The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition) (92 page)

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the queen took King Badr by the hand and with her maids came out of the bath and went to the banquet room, where they sat and rested for a while. Then the maids set food before them, and they ate and washed their hands. Then the maids removed the table and set the wine service and fruits and nuts and flowers before them, and they drank, while the singing women sang all kinds of melodies and songs till nightfall.

They continued to live like this, eating and drinking and kissing and playing, for forty days. Then Queen Lab asked King Badr, “Which is more enjoyable, this place or the shop of your uncle the fava-bean seller?” He replied, “O Queen, by God, this place is more enjoyable, for my uncle is a poor man.” She laughed at his reply, and the two spent the happiest of nights in bed. But when he awoke in the morning, he did not find her beside him and asked himself, “Where could she have gone?” He felt lonely without her, and when he waited for her and she did not return, he arose from bed and, putting on his clothes, searched for her, and when he did not find her, he said to himself, “She may be in the garden.” He went into the garden and came to a running stream, beside which he saw a black bird next to a white she-bird, under a large tree full of birds of various colors. He stood and watched the birds, without being seen by them, and saw the black bird leap and mount the white she-bird three times. Soon the she-bird turned into a woman, and when he looked at her closely, he saw that she was none other than Queen Lab, and he realized that the black bird was an enchanted man whom she loved and that she had turned into a she-bird so that the man could make love to her. King Badr was seized with jealousy, and he was resentful and angry with Queen Lab because of the black bird. He returned and lay down on the bed, and a little later she came to him and kissed him and joked with him, but when his anger mounted and he did not speak a single word to her, she guessed what was troubling him and was certain that he had seen the bird mount her. But she kept it to herself and said nothing.

When it was broad daylight, he said to her, “O Queen, I wish you to give me leave to go to my uncle's shop, for I have not laid eyes on him for forty days and I long to see him.” She replied, “O Badr, go, but do not stay long, for I cannot bear to be without you or wait a single hour.” He replied, “I hear and obey,” and, mounting his horse, rode to the old man's shop.

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence.

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that King Badr rode to the shop of the old fava-bean seller, who ran to greet him, welcomed him, and embraced him. Then he asked, “How have you fared with that infidel?” King Badr replied, “I was well, healthy, and happy till last night, when I awoke and did not see her by my side. When I arose and did not find her, I put on my clothes and searched for her until I went into the garden.” Then he told him the story and how he had seen the black bird mount her. When the old man heard this, he said, “The cursed woman has started to play games. You should beware of her and should know that the birds on the tree were all young strangers whom she loved, enjoyed, then turned into birds. The black bird was one of her Mamluks, with whom she was madly in love, but when he cast his eye on one of her women, she cast a spell over him and turned him into a bird. Whenever she lusts for him, she turns herself into a she-bird and lets him mount her, for she still loves him. Now that she knows that you have found out, she will no longer be good to you, but fear nothing, since I will protect you, for there is none better skilled in magic than I, although I do not use it except when I have to. I have delivered many men from her hands, for she has no power over me and she fears me, as do the inhabitants of this city, who are fire worshippers like her. Come back to me tomorrow, and tell me what she does to you, for tonight she will prepare to destroy you. Dissemble with her till tomorrow; then come back, and I will tell you what to do.” King Badr bade the old man farewell and returned to the queen.

He found her sitting and waiting for him, and when she saw him, she rose to greet him and welcome him. Then the maids set food before them, and they ate and washed their hands. Then they brought them wine, and she drank and plied him with wine until by midnight he was drunk and unconscious. When she saw him in this condition, she said to him, “I conjure you by God and by the god you worship, if I ask you a question, will you answer me truthfully?” He, being unconscious and not knowing what he was saying, replied, “Yes.” She said, “O my lord and my darling, when you looked and did not find me, did you not search for me until you found me in the garden in the form of a white she-bird and saw a black bird mount me, then saw me turn back into my human form?” He replied, “Yes.” She said, “That black bird was one of my officers, whom I loved, but one day he cast his eye on one of my women, and I became jealous and turned him into a bird and killed the woman. But I cannot bear to be without him, and whenever I desire him, I turn myself into a she-bird and let him possess me, as you have seen. It is because of this that you are jealous and angry at me, yet, by the fire and the night, you love me and I love you more than ever.”

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence.

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the queen said to King Badr, “You love me and I love you, for you are my lot in life.” When he heard this, he, being drunk, replied, “Yes, this is how I felt.” Then she embraced him and kissed him and, pretending to love him, lay down to sleep, and he lay beside her. In the middle of the night, she rose from bed, while Badr lay awake, pretending to be asleep, and watched with one eye to see what she was doing. She took red sand from a bag and spread it on the floor of the room, and it became a running stream. Then she took out a handful of barley and strewed it in the soil on the bank of the stream and watered it with the water from the stream, and it turned into ears of barley. Then she reaped the barley and ground it into meal. Then she laid the meal aside and, returning to bed, slept beside King Badr till the morning.

