I was both glad and sorry to reach the city, glad for that I was

weary with my journey and pale for weakness and anxiety, and

grieved to enter it in such sorry case. However, I went in,

knowing not whither to betake me, and fared on till I came to a

tailor sitting in his shop. I saluted him, and he returned my

salute and bade me a kindly welcome, and seeing me to be a

stranger and noting marks of gentle breeding on me, enquired how

I came thither. I told him all that had befallen me; and he was

concerned for me and said, "O my son, do not discover thyself to

any, for the King of this city is the chief of thy father's foes

and hath a mortal feud against him." Then he set meat and drink

before me, and I ate and he with me, and we talked together till

nightfall, when he lodged me in a chamber beside his own, and

brought me a bed and coverlet. I abode with him three days, at

the end of which time he said to me, "Dost thou know any craft by

which thou mayst earn thy living?" I replied, "I am a doctor of

the law and a man of learning, a scribe, a grammarian, a poet, a

mathematician and a skilled penman." Quoth he, "Thy trade is not

in demand in this country nor are there in this city any who

understand science or writing or aught but money-getting." "By

Allah," said I, "I know nought but what I have told thee!" And he

said, "Gird thy middle and take axe and cord and go and cut

firewood in the desert for thy living, till God send thee relief,

and tell none who thou art, or they will kill thee." Then he

bought me an axe and a cord and gave me in charge to certain

woodcutters; with whom I went out into the desert and cut wood

all day and carried home a load on my head. I sold it for half a

dinar, with part of which I bought victual and laid up the rest.

On this wise I lived a whole year, at the end of which time I

went out one day into the desert, according to my wont, and

straying from my companions, happened on a tract full of trees

and running streams, in which there was abundance of firewood; so

I entered and coming on the gnarled stump of a great tree, dug

round it with my axe and cleared the earth away from it.

Presently, the axe struck upon a ring of brass; so I cleared away

the earth, till I uncovered a wooden trap-door, which I raised

and there appeared beneath it a stair I descended the stair, till

I came to a door, which I opened and found myself in a vaulted

hall of goodly structure, wherein was a damsel like a pearl of

great price, whose aspect banished pain and care and anxiety from

the heart and whose speech healed the troubled soul and

captivated the wise and the intelligent. She was slender of shape

and swelling-breasted, delicate-cheeked and bright of colour and

fair of form; and indeed her face shone like the sun through the

night of her tresses, and her teeth glittered above the snows of

her bosom. As says the poet of her:

Slender of waist, with streaming hair the hue of night, is she,

With hips like hills of sand and shape straight as the

balsam-tree.

And as says another:

There are four things that ne'er unite, except it be To shed my

heart's best blood and take my soul by storm.

And these are night-black locks and brow as bright as day, Cheeks

ruddy as the rose and straight and slender form.

When I looked on her, I prostrated myself before her Maker, for

the grace and beauty He had created in her and she looked at me

and said, "Art thou a man or a genie?" "I am a man," answered I;

and she said, "And who brought thee to this place, where I have

dwelt five-and-twenty years without seeing man?" Quoth I (and

indeed her speech was sweet to me), "O my lady, my good star

brought me hither for the dispelling of my grief and anxiety."

And I told her all that had befallen me from first to last. My

case was grievous to her and she wept: then she said, "I will

tell thee my story in turn. I am the daughter of a King of

Farther India, by name Efitamous, Lord of the Ebony Islands, who

married me to my cousin, but on my wedding-night an Afrit called

Jerjis ben Rejmous, the mother's sister's son of Iblis, carried

me off and flying away with me, set me down in this place whither

he transported all that I needed of clothes and ornaments and

furniture and meat and drink and so forth. Once in every ten days

he comes to me and lies the night here, then goes his way; for he

took me without the consent of his family: and he has agreed with

me that, in case I should ever have occasion for him in the

interval between his visits, whether by night or by day, I have

only to touch these two lines engraved upon the alcove, and he

will be with me before I take away my hand. It is now four days

since he was here, and there remain six before he comes again.

Wilt thou therefore spend five days with me and depart the day

before his coming?" "I will well," answered I. "O rare! if it be

not all a dream." At this she rejoiced and taking me by the hand,

led me through a vaulted doorway into a small but elegant

bath-room, where we put off our clothes and she washed me. Then

she clad me in a new suit and seated me by her side on a high

divan and gave me to drink of sherbet of sugar flavoured with

musk. Then she brought food, and we ate and conversed. After

awhile, she said to me, "Lie down and rest, for thou art weary."

So I lay down and slept and forgot all that had befallen me. When

I awoke, I found her rubbing my feet:[FN#30] so I thanked her and

blessed her, and we sat talking awhile. Quoth she, "By Allah, I

was sad at heart, for that I have dwelt alone under ground these

five-and-twenty years, without any to talk withal. So praised be

God who hath sent thee to me!" Then she said, "O youth, art thou

for wine?" And I answered, "As thou wilt." Whereupon she went to

the cupboard and took out a sealed flask of old wine and decked

the table with flowers and green herbs. Then she recited the

following verses:

Had we thy coming known, we would for sacrifice Have poured thee

forth heart's blood and blackness of the eyes:

Ay, and we would have laid our cheeks within thy way, That so thy

feet might tread on eyelids, carpet-wise!

I thanked her, for indeed love of her had taken hold of me, and

my grief and anxiety left me. We sat carousing till nightfall,

and I passed the night with her, never knew I such a night. On

the morrow, delight succeeded delight till the middle of the day,

when I drank wine, till I lost my senses and rose, staggering

from side to side, and said to her, "Come, O fair one! I will

carry thee up from under the earth and rid thee of this genie."

She laughed and replied, "Be content and hold thy peace. One day

in every ten is the genie's, and the other nine shall be thine."

Quoth I (and indeed drunkenness had got the better of me), "This

very moment will I break the alcove, on which is graven the

talisman, and summon the Afrit hither, that I may kill him, for I

am used to kill Afrits ten at a time." When she heard this, she

conjured me by Allah to refrain and repeated the following

verses:

This is a thing wherein thine own destruction lies: I rede thee

keep thyself therefrom, if thou be wise.

And also these:

O thou that seek'st to hasten on the feet Of parting's steeds,

the matchless swift of flight,

Forbear, for fortune's nature is deceit, And parting is the end

of love delight.

I paid no heed to her words, but kicked the alcove with all my

might, and immediately the place grew dark, it thundered and

lightened, the earth trembled and the world was wrapped in gloom.

When I saw this, the fumes of the wine left my head and I said to

the lady, "What is the matter?" "The Afrit is upon us," answered

she "Did I not warn thee of this! By Allah, thou hast ruined me!

But fly for thy life and return whence thou camest." So I

ascended the stair, but, in the excess of my fear I forgot my

sandals and hatchet. When I had mounted two steps, I turned to

look, and behold, the ground clove in sunder and out came an

Afrit of hideous aspect, who said to the lady, "What is this

commotion with which thou disturbest me? What misfortune has

befallen thee?" "Nothing has befallen me," answered she, "except

that I was heavy at heart and drank a little wine to hearten

myself. Then I rose to do an occasion, but my head became heavy

and I fell against the alcove." "Thou liest, O harlot!" said he,

and looked right and left, till he caught sight of the axe and

the sandals and said, "These are some man's gear. Who has been

with thee?" Quoth she, "I never set eyes on them till this

moment; they must have clung to thee as thou camest hither." But

he said, "This talk is absurd and will not impose on me, O

strumpet!" Then he stripped her naked and stretching her on the

ground, tied her hands and feet to four stakes and proceeded to

torture her to make her confess. I could not bear to hear her

weeping; so I ascended the stair, quaking for fear. When I

reached the top, I replaced the trap-door and covered it over

with earth; and I thought of the lady and her beauty and what had

befallen her through my folly and repented me sore of what I had

done. Then I bethought me of my father and his kingdom and how I

had become a woodcutter, and how, after my life had been awhile

serene, it had again become troubled, and I wept and repeated the

following verse:

What time the cruelties of Fate o'erwhelm thee with distress,

Think that one day must bring thee ease, another day

duresse.

Then I went on till I reached the house of my friend, whom I

found awaiting me, as he were on coals of fire on my account.

When he saw me, he rejoiced and said, "O my brother, where didst

thou pass the night? My heart has been full of anxiety on thine

account, fearing for thee from the wild beasts or other peril:

but praised be God for thy safety!" I thanked him for his

solicitude, and retiring to my chamber, fell a-musing on what had

passed and reproached myself grievously for my meddlesomeness in

kicking the alcove. Presently the tailor came in to me and said,

"O my son, there is without an old man, a foreigner, who seeks

thee. He has thine axe and sandals and came to the woodcutters

and said to them, 'I went out at the hour of the call to morning

prayer and happened on these and know not whose they are: direct

me to their owner.' They knew thine axe and sent him to thee; and

he is now sitting in my shop. So do thou go out to him and thank

him and take thy gear." When I heard this, my colour changed and

I was sick for terror but before I could think, the floor clove

asunder and up came the stranger, and lo, it was the Afrit! Now

he had tortured the lady in the most barbarous manner, without

being able to make her confess: so he took the axe and sandals,

saying, "As sure as I am Jerjis of the lineage of Iblis, I will

bring back the owner of this axe and these sandals!" So he went

to the woodcutters with the tale aforesaid, and they directed him

to me. He snatched me up without parley and flew high into the

air, but presently descended and plunged into the ground with me,

and I the while unconscious. Then he came up with me in the

underground palace, where I saw the lady stretched out naked,

with the blood running from her sides. At this sight, my eyes ran

over with tears; but the Afrit unbound her and veiling her, said

to her, "O wanton, is not this thy lover?" She looked at me and

said, "I know not this man, nor have I ever seen him till now."

Quoth he, "Wilt thou not confess after all this torture?" And she

answered, "I never saw him in my life, and God forbid that I

should lie against him and thou kill him." "Then," said he, "if

thou know him not, take this sword and cut off his head." She

took the sword and came and stood at my head; and I made signs to

her with my eyebrows whilst the tears ran down my cheeks. She

understood me and signed to me with her eyes as who should say,

"Thou hast brought all this upon us." And I answered her, in the

same fashion, that it was a time for forgiveness; and the tongue

of the case spoke[FN#31] the words of the poet:

My looks interpret for my tongue and tell of what I feel: And all

the love appears that I within my heart conceal.

When as we meet and down our cheeks our tears are running fast,

I'm dumb, and yet my speaking eyes my thought of thee

reveal.

She signs to me; and I, I know the things her glances say: I with

my fingers sign, and she conceives the mute appeal.

Our eyebrows of themselves suffice unto our intercourse: We're

mute; but passion none the less speaks in the looks we

steal.

Then she threw down the sword and said, "How shall I strike off

the head of one whom I know not and who has done me no hurt? My

religion will not allow of this." Quoth the Afrit, "It is

grievous to thee to kill thy lover. Because he hath lain a night

with thee, thou endurest this torture and wilt not confess upon

him. It is only like that pities like." Then he turned to me and

said, "O mortal, dost thou not know this woman?" "Who is she?"

answered I. "I never saw her till now." "Then," said he "take

this sword and strike off her head and I will believe that thou

knowest her not and will let thee go and do thee no hurt." Quoth

I, "It is well;" and taking the sword, went up to her briskly and

raised my hand. But she signed to me with her eyebrows, as who

should say, "What hurt have I done thee? Is it thus thou

requitest me?" I understood what she would say and replied in the

same manner, "I will ransom thee with my life." And the tongue of

the case repeated the following verses:

How many a lover with his eyelids speaks And doth his thought

unto his mistress tell

He flashes signals to her with his eyes, And she at once is ware

of what befell.

How swift the looks that pass betwixt the twain! How fair,

indeed, and how delectable!

One with his eyelids writes what he would say: The other with her

eyes the writ doth spell.

Then my eyes ran over with tears and I said, "O mighty Afrit and

doughty hero! if a woman, lacking sense and religion, deem it

unlawful to strike off my head, how can I, who am a man, bring

myself to slay her whom I never saw in my life? Never will I

do it, though I drink the cup of death and ruin!" And I threw

the sword from my hand. Quoth the Afrit, "Ye show the good

understanding between you, but I will let you see the issue of

your doings." Then he took the sword and cut off the lady's hands

and feet at four strokes; whilst I looked on and made sure of

death; and she signed me a farewell with her eyes. Quoth he,

"Thou cuckoldest me with thine eyes!" And struck off her head

with a blow of his sword. Then he turned to me and said, "O

mortal, by our law; when our wives commit adultery, it is lawful

to us to put them to death. As for this woman, I stole her away

on her wedding-night, when she was a girl of twelve, and she has

known no one but myself. I used to come to her once in every

ten days in the habit of a man, a foreigner, and pass one night

with her; and when I was assured that she had played me false,

I slew her. But as for thee, I am not sure that thou west her

accomplice: nevertheless, I must not let thee go unharmed; but I

will grant thee a favour." At this I rejoiced greatly and said,

"What favour wilt thou grant me?" "I will give thee thy choice,"

replied he, "whether I shall change thee into a dog, an ass or an

ape." Quoth I (and indeed I had hoped that he would pardon me),

"By Allah, spare me, and God will reward thee for sparing a true

believer, who hath done thee no harm." And I humbled myself

before him to the utmost and wept, saying, "Indeed, thou dost me

injustice." "Do not multiply words on me," answered he; "it is in

my power to kill thee: but I give thee thy choice." "O Afrit,"

rejoined I, "it would best become thee to pardon me, even as the

envied pardoned the envier." Quoth he, "And how was that?" "They

say, O Afrit," answered I, "that

Story of the Envier and the Envied.

