There was once a woman who had no equal in her day for beauty and
loveliness and grace and perfection; and a certain lewd youth and
an obscene setting eyes on her, fell in love with her and loved
her with exceeding passion, but she was chaste and inclined not
to adultery. It chanced one day that her husband went on a
journey to a certain town, whereupon the young man fell to
sending to her many times a day; but she made him no reply. At
last, he resorted to an old woman, who dwelt hard by, and after
saluting her he sat down and complained to her of his sufferings
for love of the woman and his longing to enjoy her. Quoth she, "I
will warrant thee this; no harm shall befal thee, for I will
surely bring thee to thy desire, Inshallah, --an it please Allah
the Most High!" At these words he gave her a dinar and went his
way. When the morning morrowed she appeared before the woman and,
renewing an old acquaintance with her, fell to visiting her
daily, eating the undertime with her and the evening meal and
carrying away food for her children. Moreover, she used to sport
and jest with her, till the wife became corrupted
[FN#189] and
could not endure an hour without her company. Now she was wont,
when she left the lady's house, to take bread and fat wherewith
she mixed a little pepper and to feed a bitch, that was in that
quarter; and thus she did day by day, till the bitch became fond
of her and followed her wherever she went. One day she took a
cake of dough and, putting therein an overdose of pepper, gave it
to the bitch to eat, whereupon the beast's eyes began to shed
tears, for the heat of the pepper, and she followed the old
woman, weeping. When the lady saw this she was amazed and asked
the ancient, "O my mother, what ails this bitch to weep?"
Answered she, "Learn, O my heart's love, that hers is a strange
story. Know that she was once a close friend of mine, a lovely
and accomplished young lady, a model of comeliness and perfect
grace. A young Nazarene of the quarter fell in love with her and
his passion and pining increased on him, till he took to his
pillow, and he sent to her times manifold, begging her to have
compassion on him and show him mercy, but she refused, albeit I
gave her good counsel, saying, "O my daughter, have pity on him
and be kind and consent to all he wisheth." She gave no heed to
my advice, until, the young man's patience failing him, he
complained at last to one of his friends, who cast an enchantment
on her and changed her human shape into canine form. When she saw
what transformation had befallen her and that there was none to
pity her case save myself, she came to my house and began to fawn
on me and buss my hands and feet and whine and shed tears, till I
recognised her and said to her, 'How often did I not warn thee?;
but my advice profited thee naught.'"--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old
trot related to the young lady the tale of the bitch and
recounted the case in her cunning and deceit, with the view to
gain her consent and said to her, "When the enchanted beast came
to me and wept I reminded her, 'How often did I not warn thee?;
but my advice profited thee naught.' However, O my daughter,
seeing her misery, I had compassion on her case and kept her by
me; and as often as she bethinketh herself of her former estate,
she weepeth thus, in pity for herself." When the lady heard this,
she was taken with great alarm and said, "O my mother, by Allah,
thou affrightest me with this thy story." "Why so?" asked the old
woman. Answered the lady, "Because a certain handsome young man
fell in love with me and hath sent many times to me, but hitherto
I have repelled him; and now I fear lest there befal me the like
of what befel this bitch." "O my daughter," rejoined the old
woman, "look thou to what I counsel thee and beware of crossing
me, for I am in great fear for thee. If thou know not his
abiding-place, describe his semblance to me, that I may fetch him
to thee, and let not any one's heart be angered against thee." So
the lady described him to her, and she showed not to know him and
said, "When I go out, I will ask after him." But when she left
the lady, she went straight to the young man and said to him, "Be
of good cheer, for I have played with the girl's wits; so
to-morrow at noon wait thou at the head of the street, till I
come and carry thee to her house, where thou shalt take thine
ease with her the rest of the day and all night long." At this
the young man rejoiced with exceeding joy and gave her two
dinars, saying, "When I have won my wish of her, I will give thee
