Free The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition) by Muhsin Mahdi Page A

merchant, and the merchant repeated to him what had happened to him with the demon.
    While they were engaged in conversation, a third old man approached and greeted them, and they returned his greeting. He asked, “Why do I see the two of you sitting here, with this merchant between you, looking abject, sad, and dejected?” They told him the merchant’s story and explained that they were sitting and waiting to see what would happen to him with the demon. When he heard the story, he sat down with them, saying, “By God, I too like you will not leave, until I see what happens to this man with the demon.” As they sat, conversing with one another, they suddenly saw the dust rising from the open country, and when it cleared, they saw the demon approaching, with a drawn steel sword in his hand. He stood before them without greeting them, yanked the merchant with his left hand, and, holding him fast before him, said, “Get ready to die.” The merchant and the three old men began to weep and wail.
    But dawn broke and morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a lovely story!” Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night? It will be even better; it will be more wonderful, delightful, entertaining, and delectable if the king spares me and lets me live.” The king was all curiosity to hear the rest of the story and said to himself, “By God, I will not have her put to death until I hear the rest of the story and find out what happened to the merchant with the demon. Then I will have her put to death the next morning, as I did with the others.” Then he went out to attend to the affairs of his kingdom, and when he saw Shahrazad’s father, he treated him kindly and showed him favors, and the vizier was amazed. When night came, the king went home, and when he was in bed with Shahrazad, Dinarzad said, “Sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales to while away the night.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:

    T HE F OURTH N IGHT
    It is related, O happy King, that the first old man with the deer approached the demon and, kissing his hands and feet, said, “Fiend and King of the demon kings, if I tell you what happened to me and that deer, and you find it strange and amazing, indeed stranger and more amazing than what happened to you and the merchant, will you grant me a third of your claim on him for his crime and guilt?” The demon replied, “I will.” The old man said:

[The First Old Man’s Tale]
    DEMON, THIS DEER is my cousin, my flesh and blood. I married her when I was very young, and she a girl of twelve, who reached womanhood only afterward. For thirty years we lived together, but I was not blessed with children, for she bore neither boy nor girl. Yet I continued to be kind to her, to care for her, and to treat her generously. Then I took a mistress, and she bore me a son, who grew up to look like a slice of the moon. Meanwhile, my wife grew jealous of my mistress and my son. One day, when he was ten, I had to go on a journey. I entrusted my wife, this one here, with my mistress and son, bade her take good care of them, and was gone for a whole year. In my absence my wife, this cousin of mine, learned soothsaying and magic and cast a spell on my son and turned him into a young bull. Then she summoned my shepherd, gave my son to him, and said, “Tend this bull with the rest of the cattle.” The shepherd took him and tended him for a while. Then she cast a spell on the mother, turning her into a cow, and gave her also to the shepherd.
    When I came back, after all this was done, and inquired about my mistress and my son, she answered, “Your mistress died, and your son ran away two months ago, and I have had no news from him ever since.” When I heard her, I grieved for my mistress, and with an