There was once in times gone by a King who had one son and none
other; and, when the Prince grew up to man's estate, he
contracted him in marriage to another King's daughter. Now the
damsel was a model of beauty and grace and her uncle's son had
sought her in wedlock of her sire, but she would none of him. So,
when he knew that she was to be married to another, envy and
jealousy gat hold of him and he bethought himself and sent a
noble present to the Wazir of the bridegroom's father and much
treasure, desiring him to use craft for slaying the Prince or
contrive to make him leave his intent of espousing the girl and
adding, "O Wazir, indeed jealousy moveth me to this for she is my
cousin."
[FN#180] The Wazir accepted the present and sent an
answer, saying, "Be of good cheer and of eyes cool and clear, for
I will do all that thou wishest." Presently, the bride's father
wrote to the Prince, bidding him to his capital, that he might go
in to his daughter; whereupon the King his father gave him leave
to wend his way thither, sending with him the bribed Wazir and a
thousand horse, besides presents and litters, tents and
pavilions. The Minister set out with the Prince, plotting the
while in his heart to do him a mischief; and when they came into
the desert, he called to mind a certain spring of running water
in the mountains there, called Al-Zahra,
[FN#181] whereof
whosoever drank from a man became a woman. So he called a halt of
the troops near the fountain and presently mounting steed again,
said to the Prince, "Hast thou a mind to go with me and look upon
a spring of water near hand?" The Prince mounted, knowing not
what should befal him in the future,
[FN#182] and they rode on,
unattended by any, and without stopping till they came to the
spring. The Prince being thirsty said to the Wazir, "O Minister,
I am suffering from drouth," and the other answered, "Get thee
down and drink of this spring!" So he alighted and washed his
hands and drank, when behold, he straightway became a woman. As
soon as he knew what had befallen him, he cried out and wept till
he fainted away, and the Wazir came up to him as if to learn what
had befallen him and cried, "What aileth thee?" So he told him
what had happened, and the Minister feigned to condole with him
and weep for his affliction, saying, "Allah Almighty be thy
refuge in thine affliction! How came this calamity upon thee and
this great misfortune to betide thee, and we carrying thee with
joy and gladness, that thou mightest go in to the King's
daughter? Verily, now I know not whether we shall go to her or
not; but the rede
[FN#183] is thine. What dost thou command me to
do?" Quoth the Prince, "Go back to my sire and tell him what hath
betided me, for I will not stir hence till this matter be removed
from me or I die in my regret." So he wrote a letter to his
father, telling him what had happened, and the Wazir took it and
set out on his return to the city, leaving what troops he had
with the Prince and inwardly exulting for the success of his
plot. As soon as he reached the King's capital, he went in to him
and, telling him what had passed, delivered the letter. The King
mourned for his son with sore mourning and sent for the wise men
and masters of esoteric science, that they might discover and
explain to him this thing which had befallen his son, but none
could give him an answer. Then the Wazir wrote to the lady's
cousin, conveying to him the glad news of the Prince's
misfortune, and he when he read the letter rejoiced with great
joy and thought to marry the Princess and answered the Minister
sending him rich presents and great store of treasure and
thanking him exceedingly. Meanwhile, the Prince abode by the
stream three days and three nights, eating not nor drinking and
committing himself, in his strait, unto Allah (extolled and
exalted be He!) who disappointeth not whoso relieth on him. On
the fourth night, lo! there came to him a cavalier on a
bright-bay steed
[FN#184] with a crown on his head, as he were of
the sons of the Kings, and said to him, "Who brought thee hither,
O youth?" The Prince told him his mishap, how he was wending to
his wedding, and how the Wazir had led him to a spring whereof he
drank and incurred what had occurred; and as he spoke his speech
was broken by tears. Having heard him the horseman pitied his
case and said, "It was thy father's Wazir who cast thee into this
strait, for no man alive save he knoweth of this spring;"
presently adding, "Mount thee behind me and come with me to my
dwelling, for thou art my guest this night." "Acquaint me who
thou art ere I fare with thee," quoth the Prince; and quoth the
other, "I am a King's son of the Jánn, as thou a King's son of
mankind; so be of good cheer and keep thine eyes clear of tear,
for I will surely do away thy cark and care; and this is a slight
thing unto me." So the Prince mounted him behind the stranger,
and they rode on, leaving the troops, from the first of the day
till midnight, when the King's son of the Jinn asked the Prince,
"Knowest thou how many days' march we have covered in this time?"
