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Story Of The Ladies Of BaghdadStory Of The First Of The Three Ladies Of Baghdad
Story Of The First Of The Three Ladies Of Baghdad
O Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful; for these two bitches
are my sisters, born to my father, but of another mother; and I am the
youngest of the three. After the death of our father, who left us five
thousand pieces of gold, these my two sisters married, and when they had
resided some time with their husbands, each of the latter prepared a stock of
merchandise, and received from his wife a thousand pieces of gold, and they
all set forth on a journey together, leaving me here; but after they had been
absent four years, my sisters` husbands lost all their property, and abandoned
them in a strange land, and they returned to me in the garb of beggars. When I
first saw them in this state, I knew them not; and, as soon as I recognized
them, I exclaimed, How is it that ye are in this condition? - O our sister,
they answered, thy inquiry now is of no use: the Pen hath written what God
hath decreed. - I sent them, therefore, to the bath, and, having clad them in
new apparel, said to them, O my sisters, ye are my elders, and I am young; so
ye shall be to me in the places of my father and mother. The inheritance which
I shared with you God hath blessed; partake then of its increase, for my
affairs are prosperous; and I and ye shall fare alike. - I treated them with
the utmost kindness, and during a whole year they remained with me, and
enriched themselves by the money that I had given them; but after this period
they said to me, It will be more agreeable to us to marry again, for we can no
longer abstain from doing so. - O my sisters, I replied, ye have seen no
happiness in marriage: a good husband in this age is rarely found, and ye have
already had experience of the marriage-state. They, however, heeded not my
words; but married against my consent: yet I gave them dowries from my own
property, and continued to them my protection. They went to their husbands,
and the latter, after they had resided with them a short time, defrauded them
of all that they possessed, and, setting forth on a journey, left them
destitute: so again they returned to me, and, in a state of nudity, implored
my forgiveness, saying, Be not angry with us; for though thou art younger than
we, thou hast more mature sense; and we promise thee that we will never again
mention the subject of marriage. I replied, Ye are welcome, O my sisters; for
I have no one dearer to me than yourselves: - and I received them, and treated
them with every kindness, and we remained happily together for the space of a
year.
[See Lady Of Baghdad: The first of the three ladies of Baghdad.]
After this I resolved to fit out a vessel for a mercantile voyage:
accordingly, I stocked a large ship with various goods and necessary
provisions, and said to my sisters, Will ye rather stay at home during my
voyage, or will ye go with me? - to which they answered, We will accompany
thee during the voyage, for we cannot endure to be separated from thee. I
therefore took them with me, and we set sail; but first I divided my property
into two equal portions; one of which I took with me, and the other I
concealed, saying within myself, Perhaps some evil accident may happen to the
ship, and our lives may be prolonged; in which case, when we return we shall
find that which will be of service to us. - We continued our voyage by day and
night, till at length the vessel pursued a wrong course, and the captain knew
not whither to steer. The ship had entered a different sea from that which we
wished to cross, and for some time we knew it not; but for ten days we had a
pleasant wind, and after this, a city loomed before us in the distance. We
asked the captain what was the name of this city; and he answered, I know it
not; I have never seen it till this day, nor have I ever before in the course
of my life navigated this sea: but as we have come hither in safety, ye have
nothing to do but to enter this city and land your goods, and, if ye find
opportunity, sell or exchange there: if not, we will rest there two days, and
take in fresh provisions. So we entered the port of the city, and the captain
landed, and after a while returned to us, saying, Arise, and go up into the
city, and wonder at that which God hath done unto his creatures, and pray to
be preserved from his anger. And when we had entered the city, we found all
its inhabitants converted into black stones. We were amazed at the sight, and
ds we walked through the market-streets, finding the merchandise and the
gold and silver remaining in their original state, we rejoiced, and said, This
must have been occasioned by some wonderful circumstance. We then separated in
the streets, each of us attracted from his companions by the wealth and stuffs
in the shops.