There dwelt once in a certain city two men, who occupied

adjoining houses, having a common party-wall; and one of them

envied the other and looked on him with an evil eye and did his

utmost endeavour to work him ill; and his envy grew on him till

he could hardly eat or enjoy the delight of sleep for it. But the

envied man did nought but prosper, and the more the other strove

to do him hurt, the more he increased and throve and flourished.

At last the hatred his neighbour bore him and his constant

endeavour to do him hurt came to his knowledge and he said, 'By

Allah, I will renounce the world on his account!' So he left his

native place and settled in a distant city, where he bought a

piece of land, in which was a dried-up well, that had once been

used for watering the fields. Here he built him an oratory, which

he fitted up with all that he required, and took up his abode

therein, devoting himself with a sincere heart to the service of

God the Most High. Fakirs[FN#32] and poor folk soon flocked to

him from all sides, and his fame spread abroad in the city, so

that the notables resorted to him. After awhile, the news reached

the envious man of the good fortune that had befallen his old

neighbour and the high consideration in which he was held: so he

set out for the town in which the latter dwelt and repaired to

the hermitage, where the envied man welcomed him and received him

with the utmost honour. Quoth the envier, 'I have journeyed

hither on purpose to tell thee a piece of good news. So order thy

fakirs to retire to their cells and go with me apart, for I will

not say what I have to tell thee, except privately where none may

overhear us.' Accordingly the envied man ordered the fakirs to

retire to their cells; and they did so. Then he took the other by

the hand and walked on with him a little way, till they came to

the deserted well, when the envious man gave the other a push and

cast him into the well, unseen of any; after which, he went out

and went his way thinking that he had killed him. Now this well

was haunted by Jinn, who bore up the envied man and let him down

little by little, so that he reached the bottom unhurt, and they

seated him on a stone. Then said one of the Jinn to the others,

'Know ye who this is?' And they answered, 'No.' Quoth he, 'This

is the envied man who fled from him who envied him and settled in

our city, where he built him this oratory and entertains us with

his litanies and recitations of the Koran. But the envious man

set out and journeyed till he rejoined him and contrived to throw

him into this well. Now the news of him hath this very night come

to the Sultan of the city and he purposes to visit him to-morrow,

on account of his daughter. 'And what ails his daughter?' asked

another. 'She is possessed of an evil spirit,' replied the first,

'for the genie Meimoun ben Demdem has fallen in love with her;

but if the pious man knew the remedy, he could cure her; and it

is the easiest of things.' 'And what is the remedy?' asked the

other. Quoth the first speaker 'The black cat that is with him in

the oratory has a white spot, the size of a dirhem, at the end of

her tail: he should take seven white hairs from this spot and

fumigate the princess therewith; whereupon the Marid will leave

her and never return, and she will be cured immediately.' And the

envied man heard all this. When the day broke and the morning

appeared and shone, the fakirs came to seek their chief and found

him rising from the well, wherefore he was magnified in their

eyes; and he took the black cat and plucking seven white hairs

from the spot at the end of her tail, laid them aside. The sun

had hardly risen when the King arrived and entered the hermitage,

attended by his chief officers, leaving the rest of his suite

without. The envied man bade him welcome and drawing near to him,

said, 'Shall I tell thee the object of thy visit?' 'Yes,'

answered the King. And he said, 'Thou comest to consult me

concerning thy daughter.' Quoth the King, 'Thou sayst truly, O

virtuous elder!' Then said the envied man, 'Send and fetch her,

and (God willing) I trust to cure her at once.' The King rejoiced

and sent for his daughter; and they brought her bound hand and

foot. The envied man made her sit down behind a curtain and

taking out the hairs, fumigated her with them; whereupon the

Afrit that was in her roared out and departed from her. And she

was restored to her right mind and veiled her face, saying, 'What

has happened and who brought me hither?' At this, the Sultan

rejoiced beyond measure and kissed her on the eyes and kissed the

envied man's hand. Then he turned to his officers and said, 'How

say you? What reward doth he deserve who cured my daughter?' They

answered, 'He deserves to have her to wife;' and the King, 'Ye

say well.' So he married him to her, and the envied man became

the King's son-in-law. After awhile, the Vizier died, and the

King said, 'Whom shall we make Vizier in his stead?' 'Thy

son-in-law,' answered the courtiers. So the envied man was made

Vizier. Presently the Sultan also died, and the grandees

determined to appoint the Vizier King in his place. So they made

him Sultan, and he became King regnant. One day, as he was riding

forth in his royal state, surrounded by his Viziers and Amirs and

grandees, his eyes fell on his old neighbour, the envious man; so

he turned to one of his viziers and said to him, 'Bring me yonder

man and frighten him not.' So the Vizier went and returned with

the envious man: and the King said, 'Give him a thousand dinars

from my treasury and twenty loads of merchandise and send him

under an escort to his own city.' Then he bade him farewell and

sent him away and forbore to punish him for what he had done with

him See, O Afrit, how the envied man forgave his envier, who had

always hated him and borne him malice and had journeyed to him

and made shift to throw him into the well: yet did he not requite

him his ill-doing, but on the contrary was bountiful to him and

forgave him." Then I wept before him exceeding sore, and repeated

the following verses:

I prithee, pardon mine offence: for men of prudent mind To pardon

unto those that sin their sins are still inclined.

If I, alas! contain in me all fashions of offence, Let there in

thee forgiveness fair be found in every kind.

For men are bound to pardon those that are beneath their hand, If

they themselves with those that be above them grace would

find.

Quoth the Afrit, "I will neither kill thee nor let thee go free,

but I will assuredly enchant thee." Then he tore me from the

ground and flew up with me into the air, till I saw the earth as

it were a platter midmost the water. Presently he set me down on

a mountain and took a little earth, over which he muttered some

magical words, then sprinkled me with it, saying, "Quit this

shape for that of an ape." And immediately I became an ape, a

hundred years old. Then he went away and left me; and when I saw

myself in this ugly shape, I wept, but resigned myself to the

tyranny of fate, knowing that fortune is constant to no one, and

descended to the foot of the mountain, where found a wide plain.

I fared on for the space of a month till my course brought me to

the shore of the salt sea: where I stood awhile and presently

caught sight of a ship in the midst of the sea, making for the

land with a fair wind. I hid myself behind a rock on the beach

and waited till the ship drew near, when I sprang on board. Quoth

one of the passengers, "Turn this unlucky brute out from amongst

us!" And the captain said, "Let us kill him." And a third, "I

will kill him with this sword." But I laid hold of the captain's

skirts and wept, and the tears ran down my face. The captain took

pity on me and said, "O merchants, this ape appeals to me for

protection, and I will protect him: henceforth he is under my

safeguard, and none shall molest or annoy him." Then he entreated

me kindly and whatever he said I understood and ministered to all

his wants and waited on him, so that he loved me. The ship sailed

on with a fair wind for the space of fifty days, at the end of

which time we cast anchor over against a great city, wherein were

much people, none could tell their number save God. No sooner had

we come to an anchor, than we were boarded by officers from the

King of the city; who said to the merchants, "Our King gives you

joy of your safety and sends you this scroll of paper, on which

each one of you is to write a line. For know that the King's

Vizier, who was an excellent penman, is dead and the King has

sworn a solemn oath that he will make none Vizier in his stead

who cannot write like him." Then they gave them a scroll, ten

cubits long by one wide, and each of the merchants, who could

write, wrote a line therein: after which I rose and snatched the

scroll from their hands, and they cried out at me and rated me,

fearing that I would tear it or throw it into the sea. But I made

signs that I would write; whereat they marvelled, saying, "We

never saw an ape write!" And the captain said to them, "Let him

alone; if he scrabble, we will drive him away and kill him; but

if he write well, I will adopt him as my son, for I never saw so

intelligent and well-mannered an ape; and would God my son had

his sense and good breeding!" So I took the pen and dipping it in

the inkhorn, wrote in an epistolary hand the following verses:

Time hath recorded the virtues of the great: But thine have

remained unchronicled till now.

May God not orphan the human race of thee, For sire and mother of

all good deeds art thou.

Then I wrote the following in a running hand:

Thou hast a pen whose use confers good gifts on every clime; Upon

all creatures of the world its happy favours fall.

What are the bounties of the Nile to thy munificence, Whose

fingers five extend to shower thy benefits on all?

And in an engrossing hand the following:

There is no writer but he shall pass away: Yet what he writes

shall last for ever and aye.

Write, therefore, nought but that which shall gladden thee, When

as it meets thine eye on the Judgment Day.

And in a transcribing hand the following:

When separation is to us by destiny decreed And 'gainst the cruel

chance of Fate our efforts are in vain,

Unto the inkhorn's mouth we fly that, by the tongues of pens, Of

parting and its bitterness it may for us complain.

And in a large formal hand the following:

The regal state endureth not to any mortal man. If thou deny

this, where is he who first on earth held sway?

Plant therefore saplings of good deeds, whilst that thou yet art

great Though thou be ousted from thy stead, they shall not

pass away.

And in a court hand the following:

When thou the inkhorn op'st of power and lordship over men, Make

thou thine ink of noble thoughts and generous purpose; then

Write gracious deeds and good therewith, whilst that thy power

endures. So shall thy virtues blazoned be at point of sword

and pen.

Then I gave the scroll to the officers, who took it and returned

with it to the King. When he saw it, no writing pleased him but

mine; so he said to his officers, "Go to the writer of these

lines and dress him in a splendid robe; then mount him on a mule

and bring him to me with a band of music before him." At this

they smiled, and the King was wroth with them and said, "O

accursed ones, I give you an order, and ye laugh at me!" "O

King," answered they, "we have good cause to laugh." Quoth he,

"What is it?" And they replied, "O King, thou orderest us to

bring thee the man who wrote these lines: now he who wrote them

is no man, but an ape belonging to the captain of the ship."

"Can this be true?" asked he; and they said, "Yea, by thy

munificence!" The King was astonished at their report and shook

with mirth and said, "I have a mind to buy this ape of the

captain." Then he sent messengers to the ship and said to them,

"Dress him none the less in the robe and mount him on the mule

and bring him hither in state, with the band of music before

him." So they came to the ship and took me and clad me in the

robe and mounted me on the mule and carried me in procession

through the city; whilst the people were astounded and crowded to

gaze upon me, and the place was all astir on my account. When I

reached the King's presence, I kissed the earth before him three

times, and he bade me be seated; so I sat down on my heels; and

all the bystanders marvelled at my good manners, and the King

most of all. After awhile the King dismissed his courtiers, and

there remained but myself, his highness the King, an eunuch and a

little white slave. Then the King gave orders and they brought

the table of food, containing all kinds of birds that hop and fly

and couple in the nests, such as grouse and quails and so forth.

He signed to me to eat with him; so I rose and kissed the earth

before him then sat down and ate with him. When we had done

eating, the table was removed, and I washed my hands seven times.

Then I took pen and ink and wrote the following verses:

Weep for the cranes that erst within the porringers did lie, And

for the stews and partridges evanished heave a sigh!

Mourn for the younglings of the grouse; lament unceasingly, As,

for the omelettes and the fowls browned in the pan, do I.

How my heart yearneth for the fish, that in its different kinds,

Upon a paste of wheaten flour lay hidden in the pie!

Praised be God for the roast meat! As in the dish it lay, With

pot-herbs, soaked in vinegar, in porringers hard by!

My hunger was appeased: I lay, intent upon the gleam Of arms that

in the frumenty were buried bracelet high.

I woke my sleeping appetite to eat, as 'twere in jest, Of all the

tarts that, piled on trays, shone fair unto the eye.

O soul, have patience! For indeed, Fate full of marvel is: If

fortune straiten thee one day, the next relief is nigh.

Then I rose and seated myself at a distance, whilst the King read

what I had written and marvelled and said "Strange that an ape

should be gifted with such fluency and skill in penmanship! By

Allah, this is a wonder of wonders!" Then they set choice wine

before the King in flagons of glass; and he drank, then passed

the cup to me; and I kissed the earth and drank and wrote the

following verses:

They burnt me[FN#33] with fire, to make me speak, And found me

patient and debonair.

For this I am borne on men's hands on high And kiss the rosy lips

of the fair!

And these also:

Morn struggles through the dusk; so pour me out, I pray, Of wine,

such wine as makes the saddest-hearted gay!

So pure and bright it is, that whether wine in glass Or glass in

wine be held, i' faith, 'tis hard to say.

The King read them and said, with a sigh, "If a man had this

quickness of wit, he would excel all the folk of his age and

time." Then he called for a chess-board and said to me, "Wilt

thou play with me?" I signed with my head as who should say,

"Yes," and came forward and placed the men and played two games

with him, each of which I won, much to his amazement. Then I took

the pen and wrote the following verses:

Two hosts throughout the live-long day contend in deadly fight,

That waxes ever till the shades of night upon them creep;

Then, when the darkness puts an end at last unto their strife,

Upon one couch and side by side, they lay them down to

sleep.

