"Volume XIV" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burtons Version)
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 Sultan resolved to travel in search of his children (the three damsels) he and his Wazir habited as Darwayshes. So leaving the government in charge of his wife he went forth and the twain in their search first visited the cities on the seaboard beginning with the nearest; but they knew not what was concealed from them in the world of the future. They stinted not travelling for the space of a month till they came to a city whose Sultan had a place hight Al-Dijlahа[FN#192] whereupon he had built a Palace. The Darwayshes made for it and found the King sitting in his Kiosqueа[FN#193] accompanied by two little lads, the elder eight years old and the second six. They drew near to him and saluting him offered their services and blessed him, wishing him length of life as is the fashion when addressing royalties; and he returned their greetings and made them draw near and showed them kindness; also, when it was eventide he bade his men serve them with somewhat of food. On the next day the King fared forth to Tigris-bank and sat in his Kiosque together with the two boys. Now the Darwayshes had hired them a cell in the Khan whence it was their daily wont to issue forth and wander about the city asking for what they sought; and this day they again came to the place wherein sat the Sultan and they marvelled at the fair ordinance of the Palace. They continued to visit it every day till one day of the days the two went out, according to their custom, and when entering the Palace one of the King's children, which was the younger, came up to them and fell to considering them as if he had forgotten his own existence. This continued till the Darwayshes retired to their cell in the caravanserai whither the boy followed them to carry out the Secret Purpose existing in the All-knowledge of Allah. And when the two sat down the Sultan's son went in to them and fell to gazing upon them and solacing himself with the sight, when the elder Darwaysh clasped him to his bosom and fell to kissing his cheeks, marvelling at his semblance and at his beauty; and the boy in his turn forgot his father and his mother and took to the old man. Now whenas night fell the Sultan retired homewards fancying that his boy had foregone him to his mother while the Sultсnah fancied that her child was with his father, and this endured till such time as the King had entered the Harem. But only the elder child was found there so the Sultan asked, "Where is the second boy?" and the Queen answered, "Day by day thou takest them with thee to Tigris-bank and thou bringest them back; but to-day only the elder hath returned." Thereupon they sought him but found him not and the mother buffeted her face in grief for her child and the father lost his right senses. Then the high Officials fared forth to search for their King's son and sought him from early night to the dawn of day, but not finding him they deemed that he had been drowned in Tigris-water. So they summoned all the fishermen and divers and caused them to drag the river for a space of four days. All this time and the boy abode with the Darwayshes, who kept saying to him, "Go to thy father and thy mother;" but he would not obey them and he would sit with the Fakirs upon whom all his thoughts were fixed while theirs were fixed upon him. This lasted till the fifth day when the door-keeper unsummoned entered the cell and found the Sultan's son sitting with the old men; so he went out hurriedly and repairing to the King cried, "O my Sovran, thy boy is with those Darwayshes who were wont daily to visit thee." Now when the Sultan heard the porter's words, he called aloud to his Eunuchs and Chamberlains and gave them his orders; when they ran a race, as it were, till they entered upon the holy men and carried them from their cell together with the boy and set all fourа[FN#194] before the Sultan. The King exclaimed, "Verily these Darwayshes must be spies and their object was to carry off my boy;" so he took up his child and clasped him to his bosom and kissed him again and again of his yearning fondness to him, and presently he sent him to his mother who was well-nigh frantic. Then he committed the two Fakirs (with commands to decapitate them) to the Linkman who took them and bound their hands and bared their heads and fell to crying, "This be his reward and the least of awards who turneth traitor and kidnappeth the sons of the Kings;" and as he cried all the citizens great and small flocked to the spectacle. But when the boy heard the proclamation, he went forth in haste till he stood before the elder Darwaysh who was still kneeling upon the rug of blood and threw himself upon him at full length till the Grandees of his father forcibly removed him. Then the executioner stepped forward purposing to strike the necks of the two old men and he raised his sword hand till the dark hue of his arm-pit showedа[FN#195] and he would have dealt the blow when the boy again made for the elder Fakir and threw himself upon him not only once but twice and thrice, preventing the Sworder's stroke and abode clinging to the old man. The Sultan cried, "This Darwaysh is a Sorcerer:" but when the tidings reached the Sultanah, the boy's mother, she exclaimed, "O King, needs must this Darwaysh have a strange tale to tell, for the boy is wholly absorbed in him. So it is not possible to slay him on this wise till thou summon him to the presence and question him: I also will listen to him behind the curtain and thus none shall hear