The Story of the First of the Three Ladies of Baghdad

O Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful ; for
these two bitches are my sisters, born to my father, but
of another mother; and I am the youngest of the three.
After the death of our father, who left us five thousand
pieces of gold, these my two sisters married, and when
they had resided some time with their husbands, each of
the latter prepared a stock of merchandise, and received
from his wife a thousand pieces of gold, and they all set
forth on a journey together, leaving me here; but after
they had been absent four years, my sisters' husbands lost
all their property, and abandoned them in a strange land,
and they returned to me in the garb of beggars. When I
first saw them in this state, I knew them not; and, as soon
as I recognised them, I exclaimed. How is it that ye are in
this condition? — O our sister, they answered, thy inquiry
now is of no use : the Pen hath written what God hath
decreed. — I sent them, therefore, to the bath, and, having
clad them in new apparel, said to them, O my sisters, ye
are my elders, and I am young; so ye shall be to me in
the places of my father and mother. The inheritance which
I shared with you God hath blessed; partake then of its
increase, for my affairs are prosperous ; and I and ye shall
fare alike. — I treated them with the utmost kindness, and
during a whole year they remained with me, and enriched
themselves by the money that I had given them ; but after
this period they said to me, It will be more agreeable to
us to marry again, for we can no longer abstain from doing
so. — O my sisters, I replied, ye have seen no happiness in
marriage : a good husband in this age is rarely found, and
ye have already had experience of the marriage-state. They,
however, heeded not my words ; but married against my
consent : yet I gave them dowries from my own property,
and continued to them my protection. They went to their
husbands, and the latter, after they had resided with them
a short time, defrauded them of all that they possessed,
and, setting forth on a journey, left them destitute : so again
they returned to me, and, in a state of nudity, implored my
forgiveness, saying. Be not angry with us; for though thou
art younger than we, thou hast more mature sense ; and we
promise thee that we will never again mention the subject
of marriage. I replied. Ye are welcome, O my sisters ; for
I have no one dearer to me than yourselves : — and I re-
ceived them, and treated them with every kindness, and we
remained happily together for the space of a year.

After this I resolved to fit out a vessel for a mercantile
voyage : accordingly, I stocked a large ship with various
goods and necessary provisions, and said to my sisters.
Will ye rather stay at home during my voyage, or will
go with me? — to which they answered, We will accompany
thee during the voyage, for we cannot endure to be separated
from thee. I therefore took them with me, and we set sail;
but first I divided my property into two equal portions; one
of which I took with me, and the other I concealed, saying
within myself. Perhaps some evil accident may happen to
the ship, and our lives may be prolonged ; in which case,
when we return we shall find that which will be of service
to us. — We continued our voyage by day and night, till at
length the vessel pursued a wrong course, and the captain
knew not whither to steer. The ship had entered a different
sea from that which we wished to cross, and for some time
we knew it not ; but for ten days we had a pleasant wind,
and after this, a city loomed before us in the distance. We
asked the captain what was the name of this city; and he
answered, I know it not; I have never seen it till this day,
nor have I ever before in the course of my life navigated
this sea : but as we have come hither in safety, ye have
nothing to do but to enter this city and land your goods,
and, if ye find opportunity, sell or exchange there: if not,
we will rest there two days, and take in fresh provisions,
So we entered the port of the city, and the captain landed,
and after a while returned to us, saying. Arise, and go up
into the city, and wonder at that which God hath done
unto his creatures, and pray to be preserved from his anger.
And when we had entered the city, we found all its in-
habitants converted into black stones. We were amazed
at the sight, and as we walked through the market-streets,
finding the merchandise and the gold and silver remaining
in their original state, we rejoiced, and said, This must have
been occasioned by some wonderful circumstance. We then
separated in the streets, each of us attracted from his com-
panions by the wealth and stuffs in the shops.

