Chapter III: Part 3

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth continued:?And I, O our lord the Sultan, went into the closet and behold, she met me wearing a habit of the most sumptuous: so when I sighted her she seemed to me from the richness of her ornaments like an enchanted hoard wherefrom the talisman had been newly removed. She sat down beside me and bent lovingly over me and I rose up for I could no longer contain my passion and wrought that work which was to be worked.[FN#84] Presently she again disappeared but soon returned in vestments even richer than the last and she did with me as before and I embraced her once more. In short, O our lord the Sultan, we ceased not dwelling together, I and she, in joyaunce and enjoyment, laughter and disport and delicious converse for a space of twenty days. At the end of this time I called to mind my lady-mother, and said to the dame I had espoused, "O my lady, 'tis long since I have been absent from home and 'tis long since my parent hath seen me or wotteth aught concerning me: needs must she be pining and grieving for my sake. So do thou give me leave to visit her and look after my mother and also after my shop." Quoth she, "No harm in that: thou mayst visit thy mother daily and busy thyself about thy shop-business; but this ancient dame (my mother) is she who must lead thee out and bring thee back." Whereto I replied, "'Tis well." Upon this the old woman came in and tied a kerchief over my eyes according to custom and fared forth with me till we reached the spot where she had been wont to remove the bandage. Here she unbound it saying, "We will expect thee to-morrow about noontide and when thou comest to this place, thou shalt see me awaiting thee." I left her and repaired to my mother whom I found grieving and weeping at my absence; and upon seeing me she rose up and threw her arms round my neck with tears of joy. I said, "Weep not, O my mother, for the cause of my absence hath been a certain matter which be thus and thus." I then related to her my adventure and she on hearing it was rejoiced thereby and exclaimed, "O my son, may Allah give thee gladness; but I pray thee solace me[FN#85] at least every two days with a visit that my longing for thee may be satisfied." I replied, "This shall be done;" and thenceforth, O our lord the Sultan, I went to my shop and busied myself as was my wont till noontide, when I returned to the place appointed and found the old woman awaiting me. Nor did I ever fare forth from the mansion without her binding my eyes with the kerchief which she loosed only when we reached my own house; and whenever I asked her of this she would answer, "On our way be sundry houses whose doors are open and the women sitting in the vestibules of their homes, so that haply thy glance may alight upon some one of them, matron or maid: all sniff up love like water,[FN#86] and we fear for thee lest thy heart be netted in the net of amours." For thirty days, a whole month, I continued to go and come after this fashion but, O our lord the Sultan, at all times and tides I was drowned in thought and wondered in my mind, saying, "What chance caused me forgather with this damsel? What made me marry her? Whence this wealth which is under her hand? How came I to win union with her?" For I knew not the cause of all this. Now, on a day of the days, I found an opportunity of being private with one of her black slave girls[FN#87] and questioned her of all these matters that concerned her mistress. She replied, "O my lord, the history of my lady is marvellous; but I dare not relate it to thee in fear lest she hear thereof and do me die." So I said to her, "By Allah, O handmaid of good, an thou wilt say me sooth I will veil it darkly for in the keeping of secrets there is none like myself: nor will I reveal it at any time." Then I took oath of secrecy when she said, "O my lord,"?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-second Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth continued:?Then the handmaiden said to me, "O my lord, my lady went forth one day of the days to the Hammam with the object of pleasuring and of diverting herself, for which purpose she made goodly preparation including gifts and presents,[FN#88] matters worth a mint of money.[FN#89] After leaving the baths she set out upon an excursion to eat the noon-day meal in a flower garden where she enjoyed herself with exceeding joy and enjoyment, eating and drinking till the evening; and when she designed to depart she collected the fragments of the feast and distributed them amongst the mean and the mesquin. On her return she passed through the Bazar-street wherein standeth thy shop, and it was a Friday when thou wast sitting, adorned with thy finest dress, in converse with the nearest neighbour. And suddenly as she fared by, she beheld thee in such state and her heart was stricken with sore stroke of love albeit none of us observed her condition and what affection she had conceived for thee. However, no sooner had she reached her palace than her melancholy began to grow upon her with groans and her cark