The Lady With Two Coyntes.

The Lady With Two Coyntes.

The Seven Hundred and Forty seventh Night

It is told of a woman which was a fornicatress and adulteress and a companion of catastrophes and calamities that she was married to a Káim-makám who had none of the will of mankind to womankind, at all, at all. Now the wife was possessed of beauty and loveliness and she misliked him for that he had no desire to carnal copulation, and there was in the house a Syce man who was dying for his love of her. But her husband would never quit his quarters, and albeit her longing was that the horse keeper might possess her person and that she and he might lie together, this was impossible to her. She abode perplext for some sleight wherewith she might serve her mate, and presently she devised a device and said to him,

The Lady With Two Coyntes. 209

"O my lord, truly my mother is dead and 'tis my wish to hie me and be present at her burial and receive visits of condolence for her; and, if she have left anything by way of heritage, to take it and then fare back to you." "You may go," he said, and she said, "I dread to fare abroad alone and unattended; nor am I able to walk, my parent's house being afar. Do you cry out to the Syce that he fetch me here an ass and accompany me to the house of my mother, in which I shall lie some three nights after the fashion of folk." Hereupon he called to the horse keeper and when he came before him, ordered the man to bring an ass, and mount his mistress and hie with her; and the fellow, hearing these words, was hugely delighted. So he did as he was bidden, but instead of going to the house they twain, he and she, repaired to a garden carrying with them a flask of wine and disappeared for the whole day and made merry and took their pleasure until set of sun. Then the man brought up the ass and mounting her thereon went to his own home, where the twain passed the entire night sleeping in mutual embrace on each other's bosoms, and took their joyance and enjoyment until it was morning tide. Hereupon he arose and did with her as before, leading her to the garden, and the two, Syce and dame, did not stop to be in this way for three days solacing themselves and making merry and tasting of love liesse. On the fourth day he said to her, "Do you return with us to the house of the Kaim-makam," and she said, "No; not till we shall have spent together three days more enjoying ourselves, I and you, and making merry till such time as I have had my full will of you and you your full will of me; and leave we that preposterous pimp to lie stretched out, as do the dogs, enfolding his head between his two legs."

So the twain did not stop amusing themselves and taking their joyance and enjoyment until they had ended the six days, and on the seventh they go on their way home. They found the Kaim-makam sitting beside a slave which was an old negress; and he said, "You have disappeared for a long while!" And she said, "Yes, until we had ended with the visits of condolence for that my mother was known to foyson of the folk. But, O my lord, my parent (Allah have ruth upon her!) has left and bequeathed to me a somewhat exceeding nice." "What may that be?" he asked, and answered she, "I will not tell you anything of it at this time, nor indeed until we remain, I and you, in privacy of night, when I will describe it unto you."

Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Seven Hundred and Fifty first Night

Dunyazad said to her, "In God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me, the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the woman said to her husband, "My mother has left and bequeathed to me somewhat, but I will not tell you of it till the coming night when we twain shall be alone." " 'Tis well," he said; after which he continued to address himself, "Would Heaven I knew what has been left by the mother of our Harím!"

Now when darkness came on and he and she had taken seats together, he asked, "What may be the legacy your mother left?" and she answered, "O my lord, my mother has bequeathed to me her. Coynte being loath that it be given to other save myself and therefore I have brought it along with me." he of his stupidity said,(for he was like unto a cosset), "Ho you, solace me with the sight of your mother's Coynte." Hereupon she arose; and, doffing all she had on her of dress until she was mother naked, said to him,

The Lady With Two Coyntes. 211

"O my lord, I have stuck on my mother's Coynte close by and in continuation of my own cleft and so the twain of them have remained each adjoining other between my hips." He continued, "Let me see it;" so she stood up before him and pointing to her parts said, "This which faces you is my coynte whereof you are owner;" after which she raised her backside and bowing her head groundwards showed the nether end of her slit between the two swelling cheeks of her sit upon, her seat of honour, crying, "Look you! This be the Coynte of my mother; but, O my lord, 'tis my wish that we wed it unto some good man and pleasant who is faithful and true and not likely treason to do, for that the Coynte of my mother must abide by me and whoever shall intermarry therewith I also must bow down to him whilst he shall have his will of it." the said,Kaim'makam, "O sensible say! But we must seek and find for ourselves a man who shall be agreeable and trustworthy," presently adding, "O woman, we will not give the Coynte of your mother in marriage to some stranger lest he trouble you and trouble me also; so let us bestow this boon upon our own Syce."

Replied the wife of her craft and cursedness, "Perhaps, O my lord, the horsekeeper will befit us not;" yet the while she had set her heart upon him. Rejoined the Kaim'makam her husband, "If so it be that he have shown you want of respect we will surely relieve him of his lot." But after so speaking he said a second time, " 'Tis better that we give the Coynte of your mother to the Syce;" and she retorted, "Well and good! But do you oblige him that he keep strait watch upon himself." at this the man summoned his servant before him and said to him, "Hear me, O Syce; truly the mother of my wife to her has bequeathed her Coynte, and 'tis our intent to bestow it upon you in lawful wedlock; yet beware lest you draw near that which is our own property." The horsekeeper answered, "No, O my lord, I never will."

Now after they arrived at that agreement concerning the matter in question, whenever the wife grew hot with heat of lust she would send for the Syce and take him and repair with him, he and she, to a place of privacy within the Harem, whilst her mate remained sitting thoroughly satisfied, and they would enjoy themselves to the uttermost, after which the twain would come forth together. And the Kaim'makam never ceased saying on such occasions, "Beware, O Syce, lest you poach upon that which is my property;" and at such times the wife would exclaim, "By God, O my lord, he is a true man and a trusty."

So they continued for a while in the enjoyment of their luxury and this was equally pleasurable to the husband and wife and the lover. Now when the Emir heard this tale from the Butcher, he began laughing until he fell upon his back and soon he said to him, "go your ways about yours own work;" so the Flesher went forth from him not knowing what he should do in his garb of gaberdine and bonnet. Hereupon the woman arose and going to the fourth closet threw it open and summoned and led the Trader man by the hand and set him before her husband who looked hard at him in his droll's dress and recognised him and was certified of him that he was his neighbour. So he said, "Ho Such an one! You are our neighbour and never did we suspect that you would strive to seduce our Harím; nay rather did we expect you to keep watch and ward over us and fend off from us all evil. Now By God, those whom we have dismissed wrought us no foul wrong even as you wrought us in this affair; for you at all events art our neighbour. You deservest in this matter that I slay you out of hand, but Default comes not save from the Defaulter; therefore I will do you no harm at all as did I with your fellows even save that needs must you tell us a tale by which to rejoice us." he said, "Hearing and obeying," and herewith fell to relating the story of

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