第48章 THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD.(23)

'O youth，'answered they'we have not concealed this thing from thee but in our concern for theelest what befell us before thee and thou become like unto us.'It avails not，'said I；'you must tell me.'We give thee good advice，'rejoined they；'do thou take it and leave questioning us of our caseor thou wilt become one-eyed like unto us.'But I still persisted in my demand and they said'O youthif this thing befall theewe warn thee that we will never again receive thee into our company nor let thee abide with us.'Then they took a ram and slaughtering itskinned it and gave me a knifesaying'Lie down on the skin and we will sew thee up in it and leave thee and go away. Presently there will come to thee a bird called the roc that will catch thee up in its claws and fly away with thee and set thee down on a mountain. As soon as thou feelest it alight with theeslit the skin with the knife and come forth；whereupon the bird will take fright at thee and fly away and leave thee. Then rise and fare on half a day's journeytill thou comest to a palace rising high into the airbuilded of khelenj and aloes and sandal-wood and plated with red goldinlaid with all manner emeralds and other jewels. There enter and thou wilt attain thy desire. We all have been in that placeand this is the cause of the loss of our right eyes and the reason why we blacken our faces. Were we to tell thee our storiesit would take too much timefor each lost his eye by a separate adventure.'They then sewed me up in the skin and left me on the ground outside the palace；and the roc carried me off and set me down on the mountain. I cut open the skin and came outwhereupon the bird flew away and I walked on till I reached the palace. The door stood open；so I entered and found myself in a very wide and goodly hallas big as a tilting-groundround which were a hundred doors of sandal and aloes-woodplated with red gold and furnished with rings of silver. At the upper end of the hallI saw forty young ladies，sumptuously clad and adornedas they were moonsone could never tire of gazing on them： and they all came up to mesaying，'Welcome and fair welcomeO my lord！This month past have we been expecting the like of thee；and praised be God who hath sent us one who is worthy of us and we of him！'Then they made me sit down on a high divan and said to me'From to-day thou art our lord and masterand we are thy handmaids；so order us as thou wilt.'And I marvelled at their case. Presently one of them arose and set food before meand I atewhilst others heated water and washed my hands and feet and changed my clothesand yet others made ready sherbets and gave me to drink；and they were all full of joy and delight at my coming. Then they sat down and conversed with me till nightfallwhen five of them arose and spreading a matcovered it with flowers and fruits and confections in profusion and set on wine；and we sat down to drinkwhile some of them sang and others played the lute and psaltery and recorders and other instruments. So the cup went round amongst us and such gladness possessed me that I forgot all the cares of the world and said'This is indeed lifebut that it is fleeting.'

We ceased not to drink and make merry till the night was far spent and we were warm with winewhen they said to me'O our lordchoose from amongst us one who shall be thy bedfellow this night and not lie with thee again till forty days be past.'So I chose a girl fair of facewith liquid black eyes and jetty hair，slightly parted teeth and joining eyebrowsperfect in shape and formas she were a palm-sapling or a stalk of sweet basil；such an one as troubles the heart and bewilders the wit，even as saith of her the poet：

'Twere vain to liken her unto the tender branchAnd out on who compares her form to the gazelle！

Whence should gazelles indeed her shape's perfection get Or yet her honeyed lips so sweet to taste and smell，Or those great eyes of hersso dire to those who loveThat bind their victims fast in passion's fatal spell？

I dote on her with all the folly of a child. What wonder if he turn a child who loves too well！

And I repeated to her the following verses：

My eyes to gaze on aught but thy grace disdain And none but thou in my thought shall ever reign.

The love of thee is my sole concernmy fair；In love of theeI will die and rise again.

So I lay with her that nightnever knew I a fairerand when it was morningthe ladies carried me to the bath and washed me and clad me in rich clothes. Then they served up food and we ate and drankand the cup went round amongst us till the nightwhen I chose from among them one who was fair to look upon and soft of sidessuch an one as the poet describeswhen he says：

I saw upon her breast two caskets snowy-whiteMusk-sealed；she doth forbid to lovers their delight.

She guards them with the darts that glitter from her eyes；And those who would them pressher arrowy glances smite.

I passed a most delightful night with her；and to make a long story shortI led the goodliest life with themeating and drinking and carousing and every night taking one or other of them to my bedfor a whole yearat the end of which time they came in to me in tears and fell to bidding me farewell and clinging to meweeping and crying out；whereat I marvelled and said to them'What ails you？ Indeed you break my heart.'Would we had never known thee！'answered they. 'We have companied with many menbut never saw we a pleasanter or more courteous than thou： and now we must part from thee. Yet it rests with thee to see us againand if thou hearken to uswe need never be parted：