第57章 THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD.(32)

You swore to me that you would keepfor ayeyour plighted faith；But when my heart was yoursyou broke the oath that you had ta'en.

Are you secure against the shifts of time and evil chanceThat you've no mercy on my love nor aught of pity deign？

If I must dieI pritheewrite'fore Godupon my tomb'A slave of passion lieth herewho died of love in vain.'

It may be one shall pass that waywho knows the pangs of love，And looking on a lover's gravetake pity on her pain.

Then I wept；and when he heard what I said and saw my tearshis anger redoubledand he repeated the following verses：

I left the darling of my heartnot from satiety；But she had sinned a sin that called aloud for punishment.

She would have ta'en another in to share with me her loveBut the religion of my heart to share will not consent .

Then I wept again and implored himsaying to myself'I will work on him with words；so haply he may spare my lifethough he take all I have.'So I complained to him of my sufferings and repeated the following verses：

If thou indeed wert just to methou wouldst not take my life.

Alas！against the law of Death no arbiter is there！

Thou layst upon my back the load of passion and desireWhen I for weakness scarce can lift the very gown I wear！

That so my soul should waste awaysmall wonder is to me；But oh！

I wonder how my flesh can thine estrangement bear.

Then I wept againand he looked at me and reviled and reproached merepeating the following verses：

Thou hast forgotten my love in the arms of another than me；Thou shew'st me estrangementthough I was never unfaithful to thee.

So I will cast thee awaysince thou wast the first to forsake，And by thy pattern content to live without thee will I be.

And （like thyself） in the arms of another thy charms I'll forget；'Tis thou that hast sundered our loves： thou canst not reproach it to me.

Then he called to the slave with the swordsaying 'Cut her in half and rid us of herfor we have no profit of her.'So the slave drew near to me and I gave myself up for lost and committed my affair to God the Most High；butat this momentin came the old woman and threw herself at my husband's feet and kissed them，saying'O my sonfor the sake of my fosterage of thee and my service to theespare this young ladyfor indeed she has done nothing deserving of death. Thou art a very young manand I fear lest her death be laid to thy countfor it is said'He who kills shall be killed.'As for this wretched womanput her away from thee and from thy thought and heart.'And she ceased not to weep and implore himtill he relented and said'I pardon her，but I will set a mark on her that shall stay with her all her life.'Then he made the slaves strip off my clothes and hold me downand taking a rod of quince-wood beat me with it on the back and sides till I lost my senses for excess of pain and despaired of life. Then he commanded slavesas soon as it was darkto carry me back to the house in which I had lived before my marriage with himtaking the old woman with them to guide them.

They did as he bade them and cast me down in my house and went away. I did not recover from my swoon till the morningwhen I applied myself to the dressing of my woundsand medicined myself and kept my bed for four monthsat the end of which time my body healed and I was restored to health；but my sides still bore the marks of the blowsas thou hast seen. As soon as I could walkI went to the house where all this had happenedbut found the whole street pulled down and nothing but heaps of rubbish where the house had stoodnor could I learn how this had come about.

Then I betook myself to this my half-sister and found with her these two black bitches. I saluted her and told her what had befallen me；and she said'O my sisterwho is safe from the vicissitudes of fortune？ Praised be Godwho hath brought thee off with thy life！'And she repeated the following verse：

Fortune indeed was ever thus： endure it patientlyWhether thou suffer loss of wealth or friends depart from thee.

Then she told me her own storyand we abode togethershe and I，never mentioning the name of marriage. After awhile there came to live with us this our other sister the cateresswho goes out every day and buys what we require for the day and night. We led this life till yesterdaywhen our sister went out as usual and fell in with the porter. Presently we were joined by these three Calenders and later on by three respectable merchants from Tiberiasall of whom we admitted to our company on certain conditionswhich they infringed. But we forgave them their breach of faithon condition that they should give us an account of themselves；so they told us their stories and went away；and we heard nothing more till this morningwhen we were summoned to appear before thee；and this is our story.'The Khalif wondered at her storyand ordered it and those of her sister and the Calenders to be recorded in the archives of his reign and laid up in the royal treasury. Then he said to the eldest lady'Knowst thou where to find the Afriteh who enchanted thy sisters？'Commander of the Faithful，'answered she'she gave me some of her hairsaying'When thou wouldst see meburn one or two of these hairsand I will be with thee presentlythough I be behind the mountain Caf.''Quoth the Khalif'Bring me the hair.'

So she fetched it and he threw the whole lock into the fire，whereupon the palace shook and they heard a rumbling sound of thunderand presently the Jinniyeh appeared and saluted the Khalifsaying'Peace be upon theeO vicar of God！'And on thee be peace，'answered he'and the mercy of God and His blessing！'Quoth she'Know that this lady did me a service for which I cannot enough requite herin that she saved me from death and slew my enemy. Now I had seen how her sisters dealt with her and felt bound to avenge her on them. At firstI was minded to kill thembut I feared it would be grievous to herso I turned them into bitches；and nowO Commander of the Faithful，if thou wouldst have me release themI will do soout of respect to thee and to herfor I am of the true believers.'