him save our two selves." The King did her bidding and commanded the old man to be brought: so they took him from under the sword and set him before the King--And Shahrazad was surprised by 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 Eighty-first 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 at the King's bidding they took up the Fakir who was still kneeling under the glaive and set him before the King who bade him be seated. And when he sat him down the Sultan commanded all who were in the presence of Eunuchs and Chamberlains to withdraw, and they withdrew leaving the Sovran with the old religious. But the second Darwaysh still knelt in his bonds under the sword of the Sworder who, standing over against his head, kept looking for the royal signal to strike. Then cried the King, "O Mendicant, what drove thee to take my son, the core of my heart?" He replied, "By Allah, O King, I took him not for mine own pleasure; but he would not go from me and I threatened him, withal he showed no fear till this destiny descended upon us." Now when the Sultan heard these words his heart softened to the old man and he pitied him while the Sultanah who sat behind the curtain fell to weeping aloud. Presently the King said, "O Darwaysh, relate to us thy history, for needs must it be a singular;" but the old man began to shed tears and said, "O King of the Age, I have a marvellous adventure which were it graven with needle-gravers upon the eye-corners were a warning to whoso would be warned." The Sultan was surprised and replied, "What then may be thy history, O Mendicant?" and the other rejoined, "O King of the Age, I will recount it to thee."а[FN#196] Accordingly he told him of his kingship and the Wazir tempting his wife and of her slaying the nurse, the slave-girls, and the Eunuch; but when he came to this point the Sultanah ran out in haste and hurry from behind the curtain and rushing up to the Darwaysh threw herself upon his bosom. The King seeing this marvelled and in a fury of jealousy clapped hand to hilt crying to the Fakir, "This be most unseemly behaviour!" But the Queen replied, "Hold thy hand, by Allah, he is my father and I am his loving daughter;" and she wept and laughed alternatelyа[FN#197] all of the excess of her joy. Hereat the King wondered and bade release the second religious and exclaimed, "Sooth he spake who said:--
Allah joineth the parted when think the twain * With firmest thought ne'er to meet again."
Then the Sultanah began recounting to him the history of her sire and specially what befel him from his Wazir; and he, when he heard her words, felt assured of their truth. Presently he bade them change the habits of her father and of his Wazir and dress them with the dress of Kings; and he set apart for them an apartment and allotted to them rations of meat and drink; so extolled be He who disuniteth and reuniteth! Now the Sultanah in question was the youngest daughter of the old King who had been met by the Knight when out hunting, the same that owed all his fair fortunes to her auspicious coming. Accordingly the father was assured of having found the lost one and was delighted to note her high degree; but after tarrying with her for a time he asked permission of his son-in-law to set out in quest of her two sisters and he supplicated Almighty Allah to reunite him with the other twain as with this first one. Thereupon quoth the Sultan, "It may not be save that I accompany thee, for otherwise haply some mishap of the world may happen to thee." Then the three sat down in council debating what they should do and in fine they agreed to travel, taking with them some of the Lords of the land and Chamberlains and Nabobs. They made ready and after three days they marched out of the city,--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 Eighty-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 old King marched forth the city accompanied by his son-in-law and his Wazir after the Sultan had supplied his own place by a Vice-regent who would carry out his commandments. Then they turned to travelling in quest of the two lost daughters and stinted not their wayfare for a space of twenty days, when they drew near a city lofty of base, and, finding a spacious camping plain, thereon pitched their tents. The time was set of sun, so the cooks applied themselves to getting ready the evening meal and when supper was served up all ate what sufficed them, and it was but little because of the travails of travel, and they nighted in that site until morn was high. Now the ruler of that city was a Sultan mighty of might, potent of power and exceeding in energy; and he was surprised to hear a Chamberlain report to him saying, "O King of the Age, after an eventless night early this morning we found outside thy capital tents and pavilions with standards and banners planted overagainst them and all this after the fashion of the Kings." The Sovran replied, "There is no help but that to these creations of Allah some requirement is here: however, we will learn their tidings." So he took horse with his Grandees and made for the ensigns and colours, and drawing near he noted gravity and majesty in the array and eunuchs and followers and serving-men standing ready to do duty. Then he dismounted and walked till he approached the bystanders whom he greeted with the salam. They salam'd in return and received him with most honourable reception and highmost respect till they had introduced him into the royal Shahmiyсnah; when the two Kings rose to him and welcomed him and he wished them long life in such language as is spoken by