She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman agreed with his wife, Queen Budur, upon this matter and told King Armanus what she had said; whereat he rejoiced with great joy. Then he went out and, seating himself upon his chair of estate, assembled all the Wazirs, Emirs, Chamberlains and Grandees, to whom he related the whole story of Kamar al-Zaman and his wife, Queen Budur, from first to last; and acquainted them with his desire to marry his daughter Hayat al-Nufus to the Prince and make him King in the stead of Queen Budur. Whereupon said they all, "Since he is the husband of Queen Budur, who hath been our King till now, whilst we deemed her son-in-law to King Armanus, we are all content to have him to Sultan over us; and we will be his servants, nor will we swerve from his allegiance." So Armanus rejoiced hereat and, summoning Kazis and witnesses and the chief officers of state, bade draw up the contract of marriage between Kamar al-Zaman and his daughter, the Princess Hayat al-Nufus. Then he held high festival, giving sumptuous marriage-feasts and bestowing costly dresses of honour upon all the Emirs and Captains of the host; moreover he distributed alms to the poor and needy and set free all the prisoners. The whole world rejoiced in the coming of Kamar al-Zaman to the throne, blessing him and wishing him endurance of glory and prosperity, renown and felicity; and, as soon as he became King, he remitted the customs-dues and released all men who remained in gaol. Thus he abode a long while, ordering himself worthily towards his lieges; and he lived with his two wives in peace, happiness, constancy and content, lying the night with each of them in turn. He ceased not after this fashion during many years, for indeed all his troubles and afflictions were blotted out from him and he forgot his father King Shahriman and his former estate of honour and favour with him. After a while Almighty Allah blessed him with two boy children, as they were two shining moons, through his two wives; the elder whose name was Prince Amjad,[[356]] by Queen Budur, and the younger whose name was Prince As'ad by Queen Hayat al-Nufus; and this one was comelier than his brother. They were reared in splendour and tender affection, in respectful bearing and in the perfection of training; and they were instructed in penmanship and science and the arts of government and horsemanship, till they attained the extreme of accomplishments and the utmost limit of beauty and loveliness; both men and women being ravished by their charms. They grew up side by side till they reached the age of seventeen, eating and drinking together and sleeping in one bed, nor ever parting at any time or tide; wherefore all the people envied them. Now when they came to man's estate and were endowed with every perfection, their father was wont, as often as he went on a journey, to make them sit in his stead by turns in the hall of judgement; and each did justice among the folk one day at a time. But it came to pass, by confirmed fate and determined lot, that love for As'ad (son of Queen Hayat al-Nufus) rose in the heart of Queen Budur, and that affection for Amjad (son of Queen Budur) rose in the heart of Queen Hayat al-Nufus.[[357]] Hence it was that each of the women used to sport and play with the son of her sister-wife, kissing him and straining him to her bosom, whilst each mother thought that the other's behaviour arose but from maternal affection. On this wise passion got the mastery of the two women's hearts and they became madly in love with the two youths, so that when the other's son came in to either of them, she would press him to her breast and long for him never to be parted from her; till, at last, when waiting grew longsome to them and they found no path to enjoyment, they refused meat and drink and banished the solace of sleep. Presently, the King fared forth to course and chase, bidding his two sons sit to do justice in his stead, each one day in turn, as was their wont.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Eighteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King fared forth to sport and hunt, bidding his two sons sit to do justice in his stead, each one day by turn, as was their wont. Now Prince Amjad sat in judgement the first day, bidding and forbidding, appointing and deposing, giving and refusing; and Queen Hayat al-Nufus, mother of As'ad, wrote to him a letter suing for his favour and discovering to him her passion and devotion; altogether putting off the mask and giving him to know that she desired to enjoy him. So she took a scroll and thereon indited these cadences:—From the love deranged ✿ the sorrowful and estranged ✿ whose torment is prolonged for the longing of thee! ✿ Were I to recount to thee the extent of my care ✿ and what of sadness I bear ✿ the passion which my heart doth tear ✿ and all that I endure for weeping and unrest ✿ and the rending of my sorrowful breast ✿ my unremitting grief ✿ and my woe without relief ✿ and all my suffering for severance of thee ✿ and sadness and love's ardency ✿ no letter could contain it; nor calculation could compass it ✿ Indeed earth and heaven upon me are strait; and I have no hope and no trust but what from thee I await ✿ Upon death I am come nigh ✿ and the horrors of dissolution I aby ✿ Burning upon me is sore ✿ with parting pangs and estrangement galore ✿ Were I to set forth the yearnings that possess me more and more ✿ no scrolls would suffice to hold such store ✿ and of the excess of my pain and pine, I have made the following lines:—
Were I to dwell on heart-consuming heat, ✿ Unease and transports in my spirit meet,
Nothing were left of ink and reeden pen ✿ Nor aught of paper; no, not e'en a sheet.
