The Twelfth Night

Once again, the morning dawned and Scheherazade stopped talking.

Then, when the twelfth night arrived, she continued speaking:

"I have heard…"

"Oh auspicious king!"

Continuation of the story of the eleventh night…

The dervish said to the lady of the house, Ja'far and the caliph and the rest of the company that were listening is tale:

"My uncle struck his son with his shoe, as he lay there, burned black as charcoal."

I was astonished and was filled with grief for my cousin and at the fate that had overtaken him and the girl.

I said:

"By Allah!"

"Uncle, remove nastiness from your heart."

"My heart and mind are filled with concerns. I am saddened by what has happened to my cousin, and by the fact that he and this girl have been left like charcoal."

"Is their fate not enough for you that you strike your son with your shoe?"

He replied:

"Nephew, from his earliest days this son of mine was passionately in love with his sister. I used to keep him away from her and I would tell myself: 'They are only children'. But, when they grew up they committed a foul sin. I heard of this, and although I didn´t believe it, I seized him and reproached him bitterly, saying: 'Beware of doing what no one has done before you or will do after you. This will remain as a source of disgrace and disparagement among the kings until the End of Time, as the news is carried by the caravans. Take care not to act like this, or else I shall be angry and kill you.' "

"I kept them away, one from the other, but the damned girl was deeply in love with him and Satan got the upper hand and made their actions seem good to them."

"When my son saw that I was keeping him from his sister, he constructed this underground chamber, set it in order and provisioned it, as you see. Then, taking me unaware, when I had gone out hunting, he came here, but the Righteous Allah was jealous of them and consumed them both with fire, while their punishment in the next world will be harsher and stronger."

Then, we wept, and he looked at me and said:

"You are my son in his place."

I thought for a time about this world and its happenings and of how my father had been killed by his vizier, who had then taken his place and who had plucked out my eye, and I thought of the strange fate of my cousin. Once again, I wept and my uncle wept with me.

Then, we climbed back up and replaced the cover and the earth, restoring the tomb as it had been. Later, we returned to the palace.

However, before we had sat down, we heard the noise of drums, kettledrums and trumpets, the clatter of lances, the shouting of men, the clink of bridles and the neighing of horses. The sky was darkened by sand and dust kicked up by horses' hooves and we were bewildered, without knowing what had happened.

When we asked, we were told that the vizier who had taken my father's kingdom had fitted out his troops, collected men, hired Bedouins, and came with an army like the sands that could not be numbered and which no one could withstand. They had made a surprise attack on the city, which had proved unable to resist, and it had surrendered to them.

Later, my uncle was killed and I fled to the edge of the city, saying to myself:

"If I fall into this man's hands, he will kill me."

Fresh sorrows were piled on me; I remembered what had happened to my father and to my uncle, and I wondered what to do, for if I showed myself, the townspeople and my father's men would recognize me and I would be killed.

The only way of escape that I could find was to shave off my beard and my moustache, which I did, and after that I changed my clothes and went out of the city.

Then, I came here, hoping that someone might take me to the Commander of the Faithful, the caliph of the Lord of Creation, so that I might talk to him and tell him the story of what had happened to me. I got here tonight and was at a loss to know where to go, when I came to where this dervish was standing. I greeted him and told him that I was a stranger, at which he said:

"I am also a stranger."

While we were talking, our third companion came up, greeted us, introducing himself as a stranger, to which we made the same reply. Then, we walked on as darkness fell and fate led us to you.

This is the story of why my beard and moustache have been shaved and of how I lost my eye.

The lady said:

"Touch your forelock and go."

But, the man replied:

"Not before I hear someone else's tale."

The others wondered at his story and the caliph said to Ja'far:

"By Allah!"

"I have never seen or heard something like of what has happened to this dervish"

The second dervish then came forward, kissed the ground and told his story.

