Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/57

39 brought the drinking-vessels and they drank. Presently, the queen arose and taking Bedr by the hand, sat down with him on chairs and commanded to bring food, of which they ate and washed their hands. Then the damsels brought the drinking-vessels and fruits and flowers and confections, and they ceased not to eat and drink, whilst the singing-girls sang various airs, till the evening.

They gave not over eating and drinking and merry-making forty days, at the end of which time the queen said to him, ‘O Bedr, whether is the pleasanter, this place or the shop of thine uncle the grocer?’ ‘By Allah, O queen,’ answered he, ‘this is the pleasanter, for my uncle is but a poor man, who sells pot-herbs.’ She laughed at his words, and they lay together in the pleasantest of case till the morning, when Bedr awoke and not finding Queen Lab by his side, was troubled at her absence and perplexed and said, ‘Where can she have gone?’ And indeed she was absent from him a great while and did not return; so he donned his clothes and went in search of her, but found her not and said in himself, ‘Haply, she is gone to the garden.’

So he went out into the garden and came to a running stream, beside which he saw a white she-bird and on the bank a tree full of birds of various colours, and stood and watched the birds, without their seeing him. Presently, a black bird flew down upon the white bird and fell to billing her, after the manner of doves; then he leapt on her and trod her three times, after which she changed and became a woman. Bedr looked at her and behold, it was Queen Lab. So he knew that the black bird was a man enchanted and that she was enamoured of him and had transformed herself into a bird, that he might lie with her; wherefore jealousy got hold upon him and he was wroth with the queen because of the black bird.

Then he returned to his place and lay down on the bed,