Then Queen Hayat al-Nufus wrapped up her letter in a piece of costly silk scented with musk and ambergris; and folded it up with her silken hair-strings[[358]] whose cost swallowed down treasures; laid it in a handkerchief and gave it to a eunuch bidding him bear it to Prince Amjad.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Nineteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that she gave her missive to the eunuch in waiting and bade him bear it to Prince Amjad. And that eunuch went forth ignoring what the future hid for him (for the Omniscient ordereth events even as He willeth); and, going in to the Prince, kissed the ground between his hands and handed to him the letter. On receiving the kerchief he opened it and, reading the epistle and recognising its gist he was ware that his father's wife was essentially an adulteress and a traitress at heart to her husband, King Kamar al-Zaman. So he waxed wroth with exceeding wrath and railed at women and their works, saying, "Allah curse women, the traitresses, the imperfect in reason and religion!"[[359]] Then he drew his sword and said to the eunuch, "Out on thee, thou wicked slave! Dost thou carry messages of disloyalty for thy lord's wife? By Allah, there is no good in thee, O black of hue and heart, O foul of face and Nature's forming!" So he smote him on the neck and severed his head from his body; then, folding the kerchief over its contents he thrust it into his breast-pocket and went in to his own mother and told her what had passed, reviling and reproaching her, and saying, "Each one of you is viler than the other; and, by Allah the Great and Glorious, did I not fear ill-manneredly to transgress against the rights of my father, Kamar al-Zaman, and my brother, Prince As'ad, I would assuredly go in to her and cut off her head, even as I cut off that of her eunuch!" Then he went forth from his mother in a mighty rage; and when the news reached Queen Hayat al-Nufus of what he had done with her eunuch, she abused him[[360]] and cursed him and plotted perfidy against him. He passed the night, sick with rage, wrath and concern; nor found he pleasure in meat, drink or sleep. And when the next morning dawned Prince As'ad fared forth in his turn to rule the folk in his father's stead, whilst his mother, Hayat al-Nufus, awoke in feeble plight because of what she had heard from Prince Amjad concerning the slaughter of her eunuch. So Prince As'ad sat in the audience-chamber that day, judging and administering justice, appointing and deposing, bidding and forbidding, giving and bestowing. And he ceased not thus till near the time of afternoon-prayer, when Queen Budur sent for a crafty old woman and, discovering to her what was in her heart, wrote a letter to Prince As'ad, complaining of the excess of her affection and desire for him in these cadenced lines:—"From her who perisheth for passion and love-forlorn ✿ to him who in nature and culture is goodliest born ✿ to him who is conceited of his own loveliness ✿ and glories in his amorous grace ✿ who from those that seek to enjoy him averteth his face ✿ and refuseth to show favour unto the self abasing and base ✿ him who is cruel and of disdainful mood ✿ from the lover despairing of good ✿ to Prince As'ad ✿ with passing beauty endowed ✿ and of excelling grace proud ✿ of the face moon-bright ✿ and the brow flower-white ✿ and dazzling splendid light ✿ This is my letter to him whose love melteth my body ✿ and rendeth my skin and bones! ✿ Know that my patience faileth me quite ✿ and I am perplexed in my plight ✿ longing and restlessness weary me ✿ and sleep and patience deny themselves to me ✿ but mourning and watching stick fast to me ✿ and desire and passion torment me ✿ and the extremes of languor and sickness have shent me ✿ Yet may my life be a ransom for thee ✿ albeit thy pleasure be to slay her who loveth thee ✿ and Allah prolong the life of thee ✿ and preserve thee from all infirmity!" And after these cadences she wrote these couplets:—
Fate hath commanded I become thy fere, ✿ O shining like full moon when clearest clear!
All beauty dost embrace, all eloquence; ✿ Brighter than aught within our worldly sphere: