The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition) (54 page)

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and lets me live!”

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O King of the age, that the Jewish physician told the king of China that the young man said:

I set out on my journey, and God granted me safe passage, and I reached Cairo. When I met my uncles, I found that they had already sold their goods on credit. They were glad to see me but surprised at my arrival. I said to them, “You were gone for too long, and I yearned to see you.” But I did not tell them that I had any money with me. I stayed with them, enjoying Cairo and its sights, and began to spend the rest of my money, squandering it on feasting and drinking. When the time drew near for my uncles' departure, I hid myself from them, and when they looked for me but could not find me, they said, “He must have gone back to Damascus,” and departed, and I came out of hiding and lived in Cairo for three years, sending every year to the landlord in Damascus the rent for the house, until at last I had squandered all my money and had nothing left but the fare for the journey back.

I paid the fare and set out, and God granted me safe passage, and I reached Damascus. I dismounted at the house, where the landlord, who was a jeweler, received me gladly. I unsealed the lock, opened the door, and went in. When I swept the house and wiped it clean, I found under the bed, where I had slept with the murdered girl, a gold necklace set with ten gemstones that boggled the mind. When I saw it, I recognized it, picked it up and, holding it in my hand, wept for a long time. Then, having cleaned the house, I placed the furniture as it was before. I stayed at home for a couple of days, then went to the bath, rested, and put on fresh clothes. By then I had absolutely no money left. Driven by fate and tempted by the devil, I took the necklace, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and, carrying it to the market, handed it to a broker. When he saw it, he kissed my hand and said, “By God, this is fine; by God, this is a fine and fortunate way to start business. O what a blessed morning!” Then he took me to the shop of my landlord, who made me sit by his side.

We waited until the market was full, and the broker took the necklace, offered it secretly, and without my knowledge got two thousand dinars for it. He returned to me, saying, “Sir, we thought that the necklace was gold, but it turned out to be fake, and I was offered a thousand dirhams for it. Will you accept the offer?” I replied, “Yes, I accept, for I know that it was brass.” When the broker heard my reply, he realized that there was a problem with the necklace and struck a bargain with the chief merchant, who went to the chief of the police and told him that the necklace had been stolen from him and that the thief had been apprehended, dressed as a merchant.

Suddenly, calamity fell upon me, for as I sat in the shop, the officers seized me unawares and took me to the chief of the police. When he asked me about the necklace, I told him what I had told the broker, and he laughed, thinking that I had stolen it, and before I knew it, I was stripped and beaten with rods until, smarting from the blows, I lied, saying, “Yes, I stole it.” After they wrote down my confession, they cut off my hand, and when they seared it with boiling oil, I fainted and remained unconscious for half of that day. Then they gave me wine to drink, and my landlord carried me away and said to me, “My son, being a nice young man of substance and means, why did you have to steal? When you steal from people, none will have mercy on you. Son, you stand convicted; leave my house and find yourself another lodging; go in peace.” I felt disappointed and said to him, “Sir, I wonder whether you can give me three days to find another place.” He replied, “Very well,” and left me, sad and worried, wondering, “If I go back home with my hand cut off, how shall I face my people and convince them that I am innocent?” and I wept bitterly.

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if I live!”

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the Jewish physician told the king of China that the young man said:

I was ill for two days, and on the third day I suddenly found my landlord and the chief merchant, who had bought the necklace from me and accused me of stealing it from him, standing at my door, with five police officers standing on guard. I asked them, “What is the matter?” but they bound me at once and put around my neck a collar attached to a chain, saying, “The necklace that was with you belongs to the governor of Damascus, who told us that for three years it had been missing, together with his daughter.” When I heard what they said, my heart sank within me, and I went with them, with a cut-off hand. So I covered my face, saying to myself, “I will tell the governor my true story, and if he wishes, let him kill me, and if he wishes, let him pardon me.”

