The day following, Dinarzade called upon the sultaness, My dear
sister, pray tell us how the genie treated the prince. --I wish to
satisfy your curiosity, replied Scheherazade; and then resumed her
story of the second calender thus:
The calender continuing his discourse to Zobeide, Madam, said he,
after the genie had put the question to me, he gave me no time to
answer, nor was it in my power, so much had his terrible aspect
disordered me. He grasped me by the middle, dragged me out of the
chamber, and mounting into the air, carried me up to the skies with
such swiftness, that I perceived I was got so high without being
able to take notice of the way he carried me in so few moments. He
descended again in like manner to the earth, which on a sudden he
caused to open with a stroke of his foot, and so sunk down at once,
where I found myself in the enchanted palace, before the fair
princess of the isle of Ebene. But alas! what a spectacle was there!
I saw what pierced me to the heart; this poor princess was quite
naked, weltering in her blood, and laid upon the ground, more like
one dead than alive, with her cheeks bathed in tears.
Perfidious wretch, said the genie to her, pointing at me, is not
this your gallant? She cast her languishing eyes upon me, and
answered mournfully, I do not know him; I never saw him till this
moment. --What! said the genie, he is the cause of thy being in the
condition thou art justly in; and yet darest thou say thou dost not
know him? --If I do not know him, said the princess, would you have
me make a lie on purpose to ruin him? --Oh then, said the genie,
pulling out a scimitar, and presenting it to the princess, if you
never saw him before, take the scimitar and cut off his head.
--Alas! replied the princess, how is it possible that I should
execute what you would force me to do? My strength is so far spent
that I cannot lift up my arm; and if I could, how should I have the
heart to take away the life of an innocent man, and one whom I do
not know? --This refusal, said the genie to the princess,
sufficiently informs me of your crime. Upon which, turning to me,
And thou, said he, dost thou not know her?
I should have been the most ungrateful wretch, and the most
perfidious of all mankind, if I had not shown myself as faithful to
the princess as she was to me, who had been the cause of her
misfortunes; therefore I answered the genie, How should I know her,
when I never saw her till now? --If it be so, said he, take the
scimitar, and cut off her head: on this condition I will set thee at
liberty, for then I shall be convinced that thou didst never see her
till this very moment, as thou sayest. --With all my heart, replied
I, and took the scimitar in my hand.
But sir, said Scheherazade, it is day, and I ought not to abuse your
majesty’s patience. --These are wonderful events, said the sultan
to himself. We shall know tomorrow if the prince was so cruel as to
pay obedience to the genie’s command.