These verses filled the King with wonder and delight, and he said

to the eunuch, "Go to thy mistress, the Lady of Beauty, and bid

her come and amuse herself with the sight of this wonderful ape."

So the eunuch went out and presently returned with the lady, who,

when she saw me, veiled her face, and said, "O my father, how

comes it that thou art pleased to send for me and show me to

strange men?" "O my daughter," said he, "there is none here save

the little slave and the eunuch who reared thee and myself, thy

father. From whom then dost thou veil thy face?" Quoth she, "This

that thou deemest an ape is a wise and learned man, the son of a

king; the Afrit Jerjis of the lineage of Iblis enchanted him

thus, after putting to death his own wife, the daughter of King

Efitamous, Lord of the Ebony Islands." At this the King wondered

and turning to me, said, "Is this true that she says of thee?"

And I signed with my head, as who should say, "Yes;" and wept.

Then said he to his daughter, "Whence knewest thou that he was

enchanted?" "O my father," answered she, "there was with me, in

my childhood, an old woman who was skilled in magic and taught me

its rules and practice; and I became skilled therein and

committed to memory a hundred and seventy magical formulas, by

the least of which I could transport the stones of thy?? behind

the mountain Caf and make its site an abyss of the sea and its

people fishes swimming in its midst." "O my daughter," said her

father, "I conjure thee, by my life, to disenchant this young

man, that I may make him my Vizier, for he is a right pleasant

and ingenious youth." "With all my heart," replied she, and

taking a knife, on which were engraved Hebrew characters, drew

therewith a circle in the midst of the hall and wrote there in

names and talismans and muttered words and charms, some of which

we understood and others not. Presently the world darkened upon

us, and the Afrit presented himself before us in his own shape

and aspect, with hands like pitchforks legs like masts and eyes

like flames of fire. We were affrighted at him, but the princess

said to him, "An ill welcome to thee, O dog!" Whereupon he took

the form of a lion and said to her, "O traitress, thou hast

broken thy compact with me! Did we not swear that neither of us

should molest the other?" "O accursed one," answered she, "how

could there be a compact between me and the like of thee?"

"Then," said he, "take what thou hast brought on thyself." And

opening his mouth, rushed upon her: but she made haste and

plucked a hair from her head and waved it in the air, muttering

the while; and it at once became a sharp sword, with which she

smote the lion and cut him in two. His head became a scorpion,

whereupon the princess transformed herself into a great serpent

and fell upon the scorpion and there befell a sore battle between

them. Presently the scorpion changed to an eagle, and the serpent

at once became a griffin, which pursued the eagle a long while,

till the latter became a black cat. Thereupon the griffin became

a piebald wolf and they fought long and sore, till the cat

finding itself beaten, changed into a worm and crept into a

pomegranate which lay beside the fountain in the midst of the

hall whereupon the pomegranate swelled till it was as big as a

watermelon. The wolf ran to seize it, but it rose into the air

and falling on the pavement, broke in pieces, and all the seeds

fell out and rolled hither and thither, till the floor was

covered with them. Then the wolf shook itself and became a cock,

which fell to picking up the seeds, till they were all gone,

except one that, by the decree of Fate, had rolled to the side of

the basin and lay hidden there. The cock began to crow and clap

its wings and signed to us with his beak, as who should say,

"Are there any grains left?" But we understood him not; and he

gave such a cry that we thought the palace would fall on us.

Then he ran about all over the hall, till he saw the remaining

pomegranate-seed, and rushed to pick it up, but it sprang into

the midst of the water and became a fish, which sank to the

bottom of the basin. Thereupon the cock became big fish and

plunged in after the other; and we saw nothing of them for

a time, but heard a loud crying and screaming and trembled.

Presently the Afrit rose out of the water, as he were one great

flame, with fire and smoke issuing from his mouth and eyes and

nostrils. Immediately after, the princess rose also, like a great

coal of fire, and they fought till they were wrapped in flames

and the hall was filled with smoke. As for us, we were well-nigh

suffocated and hid ourselves and would have plunged into the

water, fearing lest we be burnt up and destroyed: and the King

said, "There is no power and no virtue but in God the Most High,

the Supreme! We are God's and to Him we return! Would God I had

not urged my daughter to attempt the delivery of this ape,

whereby I have imposed on her this fearful labour with yonder

accursed Afrit, against whom all the other Afrits in the world

could not prevail! And would we had never seen this ape, may

God's blessing not be on him nor on the hour of his coming! We

thought to do him a kindness for the love of God, by freeing him

from this enchantment, and lo, we have brought this terrible

travail upon ourselves!" But my tongue was tied and I could not

say a word to him. Suddenly, the Afrit roared out from under the

flames and coming up to us, as we stood on the dais, blew fire in

our faces. The princess pursued him and blew flames at him, and

the sparks from them both fell upon us; her sparks did us no

hurt, but of his one lighted on my right eye and destroyed it;

another fell on the King's face and scorched the lower part,

burning away half his beard and making his under teeth drop out,

and a third lighted on the eunuch's breast and set him on fire,

so that he was consumed and died forthright. So we despaired of

life and looked for nothing but death; but presently we heard a

voice exclaiming, "God is most great! He giveth aid and victory

to the true believer and abandoneth him who denieth the religion

of Mohammed, the Moon of the Faith!" And lo, the King's daughter

had burnt up the Afrit and he was become a heap of ashes! Then

she came up to us and said, "Bring me a cup of water." They did

so: and she spoke over the water words we understood not and

sprinkled me with it, saying, "By the virtue of the Truth and of

the Most Great Name of God, return to thine original shape!" And

immediately I shook and became a man as before, save that I had

lost my right eye. Then she cried out, "The fire! The fire! O my

father, I have but an instant to live, for I am not used to fight

with Jinn: had he been a man, I had slain him long ago. I had no

travail till the time when the pomegranate burst asunder and I

overlooked the seed in which was the genie's life. Had I picked

it up, he would have died at once; but as fate and destiny would

have it, I knew not of this, so that he came upon me unawares and

there befell between us a sore strife under the earth and in the

air and in the water: and as often as I opened on him a

gate[FN#34] (of magic), he opened on me another, till at last he

opened on me the gate of fire, and seldom does he on whom the

gate of fire is opened escape alive. But Providence aided me

against him, so that I consumed him first, after I had summoned

him to embrace the faith of Islam. As for me, I am a dead woman

and may God supply my place to you!" Then she called upon God for

help and ceased not to implore relief from the fire, till

presently a tongue of fierce flame broke out from her clothes and

shot up to her breast and thence to her face. When it reached her

face, she wept and said, "I testify that there is no god but God

and that Mohammed is the apostle of God!" And we looked at her

and behold, she was a heap of ashes beside those of the genie. We

mourned for her and I wished I had been in her place, so had I

not seen the fair-faced one who had done me this good office

reduced to ashes; but there is no averting the decree of God.

When the King saw what had befallen his daughter, he plucked out

the rest of his beard and buffeted his face and rent his clothes;

and I did the like, and we both wept for her. Then came in the

chamberlains and grandees and were amazed to find two heaps of

ashes and the Sultan in a swoon. So they stood round him till he

revived and told them what had happened, whereat they were sore

afflicted and the women and slave-girls shrieked aloud and kept

up their lamentation for the space of seven days. Moreover, the

King bade build a great dome over his daughter's ashes and burn

therein candles and lamps: but the Afrit's ashes they scattered

to the winds, committing them to the malediction of God. The King

was sick, well-nigh unto death, for a month's space, after which

health returned to him and His beard grew again. Then he sent for

me and said to me, "O youth, verily we led the happiest of lives,

safe from the vicissitudes of fortune, till thou camest to us,

when troubles flocked upon us. O that we had never seen thee nor

the ugly face of thee! For through our taking pity on thee, we

are come to this state of bereavement. I have lost, on thine

account, first, my daughter, who was worth a hundred men;

secondly, I have suffered what befell me by the fire and the loss

of my teeth, and my eunuch also is dead. I do not indeed blame

thee for aught of this; for all was decreed of God to us and to

thee; and praised be He that my daughter delivered thee, though

at the cost of her own life! But now, O my son, depart from my

city and let what has befallen us on thine account suffice.

Depart in peace, and if I see thee again I will kill thee." And

he cried out at me. So I went forth from his presence, knowing

not whither I should go, and hardly believing in my escape. And I

recalled all that had befallen me from first to last and thanked

God that it was my eye that I had lost and not my life. Before I

left the town, I entered the bath and shaved my head and put on a

hair-cloth garment. Then I fared forth at a venture, and every

day I recalled all the misfortunes that had befallen me and wept

and repeated the following verses:

By the Compassionate, I'm dazed and know not where I go. Griefs

flock on me from every side, I know not whence they grow.

I will endure till patience' self less patient is than I: I will

have patience till it please the Lord to end my woe.

A vanquished man, without complaint, my doom I will endure, As

the parched traveller in the waste endures the torrid glow.

I will endure till aloes'[FN#35] self confess that I, indeed, Can

'gainst a bitt'rer thing abide than even it can show.

There is no bitt'rer thing; and yet if patience play me false, It

were to me a bitt'rer thing than all the rest, I trow.

The wrinkles graven on my heart would speak my hidden pain If

through my breast the thought could pierce and read what

lies below.

Were but my load on mountains laid, they'd crumble into dust; On

fire it would be quenched outright; on wind, 'twould cease

to blow.

Let who will say that life is sweet; to all there comes a day

When they must needs a bitt'rer thing than aloes[FN#36]

undergo.

Then I journeyed through many lands and cities, intending for the

Abode of Peace[FN#37], Baghdad, in the hope that I might get

speech of the Commander of the Faithful and tell him all that had

befallen me. I arrived here this night and found my brother, this

first Calender, standing perplexed; so I saluted him and entered

into converse with him. Presently up came our brother, this third

Calender, and said to us, "Peace be on you! I am a stranger." "We

also are strangers," answered we, "and have come hither this

blessed night." So we all three walked on together, none of us

knowing the others' story, till chance brought us to this door

and we came in to you. This, then, is my story and the manner of

the shaving of my face and the loss of my eye.' Quoth the

mistress of the house, 'Thy story is indeed a rare one: and now

begone about thy business.' But he replied, 'I will not stir till

I hear the others' stories.' Then came forward the third Calender

and said, 'O illustrious lady, my history is not like that of

these my comrades, but still stranger and more marvellous, in

that, whilst destiny and fore-ordained fate overcame them

unawares, I with mine own hand drew fate and affliction upon

myself, as thou shalt presently hear. Know that

Story of the Third Calender.

I also am a king, the son of a king, and my name is Agib, son of

Khesib. My father died, and I took the kingdom after him and

ruled my subjects with justice and beneficence. My capital city

stood on the shore of a wide spreading sea, on which I had fifty

merchant ships and fifty smaller vessels for pleasure and a

hundred and fifty cruisers equipped for war; and near at hand

were many great islands in the midst of the ocean. Now I loved to

sail the sea and had a mind to visit the islands aforesaid so I

took ship with a month's victual and set out and took my pleasure

in the islands and returned to my capital Then, being minded to

make a longer voyage upon the ocean, I fitted out half a score

ships with provision for two months and sailed twenty days, till

one night the wind blew contrary and the sea rose against us with

great billows; the waves clashed together and there fell on us a

great darkness. So we gave ourselves up for lost and I said, "He

who perils himself is not to be commended, though he come off

safe." Then we prayed to God and besought Him, but the wind

ceased not to rage and the waves to clash together, till

daybreak, when the wind fell, the sea became calm and the sun

shone out. Presently we sighted an island, where we landed and

cooked food and ate and rested two days. Then we set out again

and sailed other twenty days, without seeing land; but the

currents carried us out of our true course, so that the captain

lost his reckoning and finding himself in strange waters, bade

the watch go up to the mast-head and look out. So he climbed the

mast and looked out and said "O captain, I see nothing to right

and left save sky and water, but ahead I see something looming

afar off in the midst of the sea, now black and now white." When

the captain heard the look-out's words, he cast his turban on the

deck and plucked out his beard and buffeted his face and said, "O

King, we are all dead men, not one of us can be saved." We all

wept for his weeping and I said to him, "O captain, tell us what

it is the look-out saw." "O my lord," answered he, "know that we

lost our way on the night of the storm and since then we have

gone astray one-and-twenty days and there is no wind to bring us

back to our true course. To-morrow, by the end of the day, we

shall come to a mountain of black stone, called loadstone, for

thither the currents bear us perforce. As soon as we come within

a certain distance, all the nails in the ships will fly out and

fasten to the mountain, and the ships will open and fall to

pieces, for that God the Most High has gifted the loadstone with

a secret virtue, by reason whereof all iron is attracted to it;

and on this mountain is much iron, how much God only knows, from

the many ships that have been wrecked there from old time. On its

summit there stands a dome of brass, raised on ten columns and on

the top of the dome are a horse and horseman of the same metal.