and care, and her colour left her: she ate and drank little and less and her sleep forsook her and her frame was sorely enfeebled till at last she took to her bed. Upon this her mother went to summon a learned man[FN#90] or a mediciner that he might consider the condition of her daughter and what sickness had gotten about her: she was absent for an hour and returned with an ancient dame who took seat beside her and putting forth her hand felt the patient's pulse. But she could perceive in her no bodily ailment or pain, upon which the old woman understood her case, but she durst not bespeak her of it nor mention to her mother that the girl's heart was distraught by love. So she said, 'There is no harm to thee! and (Inshallah!) to-morrow I will return hither to thee and bring with me a certain medicine.' She then went forth from us and leading the mother to a place apart, said to her, 'O my lady, Allah upon thee, pardon me for whatso I shall mention and be thou convinced that my words are true and keep them secret nor divulge them to any.' The other replied, 'Say on and fear not for aught which hath become manifest to thee of my daughter's unweal: haply Allah will vouchsafe welfare.' She rejoined, 'Verily, thy daughter hath no bodily disorder or malady of the disease kind but she is in love and there can be no cure for her save union with her beloved.' Quoth the mother, 'And how about the coming of her sweetheart? This is a matter which may not be managed except thou show us some contrivance whereby to bring this youth hither and marry him to her. But contrivance is with Allah.' Then the old lady went her ways forthright and the girl's mother sought her daughter and said to her after kindly fashion, 'O my child, as for thee thy disorder is a secret and not a bodily disease. Tell me of him thou requirest and fear naught from me; belike Allah will open to us the gate of contrivance whereby thou shalt win to thy wish.' Now when the maiden heard these words she was abashed before her parent and kept silence, being ashamed to speak; nor would she return any reply for the space of twenty days. But during this term her distraction increased and her mother ceased not to repeat the same words, time after time, till it became manifest to the parent that the daughter was madly in love with a young man; so at last quoth she, 'Describe him to me.' Quoth the other, 'O mother mine, indeed he is young of years and fair of favour; also he woneth in such a Bazar, methinks on its southern side.' Therewith the dame arose without stay or delay and fared forth to find the young man and 'tis thyself, O youth! And when the mother saw thee she took from thee a piece of cloth and brought it to her daughter and promised thou shouldst visit her. Thence- forwards she ceased not repeating her calls to thee for the period thou wottest well until by her cunning she brought thee hither; and that happened which happened and thou didst take the daughter to wife. Such is her tale and beware lest thou reveal my disclosure." "No, by Allah," replied I. Then the lunatic resumed speaking to the Sultan:?O my lord, I continued to cohabit with her for the space of one month, going daily to see my mother and to sell in my shop and I returned to my wife every evening blindfolded and guided as usual by my mother-in-law. Now one day of the days as I was sitting at my business, a damsel came into the Bazar-street?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-third Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth continued:?A damsel came into the Bazar-street bearing the image of a cock made of precious ore and crusted with pearls and rubies and other gems; and she offered it to the goodmen[FN#91] of the market for sale. So they opened the biddings at five hundred dinars and they ceased not contending[FN#92] thereanent till the price went up to nine hundred and fifty gold pieces. All this time and I looked on nor did I interfere by speaking a syllable or by adding to the biddings a single bit of gold. At last, when none would offer aught more, the girl came up to me and said, "O my lord, all the gentlemen have increased their biddings for the cock; but thou hast neither bidden nor heartened my heart by one kind word." Quoth I, "I have no need thereof;" and quoth she, "By Allah, needs must thou bid somewhat more than the others." I replied, "Since there is no help for it, I will add fifty dinars which will fill up the thousand." She rejoined, "Allah gar thee gain!"