TALE OF THE TWO KINGS AND THE WAZIR'S
DAUGHTERS[FN#447]
I overtravelled whileome lands and climes and towns and visited
the cities of high renown and traversed the ways of dangers and
hardships. Towards the last of my life, I entered a city of the
cities of China,[FN#448] wherein was a king of the Chosroës and
the Tobbas[FN#449] and the Cæsars.[FN#450] Now that city had
been peopled with its inhabitants by means of justice and equity;
but its then king was a tyrant dire who despoiled lives and souls
at his desire; in fine, there was no warming oneself at his fire,
[FN#451] for that indeed he oppressed the believing band and
wasted the eland. Now he had a younger brother, who was king in
Sarmarkand of the Persians, and the two kings sojourned a while
of time, each in his own city and stead, till they yearned unto
each other and the elder king despatched his Wazir to fetch his
younger brother. When the Minister came to the King of Samarkand
and acquainted him with his errand, he submitted himself to the
bidding of his brother and answered, "To hear is to obey." Then
he equipped himself and made ready for wayfare and brought forth
his tents and pavilions. A while after midnight, he went in to
his wife, that he might farewell her, and found her with a
strange man, lying by her in one bed. So he slew them both and
dragging them out by the feet, cast them away and set forth on
his march. When he came to his brother's court, the elder king
rejoiced in him with joy exceeding and lodged him in the pavilion
of hospitality beside his own palace. Now this pavilion
overlooked a flower-garden belonging to the elder brother and
there the younger abode with him some days. Then he called to
mind that which his wife had done with him and remembered her
slaughter and bethought him how he was a king, yet was not exempt
from the shifts of Time; and affected him with exceeding affect,
so that it drave him to abstain from meat and drink, or, if he
ate anything, it profited him naught. When his brother saw him
on such wise, he deemed that this had betided him by reason of
severance from his folk and family, and said to him, "Come, let
us fare forth a-coursing and a-hunting." But he refused to go
with him; so the elder brother went to the chase, while the
younger abode in the pavilion aforesaid. Now, as he was
diverting himself by looking out upon the flower-garden from the
latticed window of the palace, behold, he saw his brother's wife
and with her ten black slaves and ten slave-girls. Each slave
laid hold of a damsel and another slave came forth and did the
like with the queen; and when they had their wills one of other
they all returned whence they came. Hereat there betided the
King of Samarkand exceeding surprise and solace and he was made
whole of his malady, little by little. After a few days, his
brother returned, and finding him cured of his complaint, said to
him, "Tell me, O my brother, what was the cause of thy sickness
and thy pallor, and what is the reason of the return of health to
thee and of rosiness to thy face after this?" So he acquainted
him with the whole case and this was grievous to him; but they
hid their affair and agreed to leave the kingship and fare forth
a-pilgrimaging and adventuring at hap-hazard, for they deemed
that there had befallen none the like of what had befallen them.
Accordingly, they went forth and as they journeyed, they saw by
the way a woman imprisoned in seven chests, whereon were five
padlocks, and sunken deep in the midst of the salt sea, under the
guardianship of an Ifrit; yet for all this that woman issued out
of the ocean and opened those padlocks and coming forth of those
chests, did what she would with the two brothers, after she had
practised upon the Ifrit. When the two kings saw that woman's
fashion and how she circumvented the Ifrit, who had lodged her in
the abyss of the main, they turned back to their kingdoms and the
younger betook himself to Samarkand, whilst the elder returned to
China and contrived for himself a custom in the slaughter of
damsels, which was, his Wazir used to bring him every night a
girl, with whom he lay that night, and when he arose in the
morning, he gave her to the Minister and bade him do her die.
