One day, a day of excessive heat, as I stood at the door of my
house, I saw a fair woman approaching, and with her a slave-girl
carrying a parcel. They gave not over going till they came up to
me, when the woman stopped and said to me, 'Hast thou a draught
of water?' 'Yes,' answered I. 'Enter the vestibule, O my lady, so
thou mayst drink.' Accordingly, she entered and I went up into
the house and fetched two mugs of earthenware, perfumed with
musk[FN#175] and full of cold water. She took one of them and
discovered her face, [that she might drink]; whereupon I saw that
she was as the shining sun or the rising moon and said to her, 'O
my lady, wilt thou not come up into the house, so thou mayst rest
thyself till the air grow cool and after go away to thine own
place?' Quoth she, 'Is there none with thee?' 'Indeed,' answered
I, 'I am a [stranger] and a bachelor and have none belonging to
me, nor is there a living soul in the house.' And she said, 'An
thou be a stranger, thou art he in quest of whom I was going
about.'
Then she went up into the house and put off her [walking] clothes
and I found her as she were the full moon. I brought her what I
had by me of meat and drink and said to her, 'O my lady, excuse
me: this is that which is ready.' Quoth she, 'This is abundant
kindness and indeed it is what I sought' And she ate and gave the
slave-girl that which was left; after which I brought her a
casting-bottle of rose-water, mingled with musk, and she washed
her hands and abode with me till the season of afternoon-prayer,
when she brought out of the parcel that she had with her a shirt
and trousers and an upper garment[FN#176] and a kerchief
wroughten with gold and gave them to me; saying, 'Know that I am
one of the favourites of the Khalif, and we are forty favourites,
each one of whom hath a lover who cometh to her as often as she
would have him; and none is without a lover save myself,
wherefore I came forth to-day to find me a gallant and behold, I
have found thee. Thou must know that the Khalif lieth each night
with one of us, whilst the other nine-and-thirty favourites take
their ease with the nine-and-thirty men, and I would have thee be
with me on such a day, when do thou come up to the palace of the
Khalif and wait for me in such a place, till a little eunuch come
out to thee and say to thee a [certain] word, to wit, "Art thou
Sendel?" And do thou answer, "Yes," and go with him.'
Then she took leave of me and I of her, after I had strained her
to my bosom and embraced her and we had kissed awhile. So she
went away and I abode expecting the appointed day, till it came,
when I arose and went forth, intending for the trysting-place;
but a friend of mine met me by the way [and would have me go home
with him. So I accompanied him to his house] and when I came up
[into his sitting-chamber] he locked the door on me and went
forth to fetch what we might eat and drink. He was absent till
mid-day, then till the hour of afternoon-prayer, whereat I was
sore disquieted. Then he was absent till sundown, and I was like
to die of chagrin and impatience; [and indeed he returned not]
and I passed my night on wake, nigh upon death, for that the door
was locked on me, and my soul was like to depart my body on
account of the tryst.
At daybreak, my friend returned and opening the door, came in,
bringing with him meat-pottage[FN#177] and fritters and bees'
honey,[FN#178] and said to me, 'By Allah, thou must needs excuse
me, for that I was with a company and they locked the door on me
and have but now let me go.' But I returned him no answer. Then
he set before me that which was with him and I ate a single
mouthful and went out, running, so haply I might overtake that
which had escaped me.[FN#179] When I came to the palace, I saw
over against it eight-and-thirty gibbets set up, whereon were
eight-and-thirty men crucified, and under them eight-and-thirty
concubines as they were moons. So I enquired of the reason of the
crucifixion of the men and concerning the women in question, and
it was said unto me, 'The men [whom thou seest] crucified the
Khalif found with yonder damsels, who are his favourites.' When I
heard this, I prostrated myself in thanksgiving to God and said,
'God requite thee with good, O my friend!' For that, had he not
invited me [and kept me perforce in his house] that night, I had
been crucified with these men, wherefore praise be to God!
