when the

enquiry was put to him he said, “Deign to favour me with an answer O our

Lord the Sultan, on a matter which passed through my mind.” He replied,

“Speak out and fear not!” So the other enquired, “How didst thou know us

and who told thee of us and of our weakly wits?” Quoth the King, “’Twas

the Darwaysh who went in to you on such a night;” and quoth the

broken-backed man, “Allah slay all the Darwayshes who be tattlers and

tale-carriers!” Thereupon the Sultan turned to the Wazir and laughing

said, “We will not reproach them for aught: rather let us make fun of

them,” adding to the man, “Recite, O Shaykh.” So he fell to telling

_THE STORY OF THE BROKE-BACK SCHOOLMASTER._[134]

I began life, O King of the Age, as a Schoolmaster and my case was

wondrous.——And Shahrazad perceived 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 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 Three Hundred and Sixty-third Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other

than sleeping, 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 Shaykh continued.——I began life, O my lord,

as a Schoolmaster, and my tale with the boys was wondrous. They numbered

from sixty to seventy, and I taught them to read and I inculcated due

discipline and ready respect esteeming these a part of liberal

education; nor did I regard, O King of the Age, the vicissitudes of Time

and Change; nay, I held them with so tight a rein that whenever the boys

heard me sneeze[135] they were expected to lay down their

writing-tablets and stand up with their arms crossed and exclaim, “Allah

have ruth upon thee, O our lord!” whereto I would make reply, “Allah

deign pardon us and you!” And if any of the lads failed or delayed to

join in this prayer I was wont to bash him with a severe bashing. One

day of the days they asked leave to visit the outskirts of the town for

liberty and pleasuring[136] and when I granted it they clubbed their

pittances for a certain sum of money to buy them a noon-day meal. So we

went forth to the suburbs and there found verdure and water, and we

enjoyed ourselves that day with perfect enjoyment until mid-afternoon

when we purposed to return homewards. Accordingly, the boys collected

their belongings and laded them upon an ass and we walked about half-way

when behold, the whole party, big and little, stood still and said to

me, “O our lord, we are athirst and burning with drowthiness, nor can we

stir from this spot and if we leave it without drinking we shall all

die.” Now there was in that place a draw-well, but it was deep and we

had nor pitcher nor bucket nor aught wherein to draw water and the

scholars still suffered from exceeding thirst. We had with us, however,

cooking-gear such as chauldrons and platters; so I said to them, “O

boys, whoso carrieth a cord or hath bound his belongings with one let

him bring it hither!” They did my bidding and I tied these articles

together and spliced them as strongly as I could: then said I to the

lads, “Bind me under the armpits.” Accordingly they made me fast by

passing the rope around me and I took with me a chauldron, whereupon

they let me down bucket-wise into the well till I reached the water.

Then I loosed the bandage from under my armpits and tied it to the

chauldron which I filled brim-full and shook the rope for a signal to

the boys above. They haled at the vessel till they pulled it up and

began drinking and giving drink; and on this wise they drew a first

chauldron and a second and a third and a fourth till they were satisfied

and could no more and cried out to me, “We have had enough, quite

enough.” Hereupon I bound the bandage under my armpits, as it was when I

went down, and I shook it as a signal and they haled me up till I had

well-nigh reached the kerbstone of the well when a fit of sneezing

seized me and I sneezed violently. At this all let go their hold and

carrying their arms over their breasts, cried aloud, “Allah have ruth

upon thee, O our lord!” but I, as soon as they loosed hold, fell into

the depths of the well and brake my back. I shrieked for excess of agony

and all the boys ran on all sides screaming for aid till they were heard

by some wayfaring folk; and these haled at me and drew me out. They

placed me upon the ass and bore me home: then they brought a leach to

medicine me and at last I became even as thou seest me, O Sultan of the

Age. Such, then, is my story showing the weakness of my wits; for had I

not enjoined and enforced over-respect the boys would not have let go

their hold when I happened to sneeze nor would my back have been broken.

