The Seven Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Syrian and the three ladies ceased not to persevere in the drinking of wine until the noon o' night, at which time he would not distinguish between masculine and feminine from the excess of his wine-bibbing, so he said to one of the three, "Allah upon thee, O my lady, what may be the name of thee?" She replied, "I am hight 'Hast- thou-seen-aught-like-me?'" Whereat he exclaimed, "No, Walláhi!" Then he up-propped himself on his elbow and rising from the ground said to the second, "Thou, O my lady, and life-blood of my heart, what is thy name?" She answered, "I am hight 'Never-sawest-thou-my-like,'" and he replied, "Inshallah—what Allah willeth—O my lady Never-sawest-thou- my-like." Then said he to the third, "And thou, O dearling of my heart, what may be the name of thee?" And said she, "I am hight 'Look-at-me- and-thou-shalt-know-me.'" When he heard these words he cried out with a loud outcry and fell to the ground saying, "No, by Allah, O my lady Look-at-me-and-thou-shalt-know-me."[380] But when the three women regarded him his reason was upset and they forced upon him more wine- bibbing whilst he cried to them, "Fill for me, ho my lady Never-sawest- thou-my-like, and thou too, my lady Hast-thou-seen-aught-like-me, and eke thou, O my lady Look-at-me-and-thou-shalt-know-me." And they drove him to drink still more until he fell to the ground without a vein swelling[381] for he had become drunken and dead drunk. When they saw him in this condition they doffed his turband and crowned him with a cap, and fringes projecting from the peak,[382] which they had brought with them; then they arose and finding in his room a box full of raiment and ready money, they rifled all that was therein. Presently they donned their dresses and, waiting until the door of the Wakalah was opened after the call to the morning-prayer, they went their ways and the Veiler vouchsafed them protection[383] and they left the Syrian man in his room strown as a tried toper and unknowing what the women had done with him of their wile and guile. Now when it was the undurn-hour he awoke from his crapula and opening his eyes, cried, "Ho my lady Never-sawest-thou-my-like! and ho my lady Hast-thou-seen-aught-like-me! and ho my lady Look-at-me-and-thou-shalt-know-me!" But none returned to him any reply. Then he pulled himself together and glanced carefully around but his sight fell not upon anyone beside him, so he arose and went to the box wherein he found never a single thing. This restored him to his right senses and he recovered from his drink and cried, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great: this be a judgment they have wrought for me." Then he went forth still wearing the tall fringed cap and knowing nothing of himself and, when he had issued from his caravanserai, he cried to everyone he met in the streets, "I am seeking Hast-thou-seen-aught-like-me?" and the men would reply, "No, I never sighted the like of thee;" and to a second he would say, "I am looking for one Never-sawest-thou-aught-like-me;" and the other would answer, "Indeed, I never beheld thy fellow;" then he would ask a third, "Hast thou seen one Look-at-me-and-thou-shalt-know-me?" and the questioned would answer, "Indeed, I have looked at thee but I know thee not at all." And he ceased not wandering about, bonnet on head, and everyone who met him by the way returned to him the like replies until he came upon a party of folk who were in front of a barber's booth.[384] There he cried upon them also, "Ah! Hast-thou-seen-aught-like-me! and Ah! Never-sawest-thou-my-like! and Ah! Look-upon-me-and-thou-shalt-know-me!" Hereat, understanding that he was touched in brain and this was a judgment that had been wrought upon him, they seized him and forced him into the barber's shop and bringing a mirror set it in his hands. When he looked therein he found a fool's cap upon his head, so forthwith he tore it off and took thought and said to those present, "Who of you can guide me to those three women?" They said to him, "O Syrian, march off with thyself to thy own land for that the folk of Egypt can play with the egg and the stone."[385] So he arose without stay and delay; then, taking what provaunt was sufficient for the way and what little of fine raiment had been left to him, he quitted Cairo intending for his own country. Now the Emir hearing this tale of the Shahbandar wondered thereof with extreme wonderment and said to the Gentleman, "An thou have finished do thou fare forth and go about thy business." Accordingly he went from him still garbed in gaberdine and bonnet on head when the house-master asked his wife, "Who of them here remaineth with thee?" And she answered, "Have patience and I will bring thee the third." So she arose and opening another closet summoned the Flesher and taking him by the hand, whilst he was ashamed and abashed, led him till he stood before her spouse and the poor fellow availed not to raise his eyes from the ground. Presently the husband considered him and knew him and was certified that he was Such-and-such the Chief Butcher and head of the craft, so he said to him, "Ho thou the clever one, do thou dance for us a wee and after that tell us a tale." Accordingly he stood up and clapped hands and fell to dancing and prancing till such time as he dropped down for fatigue; after which he said, "O my lord, I have by me a tale anent the craft and cunning of women." Asked the other, "And what may it be?" and the Butcher began to relate the tale of