[FN#93] So I fared into my shop to fetch the money, saying in my mind, "I will present this curiosity to my Harím: haply 'twill pleasure her." But when I was about, O my lord the Sultan, to count out the thousand ducats, the damsel would not accept aught of me but said, "I have a request to make of thee, O youth! to wit, that I may take one kiss from thy cheek." I asked her, "For what purpose?" and she answered, "I want one kiss of thy cheek which shall be the price of my cock, for I need of thee naught else." I thought to myself, "By Allah, a single kiss of my cheek for the value of a thousand sequins were an easy price;" and I gave my consent thereto, O my lord. Then she came up to me and leaned over me and bussed my cheek, but after the kiss she bit me with a bite which left its mark:[FN#94] then she gave me the cock and went her ways in haste. Now when it was noon I made for my wife's house and came upon the old woman awaiting me at the customed stead and she bound the kerchief over my eyes and after blindfolding them fared with me till we reached our home when she unbound it. I found my wife sitting in the saloon dressed from head to foot in cramoisy[FN#95] and with an ireful face, whereupon I said to myself, "O Saviour,[FN#96] save me!" I then went up to her and took out the cock which was covered with pearls and rubies, thinking that her evil humour would vanish at the sight of it and said, "O my lady, accept this cock for 'tis curious and admirable to look upon; and I bought it to pleasure thee." She put forth her hand and taking it from me examined it by turning it rightwards and leftwards; then exclaimed, "Didst thou in very sooth buy this on my account?" Replied I, "By Allah, O my lady, I bought it for thee at a thousand gold pieces." Hereupon she shook her head at me, O my lord the Sultan, and cried out after a long look at my face, "What meaneth that bite on thy cheek?" Then with a loud and angry voice she called to her women who came down the stairs forthright bearing the body of a young girl with the head cut off and set upon the middle of the corpse;[FN#97] and I looked and behold, it was the head of the damsel who had sold me the cock for a kiss and who had bitten my cheek. Now my wife had sent her with the toy by way of trick, saying to her, "Let us try this youth whom I have wedded and see if he hold himself bound by his plighted word and pact or if he be false and foul." But of all this I knew naught. Then she cried a second cry and behold, up came three handmaids bearing with them three cocks like that which I had brought for her and she said, "Thou bringest me this one cock when I have these three cocks; but inasmuch as, O youth, thou hast broken the covenant that was between me and thee, I want thee no more: go forth! wend thy ways forthright!" And she raged at me and cried to her mother, "Take him away!"[FN#98]?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Youth continued to the King:?Hereupon the old woman, O my lord, hent me by the hand and bound the kerchief over my eyes as was her wont and led me to the customed place when she loosed the bandage saying, "Begone!" and disappeared. But I, O my lord, became like a madman and ran through the streets as one frantic crying, "Ah her loveliness! Ah her stature! Ah her perfect grace! Ah her ornaments!" Hereupon the folk seeing me and hearing me say these words shouted out, "Yonder is a lunatic;" so they seized me perforce and jailed me in the madhouse as thou hast seen me, O our lord the Sultan. They say, "This man is Jinn-mad;" but, by Allah, I am no maniac, O my lord, and such is my tale. Hereat the King marvelled and bowed his brow groundwards for a while in deep thought over this affair: then he raised his head and turning to his Minister said, "O Wazir, by the truth of Him who made me ruler of this realm, except thou discover the damsel who married this youth, thy head shall pay forfeit." The Wazir was consterned to hear the case of the young man; but he could not disobey the royal commandment so he said, "Allow me three days of delay, O our lord the Sultan;" and to this much of grace the King consented. Then the Wazir craved dismissal and would have taken the Youth with him; when the Sultan cried, "As soon as thou shalt have hit upon the house, the young man will go into it and come forth it like other folk." He replied, "Hearkening and obedience." So he took the Youth and went out with aching head and giddy as a drunken man, perplexed and unknowing whither he should wend; and he threaded the city streets from right to left and from east to west, tarrying at times that he might privily question the folk. But naught discovered itself to him and he made certain of death. In this condition he continued for two days and the third till noontide, when he devised him a device and said to the Youth, "Knowest thou the spot where the old woman was wont to blindfold thine eyes?" He replied, "Yes." So the Minister walked on with him till the young man exclaimed, "Here, 'tis this!"[FN#99] The Wazir then said, "O Youth, knowest thou the door-ring wherewith she was wont to rap and canst thou distinguish its sound?" He said "I can." Accordingly, the Wazir took him and went the round of all the houses in that quarter and rapped with every door-ring asking him, "Is't this?" and he would answer, "No." And the twain ceased not to do after such fashion until they came to the door where the appointment had taken place without risk threatened;[FN#100] and the Wazir knocked hard at it and the Youth, hearing the knock, exclaimed, "O my lord, verily this be the ring without question or doubt or uncertainty." So the Minister knocked again with the same knocker and the slave-girls threw open the door and the Wazir, entering with the youth, found that the palace belonged to the daughter of the Sultan who had been succeeded by his liege lord.