Royalties; and all sat down to converse one with other. Now the Lord of the city had warned his people before he fared forth that dinner must be prepared; so when it was mid-forenoon the Farrсsh-folkа[FN#198] spread the tables with trays of food and the guests came forward, one and all, and enjoyed their meal and were gladdened. Then the dishes were carried away for the servants and talk went round till sun-set, at which time the King again ordered food to be brought and all supped till they had their sufficiency. But the Sultan kept wondering in his mind and saying, "Would Heaven I wot the cause of these two Kings coming to us!" and when night fell the strangers prayed him to return home and to revisit them next morning. So he farewelled them and fared forth. This lasted three days, during which time he honoured them with all honour, and on the fourth he got ready for them a banquet and invited them to his Palace. They mounted and repaired thither when he set before them food; and as soon as they had fed, the trays were removed and coffee and confections and sherbets were served up and they sat talking and enjoying themselves till supper-tide when they sought permission to hie campwards. But the Sultan of the city sware them to pass the night with him; so they returned to their session till the father of the damsels said, "Let each of us tell a tale that our waking hours may be the more pleasant." "Yes," they replied and all agreed in wishing that the Sultan of the city would begin. Now by the decree of the Decreer the lattice-window of the Queen opened upon the place of session and she could see them and hear every word they said. He began, "By Allah I have to relate an adventure which befel me and 'tis one of the wonders of our time." Quoth they, "And what may it be?"--And Shahrazad was surprised by 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 Eighty-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 Sultan of the city said:--In such a year I had a malady which none availed to medicine until at last an old woman came to me bearing a tasse of broth which when I drank caused health return to me. So I bade her bring me a cupful every day and I drank it till, after a time, I chanced to ask her who made that broth and she answered that it was her daughter. And one day I assumed a disguise and went to the ancient dame's house and there saw the girl who was a model of beauty and loveliness, brilliancy, symmetric stature and perfect grace, and seeing her I lost my heart to her, and asked her to wife. She answered, "How can I wed; I separated from my sisters and parents and all unknowing what hath become of them?" Now when the father of the damsels heard these words, tears rolled down his cheeks in rills and he remembered his two lost girls and wept and moaned and complained, the Sultan looking on in astonishment the while; and when he went to his Queen he found her lying in a fainting fit. Hereupon he cried out her name and seated her and she on coming to exclaimed, "By Allah, he who wept before you is my very father: by Him who created me I have no doubt thereof!" So the Sultan went down to his father-in-law and led him up to the Harem and the daughter rose and met him and they threw their arms round each other's necks, and fondly greeted each other. After this the old King passed the night relating to her what had befallen him while she recounted to him whatso hath betided her, from first to last, whereupon their rejoicings increased and the father thanked Almighty Allah for having found two of his three children. The old King and his sons-in-law and his Wazir ceased not to enjoy themselves in the city, eating and drinkingа[FN#199] and making merry for a space of two days when the father asked aidance of his daughters' husbands to seek his third child that the general joy might be perfected. This request they granted and resolved to journey with him; so they made their preparations for travel and issued forth the city together with sundry Lords of the land and high Dignitaries, all taking with them what was required of rations. Then travelling together in a body they faced the march. This was their case; but as regards the third daughter (she who in man's attire had served the Kunсfah-baker), after being married to the Sultan his love for her and desire to her only increased and she cohabited with him for a length of time. But one day of the days she called to mind her parents and her kith and kin and her native country, so she wept with sorest weeping till she swooned away and when she recovered she rose without stay or delay and taking two suits of Mameluke's habits patiently awaited the fall of night. Presently she donned one of the dresses and went down to the stables where, finding all the grooms asleep, she saddled her a stallion of the noblest strain and clinging to the near side mounted him. Then, having supplicated the veiling of the Veiler, she fared under cover of the glooms for her own land, all unweeting the way, and when night gave place to day she saw herself amidst mountains and sands; nor did she know what she should do. However she found on a hill-flank some remnants of the late rain which she drank; then, loosing the girths of her horse she gave him also to drink and she was about to take her rest in that place when, lo and behold! a lion big of bulk and mighty of might drew near her and he was lashing his tailа[FN#200] and roaring thunderously.