Story of the second dervish

Young woman, I was not born one-eyed and my story is a marvelous one, which, if it were it written with needles on the inner corners of the eyes of men, would serve as a warning to those who take heed. I was a king, the son of a king. I studied the seven readings of the Quran, read books and discussed them with men of learning. I also studied astronomy, poetry and all other branches of knowledge until I surpassed all the people of my time, while my calligraphy was unrivaled. My fame spread through all lands and all kings. The king of India heard of me and sent a messenger to my father, together with gifts and presents suitable for royalty, to ask for me. My father equipped me with six ships and after a full month's voyage, we came to land. We unloaded the horses that we had taken on board with us and loaded ten camels with presents, but we had only traveled a short way, when suddenly we saw a dust cloud, which rose and spread until it filled the sky. After a while, it cleared away to show beneath it, fifty mail-clad horsemen like scowling lions, and on closer inspection, we could see that they were Bedouin highwaymen. When they saw our small numbers, and that we had ten camels laden with gifts for the king of India, they rushed at us with leveled lances. We gestured to them with our fingers and said:

"We are envoys on our way to the great king of India, so do not harm us."

They told us:

"We don't live in this country."

"We aren´t subjects of him."

Then, they killed some of my servants, while the rest took flight. I was badly wounded and fled, but the Bedouins didn´t pursue me, being too busy collecting the money and the gifts that we had brought with us. Having been cast down from my position of power, I went off with no notion of where I was going, and I carried on until I reached the top of a mountain, where I took refuge in a cave until the next day.

I continued traveling, in this way, until I came to a strong and secure city, from which cold winter had retreated, while spring had come with its roses. Flowers were blooming. There were gushing streams and the birds were singing. It fitted the description of the Poet:

"A place whose citizens are subject to no fear."

"And safety is the master there."

"For its people, it is a decorated shield."

"Being its wonders a plain to see."

As I was tired out with walking and pale with care, I was glad to get there. With my changed and difficult circumstances, I had no idea where to go. Passing by the shop of a tailor, I greeted him and he returned my greetings and welcomed me with cheerful friendliness. When he asked me why I had left my own country, I told him what had happened to me from beginning to end. He was sorry for me and said:

"Young man, don´t tell anyone about yourself, as I am afraid that at least the king of this city might do you some harm, as he is one of your father's greatest enemies and has a blood feud with him."

He prepared food and drink and we ate together. I chatted with him that night and he gave me a place to sleep at the side of his shop, and fetched me what I needed in the way of bedding and blankets.

I stayed there for three days, and he asked me:

"Do you know any craft by which to make your living?"

I told him:

"I am a lawyer, a scientist, a scribe, a mathematician and a calligrapher."

He replied:

"There aren´t markets for that kind of things here."

"No one in this city has any knowledge of science or of writing and their only concerns are making money."

I said:

"By Allah!"

"I know nothing else from what I have told you."

He stated:

"Tighten your belt, take an axe and a rope and bring in firewood from the countryside."

"This will give you a livelihood until Allah brings you relief, but don't let people know who you are or you will be killed."

Then, he brought me an axe and a rope and handed me over to some woodcutters, telling them to look after me. I went out with them and collected wood for a whole day, after which I carried back a load on my head and sold it for half a dinar. With part of this money, I bought food and saved the rest.

I went on like this for a year, and then when the year was up, I came out to the countryside one day, as usual, and as I was wandering there alone, I found a tree-filled hollow where there was plenty wood. Going down into the hollow, I came across a thick tree stump and dug round it, removing the soil. Then, my axe stroke against a copper ring, and by clearing away the earth, I discovered a wooden trapdoor, which I opened. Below it appeared a flight of steps, and when I reached the bottom of these, I saw a door, while entering, I saw a most beautiful palace set with pillars. In it, I found a girl like a splendid pearl, one to banish from the heart all trace of care, sorrow and distress, while her words would dispel concerns and would leave any man, intelligent and sensible, out of his senses. She was of medium height, with rounded breasts and soft cheeks, radiant and beautifully formed, with a face shining in the black night of her hair, while the gleam of her mouth was reflected on her breast. She was as the Poet said:

"Dark-haired and slim-wasted."

