There was once in times gone by a King who had one son and none other;
and, when the Prince grew up to man’s estate, he contracted him in
marriage to another King’s daughter. Now the damsel was a model of
beauty and grace and her uncle’s son had sought her in wedlock of her
sire, but she would none of him. So, when he knew that she was to be
married to another, envy and jealousy gat hold of him and he bethought
himself and sent a noble present to the Wazir of the bridegroom’s
father and much treasure, desiring him to use craft for slaying the
Prince or contrive to make him leave his intent of espousing the girl
and adding, “O Wazir, indeed jealousy moveth me to this for she is my
cousin.”[FN#180] The Wazir accepted the present and sent an answer,
saying, “Be of good cheer and of eyes cool and clear, for I will do all
that thou wishest.” Presently, the bride’s father wrote to the Prince,
bidding him to his capital, that he might go in to his daughter;
whereupon the King his father gave him leave to wend his way thither,
sending with him the bribed Wazir and a thousand horse, besides
presents and litters, tents and pavilions. The Minister set out with
the Prince, plotting the while in his heart to do him a mischief; and
when they came into the desert, he called to mind a certain spring of
running water in the mountains there, called Al-Zahra,[FN#181] whereof
whosoever drank from a man became a woman. So he called a halt of the
troops near the fountain and presently mounting steed again, said to
the Prince, “Hast thou a mind to go with me and look upon a spring of
water near hand?” The Prince mounted, knowing not what should befal him
in the future,[FN#182] and they rode on, unattended by any, and without
stopping till they came to the spring. The Prince being thirsty said to
the Wazir, “O Minister, I am suffering from drouth,” and the other
answered, “Get thee down and drink of this spring!” So he alighted and
washed his hands and drank, when behold, he straightway became a woman.
As soon as he knew what had befallen him, he cried out and wept till he
fainted away, and the Wazir came up to him as if to learn what had
befallen him and cried, “What aileth thee?” So he told him what had
happened, and the Minister feigned to condole with him and weep for his
affliction, saying, “Allah Almighty be thy refuge in thine affliction!
How came this calamity upon thee and this great misfortune to betide
thee, and we carrying thee with joy and gladness, that thou mightest go
in to the King’s daughter? Verily, now I know not whether we shall go
to her or not; but the rede[FN#183] is thine. What dost thou command me
to do?” Quoth the Prince, “Go back to my sire and tell him what hath
betided me, for I will not stir hence till this matter be removed from
me or I die in my regret.” So he wrote a letter to his father, telling
him what had happened, and the Wazir took it and set out on his return
to the city, leaving what troops he had with the Prince and inwardly
exulting for the success of his plot. As soon as he reached the King’s
capital, he went in to him and, telling him what had passed, delivered
the letter. The King mourned for his son with sore mourning and sent
for the wise men and masters of esoteric science, that they might
discover and explain to him this thing which had befallen his son, but
none could give him an answer. Then the Wazir wrote to the lady’s
cousin, conveying to him the glad news of the Prince’s misfortune, and
he when he read the letter rejoiced with great joy and thought to marry
the Princess and answered the Minister sending him rich presents and
great store of treasure and thanking him exceedingly. Meanwhile, the
Prince abode by the stream three days and three nights, eating not nor
drinking and committing himself, in his strait, unto Allah (extolled
and exalted be He!) who disappointeth not whoso relieth on him. On the
fourth night, lo! there came to him a cavalier on a bright-bay
steed[FN#184] with a crown on his head, as he were of the sons of the
Kings, and said to him, “Who brought thee hither, O youth?” The Prince
told him his mishap, how he was wending to his wedding, and how the
Wazir had led him to a spring whereof he drank and incurred what had
occurred; and as he spoke his speech was broken by tears. Having heard
him the horseman pitied his case and said, “It was thy father’s Wazir
who cast thee into this strait, for no man alive save he knoweth of
this spring;” presently adding, “Mount thee behind me and come with me
to my dwelling, for thou art my guest this night.” “Acquaint me who
thou art ere I fare with thee,” quoth the Prince; and quoth the other,
“I am a King’s son of the Jánn, as thou a King’s son of mankind; so be
of good cheer and keep thine eyes clear of tear, for I will surely do
away thy cark and care; and this is a slight thing unto me.” So the
Prince mounted him behind the stranger, and they rode on, leaving the
troops, from the first of the day till midnight, when the King’s son of
the Jinn asked the Prince, “Knowest thou how many days’ march we have
covered in this time?” “Not I.” “We have come a full year’s journey for
a diligent horseman.” The Prince marvelled at this and said, “How shall
I do to return to my people?” “That is not thine affair, but my
business. As soon as thou art quit of thy complaint, thou shalt return
to thy people in less than the twinkling of an eye; for that is an easy
matter to me.” When the Prince heard these words he was ready to fly
for excess of joy; it seemed to him as he were in the imbroglio of a
dream and he exclaimed, “Glory be to Him who can restore the unhappy to
happiness!”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince of the
Jinn said to the Prince of mankind, “When thou art quit of thy
