Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/50

32 the king, whereat the latter and all the bystanders marvelled and the king said to his attendants, ‘In all my life I never saw a bird eat as doth this!’ Then he sent an eunuch to fetch his wife, that she might look upon the bird, and he went in to her and said, ‘O my lady, the king desireth thy presence, that thou mayst divert thyself with the sight of a bird he hath bought. It is goodly of aspect and is a wonder of the wonders of the age; for, when we set on the food, it flew down from its cage and perching on the table, ate of all that was thereon.’

So she came in haste; but, when she saw the bird, she veiled her face and turned to go away. The king followed her and said to her, ‘Why dost thou veil thy face, when there is none in presence save the eunuchs and women that wait on thee and thy husband?’ ‘O king,’ answered she, ‘this is no bird, but a man like thyself.’ ‘Thou liest,’ rejoined he. ‘This is too much of a jest. How should he be other than a bird?’ ‘By Allah,’ replied she, ‘I do not jest with thee nor do I tell thee aught but the truth; for this bird is King Bedr Basim, son of King Shehriman, lord of the land of the Persians, and his mother is Julnar of the Sea.’ ‘ [sic]And how came he in this shape?’ asked the king; and she said, ‘The princess Jauhereh, daughter of King Es Semendel, hath enchanted him:’ and told him all that had befallen King Bedr from first to last; for this queen was the greatest enchantress of her day.

The king marvelled exceedingly at his wife’s words and conjured her, on his life, to free Bedr from his enchantment and not leave him in torment, saying, ‘May God the Most High cut off Jauhereh’s hand, for a foul witch as she is! How little is her piety and how great her craft and perfidy!’ Quoth the queen, ‘Do thou say to him, “O Bedr Basim, enter yonder closet!”’ So the king bade him enter the closet and he did so.

Then the queen veiled her face and taking in her hand