The Tale of the Third Sheikh

 The Tale of the Third Sheikh

 O THOU Sult&n, O thou Chief of the Jinn, this mule, which you see, was once my wife. A time came when I had been far away on a journey for a whole year. When at last my business was finished, I returned by night and found her lying with a black slave on the carpets of my bed. They were talking, laughing, and kissing, and exciting each other with little games. As soon as my wife saw me, she sprang up and came towards me, snatching up a pitcher of water. She whispered a few words over the pitcher and sprinkled some of the water upon me, saying: ‘Come out from thy proper shape and put on the form of a dog!’ At once I became a dog and she chased me from the house. I wandered about the city and, coming at last to a butcher’s shop, went near and began eating the bones. When the master of the shop saw me, he lifted me and took me with him to his house. When the butcher’s daughter saw me, she veiled her face because of me, saying to her father: ‘Is this the way to behave? To bring a man with you into my presence?’ ‘Where is this man you speak of?’ asked her father, and she answered: ‘This dog is a man. It is a woman who has bewitched him and I am able to save him.’ ‘Save him then, my daughter, in All&h’s name!’ said her father. She took a pitcher of water and, after speaking certain words over it, sprinkled a few drops upon me: ‘Come out from this shape and return to thy former appearance!’ So I returned to my former appearance and, kissing the young girl’s hand, I told her that I ardently wished to bewitch my wife, as she had bewitched me. Then the butcher’s daughter gave me a little of the water telling me, if I found my wife asleep, to sprinkle her and that she would then become whatever I wished. So, finding her asleep, I sprinkled her with the water, saying: ‘Leave this shape and put on the form of a mule!’ And forthwith she became a mule, as you may see with your own eyes, O Sult&n and Chief of all the Kings of the Jinn! Then the Jinn(, turning to the mule, asked her: ‘Is this true?’ At which she nodded her head, as if to say: ‘Yes, yes, it is true!’ This tale made the Jinn( tremble with pleasurable emotion… Here Shahraz&d saw the approach of morning and discreetly fell silent. Then her sister Dunyaz&d said: ‘Sister, your words are sweet and gentle and pleasant to the taste.’ And Shahraz&d answered: ‘Indeed they are nothing to that which I would tell both of you tomorrow 19 THE TALE OF THE FISHERMAN AND THE JINNI night if I were still alive and the King thought good to spare me.’ On this, the King said to himself: ‘By All&h, I will not kill her until I have heard the rest of her remarkable tale!’ Then the King and Shahraz&d spent the remainder of the night in each other’s arms, till the King departed for the Council. The Waz(r and the officers of the court came in and, when the d(w&n was full of people, the King gave judgment, raising some and abasing others, concluding cases and giving commands, until the fall of day. At length the d(w&n rose and King Shahry&r returned to his palace. And when the third night had come DUNYAZ-D SAID: ‘Sister, I pray you finish your tale.’ To this Shahraz&d answered: ‘Gladly and with all my heart!’ Then she continued: It is related, O auspicious King, that when the third sheikh had told the most wonderful tale of the three, the Jinn( was stricken with wonder and trembled with pleasurable emotion. At last he said: ‘I grant you the rest of the forfeit and here relinquish this merchant to you.’ Then the merchant in an ecstasy of happiness came and thanked the sheikhs and they, in their turn, congratulated him on his safe deliverance. After this, each returned to his own country. But, continued Shahraz&d, these tales are in no way more wonderful than the tale of the fisherman. ‘What is the tale of the fisherman?’ asked the King. And Shahraz&d said:

HINDI-BOOK