Thus," continued Shehrzad, "none is safe from the calamities of
fortune and the vicissitudes of time, and [in proof of this], I
will relate unto thee yet another story still rarer and more
extraordinary than this. Know, O King, that one said to me, 'A
friend of mine, a merchant, told me the following story. Quoth
he,
THE MERCHANT OF CAIRO AND THE FAVOURITE
OF THE KHALIF EL MAMOUN EL HAKIM BI
AMRILLAH.[FN#180]
As I sat one day in my shop, there came up to me a fair woman, as
she were the moon at its rising, and with her a slave-girl. Now I
was a handsome man in my time; so the lady sat down on [the bench
before] my shop and buying stuffs of me, paid down the price and
went away. I questioned the girl of her and she said, "I know not
her name." Quoth I, "Where is her abode?" "In heaven," answered
the slave-girl; and I said, "She is presently on the earth; so
when doth she ascend to heaven and where is the ladder by which
she goeth up?" Quoth the girl, "She hath her lodging in a palace
between two rivers,[FN#181] to wit, the palace of El Mamoun el
Hakim bi Amrillah."[FN#182] Then said I, "I am a dead man,
without recourse; "but she replied, "Have patience, for needs
must she return unto thee and buy stuffs of thee yet again." "And
how cometh it," asked I, "that the Commander of the Faithful
trusteth her to go out?" "He loveth her with an exceeding love,"
answered she, "and is wrapped up in her and gainsayeth her not."
Then the girl went away, running, after her mistress, whereupon I
left the shop and set out after them, so I might see her
abiding-place. I followed after them all the way, till she
disappeared from mine eyes, when I returned to my place, with a
heart on fire. Some days after, she came to me again and bought
stuffs of me. I refused to take the price and she said, "We have
no need of thy goods." Quoth I, "O my lady, accept them from me
as a gift;" but she said, "[Wait] till I try thee and make proof
of thee." Then she brought out of her pocket a purse and gave me
therefrom a thousand dinars, saying, "Trade with this till I
return to thee." So I took the purse and she went away [and
returned not to me] till six months had passed by. Meanwhile, I
traded with the money and sold and bought and made other thousand
dinars profit [on it].
Presently, she came to me again and I said to her, "Here is thy
money and I have gained [with it] other thousand dinars." Quoth
she, "Keep it by thee and take these other thousand dinars. As
soon as I have departed from thee, go thou to Er Rauzeh[FN#183]
and build there a goodly pavilion, and when the building thereof
is accomplished, give me to know thereof." So saying, she left me
and went away. As soon as she was gone, I betook myself to Er
Rauzeh and addressed myself to the building of the pavilion, and
when it was finished, I furnished it with the goodliest of
furniture and sent to the lady to tell her that I had made an end
of its building; whereupon she sent back to me, saying, "Let him
meet me to-morrow at daybreak at the Zuweyleh gate and bring with
him a good ass." So I got me an ass and betaking myself to the
Zuweyleh gate, at the appointed time, found there a young man on
horse- back, awaiting her, even as I awaited her.
As we stood, behold, up came the lady, and with her a slave-girl.
When she saw the young man, she said to him, "Art thou here?" And
he answered, "Yes, O my lady." Quoth she, "To-day I am bidden by
this man. Wilt thou go with us?" And he replied, "Yes." Then said
she, "Thou hast brought me [hither] against my will and perforce.
Wilt thou go with us in any event?"[FN#184] "Yes, yes," answered
he and we fared on, [all three,] till we came to Er Rauzeh and
entered the pavilion. The lady diverted herself awhile with
viewing its ordinance and furniture, after which she put off her
[walking-]clothes and sat down [with the young man] in the
goodliest and chiefest place. Then I went forth and brought them
what they should eat at the first of the day; moreover, I went
out also and fetched them what they should eat at the last of the
day and brought them wine and dessert and fruits and flowers. On
this wise I abode in their service, standing on my feet, and she
said not unto me, "Sit," nor "Take, eat" nor "Take, drink," what
while she and the young man sat toying and laughing, and he fell
to kissing her and pinching her and hopping about upon the ground
and laughing.
They abode thus awhile and presently she said, "Up to now we have
not become drunken; let me pour out." So she took the cup and
gave him to drink and plied him with liquor, till he became
drunken, when she took him and carried him into a closet. Then
she came out, with his head in her hand, what while I stood
silent, fixing not mine eyes on hers neither questioning her of
this; and she said to me, "What is this?" "I know not," answered
I; and she said, "Take it and cast it into the river." I obeyed
her commandment and she arose and stripping herself of her
clothes, took a knife and cut the dead man's body in pieces,
which she laid in three baskets, and said to me, "Throw them into
the river."
I did as she bade me and when I returned, she said to me, "Sit,
so I may relate to thee yonder fellow's case, lest thou be
affrighted at that which hath befallen him. Thou must know that I
am the Khalif's favourite, nor is there any more in honour with
him than I; and I am allowed six nights in each month, wherein I
go down [into the city and take up my abode] with my [former]
mistress, who reared me; and when I go down thus, I dispose of
myself as I will. Now this young man was the son of neighbours of
my mistress, when I was a virgin girl. One day, my mistress was
[engaged] with the chief [officers] of the palace and I was alone
in the house. When the night came on, I went up to the roof, so I
might sleep there, and before I was aware, this youth came up
from the street and falling upon me, knelt on my breast. He was
armed with a poniard and I could not win free of him till he had
done away my maidenhead by force; and this sufficed him not, but
he must needs disgrace me with all the folk, for, as often as I
came down from the palace, he would lie in wait for me by the way
and swive me against my will and follow me whithersoever I went.
