Know, O my lady, that I was not born one-eyed, and mine is a strange story; if it were engraved with a needle on the corners of the eye, it would be a warning to whoever would be warned. I am a King, son of a King, and was brought up like a Prince. I learned to intone the Koran according to the seven schools; and I read all manner of books, and held disputes about their contents with the doctors and men of science; moreover I studied the lore of the stars and the fine sayings of poets, and I exercised myself in all branches of learning until I surpassed the people of my time; my skill in calligraphy exceeded that of all the scribes; and my fame was spread abroad over all lands and cities, and all the kings came to know my name.

Amongst others the King of Hind heard of me and sent to my father to invite me to his court, with offerings and presents and rarities such as befit royalties. So my father fitted out six ships for me and my people; and we put to sea and sailed for the space of a full month until we reached land. Then we brought out the horses that were with us in the ships; and, after loading the camels with our presents for the Prince, we set forth inland. But we had marched only a little way, when behold, a dust cloud rose and grew until it walled the horizon from view. After an hour or so the veil lifted and revealed beneath it fifty horsemen, ravening lions in aspect, dressed in steel armor. We watched them carefully and lo! they were brigands of the highway, wild as wild Arabs. When they saw that we were only four and had with us only the ten camels carrying the presents, they dashed down upon us with lances at rest. We signalled to them with our fingers, as if to say, "We are messengers of the great King of Hind, so harm us not!"

But they answered likewise, "We are not in his dominions and do not obey, nor are we subject to his rule." Then they set upon us and slew some of my slaves and put the rest to flight; and I also fled after I had received a wound, a grievous hurt, while the Arabs were occupied with the money and the presents which were with us. I went forth not knowing where I went, having become humble as I was mighty; and I fared on until I came to the crest of a mountain where I took shelter for the night in a cave. When day arose I set out again, and did not cease in this way until I arrived at a fair city, well populated. Now it was the season when Winter was turning away and Spring was coming to greet the world with flowers, and the young blooms were sprouting and the streams were flowing with song, and the birds were singing sweetly, as the poet says concerning a certain city when describing it:—

A place secure from every thought of fear Safety and peace for ever lord it here: Its beauties seem to beautify its sons And as in Heaven its happy folk appear.

I was glad of my arrival for I was weary from the journey, and pale from weakness and want; but my plight was pitiable and I knew not where to go. So I approached a tailor sitting in his little shop and greeted him; he returned my greeting, welcomed me kindly and wished me well and treated me gently and asked me the cause of my being a stranger. I told him all my story from beginning to end; and he was concerned on my account and said, "O youth, do not disclose your secret to anyone: the King of this city is the greatest enemy your father has, and there is blood feud between them, and you have cause to fear for your life." Then he set meat and drink before me; and I ate and drank with him; and we conversed freely until nightfall, when he cleared a place for me in a corner of his shop and brought me a carpet and a coverlet. I stayed with him three days; at the end of which time he said to me, "Do you know no calling by which to earn your living, O my son?" "I am learned in the law," I replied, "and a doctor of doctrine; an expert in art and science, a mathematician and a notable scribe."

He rejoined, "Your calling is of no account in our city, where not a soul understands science or even writing or anything except making money." Then I said, "By God, I know nothing but what I have mentioned;" and he answered, "Gird your waist and take an axe and a rope, and go and hew wood in the forest for your daily bread, until Allah sends you relief; and tell no one who you are lest they slay you." Then he bought me an axe and a rope and gave me to certain woodcutters; and with these guides I went forth into the forest, where I cut firewood the whole day and came back in the evening bearing my bundle on my head. I sold it for half a dinar, with part of which I bought provisions and laid by the rest. In such work I spent a whole year and when it was ended I went out one day, as was my custom, into the wilderness; and, wandering away from my companions, I chanced upon a thickly wooded valley in which there was an abundance of wood. So I entered and found the gnarled stump of a great tree and loosened the ground about it and shovelled away the earth. Presently, my axe rang upon a copper ring; so I cleared away the soil and behold, the ring was attached to a wooden trap door. This I raised and there appeared beneath it a staircase. I descended the steps to the bottom and came to a door, which I opened and found myself in a noble hall, strong in structure and beautifully built, where was a maiden like a pearl of great price, whose favour banished from my heart all grief and care; and whose soft speech healed the soul in despair and captivated the wise and aware. Her figure measured five feet in height; her breasts were firm and upright; her cheeks were gardens of delight; her complexion was lively and bright; her face gleamed like dawn through curly tresses which were dark as night, and above the snows of her bosom glittered teeth of pearly white. As the poet said of one like her:

Slim waisted loveling, jetty hair encrowned A wand of willow on a sandy mound:

And as says another:

Four things that meet not, save they here unite To shed my heart blood and to rape my sprite: Brilliantest forehead; tresses jetty bright; Cheeks rosy red and stature beauty dressed.

When I looked upon her I prostrated myself before Him who had created her, for the beauty and loveliness He had given her, and she looked at me and said, "Are you a man or a Jinni?" "I am a man," I answered, and she said, "Now who brought you to this place where I have lived for twenty-five years without ever seeing a man in it?" I said, (and indeed I found her words wonderfully sweet, and my heart was melted to its core by them), "O my lady, my good fortune led me here to dispel my care." Then I told her all my misfortune from beginning to end, and my case appeared to her very grievous; so she wept and said, "I will tell you my story in turn. I am the daughter of King Ifitamus, lord of the Islands of Abnùs, who married me to my cousin, the son of my paternal uncle;

but on my wedding night an Ifrit named Jirjís ibn Rajmús, first cousin (that is, mother's sister's son) of Iblis, the Foul Fiend, snatched me up and, flying away with me like a bird, set me down in this place, where he brought me all I needed of fine fabrics, raiment and jewels and furnishings, and meat and drink and everything else. Once every ten days he comes here and lies a single night with me, and then goes his way, for he took me without the consent of his family; and he has agreed with me that if ever I need him by night or by day, I have only to pass my hand over those two lines engraved upon the alcove, and he will appear to me before my fingers finish touching. Four days have now passed since he was here; and as there remain six days before he comes again, tell me, will you stay with me five days, and go hence the day before his coming?" I replied, "Yes, and yes again! O rare one, if all this is not a dream!" At this she was glad and, springing to her feet, seized my hand and carried me through an arched doorway to a bathhouse, a fair and richly decorated hall. I removed my clothes, and she removed hers; then we bathed and she washed me; and when this was done we left the bath, and she seated me by her side upon a high divan, and brought me sherbet scented with musk.

When we felt cool after the bath, she set food before me and we ate and fell to talking; but presently she said to me, "Lie down and take your rest, for surely you must be weary." So I thanked her, my lady, and lay down and slept soundly, forgetting all that had happened to me. When I awoke I found her rubbing and massaging my feet; so I again thanked her and blessed her and we sat for a while talking. She said, "By God, I was sad at heart, because I have lived alone underground for these twenty-five years; and praise be to Allah, who has sent me someone with whom I can converse!" Then she asked, "O youth, what do you say to wine?" and I answered, "Do as you will." Whereupon she went to a cupboard and took out a sealed flask of fine old wine and decorated the table with flowers and scented herbs and began to sing these lines:—

"Had we known of your coming we glad had dispread The cores of our hearts or the balls of our eyes Our cheeks as a carpet to greet you had thrown And our eyelids had strown for your feet to betread."

Now when she had finished her verse, I thanked her, for indeed love of her had taken hold of my heart and my grief and anguish were gone. We sat in conversation and celebration until nightfall, and with her I spent the night—such a night I never spent in all my life! On the next day delight followed delight until midday, by which time I had drunk wine so freely that I had lost my wits, and stood up, staggering to the right and to the left, and said, "Come, O my charmer, and I will carry you up from this underground vault and deliver you from the spell of your Jinni." She laughed and replied, "Control yourself and be silent: of every ten days one is for the Ifrit and the other nine are yours." I said, (and in truth drink had got the better of me), "This very instant I will break down the alcove on which is engraved the talisman and summon the Ifrit so that I may slay him, for it is my custom to slay Ifrits!" When she heard my words her colour became pale and she said, "By God, do not!" And she began reciting:—

"This is a thing in which destruction lies I counsel you shun it an your wits be wise.”