"Not I." "We have come a full year's journey for a diligent
horseman." The Prince marvelled at this and said, "How shall I do
to return to my people?" "That is not thine affair, but my
business. As soon as thou art quit of thy complaint, thou shalt
return to thy people in less than the twinkling of an eye; for
that is an easy matter to me." When the Prince heard these words
he was ready to fly for excess of joy; it seemed to him as he
were in the imbroglio of a dream and he exclaimed, "Glory be to
Him who can restore the unhappy to happiness!"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince
of the Jinn said to the Prince of mankind, "When thou art quit of
thy complaint, thou shalt return to thy folk in less than the
twinkling of an eye;" and the King's son rejoiced. They fared on
all that night till the morning morrowed when lo! they found
themselves in a green and smiling country, full of trees spireing
and birds quiring and garths fruit-growing and palaces
highshowing and waters a-flowing and odoriferous flowers
a-blowing. Here the King's son of the Jinn alighted from his
steed and, bidding the Prince do the like, took him by the hand
and carried him into one of the palaces, where he found a great
King and puissant Sultan; and abode with him all that day eating
and drinking, till nightfall. Then the King's son of the Jinn
mounted his courser and taking the Prince up behind him, fared on
swiftly through the murks and glooms until morning, when lo, they
found themselves in a dark land and a desert, full of black rocks
and stones, as it were a piece of Hell; and the Prince asked the
Jinni, "What is the name of this land?" Answered the other, "It
is called the Black Country, and belongs to one of the Kings of
the Jinn, by name Zu'l Janahayn, against whom none of the other
Kings may prevail, neither may any enter his dominions save by
his permit; so tarry thou here, whilst I go ask leave." So
saying, he went away and, returning after awhile, they fared on
again, till they landed at a spring of water welling forth of a
black rock, and the King's son of the Jinn said to the King's son
of men, "Alight!" He dismounted and the other cried, "Drink of
this water!" So he drank of the spring without stay or delay;
and, no sooner had he done so than, by grace of Allah, he became
a man as before. At this he joyed with exceeding joy and asked
the Jinni, "O my brother, how is this spring called?" Answered
the other, "It is called the Women's Spring, for that no woman
drinketh thereof but she becometh a man: wherefore do thou praise
Allah the Most High and thank Him for thy restoration and mount."
So the Prince prostrated himself in gratitude to the Almighty,
after which he mounted again and they fared on diligently all
that day, till they returned to the Jinni's home, where the
Prince passed the night in all solace of life. They spent the
next day in eating and drinking till nightfall, when the King's
son of the Jinn asked the Prince, "Hast thou a mind to return to
thy people this very night?" "Yes," he answered; "for indeed I
long for them." Then the Jinni called one of his father's slaves,
Rajiz
[FN#185] hight, and said to him, "Take this young man
mounted on thy shoulders, and let not the day dawn ere he be with
his father-in-law and his wife." Replied the slave, "Hearkening
and obedience, and with love and gladness, and upon my head and
eyes!" then, withdrawing awhile, re-appeared in the form of an
Ifrit. When the Prince saw this, he lost his senses for affright,
but the Jinni said to him, "Fear not; no harm shall befal thee.
Mount thy horse and leap him on to the Ifrit's shoulders." "Nay,"
answered he, "I will leave my horse with thee and bestride his
shoulders myself." So he bestrode the Ifrit's shoulders and, when
the Jinni cried, "Close thine eyes, O my lord, and be not a
craven!" he strengthened his heart and shut his eyes. Thereupon
the Ifrit rose with him into the air and ceased not to fly
between sky and earth, whilst the Prince was unconscious, nor was
the last third of the night come before he alighted down with him
on the terrace-roof of his father-in-law's palace. Then said the
Ifrit, "Dismount and open thine eyes; for this is the palace of
thy father-in-law and his daughter." So he came down and the
Ifrit flew away and left him on the roof of the palace. When the
day broke and the Prince recovered from his troubles, he
descended into the palace and as his father-in-law caught sight
of him, he came to meet him and marvelled to see him descend from
the roof of the palace, saying, "We see folk enter by the doors;
but thou comest from the skies." Quoth the Prince, "Whatso Allah
(may He be extolled and exalted!) willeth that cometh to pass."
And he told him all that had befallen him, from first to last,
whereat the King marvelled and rejoiced in his safety; and, as
soon as the sun rose, bade his Wazir make ready splendid
bride-feasts. So did he and they held the marriage festival:
after which the Prince went in unto his bride and abode with her
two months, then departed with her for his father's capital. As
for the damsel's cousin, he died forthright of envy and jealousy.
When the Prince and his bride drew near his father's city, the
King came out to meet them with his troops and Wazirs, and so
Allah (blessed and exalted be He!) enabled the Prince to prevail
against his bride's cousin and his father's Minister. "And I pray
the Almighty" (added the damsel) "to aid thee against thy Wazirs,
O King, and I beseech thee to do me justice on thy son!" When the
King heard this, he bade put his son to death;--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When is was the Five Hundred and Eighty-forth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
favourite had told her tale to the King she said, "I beseech thee
to do me justice by putting thy son to death." Now this was the
fourth day, so the fourth Wazir entered and, kissing the ground
before him, said, "Allah stablish and protect the King! O King,
be deliberate in doing this thou art resolved upon, for the wise
man doth naught till he hath considered the issue thereof, and
the proverb saith, 'Whoso looketh not to his actions' end, hath
not the world to friend; and whoso acteth without consideration,
there befalleth him what befel the Hammam-keeper with his wife.'"
"And what betided him?" asked the King. And the Wazir answered,
"I have heard tell, O King, a tale of the
Wazir's Son and the Hammam-Keepeer's Wife."