“Thou speakest sooth, O Shaykh,” said the Sultan, “and indeed thou hast

made evident the weakness of thy wit.” Then quoth he to the man who was

cloven of mouth. “And thou, the other, what was it split thy gape?” “The

weakness of my wit, O my lord the Sultan,” quoth he, and fell to telling

the

_STORY OF THE SPLIT-MOUTHED SCHOOLMASTER._[137]

I also began life, O King of the Age, as a schoolmaster and had under my

charge some eighty boys. Now I was strict with such strictness that from

morning to evening I sat amongst them and would never dismiss them to

their homes before sundown. But ’tis known to thee, O our lord the King,

that boys’ wits be short after the measure of their age, and that they

love naught save play and forgathering in the streets and quarter.

Withal, I took no heed of this and ever grew harder upon them till one

day all met and with the intervention of the eldest Monitor they agreed

and combined to play me a trick. He arranged with them that next morning

none should enter the school until he had taught them, each and every,

to say as they went in, “Thy safety, O our lord, how yellow is thy

face!” Now the first who showed himself was the Monitor and he spoke as

had been agreed; but I was rough with him and sent him away; then a

second came in and repeated what the first had said; then a third and

then a fourth, until ten boys had used the same words. So quoth I to

myself, “Ho, Such-an-one! thou must be unwell without weeting it:” then

I arose and went into the Harem and lay down therein when the Monitor,

having collected from his school-fellows some hundred-and-eighty

Nusfs,[138] came in to me and cried, “Take this, O our lord, and expend

the money upon thy health.” Thereupon I said to myself, “Ho,

Such-an-one! every Thursday[139] thou dost not collect sixty Faddahs

from the boys,” and I cried to him, “Go, let them forth for a holiday.”

So he went and dismissed them from school to the playground. On the next

day he collected as much as on the first and came in to me and said,

“Expend these moneys, O our lord, upon thy health.” He did the same on

the third day and the fourth, making the boys contribute much coin and

presenting it to me; and on such wise he continued till the tenth day,

when he brought the money as was his wont. At that time I happened to

hold in my hand a boiled egg which I purposed eating, but on sighting

him I said in myself, “An he see thee feeding he will cut off the

supplies.” So I crammed the egg into my chops——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 Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and

that was

The Three Hundred and Sixty-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 the Schoolmaster said to himself, “If the Monitor see

me eating the egg now in thy hand he will cut off the supplies and

assert thee to be sound.” So (continued he) I crammed the egg into my

chops and clapped my jaws together. Hereupon the lad turned to me and

cried, “O my lord, thy cheek is much swollen;” and I, “’Tis only an

imposthume.” But he drew a whittle[140] forth his sleeve and coming up

to me seized my cheek and slit it, when the egg fell out and he said, “O

my lord, this it was did the harm and now ’tis passed away from thee.”

Such was the cause of the splitting of my mouth, O our lord the Sultan.

Now had I cast away greed of gain and eaten the egg in the Monitor’s

presence, what could have been the ill result? But all this was of the

weakness of my wit; for also had I dismissed the boys every day about

mid-afternoon, I should have gained naught nor lost aught thereby.

However the Dealer of Destiny is self-existent, and this is my case.

Then the Sultan turned to the Wazir and laughed and said, “The fact is

that whoso schooleth boys is weak of wit;” and said the other, “O King

of the Age, all pedagogues lack perceptives and reflectives; nor can

they become legal witnesses before the Kazi because verily they credit

the words of little children without evidence of the speech being or

factual or false. So their reward in the world to come must be

abounding!”[141] Then the Sultan asked the limping man, saying, “And

thou, the other, what lamed thee?” So he began to tell

_THE STORY OF THE LIMPING SCHOOLMASTER._[142]

