One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  The Seven Hundred and Seventy-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 as soon as the Shalabi’s wife was informed touching her husband how the Wali had seized him in company with the Kazi’s daughter, she arose forthright and doffing whatso of woman’s dress was upon her and donning man’s disguise provided herself with somewhat of provaunt461 and went forth intending for the gaol in the Wali’s house. She asked for the road as she went and a man of the people directed her to the office until she reached the place carrying her victuals; then she enquired for the gaoler. So they made him meet her and quoth she, “Open to me the prison wherein they have gaoled the Shalabi and the maiden,” and she promised him by signs a gold piece; hereupon he admitted her and she passed into the room where lay her spouse and the girl and set meat before him. But he knew her not and cried, “Indeed I will nor eat nor drink, and do thou fare from me and leave me in this my plight.” Quoth she, “Nay, thou must eat and gladness shall befal thee.” Accordingly he came forward and ate a small matter and she after sitting with him for an hour or so, arose and doffed her man’s dress. Then she stripped the Kazi’s daughter of all the clothes she was wearing and garbed her in the masculine garb wherewith she had entered to the twain. The young lady did as she was bidden and showed likest to the Shalabi’s wife who lastly served her with what remained of the meat and said to her, “Up with thee and hie thee home.” So the Kazi’s daughter fared forth under the disguise of a dainty youth such an one as he who anon had entered the gaol; and as soon as she had wended her way the wife took seat beside her husband. When he saw her habited in the habit of the Kazi’s daughter he recognised her and knew her for his spouse; so he asked of her, “What hath brought thee hither?” and she answered, “I have come with this contrivance for the purpose of saving thee and of saving the honour of the girl thou lovest.” But as soon as the Kazi’s daughter had departed in her disguise the gaoler was deaf to entreaty and closed the prison doors upon the pair and the Shalabi and his spouse sat down together and his heart was satisfied and his secret was safe-directed,462 and fell from him all the sorrow which had settled upon his heart. Such was the case with these two; but as regards the Chief of Police, when he went up to the Sultan and saw that he was busied he took patience until the work was ended, after which he came forward and kissed ground before him and salam’d to him and blessed him. The King returned his salute and then said, “What is to do?” and said he, “O King of the Age, I found during the past night the Lady Sitt al-Husn, daughter to the Kazi al-’Askar, companying with her lover a certain Mohammed Shalabi son of the Emir Such-and-such; so I seized the couple and confined them by me and now I myself come to report the case in thy presence.” When the Sultan heard these words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and his eyes flashed red and his outer jugulars463 swelled and he foamed at the mouth and roaring cried, “How can it be that the daughter of the Kazi al-Islam companieth with a lover and alloweth herself to be debauched? By Allah, needs must I slay her and slay her father and slay the youth her lover.” Thus befel it with the Sultan and the Wali; but as regards the matter of the girl Sitt al-Husn, when she went forth the prison in the dress of a Shalabi, a dainty youth, she ceased not wending till she reached her paternal home. Here she repaired to a place which was private and having doffed her man’s dress garbed her in maidenly garments, then retiring secretly to her own room lay her down and her heart was heartened and trouble and turmoil and travail of mind fell from her. Now at that time her mother was lamenting like a funeral mourner and buffeting her face and her breast and kept crying out, “Oh the shame of us! Oh the dishonour of us! When they shall have informed the Sultan of this, he shall surely slay her sire.” And the Kazi waxed distraught and full of thought and he also said in his mind, “How shall I remain Kazi al-Islam when the folk of Cairo say, ‘Verily the daughter of our Lord High Chancellor hath been debauched?’” With these words he kept visiting his wife’s apartment and sitting with her for awhile, then faring forth and coming in from place to place464 and he wandered about like one bewildered of wits. When behold, a handmaid of the handmaidens entered the room wherein lay the Kazi’s daughter and finding her strown upon her bed looked upon her and recognised her. So she left her and running in her haste hied her to the mistress and cried, “O my lady, indeed Sitt al-Husn of whom you are talking is lying down in such a room of the Harem.” Thereupon the mother arose and went and came upon her daughter, so she rejoiced in her and returning to the Kazi in his apartment acquainted him therewith. He also repaired to his daughter’s bower and finding her therein quoth he, “Where hast thou been?” Quoth she, “O my father, my head began to ache after sunset-time, so I lay me down in this place.” Hereupon without stay or delay the Kazi took horse, he and his Officials, and repaired to the Sultan — 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 King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

