I rose and followed her as she left the palace and she threaded the streets until she came to the city gate, where she spoke
words I understood not, and the padlocks dropped of themselves as
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if broken and the gate leaves opened. She went forth (and I after her without her noticing aught) till she came at last to the outlying mounds[FN#120] and a reed fence built about a round
roofed hut of mud bricks. As she entered the door, I climbed upon the roof which commanded a view of the interior, and lo! my fair cousin had gone in to a hideous negro slave with his upper lip
like the cover of a pot, and his lower like an open pot; lips
which might sweep up sand from the gravel-floor of the cot. He was to boot a leper and a paralytic, lying upon a strew of sugar cane trash and wrapped in an old blanket and the foulest rags and tatters. She kissed the earth before him, and he raised his head
so as to see her and said, "Woe to thee! what call hadst thou to stay away all this time? Here have been with me sundry of the black brethren, who drank their wine and each had his young lady, and I was not content to drink because of thine absence." Then she, "O my lord, my heart's love and coolth of my eyes [FN#121]
knowest thou not that I am married to my cousin whose very look I
loathe, and hate myself when in his company? And did not I fear for thy sake, I would not let a single sun arise before making
his city a ruined heap wherein raven should croak and howlet hoot, and jackal and wolf harbour and loot; nay I had removed its very stones to the back side of Mount Kaf." [FN#122] Rejoined the slave, Thou liest, damn thee! Now I swear an oath by the velour
and honour of blackamoor men (and deem not our manliness to be ;
the poor manliness of white men), from today forth if thou stay away till this hour, I will not keep company with thee nor will I glue my body with thy body and strum and belly bump Dost play fast and loose with us, thou cracked pot, that we may satisfy thy dirty lusts? stinkard! bitch! vilest of the vile whites!" When I
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heard his words, and saw with my own eyes what passed between these two wretches, the world waxed dark be fore my face and my soul knew not in what place it was. But , my wife humbly stood up weeping before and wheedling the slave, and saying, O my beloved, and very fruit of my heart, there is none left to cheer me but
thy dear self; and, if thou cast me off who shall take me in, O
my beloved, O light of my eyes?" And she ceased not weeping and abasing herself to him until he deigned be reconciled with her. Then was she right glad and stood up and doffed her clothes, even to her petticoat trousers, and said, 0 my master what hast thou
here for thy handmaiden to eat? Uncover the basin," he grumbled, "and thou shalt find t the bottom the broiled bones of some rats we dined on, pick at them, and then go to that slop pot where
thou shalt find some leavings of beer [FN#123] which thou mayest drink." So she ate and drank and washed her hands, and went and lay down by the side of the slave, upon the cane trash and,
stripping herself stark naked, she crept in with him under his foul coverlet and his rags and tatters. When I saw my wife, my cousin, the daughter of my uncle, do this deed[FN#124] I clean lost my wits, and climbing down from the roof, I entered and took the sword which she had with her and drew it, determined to cut down the twain. I first struck at the slave's neck and thought
that the death decree had fallen on him:"And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young ensorcelled Prince said to the King, "When I smote the
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slave with intent to strike off his head, I thought that I had slain him; for he groaned a loud hissing groan, but I had cut only the skin and flesh of the gullet and the two arteries! It
awoke the daughter of my uncle, so I sheathed the sword and fared forth for the city; and, entering the palace, lay upon my bed and slept till morning when my wife aroused me and I saw that she had
cut off her hair and had donned mourning garments. Quoth she:--O
son of my uncle, blame me not for what I do; it hath just reached me that my mother is dead, and my father hath been killed in holy war, and of my brothers one hath lost his life by a snake sting
and the other by falling down some precipice; and I can and
should do naught save weep and lament. When I heard her words I refrained from all reproach and said only:--Do as thou list; I certainly will not thwart thee. She continued sorrowing, weeping and wailing one whole year from the beginning of its circle to
the end, and when it was finished she said to me.--I wish to build me in thy palace a tomb with a cupola, which I will set apart for my mourning and will name the House of
Lamentations.[FN#125] Quoth I again:--Do as thou list! Then she builded for herself a cenotaph wherein to mourn, and set on its centre a dome under which showed a tomb like a Santon's sepulchre. Thither she carried the slave and lodged him; but he
was exceeding weak by reason of his wound, and unable to do her love service; he could only drink wine and from the day of his
hurt he spake not a word, yet he lived on because his appointed hour[FN#126] was not come. Every day, morning and evening, my wife went to him and wept and wailed over him and gave him wine and strong soups, and left not off doing after this manner a
second year; and I bore with her patiently and paid no heed to
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her. One day, however, I went in to her unawares; and I found her weeping and beating her face and crying:--Why art thou absent from my sight, O my heart's delight? Speak to me, O my life; talk with me, O my love? Then she recited these verses:--
For your love my patience fails and albeit you forget * I may not, nor to other love my heart can make reply:
Bear my body, bear my soul wheresoever you may fare * And where you pitch the camp let my body buried lie:
Cry my name above my grave, and an answer shall return * The moaning of my bones responsive to your cry.[FN#127]
Then she recited, weeping bitterly the while:--
The day of my delight is the day when draw you near * And the day of mine affright is the day you turn away:
Though I tremble through the night in my bitter dread of death * When I hold you in my arms I am free from all affray
Once more she began reciting:--
Though a morn I may awake with all happiness in hand * Though the world all be mine and like Kisra-kings[FN#128] I reign;
To me they had the worth of the winglet of the gnat * When I fail to see thy form, when I look for thee in vain
When she had ended for a time her words and her weeping I said to
her--O my cousin, let this thy mourning suffice, for in pouring
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forth tears there is little profit! Thwart me not, answered she,
in aught I do, or I will lay violent hands on myself ! So I held
my peace and left her to go her own way; and she ceased not to cry and keen and indulge her affliction for yet another year. At the end of the third year I waxed aweary of this lonesome
mourning, and one day I happened to enter the cenotaph when vexed and angry with some matter which had thwarted me, and suddenly I heard her say:--O my lord, I never hear thee vouch safe a single
word to me! Why cost thou not answer me, O my master? and she began reciting:--
O thou tomb! O, thou tomb! be his beauty set in shade? * Hast thou darkened that countenance all sheeny as the noon?