Madam, I am the son of a sultan. My father had a brother, who reigned
over a neighboring kingdom. His son, my cousin, and I were nearly of
the same age. I went regularly every year to see my uncle, at whose
court I amused myself for a month or two, and then returned home.
On one occasion I arrived at my father's capital, where, contrary to
custom, I found a numerous guard at the gate of the palace. They
surrounded me as I entered. The commanding officer said, "Prince, the
army has proclaimed the grand vizier sultan, instead of your father,
who is dead, and I take you prisoner in the name of the new sultan."
This rebel vizier had long entertained a mortal hatred toward me. When
I was a boy I loved to shoot with a crossbow. Being one day upon the
terrace of the palace, and a bird happening to come by, I shot but
missed him, and the ball by misfortune hit the vizier, who was taking
the air upon the terrace of his own house, and put out one of his
eyes. He never forgave me, and, as opportunity offered, made me
sensible of his resentment. But now that he had me in his power he
came to me like a madman, and thrusting his finger into my right eye,
pulled it out, and thus I became blind of one eye.
His cruelty did not stop here; he commanded the executioner to cut off
my head, and leave me to be devoured by birds of prey. The executioner
conveyed me to the place of execution to complete this barbarous
sentence, but by my prayers and tears, I moved the man's compassion:
"Go," said he to me, "get you speedily out of the kingdom, and never
return, or you will destroy yourself and me."
I thanked him, and as soon as I was left alone, comforted myself for
the loss of my eye by considering that I had very narrowly escaped a
much greater evil.
Being thus surrounded with sorrows and persecuted by fortune, I had
recourse to a stratagem, which was the only means left me to save my
life: I caused my beard and eyebrows to be shaved, and putting on a
calender's habit, I passed, unknown by any, out of the city. I avoided
the towns till I arrived in the empire of the commander of the
faithful, the renowned caliph Haroun al Raschid, when I ceased to
fear. I resolved to come to Bagdad and throw myself at the feet of
this great monarch. I shall move him to compassion, said I to myself,
by the relation of my uncommon misfortunes, and without doubt he will
take pity on a persecuted prince, and not suffer me to implore his
assistance in vain.
In short, after a journey of several months, I arrived to-day at the
gate of this city, into which I entered at dusk: and as I entered,
another calender came up. He saluted me, and I him.
"You appear," said I, "to be a stranger, as I am."
"You are not mistaken," replied he.
He had no sooner returned this answer, than a third calender overtook
us. He saluted us, and told us he was a stranger newly come to Bagdad;
so that as brethren we joined together, resolving not to separate from
one another.
It was now late, and we knew not where to seek a lodging in the city,
where we had never been before. But good fortune having brought us to
your gate, we made bold to knock, when you received us with so much
kindness that we are incapable of rendering suitable thanks. This,
madam, is, in obedience to your commands, the account I was to give
how I lost my right eye, wherefore my beard and eyebrows are shaved,
and how I came to be with you at this time.
* * * * *
"It is enough," said Zobeide; "you may retire to what place you think
fit."
The calender begged the ladies' permission to stay till he had heard
the relations of his two comrades, "whom I cannot," said he, "leave
with honor"; and that he might also hear those of the three other
persons in company.
The history of the first calender appeared very surprising to the
whole company, and particularly to the caliph. The presence of the
slaves, armed with their scimitars, did not prevent him from saying in
a whisper to the vizier, "As long as I can remember, I never heard
anything to compare with this history of the calender, though I have
been all my life in the habit of hearing similar narratives."
He had no sooner finished than the second calender began, and
addressing himself to Zobeide, spoke as follows: