Richard Burton
"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night"

himself for the trip, gathered together sumptuous presents befitting his elder brother's majesty, and appointed his chief vizier to be viceroy of the land during his absence. Then he ordered his tents, camels, and mules to be brought forth, and he set up camp with their bales and loads, attendants and guards within sight of the city in order to set out early the next morning for his brother's capital.

It so happened, however, that in the middle of the night he suddenly remembered he had forgotten a gift in his palace that he wanted to take to his brother. So he returned alone and entered his private chambers, where he found the queen, his wife, asleep on his own couch, and in her arms she held a black cook with crude features, smeared with kitchen grease and grime. When he saw this, the world turned dark before his eyes, and he said, "If this is what happens while I am still within sight of the city, what will this damned whore do during my long absence at my brother's court?"

So he drew his scimitar, cut the two in four pieces with a single blow, and left them on the couch. Soon thereafter he returned to his camp without letting anyone know what had happened. Then he gave orders for immediate departure and set out on his trip. Nevertheless, he could not help thinking about his wife's betrayal, and he kept saying to himself over and over, "How could she have done this to me? How could she have brought about her own death?" until excessive grief seized him. His color changed to yellow, his body grew weak, and he appeared to be on the verge of death. So the vizier had to shorten the stages of the journey and remain longer at the watering places in order to take care of the king.

Now, when Shah Zaman finally approached his brother's capital, he sent messengers to announce his arrival, and Shahryar came forth to meet him with the viziers, emirs, lords, and nobles of his realm. After saluting him, he was overcome with joy and ordered the city to be decorated in his honor. At the same time, however, Shahryar could not help but see how poor his brother's health was, and he asked him what had happened.

"It's due to the long, hard journey," replied Shah Zaman, "and I'll need some care, for I've suffered from the change of water and air. But Allah be praised for reuniting me with my beloved brother!"

Then the two entered the capital in all honor, and Shahryar lodged his brother in his palace overlooking the garden. After some time had passed, King Shahryar noticed that his brother's condition was still unchanged, and he attributed it to his separation from his country. So he

let him do as he pleased and asked him no questions until one day when he said, "My brother, I can't help noticing that you've grown weaker and paler than you were before."

"I'm sick in my heart," he replied, but he would not tell Shahryar about his wife and all that he had seen.

Thereupon Shahryar summoned doctors and surgeons and asked them to treat his brother to the best of their ability, which they did for a whole month, but their potions had no effect, for he dwelled upon his wife's treachery. Indeed, he became more and more despondent, and even the use of leeches failed to change his mood.

One day his elder brother said to him, "I've decided to go on a hunting expedition. Perhaps you'd feel better if you joined me."

However, Shah Zaman declined and said, "I am not in the mood for anything like this, and I beseech you to let me stay quietly in the palace, for I can't seem to get over this sickness."

So, King Shah Zaman spent the night in the palace by himself. The next morning, after his brother had departed, he left his room and sat down at one of the lattice windows overlooking the garden. There he rested awhile and became steeped in sad thoughts about his wife's betrayal, occasionally uttering sighs of grief. Now, as he was moaning and torturing himself, a secret door to the garden swung open, and out came twenty slave girls surrounding his brother's wife, who was marvelously beautiful and moved about with the grace of a gazelle in search of a cool stream. Shah Zaman drew back from the window, but he kept the group in sight from a place where they could not spot him, even though they walked under the very window where he had stationed himself. As they advanced into the garden, they came to a jetting fountain amidst a great basin of water. Then they stripped off their clothes, and Shah Zaman suddenly realized that ten of them were women, concubines of the king, and the other ten were white slaves. After they had all paired off, the queen was left alone, but she soon cried out in a loud voice, "Come to me right now, my lord Saeed!" and all of a sudden a big slobbering blackamoor with rolling eyes leapt from one of the trees. It was truly a hideous sight. He rushed up to her and threw his arms around her neck, while she embraced him just as warmly. Then he mounted her, and winding his legs around hers, as a button loop clasps a button, he tossed her to the ground and enjoyed her. The other slaves did the same with the girls until they had all satisfied their passions, and they did not stop kissing, coupling, and carousing until the day began to wane. When the mamelukes rose from the bosoms of the maidens and

the blackamoor slave let go of the queen, the men resumed their disguises, and all except the Negro, who climbed up the tree, left the garden via the secret door and reentered the palace.

