Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/257

235 Then the queen sent for a ladder of wood and made the eunuchs bind her with cords thereto, on her back, with her arms spread out; after which she uncovered her head and wound her hair about the ladder; for pity for her was rooted out from her heart. When Menar es Sena saw herself in this state of abjection and humiliation, she cried out and wept; but none succoured her. Then said she to the queen, ‘O my sister, how is thy heart hardened against me? Hast thou no mercy on me nor on these little children?’ But her words only hardened her sister’s heart and she reviled her, saying, ‘O wanton! O harlot! May God have no mercy on whoso hath mercy on thee! How should I have pity on thee, O traitress?’ ‘I appeal to the Lord of the Heavens,’ replied Menar es Sena, ‘concerning that wherewith thou reproached me and whereof I am innocent! By Allah, I have done no whoredom, but am lawfully married to him, and my Lord knoweth if I speak truth or not! Indeed, my heart is wroth with thee, by reason of thine excessive hard-heartedness against me! How canst thou accuse me of harlotry, without knowledge? But my Lord will deliver me from thee and if that whereof thou accusest me be true, may He punish me for it!’ Quoth Nour el Huda, ‘How darest thou bespeak me thus?’ and beat her till she swooned away; whereupon they sprinkled water on her till she revived; and indeed her charms were wasted for excess of beating and humiliation and the straitness of her bonds. Then she recited these verses:

When Nour el Huda heard this, her wrath redoubled and she said to her, ‘O harlot, wilt thou speak before me