Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 4 (of 6)
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 4 (of 6)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
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
Larrikin continued his tale saying to the King:?And as I was
drowned in slumber a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of
my uncle and assaulted her and knew her carnally; then, having
taken her pucelage he ran away,[FN#387] but I knew nothing
thereof from being fast asleep. Now when I awoke I found my
cousin was changed of case and her colour had waxed pale and she
was in saddest condition; so I asked her and she told me all that
had betided her and said to me, "O son of my uncle, from Fate
there is no flight, even as saith one of those who knoweth:?
'And when death shall claw with his firm-fixt nail * I saw that
spells[FN#388] were of scant avail.'
And one of them also said:?
'When God would execute His will in anything On one endowed with
sight, hearing and reasoning,
He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his will From
him, as one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;
Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back his wit, That
therewithal he may receive admonishing.'"[FN#389]
Then she spake concerning the predestination of the Creator till
she could say no more thereof. Presently we departed that stead
and we travelled till we came to a town of the towns frequented
by merchants, where we hired us a lodging and furnished it with
mats and necessaries. Here I asked for a Kazi and they pointed
out to me one of them amongst the judges of the place whom I
summoned with two of his witnesses; then I made one of them
deputy[FN#390] for my cousin and was married to her and went in
unto her and I said to myself, "All things depend upon Fate and
Lot." After that I tarried with her for a full told year in that
same town, a disease befel her and she drew nigh unto death.
Hereat quoth she to me, "Allah upon thee, O son of my uncle, when
I shall be dead and gone and the Destiny of Allah shall come upon
thee and drive thee to marry again, take not to wife any but a
virgin-girl or haply do thou wed one who hath known man but
once;[FN#391] for by Allah, O my cousin, I will say thee nothing
but sooth when I tell thee that the delight of that dog-faced
baboon who deflowered me hath remained with me ever
since."[FN#392] So saying she expired[FN#393] and her soul fled
forth her flesh. I brought to her a woman who washeth the dead
and shrouded her and buried her; and after her decease I went
forth from the town until Time bore me along and I became a
wanderer and my condition was changed and I fell into this case.
And no one knew me or aught of my affairs till I came and made
friends with yonder two men. Now the King hearing these words
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