As for myself, I ascended to the citadel, which I found
to be a building of admirable construction; and, entering
the King's palace, I found all the vessels of gold and silver
remaining in their places, and the King himself seated in
the midst of his Chamberlains and Viceroys and Wezirs,
and clad in apparel of astonishing richness. Drawing nearer
to him, I perceived that he was sitting upon a throne adorned
with pearls and jewels, every one of the pearls shining like
a star: his dress was embroidered with gold, and around
him stood fifty memluks, attired in silks of various descrip-
tions, and having in their hands drawn swords. Stupefied
at this spectacle, I proceeded, and entered the saloon of
the Harim, upon the walls of which were hung silken
curtains; and here I beheld the Queen, attired in a dress
embroidered with fresh pearls, and having upon her head
a diadem adorned with various jewels, and necklaces of
different kinds on her neck. All her clothing and ornaments
remained as they were at first, though she herself was con-
verted into black stone. Here also I found an open door,
and, entering it, I saw a flight of seven steps, by which I
ascended to an apartment paved with marble, furnished
with gold-embroidered carpets, and containing a couch of
alabaster, ornamented with pearls and jewels; but my eyes
were first attracted by a gleam of light, and when I ap-
proached the spot whence it proceeded, I found a brilliant
jewel, of the size of an ostrich's egg, placed upon a small,
stool, diffusing a light like that of a candle. The coverings
of the couch above mentioned were of various kinds of silk,
the richness of which would surprise every beholder ; and
I looked at them with wonder. In this apartment I like-
wise observed some lighted candles, and reflected that there
must then have been some person there to light them. I
passed thence to another part of the palace, and continued
to explore the different apartments, forgetting myself in the
amazement of my mind at all these strange circumstances,
and immersed in thoughts respecting what I beheld, until the
commencement of night, when I would have departed; but
could not find the door; so I returned to the place in which
were the lighted candles, and there I laid myself upon the
couch, and, covering myself with a quilt, repeated some
words of the Kur'an and endeavoured to compose myself
to sleep ; but I could not. I continued restless : and at
midnight I heard a recitation of the Kur'an, performed by
a melodious and soft voice; upon which I arose, and, look-
ing about, saw a closet with an open door, and I entered
it, and found that it was an oratory : lighted lamps were
suspended in it, and ujjon a prayer carpet spread on the
floor sat a young man of handsome aspect. Wondering that
he had escaped the fate of the other inhabitants of the city,
I saluted him; and he raised his eyes, and returned my
salutation: and I then said to him, I conjure thee by the
truth of that which thou art reading in the Book of God,
that thou answer the question which I am about to ask
thee: — whereupon he smiled, and replied, Do thou first
acquaint me with the cause of thine entrance into this
place, and then I will answer thy question : so I told him
my story, and inquired of him the history of this city. Wait
a little, said he ; — and he closed the Kur'an, and, having
put it in a bag of satin, seated me by his side. As I now
beheld him, his countenance appeared like the full moon, and
his whole person exhibited such perfect elegance and loveli-
ness, that a single glance at him drew from me a thousand
sighs, and kindled a fire in my heart. I repeated my request
that he would give me an account of the city ; and, replying,
I hear and obey, he thus addressed me : —

Know that this city belonged to my father and his
family and subjects; and he is the King whom thou hast
seen converted into stone; and the Queen whom thou hast
seen is my mother. They were all Magians, worshipping
fire in the place of the Almighty King; and they swore by
the fire and the light, and the shade and the heat, and the
revolving orb. My father had no son, till, in his declining
years, he was blest with me, whom he reared until I attained
to manhood. But, happily for me, there was, in our family,
an old woman, far advanced in age, who was a JMuslimeh,
believing in God and his Apostle in her heart, though she
conformed with my family in outward observances ; and my
father confided in her, on account of the faithfulness and
modesty that he had observed in her character, and shewed
her great favour, firmly believing that she held the same
faith as himself; therefore, when I had passed my infancy,
he committed me to her care, saying, Take him, and rear
him, and instruct him in the ordinances of our faith, and
educate him and serve him in the best manner. The old
woman accordingly received me, but took care to instruct
me in the faith of El-Islam, teaching me the laws of purifi-
cation, and the divine ordinances of ablution, together with
the forms of prayer; after which she made me commit to
memory the whole of the Kur'an. She then charged me to
keep my faith a secret from my father, lest he should kill
me; and I did so; and a few days after, the old woman
died. The inhabitants of the city had now increased in
their impiety and arrogance, and in their dereliction of the
truth; and while they were in this state, they heard a crier
proclaim with a voice like thunder, so as to be audible to
both the near and the distant, O inhabitants of this city,
abstain from the worship of fire, and worship the Almighty
King! — The people were struck with consternation, and,
flocking to my father, the King of the city, said to him.
What is this alarming voice which hath astounded us by its
terrible sound? — but he answered them. Let not the voice
terrify you. nor let it turn you from your faith: — and their
hearts inclined to his words; so they persevered in the
worship of fire, and remained obstinate in their impiety
during another year, until the return of the period at which
they had heard the voice the first time. It was then heard
a second time; and again, in the next year, they heard it a
third time; but still they persisted in their evil ways, until,
drawing down upon themselves the abhorrence and indigna-
tion of Heaven, one morning, shortly after daybreak, they
were converted into black stones, together with their beasts
and all their cattle. Not one of the inhabitants of the city
escaped, excepting me; and from the day on which this
catastrophe happened, I have continued occupied as thou
seest, in prayer, and fasting, and reading the Kur'an : but I
have become weary of this solitary state, having no one to
cheer me with his company.

On hearing these words, I said to him, Wilt thou go with
me to the city of Baghdad, and visit its learned men and
lawyers, and increase thy knowledge? If so, I will be thy
handmaid, though I am the mistress of my family, and have
authority over a household of men. I have here a ship
laden with merchandise, and destiny hath driven us to this
city, in order that we might become acquainted with these
events: our meeting was predestined. — In this manner I
continued to persuade him until he gave his consent. I
slept that night at his feet, unconscious of my state through
excessive joy; and in the morning we rose, and, entering
the treasuries, took away a quantity of the lighter and most
valuable of the articles that they contained, and descended
from the citadel into the city, where we met the slaves
and the captain, who were searching for me. They were
rejoiced at seeing me, and, to their questions respecting
my absence, I replied by informing them of all that I had
seen, and related to them the history of the young man,
and the cause of the transmutation of the people of the
city, and of all that had befallen them, which filled them
with wonder. But when my two sisters saw me with the
young man, they envied me on his account, and malevolently
plotted against me.

We embarked again, and I experienced the utmost hap-
piness, chiefly owing to the company of the young man ; and
after we had waited a while till the wind was favourable,
we spread our sails, and departed. My sisters sat with me
and the young man ; and, in their conversation with me,
said, O our sister, what dost thou purpose to do with this
handsome youth? I answered, I desire to take him as my
husband : — and, turning to him, and approaching him, I
said, O, my master, I wish to make a proposal to thee, and
do not thou oppose it. He replied, I hear and obey: — and
I then looked towards my sisters, and said to them. This
young man is all that I desire, and all the wealth that is
here is yours. — Excellent, they replied, is thy determination :
— yet still they designed evil against me. — We continued
our voyage with a favourable wind, and, quitting the sea of
peril, entered the sea of security, across which we proceeded
for some days, until we drew near to the city of El-Basrah,
the buildings of which loomed before us at the approach of
evening; but as soon as we had fallen asleep, my sisters
took us up in our bed, both myself and the young man, and
threw us into the sea. The youth, being unable to swim,
was drowned ; God recorded him among the company of
the martyrs; while I was registered among those whose life
was yet to be preserved: and, accordingly, as soon as I
awoke and found myself in the sea, the providence of God
supplied me with a piece of timber, upon which I placed
myself, and the waves cast me upon the shore of an island.

During the remainder of the night I walked along this
island, and in the morning I saw a neck oi land, bearing the
marks of a man's feet, and uniting with the main land. The
sun having now risen, I dried my clothes in its rays, and
proceeded along the path that I had discovered until I drew
near to the shore upon which stands the city, when I beheld
a snake approaching me, and followed by a serpent which
was endeavouring to destroy it : the tongue of the snake was
hanging from its mouth in consequence of excessive fatigue,
and it excited my compassion; so I took up a stone, and
threw it at the head of the serpent, which instantly died : the
snake then extended a pair of wings, and soared aloft into
the sky, leaving me in wonder at the sight. At the time of
this occurrence I had become so fatigued, that I now laid
myself down and slept; but I awoke after a little while, and
found a damsel seated at my feet, and gently rubbing them
with her hands ; upon which I immediately sat up, feeling
ashamed that she should perform this service for me, and
said to her, Who art thou, and what dost thou want? — How
soon hast thou forgotten me ! she exclaimed : I am she to
whom thou hast just done a kindness, by killing my enemy:
I am the snake whom thou savedst from the serpent; for I
am a Jinniyeh, and the serpent was a Jinni at enmity with
me; and none but thou delivered me from him: therefore,
as soon as thou didst this, I flew to the ship from which thy
sisters cast thee, and transported all that it contained to thy
house ; I then sunk it ; but as to thy sisters, I transformed
them by enchantment into two black bitches; for I knew all
that they had done to thee: the young man, however, is
drowned. — Having thus said, she took me up, and placed
me with the two black bitches on the roof of my house:
and I found all the treasures that the ship had contained
collected in the midst of my house : nothing was lost. She
then said to me, I swear by that which was engraved upon
the seal of Sulcyman, that, if thou do not inflict three
hundred lashes upon each of these bitches every day, I will
come and transform thee in the like manner: — so I replied,
I hear and obey: — and have continued ever since to inflict
upon them these stripes, though pitying them while I
do so.

Th-e Khalifeh heard this story with astonishment, and
then to the second lady. And what occasioned the
stripes of which thou bearest the marks ? She answered as
follows.