This, then, is my story, and as for thee, thou pleasest me and
thy patience pleaseth me and thy good faith and loyal service,
and there abideth with me none dearer than thou." Then I lay with
her that night and there befell what befell between us till the
morning, when she gave me wealth galore and fell to coming to the
pavilion six days in every month.
On this wise we abode a whole year, at the end of which time she
was absent[FN#185] from me a month's space, wherefore fire raged
in my heart on her account. When it was the next month, behold, a
little eunuch presented himself to me and said, "I am a messenger
to thee from such an one," [naming my mistress], "who giveth thee
to know that the Commander of the Faithful hath sentenced her to
be drowned, her and those who are with her, six-and-twenty
slave-girls, on such a day at Deir et Tin,[FN#186] for that they
have confessed against one another of lewdness, and she biddeth
thee look how thou mayst do with her and how thou mayst contrive
to deliver her, even if thou gather together all her money and
spend it upon her, for that this is the time of manhood."[FN#187]
Quoth I, "I know not this woman; belike it is other than I [to
whom this message is addressed]; so beware, O eunuch, lest thou
cast me into stress." Quoth he, "Behold, I have told thee [that
which I had to say,"] and went away, leaving me in concern [on
her account].
[When the appointed day arrived], I arose and changing my clothes
and favour, donned sailor's apparel; then I took with me a purse
full of gold and buying good [victual for the] morning-meal,
accosted a boatman [at Deir et Tin] and sat down and ate with
him; after which said I to him, "Wilt thou hire me thy boat?"
Quoth he, "The Commander of the Faithful hath commanded me to be
here;" and he told me the story of the concubines and how the
Khalif purposed to drown them that day. When I heard this from
him, I brought out to him half a score dinars and discovered to
him my case, whereupon quoth he to me, "O my brother, get thee
empty calabashes, and when thy mistress cometh, give me to know
of her and I will contrive the trick."
I kissed his hand and thanked him, and as I was walking about,
[waiting,] up came the guards and eunuchs with the women, who
were weeping and crying out and taking leave of one another. The
eunuchs cried out to us, whereupon we came with the boat, and
they said to the boatman, "Who is this?" "This is my mate,"
answered he, "[whom I have brought,] to help me, so one of us may
keep the boat, whilst another doth your service." Then they
brought out to us the women, one by one, saying, "Throw them [in]
by the Island;" and we answered, "It is well." Now each of them
was shackled and they had made a jar of sand fast about her neck.
We did as the eunuchs bade us and ceased not to take the women,
one after another, and cast them in, till they gave us my
mistress and I winked to my comrade. So we took her and carried
her out into mid-stream, where I gave her the empty
calabashes[FN#188] and said to her, "Wait for me at the mouth of
the canal." Then we cast her in, after we had loosed the jar of
sand from her neck and done off her fetters, and returned.
Now there remained one after her; so we took her and drowned her
and the eunuchs went away, whilst we dropped down the river with
the boat till we came to the mouth of the canal, where I saw my
mistress awaiting me. So we took her up into the boat and
returned to our pavilion on Er Rauzeh. Then I rewarded the
boatman and he took his boat and went away; whereupon quoth she
to me, "Thou art indeed a friend in need."[FN#189] And I abode
with her some days; but the shock wrought upon her so that she
sickened and fell to wasting away and redoubled in languishment
and weakness till she died. I mourned for her with an exceeding
mourning and buried her; after which I removed all that was in
the pavilion to my own house [and abandoned the former].
Now she had brought to the pavilion aforetime a little brass
coffer and laid it in a place whereof I knew not; so, when the
inspector of inheritances[FN#190] came, he searched the pavilion
and found the coffer, with the key in the lock. So he opened it
and finding it full of jewels and jacinths and earrings and
seal-rings and precious stones, such as are not found save with
kings and sultans, took it, and me with it, and ceased not to put
me to the question with beating and torment till I confessed to
them the whole affair from beginning to end, whereupon they
carried me to the Khalif and I told him all that had passed
between me and her; and he said to me, "O man, depart from this
city, for I acquit thee for thy valiance sake and because of thy
[constancy in] keeping thy secret and thy daring in exposing
thyself to death." So I arose forthright and departed his city;
and this is what befell me.'"