The latter holds in his hand a brazen lance and on his breast is

a tablet of lead, graven with names and talismans: and, O King,

it is nought but this horseman that causeth the folk to perish,

nor will the charm be broken till he fall from his horse." Then

he wept sore and we all made sure of death and each took leave of

his comrade and charged him with his last wishes, in case he

should be saved. That night we slept not, and in the morning, we

sighted the loadstone mountain, towards which the currents

carried us with irresistible force. When the ships came within a

certain distance, they opened and the nails started out and all

the iron in them sought the loadstone and clove to it; so that by

the end of the day, we were all struggling in the sea round the

mountain. Some of us were saved, but the most part drowned, and

even those who escaped knew not one of the other, being stupefied

by the raging wind and the buffeting of the waves. As for me, God

preserved me that I might suffer that which He willed to me of

trouble and torment and affliction, for I got on a plank from one

of the ships and, the wind driving it ashore, I happened on a

pathway leading to the top, as it were a stair hewn out of the

rock. So I called upon the name of God the Most High and besought

His succour and clinging to the steps, addressed myself to climb

up little by little. And God stilled the wind and aided me in my

ascent, so that I reached the summit in safety. There I found

nothing but the dome; so I entered, mightily rejoiced at my

escape, and made my ablutions and prayed a two-bow prayer[FN#38]

in gratitude to God for my preservation. Then I fell asleep under

the dome and saw in a dream one who said to me, "O son of Khesib,

when thou awakest, dig under thy feet and thou wilt find a bow of

brass and three leaden arrows, inscribed with talismanic

characters. Take the bow and shoot the arrows at the horseman on

the top of the dome and rid mankind of this great calamity. When

thou shootest at him, he will fall into the sea and the horse

will drop at thy feet: take it and bury it in the place of the

bow. This done, the sea will swell and rise till it is level with

the top of the mountain, and there will appear on it a boat

containing a man of brass (other than he whom thou shalt have

thrown down), with an oar in his hands. He will come to thee, and

do thou embark with him, but beware of naming God. He will row

with thee for the space of ten days, till he brings thee to a

port of safety, where thou shalt find those who will carry thee

to thine own country: and all this shall be fulfilled to thee, so

thou pronounce not the name of God." I started up from my sleep

and hastening to do the bidding of the mysterious voice, found

the bow and arrows and shot at the horseman and overthrew him;

whereupon he fell into the sea, whilst the horse dropped at my

feet and I took it and buried it. Then the sea grew troubled and

rose till it reached the top of the mountain; nor had I long to

wait before I saw a boat in the midst of the sea coming towards

me. So I gave thanks to God: and when the boat came up to me, I

saw in it a man of brass, with a tablet of lead on his breast,

inscribed with names and talismans; and I embarked without saying

a word. The boatman rowed on with me for ten whole days, till I

caught sight of islands and mountains and signs of safety;

whereat I was beyond measure rejoiced and in the excess of my

gladness, I called upon the name of the Almighty and exclaimed,

"There is no god but God! God is most great!" When behold, the

boat turned over and cast me out into the sea, then righted and

sank beneath the water. Now, I knew how to swim, so I swam the

whole day till nightfall, when my arms and shoulders failed me

for fatigue, and I abode in mortal peril and made the profession

of the Faith[FN#39], looking for nothing but death. Presently,

the sea rose, for the greatness of the wind, and a wave like a

great rampart took me and bearing me forward, cast me up on the

land, that the will of God might be done. I clambered up the

beach and, putting off my clothes, wrung them and spread them out

to dry, then lay down and slept all night. As soon as it was day,

I put on my clothes and rose to look about me. Presently I came

to a grove of trees and making a circuit round it, found that I

was on a little island, surrounded on all sides by the sea;

whereupon I said to myself, "No sooner do I escape from one peril

than I fall into a worse." But as I was pondering my case and

wishing for death, I spied a ship afar off making towards me; so

I climbed up into a tree and hid myself among the branches.

Presently the ship came to an anchor, and ten slaves landed,

bearing spades, and made for the middle of the island, where they

dug till they uncovered a trapdoor and raised it. Then they

returned to the ship and brought thence bread and flour and oil

and honey and meat and carpets and all else that was needed to

furnish one dwelling there; nor did they leave going back and

forth till they had transferred to the underground dwelling all

that was in the ship: after which they again repaired to the

vessel and returned, laden with wearing apparel of the finest

kind and in their midst a very old man, whom time had mauled till

he was wasted and worn, as he were a bone wrapped in a rag of

blue cloth, through which the winds blew East and West. As says

the poet of him:

Time makes us tremble ah, how piteously! For full of violence and

might is he.

Once on a time I walked and was not tired: Now am I tired, yet

have not walked, ah me!

He held by the hand a youth cast in the mould of symmetry and

perfection, so fair that his beauty might well be the subject of

proverbs; for he was like a tender sapling, ravishing every heart

with his beauty and seducing every wit with his amorous grace. It

was of him the poet spoke, when he said:

Beauty they brought to liken it with him: But Beauty hung its

head for shame and fear.

"O Beauty," said they, "dost thou know his like?" It answered,

"Never have I seen his peer."

They proceeded to the underground, where they descended all and

did not reappear for an hour or more, at the end of which time

the old man and the slaves came up, without the youth, and

replacing the trap-door, covered it again with earth; then

returned to the ship and set sail. As soon as they were out of

sight, I came down from the tree and going to the place I had

seen them fill up, made shift to clear away the earth, till I

came to the trap-door, which was of wood, the shape and bigness

of a mill-stone, and raised it, when there appeared underneath a

winding stair of stone. At this I wondered and descending, came

to a fair chamber, spread with various kinds of carpets and hung

with silken stuffs, where I saw the youth sitting alone upon a

raised couch and leant upon a cushion, with a fan in his hand and

sweet-scented flowers and herbs and fruits before him. When he

saw me, he turned pale; but I saluted him, saying, "Calm thyself

and put away fear; no harm shall come to thee: I am a man like

unto thee and a king's son, whom Providence hath sent to bear

thee company in thy solitude. But now tell me thy history and why

thou dwellest underground by thyself." When he was assured that I

was of his kind, he was glad and his colour returned; then he

made me draw near to him and said, "O my brother, my story is a

strange one, and it is as follows. My father is a merchant

jeweller, possessed of great wealth and having black and white

slaves, who make trading voyages, on his account, in ships and on

camels, to the most distant countries; and he has dealings with

kings. Until my birth, he had never been blessed with a child,

but one night he dreamt that a son had been born to him, who

lived but a short time, and awoke weeping and crying out. The

following night my mother conceived and he took note of the date

of her conception. The days of her pregnancy were accomplished

and she gave birth to myself, whereupon my father rejoiced and

made banquets and fed the poor and the needy for that I had been

vouchsafed to him in his old age. Then he assembled the

astrologers and mathematicians of the day and those learned in

nativities and horoscopes; and they drew my horoscope and said to

my father, 'Thy son will live till the age of fifteen, at which

date there is a break[FN#40] in his line of life, which if he

tide over in safety, he shall live long. The danger with which he

is threatened is as follows. In the Sea of Peril stands a

mountain called the Loadstone Mountain, on whose summit is a

horseman of brass, seated on a horse of the same metal, with a

tablet of lead on his breast. Fifty days after this horseman

falls from his horse, thy son will die, and his slayer will be he

who overthrows the statue, a king called Agib, son of Khesib.' My

father was sore concerned at this prediction; but he brought me

up and gave me a good education, till I attained my fifteenth

year. Ten days ago, news came to him that the horseman had fallen

into the sea and that he who overthrew him was Agib, son of King

Khesib; whereat he was as one distraught and feared for my life.

So he built me this place under the earth and stocking it with

all that I need during the forty days that yet remain of the

period of danger, transported me hither, that I might be safe

from King Agib's hands. When the forty days are past, he will

come back and fetch me; and this is my story and why thou findest

me here alone." When I heard his story, I marvelled and said to

myself, "I am that King Agib of whom he speaks; but, by Allah, I

will assuredly not kill him!" And I said to him, "O my lord, God

willing, thou shalt be spared suffering and death, nor shalt thou

see trouble or sorrow or disquiet, for I will abide with thee and

serve thee; and when I have borne thee company during the

appointed days, I will go with thee to thy dwelling-place and

thou shalt bring me to some of thy father's servants, with whom I

may journey to my own country; and God shall requite thee for

me." He rejoiced in my words and we sat conversing till nightfall

when I rose and lighted a great wax candle and fed the lamps and

set on meat and drink and sweetmeats. We ate and drank and sat

talking till late into the night, when he lay down to sleep and I

covered him up and went to sleep myself. Next morning, I rose and

heated a little water, then woke him gently and brought him the

warm water, with which he washed his face and thanked me, saying,

"God requite thee with good, O youth! By Allah, if I escape from

this my danger and from him they call Agib ben Khesib, I will

make my father reward thee!" "May the day never come on which

evil shall befall thee," answered I, "and may God appoint my last

day before thine!" Then I set on food and we ate, and I made

ready perfumes with which he scented himself. Moreover, I made

him a backgammon board[FN#41], and we played and ate sweetmeats

and played again till nightfall when I rose and lighting the

lamps, set on food; and we ate and sat talking till the night was

far spent. Then he lay down to sleep and I covered him up and

went to sleep myself. Thus I did with him, day and night, and the

love of him got hold upon my heart and I forgot my troubles and

said to myself, "The astrologers lied; by Allah, I will not kill

him!" I ceased not to serve him and bear him company and

entertain him thus, till nine-and-thirty days were passed and we

came to the morning of the fortieth day, when he rejoiced and

said to me, "O my brother, the forty days are up to-day, praised

be God who hath preserved me from death, and this by thy blessing

and the blessing of thy coming to me, and I pray Him to restore

thee to thy country! But now, O my brother, I prithee heat me

some water, that I may wash my body and change my clothes."

"With all my heart," answered I; and heated water in plenty

and carrying it in to him, washed his body well with

lupin-meal[FN#42] and rubbed him down and changed his clothes and

spread him a high bed, on which he lay down to rest after the

bath. Then said he, "O my brother, cut me a melon and sweeten it

with sugar-candy." So I went to the closet and bringing a fine

melon I found there on a platter, said to him, "O my lord, hast

thou no knife?" "Here it is," answered he, "on the high shelf at

my head." So I got up hurriedly and taking the knife, drew it

from its sheath; but in stepping down backward, my foot slipped

and I fell heavily on the youth, holding in my hand the knife,

which hastened to fulfil that which was ordained and entered his

heart, and he died forthright. When I saw that he was no more and

that I had indeed killed him, I cried out grievously and buffeted

my face and tore my clothes, saying, "We are God's and to Him we

return! There remained for this youth but one day of the period

of danger that the astrologers had foretold for him, and the

death of this fair one was to be at my hand! Verily, my life is

nought but disasters and afflictions! Would he had not asked me

to cut the melon or would I had died before him! But what God

decrees cometh to pass." When I was certain that there was no

life left in him, I rose and ascending the stair, replaced the

trap-door and covered it with earth. Then I looked out to sea and

saw the ship cleaving the waters in the direction of the island.

Whereat I was afeared and said, "They will be here anon and will

find their son dead and know 'twas I killed him and will slay me

without fail." So I climbed up into a high tree and hid myself

among the leaves. Hardly had I done so, when the vessel came to

an anchor and the slaves landed with the old man and made direct

for the place, where they cleared away the earth and were

surprised to find it soft.[FN#43] Then they raised the trap-door

and going down, found the boy lying dead, clad in clean clothes,

with his face shining from the bath and the knife sticking in his

breast. At this sight, they shrieked aloud and wept and buffeted

their faces and cried out, "Alas! woe worth the day!" whilst the

old man swooned away and remained so long insensible, that the

slaves thought he would not survive his son. So they wrapped the

dead youth in his clothes and carried him up and laid him on the

ground, covering him with a shroud of silk. Then they addressed

themselves to transport all that was in the place to the ship,

and presently the old man revived and coming up after them, saw

his son laid out, whereupon he fell on the ground and strewed

dust on his head and buffeted his face and tore his beard; and

his weeping redoubled, as he hung over his dead son, till he

swooned away again. After awhile the slaves came back, with a

silken carpet, and laying the old man thereon, sat down at his

head. All this time I was in the tree above them, watching them;

and indeed my heart became hoary before my head, for all the

grief and affliction I had undergone. The old man ceased not from

his swoon till nigh upon sundown, when he came to himself and

looking upon his dead son, recalled what had happened and how

what he had feared had come to pass: and he buffeted his face and

head and recited the following verses:

My heart is cleft in twain for severance of loves; The burning

tears pour down in torrents from my eye.

My every wish with him I loved is fled away: What can I do or

say? what help, what hope have I?

Would I had never looked upon his lovely face! Alas, the ways on

me are straitened far and nigh!

What charm can bring me peace, what drink forgetfulness, Whilst

in my heart the fire of love burns fierce and high?

Would that my feet had trod with him the road of death! Then

should I not, as now, in lonely sorrow sigh.

O God, that art my hope, have pity upon me! Unite us twain, I

crave, in Paradise for aye!

How blessed were we once, whilst one house held us both And

twinned in pure content our happy lives passed by!

Till fortune aimed at us the shafts of severance And parted us;

for who her arrows can defy?