My tale, O my lord the Sultan, is marvellous and ’twas as follows. My

father was by profession a schoolmaster and, when he fared to the ruth

of Almighty Allah, I took his place in the school and taught the boys to

read after the fashion of my sire. Now over the schoolroom was an upper

lattice whereto planks had been nailed and I was ever casting looks at

it till one chance day I said to myself, “By Allah, this lattice thus

boarded up needs must contain hoards or moneys or manuscripts which my

father stored there before his decease; and on such wise I am deprived

of them.” So I arose and brought a ladder and lashed it to another till

the two together reached the lattice and I clomb them holding a

carpenter’s adze[143] wherewith I prized up the planks until all were

removed. And behold, I then saw a large fowl, to wit, a kite,[144]

setting upon her nestlings. But when she saw me she flew sharply in my

face and I was frightened by her and thrown back; so I tumbled from the

ladder-top to the ground and brake both knee-caps. Then they bore me

home and brought a leach to heal me; but he did me no good and I fell

into my present state. Now this, O our lord the Sultan, proveth the

weakness of my wit and the greatness of my greed; for there is a saw

amongst men that saith “Covetise aye wasteth and never gathereth: so

’ware thee of covetise.” Such, O lord of the Age and the Time, is my

tale. Hereupon the King bade gifts and largesse be distributed to the

three old schoolmasters, and when his bidding was obeyed they went their

ways. Then the Sultan turned to the Minister and said, “O Wazir, now

respecting the matter of the three maidens and their mother, I would

have thee make enquiry and find out their home and bring them hither; or

let us go to them in disguise and hear their history, for indeed it must

be wonderful. Otherwise how could they have understood that we served

them that sleight by marking their door and they on their part set marks

of like kind upon all the doors of the quarter that we might lose the

track and touch of them. By Allah, this be rare intelligence on the part

of these damsels: but we, O Wazir, will strive to come upon their

traces.” Then the Minister fared forth, after changing his dress and

demeanour, and walked to the quarter in question, but found all the

doors similarly marked. So he was sore perplext concerning his case and

fell to questioning all the folk wont to pass by these doors but none

could give him any information; and he walked about sore distraught

until eventide, when he returned to the Sultan without aught of profit.

As he went in to the presence, his liege lord asked him saying, “What

bringest thou of tidings?” and he answered, “O King, I have not found

the property,[145] but there passed through my mind a stratagem which,

an we carry it out, peradventure shall cause us to happen upon the

maidens.” Quoth the Sultan, “What be that?” and quoth he, “Do thou write

me an autograph-writ and give it to the Crier that he may cry about the

city:—Whoso lighteth wick after supper-tide shall have his head set

under his heels.” The Sultan rejoined, “This thy rede is right.”

Accordingly, on the next day the King wrote his letter and gave it to

the Crier bidding him fare through the city and forbid the lighting of

lamps after night-prayers; and the man took the royal rescript and set

it in a green bag. Then he went forth and cried about the street saying,

“According to the commandment of our King, the Lord of prosperity and

Master of the necks of God’s servants, if any light wick after

night-prayers his head shall be set under his heels, his good shall be

spoiled and his women shall be cast into jail.” And the Crier stinted

not crying through the town during the first day and the second and the

third, until he had gone round the whole place; nor was there a citizen

but who knew the ordinance. Now the King waited patiently till after the

proclamation of the third day; but on the fourth night he and his

Minister went down from the palace in disguise after supper-tide to pry

about the wards and espy into the lattices of the several quarters. They

found no light till they came to the ward where the three damsels lived,

and the Sultan, happening to glance in such a direction, saw the gleam

of a lamp in one of the tenements. So he said to the Wazir, “Ho! there

is a wick alight.” Presently they drew near it and found that it was

within one of the marked houses; wherefore they came to a stand and

knocked at the door,——And Shahrazad perceived 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