ten gold pieces." Then she returned to the lady and said to her,
"I have seen him and spoken with him on this matter. I found him
exceeding wroth with thee and minded to do thee a harm, but I
plied him with fair words till he agreed to come to-morrow at the
time of the call to noon-prayer." When the lady heard this she
rejoiced exceedingly and said, "O my mother, if he keep his
promise, I will give thee ten dinars." Quoth the old woman, "Look
to his coming from none but from me." When the next morn morrowed
she said to the lady, "Make ready the early meal and forget not
the wine and adorn thyself and don thy richest dress and
decoration, whilst I go and fetch him to thee." So she clad
herself in her finest finery and prepared food, whilst the old
woman went out to look for the young man, who came not. So she
went around searching for him, but could come by no news of him,
and she said to herself, "What is to be done? Shall the food and
drink she hath gotten ready be wasted and I lose the gold pieces
she promised me? Indeed, I will not allow my cunning contrivance
to come to naught, but will look her out another man and carry
him to her." So she walked about the highways till her eyes fell
on a pretty fellow, young and distinguished-looking, to whom the
folk bowed and who bore in his face the traces of travel. She
went up to him and saluting him, asked, "Hast thou a mind to meat
and drink and a girl adorned and ready?" Answered he, "Where is
this to be had?" "At home, in my house," rejoined she and
carrying him to his own house, knocked at the door. The lady
opened to them and ran in again, to make an end of her dressing
and perfuming; whilst the wicked old woman brought the man, who
was the husband and house-master, into the saloon and made him
sit down congratulating herself on her cunning contrivance.
Presently in walked the lady, who no sooner set eyes on her
husband sitting by the old trot than she knew him and guessed how
the case stood; nevertheless, she was not taken aback and without
stay or delay bethought her of a device to hoodwink him. So she
pulled off her outer boot and cried at her husband, "Is this how
thou keepest the contract between us? How canst thou betray me
and deal thus with me? Know that, when I heard of thy coming, I
sent this old woman to try thee and she hath made thee fall into
that against which I warned thee: so now I am certified of thine
affair and that thou hast broken faith with me. I thought thee
chaste and pure till I saw thee, with my own eyes, in this old
woman's company and knew that thou didst frequent loose
baggages." So saying, she fell to beating him with her slipper
about the head, and crying out, "Divorce me! Divorce me!"; whilst
he excused himself and swore to her, by Allah the Most High, that
he had never in his life been untrue to her nor had done aught of
that whereof she suspected him. But she stinted not to weep and
scream and bash him, crying out and saying, "Come to my help, O
Moslems!"; till he laid hold of her mouth with his hand and she
bit it. Moreover, he humbled himself to her and kissed her hands
and feet, whilst she would not be appeased and continued to cuff
him. At last, she winked at the old woman to come and hold her
hand from him. So she came up to her and kissed her hands and
feet, till she made peace between them and they sat down
together; whereupon the husband began to kiss her hands, saying,
"Allah Almighty requite thee with all good, for that thou hast
delivered me from her!" And the old woman marvelled at the wife's
cunning and ready wit. "This, then, O King" (said the Wazir) "is
one of many instances of the craft and malice and perfidy of
women." When the King heard this story, he was persuaded by it
and turned from his purpose to slay his son;-- And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
fourth Wazir had told his tale, the King turned from his purpose
to slay his son; but, on the fifth day, the damsel came in to him
hending a bowl of poison in hand, calling on Heaven for help and
buffeting her cheeks and face, and said to him, "O King, either
thou shalt do me justice and avenge me on thy son, or I will
drink up this poison-cup and die, and the sin of my blood shall
be on thy head at the Day of Doom. These thy Ministers accuse me
of malice and perfidy, but there be none in the world more
perfidious than men. Hast thou not heard the story of the
Goldsmith and the Cashmere
[FN#190] singing-girl?" "What befel the
twain, O damsel?" asked the King; and she answered, saying,
"There hath come to my knowledge, O august King, a tale of the
Goldsmith and the Cashmere Singing-Girl."