[FN#101] But when the Princess saw the Minister together with her spouse, she adorned herself and came down from the Harem and salam'd to him. Thereupon he asked her, "What hath been thy business with this young man?" So she told him her tale from first to last and he said, "O my lady, the King commandeth that he enter and quit the premises as before and that he come hither without his eyes being bandaged with the kerchief." She obeyed and said, "The commandments of our lord the Sultan shall be carried out." Such was the history of that youth whom the Sultan heard reading the Koran in the Máristán, the public madhouse: but as regards the second Lunatic who sat listening, the Sultan asked him, "And thou, the other, what be thy tale?" So he began to relate the

Story of the Second Lunatic.[FN#102]

"O my lord," quoth the young man, "my case is marvellous, and haply thou wilt desire me to relate it in order continuous;" and quoth the Sultan, "Let me hear it."?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the second youth said:?O my lord the Sultan, I am by calling a merchant man and none of the guild was younger, I having just entered my sixteenth year. Like my fellows I sold and bought in the Bazar every day till, one day of the days, a damsel came up to me and drew near and handed to me a paper which I opened; and behold, it was full of verses and odes in praise of myself, and the end of the letter contained the woman's name professing to be enamoured of me. When I read it I came down from my shopboard, in my folly and ignorance, and putting forth my hand seized the girl and beat her till she swooned away.[FN#103] After this I let her loose and she went her ways and then I fell into a brown study saying to myself, "Would Heaven I wot whether the girl be without relations or if she have kith and kin to whom she may complain and they will come and bastinado me." And, O our lord the Sultan, I repented of what I had done whenas repentance availed me naught and this lasted me for twenty days. At the end of that time as I was sitting in my shop according to my custom, behold, a young lady entered and she was sumptuously clad and sweetly scented and she was even as the moon in its fullness on the fourteenth night. When I gazed upon her my wits fled and my sane senses and right judgment forsook me and I was incapable of attending to aught save herself. She then came up and said, "O youth, hast thou by thee a variety of metal ornaments?" and said I, "O my lady, of all kinds thou canst possibly require." Hereupon she wished to see some anklets which I brought out for her, when she put forth her feet to me and showing me the calves of her legs said, "O my lord, try them on me." This I did. Then she asked for a necklace[FN#104] and I produced one when she unveiled her bosom and said, "Take its measure on me:" so I set it upon her and she said, "I want a fine pair of bracelets," and I brought to her a pair when, extending her hands and displaying her wrists to me she said, "Put them on me." I did so and presently she asked me, "What may be the price of all these?" when I exclaimed, "O my lady, accept them from me in free gift;" and this was of the excess of my love to her, O King of the Age, and my being wholly absorbed in her. Then quoth I to her, "O my lady, whose daughter art thou?" and quoth she, "I am the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islám."[FN#105] I replied, "My wish is to ask thee in marriage of thy father," and she rejoined, "'Tis well: but, O youth, I would have thee know that when thou askest me from my sire he will say, 'I have but one daughter and she is a cripple and deformed even as Satíh was.[FN#106] Do thou, however, make answer that thou art contented to accept her and if he offer any remonstrance cry, 'I'm content, content!'" I then enquired, "When shall that be?" and she replied, "Tomorrow about undurn hour[FN#107] come to our house and thou wilt find my sire, the Shaykh al-Islam, sitting with his companions and intimates. Then ask me to wife." So we agreed upon this counsel and on the next day, O our lord the Sultan, I went with several of my comrades and we repaired, I and they, to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam, whom I found sitting with sundry Grandees about him. We made our salams which they returned and they welcomed us and all entered into friendly and familiar conversation. When it was time for the noon-meal the tablecloth[FN#108] was spread and they invited us to join them, so we dined with them and after dinner drank coffee. I then stood up saying, "O my lord, I am come hither to sue and solicit thee for the lady concealed and the pearl unrevealed, thy daughter." But when the Shaykh al-Islam heard from me these words he bowed his head for awhile groundwards?