  The Seven Hundred and Seventy-sixth 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 Kazi of the Army repaired to the Sultan, he and the whole of his officials, and he ceased not wending until he entered the presence, where he salam’d and said, “O King of the Age, is it lawful and allowed of Allah Almighty that thy Wali charge us with calumnious charge and false?” As the Chief of Police was standing hard by, the Sultan asked him, “How can the Wali have mispoken thee and thy daughter when she is still imprisoned by him and in his house?” whereto the Chief of Police added, “’Tis true! his daughter is surely with us in durance vile, she along with her lover, for indeed I found the pair in such a place.” Said the Kazi, “O King of the Age, I will abide here beside thee and do thou let the Wali go down and bring before thee that which is with him in gaol, and the case shall be made manifest, because hearing with the ear is not like eyeing with the eye.” The Sultan replied, “This rede is right,” whereupon the Chief of Police returned to his house and ordered the gaoler to open the gaol and bring thereout the maiden Sitt al-Husn and her lover the youth Mohammed Shalabi. The man did his bidding and leading forth of prison the couple committed them to the Chief of Police who took them and fared with them to the Sovran, rejoicing the while with all joy. The citizens of Cairo heard of all this, so they flocked in crowds to solace them with the spectacle; and when the Wali reached the presence, the maiden and the young man being with him, he set them before the Sultan. Presently the King asked the youth saying, “Who mayest thou be, O young man, and who is thy father?” and answered he, “I am son of such an Emir;” when the King who believed that she was the daughter of the Chief Kazi continued, “And this maiden that is with thee, who may she be and whose daughter?” The youth replied, “This is my wife, O King of the Age,” and the King rejoined, “How can she be thy wife?” So the youth retorted, “Indeed she is; and Such-an-one and So-and-so and Such-another together with a host of thy favoured courtiers wot right well that she is my spouse and that she is the daughter of So-and-so.” Hereupon they accosted her and bespoke her and she bespake them, so they recognised her and were certified that she was lawful wife to the Shalabi. Then asked the King, “How is it that the Wali arrested thee and her?” and the youth ans
wered, “O King of the Age, I went out with this my wife intending to enjoy ourselves and, finding a place that was cheerful and pleasant we tarried there until midnight when the Wali broke in upon us and seized us, scandalously declaring that I was companying with the Kazi’s daughter. Then he carried us off and gaoled us in his house and now (Alhamdolillah!) here we are between thy hands. So do thou whatso thou will and command according to Holy Law and whoever shall deserve chastisement deal it to him, for thou art the lord of our necks and the master of our good.” Now when the youth spake these words the King bade put to death the Chief of Police and harry his house and enslave his women and he commanded the Crier before the execution to cry about the thoroughfares of Cairo in front of the Wali that he was being led to die and declare, “This is the award of him who dishonoureth the noble and chargeth the folk with lying charges and false!” After that they slew the Chief of Police and thus carried out the King’s commandment. — 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 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 Seven Hundred and Seventy-seventh 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 after the Wali had been put to death the Sultan bestowed his good upon Mohammed Shalabi and having gifted him with munificent gifts sent him home with his spouse in all honour. And when the youth returned to his quarters he fell to kissing his wife’s hands and feet, for that he had been saved at her hands by the stratagem she had wrought for him and she had preserved the honour of the Kazi’s daughter and had enabled her father to prevail over his enemy the Wali.465 “And now I will relate to thee” (quoth Shahrazad) “another tale touching the wiles of women;” and thereupon she fell to recounting the story of