And these also:

"O you who seek severance, draw the rein Of your swift steed nor seek overmuch to advance; Ah stay! for treachery is the rule of life, And sweets of meeting end in severance."

I heard her verse but paid no heed to her words. Instead, I raised my foot and delivered a mighty kick to the alcove—

When it was the Thirteenth night

and she cried out, "The Ifrit is upon us! Did I not warn you of this? By God, you have brought ruin upon me; but fly for your life and go up by the way you came down!" So I fled up the staircase; but in my panic, I forgot my sandals and axe. And when I had mounted two steps I turned to look for them, and lo! I saw the earth split asunder, and there arose from it an Ifrit, a monster of hideousness, who said to the maiden, "What is this trouble and commotion with which you disturb me? What misfortune has happened to you?" "No misfortune has befallen me," she answered, "except that my breast was tight and my heart heavy with sadness! So I drank a little wine to ease it and to cheer myself; then I rose to answer a call of nature, but the wine had gotten into my head and I fell against the alcove." "You lie, you whore!" Shrieked the Ifrit, and he looked around the hall right and left until he caught sight of my axe and sandals and said to her, "What are these but the belongings of some mortal who has been in your company?"

She answered, "I never set eyes upon them until this moment: they must have been brought by you here clinging to your clothes." The Ifrit said, "These words are absurd; you harlot! You strumpet!" Then he stripped her completely naked and, stretching her upon the floor, bound her hands and feet to four stakes, like one crucified; and began torturing her and trying to make her confess. I could not bear to listen to her cries and groans; so I climbed the staircase trembling with fear; and when I reached the top I replaced the trap door and covered it with earth. Then I repented deeply of what I had done; and thought of the lady and her beauty and loveliness, and the tortures she was suffering at the hands of the accursed Ifrit, after her quiet life of twenty-five years; and how all that had happened to her was because of me. I thought of my father and his kingly estate and how I had become a woodcutter; and how, after my time had been peaceful, the world had again become turbid and troubled for me. So I wept bitterly and recited this couplet:—

What time Fate's tyranny shall most oppress you Perpend! one day shall joy you, one distress you!

Then I walked until I reached the home of my friend, the tailor, whom I found most anxiously awaiting me; indeed he was, as the saying goes, on pins and needles on my account. And when he saw me he said, "All night long my heart has been heavy, fearing for you from wild beasts or other misfortunes. Now praise be to Allah for your safety!" I thanked him for his kind concern and, retiring to my corner, sat pondering what had befallen me; and I blamed and chided myself for my meddlesome foolishness and my recklessness in kicking the alcove. I was calling myself to account when behold, my friend the tailor came to me and said, "O youth, in the shop there is an old man, a Persian, who seeks you: he has your axe and your sandals which he took to the woodcutters, saying, 'I was going out at dawn when the call to prayer began, and I chanced upon these things and do not know whose they are; so direct me to their owner.' The woodcutters recognised your axe and directed him to you: he is sitting in my shop, so go forth to him and thank him and take your axe and sandals."

When I heard these words I turned pale with fear and felt stunned as by a blow; and, before I could recover myself, lo! the floor of my private room split asunder, and out of it rose the Persian who was the Ifrit. He had tortured the lady with exceeding tortures, nevertheless she would not confess anything to him; so he took the axe and sandals and said to her, "As surely as I am Jirjis of the seed of Iblis, I will bring back to you the owner of this and these!" Then he went to the woodcutters with the said pretense and, being directed to me, after waiting a while in the shop until the fact was confirmed, he suddenly snatched me up as a hawk snatches a mouse and flew high in the air; but presently descended and plunged with me under the earth (I being unconscious the while), and finally set me down in the subterranean palace in which I had passed that blissful night. And there I saw the lady stripped, her limbs bound to four stakes and blood flowing from her sides. At the sight my eyes overflowed with tears; but the Ifrit covered her form and said, "O wanton, is not this man your lover?"