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth resumed:?Now when the Shaykh al-Islam heard from me those words he bowed his brow groundwards for a while in deep thought concerning the case of his daughter who was a cripple and wondrously deformed. For the damsel who had told me of her had played me a trick and served me a sleight, I all the time knowing nothing about her guile. Presently he raised his head and said to me, "By Allah, O my son, I have a daughter but she is helpless." Quoth I, "I am content;" and quoth he, "An thou take her to wife after this description, 'tis on express condition that she be not removed from my house and thou also shalt pay her the first visit and cohabit with her in my home." I replied, "To hear is to obey;" being confident, O King of the Age, that she was the damsel who had visited my shop and whom I had seen with my own eyes. Thereupon the Shaykh al-Islam married his daughter to me and I said in my mind, "By Allah, is it possible that I am become master of this damsel and shall enjoy to my full her beauty and loveliness?" But when night fell they led me in procession to the chamber of my bride; and when I beheld her I found her as hideous as her father had described her, a deformed cripple. At that moment all manner of cares mounted my back and I was full of fury and groaned with grief from the core of my heart; but I could not say a word, for that I had accepted her to wife of my own free will and had declared myself contented in presence of her sire. So I took seat silently in a corner of the room and my bride in another, because I could not bring myself to approach her, she being unfit for the carnal company of man and my soul could not accept cohabitation with her. And at dawntide, O my lord the Sultan, I left the house and went to my shop which I opened according to custom and sat down with my head dizzy like one drunken without wine; when lo! there appeared before me the young lady who had caused happen to me that mishap. She came up and salam'd to me but I arose with sullenness and abused her and cried, "Wherefore, O my lady, hast thou put upon me such a piece of work?" She replied, "O miserable,[FN#109] recollect such a day when I brought thee a letter and thou after reading it didst come down from thy shop and didst seize me and didst trounce me and didst drive me away." I replied, "O my lady, prithee pardon me for I am a true penitent;" and I ceased not to soften her with soothing[FN#110] words and promised her all weal if she would but forgive me. At last she deigned excuse me and said, "There is no harm for thee; and, as I have netted thee, so will I unmesh thee." I replied, "Allah! Allah![FN#111] O my lady, I am under thy safeguard;" and she rejoined, "Hie thee to the Aghá of the Janákilah,[FN#112] the gypsies, give him fifty piastres and say him, 'We desire thee to furnish us with a father and a mother and cousins and kith and kin, and do thou charge them to say of me, This is our cousin and our blood relation.' Then let him send them all to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and repair thither himself together with his followers, a party of drummers and a parcel of pipers. When they enter his house and the Shaykh shall perceive them and exclaim, 'What's this we've here?' let the Agha reply, 'O my lord, we be kinsmen with thy son-in-law and we are come to gladden his marriage with thy daughter and to make merry with him.' He will exclaim, 'Is this thy son a gypsey musician?' and do thou explain, saying, 'Aye, verily I am a Jankali;' and he will cry out to thee, 'O dog, thou art a gypsey and yet durst thou marry the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam?' Then do thou make answer, 'O my lord, 'twas my ambition to be ennobled by thine alliance and I have espoused thy daughter only that the mean name of Jankali may pass away from me and that I may be under the skirt of thy protection.'" Hereat, O my lord the Sultan, I arose without stay and delay and did as the damsel bade me and agreed with the Chiefs of the Gypsies for fifty piastres.[FN#113] On the second day about noon lo and behold! all the Janákilah met before the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and they, a tom-toming and a-piping and a-dancing, crowded into the courtyard of the mansion.?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth continued:?So the Janákilah entered the house of the Shaykh al-Islam all a-drumming and a-dancing. Presently the family came out and asked, "What is to do? And what be this hubbub?" The fellows answered, "We are gypsey-folk and our son is in your house having wedded the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam." Hearing these words the family went up and reported to its head, and he, rising from his seat, descended to the courtyard which he found full of Jankalis. He enquired of them their need and they told him that the youth, their kinsman, having married the daughter of the house, they were come to make merry at the bride-feast. Quoth the Shaykh, "This indeed be a sore calamity that a gypsey should espouse the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam. By Allah, I will divorce her from him." So he sent after me, O our lord the Sultan, and asked me saying, "What is thy breed and what wilt