As for myself, I ascended to the citadel, which I found to be a building
of admirable construction; and, entering the King`s palace, I found all the
vessels of gold and silver remaining in their places, and the King himself
seated in the midst of his Chamberlains and Viceroys and Wezirs, and clad in
apparel of astonishing richness. Drawing nearer to him, I perceived that he
was sitting upon a throne adorned with pearls and jewels, every one of the
pearls shining like a star: his dress was embroidered with gold, and around
him stood fifty memluks, attired in silks of various descriptions, and having
in their hands drawn swords. Stupefied at this spectacle, I proceeded, and
entered the saloon of the Harim, upon the walls of which were hung silken
curtains; and here I beheld the Queen, attired in a dress embroidered with
fresh pearls, and having upon her head a diadem adorned with various jewels,
and necklaces of different kinds on her neck. All her clothing and ornaments
remained as they were at first, though she herself was converted into black
stone. Here also I found an open door, and, entering it, I saw a flight of
seven steps, by which I ascended to an apartment paved with marble, furnished
with gold-embroidered carpets, and containing a couch of alabaster,
ornamented with pearls and jewels; but my eyes were first attracted by a gleam
of light, and when I approached the spot whence it proceeded, I found a
brilliant jewel, of the size of an ostrich`s egg, placed upon a small stool,
diffusing a light like that of a candle. The coverings of the couch above
mentioned were of various kinds of silk, the richness of which would surprise
every beholder; and I looked at them with wonder. In this apartment I likewise
observed some lighted candles, and reflected that there must then have been
some person there to light them. I passed thence to another part of the
palace, and continued to explore the different apartments, forgetting myself
in the amazement of my mind at all these strange circumstances, and immersed
in thoughts respecting what I beheld, until the commencement of night, when I
would have departed; but could not find the door; so I returned to the place
in which were the lighted candles, and there I laid myself upon the couch,
and, covering myself with a quilt, repeated some words of the Kur`an and
endeavoured to compose myself to sleep; but I could not. I continued restless:
and at midnight I heard a recitation of the Kur`an, performed by a melodious
and soft voice; upon which I arose, and, looking about, saw a closet with an
open door, and I entered it, and found that it was an oratory: lighted lamps
were suspended in it, and upon a prayer carpet spread on the floor sat a young
man of handsome aspect. Wondering that he had escaped the fate of the other
inhabitants of the city, I saluted him; and he raised his eyes, and returned
my salutation: and I then said to him, I conjure thee by the truth of that
which thou art reading in the Book of God, that thou answer the question which
I am about to ask thee: - whereupon he smiled, and replied, Do thou first
acquaint me with the cause of thine entrance into this place, and then I will
answer thy question: so I told him my story, and inquired of him the history
of this city. Wait a little, said he; - and he closed the Kur`an, and, having
put it in a bag of satin, seated me by his side. As I now beheld him, his
countenance appeared like the full moon, and his whole person exhibited such
perfect elegance and loveliness, that a single glance at him drew from me a
thousand sighs, and kindled a fire in my heart. I repeated my request that he
would give me an account of the city; and, replying, I hear and obey, he thus
addressed me: -
Know that this city belonged to my father and his family and subjects;
and he is the King whom thou hast seen converted into stone; and the Queen
whom thou hast seen is my mother. They were all Magians, worshipping fire in
the place of the Almighty King; and they swore by the fire and the light, and
the shade and the that, and the revolving orb. My father had no son, till, in
his declining years, he was blest with me, whom he reared until I attained to
manhood. But, happily for me, there was, in our family, an old woman, far
advanced in age, who was a Muslimeh, believing in God and his Apostle in her
heart, though she conformed with my family in outward observances; and my
father confided in her, on account of the faithfulness and modesty that he had
observed in her character, and shewed her great favour, firmly believing that
she held the same faith as himself; therefore, when I had passed my infancy,
he committed me to her care, saying, Take him, and rear him, and instruct him
in the ordinances of our faith, and educate him and serve him in the best
manner. The old woman accordingly received me, but took care to instruct me in
the faith of El-Islam, teaching me the laws of purification, and the divine
ordinances of ablution, together with the forms of prayer; after which she
made me commit to memory the whole of the Kur`an. She then charged me to keep
my faith a secret from my father, lest he should kill me; and I did so; and a
few days after, the old woman died. The inhabitants of the city had now
increased in their impiety and arrogance, and in their dereliction of the
truth; and while they were in this state, they heard a crier proclaim with a
voice like thunder, so as to be audible to both the near and the distant, O
inhabitants of this city, abstain from the worship of fire, and worship the
Almighty King! - The people were struck with consternation, and, flocking to
my father, the King of the city, said to him, What is this alarming voice
which hath astounded us by its terrible sound? - but he answered them, Let not
the voice terrify you, nor let it turn you from your faith: - and their hearts
inclined to his words; so they persevered in the worship of fire, and remained
obstinate in their impiety during another year, until the return of the period
at which they had heard the voice the first time. It was then heard a second
time; and again, in the next year, they heard it a third time; but still they
persisted in their evil ways, until, drawing down upon themselves the
abhorrence and indignation of Heaven, one morning, shortly after daybreak,
they were converted into black stones, together with their beasts and all
their cattle. Not one of the inhabitants of the city escaped, excepting me;
and from the day on which this catastrophe happened, I have continued occupied
as thou seest, in prayer, and fasting, and reading the Kur`an: but I have
become weary of this solitary state, having no one to cheer me with his
company.