Now, after Shah Zaman had witnessed this spectacle, he said to himself, "By Allah, my misfortune is nothing compared to my brother's! Though he may be a greater king among kings than I am, he doesn't even realize that this kind of perfidious behavior is going on in his very own palace, and his wife is in love with the filthiest of filthy slaves. This only proves that all women will make cuckolds out of their husbands when given the chance. Well, then, let the curse of Allah fall upon one and all and upon the fools who need the support of their wives or who place the reins of conduct in their hands!" So, he cast aside his melancholy and no longer had regrets about what he had done. Moreover, he constantly repeated his words to himself to minimize his sorrow and added, "No man in this world is safe from the malice of women!"

When suppertime arrived, the servants brought him the trays, and he ate with a voracious appetite, for he had refrained from eating a long time, no matter how delicious the food. Now he was able once again to give grateful thanks to Almighty Allah for the meal and for restoring his appetite, and he spent a most restful night, savoring the sweet food of sleep. The next day he ate his breakfast with a hearty appetite and began to regain his health and strength and was in excellent condition by the time his brother came back from the hunt ten days later. When Shah Zaman rode out to meet him, King Shahryar looked at him and was astonished by the remarkable change in his brother's appearance, but Shah Zaman did not say or disclose a thing to him. Instead, the two just embraced, exchanged greetings, and rode into the city.

Later when they were seated at their ease in the palace, the servants brought them food, and they ate to their heart's content. After the meal was removed and they had washed their hands, King Shahryar turned to his brother and said, "I am astonished by the change in your condition. I had hoped to take you with me on the hunt, but I realized that your mind was sorely troubled by something, and you looked so pale and sickly. But now - glory be to God! - your natural color has returned to your face, and you're in fine shape. I had believed that your sickness was due to the separation from your family, friends, and country, so I had refrained from bothering you with probing questions. But now I beseech you to explain the cause of your troubles and the reason for your recovery to such good health."

When Shah Zaman heard this, he bowed his head toward the ground, and after a while he raised it and said, "I shall tell you what caused my troubles and bad health, but you must pardon me if I don't tell you the reason for my complete recovery. Indeed, I beg you not to force me to explain everything that has happened."

Shahryar was much surprised by these words and replied, "Let me hear first what caused you to become so sick and pale."

"Well then," began Shah Zaman, "it was like this. When you sent the vizier with your invitation, I made all sorts of preparations for three days and camped before my city to begin the journey early the next day. But that night I remembered that I had left a string of jewels in the palace that I intended to give to you as a gift. I returned for it alone and found my wife on my couch in the arms of a hideous black cook. So I slew the two and came to you. However, I could not help grieving about this affair and regretting what I had done. That's why I lost my health and became weak. But you must excuse me if I refuse to tell you how I managed to regain my health."

Shahryar shook his head, completely astonished, and with the fire of wrath flaming in his heart, he cried, "Indeed, the malice of woman is mighty! My brother, you've escaped many an evil deed by putting your wife to death, and your rage and grief are quite understandable and excusable, especially since you had never suffered anything as terrible as this before. By Allah, had this been me, I would not have been satisfied until I had slain a thousand women and had gone mad! But praise be to Allah, who has eased your tribulations, and now you must tell me how you regained your health so suddenly, and you must explain to me why you are being so secretive."

"Oh brother, again I beg you to excuse me for refusing to talk about this!"

"But I insist."

"I'm afraid that my story may cause you more anger and sorrow than I myself have suffered."

"That's even a better reason for telling me the whole story," said Shahryar, "and in the name of Allah, I command you not to keep anything back from me!"

Thereupon Shah Zaman told him all he had seen from beginning to end, and he concluded his story by saying, "When I saw your misfortune, and your wife's betrayal, my own sorrow seemed slight in comparison, and I became sober and sound again. So, discarding melancholy and

despondency, I was able to eat, drink, and sleep, and thus I quickly regained my health and strength. This is the truth and the whole truth."

After King Shahryar heard this tale, he became so furious that it seemed his rage might consume him. However, he quickly recovered his composure and said, "My brother, I don't mean to imply that you have lied to me, but I can't believe your story until I see everything with my own eyes."

"If you want to witness your misfortune," Shah Zaman responded, "rise at once and get ready for another hunting expedition. Then hide yourself with me, and you'll see everything with your own eyes and learn the truth."

"Good," said the king, whereupon he made it known that he was about to travel again, and the troops set up camp outside the city. Shahryar departed with them, and after commanding his slaves not to allow anyone to enter his tent, he summoned his vizier and said, "I want you to sit in my place, and let no one know of my absence until three days have passed."

Then the brothers disguised themselves and returned secretly to the palace, where they spent the rest of the night. At dawn they seated themselves at the window overlooking the garden, and soon the queen and the slaves came out as before and headed for the fountain. There they stripped, ten men to ten women, and the king's wife cried out, "Where are you, oh Saeed?"

The hideous blackamoor dropped from the tree right away, and rushing into her arms without delay, he exclaimed, "I am Sa'ad al-Din Saood, the auspicious one!"

The lady laughed heartily, and they all began to satisfy their lust and continued to do so for a couple of hours. Then the white slaves rose from the maidens, and the blackamoor left the queen, and they went into the basin. After bathing themselves, they donned their robes and departed as they had done before.

When King Shahryar saw the perfidious behavior of his wife and concubines, he became distraught and cried out, "Only in utter solitude can man be safe from what goes on in this vile world! By Allah, life is nothing but one great wrong! Listen to what I propose, brother, and don't stop me."

"I won't," Shah Zaman responded.

So the king continued, "Let us get up just as we are and depart right away. There are other things more important than our kingdoms. Let us

wander over Allah's earth, worshiping the Almighty, until we find someone who has suffered the same misfortune. And if it should turn out that we don't find anyone, then death will be more welcome to us than life."

So the two brothers left through a second secret door to the palace, and they journeyed day and night until they came to a large tree in the middle of a meadow right near a spring of fresh water not far from the seashore. Both drank from the spring and sat down to rest. After an hour had passed, they suddenly heard a mighty roar as though the heavens were falling upon the earth. The sea broke with tidal waves, and a towering black pillar arose from it. Indeed, the pillar of smoke grew and grew until it almost touched the sky. Then it began heading toward the meadow, and the two brothers became very frightened and climbed to the top of the tree, from where they hoped to see what the matter was.

To their amazement, the smoke turned into a jinnee, huge, broad-chested, and burly. His brow was wide, his skin black, and on his head was a crystal chest. He strode to the shore, wading through deep water, and came to the tree in which the two kings were hiding, and sat down beneath it. He then set the chest on its bottom and pulled from it a casket with seven padlocks of steel, which he unlocked with seven keys of steel hanging beside his thigh. Suddenly a young lady appeared from the casket, white-skinned and pleasant, fine and thin, and bright as the full moon or the glistening sun. Taking her by the hand, the jinnee seated her under the tree by his side and gazed at her.

"Oh choicest love of this heart of mine!" he began. "Oh lady of noblest line, whom I snatched away on your wedding night and whom none has loved or enjoyed except myself. Oh, my sweetheart, I must sleep a little while."

He then laid his head upon the lady's thighs, and stretching out his legs, which extended down to the sea, he fell asleep and snored like thunder. Soon the lady raised her head and noticed the two kings perched near the top of the tree. Then she softly lifted the jinnee's head off her lap and placed it upon the ground. Afterwards she stood up and signaled to the kings, "Come down, you two. You have nothing to fear from this ifrit."

They were terribly scared when they realized that she had seen them and answered her in whispers, "By Allah and by your modesty, oh lady, excuse us from coming down!"

"Allah upon you both," she replied, "I want you to come down right away, and if you don't come, I shall wake this jinnee, who will attack you,

and you'll die the worst death imaginable!" And she continued making signs to them to come.

So, being afraid, they came down to her, and she rose before them and said, "I want you to mount me and show me how nicely you can sit on my saddle, or else I'll set this ifrit upon you, and he'll slay you in the wink of an eye!"

"Oh lady," they said to her, "we beseech you, by Allah, don't force us to do this. We've given up such things and are in extreme dread of your husband!"

"No more talk. This is the way it must be," she said and swore to them by Him who raised the skies on high without prop or pillar that they would be slain and cast into the sea if they did not perform her will. Consequently, out of fear, King Shahryar said to King Shah Zaman, "Brother, do what she wants you to do."

But Zaman responded, "I won't do anything until you do it first."

And they began quarreling about who was to mount her.

"Why are you two quarreling?" she intervened. "If you do not come forward like men and do the deed I ask you to perform, I'll wake the jinnee!"

Given their fear of the jinnee, they finally did what she asked them to do, one after the other, and after they had dismounted, she said, "Well done!" Next, she took a purse from her pocket and drew out a knotted strand of five hundred and seventy rings and asked, "Do you know what these are?"

"No," they answered.

"These are the signets of five hundred and seventy men," she said, "who have futtered me on the horns of this filthy, stupid ifrit. So, brothers, I also want your royal rings."

After they had taken off their rings and given them to her, she said, "It's true that this jinnee carried me off on my wedding night, put me into a casket, and placed the casket in a chest. After he attached seven strong padlocks to it, he deposited it at the bottom of the deep sea and guarded me so that I would remain chaste and honest, and so that none but himself could have any contact with me. But I have lain under as many men as I've desired, and this wretched jinnee doesn't realize that destiny cannot be averted or hindered by anything and that whatever a woman wants, she will get, no matter how much a man might try to prevent it."

Upon hearing her story, the brothers were left speechless and watched

her as she went back to the ifrit, put his head on her lap, and told them softly, "Now get on your way, and put the sight of this malice way behind you!"

So they moved on and said to each other, "May Allah help us and save us from women's malice and cunning! It seems nothing can surpass their power!"

"Just think," said King Shahryar, "how this marvelous lady has managed to deceive a jinnee, who is much more powerful than we are! Indeed, his misfortune is much greater than ours, so it is time to return to our kingdoms. But I propose that we both never stay married long enough for women to betray us and that we take the proper action to put them in their place!"

Shah Zaman agreed, and they rode back to King Shahryar's encampment, which they reached on the morning of the third day, and after gathering together his viziers, emirs, chamberlains, and high officials, Shahryar gave a robe of honor to his viceroy and issued orders for an immediate return to the city. As soon as he took his seat upon his throne, he sent for his chief minister and declared, "I command you to take my wife and execute her, for she has broken her marriage vows."

So, the minister brought her to the place of execution and carried out the king's orders. Then King Shahryar took his sword in hand and went to the seraglio, where he slew all the concubines and their mamelukes. He also swore a binding oath that whenever he married, he would take his new wife's maidenhead at night and slay her the next morning to make sure of his honor, for he was convinced that there never was or could be one chaste woman upon the face of this earth.

Soon after Shahryar took this oath, his brother, Shah Zaman, asked permission to return home, and he was provided an escort that accompanied him until he reached his own country. Meanwhile Shahryar commanded his vizier to bring him a bride for that night so that he might enjoy her. Accordingly, the vizier produced a most beautiful girl, the daughter of one of the emirs, and the king broke her maidenhead in the evening, and when morning arrived, he commanded his minister to strike off her head. And the vizier did as he was ordered for fear of the sultan. During the next three years the king continued to act accordingly: he married a maiden every night and had her killed the next morning, until his people raised a great outcry against him. Indeed, they cursed him and prayed to Allah that he be utterly destroyed and dethroned. Women began protesting, mothers wept, and parents fled with their daughters until there was not one virgin left in the city.

Nevertheless, the king ordered his chief vizier, the same man who was charged with carrying out the executions, to bring him a virgin as was his wont. When the minister went forth, however, and searched all over, he returned home in sorrow, fearing for his life because the king would be displeased that there were no more virgins left in the city. Now, he had two daughters, Scheherazade and Dunazade. The older one, Scheherazade, had read the books, annals, and legends of former kings, and the stories, lessons, and adventures of famous men. Indeed, it was said that she had collected a thousand history books about ancient peoples and rulers. She had perused the works of the poets and knew them by heart. She had studied philosophy and the sciences, arts, and practical things. And she was pleasant and polite, wise and witty, well read and well bred. Consequently, on that particular day, she said to her father, "Why are you so downcast? You seem to be troubled by something. Remember the words of the poet:

"Tell whoever has sorrow

Grief shall never last.

Just as joy has no tomorrow,

Woe is bound not to last."

When the vizier heard these words from his daughter, he told her from first to last about everything that had happened between him and the king. Thereupon, she said, "By Allah, oh my father, how long shall this slaughter of women last? Shall I tell you what I'm thinking about that would stop all this destruction?"

"Tell me, my daughter," he said.

"I would like you to give me in marriage to King Shahryar. If I should live, I'd become the ransom for the virgin daughters of Moslems and rescue them from his hands and yours."

"Oh Allah!" he cried in his fury. "Have you lost your mind? I won't let you expose yourself to such danger. How can you be so unwise and foolish? I want you to know that unless you have experience in worldly matters, you'll be prey to misfortune!"

"I must do this," she responded. "Come what may!"

Again the vizier became enraged and scolded and reproached her. "In truth, I fear that the same thing that happened to the ox and the donkey will happen to you."

"And just what did happen to them, Father?" she asked.

Whereupon the vizier began.

The Tale of the Ox and the Donkey

There was once a merchant who owned a great deal of money and men, and who had a large number of cattle and camels. He also had a wife and family and dwelt in the country, since he knew a great deal about farming and agriculture. Now Allah Almighty had endowed him with the ability to understand the language of birds and beasts of every kind. However, it was decreed that if he were to divulge the gift to anyone, he would be punished by death. So, out of fear, he kept his unusual gift a secret.

In his barn he had an ox and donkey, each tethered in his own stall next to one another. One day, when the merchant was sitting nearby with his servants and children playing around him, he heard the ox say to the ass, "Greetings, friend. I hope that you continue to enjoy your rest and good care. Everything under you is swept neatly and watered down. Men wait on you and feed you sifted barley, and give you pure spring water to drink. On the other hand, I(unhappy creature!) am led forth in the middle of the night when they set the plow and something called a yoke on my neck. I'm exhausted from cleaving the earth from dawn till dusk. I'm forced to do more than I can and to bear all kinds of mistreatment every night. And at the end of my work they take me back with my sides torn, my neck flayed, my legs aching, and my eyelids sore with tears. Then they shut me up in the barn and throw me beans and hay mixed with dirt and chaff. And I lie in dung and filth, and there is nothing but a foul stench throughout the night. But you are always in a clean place and are always able to relax, except when the master has some business in town, and that's very seldom. Then he just mounts you and rides to the town and returns right away. This is the way things are: I toil and have no rest, while you relax and have leisure time. You sleep while I am sleepless. I starve while you have all you want to eat."

When the ox stopped speaking, the donkey turned toward him and said, "Oh you lost soul! Whoever dubbed you bull-head did not lie, for you are denser than the simplest of simpletons! With all your zeal you foolishly toil for the master, and wear yourself out and kill yourself for the comfort of someone else. At the call of dawn you set out to work and don't return until sundown, and throughout the livelong day you endure all kinds of hardships such as beatings and cursing. Now listen to me, carefully. When you go into the fields and they lay that thing called the yoke on your neck, lie down and don't get up again, even though they hit you with the switch. And if you do have to rise, lie down a second time. And when they bring you home and offer you beans, fall backward and

only sniff your food. Don't taste it. Withdraw and content yourself only with the hay and chaff. Pretend you are sick, and continue to do this for two or three days. This way you'll be able to gain some rest from all your hard work."

When the ox heard these words, he knew that the donkey was his friend and thanked him. "This is good advice," he said, and prayed that the ass would be blessed with a fine reward.

The next day, the driver took the ox, set the plow on his neck, and made him work as usual. But the ox took the donkey's advice and shirked the plowing. Consequently, the plowman drubbed him until the ox broke the yoke and made off. But the man caught up to him and tanned him until he thought he would die. Nevertheless, he did nothing but stand still and drop down until evening came. Then the plowman led him home and put him into his stall, but the ox drew back from his manger and neither stamped, nor butted, nor bellowed as he was accustomed to do. Such strange behavior puzzled the plowman. Then he brought the ox beans and husks, but the animal sniffed at them and lay down as far from them as he could and spent the whole night fasting. Next morning the plowman came and saw the manger full of beans, the hay untasted, and the ox lying on his back in a most sorry plight with his legs outstretched and a swollen belly. Of course, he was very worried about him and said to himself, "By Allah, he has certainly become sick, and this is why he wouldn't plow yesterday." Then he went to the merchant and reported, "Master, the ox is sick. He refused his fodder last night, and he hasn't tasted a scrap of it this morning."

Now the merchant understood what all this meant, because he had overheard the talk between the ox and the ass. So he said, "Take that rascal donkey, and set the yoke on his neck. Tie him to the plow and make him do the ox's work."

Accordingly, the plowman took the ass and made him do the ox's work the entire day long. And when the donkey let up out of weakness, the driver made him feel his stick until the animal's ribs were sore and his sides were sunken and his neck flayed by the yoke. When the ass returned home in the evening, he could hardly drag his limbs along. Meanwhile, the ox had spent the day lying at full length and had eaten his fodder with an excellent appetite. He continually heaped blessings on the donkey for his good advice, not knowing how the donkey had suffered and that it was on his account. So, when night set in and the donkey returned to the barn, the ox rose up before him in his honor and said, "May good tidings warm your heart, my friend! Because of you I

have rested the entire day, and I have eaten my food in peace and quiet."

But the ass did not reply, because his heart was burning with rage, and he was exhausted from the beating he had gotten. Indeed, he regretted that he had given the ox such good advice and said to himself, "This is the result of your folly in giving good counsel. I was living in joy and happiness until I mixed into somebody else's business. So now I must think of something and trick the ox so that he'll return to his place. Otherwise, I'll die." Then he went wearily to his stall, while the ox continued to thank and bless him.

"And the same thing will happen to you, my daughter," said the vizier. "You will die for not having used your brains. Therefore, I want you to sit still, say nothing, and refrain from exposing yourself to danger. By Allah, I'm offering you the best advice that comes from my affection and great concern for you."

"Father," she answered. "I must marry the king, and you can't stop me."

"I don't want you to do this."

"But I must."

"If you're not silent and do as I say, I'll do to you just what the farmer did to his wife."

"And what did he do?" Scheherazade asked.

After the donkey returned to his stall, the farmer went out on the terrace of his house with his wife and family, for there was a full moon. Now the terrace overlooked the barn, and as the merchant was sitting there with his children playing around him, he soon heard the donkey say to the ox, "Tell me, friend, what do you propose to do tomorrow?"

"To continue to follow your advice, of course," said the ox. "Indeed, it was as good as it could be, and it has given me a good deal of rest. So when they bring me my food, I'll refuse it, blow up my belly, and pretend to be sick."

The ass shook his head and said, "You'd better not do this."

"Why?" the ox asked.

And the donkey answered, "I must warn you that I heard the merchant say to the plowman, 'If the ox doesn't get up from his place to do his work this morning and doesn't eat his fodder today, take him over to the butcher to be slaughtered. Then give his flesh to the poor and make some leather out of his hide.' You see now why I'm afraid for your life. So, take my advice before something terrible happens to you: when they

bring you your fodder, eat it. Then get up, bellow, and paw the ground, or else our master will surely have you slain. May peace be with you!"

Thereupon the ox arose, bellowed aloud, and thanked the ass. "Tomorrow, I'll certainly go out into the fields with them," he said, and he ate up all his food and even licked his manger.(All this took place while the merchant was listening to their talk.)

Next morning the merchant and his wife went to the ox's stall and sat down, and the driver came and led the ox out. Upon seeing his owner, the beast whisked his tail, broke wind, and frisked about so merrily that the merchant laughed loudly and kept laughing until he fell over on his back.

"Why are you laughing like this so much?" his wife asked.

"I laughed at a secret, something that I heard and saw, but I can't reveal it to you. If I do, I'll die."

"Well, I insist!" replied his wife. "Tell me why you laughed so loudly and what your secret is! I don't care if you have to die."

"It has something to do with the language of birds and beasts, but I'm forbidden to tell it to you."

"By Allah, you're lying!" she exclaimed. "This is a mere pretext. You were laughing at nobody except me, and now you want to hide something from me. But, by the Lord of the Heavens, if you don't tell me the cause, I won't sleep with you anymore. I'll leave you at once!" And she sat down and cried.