thou take to be off with thyself?" Said I, "A Jankali; and I married thy daughter with one design namely to sink the mean name of a gypsey drummer in the honour of connection and relationship with thee." He replied, "'Tis impossible that my daughter can cohabit with thee: so up and divorce her." I rejoined, "Not so: I will never repudiate her." Then we fell to quarrelling but the folk interposed between us and arranged that I should receive forty purses[FN#114] for putting her away. And when he paid me the moneys I gave her the divorce and took the coin and went to my shop, rejoicing at having escaped by this contrivance. On the next day, behold, came the damsel who had taught me the sleight and saluted me and wished me good morning. I returned her salam and indeed, O our lord the Sultan, she was a model of beauty and loveliness, stature and symmetrical grace and my heart was enmeshed in her love for the excess of her charms and the limpid flow of her speech and the sweetness of her tongue. So I said to her, "And when this promise?" and said she, "I am the daughter of Such-andsuch, a cook in such a quarter; and do thou go ask me in marriage of him." So I rose up with all haste and went to her father and prayed that he would give her to me. And presently I wedded her and went in unto her and found her as the full moon of the fourteenth night and was subjugated by her seemlihead. Such, then, is the adventure which befel me; but, O my lord the Sultan, the Story of the Sage Such-an-one and his Scholar is more wonderful and delectable; for indeed 'tis of the marvels of the age and among the miracles which have been seen by man. Thereupon the Sovran bade him speak, and the Second Lunatic proceeded to recount the

Story of the Sage and the Scholar.[FN#115]

There was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a learned man who had retired from the world secluding himself in an upper cell of a Cathedral-mosque, and this place he left not for many days save upon the most pressing needs. At last a beautiful boy whose charms were unrivalled in his time went in to him and salam'd to him. The Shaykh returned the salute and welcomed him with the fairest welcome and courteously entreated him seating him beside himself. Then he asked him of his case and whence he came and the boy answered, "O my lord, question me not of aught nor of my worldly matters, for verily I am as one who hath fallen from the heavens upon the earth[FN#116] and my sole object is the honour of tending thee." The Sage again welcomed him and the boy served him assiduously for a length of time till he was twelve years old. Now on one day of the days[FN#117] the lad heard certain of his fellows saying that the Sultan had a daughter endowed with beauty whose charms were unequalled by all the Princesses of the age. So he fell in love with her by hearsay.?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the lad who served the Sage fell in love with the Sultan's daughter by hearsay. Presently he went in to his master and told him thereof adding, "O my lord, verily the King hath a daughter beautiful and lovesome and my soul longeth to look upon her an it be only a single look." The Shaykh asked him saying, "Wherefore, O my son? What have the like of us to do with the daughters of Sovrans or others? We be an order of eremites and selfcontained and we fear the Kings for our own safety." And the Sage continued to warn the lad against the shifts of Time and to divert him from his intent; but the more words he uttered to warn him and to deter him, the more resolved he became to win his wish, so that he abode continually groaning and weeping. Now this was a grievous matter to the good Shaykh who loved him with an exceeding love passing all bounds; and when he saw him in this condition he exclaimed, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great." And his heart was softened and he had ruth upon the case of his scholar and pitied his condition, and at last said to him, "O my son, dost thou truly long to look but a single look at the Sultan's daughter?" Quoth he, "Yes, O my lord," and quoth the other, "Come hither to me." Accordingly he came up to him and the Shaykh produced a Kohl-pot and applied the powder to one of his scholar's eyes, who behold, forthright became such that all who saw him cried out, "This is a half-man."