--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 Eighty-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 when the lion advanced to spring upon the Princess who was habited as a Mameluke, and rushed to rend her in pieces, she, seeing her imminent peril, sprang up in haste and bared her blade and met him brand in hand saying, "Or he will slay me or I slay him." But as she was hearty of heart she advanced till the two met and fell to fight and struck each at other, but the lion waxed furious and gnashed his tusks, now retreating and now circuiting around her and then returning to front his foe purposing to claw her, when she heartened her heart and without giving ground she swayed her sabre with all the force of her forearm and struck the beast between the eyes and the blade came out gleaming between his thighs and he sank on earth life-forlore and weltering in his gore. Presently she wiped her scymitar and returned it to its sheath; then, drawing a whittle she came up to the carcass intending to skin it for her own use, when behold, there towered from afar two dust-clouds, one from the right and the other from the left, whereat she withdrew from flaying the lion's fell and applied herself to looking out. Now by the decree of the Decreer the first dust-cloud approaching her was that raised by the host of her father and his sons-in-law who, when they drew near all stood to gaze upon her and consider her, saying in wonderment one to other, "How can this white slave (and he a mere lad) have slain this lion single-handed? Wallсhi, had that beast charged down upon us he had scattered us far and wide, and haply he had torn one of us to pieces. By Allah, this matter is marvellous!" But the Mameluke looked mainly at the old King whom he knew to be his sire for his heart went forth to him. Meanwhile the second dust-cloud approached until those beneath it met the others who had foregone them, and behold, under it was the husband of the disguised Princess and his many. Now the cause of this King marching forth and coming thither was this. When he entered the Palace intending for the Harem, he found not his Queen, and he fared forth to seek her and presently by the decree of the Decreer the two hosts met at the place where the lion had been killed. The Sultan gazed upon the Mameluke and marveiled at his slaying the monster and said to himself, "Now were this white slave mine I would share with him my good and stablish him in my kingdom." Herewith the Mameluke came forward and flayed the lion of his fell and gutted him; then, lighting a fire he roasted somewhat of his flesh until it was sufficiently cooked all gazing upon him the while and marvelling at the heartiness of his heart. And when the meat was ready, he carved it and setting it upon a Sufrahа[FN#201] of leather said to all present, "Bismillah, eat, in the name of Allah, what Fate hath given to you!" Thereupon all came forward and fell to eating of the lion's flesh except the Princess's husband who was not pleased to join them and said, "By Allah, I will not eat of this food until I learn the case of this youth."а[FN#202] Now the Princess had recognised her spouse from the moment of his coming, but she was concealed from him by her Mameluke's clothing; and he disappeared time after time then returned to gaze upon the white slave, eyeing now his eyes now his sides and now the turn of his neck and saying privily in his mind, "Laud to the Lord who created and fashioned him! By Allah this Mameluke is the counterpart of my wife in eyes and nose, and all his form and features are made likest-like unto hers. So extolled be He who hath none similar and no equal!" He was drowned in this thought but all the rest ate till they had eaten enough; then they sat down to pass the rest of their day and their night in that stead. When it was dawn each and every craved leave to depart upon his own business; but the Princess's husband asked permission to wander in quest of her while the old King, the father of the damsels, determined to go forth with his two sons-in-law and find the third and last of his lost daughters. Then the Mameluke said to them, "O my lords, sit we down, I and you, for the rest of the day in this place and to-morrow I will travel with you." Now the Princess for the length of her wanderings (which began too when she was a little one) had forgotten the semblance of her sire; but when she looked upon the old King her heart yearned unto him and she fell to talking with him, while he on his part whenever he gazed at her felt a like longing and sought speech of her. So the first who consented to the Mameluke's proposal was the sire whose desire was naught save to sit beside her; then the rest also agreed to pass the day reposing in that place, for that it was a pleasant mead and a spacious, garnished with green grass and bright with bourgeon and blossom. So they took seat there till sundown when each brought out what victual he had and all ate their full and then fell to conversing; and presently said the Princess, "O my lords, let each of you tell us a tale which he deemeth strange." Her father broke in saying, "Verily this rede be right and the first to recount will be I, for indeed mine is a rare adventure." Then he began his history telling them that he was born a King and that such-and-such things had befallen him and so forth until the end of his tale; and the Princess hearing his words was certified that he was her sire. So presently she said, "And I too have a strange history."--And Shahrazad was surprised by 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 Eighty-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 Princess in Mameluke's habit said, "And I too have a strange history." Then she fell to relating all that had betided her from the very beginning to that which hath before been described; and when her father heard it he felt assured that she was his daughter. So he arose and threw himself upon her and embraced her and after he veiled her face with a kerchief was with him, and her husband exclaimed, "Would to Heaven that I also could forgather with my wife." Quoth she, "Inshallah, and that soon," and she inclined to him after kindly fashion and said to herself, "Indeed this be my true husband." Herewith all resolved to march from that stead