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 Three Hundred and Sixty-fifth 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 when the Sultan and the Wazir stood over

against the door behind which was the light and knocked at it, the

youngest of the sisters cried out, “Who is at the door?” and they

replied, “Guests and Darwayshes.” She rejoined, “What can you want at

this hour and what can have belated you?” And they, “We be men living in

a Khan; but we have lost our way thither and we fear to happen upon the

Chief of Police. So of your bountiful kindness open ye to us and house

us for the remnant of the night; and such charity shall gain you reward

in Heaven.” Hereto the mother added, “Go open to them the door!” and the

youngest of the maidens came forward and opened to them and admitted

them. Then the parent and her children rose up and welcomed them

respectfully and seated them and did them honour and set before them

somewhat of food which they ate and were gladdened. Presently the King

said, “O damsels, ye cannot but know that the Sultan proclaimed

forbiddal of wick-burning; but ye have lighted your lamps and have not

obeyed him when all the citizens have accepted his commandment.” Upon

this the youngest sister accosted him saying, “O Darwaysh, verily the

Sultan’s order should not be obeyed save in commandments which be

reasonable; but this his proclamation forbidding lights is sinful to

accept; and indeed the right direction[146] wherein man should walk is

according to Holy Law which saith, ‘No obedience to the creature in a

matter of sin against the Creator.’ The Sultan (Allah make him prevail!)

herein acteth against the Law and imitateth the doings of Satan. For we

be three sisters with our mother, making four in the household, and

every night we sit together by lamp-light and weave a half-pound weight

of linen web[147] which our mother taketh in the morning for sale to the

Bazar and buyeth us therewith half a pound of raw flax and with the

remainder what sufficeth us of victual.” The Sultan now turned to his

Minister and said, “O Wazir, this damsel astonisheth me by her questions

and answers. What case of casuistry can we propose to her and what

disputation can we set up? Do thou contrive us somewhat shall pose and

perplex her.” “O my lord,” replied the Wazir, “we are here in the guise

of Darwayshes and are become to these folk as guests: how then can we

disturb them with troublesome queries in their own home?” Quoth the

Sultan, “Needs must thou address them;” so the Wazir said to the girl,

“O noble one, obedience to the royal orders is incumbent upon you as

upon all lieges.” Said she, “True, he is our Sovran; but how can he know

whether we be starving or full-fed?” “Let us see,” rejoined the Wazir,

“when he shall send for you and set you before the presence and question

you concerning your disobeying his orders, what thou wilt say?” She

retorted, “I would say to the Sultan:——Thou hast contraried Holy Law.”

At this the Minister resumed, “An he ask thee sundry questions wilt thou

answer them?” and she replied, “Indeed I will.” Hereat the Minister

turned to the King and said, “Let us leave off question and answer with

this maiden on points of conscience and Holy Law and ask if she

understand the fine arts.” Presently the Sultan put the question when

she replied, “How should I not understand them when I am their father

and their mother?” Quoth he, “Allah upon thee, O my lady, an thou

wouldst favour us, let us hear one of thine airs and its words.” So she

rose and retired but presently returning with a lute sat down and set it

upon her lap and ordered the strings and smote it with a masterly touch:

then she fell to singing amongst other verses these ordered couplets:—

“Do thou good to men and so rule their necks: ✿ Long reigns who by

benefit rules mankind:

And lend aid to him who for aidance hopes: ✿ For aye grateful is man

with a noble mind

Who brings money the many to him will incline ✿ And money for tempting

of man was designed:

Who hindereth favour and bounties, ne’er ✿ Or brother or friend in

creation shall find:

With harsh looks frown not in the Sage’s face; ✿ Disgusteth the freeman

denial unkind:

Who frequenteth mankind all of good unknow’th: ✿ Man is lief of

rebellion, of largesse loath.”

When the Sultan heard these couplets, his mind was distraught and he was

perplext in thought; then turning to his Wazir, he said, “By Allah,

these lines were surely an examination of and an allusion to our two

selves; and doubtless she weeteth of us that I am the Sultan and thou

art the Wazir, for the whole tenor of her talk proveth her knowledge of

us.” Then he turned to the maiden and said, “Right good are thy verse

and thy voice, and thy words have delighted us with exceeding delight.”

Upon this she sang the following two couplets:—

Men seek for them sorrow, and toil ✿ Thro’ long years as they brightly

flow;

But Fate, in the well like the tank[148] ✿ Firm-fixt, ruleth all below.