  Richard Francis Burton’s translation: detailed table of contents

  THE FELLAH AND HIS WICKED WIFE.466

  There was of olden time in the land of Egypt a Fellah, or tiller of the ground, who had a fair woman to wife and she had another man to friend. The husband used to sow every year some fifty faddán467 of seeding-wheat wherein there was not one barley-grain, and grind it in the mill and pass this meal to his spouse who would sift it and bolt it. Then would she take the softest and best of the flour to make thereof either scones or cakes468 or something more toothsome which she would give to her friend and feed him therewith, whereas the refuse of the flour469 she would make into loaves for her husband so this bread would be ruddy-brown of hue.470 Now every day about dawn-time the Fellah was wont fare to his field either to ear or to delve and tarry there working till noon at which time the wife would send him the bread of bran and refuse flour, whilst to those beside him who wrought as he did, would be brought from their homes white bread and clean. So they said, “Ho certain person! thy wheat is from fine sowing-seed, nor is there in it a barley-corn, how then be your bread like unto barley?” Quoth he, “I know not.” He remained in such case for a while of time whilst his wife fed her playmate with all the good food and served to her husband the vilest of diet, until one chance day of the days the Fellah took his plough and went off at early dawn to work and wrought till midday when his wife sent him his dinner of dirty bread. Hereupon he and his neighhours, who were earing in the same field, took seat and each one set before him white bread and seeing the Fellah’s scones brown as barley-meal they marvelled thereat. They had with them a scald-head boy who was sitting with them at the noon-meal, so they said to the peasant, “Take thee to servant this youngster and he shall manifest thee the case wherein thou art from the doings of thy dame.” He obeyed their bidding — And Shahrazad was suprised 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 King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night, and that was

  The Seven Hundred and Seventy-eighth 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 Fellah obeyed their bidding and took with him the scald-head youngster for house-service and on the second day the lad fell to grinding at the mill and carried the meal to his mistress and sat beside her and anon she rose and sifted and bolted the flour; still he stayed by her stealthily watching her while she kneaded it and balled it and breaded it. After this he carried off the early meal for his master and faring to the field set it before him and when the Fellah looked upon it he cried, “O Boy, by Allah this bread is white and ’tis clean unlike the foregone.” Quoth he, “O my master, I have ground it with my own hands and I sat beside my mistress the while she got it ready, kneading it and baking it, wherefor she availed not to do aught else with it.” Now when the servant-lad had left the hut her lover came in asking, “Hast thou made bread for me?” and she answered, “Indeed the boy with the scald-head ceased not sitting beside me, nor was I able to bake aught for thee.” But when the lad had gone forth to the field with his master’s dinner he set it before him and returned in hot haste and hurry to the house, where he found the friend of his mistress conversing with her; so he hid himself behind the door and fell to overhearing them and to noting whatso they said. Amongst other things quoth she, “Take this quartern of good wheat and clean grain and grind it in this mill and I will make thee a platter of bread from handrubbed flour471 which I will send to thee on the morrow.” Asked he, “How shalt thou know the field?” and she answered, “Carry with thee a basket of bran and drop the contents as thou walkest along the highway; then leave it hard by the land belonging to thee and I will follow the traces and find thee a-field; and so do thou remain at rest.” All this and the scald-head boy was standing behind the door hearkening to their words until he had understood them all. On the next day the lad took a basket of bran which he scattered on the way to his master’s land and then sat with him whilst the wife, after baking the platter full of scones, carried it upon her head and fared forth intending for her lover in the field. She marked the traces of the bran which the scald-head had dropped and she ceased not following them until she came to her husband’s field. Hereupon the lad arose and taking the platter from her said, “By Allah, O my master, verily my mistress loveth thee and favoureth thee, for that she hath brought a bannock made from handrubbed grain;” and so saying he set it before him. Presently she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw her lover ploughing at a little distance from them; so she said to her husband, “Allah upon thee, O certain person, call aloud to so-and-so our neighbour that he may come and eat the noon-meal with thee.” The man said, “’Tis well;” and presently added, “O Boy, go forth and shout to such-an-one.” Now the lad had brought with him a parcel of green dates, so he arose and scattered them at intervals upon the highway; and when he came to his mistress’s lover he cried aloud, “Do thou come dine with my master.” But the man refused so to do wherefore the scald-head returned and said, “He will not;” and hereupon the wife bade her husband go himself and fetch him. The Fellah trudged along the highway and finding thereon the scattered dates bowed himself downwards to gather them when the lover said to himself, “This one is picking up stones wherewith to beat me;�
�”472 and as he saw the man often stoop he fled and left the place, and the more the other cried to him, “Come hither, O certain person,” the faster sped he in his running. — And Shahrazad was suprised 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 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