When it was morning, King Badr rose and, as soon as he washed his face, asked her leave to visit the old man. She gave him leave and he went to the old man and told him what he had seen. When the old man heard what he said, he laughed and said, “By God, this infidel is plotting mischief against you, but do not mind her.” Then he gave him a half-pound of barley meal and said, “Take this with you, and when you arrive and she sees it, she will ask you, ‘What will you do with this?' Say to her, ‘An extra blessing is a blessing,' and eat some of it. Then she will bring you her own meal and say to you, ‘Eat some of this.' But pretend to be eating of hers and eat of this instead. Beware, for if you eat as much as a dirham's weight or even a grain of hers, her spell will have power over you, and, knowing that you have eaten of her meal, she will cast her spell over you, bid you leave your human form, and turn you into any other form she pleases. But if you do not eat of it, you need not worry about her, for her magic will have no power over you and will fail to work on you. She will be abashed and tell you that she was teasing you and will make a show of affection and love, but all this will be nothing but abomination. Then make a show of love and say to her, ‘O my lady and my darling, taste of my barley meal.' If she tastes even one grain of it, take water in your hand, throw it in her face, and bid her leave her form and turn into any form you please. Then leave her and come to me, and I will take care of you.”

Then King Badr bade the old man farewell and, returning to the palace, went in to the queen. When she saw him, she said, “Welcome!” and she rose and kissed him, saying, “O my lord, you have tarried too long from me.” He replied, “I have been with my uncle, who gave me some of this barley meal to eat.” She replied, “We have better than this.” Then she put his meal in one dish and hers in another and said to him, “Eat of this, for it is better than yours.” He pretended to eat of it, and when she thought that he had done so, she took water in her hand and sprinkled him with it, saying, “Leave this form, you vile good-for-nothing, and turn into a mean, barren, ugly, lame mule.” But he did not change, and when she saw that he did not change, she went up to him and kissed him, saying, “O my beloved, I was teasing you to see what you would say.” He replied, “My lady, as long as you love me, nothing will change me toward you.”

But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence.

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The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that King Badr said to the queen, “As long as you love me, nothing will change me toward you, for I love you even more than you love me. Eat of my barley meal.” She took a mouthful and ate it, and no sooner had it settled in her stomach than she began to convulse. Then King Badr took water in his hand and threw it in her face, saying, “Leave this form and turn into a dappled she-mule,” and she became at once a dappled she-mule. When she saw herself in this condition, the tears rolled down her face, and she began to rub her cheeks against his feet. He tried to bridle her, but she would not let him; so he left her and went to the old man and told him what had happened, and the old man took out a bridle, saying, “Bridle her with this, for, when she sees it, she will submit and let you bridle her.” King Badr took the bridle and returned to the queen, and when she saw him, she came up to him, and he set the bit in her mouth, and, mounting her, he rode from the palace to the old man's shop. When the old man saw her, he said to her, “May God shame you, O cursed woman! Do you see what He has done to you?” Then he said to King Badr, “My son, it is time for you to leave this city. Ride her and go wherever you like, but beware of relinquishing the bridle to anyone.” King Badr thanked him and bade him farewell.

Then he rode on for three days until he came near a city, where he met an attractive gray-headed old man, who asked him, “Son, where are you coming from?” King Badr replied, “From the City of the Magicians.” The old man replied, “You are my guest,” but while they were conversing, up came an old woman, who, when she looked at the she-mule, began to cry, saying, “This she-mule resembles my son's she-mule, which is dead, and my heart aches for her. O young man, for God's sake, sell her to me.” King Badr replied, “Mother, by God, I cannot sell her.” She said, “For God's sake, do not refuse me, for my son will surely die if I do not buy him this she-mule,” and she pressed him until he said to her, “I will not sell her for less than a thousand dinars.” She said to him, “Say to me, ‘She is sold to you for a thousand dinars.'” King Badr, saying to himself, “Where could this old woman get a thousand dinars? I will say that the she-mule is sold to her and see where she will get the money,” replied, “She is sold to you.” When she heard his words, she took out from her pocket a thousand dinars, and when he saw the money, he said to her, “Mother, I was joking with you, for I cannot sell her.” But the old man looked at him and said, “Son, you should know that none lies in this city, for whoever lies is put to death.” King Badr dismounted from the she-mule . . .