and they departed, the Princess's spouse still unknowing that she was his wife; and they stinted not faring till they entered the Sultan's city and all made for the Palace. Then the Princess slipped privily into the Harem without the knowledge of her mate and changed her semblance, when her father said to her husband, "Hie thee to the women's apartment: haply Allah may show to thee thy wife." So he went in and found her sitting in her own apartment and he marvelled as he espied her and drew near her and threw his arms round her neck of his fond love to her and asked her concerning her absence. Thereupon she told him the truth saying, "I went forth seeking my sire and habited in a Mameluke's habit and 'twas I slew the lion and roasted his flesh over the fire, but thou wouldest not eat thereof." At these words the Sultan rejoiced and his rejoicings increased and all were in the highmost of joy and jolliment; he and her father with the two other sons-in-law, and this endured for a long while. But at last all deemed it suitable to revisit their countries and capitals and each farewelled his friends and the whole party returned safe and sound to their own homes.а[FN#203] Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,
Shahrazad began to relate
THE STORY OF THE KAZI WHO BARE A BABE.а[FN#204]
It hath been related that in Tarabulus-townа[FN#205] of Syria was a Kazi appointed under orders of the Caliph Hсr·n al-Rashэd to adjudge law-suits and dissolve contracts and cross-examine witnesses; and after taking seat in his Mahkamahа[FN#206] his rigour and severity became well known to all men. Now this judge kept a black hand-maiden likest unto a buffalo-bull and she cohabited with him for a lengthened while; for his nature was ever niggardly nor could anyone wrest from him half a Faddah or any alms-gift or aught else; and his diet was of biscuitа[FN#207] and onions. Moreover, he was ostentatious as he was miserly: he had an eating-cloth bordered with a fine bell fringe,а[FN#208] and when any person entered about dinner-time or supper-tide he would cry out, "O handmaid, fetch the fringed table-cloth;" and all who heard his words would say to themselves, "By Allah, this must needs be a costly thing." Presently one day of the days his assessors and officers said to him, "O our lord the Kazi, take to thyself a wife, for yon negress becometh not a dignitary of thy degree." Said he, "An this need be, let any who hath a daughter give her to me in wedlock and I will espouse her." Herewith quoth one present, "I have a fair daughter and a marriageable," whereto quoth the Kazi, "An thou wouldst do me a favour this is the time." So the bride was fitted out and the espousals took place forthright and that same night the Kazi's father-in-law came to him and led him in to his bride saying in his heart, "I am now connected with the Kazi." And he took pleasure in the thought for he knew naught of the judge's stinginess and he could not suppose but that his daughter would be comfortable with her mate and well-to-do in the matter of diet and dress and furniture. Such were the fancies which occurred to him; but as for the Kazi, he lay with the maid and abated her maidenhead; and she in the morning awaited somewhat where-with to break her fast and waited in vain. Presently the Kazi left her and repaired to his court-house whither the city folk came and gave him joy of his marriage and wished him good morning, saying in themselves, "Needs must he make a mighty fine bride feast." But they sat there to no purpose until past noon when each went his own way privily damning the judge's penuriousness. As soon as they were gone he returned to his Harem and cried out to his black wench, "O handmaiden, fetch the fringed table-cloth;" and his bride hearing this rejoiced, saying to herself, "By Allah, his calling for this cloth requireth a banquet which befitteth it, food suitable for the Kings." The negress arose and faring forth for a short time returned with the cloth richly fringed and set upon it a Kursi-stool,а[FN#209] and a tray of brass whereon were served three biscuits and three onions. When the bride saw this, she prayed in her heart saying, "Now may my Lord wreak my revenge upon my father!" but her husband cried to her, "Come hither, my girl," and the three sat down to the tray wherefrom each took a biscuit and an onion. The Kazi and the negress ate all their portions, but the bride could not swallow even a third of the hard bread apportioned to her; so she rose up, heartily cursing her father's ambition in her heart. At supper-tide it was the same till the state of things became longsome to her and this endured continuously for three days, when she was ready to sink with hunger. So she sent for her sire and cried aloud in his face. The Kazi hearing the outcries of his bride asked, "What is to do?" whereupon they informed him that the young woman was not in love with this style of living.--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 Eighty-seventh Night,
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