"Her buttocks were like sand dunes."

"And her figure like that of a ban tree."

There is another verse:

"There are four things never before united."

"Except to pierce my heart and shed my blood."

"A radiant forehead, hair like night."

"A rosy cheek, and a slim form."

When I looked at her, I praised the Creator for the beauty and loveliness that He had produced in her. She looked at me and asked:

"What are you, a human or one of the jinn?"

I replied:

"Of course!"

"I am a human."

And she continued with another question:

"Who brought you to this place?"

"I have been here for twenty-five years without ever seeing a man!"

I found her speech so sweet that it filled my heart, and I said:

"My lucky stars brought me here, my lady, to drive away my cares and sorrows."

Then, I explained her from beginning to end what had happened to me and she found my plight hard to bear and wept.

She said:

"By my part, now, I will tell you my own story. You must know that I am the daughter of the king Iftamus, lord of the Ebony Islands. He had given me in marriage to my cousin, but on my wedding night, I was snatched away by an efrit, named Jirjis, son of Rajmus, the son of the maternal aunt of Iblis. He flew off with me and brought me down into this place, where he fetched everything that I need: clothes, ornaments, fabrics, furniture, food, drink and everything else."

"He comes here every ten days, sleeps for the night and then goes on his way, as he took me without the permission of his own people. He has promised me that if I need anything, during night or day, and if I touch with my hand these two lines, inscribed on the inside of this dome, before I take my hand away, he shall appear before me. Today is the fourth day since he was here, and so there are six left until he comes again."

"Would you like to stay with me for five days?"

"Then, you can then leave one day before he returns!"

I replied:

"Yes!"

"How splendid it is when the dreams come true!"

This made her very happy and, rising to her feet, she took me by the hand and led me through an arched door to a fine and elegant bath. When I saw this, I took off my clothes and she removed hers. After bathing, she stepped out and sat on a bench with me by her side. Then, she poured me out wine flavored with musk and brought food. We ate and talked, until she said:

"Sleep, rest, you are tired!"

Forgetting all my troubles, I thanked her and fell asleep. When I woke, I found her massaging my feet. I said:

"Allah bless you!"

And we sat there talking for a time.

She said:

"By Allah!"

"I was sad, living by myself under the ground, with no one to talk for twenty-five years."

"Praise be to Allah, Who has sent you to me."

She asked me if I would like some wine, and when I said yes, she went to a cupboard and produced old wine in a sealed flask. Then, she then set out some green branches, took the wine and recited:

"If I had known you were coming, I would have spread my heart's blood or the pupils of my eyes."

"My cheeks would have been a carpet, when we met."

"So, that you could have walked over my eyelids."

When she finished these lines, I thanked, loved her and she took possession of my heart and my cares and sorrows were gone. We sat drinking together until nightfall, and I then passed with her a night, which I liked too much and I had never known other like that in my life.

When the morning came, we were still celebrating, joining delights to delights, and this went on until midday. I was so drunk that I had lost my senses and I got up, swaying right and left, and I said:

"Get up, my beauty, and I will bring you out from under the earth and free you from this efrit."

She laughed and said:

"Be happy with what you have and stay silent. Out of every ten days he will have one and nine will be for you."

But, the drunkenness had beaten me and I said:

"I shall now smash the dome with the inscription. Let him come, so that I will kill him, for I am accustomed to killing efrits."

By hearing this, she turned pale and exclaimed:

"By Allah!"

"Don´t do this!"

Then she recited:

"If there is something that will destroy you."

"Protect yourself from it."

She added more lines:

"You look for separation, but rein in the horse that seeks to head the field."

"Patience, for Time's nature is treacherous."

"And at the end, there is the part of the companions."

She finished her poem, but, paying no attention to her words of warning, I aimed a violent kick at the dome.

To be continued during the thirteenth night…