A woman of the daughters of the merchants was married to a man
who was a great traveller. It chanced once that he set out for a
far country and was absent so long that his wife, for pure ennui,
fell in love with a handsome young man of the sons of the
merchants, and they loved each other with exceeding love. One
day, the youth quarrelled with another man, who lodged a
complaint against him with the Chief of Police, and he cast him
into prison. When the news came to the merchant's wife his
mistress, she wellnigh lost her wits; then she arose and donning
her richest clothes repaired to the house of the Chief of Police.
She saluted him and presented a written petition to this purport,
"He thou hast clapped in jail is my brother, such and such, who
fell out with such an one; and those who testified against him
bore false witness. He hath been wrongfully imprisoned, and I
have none other to come in to me nor to provide for my support;
therefore I beseech thee of thy grace to release him." When the
magistrate had read the paper, he cast his eyes on her and fell
in love with her forthright; so he said to her, "Go into the
house, till I bring him before me; then I will send for thee and
thou shalt take him." "O my lord," replied she, "I have none to
protect me save Almighty Allah!: I am a stranger and may not
enter any man's abode." Quoth the Wali, "I will not let him go,
except thou come to my home and I take my will of thee." Rejoined
she, "If it must be so, thou must needs come to my lodging and
sit and sleep the siesta and rest the whole day there." "And
where is thy abode?" asked he; and she answered, "In such a
place," and appointed him for such a time. Then she went out from
him, leaving his heart taken with love of her, and she repaired
to the Kazi of the city, to whom she said, "O our lord the Kazi!"
He exclaimed, "Yes!" and she continued, "Look into my case, and
thy reward be with Allah the Most High!" Quoth he, "Who hath
wronged thee?" and quoth she, "O my lord, I have a brother and I
have none but that one, and it is on his account that I come to
thee; because the Wali hath imprisoned him for a criminal and men
have borne false witness against him that he is a wrong-doer; and
I beseech thee to intercede for him with the Chief of Police."
When the Kazi looked on her, he fell in love with her forthright
and said to her, "Enter the house and rest awhile with my
handmaids whilst I send to the Wali to release thy brother. If I
knew the money-fine which is upon him, I would pay it out of my
own purse, so I may have my desire of thee, for thou pleasest me
with thy sweet speech." Quoth she, "If thou, O my lord, do thus,
we must not blame others." Quoth he, "An thou wilt not come in,
wend thy ways." Then said she, "An thou wilt have it so, O our
lord, it will be privier and better in my place than in thine,
for here are slave-girls and eunuchs and goers-in and comers-out,
and indeed I am a woman who wotteth naught of this fashion; but
need compelleth." Asked the Kazi, "And where is thy house?"; and
she answered, "In such a place," and appointed him for the same
day and time as the Chief of Police. Then she went out from him
to the Wazir, to whom she preferred her petition for the release
from prison of her brother who was absolutely necessary to her:
but he also required her of herself, saying, "Suffer me to have
my will of thee and I will set thy brother free." Quoth she, "An
thou wilt have it so, be it in my house, for there it will be
privier both for me and for thee. It is not far distant and thou
knowest that which behoveth us women of cleanliness and
adornment." Asked he, "Where is thy house?" "In such a place,"
answered she and appointed him for the same time as the two
others. Then she went out from him to the King of the city and
told him her story and sought of him her brother's release. "Who
imprisoned him?" enquired he; and she replied, "Twas thy Chief of
Police." When the King heard her speech, it transpierced his
heart with the arrows of love and he bade her enter the palace
with him, that he might send to the Kazi and release her brother.
Quoth she, "O King, this thing is easy to thee, whether I will or
nill; and if the King will indeed have this of me, it is of my
good fortune; but, if he come to my house, he will do me the more
honour by setting step therein, even as saith the poet,
'O my friends, have ye seen or have ye heard
Of his visit whose
virtues I hold so high?'"