"Why are you weeping?" the merchant responded. "Stop all this jabbering and crying!"

"Tell me why you laughed!"

"Listen, I'm telling you the truth. When Allah granted me the gift of understanding the language of the birds and beasts, I made a vow never to disclose the secret under pain of death."

"No matter," cried she. "Tell me what the ox and donkey were saying, and if you have to die, you have to die."

And she did not stop nagging him until he was worn out and totally distraught. So at last he said, "Summon your father and mother, our kith and kin, and some of our neighbors."

While she went about doing this, he sent for the lawyers and assessors, intending to make his will, reveal his secret to her, and die under the penalty of death, since his love for her was immense. She was his cousin, the daughter of his father's brother, and the mother of his

children, and he had lived with her for a hundred and twenty years.

Now, after all the members of the family and the neighbors had gathered, the farmer said to them, "Something strange happened to me some time ago, but if I reveal my secret story to anyone, I am bound to die."

As a result of his remarks, everyone present began saying to the woman, "May Allah be with you, stop being so shamefully obstinate and realize what the consequences are. Otherwise, your husband and father of your children will die."

"I refuse to change my mind until he tells me his secret," she replied, "even though he may have to die."

So they stopped trying to persuade her, and the farmer got up and withdrew to a small chicken house in order to be by himself and pray before his death. Afterward he was going to return to them, tell his secret, and die. Now, in this chicken house the farmer had some fifty hens under one cock, and while he was getting ready to say his farewell to his people, he heard one of his farm dogs talking to the cock, who was flapping his wings, crowing lustily, and jumping from one hen's back to another and treading all in turn.

"Oh Chanticleer!" the dog cried out. "How can you be so mean and shameless! Whoever brought you up should be burned at the stake! Aren't you ashamed of doing such things on a day such as this?"

"And just what is so special about today?" asked the rooster.

"Don't you know that our master is preparing for his death today?" the dog responded. "His wife is determined that he must reveal the secret taught to him by Allah, and the moment he does this he's bound to die. We dogs are all mourning already, but you, you flap your wings, crow as loud as you can, and tread hen after hen. Is this the time for having fun and taking your pleasure? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

"By Allah," retorted the cock, "is our master a nitwit? Why doesn't he come to his senses? If he can't manage matters with a single wife, his life is not worth prolonging. Now I have some fifty dame partlets, and I please this one and provoke the other and starve one and stuff another. And through my good governance, they are all well under my control. Our master claims that he is smart and wise, but he has only one wife and hasn't discovered yet how to deal with her."

"Well, what should our master do?" asked the dog.

"He should get up right away," answered the cock, "and take some twigs from that mulberry tree over there and give her a good beating

until she cries: 'I repent, oh, my lord! I'll never ask you another question as long as I live!' Then let him beat her nice and hard once more, and after he does this, he will sleep soundly and enjoy life. But this master of ours does not appear to have an iota of good sense or judgment."

When the merchant heard the wise words spoken by the cock to the dog, he arose in haste, cut some mulberry twigs, and hid them in his wife's room. Then he called to her, "Come into your room so that I may tell you the secret and die without anyone looking on."

She entered the room, and he locked the door. All of a sudden he began to beat her back, shoulders, ribs, arms, and legs in a great fury. "Are you going to continue to ask questions about things that don't concern you?" And he kept beating her until she was almost unconscious.

Soon she cried out, "I repent! By Allah, I won't ask you any more questions. I mean it. I repent with all my heart and life!"

Then she kissed his hands and feet, and he led her out of the room, submissive as a wife should be. Her parents and the entire company rejoiced, and sadness and mourning were changed into joy and gladness. Thus the merchant learned family discipline from his cock, and he and his wife lived happily ever after until death.

"And the same thing will happen to you, too, my daughter!" continued the vizier. "Unless you give up pursuing this matter, I'll do what the merchant did to his wife."

But she answered him with firm resolution, "I won't give up, Father, nor shall this tale make me change my mind. So stop your talk and babbling. I won't listen to your words, and if you try to prevent me, I'll go to the king alone and say, 'I asked my father to allow me to marry you, but he refused, since he begrudged you the right to have a maiden like me.'"

"Must it be this way?" her father asked.