Now as soon as the Sultan heard these last two couplets he made certain

that the damsel was aware of his quality. She did not leave off her

lute-playing till near daylight, when she rose and retired and presently

brought in a breakfast befitting her degree (for indeed she was pleased

with them); and when she had served it up they ate a small matter which

sufficed them. After this she said, “Inshallah, you will return to us

this night before supper-tide and become our guests;” and the twain went

their ways marvelling at the beauty of the sisters and their loveliness

and their fearlessness in the matter of the proclamation; and the Sultan

said to the Wazir, “By Allah, my soul inclineth unto that maiden.” And

they stinted not walking until they had entered the palace. But when

that day had gone by and evening drew nigh, the Monarch made ready to

go, he and the Minister, to the dwelling of the damsels——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 Sovran suffer me to survive.” Now when it was the next night and

that was

The Three Hundred and Sixty-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 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 King and the Councillor made ready to go to

the dwelling of the damsels taking with them somewhat of gold pieces,

the time being half an hour after set of sun; and presently they

repaired to the house of the sisters whither they had been invited on

the past night. So they rapped at the door when the youngest maiden came

to it and opened and let them in: then she salam’d to them and greeted

them and entreated them with increased respect saying, “Welcome to our

lords the Darwayshes.” But she eyed them with the eye of the

physiognomist[149] and said in herself, “Verily these two men are on no

wise what they seem and, unless my caution and intelligence and power of

knowledge have passed away from me, this must be the Sultan and that his

Wazir, for grandeur and majesty are evident on them.” Then she seated

them and accosted them even more pleasantly and set before them supper,

and when they had eaten enough, she brought basins and ewers for

handwashing and served up coffee causing them to enjoy themselves and to

give and take in talk till their pleasure was perfect. At the time of

night-orisons they arose and, after performing the Wuzú-ablution,

prayed, and when their devotions were ended the Sultan hent in hand his

purse and gave it to the youngest sister saying, “Expend ye this upon

your livelihood.” She took the bag which held two thousand dinars and

kissed his right hand, feeling yet the more convinced that he must be

the Sultan: so she proved her respect by the fewness of her words as she

stood between his hands to do him service. Also she privily winked at

her sisters and mother and said to them by signs, “Verily this be the

Monarch and that his Minister.” The others then arose and followed suit

as the sister had done, when the Sultan turned to the Wazir and said,

“The case is changed: assuredly they have comprehended it and

ascertained it;” presently adding to the girl, “O damsel, we be only

Darwaysh folk and yet you all stand up in our service as if we were

sovrans. I beseech you do not on this wise.” But the youngest sister

again came forwards and kissed the ground before him and blessed him and

recited this couplet:

“Fair fate befal thee to thy foe’s despite: ✿ White be thy days and his

be black as night.[150]

By Allah, O King of the Age, thou art the Sultan and that is the

Minister.” The Sovran asked, “What cause hast thou for supposing this?”

and she answered, “From your grand demeanour and your majestic mien; for

such be the qualities of Kings which cannot be concealed.” Quoth the

Monarch, “Thou hast spoken sooth; but, tell me, how happeneth it that

you wone here without men protectors?” and quoth she, “O my lord the

King, our history is wondrous and were it graven with graver-needles

upon the eye-corners it were a warning to whoso would be warned.” He

rejoined, “What is it?” and she began the

_STORY OF THE THREE SISTERS AND THEIR MOTHER._[151]

I and my sisters and my mother are not natives of this city but of a

capital in the land Al-Irák where my father was Sovran having troops and

guards, Wazirs and Eunuch-chamberlains; and my mother was the fairest

woman of her time insomuch that her beauty was a proverb throughout each

and every region. Now it chanced that when I and my sisters were but

infants, our father would set out to hunt and course and slay beasts of

raven and take his pleasure in the gardens without the city. So he sent

for his Wazir and appointed and constituted him Viceregent in his stead

with full authority to command and be gracious to his lieges: then he

got him ready and marched forth and the Viceroy entered upon his office.