For lo! the age's pearl, the darling of his folk, The mould of

every grace, was singled out to die!

I call him back: "Would God thine hour had never come!" What

while the case takes speech and doth forestall my cry.

Which is the speediest way to win to thee, my son! My soul had

paid the price, if that thy life might buy.

The sun could not compare with him, for lo! it sets. Nor yet the

moon that wanes and wasteth from the sky.

Alas, my grief for thee and my complaint of fate! None can

console for thee nor aught thy place supply.

Thy sire is all distraught with languishment for thee; Since

death upon thee came, his hopes are gone awry.

Surely, some foe hath cast an envious eye on us: May he who

wrought this thing his just deserts aby!

Then he sobbed once and gave up the ghost; whereupon the slaves

cried out, "Alas, our master!" and strewed dust on their heads

and wept sore. Then they carried the two bodies to the ship and

set sail. As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from the

tree and raising the trap-door, went down into the underground

dwelling, where the sight of some of the youth's gear recalled

him to my mind, and I repeated the following verses:

I see their traces and pine for longing pain; My tears rain down

on the empty dwelling-place!

And I pray to God, who willed that we should part, One day to

grant us reunion, of His grace!

Then I went up again and spent the day in walking about the

island, returning to the underground dwelling for the night. Thus

I lived for a month, during which time I became aware that the

sea was gradually receding day by day from the western side of

the island, till by the end of the month, I found that the water

was become low enough to afford a passage to the mainland. At

this I rejoiced, making sure of delivery, and fording the little

water that remained, made shift to reach the mainland, where I

found great heaps of sand, in which even a camel would sink up to

the knees. However, I took heart and making my way through the

sand, espied something shining afar off, as it were a bright-blazing

fire. So I made towards it, thinking to find succour

and repeating the following verses:

It may be Fate at last shall draw its bridle-rein And bring me

happy chance; for Fortune changes still;

And things shall happen yet, despite the things fordone, To

further forth my hopes and bring me to my will.

When I drew near the supposed fire, behold, it was a palace, with

a gate of brass, whereon, when the sun shone, it gleamed and

glistened and showed from afar, as it were a fire. I rejoiced at

the sight and sat down before the palace gate; but hardly had I

done so, when there came up ten young men, sumptuously clad and

all blind of the right eye. They were accompanied by an old man;

and I marvelled at their appearance and at their being all blind

of the same eye. They saluted me and questioned me of my

condition, whereupon I told them all that had befallen me. They

wondered at my story and carried me into the palace, where I saw

ten couches, with beds and coverlets of blue stuff, ranged in a

circle, with a like couch of smaller size in the midst. As we

entered, each of the young men went up to his own couch, and the

old man seated himself on the smaller one in the middle. Then

said they unto me, "O youth, sit down on the ground and enquire

not of our doings nor of the loss of our right eyes." Presently

the old man rose and brought each one of the young men and myself

his portion of meat and drink in separate vessels; and we sat

talking, they questioning me of my adventures and I replying,

till the night was far spent. Then said they to the old man, "O

elder, wilt thou not bring us our ordinary? The time is come."

"Willingly," answered he, and rose and entering a closet,

disappeared and presently returned, bearing on his head ten

dishes, each covered with a piece of blue stuff. He set a dish

before each youth and lighting ten wax-candles, set one upon each

dish; after which he uncovered the dishes, and lo, they were full

of ashes and powdered charcoal and soot. Then all the young men

tucked up their sleeves and fell to weeping and lamenting; and

they blackened their faces and rent their clothes and buffeted

their cheeks and beat their breasts, exclaiming "We were seated

at our ease, but our impertinent curiosity would not let us be!"

They ceased not to do thus till near daybreak, when the old man

rose and heated water for them, and they washed their faces and

put on fresh clothes. When I saw this, my senses left me for

wonderment and my heart was troubled and my mind perplexed, for

their strange behaviour, till I forgot what had befallen me and

could not refrain from questioning them; so I said to them, "What

makes you do thus, after our sport and merry-making together?

Praised be God, ye are whole of wit, yet these are the doings of

madmen! I conjure you, by all that is most precious to you, tell

me why you behave thus and how ye came to lose each an eye!" At

this, they turned to me and said, "O young man, let not thy youth

beguile thee, but leave thy questioning." Then they slept and I

with them, and when we awoke, the old man served up food; and

after we had eaten and the vessels had been removed, we sat

conversing till nightfall, when the old man rose and lit the

candles and lamps and set meat and drink before us. We ate and

sat talking and carousing till midnight, when they said to the

old man, "Bring us our ordinary, for the hour of sleep is at

hand." So he rose and brought them the dishes of soot and ashes,

and they did as they had done on the preceding night. I abode

with them on this wise for a month, during which time they

blackened their faces every night, then washed them and changed

their clothes and my trouble and amazement increased upon me till

I could neither eat nor drink. At last, I lost patience and said

to them, "O young men, if ye will not relieve my concern and

acquaint me with the reason of your blackening your faces and the

meaning of your words, 'We were seated at our ease, but our

impertinent curiosity would not let us be,' let me leave you and

return to my own people and be at rest from seeing these things,

for as says the proverb,

'Twere wiser and better your presence to leave, For when the eye

sees not, the heart does not grieve."

"O youth," answered they, "we have not concealed this thing from

thee but in our concern for thee, lest what befell us before thee

and thou become like unto us." "It avails not," said I; "you must

tell me." "We give thee good advice," rejoined they; "do thou

take it and leave questioning us of our case, or thou wilt become

one-eyed like unto us." But I still persisted in my demand and

they said, "O youth, if this thing befall thee, we warn thee that

we will never again receive thee into our company nor let thee

abide with us." Then they took a ram and slaughtering it, skinned

it and gave me a knife, saying, "Lie down on the skin and we will

sew thee up in it and leave thee and go away. Presently there

will come to thee a bird called the roc[FN#44], that will catch

thee up in its claws and fly away with thee and set thee down on

a mountain. As soon as thou feelest it alight with thee, slit the

skin with the knife and come forth; whereupon the bird will take

fright at thee and fly away and leave thee. Then rise and fare on

half a day's journey, till thou comest to a palace rising high

into the air, builded of khelenj[FN#45] and aloes and sandal-wood

and plated with red gold, inlaid with all manner emeralds and

other jewels. There enter and thou wilt attain thy desire. We all

have been in that place, and this is the cause of the loss of our

right eyes and the reason why we blacken our faces. Were we to

tell thee our stories, it would take too much time, for each lost

his eye by a separate adventure." They then sewed me up in the

skin and left me on the ground outside the palace; and the roc

carried me off and set me down on the mountain. I cut open the

skin and came out, whereupon the bird flew away and I walked on

till I reached the palace. The door stood open; so I entered

and found myself in a very wide and goodly hall, as big as a

tilting-ground, round which were a hundred doors of sandal and

aloes-wood, plated with red gold and furnished with rings of

silver. At the upper end of the hall, I saw forty young ladies,

sumptuously clad and adorned, as they were moons, one could never

tire of gazing on them: and they all came up to me, saying,

"Welcome and fair welcome, O my lord! This month past have we

been expecting the like of thee; and praised be God who hath sent

us one who is worthy of us and we of him!" Then they made me sit

down on a high divan and said to me, "From to-day thou art our

lord and master, and we are thy handmaids; so order us as thou

wilt." And I marvelled at their case. Presently one of them arose

and set food before me, and I ate, whilst others heated water and

washed my hands and feet and changed my clothes, and yet others

made ready sherbets and gave me to drink; and they were all full

of joy and delight at my coming. Then they sat down and conversed

with me till nightfall, when five of them arose and spreading a

mat, covered it with flowers and fruits and confections in

profusion and set on wine; and we sat down to drink, while some

of them sang and others played the lute and psaltery and

recorders and other instruments. So the cup went round amongst us

and such gladness possessed me that I forgot all the cares of the

world and said, "This is indeed life, but that it is fleeting."

We ceased not to drink and make merry till the night was far

spent and we were warm with wine, when they said to me, "O our

lord, choose from amongst us one who shall be thy bedfellow this

night and not lie with thee again till forty days be past." So I

chose a girl fair of face, with liquid black eyes and jetty hair,

slightly parted teeth[FN#46] and joining eyebrows, perfect in

shape and form, as she were a palm-sapling or a stalk of sweet

basil; such an one as troubles the heart and bewilders the wit,

even as saith of her the poet:

'Twere vain to liken her unto the tender branch, And out on who

compares her form to the gazelle!

Whence should gazelles indeed her shape's perfection get Or yet

her honeyed lips so sweet to taste and smell,

Or those great eyes of hers, so dire to those who love, That bind

their victims fast in passion's fatal spell?

I dote on her with all the folly of a child. What wonder if he

turn a child who loves too well!

And I repeated to her the following verses:

My eyes to gaze on aught but thy grace disdain And none but thou

in my thought shall ever reign.

The love of thee is my sole concern, my fair; In love of thee, I

will die and rise again.

So I lay with her that night, never knew I a fairer, and when it

was morning, the ladies carried me to the bath and washed me and

clad me in rich clothes. Then they served up food and we ate and

drank, and the cup went round amongst us till the night, when I

chose from among them one who was fair to look upon and soft of

sides, such an one as the poet describes, when he says:

I saw upon her breast two caskets snowy-white, Musk-sealed; she

doth forbid to lovers their delight.

She guards them with the darts that glitter from her eyes; And

those who would them press, her arrowy glances smite.

I passed a most delightful night with her; and to make a long

story short, I led the goodliest life with them, eating and

drinking and carousing and every night taking one or other of

them to my bed, for a whole year, at the end of which time they

came in to me in tears and fell to bidding me farewell and

clinging to me, weeping and crying out; whereat I marvelled and

said to them, "What ails you? Indeed you break my heart." "Would

we had never known thee!" answered they. "We have companied with

many men, but never saw we a pleasanter or more courteous than

thou: and now we must part from thee. Yet it rests with thee to

see us again, and if thou hearken to us, we need never be parted:

but our hearts forebode us that thou will not hearken to us; and

this is the cause of our weeping" "Tell me how the case stands,"

said I; and they answered, "Know that we are the daughters of

kings, who have lived here together for years past, and once in

every year we are absent for forty days; then we return and abide

here for the rest of the year, eating and drinking and making

merry. We are now about to depart according to our custom, and we

fear lest thou disobey our injunctions in our absence, in which

case we shall never see thee again; but if thou do as we bid

thee, all will yet be well. Take these keys: they are those of

the hundred apartments of the palace, each of which contains what

will suffice thee for a day's entertainment. Ninety-and-nine of

these thou mayst open and take thy pleasure therein, but beware

lest thou open the hundredth, that which has a door of red gold;

for therein is that which will bring about a separation between

us and thee." Quoth I, "I will assuredly not open the hundredth

door, if therein be separation from you." Then one of them came

up to me and embraced me and repeated the following verses:

If but the days once more our severed loves unite, If but my eyes

once more be gladdened by thy sight,

Then shall the face of Time smile after many a frown, And I will

pardon Fate for all its past despite.

And I repeated the following:

When she drew near to bid farewell, upon our parting day, Whilst

on her heart the double stroke of love and longing smote,

She wept pure pearls, and eke mine eyes did rain cornelians

forth; And lo, they all combined and made a necklace for her

throat!

When I saw her weeping, I said, "By Allah, I will never open the

hundredth door!" Then they bade me farewell and departed, leaving

me alone in the palace. When the evening drew near, I opened the

first door and found myself in an orchard, full of blooming

trees, laden with ripe fruit, and the air resounded with the loud

singing of birds and the ripple of running waters. The sight

brought solace to my soul, and I entered and walked among the

trees, inhaling the odours of the flowers and listening to the

warble of the birds, that sang the praises of God the One, the

Almighty. I looked upon the apple, whose colour is parcel red and

parcel yellow, as says the poet:

The apple in itself two colours doth unite, The loved one's cheek

of red, and yellow of despite.

Then I looked upon the quince and inhaled its fragrance that puts

musk and ambergris to shame, even as says the poet:

The quince contains all pleasant things that can delight mankind,

Wherefore above all fruits that be its virtues are renowned.

Its taste is as the taste of wine, its breath the scent of musk;

Its hue is that of virgin gold, its shape the full moon's

round.

Thence I passed to the pear, whose taste surpasses rose-water and

sugar, and the plum, whose beauty delights the eye, as it were a

polished ruby. When I had taken my fill of looking on the place,

I went and locked the door again. Next day, I opened the second

door and found myself in a great pleasaunce, set with many

palm-trees and watered by a running stream, whose borders were

decked with bushes of rose and jessamine and henna[FN#47] and

camomile and marjoram and sweetbriar and carpeted with narcissus

and ox-eye and violets and lilies and gillyflowers. The breeze

fluttered over all these sweet-smelling plants and scattered

their scents right and left, possessing me with complete delight.