[FN#118] Then the Sage bade him go about the city and the youth obeyed his commands and fared forth; but whenas the folk espied him they cried out, "A miracle! a miracle! this be a half-man!" And the more the youth walked about the streets the more the folk followed him and gazed upon him for diversion and marvelled at the spectacle; and as often as the great men of the city heard of him they sent to summon him and solaced themselves with the sight and said, "Laud to the Lord! Allah createth whatso He wisheth and commandeth whatso He willeth as we see in the fashioning of this half-man." The youth also looked freely upon the Harims of the Grandees, he being fairer than any of them; and this case continued till the report reached the Sultan who bade him be brought into the presence, and on seeing him marvelled at the works of the Almighty. Presently the whole court gathered together to gaze at him in wonderment and the tidings soon reached the Queen who sent an Eunuch to fetch him and introduce him into the Serraglio. The women all admired the prodigy and the Princess looked at him and he looked at her; so his fascination increased upon him and he said in his secret soul, "An I wed her not I will slay myself!" After this the youth was dismissed by the Sultan's Harim and he, whose heart burned with love for the King's daughter, returned home. The Shaykh asked him, "Hast thou, O my son, seen the Princess?" and he answered, "I have, O my master; but this one look sufficeth me not, nor can I rest until I sit by her side and fill myself with gazing upon her." Quoth he, "O my child, we be an ascetic folk that shun the world nor have we aught to do with enmeshing ourselves in the affairs of the Sultan, and we fear for thee, O my son." But the youth replied, "O my lord, except I sit by her side and stroke her neck and shoulders with these my hands, I will slay myself." Hereupon the Sage said in his mind, "I will do whatso I can for this good youth and perchance Allah may enable him to win his wish." He then arose and brought out the Kohl-pot and applied the powder to his scholar's either eye; and, when it had settled therein, it made him invisible to the ken of man. Then he said, "Go forth, O my son, and indulge thy desire; but return again soon and be not absent too long." Accordingly the youth hastened to the Palace and entering it looked right and left, none seeing him the while, and proceeded to the Harem where he seated himself beside the daughter of the Sultan. Still none perceived him until, after a time, he put forth his hand and softly stroked her neck. But as soon as the Princess felt the youth's touch, she shrieked a loud shriek heard by all ears in the Palace and cried "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the stoned!" At this proceeding on the girl's part all asked her saying, "What is to do with thee?" Whereto she answered, "Verily some Satan hath this instant touched me on the neck." Upon this her mother was alarmed for her and sent for her nurse[FN#119] and when informed of what had befallen the girl the old woman said, "If there be aught of Satans here naught is so sovereign a specific to drive them away and keep them off as the smoke of camel's dung."[FN#120] Then she arose and brought thereof a quantity which was thrown into the fire and presently it scented and pervaded the whole apartment. All this and the Youth still sat there without being seen. But when the dung-smoke thickened, his eyes brimmed and he could not but shed tears, and the more smoke there was the more his eyes watered and big drops flowed till at last all the Kohl was washed off and trickled down with the tears. So he became visible a-middlemost the royal Harem; and, when the dames descried him, all shrieked one shriek, each at other, upon which the Eunuchry rushed in; then, finding the young man still seated there, they laid hands upon him and haled him before the Sultan to whom they reported his crime and how he had been caught lurking in the King's Serraglio a-sitting beside the Princess. Hearing this, the Sovran bade summon the Headsman and committed to him the criminal bidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit bepatched with flamecolour;[FN#121] then, to set him upon a camel and, after parading him through Cairo city and all the streets, to put him to death. Accordingly the executioner took the Youth.?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Linkman took the youth and fared forth with him from the palace: then he looked at him and found him fair of form and favour, a sans peer in loveliness, and he observed that he showed no fear nor shrinking from death. So he had pity upon him and his heart yearned to him and he said in his mind, "By Allah, attached to this young man is a rare history." Then he brought a leathern gown which he put upon him, and the flamey black habit which he passed over his arms: and setting him upon a camel as the Sultan had commanded, at last carried him in procession crying out the while, "This is the award and the least award of him who violateth the Harem of the King;" and he threaded the streets till they came to the square before the great Mosque wherein was the Shaykh. Now as all the folk were enjoying the spectacle, the Sage looked out from the window of his cell and beheld the condition of his scholar. He was moved to ruth and reciting a spell he summoned the Jánn and bade them snatch the young man off the camel's back with all care and kindness and bring him to his cell; and he also commanded an 'Aun of the 'Auns[FN#122] to seize some oldster and set him upon the beast in lieu of the Youth. They did as he bid them for that he had taken fealty of the Jánn and because of his profound studies in the Notaricon[FN#123] and every branch of the art magical. And when all the crowd saw the youth suddenly transformed into a grey-beard they were