complaint, thou shalt return to thy folk in less than the twinkling of
an eye;” and the King’s son rejoiced. They fared on all that night till
the morning morrowed when lo! they found themselves in a green and
smiling country, full of trees spireing and birds quiring and garths
fruit-growing and palaces highshowing and waters a-flowing and
odoriferous flowers a-blowing. Here the King’s son of the Jinn alighted
from his steed and, bidding the Prince do the like, took him by the
hand and carried him into one of the palaces, where he found a great
King and puissant Sultan; and abode with him all that day eating and
drinking, till nightfall. Then the King’s son of the Jinn mounted his
courser and taking the Prince up behind him, fared on swiftly through
the murks and glooms until morning, when lo, they found themselves in a
dark land and a desert, full of black rocks and stones, as it were a
piece of Hell; and the Prince asked the Jinni, “What is the name of
this land?” Answered the other, “It is called the Black Country, and
belongs to one of the Kings of the Jinn, by name Zu’l Janahayn, against
whom none of the other Kings may prevail, neither may any enter his
dominions save by his permit; so tarry thou here, whilst I go ask
leave.” So saying, he went away and, returning after awhile, they fared
on again, till they landed at a spring of water welling forth of a
black rock, and the King’s son of the Jinn said to the King’s son of
men, “Alight!” He dismounted and the other cried, “Drink of this
water!” So he drank of the spring without stay or delay; and, no sooner
had he done so than, by grace of Allah, he became a man as before. At
this he joyed with exceeding joy and asked the Jinni, “O my brother,
how is this spring called?” Answered the other, “It is called the
Women’s Spring, for that no woman drinketh thereof but she becometh a
man: wherefore do thou praise Allah the Most High and thank Him for thy
restoration and mount.” So the Prince prostrated himself in gratitude
to the Almighty, after which he mounted again and they fared on
diligently all that day, till they returned to the Jinni’s home, where
the Prince passed the night in all solace of life. They spent the next
day in eating and drinking till nightfall, when the King’s son of the
Jinn asked the Prince, “Hast thou a mind to return to thy people this
very night?” “Yes,” he answered; “for indeed I long for them.” Then the
Jinni called one of his father’s slaves, Rajiz[FN#185] hight, and said
to him, “Take this young man mounted on thy shoulders, and let not the
day dawn ere he be with his father-in-law and his wife.” Replied the
slave, “Hearkening and obedience, and with love and gladness, and upon
my head and eyes!” then, withdrawing awhile, re-appeared in the form of
an Ifrit. When the Prince saw this, he lost his senses for affright,
but the Jinni said to him, “Fear not; no harm shall befal thee. Mount
thy horse and leap him on to the Ifrit’s shoulders.” “Nay,” answered
he, “I will leave my horse with thee and bestride his shoulders
myself.” So he bestrode the Ifrit’s shoulders and, when the Jinni
cried, “Close thine eyes, O my lord, and be not a craven!” he
strengthened his heart and shut his eyes. Thereupon the Ifrit rose with
him into the air and ceased not to fly between sky and earth, whilst
the Prince was unconscious, nor was the last third of the night come
before he alighted down with him on the terrace-roof of his
father-in-law’s palace. Then said the Ifrit, “Dismount and open thine
eyes; for this is the palace of thy father-in-law and his daughter.” So
he came down and the Ifrit flew away and left him on the roof of the
palace. When the day broke and the Prince recovered from his troubles,
he descended into the palace and as his father-in-law caught sight of
him, he came to meet him and marvelled to see him descend from the roof
of the palace, saying, “We see folk enter by the doors; but thou comest
from the skies.” Quoth the Prince, “Whatso Allah (may He be extolled
and exalted!) willeth that cometh to pass.” And he told him all that
had befallen him, from first to last, whereat the King marvelled and
rejoiced in his safety; and, as soon as the sun rose, bade his Wazir
make ready splendid bride-feasts. So did he and they held the marriage
festival: after which the Prince went in unto his bride and abode with
her two months, then departed with her for his father’s capital. As for
the damsel’s cousin, he died forthright of envy and jealousy. When the
Prince and his bride drew near his father’s city, the King came out to
meet them with his troops and Wazirs, and so Allah (blessed and exalted
be He!) enabled the Prince to prevail against his bride’s cousin and
his father’s Minister. “And I pray the Almighty” (added the damsel) “to
aid thee against thy Wazirs, O King, and I beseech thee to do me
justice on thy son!” When the King heard this, he bade put his son to
death;—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When is was the Five Hundred and Eighty-forth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
favourite had told her tale to the King she said, “I beseech thee to do
me justice by putting thy son to death.” Now this was the fourth day,
so the fourth Wazir entered and, kissing the ground before him, said,
“Allah stablish and protect the King! O King, be deliberate in doing
this thou art resolved upon, for the wise man doth naught till he hath
considered the issue thereof, and the proverb saith, ‘Whoso looketh not
to his actions’ end, hath not the world to friend; and whoso acteth
without consideration, there befalleth him what befel the Hammam-keeper
with his wife.’” “And what betided him?” asked the King. And the Wazir
answered, “I have heard tell, O King, a tale of the