I took my pleasure in the place awhile, and my chagrin was

somewhat lightened. Then I went out and locked the door and

opening the third door, found therein a great hall paved with

vari-coloured marbles and other precious stones and hung with

cages of sandal and aloes wood, full of singing-birds, such as

the thousand-voiced nightingale[FN#48] and the cushat and the

blackbird and the turtle-dove and the Nubian warbler. My heart

was ravished by the song of the birds and I forgot my cares and

slept in the aviary till the morning. Then I opened the fourth

door and saw a great hall, with forty cabinets ranged on either

side. The doors of the latter stood open; so I entered and found

them full of pearls and rubies and chrysolites and beryls and

emeralds and corals and carbuncles and all manner of precious

stones and jewels of gold and silver, such as the tongue fails to

describe. I was amazed at what I saw and said in myself

"Methinks, if all the kings of the earth joined together they

could not produce the like of these treasures!" And my heart

dilated and I exclaimed, "Now am I king of my time, for all these

riches are mine by the favour of God, and I have forty young

ladies under my hand, nor is there any with them but myself!" In

short, I passed nine-and-thirty days after this fashion,

exploring the riches of the place, till I had opened all the

doors, except that which the princesses had charged me not to

open, but my thoughts ran ever on this latter and Satan urged me,

for my ruin, to open it, nor had I patience to forbear; though

there remained but one day of the appointed time. So I opened the

hundredth door, that which was plated with red gold, and was met

by a perfume, whose like I had never before smelt and which was

of so subtle and penetrating a quality, that it invaded my head

and I fell down, as if intoxicated, and lay awhile unconscious.

Then I revived and took heart and entering, found myself in a

place strewn with saffron and blazing with light shed by lamps of

gold and candles, that diffused a scent of musk and aloes. In the

midst stood two great censers, full of burning aloes wood and

ambergris and other perfumes, and the place was full of their

fragrance. Presently I espied a horse, black as night at its

darkest, girt and bridled and saddled with red gold, standing

before two mangers of white crystal, one full of winnowed sesame

and the other of rose-water flavoured with musk. When I saw this,

I was amazed and said to myself, "Surely this horse must be of

extraordinary value!" and the devil tempted me, so that I took

him out and mounted him, but he would not stir. So I spurred him

with my heel, but he did not move; and I took a. switch and

struck him with it. When he felt the blow, he gave a neigh like

the roaring thunder, and spreading a pair of wings flew up with

me high into the air. After awhile, he descended and set me down

on the terrace of a palace; then, shaking me off his back, he

smote me on the face with his tail and struck out my right eye

and flew away, leaving me there. I went down into the palace and

found myself again among the ten one-eyed youths, who exclaimed,

when they saw me, "An ill welcome to thee!" Quoth I, "Behold, I

am become like unto you, and now I would have you give me a dish

of soot, that I may blacken my face and admit me to your

company." "By Allah," answered they, "thou shalt not abide with

us! Depart hence!" And they drove me away. I was grieved at their

rejection of me and went out from them, mourning-hearted and

tearful-eyed, saying to myself, "Of a truth, I was sitting at my

ease, but my impertinent curiosity would not let me be." Then I

shaved my beard and eyebrows and renouncing the world, became a

Calender and wandered about God's earth, till by His blessing, I

arrived at Baghdad in safety this evening and met with these two

other Calenders standing bewildered. So I saluted them, saying,

"I am a stranger;" to which they replied, "We also are strangers."

And, as it chanced, we were all Calenders and each blind of the

right eye. This, then, O my lady, is my story and the manner of

the shaving of my face and the loss of my eye.' Quoth the

mistress of the house, 'Begone about thy business.' But he said,

'By Allah, I will not go, till I hear the others' stories!' Then

she turned to the Khalif and his companions and said, 'Give me an

account of yourselves.' So Jaafer came forward and repeated the

story he had told the portress; whereupon the lady said, 'I

pardon you all: go your ways.' So they all went out; and when

they reached the street the Khalif said to the Calenders, 'O folk,

whither are you bound now, seeing that it is not yet day?' 'By

Allah, O my lord,' answered they, 'we know not where to go!'

'Then come and pass the rest of the night with us,' said the

Khalif, and turning to Jaafer, said to him, 'Take them home

with thee and to-morrow bring them before me, that we may cause

their adventures to be recorded.' Jaafer did as the Khalif

bade him, and the latter returned to his palace. Sleep did not

visit him that night, but he lay awake, pondering the adventures

of the three Calenders and full of impatience to know the history

of the two ladies and the black bitches; and no sooner had the

day dawned than he went out and sat down on his chair of estate.

Then his courtiers presented themselves and withdrew, whereupon

he turned to Jaafer and said to him, 'Bring me the three ladies

and the bitches and the Calenders, and make haste.' So Jaafer

went out and brought them all before him and seated the ladies

behind a curtain; then turned to them and said, speaking for the

Khalif, 'O women, we pardon you your rough usage of us, in

consideration of your previous kindness and for that ye knew us

not: and now I would have you to know that you are in the

presence of the fifth of the sons of Abbas, the Commander of the

Faithful Haroun er Reshid, son of El Mehdi Mohammed, son of Abou

Jaafer el Mensour. So do ye acquaint him with your stories and

tell him nothing but the truth.' When the ladies heard Jaafer's

speech, the eldest came forward and said, 'O Commander of the

Faithful, my story is one which, were it graven with needles on

the corners of the eye, would serve for an example to those who

can profit by example and a warning to those who can take

warning. And it is that

The Eldest Lady's Story.

These two bitches are my elder sisters by the same mother and

father, and these two others, she on whom are the marks of blows

and the cateress, are my sisters by another mother. When my

father died, each took her portion of the heritage, and after

awhile my mother died also and left me and my sisters-german a

thousand dinars each. After awhile my two sisters married and

lived with their husbands for a time; then the latter bought

merchandise with their wives' money and set out on their travels,

and I heard no more of them for five years: for their husbands

spent their wives' fortunes and became bankrupt and deserted them

in a foreign land. Presently, my eldest sister came back to me in

the guise of a beggar, with tattered clothes and a dirty old

veil, and altogether in so sorry a plight, that at first I knew

her not; but when I recognised her, I asked her how she came in

such a state. "O my sister," answered she, "talking profits not

now: the pen[FN#49] hath written what was decreed." Then I sent

her to the bath and clothed her in a suit of my own and entreated

her kindly and said to her, "O my sister, thou standest to me in

the stead of my father and mother; and God has blessed me in the

share of the inheritance that fell to me and prospered it to me,

so that I am now in flourishing case; and thou shalt share with

me in my increase." So she abode with me a whole year, during

which time we were much concerned to know what was become of our

other sister. At last, she too came back to me, in a worse plight

than the other, and I dealt still more kindly by her than by the

first, and each of them had a share of my substance. After

awhile, they said to me, "O sister, we desire to marry again, for

we can no longer endure to live without husbands." "O my dear

ones[FN#50]," answered I, "there is no good in marriage, for

now-a-days good men are rare to find; nor do I see the advantage

of marrying again, since ye have already made trial of matrimony

and it has profited you nothing." They would not listen to me,

but married without my consent; nevertheless I equipped them and

portioned them with my own money and they went away with their

husbands. After a little, the latter cheated them of all they had

and went away and left them. Then they came to me, in abject

case, and made their excuses to me, saying, "Do not reproach us;

thou art younger than we, but riper of wit, so take us as thy

handmaids, that we may eat our mouthful; and we will never again

speak of marriage." Quoth I, "Ye are welcome, O my sisters: there

is nothing dearer to me than you." And I took them in and

redoubled in kindness to them. We lived thus for a whole year, at

the end of which time I was minded to travel. So I fitted out a

great ship at Bassora and loaded her with merchandise and victual

and other necessaries for a voyage, and said to my sisters, "Will

you come with me or abide at home till I return?" "We will go

with thee," answered they, "for we cannot endure to be parted

from thee." So I took them and set sail, after dividing my money

into two parts, one of which I deposited with a trusty person,

saying, "Maybe ill-hap shall betide the ship and yet we remain

alive; but now, if we return, we shall find what will be of

service to us." We sailed days and nights, till the captain

missed the true course and the ship went astray with us and

entered a sea other than that we aimed at. We knew not of this

awhile and the wind blew fair for us ten days, at the end of

which time, the watch went up to the mast-head, to look out, and

cried, "Good news!" Then he came down, rejoicing, and said to us,

"I see a city in the distance as it were a dove." At this we

rejoiced and before an hour of the day was past, the city

appeared to us afar off: and we said to the captain, "What is the

name of yonder city?" "By Allah!" replied he, "I know not, for I

never saw it before nor have I ever sailed this sea in my life;

but since the affair has issued in safety, ye have nought to do

but to land your goods, and if ye find a market, sell and buy and

barter, as the occasion serves; if not, we will rest here two

days, re-victual and depart." So we entered the harbour and the

captain landed and was absent awhile, after which he returned and

said to us, "Arise, go up into the city and marvel at God's

dealings with His creatures and seek to be preserved from His

wrath." So we landed and going up to the city, saw at the gate

men with staves in their hands; but when we drew near them,

behold, they had been stricken by the wrath of God and were

become stones. Then we entered the city and found all its in

habitants changed into black stones: there was not a living soul

therein, no, not a blower of the fire. At this we were amazed and

passed on through the bazaars, where we found all the goods and

gold and silver left lying in their places, and rejoiced and

said, "Doubtless, there is some mystery in all this." Then we

dispersed about the streets of the city and each busied himself

with making prize of the wealth and stuffs lying about and took

no heed of his comrades, whilst I went up to the citadel and

found it goodly of fashion. I entered the king's palace and saw

all the vessels of gold and silver and the king himself seated in

the midst of his officers and grandees, clad in raiment such as

confounded the wit. The throne on which he sat was encrusted with

pearls and jewels and his robes were of cloth of gold, adorned

with all manner jewels, that shone like stars. Around him stood

fifty white slaves, with drawn swords in their hands and clad in

divers sorts of silken stuffs; but when I drew near to them,

behold, they were all black stones. My understanding was

confounded at the sight, but I went on and came to the saloon of

the harem, which I found hung with tapestries of gold-striped

silk and spread with carpets of the same, embroidered with

flowers of gold. Here I saw the queen lying, arrayed in a robe

covered with fresh pearls as big as hazel-nuts and crowned with a

diadem set with all manner jewels. Her neck was covered with

collars and necklaces and all her clothes and ornaments were

unchanged, but she herself had been smitten of God and was become

black stone. Presently I spied an open door, with seven steps

leading to it, and going up, found myself in a place paved with

marble and hung and carpeted with gold-embroidered stuffs. At the

upper end stood an alcove with drawn curtains and I saw a light

issuing thence. So I went up to the alcove and found therein a

couch of juniper wood, inlaid with pearls and diamonds and set

with bosses of emeralds, with silken coverings of bewildering

richness and curtains of the same, looped up with pearls. At the

head of the bed stood two lighted candles and in the midst of the

alcove was a little stool, on which lay a jewel, the size of a

goose's egg, that shone like a lamp and lighted the whole place;

but there was no one to be seen. When I saw these things, I

wondered and said, "Some one must have lighted these candles."

Then I went out and came to the kitchen and thence to the buttery

and the king's treasuries and continued to explore the palace and

to go from place to place; and for wonderment at what I saw, I

forgot myself and wandered on, lost in thought, till the night

overtook me. Then I would have gone out, but lost my way and

could not find the gate; so I returned to the alcove, where I lay

down on the bed and covering myself with a quilt, repeated

somewhat of the Koran and would have slept, but could not, for

restlessness possessed me. In the middle of the night, I heard a

low sweet voice reciting the Koran, whereat I rejoiced and

rising, followed the sound, till it led me to a chamber with the

door ajar. I looked through the chink of the door and saw an

oratory, wherein was a prayer-niche[FN#51], with candles burning

and lamps hanging from the ceiling. In the midst was spread a

prayer-carpet, on which sat a handsome youth, with a copy of the

Koran open before him, from which he was reading. I wondered to

see him alone alive of all the people of the city and entered and

saluted him; whereupon he raised his eyes and returned my

salutation. Then said I, "I implore thee, by the truth of that

thou readest from the book of God, to answer me my questions." He

looked at me with a smile and said, "O handmaid of God, tell me

first how thou camest hither, and I will tell thee what has

befallen me and the people of this city and the manner of my

preservation." So I told him my story, at which he marvelled, and

questioned him of the people of the city. Quoth he, "Have

patience with me a little, O my sister!" and shutting the Koran,

laid it in a bag of satin. Then he made me sit down by his side,

and I looked at him and behold, he was like the moon at its full,

bright-faced, soft-sided, well-shaped and fair to look upon, as

he were a figure of sugar,[FN#52] even as says the poet of the

like of him:

A seer of the stars one night was reading the book of the skies,

When lo, in his scroll he saw a lovely youth arise.

Saturn had dyed his hair the hue of the raven's wing And

sprinkled upon his face the musk of Paradise[FN#53]:

The rose of his cheeks from Mars its ruddy colour drew, And the

Archer winged the shafts that darted from his eyes.

Hermes dowered the youth with his own mercurial wit, And the

Great Bear warded off the baleful glance of spies.

Wonder seized on the sage at the sight of the lovely boy, For the

full moon kissed the earth before him, servant-wise.