After this fashion he abode a long time, and the commons cried
out by reason of that grievous affair into which they were fallen
and feared the wrath of Allah Almighty, dreading lest He destroy
them by means of this. still the king persisted in that practice
and in his blameworthy intent of the killing of damsels and the
despoilment of maidens concealed by veils,[FN#452] wherefore the
girls sought succor of the Lord of All-might, and complained to
Him of the tyranny of the eking and of his oppression. Now the
king's Wazir had two daughters, sisters german, the elder of whom
had read the books and made herself mistress of the sciences and
studied the writings of the sages and the stories of the cup-
companions,[FN#453] and she was a maiden of abundant lore and
knowledge galore and wit than which naught can be more. She
heard that which the folk suffered from that king in his misuage
of their children; whereupon ruth for them gat hold of her and
jealousy and she besought Allah Almighty that He would bring the
king to renounce that his new accursed custom,[FN#454] and the
Lord answered her prayer. Then she consulted her younger sister
and said to her, "I mean to devise a device for freeing the
children of folk; to wit, I will go up to the king and offer
myself to marry him, and when I come to his presence, I will send
to fetch thee. When thou comest in to me and the king had his
carnal will of me, do thou say to me, ‘O my sister, let me hear a
story of thy goodly stories, wherewith we may beguile the waking
hours of our night, till the dawn, when we take leave of each
other; and let the king hear it likewise!'" The other replied,
"'Tis well; forsure this contrivance will deter the king from
this innovation he practiseth and thou shalt be requited with
favour exceeding and recompense abounding in the world to come,
for that indeed thou perilest thy life and wilt either perish or
win to thy wish." So she did this and Fortune favoured her and
the Divine direction was vouchsafed to her and she discovered her
design to her sire, the Wazir, who thereupon forbade her, fearing
her slaughter. However, she repeated her words to him a second
time and a third, but he consented not. Then he cited to her a
parable, which should deter her, and she cited to him a parable
of import contrary to his, and the debate was prolonged between
them and the adducing of instances, till her father saw that he
was powerless to turn her from her purpose and she said to him,
"There is no help but that I marry the King, so haply I may be a
sacrifice for the children of the Moslems: either I shall turn
him from this his heresy or I shall die." When the Minister
despaired of dissuading her, he went up to the king and
acquainted him with the case, saying, "I have a maiden daughter
and she desireth to give herself in free gift to the King."
Quoth the King, "How can thy soul consent to this, seeing that
thou knowest I abide but a single night with a girl and when I
arise on the morrow, I do her dead, and 'tis thou who slayest
her, and again and again thou hast done this?" Quoth the Wazir,
"Know, O king, that I have set forth all this to her, yet
consented she not to aught, but needs must she have thy company
and she chooseth to come to thee and present herself before thee,
albeit I have cited to her the sayings of the sages; but she hath
answered me with more than that which I said to her and
contrariwise." Then quoth the king, "Suffer her visit me this
night and to-morrow morning come thou and take her and kill her;
and by Allah, an thou slay her not, I will slay thee and her
also!" the Minister obeyed the king's bidding and going out from
the presence returned home. When it was night, he took his elder
daughter and carried her up to the king; and when she came before
him she wept;[FN#455] whereupon he asked her, "What causeth thee
to weep? Indeed, 'twas thou who willedst this." She answered, "I
weep not but of longing after my little sister; for that, since
we grew up, I and she, I have never been parted from her till
this day; so, an it please the King to send for her, that I may
look on her, and listen to her speech and take my fill of her
till the morning, this were a boon and an act of kindness of the
King." So he bade fetch the damsel and she came. Then there
befel that which befel of his union with the elder
sister,[FN#456] and when he went up to his couch, that he might
sleep, the younger sister said to her elder, "Allah upon thee, O
my sister, an thou be not asleep, tell us a tale of thy goodly
tales, wherewith me may beguile the watches of our night, ere day
dawn and parting." Said she, "With love and gladness;" and fell
to relating to her, whilst the king listened. Her story was
goodly and delectable, and whilst she was in the middle of
telling it, the dawn brake. Now the king's heart clave to the
hearing of the rest of the story; so he respited her till the
morrow; and, when it was the next night, she told him a tale
concerning the marvels of the land and the wonders of Allah's
creatures which was yet stranger and rarer than the first. In
the midst of the recital, appeared the day and she was silent
from the permitted say. So he let her live till the following
night, that he might hear the end of the history and after that
slay her. On this wise it fortuned with her; but as regards the
people of the city, they rejoiced and were glad and blessed the
Wazir's daughters, marvelling for that three days had passed and
that the king had not put his bride to death and exulting in that
he had returned to the ways of righteousness and would never
again burthen himself with blood-guilt against any of the maidens
of the city. Then, on the fourth night, she related to him a
still more extraordinary adventure, and on the fifth night she
told him anecdotes of Kings and Wazirs and Notables. Brief, she
ceased not to entertain him many days and nights, while the king
said to himself, "Whenas I shall have heard the end of the tale,
I will do her die," and the people redoubled their marvel and
admiration. Also, the folk of the circuits and cities heard of
this thing, to wit, that the king had turned from his custom and
from that which he had imposed upon himself and had renounced his
heresy, wherefor they rejoiced and the lieges returned to the
capital and took up there abode therein, after they had departed
thence; and they were constant in prayer to Allah Almighty that
He would stablish the king in his present stead." "And this, said
Shahrazad, "is the end of that which my friend related to me."
