There was once in the city of Hemadan[FN#191] a young man of
comely aspect and excellently skilled in singing to the lute, and
he was well seen of the people of the city. He went forth one day
of his city, with intent to travel, and gave not over journeying
till his travel brought him to a goodly city. Now he had with him
a lute and what pertained thereto,[FN#192] so he entered and went
round about the city till he fell in with a druggist, who, when
he espied him, called to him. So he went up to him and he bade
him sit down. Accordingly, he sat down by him and the druggist
questioned him of his case. The singer told him what was in his
mind and the other took him up into his shop and brought him food
and fed him. Then said he to him, 'Arise and take up thy lute and
beg about the streets, and whenas thou smellest the odour of
wine, break in upon the drinkers and say to them, "I am a
singer." They will laugh and say, "Come, [sing] to us." And when
thou singest, the folk will know thee and bespeak one another of
thee; so shall thou become known in the city and thine affairs
will prosper.'
So he went round about, as the druggist bade him, till the sun
grew hot, but found none drinking. Then he entered a by-street,
that he might rest himself, and seeing there a handsome and lofty
house, stood in its shade and fell to observing the goodliness of
its ordinance. As he was thus engaged, behold, a window opened
and there appeared thereat a face, as it were the moon. Quoth
she,[FN#193] 'What aileth thee to stand there? Dost thou want
aught?' And he answered, 'I am a stranger,' and acquainted her
with his case; whereupon quoth she, 'What sayst thou to meat and
drink and the enjoyment of a fair-face[d one] and getting thee
what thou mayst spend?' 'O my lady,' answered he, 'this is my
desire and that in quest whereof I am going about.'
So she opened the door to him and brought him in. Then she seated
him at the upper end of the room and set food before him. So he
ate and drank and lay with her and swived her. Then she sat down
in his lap and they toyed and laughed and kissed till the day was
half spent, when her husband came home and she could find nothing
for it but to hide the singer in a rug, in which she rolled him
up. The husband entered and seeing the place disordered[FN#194]
and smelling the odour of wine, questioned her of this. Quoth
she, 'I had with me a friend of mine and I conjured her [to drink
with me]; so we drank a jar [of wine], she and I, and she went
away but now, before thy coming in.' Her husband, (who was none
other than the singer's friend the druggist, that had invited him
and fed him), deemed her words true and went away to his shop,
whereupon the singer came forth and he and the lady returned to
their sport and abode on this wise till eventide, when she gave
him money and said to him, 'Come hither to-morrow in the
forenoon.' 'It is well,' answered he and departed; and at
nightfall he went to the bath.
On the morrow, he betook himself to the shop of his friend the
druggist, who welcomed him and questioned him of his case and how
he had fared that day. Quoth the singer, 'May God requite thee
with good, O my brother! For that thou hast directed me unto
easance!' And he related to him his adventure with the woman,
till he came to the mention of her husband, when he said, 'And at
midday came the cuckold her husband and knocked at the door. So
she wrapped me in the mat, and when he had gone about his
business, I came forth and we returned to what we were about.'
This was grievous to the druggist and he repented of having
taught him [how he should do] and misdoubted of his wife. So he
said to the singer, 'And what said she to thee at thy going
away?' And the other answered, 'She bade me come back to her on
the morrow. So, behold, I am going to her and I came not hither
but that I might acquaint thee with this, lest thy heart be
occupied with me.' Then he took leave of him and went his way. As
soon as the druggist was assured that he had reached the house,
he cast the net over his shop[FN#195] and made for his house,
misdoubting of his wife, and knocked at the door.
Now the singer had entered and the druggist's wife said to him,
'Arise, enter this chest.' So he entered it and she shut the lid
on him and opened to her husband, who came in, in a state of
bewilderment, and searched the house, but found none and
overlooked the chest. So he said in himself, 'The house [of which
the singer spoke] is one which resembleth my house and the woman
is one who resembles my wife,' and returned to his shop;
whereupon the singer came forth of the chest and falling upon the
druggist's wife, did his occasion and paid her her due and
weighed down the scale for her.[FN#196] Then they ate and drank
and kissed and clipped, and on this wise they abode till the
evening, when she gave him money, for that she found his weaving
good,[FN#197] and made him promise to come to her on the morrow.
So he left her and slept his night and on the morrow he repaired
to the shop of his friend the druggist and saluted him. The other
welcomed him and questioned him of his case; whereupon he told
him how he had fared, till he came to the mention of the woman's
husband, when he said, 'Then came the cuckold her husband and she
clapped me into the chest and shut the lid on me, whilst her
addlepated pimp of a husband went round about the house, top and
bottom; and when he had gone his way, we returned to what we were
about.' With this, the druggist was certified that the house was
his house and the wife his wife, and he said, 'And what wilt thou
do to-day?' Quoth the singer, 'I shall return to her and weave
for her and full her yarn,[FN#198] and I came but to thank thee
for thy dealing with me.'
Then he went away, whilst the fire was loosed in the heart of the
druggist and he shut his shop and betaking himself to his house,
knocked at the door. Quoth the singer, 'Let me get into the
chest, for he saw me not yesterday.' 'Nay,' answered she, 'wrap
thyself up in the rug.' So he wrapped himself up in the rug and
stood in a corner of the room, whilst the druggist entered and
went straight to the chest, but found it empty. Then he went
round about the house and searched it from top to bottom, but
found nothing and no one and abode between belief and disbelief,
and said in himself, 'Belike, I suspect my wife of that which is
not in her.' So he was certified of her innocence and returned to
his shop, whereupon out came the singer and they abode on their
former case, as of wont, till eventide, when she gave him one of
her husband's shirts and he took it and going away, passed the
night in his lodging.