And indeed God the Most High had clad him in the garment of

perfection and broidered it with the shining fringes of his

cheeks, even as says the poet of him:

By the perfume of his eyelids and his slender waist I swear, By

the arrows that he feathers with the witchery of his air,

By his sides so soft and tender and his glances bright and keen,

By the whiteness of his forehead and the blackness of his

hair,

By his arched imperious eyebrows, chasing slumber from my eyes,

With their yeas and noes that hold me 'twixt rejoicing and

despair,

By the myrtle of his whiskers and the roses of his cheeks, By his

lips' incarnate rubies and his teeth's fine pearls and rare,

By his neck and by its beauty, by the softness of his breast And

the pair of twin pomegranates that my eyes discover there,

By his heavy hips that tremble, both in motion and repose, And

the slender waist above them, all too slim their weight to

bear,

By his skin's unsullied satin and the quickness of his spright,

By the matchless combination in his form of all things fair,

By his hand's perennial bounty and his true and trusty speech, By

the stars that smile upon him, favouring and debonair,

Lo, the smell of musk none other than his very fragrance is, And

the ambergris's perfume breathes around him everywhere.

Yea, the sun in all its splendour cannot with his grace compare,

Seeming but a shining fragment that he from his nail doth

pare.

I stole a look at him, which cost me a thousand sighs, for my

heart was taken with his love, and I said to him, "O my lord,

tell me what I asked thee." "I hear and obey," answered he.

"Know, O handmaid of God, that this city was the capital of my

father, who is the king thou sawest on the throne, changed to a

black stone, and as for the queen on the bed, she was my mother;

and they and all the people of the city were Magians, worshipping

the fire, instead of the All-powerful King, and swearing by the

fire and the light and the shade and the heat and the revolving

sphere. My father had no child, till I was vouchsafed to him in

his old age, and he reared me and I grew up and flourished. Now,

as my good star would have it, there was with us an old woman

stricken in years, who was at heart a Muslim, believing in God

and His prophet, but conforming outwardly to the religion of my

people. My father had confidence in her, supposing her to be of

his own belief, and showed her exceeding favour, for that he knew

her to be trusty and virtuous; so when I grew to a fitting age,

he committed me to her charge, saying, 'Take him and do thy best

to give him a good education and teach him the things of our

faith.' So she took me and taught me the tenets of Islam and the

ordinances of ablution and prayer and made me learn the Koran by

heart, bidding me worship none but God the Most High and charging

me to keep my faith secret from my father, lest he should kill

me. So I hid it from him, and I abode thus till, in a little

while, the old woman died and the people of the city redoubled in

their impiety and frowardness and in the error of their ways. One

day, they heard a voice from on high, proclaiming aloud, with a

noise like the resounding thunder, so that all heard it far and

near, and saying, 'O people of the city, turn from your worship

of the fire and serve God the Compassionate King!' At this, fear

fell on the people of the city and they crowded to my father and

said to him; 'What is this awful voice that we have heard and

that has confounded us with the excess of its terror?' But

he said, 'Let not a voice fright you nor turn you from your

faith.' Their hearts inclined to his word and they ceased not to

worship the fire, but redoubled in their frowardness, till the

anniversary of the day on which they had heard the supernatural

voice. When they heard it anew, and so again a third time at the

end of the second year. Still they persisted in their evil ways,

till one day, at break of dawn, judgment descended on them and

wrath from heaven, and they were all turned into black stones,

they and their beasts and cattle; and none was spared, save

myself. From that day to this, I have remained as thou seest me,

occupying myself with prayer and fasting and reading the Koran

aloud; and indeed I am grown weary of solitude, having none to

bear me company." Then said I to him (and indeed he had won my

heart), "O youth, wilt thou go with me to the city of Baghdad and

foregather with men of learning and theologians and grow in

wisdom and understanding and knowledge of the Law? If so, I will

be thy handmaid, albeit I am head of my family and mistress over

men and slaves and servants. I have here a ship laden with

merchandise; and indeed it was providence drove us to this city,

that I might come to the knowledge of these things, for it was

fated that we should meet." And I ceased not to speak him fair

and persuade him, till he consented to go with me, and I passed

the night at his feet, beside myself for joy. When it was day, we

repaired to the treasuries and took thence what was little of

weight and great of value; then went down into the town, where we

met the slaves and the captain seeking for me. When they saw me,

they rejoiced and I told them all I had seen and related to them

the story of the young man and of the curse that had fallen on

the people of the city. At this they wondered: but when my

sisters saw me with the prince, they envied me on his account and

were enraged and plotted mischief against me in their hearts.

Then we took ship again, beside ourselves for joy in the booty we

had gotten, though the most of my joy was in the prince, and

waited till the wind blew fair for us, when we set sail and

departed. As we sat talking, my sisters said to me, "O sister,

what wilt thou do with this handsome young man?" "I purpose to

make him my husband," answered I; and I turned to the prince and

said, "O my lord, I have that to propose to thee, in which I will

not have thee cross me: and it is that, when we reach Baghdad, I

will give myself to thee as a handmaid in the way of marriage,

and thou shalt be my husband and I thy wife." Quoth he, "I hear

and obey; thou art my lady and my mistress, and whatever thou

dost, I will not cross thee." Then I turned to my sisters and

said to them, "This young man suffices me; and those who have

gotten aught, it is theirs." "Thou sayest well," replied they;

but in their hearts they purposed me evil. We sailed on with a

fair wind, till we left the sea of peril and came into safe

waters, and in a few days, we came in sight of the walls of

Bassora, even as night overtook us. My sisters waited till the

prince and I were asleep, when they took us up, bed and all, and

threw us into the sea. The prince, who could not swim, was

drowned and God wrote him of the company of the martyrs. As for

me, would I had been drowned with him! But God decreed that I

should be of the saved; so He threw in my way a piece of wood and

I got astride of it, and the waters tossed me about till they

cast me up on an island. I landed and walked about the island the

rest of the night, and when the day broke, I saw a footway,

leading to the mainland. By this time, the sun had risen; so I

dried my clothes in its rays and ate of the fruits of the island

and drank of its waters. Then I set out and fared on till I

reached the mainland and found myself but two hours' distant from

the city. So I sat down to rest and presently I saw a great

serpent, the bigness of a palm-tree, come fleeing towards me,

with all her might, whilst her tongue for weariness hung from her

mouth a span's length and swept the dust as she went. She was

pursued by a dragon, as long and thin as a spear, which presently

overtook her and seized her by the tail whereat the tears

streamed from her eyes and she wriggled from side to side. I took

pity on her and catching up a stone, threw it at the dragon's

head and killed him on the spot. Then the serpent spread a pair

of wings and flew away out of sight, leaving me wondering. Now I

was tired and drowsiness overcoming me, I slept where I was for

awhile. When I awoke, I found a damsel sitting at my feet,

rubbing them, and with her, two black bitches, and I was ashamed

before her; so I sat up and said to her, "O my sister, who art

thou?" "How quickly thou hast forgotten me!" answered she. "I am

the serpent, whom thou didst deliver from my enemy by killing

him, for I am a Jinniyeh[FN#54] and the dragon was a genie; and I

was only saved from him by thy kindness. As soon as thou hadst

done me this service, I flew on the wind to your ship and

transported all that was therein to thy house. Then I sank the

vessel and changed thy sisters into two black bitches, for I know

all that has passed between thee and them: but as for the young

man, he is drowned." So saying, she flew up with me and the two

bitches and presently set us down on the roof of my house, where

I found all the goods that were in my ship, nor was aught

missing. Then she said to me, "By that which is written on the

seal of our lord Solomon (on whom be peace!) except thou give

each of these bitches three hundred lashes every day, I will come

and make thee like unto them." "I hear and obey," answered I; and

since then I have never failed to beat them thus, O Commander of

the Faithful, pitying them the while; and they know it is no

fault of mine that they are beaten and accept my excuse. And this

is my story.' The Khalif marvelled at her story and said to the

portress, 'And thou, how camest thou by the weals on thy body?'

'O Commander of the Faithful,' answered she:

Story of the Portress.

'My father died and left me great wealth, and soon after his

death I married one of the richest men of Baghdad. At the end of

a year he too died and I inherited from him fourscore thousand

dinars, being my lawful share of his property; so that I became

passing rich and the report of my wealth spread abroad, for I got

me half a score suits of clothes, each worth a thousand dinars.

One day, as I was sitting alone, there came in to me an old woman

with sunken cheeks and worn eyebrows, bleared eyes and broken

teeth, blotched face and bald head, grizzled hair and bent and

mangy body, running nose and sallow complexion, even as says the

poet of the like of her:

A right pernicious hag! Unshriven be her sins, Nor let her mercy

find what time she comes to die!

So full of wile she is, that with a single thread Of spider's

silk she'd curb a thousand mules that shy.

She saluted me and kissing the ground before me, said, "I have an

orphan daughter whose wedding and unveiling[FN#55] I celebrate

to-night. We are strangers in the city and know none of its

inhabitants, and verily our hearts are broken so do thou earn

through us a recompense and reward in the world to come by being

present at her unveiling. When the ladies of the city hear that

thou art to be present, they also will attend, and so wilt thou

bring healing to her spirit, for now she is broken-hearted and

has none to look to but God the Most High." Then she wept and

kissed my feet, repeating the following verses:

Thy presence honoureth us, and we Confess thy magnanimity:

If thou forsake us, there is none Can stand to us in stead of

thee.

I was moved to pity for her and said, "I hear and obey; and God

willing, I will do more than this for her, for she shall not be

unveiled but in my clothes and ornaments and jewellery." At this

the old woman rejoiced and fell at my feet and kissed them,

saying, "God requite thee with good and gladden thy heart as thou

hast gladdened mine! But, O my lady, do not trouble thyself now,

but be ready against the evening, when I will come and fetch

thee." So saying, she kissed my hand and went away, whilst I

attired myself and made my preparations. At the appointed time,

the old woman returned, smiling, and kissed my hand, saying,

"O my mistress, the most part of the ladies of the city are

assembled; and I told them that thou hadst promised to be

present, whereat they rejoiced and they are now awaiting thee and

are looking eagerly for thy coming." So I veiled myself and taking

my serving-maids with me, followed the old woman, till we came to

a street swept and watered, through which blew a pleasant breeze.

Here she stopped at a handsome portico vaulted with marble and

leading to a palace that rose from the ground and took hold upon

the clouds. The gateway was hung with a black curtain and lighted

by a lamp of gold curiously wrought; and on the door were written

the following verses:

I am a dwelling, builded for delight; My time is still for

joyance day and night.

Right in my midst a springing fountain wells, Whose waters banish

anguish and despite,

Whose marge with rose, narcissus, camomile, Anemone and myrtle,

is bedight.

The old woman knocked at the gate, which opened; and we entered a

carpeted vestibule hung with lighted lamps and candles and

adorned with pendants of precious stones and minerals. Through

this we passed into a saloon, whose like is not to be found in

the world, hung and carpeted with silken stuffs and lighted by

hanging lamps and wax candles in rows. At the upper end stood a

couch of juniper-wood, set with pearls and jewels and canopied

with curtains of satin, looped up with pearls. Hardly had I taken

note of all this, when there came out from the alcove a young

lady more perfect than the moon at its full, with a forehead

brilliant as the morning, when it shines forth, even as says the

poet:

Upon the imperial necks she walks, a loveling bright, For

bride-chambers of kings and emperors bedight.

The blossom of her cheek is red as dragon's blood, And all her

face is flowered with roses red and white.

Slender and sleepy-eyed and languorous of gait, All manner

loveliness is in her sweetest sight.

The locks upon her brow are like a troubled night, From out of

which there shines a morning of delight.

She came down from the dais and said to me, "Welcome, a thousand

times welcome to the dear and illustrious sister!" and she

recited the following verses:

If the house knew who visits it, it would indeed rejoice And

stoop to kiss the happy place whereon her feet have stood;

And in the voice with which the case, though mute, yet speaks,

exclaim, "Welcome and many a welcome to the generous and

good!"

Then she sat down and said to me, "O my sister, I have a brother,

who is handsomer than I; and he saw thee at certain festivals and

assemblies and fell passionately in love with thee, for that thou

art possessed of beauty and grace beyond thy share. He heard that

thou wast thine own mistress, even as he also is the head of his

family, and wished to make thine acquaintance; wherefore he used

this device to bring thee in company with me; for he desires to

marry thee according to the law of God and His prophet, and there

is no shame in what is lawful." When I heard what she said, I

bethought me that I was fairly entrapped and answered, "I hear

and obey." At this she was glad and clapped her hands, whereupon

a door opened and out came the handsomest of young men, elegantly

dressed and perfect in beauty and symmetry and winning grace,

with eyebrows like a bended bow and eyes that ravished hearts

with lawful enchantments, even as says a poet, describing the

like of him:

His face is like unto the new moon's face With signs[FN#56], like

pearls, of fortune and of grace.

And God bless him who said:

He hath indeed been blest with beauty and with grace, And blest

be He who shaped and fashioned forth his face!

All rarest charms that be unite to make him fair, His witching

loveliness distracts the human race.

Beauty itself hath set these words upon his brow, "Except this

youth there's none that's fair in any place."

When I looked at him, my heart inclined to him and I loved him;

and he sat down by me and talked with me awhile. Presently the

young lady clapped her hands a second time, and behold, a side

door opened and there came out a Cadi and four witnesses, who

saluted and sitting down, drew up the contract of marriage

between me and the young man and retired. Then he turned to me

and said, "May our night be blessed! O my mistress, I have a

condition to lay on thee." Quoth I, "O my lord, what is it?"

