第3章 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT(1)

In the name of Godthe Compassionatethe Merciful！Praise be to Godthe Lord of the two worldsand blessing and peace upon the Prince of the Prophetsour lord and master Mohammed，whom God bless and preserve with abiding and continuing peace and blessing until the Day of the Faith！Of a veritythe doings of the ancients become a lesson to those that follow afterso that men look upon the admonitory events that have happened to others and take warningand come to the knowledge of what befell bygone peoples and are restrained thereby. So glory be to Him who hath appointed the things that have been done aforetime for an example to those that come after！And of these admonitory instances are the histories called the Thousand Nights and One Nightwith all their store of illustrious fables and relations.

It is recorded in the chronicles of the things that have been done of time past that there lived oncein the olden days and in bygone ages and timesa king of the kings of the sons of Sasan，who reigned over the Islands of India and China and was lord of armies and guards and servants and retainers. He had two sonsan elder and a youngerwho were both valiant cavaliers，but the elder was a stouter horseman than the younger. When their father diedhe left his empire to his elder sonwhose name was Shehriyarand he took the government and ruled his subjects justlyso that the people of the country and of the empire loved him wellwhilst his brother Shahzeman became King of Samarcand of Tartary. The two kings abode each in his own dominionsruling justly over their subjects and enjoying the utmost prosperity and happinessfor the space of twenty yearsat the end of which time the elder king yearned after his brother and commanded his Vizier to repair to the latter's court and bring him to his own capital. The Vizier replied'I hear and obey，'and set out at once and journeyed till he reached King Shahzeman's court in safetywhen he saluted him for his brother and informed him that the latter yearned after him and desired that he would pay him a visitto which King Shahzeman consented gladly and made ready for the journey and appointed his Vizier to rule the country in his stead during his absence. Then he caused his tents and camels and mules to be brought forth and encampedwith his guards and attendantswithout the cityin readiness to set out next morning for his brother's kingdom. In the middle of the night，it chanced that he bethought him of somewhat he had forgotten in his palace；so he returned thither privily and entered his apartmentswhere he found his wife asleep in his own bedin the arms of one of his black slaves. When he saw thisthe world grew black in his sightand he said to himself'If this is what happens whilst I am yet under the city wallswhat will be the condition of this accursed woman during my absence at my brother's court？'Then he drew his sword and smote the twain and slew them and left them in the bed and returned presently to his campwithout telling any one what had happened. Then he gave orders for immediate departure and set out a'once and travelled till he drew near his brother's capital when he despatched vaunt-couriers to announce his approach. His brother came forth to meet him and saluted him and rejoiced exceedingly and caused the city to be decorated in his honour. Then he sat down with him to converse and make merry；but King Shahzeman could not forget the perfidy of his wife and grief grew on him more and more and his colour changed and his body became weak. Shehriyar saw his conditionbut attributed it to his separation from his country and his kingdomso let him alone and asked no questions of him，till one day he said to him'O my brotherI see that thou art grown weak of body and hast lost thy colour.'And Shahzeman answered'O my brotherI have an internal wound，'but did not tell him about his wife. Said Shehriyar'I wish thou wouldst ride forth with me a-hunting；maybe it would lighten thy heart.'

But Shahzeman refused；so his brother went out to hunt without him. Now there were in King Shahzeman's apartments lattice-windows overlooking his brother's gardenand as the former was sitting looking on the gardenbehold a gate of the palace openedand out came twenty damsels and twenty black slavesand among them his brother's wifewho was wonderfully fair and beautiful. They all came up to a fountainwhere the girls and slaves took off their clothes and sat down together.