Quoth Shahryar,[FN#457] "O Shahrazad, finish for us the tale thy
friend told thee, inasmuch as it resembleth the story of a King
whom I knew; but fain would I hear that which betided the people
of this city and what they said of the affair of the King, so I
may return from the case wherein I was." She replied, "With love
and gladness!" Know, O auspicious king and lord of right rede
and praiseworthy meed and prowest of deed, that, when the folk
heard how the king had put away from him his malpractice and
returned from his unrighteous wont, they rejoiced in this with
joy exceeding and offered up prayers for him. Then they talked
one with other of the cause of the slaughter of the maidens, and
the wise said, "Women are not all alike, nor are the fingers of
the hand alike." Now when King Shahryar heard this story he came
to himself and awakening from his drunkenness,[FN#458] said, "By
Allah, this story is my story and this case is my case, for that
indeed I was in reprobation and danger of judgment till thou
turnedst me back from this into the right way, extolled be the
Causer of causes and the Liberator of necks!" presently adding,
"Indeed, O Shahrazad, thou hast awakened me to many things and
hast aroused me from mine ignorance of the right." Then said she
to him, "O chief of the kings, the wise say, ‘The kingship is a
building, whereof the troops are the base, and when the
foundation is strong, the building endureth;' wherefore it
behoveth the king to strengthen the foundation, for that they
say, ‘Whenas the base is weak, the building falleth.' In like
fashion it befitteth the king to care for his troops and do
justice among his lieges, even as the owner of the garden careth
for his trees and cutteth away the weeds that have no profit in
them; and so it befitteth the king to look into the affairs of
his Ryots and fend off oppression from them. As for thee, O
king, it behoveth thee that thy Wazir be virtuous and experienced
in the requirements of the people and the peasantry; and indeed
Allah the Most High hath named his name[FN#459] in the history of
Musa (on whom be the Peace!) when he saith, ‘And make me a Wazir
of my people, Aaron.' Now could a Wazir have been dispensed
withal, Moses son of Imran had been worthier than any to do
without a Minister. As for the Wazir, the Sultan discovereth
unto him his affairs, private and public; and know, O king, that
the likeness of thee with the people is that of the leach with
the sick man; and the essential condition of the Minister is that
he be soothfast in his sayings, reliable in all his relations,
rich in ruth for the folk and in tenderness of transacting with
them. Verily, it is said, "O king, that good troops be like the
druggist; if his perfumes reach thee not, thou still smellest the
fragrance of them; and bad entourage be like the blacksmith; if
his sparks burn thee not, thou smellest his evil smell. So it
befitteth thee to take to thyself a virtuous Wazir, a veracious
counsellor, even as thou takest unto thee a wife displayed before
thy face, because thou needest the man's righteousness for thine
own right directing, seeing that, if thou do righteously, the
commons will do right, and if thou do wrongously, they will also
do wrong." When the King heard this, drowsiness overcame him and
he slept and presently awaking, called for the candles; so they
were lighted and he sat down on his couch and seating Shahrazad
by him, smiled in her face. She kissed the ground before him and
said, "O king of the age and lord of the time and the years,
extolled be the Forgiving, the Bountiful, who hath sent me to
thee, of His grace and good favour, so I have incited thee to
longing after Paradise; for verily this which thou wast wont do
was never done of any of the kings before thee. then laud be to
the Lord who hath directed thee into the right way, and who from
the paths of frowardness hath diverted thee! as for women, Allah
Almighty maketh mention of them also when He saith in His Holy
Book, ‘Truly, the men who resign themselves to Allah[FN#460] and
the women who resign themselves, and the true-believing men and
the true-believing women and the devout men and the devout women
and truthful men and truthful women, and long-suffering men and
long-suffering women, and the humble men and the humble women,
and charitable men and charitable women, and the men who fast and
the women who fast, and men who guard their privities and women
who guard their privities, and men who are constantly mindful of
Allah and women who are constantly mindful, for them Allah hath
prepared forgiveness and a rich reward.'[FN#461] as for that
which hath befallen thee, verily, it hath befallen many kings
before thee and their women have falsed them, for all they were
more majestical of puissance than thou, and mightier of kingship
and had troops more manifold. If I would, I could relate to
thee, O king, concerning the wiles of women, that whereof I
should not make an end all my life long; and indeed, in all these
my nights that I have passed before thee, I have told thee many
tales of the wheedling of women and of their craft; but soothly
the things abound on me;[FN#462] so, an thou please, O king, I
will relate to thee somewhat of that which befel olden kings of
perfidy from their women and of the calamities which overtook
them by reason of these deceivers."" Asked the king, "How so?
Tell on;" and she answered, "Hearkening and obedience. It hath
been told me, O king, that a man once related to a company the
following tale:"