On the morrow, he repaired to the druggist, who saluted him and
came to meet him and rejoiced in him and smiled in his face,
deeming his wife innocent. Then he questioned him of his
yesterday's case and he told him how he had fared, saying, 'O my
brother, when the cuckold knocked at the door, I would have
entered the chest; but his wife forbade me and rolled me up in
the rug. The man entered and thought of nothing but the chest; so
he broke it open and abode as he were a madman, going up and
coming down. Then he went his way and I came out and we abode on
our wonted case till eventide, when she gave me this shirt of her
husband's; and behold, I am going to her.'
When the druggist heard the singer's words, he was certified of
the case and knew that the calamity, all of it, was in his own
house and that the wife was his wife; and he saw the shirt,
whereupon he redoubled in certainty and said to the singer, 'Art
thou now going to her?' 'Yes, O my brother,' answered he and
taking leave of him, went away; whereupon the druggist started
up, as he were a madman, and ungarnished his shop.[FN#199] Whilst
he was thus engaged, the singer won to the house, and presently
up came the druggist and knocked at the door. The singer would
have wrapped himself up in the rug, but she forbade him and said
to him, 'Get thee down to the bottom of the house and enter the
oven[FN#200] and shut the lid upon thyself.' So he did as she
bade him and she went down to her husband and opened the door to
him, whereupon he entered and went round about the house, but
found no one and overlooked the oven. So he stood meditating and
swore that he would not go forth of the house till the morrow.
As for the singer, when his [stay in the oven] grew long upon
him, he came forth therefrom, thinking that her husband had gone
away. Then he went up to the roof and looking down, beheld his
friend the druggist; whereat he was sore concerned and said in
himself, 'Alas, the disgrace of it! This is my friend the
druggist, who dealt kindly with me and wrought me fair and I have
requited him with foul' And he feared to return to the druggist;
so he went down and opened the first door and would have gone
out; but, when he came to the outer door, he found it locked and
saw not the key. So he stole up again to the roof and cast
himself down into the [next] house. The people of the house heard
him and hastened to him, deeming him a thief. Now the house in
question belonged to a Persian; so they laid hands on him and the
master of the house began to beat him, saying to him, 'Thou art a
thief.' 'Nay,' answered he, 'I am no thief, but a singing-man, a
stranger. I heard your voices and came to sing to you.'
When the folk heard his words, they talked of letting him go; but
the Persian said, 'O folk, let not his speech beguile you. This
fellow is none other than a thief who knoweth how to sing, and
when he happeneth on the like of us, he is a singer.' 'O our
lord,' answered they, 'this man is a stranger, and needs must we
release him.' Quoth he, 'By Allah, my heart revolteth from this
fellow! Let me make an end of him with beating.' But they said,
'Thou mayst nowise do that' So they delivered the singer from the
Persian, the master of the house, and seated him amongst them,
whereupon he fell to singing to them and they rejoiced in him.
Now the Persian had a mameluke,[FN#201] as he were the full moon,
and he arose [and went out], and the singer followed him and wept
before him, professing love to him and kissing his hands and
feet. The mameluke took compassion on him and said to him, 'When
the night cometh and my master entereth [the harem] and the folk
go away, I will grant thee thy desire; and I lie in such a
place.' Then the singer returned and sat with the
boon-companions, and the Persian rose and went out, he and the
mameluke beside him. [Then they returned and sat down.][FN#202]
Now the singer knew the place that the mameluke occupied at the
first of the night; but it befell that he rose from his place and
the candle went out. The Persian, who was drunken, fell over on
his face, and the singer, supposing him to be the mameluke, said,
'By Allah, it is good!' and threw himself upon him and clipped
him, whereupon the Persian started up, crying out, and laying
hands on the singer, pinioned him and beat him grievously, after
which he bound him to a tree that was in the house.[FN#203]
Now there was in the house a fair singing-girl and when she saw
the singer pinioned and bound to the tree, she waited till the
Persian lay down on his couch, when she arose and going to the
singer, fell to condoling with him over what had betided him and
ogling him and handling his yard and rubbing it, till it rose on
end. Then said she to him, 'Do thou swive me and I will loose thy
bonds, lest he return and beat thee again; for he purposeth thee
evil.' Quoth he, 'Loose me and I will do.' But she said, 'I fear
that, [if I loose thee], thou wilt not do. But I will do, and
thou standing; and when I have done, I will loose thee.' So
saying, she pulled up her clothes and sitting down on the
singer's yard, fell to going and coming.
Now there was in the house a ram, with which the Persian used to
butt, and when he saw what the woman did, he thought she would
butt with him; so he broke his halter and running at her, butted
her and broke her head. She fell on her back and cried out;
whereupon the Persian started up from sleep in haste and seeing
the singing-girl [cast down on her back] and the singer with his
yard on end, said to the latter, 'O accursed one, doth not what
thou hast already done suffice thee?' Then he beat him soundly
and opening the door, put him out in the middle of the night.
He lay the rest of the night in one of the ruins, and when he
arose in the morning, he said, 'None is to blame. I sought my own
good, and he is no fool who seeketh good for himself; and the
druggist's wife also sought good for herself; but destiny
overcometh precaution and there remaineth no abiding for me in
this town.' So he went forth from the city. Nor (added the
vizier) is this story, extraordinary though it be, more
extraordinary than that of the king and his son and that which
bedded them of wonders and rarities."
When the king heard this story, he deemed it pleasant and said,
"This story is near unto that which I know and meseemeth I should
do well to have patience and hasten not to slay my vizier, so I
may get of him the story of the king and his son." Then he gave
the vizier leave to go away to his own house; so he thanked him
and abode in his house all that day.