第5章 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT(3)

They proffer lying lovebut perfidy Is all indeed their garments do contain.

Take warningthenby Joseph's historyAnd how a woman sought to do him bane；

And eke thy father Adamby their fault To leave the groves of Paradise was fain.

Or as another says：

Out on yon！blame confirms the blamed one in his way. My fault is not so great indeed as you would say.

If I'm in loveforsoothmy case is but the same As that of other men before memany a day.

For great the wonder were if any man alive From women and their wiles escape unharmed away！'

When the two kings heard thisthey marvelled and said'Allah！

Allah！There is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High，the Supreme！We seek aid of God against the malice of womenfor indeed their craft is great！'Then she said to them'Go your ways.'So they returned to the roadand Shehriyar said to Shahzeman'By AllahO my brotherthis Afrit's case is more grievous than ours. For this is a genie and stole away his mistress on her wedding night and clapped her in a chestwhich he locked with seven locks and sank in the midst of the sea，thinking to guard her from that which was decreed by fateyet have we seen that she has lain with five hundred and seventy men in his despiteand now with thee and me to boot. Verilythis is a thing that never yet happened to anyand it should surely console us. Let us therefore return to our kingdoms and resolve never again to take a woman to wife；and as for meI will show thee what I will do.'So they set out at once and presently came to the camp outside Shehriyar's capital andentering the royal pavilionsat down on their bed of estate. Then the chamberlains and amirs and grandees came in to them and Shehriyar commanded them to return to the city. So they returned to the city and Shehriyar went up to his palacewhere he summoned his Vizier and bade him forthwith put his wife to death. The Vizier accordingly took the queen and killed herwhilst Shehriyargoing into the slave girls and concubinesdrew his sword and slew them all.

Then he let bring others in their stead and took an oath that every night he would go in to a maid and in the morning put her to deathfor that there was not one chaste woman on the face of the earth. As for Shahzemanhe sought to return to his kingdom at once；so his brother equipped him for the journey and he set out and fared on till he came to his own dominions. Meanwhile，King Shehriyar commanded his Vizier to bring him the bride of the nightthat he might go in to her；so he brought him one of the daughters of the amirs and he went in to herand on the morrow he bade the Vizier cut off her head. The Vizier dared not disobey the King's commandmentso he put her to death and brought him another girlof the daughters of the notables of the land. The King went in to her alsoand on the morrow he bade the Vizier kill her；and he ceased not to do thus for three yearstill the land was stripped of marriageable girlsand all the women and mothers and fathers wept and cried out against the Kingcursing him and complaining to the Creator of heaven and earth and calling for succour upon Him who heareth prayer and answereth those that cry to Him；and those that had daughters left fled with themtill at last there remained not a single girl in the city apt for marriage. One day the King ordered the Vizier to bring him a maid as of wont；so the Vizier went out and made search for a girlbut found not one and returned home troubled and careful for fear of the king's anger. Now this Vizier had two daughtersthe elder called Shehrzad and the younger Dunyazad，and the former had read many books and histories and chronicles of ancient kings and stories of people of old time；it is said indeed that she had collected a thousand books of chronicles of past peoples and bygone kings and poets. Moreovershe had read books of science and medicine；her memory was stored with verses and stories and folk-lore and the sayings of kings and sagesand she was wisewittyprudent and well-bred. She said to her father'How comes it that I see thee troubled and oppressed with care and anxiety？ Quoth one of the poets：

'Tell him that is of care oppressedThat grief shall not endure alway，But even as gladness fleeteth bySo sorrow too shall pass away.'

When the Vizier heard his daughter's wordshe told her his case，and she said'By AllahO my fathermarry me to this kingfor either I will be the means of the deliverance of the daughters of the Muslims from slaughter or I will die and perish as others have perished.'For God's sake，'answered the Vizier'do not thus adventure thy life！'But she said'It must be so.'