But it happened that it was the hot season and my mother betook herself

to the terrace-roof of the palace in order to smell the air and sniff up

the breeze. At that very hour, by the decree of the Decreer, the Wazir

was sitting in the Kiosk or roofed balcony hanging to his upper mansion

and holding in hand a mirror; and, as he looked therein, he saw the

reflection of my mother, a glance of eyes which bequeathed him a

thousand sighs. He was forthright distracted by her beauty and

loveliness and fell sick and took to his pillow. Presently a

confidential nurse came in and feeling his pulse, which showed no

malady, said to him, “No harm for thee! thou shalt soon be well nor ever

suffer from aught of sorrow.” Quoth he, “O my nurse, canst thou keep a

secret?” and quoth she, “I can.” Then he told her all the love he had

conceived for my mother and she replied, “This be a light affair nor

hath it aught of hindrance: I will manage for thee such matter and I

will soon unite thee with her.” Thereupon he packed up for her some of

the most sumptuous dresses in his treasury and said, “Hie thee to her

and say:——The Wazir hath sent these to thee by way of love-token and his

desire is either that thou come to him and converse, he and thou, for a

couple of hours,[152] or that he be allowed to visit thee.” The nurse

replied with “Hearkening and obedience,” and fared forth and found my

mother (and we little ones were before her) all unknowing aught of that

business. So the old woman saluted her and brought forwards the dresses,

and my mother arose and opening the bundle beheld sumptuous raiment and,

amongst other valuables, a necklace of precious stones. So she said to

the nurse, “This is indeed ornamental gear, especially the collar;” and

said the nurse, “O my lady, these are from thy slave the Wazir by way of

love-token, for he doteth on thee with extreme desire and his only wish

is to forgather with thee and converse, he and thou, for a couple of

hours, either in his own place or in thine whither he will come.” Now

when my mother heard these words from the nurse she arose and drew a

scymitar which lay hard by and of her angry hastiness made the old

woman’s head fall from her body and bade her slave girls pick up the

pieces and cast them into the common privy of the palace. So they did

her bidding and wiped away the blood. Now the Wazir abode expecting his

nurse to return to him but she returned not; so next day he despatched

another handmaid who went to my mother and said to her, “O my lady, our

lord the Wazir sent thee a present of dress by his nurse; but she hath

not come back to him.” Hereupon my mother bade her Eunuchs take the

slave and strangle her, then cast the corpse into the same house of

easement where they had thrown the nurse. They did her bidding; but she

said in her mind, “Haply the Wazir will return from the road of

unright:” and she kept his conduct a secret. He however fell every day

to sending slave-girls with the same message and my mother to slaying

each and every, nor deigned show him any signs of yielding. But she, O

our lord the Sultan, still kept her secret and did not acquaint our

father therewith, always saying to herself, “Haply the Wazir will return

to the road of right.” And behold my father presently came back from

hunting and sporting and pleasuring, when the Lords of the land met him

and salam’d to him, and amongst them appeared the Minister whose case

was changed. Now some years after this, O King of the Age, our sire

resolved upon a Pilgrimage to the Holy House of Meccah——And Shahrazad

perceived 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 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 Three Hundred and Sixty-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 the youngest sister continued to the

Sultan:——So our sire, O King of the Age, resolved upon a Pilgrimage to

the Holy House of Meccah and stablished the same Wazir Viceregent in his

stead to deal commandment and break off and carry out. So he said in his

heart, “Now have I won my will of the Sultan’s Harem.” So the King gat

him ready and fared forth to Allah’s Holy House after committing us to

the charge of his Minister. But when he had been gone ten days, and the

Wazir knew that he must be far from the city where he had left behind

him me and my sisters and my mother, behold, an Eunuch of the Minister’s

came in to us and kissed ground before the Queen and said to her “Allah

upon thee, O my lady, pity my lord the Wazir, for his heart is melted by

thy love and his wits wander and his right mind; and he is now become as

one annihilated. So do thou have ruth upon him and revive his heart and

restore his health.” Now when my mother heard these words, she bade her

Eunuchs seize that Castrato and carry him from the room to the middle of

the Divan-court and there slay him; but she did so without divulging her

reasons. They obeyed her bidding; and when the Lords of the land and

others saw the body of a man slain by the eunuchry of the palace, they

informed the Wazir, saying, “What hateful business is this which hath

befallen after the Sultan’s departure?” He asked, “What is to do?” and

they told him that his Castrato had been slain by a party of the palace

eunuchry. Thereupon he said to them, “In your hand abideth testimony of

this whenas the Sultan shall return and ye shall bear witness to it.”