On hearing these words, I said to him, Wilt thou go with me to the city
of Baghdad, and visit its learned men and lawyers, and increase thy knowledge?
If so, I will be thy handmaid, though I am the mistress of my family, and have
authority over a household of men. I have here a ship laden with merchandise,
and destiny hath driven us to this city, in order that we might become
acquainted with these events: our meeting was predestined. - In this manner I
continued to persuade him until he gave his consent. I slept that night at his
feet, unconscious of my state through excessive joy; and in the morning we
rose, and, entering the treasuries, took away a quantity of the lighter and
most valuable of the articles that they contained, and descended from the
citadel into the city, where we met the slaves and the captain, who were
searching for me. They were rejoiced at seeing me, and, to their questions
respecting my absence, I replied by informing them of all that I had seen, and
related to them the history of the young man, and the cause of the
transmutation of the people of the city, and of all that had befallen them,
which filled them with wonder. But when my two sisters saw me with the young
man, they envied me on his account, and malevolently plotted against me.
We embarked again, and I experienced the utmost happiness, chiefly owing
to the company of the young man; and after we had waited a while till the wind
was favourable, we spread our sails, and departed. My sisters sat with me and
the young man; and, in their conversation with me, said, O our sister, what
dost thou purpose to do with this handsome youth? I answered, I desire to take
him as my husband: - and, turning to him, and approaching him, I said, O, my
master, I wish to make a proposal to thee, and do not thou oppose it. He
replied, I hear and obey: - and I then looked towards my sisters, and said to
them, This young man is all that I desire, and all the wealth that is here is
yours. - Excellent, they replied, is thy determination: - yet still they
designed evil against me. - We continued our voyage with a favourable wind,
and, quitting the sea of peril, entered the sea of security, across which we
proceeded for some days, until we drew near the city of El-Basrah, the
buildings of which loomed before us at the approach of evening; but as soon as
we had fallen asleep, my sisters took us up in our bed, both myself and the
young man, and threw us into the sea. The youth, being unable to swim, was
drowned; God recorded him among the company of the martyrs; while I was
registered among those whose life was yet to be preserved: and, accordingly,
as soon as I awoke and found myself in the sea, the providence of God supplied
me with a piece of timber, upon which I placed myself, and the waves cast me
upon the shore of an island.
During the remainder of the night I walked along this island, and in the
morning I saw a neck of land, bearing the marks of a man`s feet, and uniting
with the main land. The sun having now risen, I dried my clothes in its rays,
and proceeded along the path that I had discovered until I drew near to the
shore upon which stands the city, when I beheld a snake approaching me, and
followed by a serpent which was endeavouring to destroy it: the tongue of the
snake was hanging from its mouth in consequence of excessive fatigue, and it
excited my compassion; so I took up a stone, and threw it at the head of the
serpent, which instantly died: the snake then extended a pair of wings, and
soared aloft into the sky, leaving me in wonder at the sight. At the time of
this occurrence I had become so fatigued, that I now laid myself down and
slept; but I awoke after a little while, and found a damsel seated at my feet,
and gently rubbing them with her hands; upon which I immediately sat up,
feeling ashamed that she should perform this service for me, and said to her,
Who art thou, and what dost thou want? - How soon hast thou forgotten me! she
exclaimed: I am she to whom thou has just done a kindness, by killing my
enemy; I am the snake whom thou savedst from the serpent; for I am a Jinniyeh,
and the serpent was a Jinni at enmity with me; and none but thou delivered me
from him: therefore, as soon as thou didst this, I flew to the ship from which
thy sisters cast thee, and transported all that it contained to thy house; I
then sunk it; but as to thy sisters, I transformed them by enchantment into
two black bitches; for I knew all that they had done to thee: the young man,
however, is drowned. - Having thus said, she took me up, and placed me with
the two black bitches on the roof of my house: and I found all the treasures
that the ship had contained collected in the midst of my house: nothing was
lost. She then said to me, I swear by that which was engraved upon the seal of
Suleyman, that, if thou do not inflict three hundred lashes upon each of these
bitches every day, I will come and transform thee in the like manner: - so I
replied, I hear and obey: - and have continued ever since to inflict upon them
these stripes, though pitying then while I do so.
The Khalifeh heard this story with astonishment, and then said to the second
lady, And what occasioned the stripes of which thou bearest the marks? She
answered as follows: -
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