Whereupon he rose and fetching a copy of the Koran, said to me,

"Swear to me that thou wilt never look upon another man than

myself, nor incline to him." I did as he wished and he rejoiced

with an exceeding joy and embraced me and my whole heart was

taken with love of him. Presently they set food before us and we

ate and drank, till we were satisfied and night closed in upon

us. Then he took me and went to bed with me and ceased not to

kiss and embrace me till the morning. I lived with him in all

delight and happiness for a month, at the end of which time I

asked his leave to go to the bazaar to buy certain stuffs that I

wanted, and he gave me leave. So I veiled myself and taking with

me the old woman and a serving-maid, went to the bazaar, where I

sat down in the shop of a young merchant, whom the old woman knew

and had recommended to me, saying, "The father of this young man

died, when he was a boy, and left him great wealth: he has great

store of goods, and thou wilt find what thou seekest with him,

for none in the bazaar has finer stuffs than he." So she said to

him, "Show this lady thy finest stuffs." And he answered, "I hear

and obey." Then she began to sound his praises; but I said, "I

have no concern with thy praises of him; all I want is to buy

what I need of him and return home." So he brought me what I

sought, and I offered him the price, but he refused to take it,

saying, "It is a guest-gift to thee on the occasion of thy visit

to me this day." Then I said to the old woman, "If he will not

take the money, give him back the stuff." "By Allah!" said he, "I

will take nothing from thee! I make thee a present of it all, in

return for one kiss; for that is more precious to me than all

that is in my shop." Quoth the old woman, "What will a kiss

profit thee?" Then she said to me, "O my daughter, thou hearest

what this young man says. What harm will it do thee, if he take

from thee a kiss and thou get the stuffs for nothing?" "Dost thou

not know," answered I, "that I am bound by an oath?" But she

said, "Hold thy tongue and let him kiss thee, and thou shalt keep

thy money and no harm shall betide thee." And she ceased not to

persuade me till I put my head into the noose and consented. So I

veiled my eyes and held up the edge of my veil between me and the

street, that the passers-by might not see me; and he put his

mouth to my cheek under the veil. But, instead of kissing me, he

bit me so hard that he tore the flesh of my cheek, and I swooned

away. The old woman took me in her arms and when I came to

myself, I found the shop shut up and her lamenting over me and

saying, "Thank God it was no worse!" Then she said to me, "Come,

take courage and let us go home, lest the thing get wind and thou

be disgraced. When thou returnest, do thou feign sickness and lie

down and cover thyself up, and I will bring thee a remedy that

will soon heal the wound." So, after awhile, I arose, full of

fear and anxiety, and went little by little, till I came to the

house, where I lay down and gave out that I was ill. When it was

night, my husband came in to me and said, "O my lady, what has

befallen thee in this excursion?" Quoth I, "I am not well: I have

a pain in my head." Then he lighted a candle and drew near and

looked at me and said, "What is that wound on thy cheek, in the

soft part?" Said I, "When I went out to-day to buy stuffs, with

thy leave, a camel laden with firewood jostled me and the end of

one of the pieces of wood tore my veil and wounded my cheek, as

thou seest; for indeed the ways are strait in this city."

"To-morrow," rejoined he, "I will go to the governor and speak to

him, that he may hang every firewood-seller in the city." "God on

thee," cried I, "do not burden thy conscience with such a sin

against any one! The truth is that I was riding on an ass, and it

stumbled and threw me down, and my cheek fell on a piece of

glass, which wounded it." "Then," said he, "to morrow I will go

to Jaafer the Barmecide and tell him the case, and he will kill

every ass in the city." "Wilt thou ruin all the folk on my

account," said I, "when this that befell me was decreed of God?"

"There is no help for it," answered he, and springing to his

feet, plied me with questions and pressed me, till I was

frightened and stammered in my speech, so that he guessed how the

case stood and exclaimed, "Thou hast been false to thine oath!"

Then he gave a great cry, whereupon a door opened and in came

seven black slaves, whom he commanded to drag me from my bed and

throw me down in the middle of the room. Moreover, he made one

take me by the shoulders and sit upon my head and another sit on

my knees and hold my feet and giving a third a naked sword, said

to him, "Strike her, O Saad, and cut her in twain and let each

take half and throw it into the Tigris that the fish may eat

her, for this is the reward of her who breaks her oath and is

unfaithful to her love." And he redoubled in wrath and repeated

the following verses:

If any other share with me in her whom I adore, I'll root out

passion from my heart, though longing me destroy;

And I will say unto my soul, "Death is the better part;" For love

is naught that men with me in common do enjoy.

Then he said to the slave, "Smite her, O Saad!" Whereupon the

latter bent down to me and said, "O my lady, repeat the

profession of the faith and tell us if there be aught thou

wouldst have done, for thy last hour is come." "O good slave,"

said I, "grant me a little respite, that I may give thee my last

injunctions." Then I raised my head and considered my case and

how I had fallen from high estate into abjection; wherefore the

tears streamed from my eyes and I wept passing sore. He looked at

me with angry eyes and repeated the following

Say unto her who wronged us, on whom our kisses tire, Her that

hath chosen another for darling of desire,

Lo, we will spurn thee from us, before thou cast us off! That

which is past between us suffices to our ire.

When I heard this, I wept and looked at him and repeated the

following verses:

You doom my banishment from love and all unmoved remain; You rob

my wounded lids of rest and sleep whilst I complain.

You make mine eyes familiar with watching and unrest; Yet can my

heart forget you not, nor eyes from tears refrain.

You swore to me that you would keep, for aye, your plighted

faith; But when my heart was yours, you broke the oath that

you had ta'en.

Are you secure against the shifts of time and evil chance, That

you've no mercy on my love nor aught of pity deign?

If I must die, I prithee, write, 'fore God, upon my tomb, "A

slave of passion lieth here, who died of love in vain."

It may be one shall pass that way, who knows the pangs of love,

And looking on a lover's grave, take pity on her pain.

Then I wept; and when he heard what I said and saw my tears, his

anger redoubled, and he repeated the following verses:

I left the darling of my heart, not from satiety; But she had

sinned a sin that called aloud for punishment.

She would have ta'en another in to share with me her love, But

the religion of my heart to share will not consent[FN#57].

Then I wept again and implored him, saying to myself, "I will

work on him with words; so haply he may spare my life, though he

take all I have." So I complained to him of my sufferings and

repeated the following verses:

If thou indeed wert just to me, thou wouldst not take my life.

Alas! against the law of Death no arbiter is there!

Thou layst upon my back the load of passion and desire, When I

for weakness scarce can lift the very gown I wear!

That so my soul should waste away, small wonder is to me; But oh!

I wonder how my flesh can thine estrangement bear.

Then I wept again, and he looked at me and reviled and reproached

me, repeating the following verses:

Thou hast forgotten my love in the arms of another than me; Thou

shew'st me estrangement, though I was never unfaithful to

thee.

So I will cast thee away, since thou wast the first to forsake,

And by thy pattern content to live without thee will I be.

And (like thyself) in the arms of another thy charms I'll forget;

'Tis thou that hast sundered our loves: thou canst not

reproach it to me.

Then he called to the slave with the sword, saying "Cut her in

half and rid us of her, for we have no profit of her." So the

slave drew near to me and I gave myself up for lost and committed

my affair to God the Most High; but, at this moment, in came the

old woman and threw herself at my husband's feet and kissed them,

saying, "O my son, for the sake of my fosterage of thee and my

service to thee, spare this young lady, for indeed she has done

nothing deserving of death. Thou art a very young man, and I fear

lest her death be laid to thy count, for it is said, 'He who

kills shall be killed.' As for this wretched woman, put her away

from thee and from thy thought and heart." And she ceased not to

weep and implore him, till he relented and said, "I pardon her,

but I will set a mark on her that shall stay with her all her

life." Then he made the slaves strip off my clothes and hold me

down, and taking a rod of quince-wood beat me with it on the back

and sides till I lost my senses for excess of pain and despaired

of life. Then he commanded slaves, as soon as it was dark, to

carry me back to the house in which I had lived before my

marriage with him, taking the old woman with them to guide them.

They did as he bade them and cast me down in my house and went

away. I did not recover from my swoon till the morning, when I

applied myself to the dressing of my wounds, and medicined myself

and kept my bed for four months, at the end of which time my body

healed and I was restored to health; but my sides still bore the

marks of the blows, as thou hast seen. As soon as I could walk, I

went to the house where all this had happened, but found the

whole street pulled down and nothing but heaps of rubbish where

the house had stood, nor could I learn how this had come about.

Then I betook myself to this my half-sister and found with her

these two black bitches. I saluted her and told her what had

befallen me; and she said, "O my sister, who is safe from the

vicissitudes of fortune? Praised be God, who hath brought thee

off with thy life!" And she repeated the following verse:

Fortune indeed was ever thus: endure it patiently, Whether thou

suffer loss of wealth or friends depart from thee.

Then she told me her own story, and we abode together, she and I,

never mentioning the name of marriage. After awhile there came to

live with us this our other sister the cateress, who goes out

every day and buys what we require for the day and night. We led

this life till yesterday, when our sister went out as usual and

fell in with the porter. Presently we were joined by these three

Calenders and later on by three respectable merchants from

Tiberias, all of whom we admitted to our company on certain

conditions, which they infringed. But we forgave them their

breach of faith, on condition that they should give us an account

of themselves; so they told us their stories and went away; and

we heard nothing more till this morning, when we were summoned to

appear before thee; and this is our story.' The Khalif wondered

at her story, and ordered it and those of her sister and the

Calenders to be recorded in the archives of his reign and laid up

in the royal treasury. Then he said to the eldest lady, 'Knowst

thou where to find the Afriteh who enchanted thy sisters?' 'O

Commander of the Faithful,' answered she, 'she gave me some of

her hair, saying, "When thou wouldst see me, burn one or two of

these hairs, and I will be with thee presently, though I be

behind the mountain Caf."' Quoth the Khalif, 'Bring me the hair.'

So she fetched it and he threw the whole lock into the fire,

whereupon the palace shook and they heard a rumbling sound of

thunder, and presently the Jinniyeh appeared and saluted the

Khalif, saying, 'Peace be upon thee, O vicar of God!' 'And on

thee be peace,' answered he, 'and the mercy of God and His

blessing!' Quoth she, 'Know that this lady did me a service for

which I cannot enough requite her, in that she saved me from

death and slew my enemy. Now I had seen how her sisters dealt

with her and felt bound to avenge her on them. At first, I was

minded to kill them, but I feared it would be grievous to her, so

I turned them into bitches; and now, O Commander of the Faithful,

if thou wouldst have me release them, I will do so, out of

respect to thee and to her, for I am of the true believers.'

'Release them,' said the Khalif; 'and after we will proceed to

look into the affair of the beaten lady, and if her account prove

true, we will avenge her on him who wronged her.' 'O Commander of

the Faithful,' replied she, 'I will release them forthwith and

bring thee to the knowledge of him who maltreated this lady and

took her property; and he is the nearest of all men to thee.' So

saying, she took a cup of water and muttered over it and spoke

words that might not be understood. Then she threw some of the

water in the faces of the bitches, saying, 'Return to your former

human shape;' whereupon they were restored to their original

form, and the Afriteh said to the Khalif, 'O Commander of the

Faithful, he who beat this lady is thy son El Amin, brother of El

Mamoun[FN#58], who heard of her beauty and grace and laid a trap

for her and married her; and indeed he is not to blame for

beating her, for he laid a condition on her and took of her a

solemn oath that she would not do a certain thing; but she was

false to her vow; and he was minded to kill her, but was

restrained by the fear of God the Most High and contented himself

with beating her, as thou hast seen, and sending her back to her

own place.' When the Khalif heard this, he wondered greatly and

said, 'Glory be to God the Most High, the Supreme, who hath

vouchsafed me the delivery of these two damsels from enchantment

and torment and hath granted me to know the secret of this lady's

history! By Allah, I will do a thing that shall be chronicled

after me!' Then he summoned his son El Amin and questioned him of

the story of the portress, and he told him the truth; whereupon

the Khalif sent for Cadis and witnesses and married the eldest

lady and her two sisters-german to the three Calenders, whom he

made his chamberlains, appointing them stipends and all that they

needed and lodging them in his palace at Baghdad. Moreover, he

returned the beaten girl to her husband, his son El Amin,

renewing the marriage contract between them, and gave her great

wealth and bade rebuild the house more handsomely than before. As

for himself, he took to wife the cateress and lay with her that

night; and on the morrow he assigned her a separate lodging in

his seraglio, with a fixed allowance and serving-maids to wait on

her; and the people marvelled at his equity and magnificence and

generosity.

When Shehrzad had made an end of her story, Dunyazad said to her,

"By Allah, this is indeed a pleasant and delightful story, never

was heard its like! But now, O my sister, tell us another story,

to beguile the rest of the waking hours of our night." "With all

my heart," answered Shehrzad, "if the King give me leave." And he

said, "Tell thy story, and that quickly." Then said she, "They

say, O King of the age and lord of the time and the day, that