The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Anonymous (best books to read .txt) 📕

I shall not stay, madam, to tell you the particulars of all the other rare and precious things I saw the days following: I shall only tell you, that thirty-nine days afforded me but just as much time as was necessary to open ninety-nine doors, and to admire all that presented itself to my view, so that there was only the hundredth door left, the opening of which was forbidden. I was come to the fortieth day after the departure of those charming princesses, and had I but retained so much power over myself as I ought to have had, I should have been this day the happiest of all mankind, whereas now I am the most unfortunate. They were to return the next day, and the pleasure of seeing them again ought to have restrained my curiosity; but, through my weakness, which I shall ever repent, I yielded to the temptations of the evil spirit, who gave me no rest till I had thrown myself into those misfortunes that I have since undergone. I opened that fatal door, which I promised not to meddle with, and had not moved my foot to go in, when a smell that was pleasant enough, but contrary to my constitution, made me faint away: Nevertheless, I came to myself again, and instead of taking this warning to shut the door, and forbear satisfying my curiosity, I went in, after I had stood some time in the air to carry off the scent, which did not incommode me any more. I found a large place, very well vaulted, the pavement strewed over with saffron; several candlesticks of massy gold, with lighted tapers that smelled of aloes and ambergris, lighted the place; and this light was augmented by lamps of gold and silver, that burned with oil made of several sorts of sweet-scented materials.

Among a great many objects that engaged my attention, I perceived a black horse, of the handsomest and best shape that ever was seen. I went nearer the better to observe him, and found he had a saddle and a bridle of massy gold, curiously wrought. The one side of his trough was filled with clean barley and sessems, and the other with rose water; I took him by the bridle, and led him forth to view him by the light; I got on his back, and would have had him move; but he not stirring, I whipped him with a switch I had taken up in his magnificent stable; and he had no sooner felt the stroke, than he began to neigh with a horrible noise, and extending his wings, which I had not seen before, he flew up with me into the air quite out of sight. I thought on nothing then but to sit fast; and, considering the fear that had seized upon me, I sat very well. He afterwards flew down again towards the earth, and lighting upon the terrace of a castle, without giving me any time to get off, he shook me out of the saddle with such force, that he made me fall behind him, and with the end of his tail struck out my right eye. Thus I became blind of one eye, and then I began to remember the predictions of the ten young gentlemen. The horse flew again out of sight. I got up very much troubled at the misfortune I had brought upon myself: I walked upon the terrace, covering my eye with one of my hands, for it pained me exceedingly, and then came down and entered into the hall, which I knew presently by the ten sofas in a circle, and the eleventh in the middle, lower than the rest, to be the same castle from whence I was taken by the roc. The ten half-blind gentlemen were not in the hall when I came in, but came soon after with the old man; they were not at all surprised to see me again, nor at the loss of my eye; but said, We are sorry that we cannot congratulate you upon your return as we could have desired; but we are not the cause of your misfortune. I should be in the wrong to accuse you, said I, for I have drawn it upon myself, and I can charge the fault upon no other person. If it be a consolation to the unfortunate, said they, to have fellows, this example may afford us a subject of rejoicing; all that has happened to you, we also have undergone: we tasted all sorts of pleasure during a year successively; and we had continued to enjoy the same happiness still, had we not opened the golden door when the princesses were absent: You have been no wiser than we, and you had likewise the same punishment; we would gladly receive you among us, to do such penance as we do, though we know not how long it may continue: But we have already declared the reasons that hinder us; therefore depart from hence, and go to the court of Bagdad, where you will meet with him that can decide your destiny. They told me the way I was to travel, and so I left them. On the road I caused my beard and eye-brows to be shaved, and took on a calender's habit. I have had a long journey; but at last arrived this evening in this city, where I met these my brother calenders at the gate, being strangers as well as myself. We wondered much at one another, to see all three blind, of the same eye; but we had not leisure to discourse long of our common calamities, having only so much time as to come hither to implore those favours which you have been generously pleased to grant us.

The third calender having finished this relation of his adventures, Zobeide addressed her speech to him and his fellow-calenders thus: Go wherever you think fit; you are all three at liberty. But one of them answered, madam, we beg you to pardon our curiosity, and permit us to hear those gentlemen's stories who have not yet spoken. Then the lady turned to that side where stood the caliph, the vizier Giafar, and Mesrour, whom she knew not; but said to them, It is now your turn to tell me your adventures; therefore speak.

The grand vizier Giafar, who had always been the spokesman, answered Zobeide thus: Madam, in order to obey you, we need only repeat what we have said already, before we entered your house. We are merchants of Moussol, that came to Bagdad to sell our merchandise, which lies in the khan where we lodge. We dined to-day, with several other persons of our profession, at a merchant's house in this city; who, after he had treated us with choice dainties and excellent wines, sent for men and women dancers and musicians. The great noise we made brought in the watch, who arrested some of the company, but we had the good fortune to escape; and it being already late, and the door of our khan shut up, we knew not whither to retire. It was our hap, as we passed along this street, to hear mirth at your house, which made us determine to knock at your gate. This is all the account that we can give you in obedience to your commands.

Zobeide, having heard this discourse, seemed to hesitate as to what she should say; which the calenders perceiving, prayed her to grant the same favour to the three Moussol merchants as she had done to them. Well, then, said she, I give my consent, for you shall be all equally obliged to me; I pardon you all, provided you depart immediately out of this house, and go whither you please. Zobeide haying given this command in a tone that signified she would be obeyed, the caliph, the vizier, Mesrour, the three calenders, and the porter, departed without saying one word; for the presence of the seven slaves with their weapons kept them in awe. When they were out of the house, and the door shut, the caliph said to the calenders, without making himself known, You gentlemen strangers, that are newly come to town, which way do you design to go, since it is not yet day? It is that which perplexes us, sir, said they. Follow us, replies the caliph, and we shall bring you out of danger. After saying these words, he whispered to the vizier, Take them along with you, and to-morrow morning bring them to me; I will cause their history to be put in writing, for it deserves a place in the annals of my reign. The vizier Giafar took the three calenders along with him; the porter went to his quarters, and the caliph and Mesrour returned to the palace. The caliph went to bed, but could not get a wink of sleep, his spirits being perplexed by the extraordinary things he had seen and heard; But, above all, he was most concerned to know who Zobeide was, what reason she could have to be so severe to the two black bitches, and why Amine had her bosom so mortified. Day began to appear whilst he was thinking upon these things: he arose and went to his council-chamber, where he used to give audience, and sat upon his throne.

The grand vizier came in a little after, and paid his respects as usual. Vizier, said the caliph, the affairs we have to consider at present are not very pressing; that of the three ladies and the two black bitches is much more so. My mind cannot be at ease till I be thoroughly satisfied in all those matters that have surprised me so much. Go, bring these ladies and the calenders at the same time; make haste, and remember that I do impatiently expect your return. The vizier, who knew his master's quick and fiery temper, made haste to obey, and went to the ladies, to whom he communicated, in a civil way, the orders he had to bring them before the caliph, without taking any notice of what had passed the night before at their house. The ladies put on their veils, and went with the vizier; as he passed by his own house, he took the three calenders along with him, and they, in the mean time, had got notice that they had both seen and spoken with the caliph without knowing him. The vizier brought them to the palace with so much diligence, that the caliph was mightily pleased at it. This prince, that he might keep a good decorum before all the officers of his court who were then present, made those ladies be placed behind the hanging of the door of the room that was next his bedchamber, and kept by him the three calenders; who, by their respectful behaviour, gave sufficient proof that they were not ignorant before whom they had the honour to appear. When the ladies were placed, the caliph turned towards them, and said, When I shall acquaint you, that I came last night, disguised in a merchant's habit, into your house, it will certainly alarm you, and make you fear that you have offended me; and perhaps you believe that I have sent for you to no other end but to show some marks of my resentment: But be not afraid; you may rest assured that I have forgotten all that has passed, and am very well satisfied with your conduct. I wish that all the ladies of Bagdad had as much discretion as you have given proof of before me. I shall always remember the moderation you made use of, after the incivility we had committed. I was then a merchant of Moussol, but am at present Haroun Alraschid, the seventh caliph of the glorious house of Abbas, who holds the place of our great prophet. I have only sent for you to know who you are, and to ask for what reason one of you, after severely whipping the two black bitches, did weep with them? and I am no less curious to know why another of you has her bosom full of scars? Though the caliph pronounced these words very distinctly, so that the three ladies heard them