A certain man of rank once entered the slave-market and saw a
page being cried for sale; so he bought him and carrying him
home, said to his wife, "Take good care of him." The lad abode
there for a while till, one day, the man said to his wife, "Go
forth to-morrow to the garden and take thy solace therein and
amuse thyself and enjoy thyself." And she replied, "With love and
gladness!" Now when the page heard this, he made ready in secret
meat and drink and fruits and desert, and sallied forth with them
privily that night to the garden, where he laid the meat under
one tree, the wine under another and the fruit and conserves
under a third, in the way his mistress must pass. When morning
morrowed the husband bade him accompany the lady to that garden
carrying with him all the provisions required for the day; so she
took horse and riding thither with him, dismounted and entered.
Presently, as they were walking about, a crow croaked,
[FN#208]
and the page said, "Thou sayst sooth;" whereupon his mistress
asked him, "Dost thou know what the crow said?"; and he answered,
"Yes, O my lady, he said, Under yonder tree is meat; go and eat
it." So she said, "I see thou really dost understand them;" then
she went up to the tree and, finding a dish of meat ready
dressed, was assured that the youth told the truth and marvelled
with exceeding marvel. They ate of the meat and walked about
awhile, taking their pleasure in the garden, till the crow
croaked a second time, and the page again replied, "Thou sayst
sooth." "What said he?" quoth the lady, and quoth the page, "O my
lady, he saith that under such a tree are a gugglet of water
flavoured with musk and a pitcher of old wine." So she went up
with him to the tree and, finding the wine and water there,
redoubled in wonderment and the page was magnified in her eyes.
They sat down and drank, then arose and walked in another part of
the garden. Presently the crow croaked again and the page said,
"Thou sayst sooth." Said the lady, "What saith he now?" and the
page replied, "He saith that under yonder tree are fruits, fresh
and dried." So they went thither and found all as he said and sat
down and ate. Then they walked about again till the crow croaked
a fourth time, whereupon the page took up a stone and threw it at
him. Quoth she, "What said he, that thou shouldst stone him?" "O
my lady," answered he, "he said what I cannot tell thee." "Say
on," rejoined she, "and be not abashed in my presence, for there
is naught between me and thee." But he ceased not to say, "No,"
and she to press him to speak, till at last she conjured him to
tell her, and he answered, "The crow said to me, 'Do with thy
lady even as doth her husband.'" When she heard his words she
laughed till she fell backward and said, "This is a light matter,
and I may not gainsay thee therein." So saying, she went up to a
tree and, spreading the carpet under it, lay down, and called to
him to come and do her need, when, lo! her husband, who had
followed them unawares and saw this, called out to the page,
saying, "Harkye, boy! What ails thy mistress to lie there,
weeping?" Answered the page, "O my lord, she fell off the tree
and was killed;
[FN#209] and none but Allah (be He extolled and
exalted!) restored her to thee. Wherefore she lay down awhile to
recover herself by rest." When the lady saw her husband standing
by her head, she rose and made a show of weakness and pain,
saying, "O my back! O my sides! Come to my help, O my friends! I
shall never survive this." So her husband was deceived and said
to the page, "Fetch thy mistress's horse and set her thereon."
Then he carried her home, the boy holding one stirrup and the man
the other and saying, "Allah vouchsafe thee ease and recovery!"
"These then, O King," (said the damsel) "are some instances of
the craft of men and their perfidy; wherefore let not thy Wazirs
turn thee from succouring me and doing me justice." Then she
wept, and when the King saw her weeping (for she was the dearest
to him of all his slave-girls) he once more commanded to put his
son to death; but the sixth Minister entered and kissing ground
before him, said, "May the Almighty advance the King! Verily I am
a loyal counsellor to thee, in that I counsel thee to deal
deliberately in the matter of thy son;"--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the sixth
Wazir said, "O King, deal deliberately in the matter of thy son;
for falsehood is as smoke and fact is built on base which shall
not be broken; yea, and the light of sooth dispelleth the night
of untruth. Know that the perfidy of women is great, even as
saith Allah the Most High in His Holy Book, "Verily, the malice
of you is great.
[FN#210] And indeed a tale hath reached me that a
certain woman befooled the Chiefs of the State on such wise as
never did any before her." Asked the King, "And how was that?"
And the Wazir answered, "I have heard tell a tale, O King, as
follows concerning
The Lady and her Five Suitors."