But, O King, the Wazir’s passion for our mother waxed cool after the

deaths of the nurse and the slave-girls and the eunuch; and she also

held her peace and spake not a word there anent. On this wise time

passed and he sat in the stead of my sire till the Sultan’s return drew

near when the Minister dreaded lest our father, learning his ill deeds,

should do him die. So he devised a device and wrote a letter to the King

saying:——“After salutation be it known to thee that thy Harem hath sent

to me, not only once but five several times during thine absence,

soliciting of me a foul action, to which I refused consent and replied,

By Allah, however much she may wish to betray my Sovran, I by the

Almighty will not turn traitor; for that I was left by thee guardian of

the realm after thy departure.” He added words upon words; then he

sealed the scroll and gave it to a running courier with orders to hurry

along the road. The messenger took it and fared with it to the Sultan’s

camp when distant eight days’ journey from the capital; and, finding him

seated in his pavilion,[153] delivered the writ. He took it and opened

it and read it and when he understood its secret significance, his face

changed, his eyes turned backwards and he bade his tents be struck for

departure. So they fared by forced marches till between him and his

capital remained only two stations. He then summoned two Chamberlains

with orders to forego him to the city and take my mother and us three

girls a day’s distance from it and there put us to death. Accordingly,

they led us four to the open country purposing to kill us, and my mother

knew not what intent was in their minds until they reached the appointed

spot. Now the Queen had in times past heaped alms-deeds and largesse

upon the two Chamberlains, so they held the case to be a grievous and

said each to other, “By Allah we cannot slaughter them; no, never!” Then

they told my mother of the letter which the Wazir had written to our

father saying such-and-such, upon which she exclaimed, “He hath lied, by

Allah, the arch-traitor; and naught happened save so-and-so.” Then she

related to them all she had done with the exactest truth. The men said,

“Sooth thou hast spoken;” then arising without stay or delay they snared

a gazelle and slaughtered it and filled with its blood four flasks;

after which they broiled some of the flesh over the embers and gave it

to my mother that we might satisfy our hunger. Presently they farewelled

us saying, “We give you in charge of Him who never disappointed those

committed to His care;” and, lastly, they went their ways leaving us

alone in the wild and the wold. So we fell to eating the desert-grasses

and drinking of the remnants of the rain, and we walked awhile and

rested awhile without finding any city or inhabited region; and we waxed

tired, O King of the Age, when suddenly we came upon a spot on a

hill-flank abounding in vari-coloured herbs and fair fountains. Here we

abode ten days and behold, a caravan drew near us and encamped hard by

us, but they did not sight us for that we hid ourselves from their view

until night fell. Then I went to them and asked of sundry eunuchs and

ascertained that there was a city at the distance of two days’ march

from us; so I returned and informed my mother who rejoiced at the good

tidings. As soon as it was morn the caravan marched off, so we four

arose and walked all that day through at a leisurely pace, and a second

day and so forth; until, on the afternoon of the fifth, a city rose

before our sight fulfilling all our desires[154] and we exclaimed,

“Alhamdolillah, laud be to the Lord who hath empowered us to reach it.”

We ceased not faring till sunset when we entered it and we found it a

potent capital. Such was our case and that of our mother;[155] but as

regards our sire the Sultan, as he drew near his home after the

return-journey from the Hajj, the Lords of the land and the Chiefs of

the city flocked out to meet him, and the town-folk followed one another

like men riding on pillions[156] to salute him, and the poor and the

mesquin congratulated him on his safety and at last the Wazir made his

appearance. The Sultan desired to be private with the Minister——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 Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next

night and that was

The Three Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,