"Indeed, it must."

Since the vizier was now weary of contending with his daughter and realized he could not dissuade her from doing what she wanted, he went to King Shahryar, and after blessing him and kissing the ground before him, told him all about his dispute with his daughter and how he now intended to bring her to him that night.

The king was most astonished, since he had made a special exception of the vizier's daughter, and he said to him, "Oh most faithful of counselors, how has this come about? You know that I have sworn by

Almighty Allah that after I enter her this night, I shall say to you tomorrow morning: 'Take her and slay her!' And if you don't do this, I'll slay you in her place."

"May Allah guide you to glory and give you long life, your majesty," answered the vizier. "It was she who made this decision. I have told her what is to happen and more, but she won't listen to me, and she insists on spending this coming night with your highness."

So Shahryar rejoiced greatly and said, "So be it. Go get her ready and bring her to me this night."

The vizier returned to his daughter and informed her of the king's command. "By Allah, please don't make your father do this. I'm sure to lose you."

But Scheherazade rejoiced and got everything ready that she needed. Then she said to her younger sister, Dunazade, "Pay attention to what I tell you! After I have entered the king's private chamber, I'll send for you, and when you come and see that he has had his carnal pleasure with me, you're to say to me: 'Oh sister, since you're not sleepy, tell me some new delightful story to entertain us while we are still awake.' And I'll tell you a tale that will be our salvation, if it pleases Allah, for I'm going to tell a tale that will, I hope, divert the king from his bloodthirsty custom."

"I'll do whatever you say," Dunazade replied, "with all my heart."

So when it was night, their father led Scheherazade to the king, who was glad to see her and asked, "Have you brought me what I need?"

"I have," the vizier said.

But when the king took her to his bed, began toying with her, and was about to penetrate her, she wept, and consequently he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Your majesty," she replied, "I have a younger sister, and I would like very much to take leave of her tonight before dawn comes."

So he sent at once for Dunazade, and she came and kissed the ground, and he permitted her to take a seat near the foot of the couch. Then the king arose and did away with his bride's maidenhead, and the three fell asleep. But when midnight arrived, Scheherazade awoke and signaled to her sister, Dunazade, who sat up and said, "May Allah be with you, my sister, please tell us some delightful story to while away the waking hours before dawn."

"I'd be most happy and willing to do this," answered Scheherazade, "if this pious and auspicious king will permit me."

"Permission granted," said the king, who happened to be sleepless and restless and was therefore pleased by the prospect of hearing her story. So Scheherazade rejoiced, and on the first night of many nights to come, she began telling the tales that were to fill the volumes of The Arabian Nights.

The Tale of the Merchant and the Jinnee

There was once a very wealthy merchant who had a great deal of business in various cities. Now, one day he mounted his horse and went forth to collect debts that were owed to him in certain towns. The heat was so terrible along the way that he dismounted and sat down beneath a tree. He put his hand into his saddlebags, took out some bread and dry dates, and began to break his fast. When he had finished eating the dates, he threw away the pits with all his might, and suddenly a huge jinnee appeared brandishing a drawn sword. As he approached the merchant, he said, "Stand up so I can slay you just as you've slain my son!"

"How have I slain your son?" asked the merchant.

"When you ate the dates and threw away the pits, they struck my son in the breast as he was walking by, and he died right on the spot."

"By Allah, if I slew your son," the merchant responded, "I slew him by chance. Therefore, I beg your pardon."

"There's nothing you can do," asserted the jinnee. "You must die." Then he seized the merchant, threw him down on the ground, and raised his sword to strike him. But the merchant wept and cried out, "May Allah take pity on me and hear my plea!"

"Cut your words short," the jinnee answered. "You must die."

But the merchant pleaded with him, "Listen to me. There's a great deal of money that's owed to me. I'm very wealthy and have a wife and children and many pledges in hand. So, permit me to go home and take care of all my claims, and I shall come back to you at the beginning of the new year. Allah be my witness that I'll return to you, and then you can do what you want with me."

The jinnee accepted his promise and let him go. So the merchant returned to his city and completed all his transactions. He gave all people their due, and after informing his wife and children what had happened to him, he appointed a guardian and lived with his family for a full year. At the end of that time, he performed the Wuzu ablution to