She looked upon me and replied, "I do not know him, nor have I ever seen him before this hour!" The Ifrit said, "What! This torture and still no confession;" and she said, "I never saw this man in my life, and it is not lawful in Allah's sight to lie about him." "If you do not know him," said the Ifrit to her, "take this sword and strike off his head." She seized the sword in hand and came close to me; and I signalled to her with my eyebrows, my tears flowing down my cheeks. She understood me and answered, also by signs, "How could you bring all this evil upon me?" and I responded after the same fashion, "This is the time for mercy and forgiveness." And the mute language of my circumstance spoke aloud saying:—

My eyes were dragomans for my tongue betied And told full clear the love I Gladly would hide: When last we met and tears in torrents railed For tongue struck dumb my glances testified: She signed with eye glance while her lips were mute I signed with fingers and she kenned th' implied: Our eyebrows did all duty 'twixt us twain; And we being speechless Love spoke loud and plain.

Then, O my mistress, the lady threw away the sword and said, "How shall I strike the neck of one I know not, and who has done me no evil? Such a deed would not be lawful in my law!" And she held her hand. The Ifrit said, "'It grieves you to slay your lover; and because he has lain with you, you endure these torments and stubbornly refuse to confess. After this it is clear to me that only like loves and pities like." Then he turned to me and asked, "O man, perhaps you also do not know this woman;" to which I answered, "And pray who may she be? Assuredly I never saw her until this instant." "Then take the sword," he said, "and strike off her head and I will believe that you do not know her and will leave you free to go, and will not deal harshly with you." I replied, "That I will do;" and, taking the sword, went forward with sharp intent and raised my hand to strike. But she signed to me with her eyebrows, "Have I failed you in anything of love; and is this how you repay me?" I understood what her looks implied and answered her with a glance, "I will sacrifice my soul for you." And the language of our circumstance wrote in our hearts these lines:—

How many a lover with his eyebrows speaks To his beloved, as his passion pleads: With flashing eyne his passion he inspirs And well she sees what his pleading needs. How sweet the look when each on other gazes; And with what swiftness and how sure it speeds: And this with eyebrows all his passion writes; And that with eyeballs all his passion reads.

Then my eyes filled with tears to overflowing and I cast the sword from my hand saying, "O mighty Ifrit and hero, if a woman lacking sense and faith deems it unlawful to strike off my head, how can it be lawful for me, a man, to strike the neck of one I never saw in my whole life? I cannot do such a misdeed though you cause me to drink the cup of death and perdition." Then the Ifrit said, "You two show good understanding between you; but I will show you how such doings end." He took the sword and struck off the lady's hands first, with four strokes, and then her feet; while I looked on and was certain of death and she bade me farewell with her dying eyes. So the Ifrit cried at her, "You whore and make me a cuckold with your eyes," and struck her so that her head went flying. Then he turned to me and said, "O mortal, we have it in our law that when the wife commits adultery it is lawful for us to slay her. As for this maiden, I snatched her away on her bridal night when she was a girl of twelve and she knew no one but myself. I used to come to her once every ten days and lie with her at night, under the appearance of a man, a Persian; and when I was well assured that she had made me a cuckold, I slew her. But as for you, I am not well satisfied that you have wronged me in her; nevertheless I must not let you go unharmed; so ask a boon of me and I will grant it."

Then I rejoiced, O my lady, with exceeding joy and said, "What boon shall I ask of you?" He replied, "Ask me this boon: into what shape shall I bewitch you; will you be a dog, or an ass, or an ape?" I responded (and indeed I had hoped that mercy might be shown me), "By God, spare me, that Allah spare you for sparing a Muslim and a man who never wronged you." And I humbled myself before him with exceeding humility, and remained standing in his presence, saying, "I am greatly oppressed by circumstance." He replied, "Do not talk long, it is in my power to slay you; but I give you instead your choice." I said, "O you Ifrit, it would befit you to pardon me, just as the Envied pardoned the Envier." He said, "And how was that?" and I began to tell him