Quoth the King, "We will not cross thee in this." So she
appointed him for the same time as the three others, and told him
where her house was.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman
told the King where her house was and appointed him for the same
time as the Wali, the Kazi and the Wazir. Then she left him and
betaking herself to a man which was a carpenter, said to him, "I
would have thee make me a cabinet with four compartments one
above other, each with its door for locking up. Let me know thy
hire and I will give it thee." Replied he, "My price will be four
dinars; but, O noble lady and well-protected, if thou wilt
vouchsafe me thy favours, I will ask nothing of thee." Rejoined
she, "An there be no help but that thou have it so, then make
thou five compartments with their padlocks;" and she appointed
him to bring it exactly on the day required. Said he, "It is
well; sit down, O my lady, and I will make it for thee
forthright, and after I will come to thee at my leisure." So she
sat down by him, whilst he fell to work on the cabinet, and when
he had made an end of it she chose to see it at once carried home
and set up in the sitting-chamber. Then she took four gowns and
carried them to the dyer, who dyed them each of a different
colour; after which she applied herself to making ready meat and
drink; fruits, flowers and perfumes. Now when the appointed
trysting day came, she donned her costliest dress and adorned
herself and scented herself, then spread the sitting-room with
various kinds of rich carpets and sat down to await who should
come. And behold, the Kazi was the first to appear, devancing the
rest, and when she saw him, she rose to her feet and kissed the
ground before him; then, taking him by the hand, made him sit
down by her on the couch and lay with him and fell to jesting and
toying with him. By and by, he would have her do his desire, but
she said, "O my lord, doff thy clothes and turband and assume
this yellow cassock and this head-kerchief,
[FN#212] whilst I
bring thee meat and drink; and after thou shalt win thy will." So
saying, she took his clothes and turband and clad him in the
cassock and the kerchief; but hardly had she done this, when lo!
there came a knocking at the door. Asked he, "Who is that rapping
at the door?" and she answered, "My husband." Quoth the Kazi,
"What is to be done, and where shall I go?" Quoth she, "Fear
nothing, I will hide thee in this cabinet;" and he, "Do as
seemeth good to thee." So she took him by the hand and pushing
him into the lowest compartment, locked the door upon him. Then
she went to the house-door, where she found the Wali; so she
bussed ground before him and taking his hand brought him into the
saloon, where she made him sit down and said to him, "O my lord,
this house is thy house; this place is thy place, and I am thy
handmaid: thou shalt pass all this day with me; wherefore do thou
doff thy clothes and don this red gown, for it is a sleeping
gown." So she took away his clothes and made him assume the red
gown and set on his head an old patched rag she had by her; after
which she sat by him on the divan and she sported with him while
he toyed with her awhile, till he put out his hand to her.
Whereupon she said to him, "O our lord, this day is thy day and
none shall share in it with thee; but first, of thy favour and
benevolence, write me an order for my brother's release from gaol
that my heart may be at ease." Quoth he, "Hearkening and
obedience: on my head and eyes be it!"; and wrote a letter to his
treasurer, saying, "As soon as this communication shall reach
thee, do thou set such an one free, without stay or delay;
neither answer the bearer a word." Then he sealed it and she took
it from him, after which she began to toy again with him on the
divan when, behold, some one knocked at the door. He asked, "Who
is that?" and she answered, "My husband." "What shall I do?" said
he, and she, "Enter this cabinet, till I send him away and return
to thee." So she clapped him into the second compartment from the
bottom and padlocked the door on him; and meanwhile the Kazi
heard all they said. Then she went to the house-door and opened
it, whereupon lo! the Wazir entered. She bussed the ground before
him and received him with all honour and worship, saying, "O my
lord, thou exaltest us by thy coming to our house; Allah never
deprive us of the light of thy countenance!" Then she seated him
on the divan and said to him, "O my lord, doff thy heavy dress
and turband and don these lighter vestments." So he put off his
clothes and turband and she clad him in a blue cassock and a tall
red bonnet, and said to him, "Erst thy garb was that of the
Wazirate; so leave it to its own time and don this light gown,
which is better fitted for carousing and making merry and sleep."
Thereupon she began to play with him and he with her, and he
would have done his desire of her; but she put him off, saying,
"O my lord, this shall not fail us." As they were talking there
came a knocking at the door, and the Wazir asked her, "Who is
that?": to which she answered, "My husband." Quoth he, "What is
to be done?" Quoth she, "Enter this cabinet, till I get rid of
him and come back to thee and fear thou nothing." So she put him
in the third compartment and locked the door on him, after which
she went out and opened the house-door when lo and behold! in
came the King. As soon as she saw him she kissed ground before
him, and taking him by the hand, led him into the saloon and
seated him on the divan at the upper end. Then said she to him,
"Verily, O King, thou dost us high honour, and if we brought thee
to gift the world and all that therein is, it would not be worth
a single one of thy steps us-wards."--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King entered the lady's house she said to him, "Had we brought
thee to gift the world and all which is therein, it would not be
worth a single one of thy steps us-wards." And when he had taken
his seat upon the divan she said, "Give me leave to speak one
word." "Say what thou wilt," answered he, and she said, "O my
lord, take thine ease and doff thy dress and turband." Now his
clothes were worth a thousand dinars; and when he put them off
she clad him in a patched gown, worth at the very most ten
dirhams, and fell to talking and jesting with him; all this while
the folk in the cabinet hearing everything that passed, but not
daring to say a word. Presently, the King put his hand to her
neck and sought to do his desire of her; when she said, "This
thing shall not fail us, but I had first promised myself to
entertain thee in this sitting-chamber, and I have that which
shall content thee." Now as they were speaking, some one knocked
at the door and he asked her, "Who is that?" "My husband,"
answered she, and he, "Make him go away of his own good will, or
I will fare forth to him and send him away perforce." Replied
she, "Nay, O my lord, have patience till I send him away by my
skilful contrivance." "And I, how shall I do!" enquired the King;
whereupon she took him by the hand and making him enter the
fourth compartment of the cabinet, locked it upon him. Then she
went out and opened the house-door when behold, the carpenter
entered and saluted her. Quoth she, "What manner of thing is this
cabinet thou hast made me?" "What aileth it, O my lady?" asked
he, and she answered, "The top compartment is too strait."