awe-stricken and cried, "Alhamdolillah?laud to the Lord?the young man hath become an old man!" They then looked again and behold, they saw a person well-known amongst the lieges, one who had long been wont to sell greens and colocasia at the hostelry gate near the Cathedral-mosque. Now the headsman noting this case was confounded with sore affright; so he returned to the palace with the oldster seated on the camel and went in to the Sultan followed by all the city-folk who were gazing at the spectacle. Then he stood before the King and the eunuchry and did homage and prayed for the Sovran and said, "O our lord the Sultan, verily the Youth hath vanished, and in lieu of him is this Shaykh well known to the whole city." Hearing these words the King was startled; sore fear entered his heart and he said to himself, "Whoso hath been able to do this deed can do e'en more: he can depose me from my kingship or he can devise my death." So his affright increased and he was at a loss how to contrive for such case. Presently he summoned his Minister and when he came into the presence said to him, "O Wazir, advise me how to act in the affair of this Youth and what measures should be taken." The Minister bowed his brow groundwards in thought for a while, then raising it he addressed the Sultan and said, "O King of the Age, this be a thing beyond experience, and the doer must be master of a might we comprehend not and haply he may work thee in the future some injury and we fear from him for thy daughter. Wherefore the right way is that thou issue a royal autograph and bid the Crier go round about the city and cry saying, 'Let him who hath wrought this work appear before the King under promise of safety and again safety?safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed.' Should the Youth then surrender himself, O King of the Age, marry him to thy daughter when perhaps his mind may be reconciled to thee by love of her. He hath already cast eyes upon her and he hath seen the inmates of thy Harem unrobed, so that naught can save their honour but his being united with the Princess." Hereupon the Sultan indited an autographic rescript and placed it in the Crier's hands even as the Wazir had counselled: and the man went about the streets proclaiming, "By Command of the just King! whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under promise of safety and again safety, the safety of sovereigns?safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed." And the Crier ceased not crying till in fine he reached the square fronting the great Mosque. The Youth who was standing there heard the proclamation and returning to his Shaykh said, "O my lord, the Crier hath a rescript from the Sultan and he crieth saying, 'Whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under promise of safety and again safety?safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed.' And, I must go to him perforce." Said the Sage, "O my son, why shouldst thou do on such wise? Hast thou not already suffered thy sufficiency?" But the young man exclaimed, "Nothing shall prevent my going;" and at this the Shaykh replied, "Go then, O my son, and be thy safeguarding with the Living, the Eternal." Accordingly, the Youth repaired to the Hammam and having bathed attired himself in the richest attire he owned, after which he went forth and discovered himself to the Crier who led him to the Palace and set him before the Sovran. He salamed to the Sultan and did him obeisance and prayed for his long life and prosperity in style the most eloquent, and proffered his petition in verse the most fluent. The Sultan looked at him (and he habited in his best and with all of beauty blest), and the royal mind was pleased and he enquired saying, "Who art thou, O Youth?" The other replied, "I am the Half-man whom thou sawest and I did the deed whereof thou wottest." As soon as the King heard this speech he entreated him with respect and bade him sit in the most honourable stead, and when he was seated the twain conversed together. The Sultan was astounded at his speech and they continued their discourse till they touched upon sundry disputed questions of learning, when the Youth proved himself as superior to the Sovran as a dinar is to a dirham: and to whatever niceties of knowledge the monarch asked, the young man returned an all-sufficient answer, speaking like a book. So the Sultan abode confounded at the eloquence of his tongue and the purity of his phrase and the readiness of his replies; and he said in his mind, "This Youth is as worthy to become my daughter's mate as she is meet to become his helpmate." Then he addressed him in these words, "O Youth, my wish is to unite thee with my daughter and after thou hast looked upon her and her mother none will marry her save thyself." The other replied, "O King of the Age, I am ready to obey thee, but first I must take counsel of my friends." The King rejoined, "No harm in that: hie thee home and ask their advice." The Youth then craved leave to retire and repairing to his Shaykh,?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Sixtieth Night,