They brought me to the governor and made me stand before him, and when he looked at me, he said, “Unbind him. Is he the one who took my necklace to the market to sell?” They replied, “Yes, he is.” He said, “He did not steal it; why did you cut off his hand unjustly? Poor fellow!” When I heard this, I took heart and said to him, “My lord, by God, I did not steal the necklace, but they slandered me, and this merchant, claiming that the necklace belonged to him and accusing me of stealing it, took me to the chief of the police and when the chief had me beaten with rods, I smarted from the blows and lied against myself.” The governor said, “Don't be afraid.” Then he sentenced the chief merchant who had taken the necklace from me, saying to him, “Pay him indemnity for his hand, or I will beat you until I flay your hide.” And he cried out to the officers, who dragged the merchant away, while I remained with the governor. He said to me, “My Son, speak the truth and tell me the story of the necklace and how you came by it. Don't lie, and be truthful, for the truth will make you free.” I replied, “By God, this has been my intention.” Then I related to him in detail what had happened to me and the young lady and how she had brought with her the girl who owned the necklace and had murdered her at night, out of jealousy. When he heard my story, he shook his head, wrung his hands, and, with tears in his eyes, said, “To God we belong and to Him we return.” Then turning to me, he said, “My son, let me explain everything to you. It so happened that . . .”

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said to her sister “What a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and lets me live!”

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the Jewish physician told the king of China that the young man said:

The governor said, “The first young lady who came to you was my eldest daughter. I brought her up in strict seclusion, then married her to her cousin in Cairo. Then he died, and she came back to me, having learned bad habits there. She visited you three or four times and at last brought you her sister, my middle daughter. They were sisters from the same mother, and they loved each other and could not bear to be without each other even for a single hour. When the elder sister was having her affair with you, she revealed the secret to her sister, who desired to visit you with her; so she asked for your permission and brought her to you. But she got jealous of her and murdered her and returned home, without letting me know anything. When we sat down to eat that day, and I looked for my daughter but could not find her, I inquired after her from her elder sister and found her crying and grieving for her. She said to me, ‘Father, at the time of the call to prayer, she suddenly put on her clothes and jewelry, including her necklace, wrapped herself in her cloak, and went out.' I kept waiting for her, day and night, without telling anyone, for fear of scandal, while her elder sister, who had murdered her, kept weeping for her, refusing to eat or drink, saying ‘I will never stop weeping for her until I die,' until she worried us and made our lives miserable. Finally, when she could not bear it any longer, she killed herself, and I continued to grieve more and more for her. This is what happened. If you look at what happens to the likes of you and me, you will agree that ‘this life is all vanity and that man is but a transient image, which vanishes as soon as it appears.'

“Now, my son, I would like you not to disobey me. Today, what had been foreordained for you came to pass, and your hand was cut off unjustly, but now I would like you to accept my offer and marry my youngest daughter, for she is born of a different mother. I will provide you with the dowry and will give you clothes and money, settle an allowance on you, and treat you like my son. What do you say?” I replied, “My lord, how could I hope for such a good fortune? Yes, I accept” Then he took me at once to his house, sent for the witnesses, and married me to his daughter, and I went in to her. Moreover, he got me a large indemnity from the chief merchant and continued to hold me in the highest esteem. When at the beginning of this year news reached me that my father had died, I told the governor and he obtained from the king in Egypt an edict and sent it with a courier, who went to Mosul and brought me back all the money my father had left me, and now I am living in all prosperity. This, then, is the cause of hiding my right hand, begging your pardon, doctor!

His story amazed me, and I stayed with him until he went to the bath a second time and returned to his wife. He gave me a considerable sum of money and, providing me for my journey, bade me good-bye and sent me on my way. I left him and journeyed eastward until I reached Baghdad. Then I traveled in Persia and finally came to your city, where I have lived contentedly until my last night's adventure with the roguish hunchback. Isn't this story more amazing than that of the hunchback?

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said to her sister, “What a strange and entertaining story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and lets me live!”