Rejoined he, "Not so;" and she, "Go in thyself and see; it is not
wide enough for thee." Quoth he, "It is wide enough for four,"
and entered the fifth compartment, whereupon she locked the door
on him. Then she took the letter of the Chief of Police and
carried it to the treasurer who, having read and understood it,
kissed it and delivered her lover to her. She told him all she
had done and he said, "And how shall we act now?" She answered,
"We will remove hence to another city, for after this work there
is no tarrying for us here." So the twain packed up what goods
they had and, loading them on camels, set out forthright for
another city. Meanwhile, the five abode each in his compartment
of the cabinet without eating or drinking three whole days,
during which time they held their water until at last the
carpenter could retain his no longer; so he staled on the King's
head, and the King urined on the Wazir's head, and the Wazir
piddled on the Wali and the Wali pissed on the head of the Kazi;
whereupon the Judge cried out and said, "What nastiness
[FN#213]
is this? Doth not what strait we are in suffice us, but you must
make water upon us?"' The Chief of Police recognised the Kazi's
voice and answered, saying aloud, "Allah increase thy reward, O
Kazi!" And when the Kazi heard him, he knew him for the Wali.
Then the Chief of Police lifted up his voice and said, "What
means this nastiness?" and the Wazir answered, saying, "Allah
increase thy reward, O Wali!" whereupon he knew him to be the
Minister. Then the Wazir lifted up his voice and said, "What
means this nastiness?" But when the King heard and recognised
his Minister's voice, he held his peace and concealed his affair.
Then said the Wazir, "May God damn
[FN#214] this woman for her
dealing with us! She hath brought hither all the Chief Officers
of the state, except the King." Quoth the King, "Hold your peace,
for I was the first to fall into the toils of this lewd
strumpet." Whereat cried the carpenter, "And I, what have I done?
I made her a cabinet for four gold pieces, and when I came to
seek my hire, she tricked me into entering this compartment and
locked the door on me." And they fell to talking with one
another, diverting the King and doing away his chagrin. Presently
the neighbours came up to the house and, seeing it deserted, said
one to other, "But yesterday our neighbour, the wife of such an
one, was in it; but now no sound is to be heard therein nor is
soul to be seen. Let us break open the doors and see how the case
stands, lest it come to the ears of the Wali or the King and we
be cast into prison and regret not doing this thing before." So
they broke open the doors and entered the saloon, where they saw
a large wooden cabinet and heard men within groaning for hunger
and thirst. Then said one of them, "Is there a Jinni in this
cabinet?" and his fellow, "Let us heap fuel about it and burn it
with fire." When the Kazi heard this, he bawled out to them, "Do
it not!"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
neighbours proposed to heap fuel about the cabinet and to burn it
the Kazi bawled out to them, "Do it not!" And they said to one
another, "Verily the Jinn make believe to be mortals and speak
with men's voices." Thereupon the Kazi repeated somewhat of the
Sublime Koran and said to the neighbours, "Draw near to the
cabinet wherein we are." So they drew near, and he said, "I am so
and so the Kazi, and ye are such an one and such an one, and we
are here a company." Quoth the neighbours, "Who brought you
here?" And he told them the whole case from beginning to end.
Then they fetched a carpenter, who opened the five doors and let
out Kazi, Wazir, Wali, King and carpenter in their queer
disguises; and each, when he saw how the others were accoutred,
fell a-laughing at them. Now she had taken away all their
clothes; so every one of them sent to his people for fresh
clothes and put them on and went out, covering himself therewith
from the sight of the folk. "Consider, therefore, O our lord the
King" (said the Wazir), "what a trick this woman played off upon
the folk! And I have heard tell also a tale of
The Three Wishes, or the Man who Longed to see the Night of Power.
