THE GOODWIFE OF CAIRO AND HER FOUR GALLANTS.354
Richard Francis Burton translation
THE GOODWIFE OF CAIRO AND HER FOUR GALLANTS.354
It is said that in Misr lived a woman, a model of beauty and loveliness and stature and perfect grace, who had a difficulty with a man which was a Kazi and after this fashion it befel. She was the wife of an Emir355 and she was wont to visit the Baths once a month; and when the appointed term for her going forth had come, she adorned herself and perfumed herself and beautified herself and hastened, tripping and stumbling,356 to the Hammám. Now her path passed by the Kazi's court-house where she saw many a man357 and she stopped to enjoy the spectacle, upon which the judge himself glanced at her with a glance of eyes that bequeathed to him a thousand sighs and he asked her saying, "O woman, hast thou any want?" "No indeed," answered she, "I have none." Then he inclined to her and drawing near her said, "O lady mine and O light of these eyne, is union possible between us twain?" She replied, "'Tis possible," and he enquired of her when it could be, and she made an appointment with him saying, "Do thou come to me after supper-time,"—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable! Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was