Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/204

192 and dismissing him and his fellows with rich presents, withdrew to his own apartments and fell to musing over the issue of his affair. When the night came, he went in to one of his women, who was most in favour with him and dearest to him of them all, and lay with her: and before four months had passed over her, the child stirred in her belly, whereat she rejoiced with an exceeding joy and told the king. Quoth he, ‘My dream said sooth, by God the Helper!’ And he lodged her in the goodliest of lodgings and bestowed on her store of rich gifts and entreated her with all honour. Then he sent for his Vizier Shimas and told him what had betided, rejoicing and saying, ‘My dream is come true and I have attained my hope. It may be this child will be a son and inherit the kingship after me; what sayst thou of this, O Shimas?’ But he was silent and made no reply. Quoth the king, ‘What ails thee that thou rejoicest not in my joy and returnest me no answer? Doth the thing mislike thee, O Shimas?’

Thereupon the vizier prostrated himself before him and said, ‘O king, may God prolong thy life! What availeth it to sit under the shade of a tree, if there issue fire therefrom, and what is the delight of one who drinketh pure wine, if he be choked withal, and what doth it profit to quench one’s thirst with sweet cool water, if one be drowned therein? I am God’s servant and thine, O king; but there are three things whereof it befits not the understanding to speak, till they be accomplished; to wit, the traveller, till he return from his journey, the man who is at war, till he have overcome his enemy, and the pregnant woman, till she have cast her burden. For know, O king, that he, who speaks of aught before it be accomplished, is like the fakir and the pot of butter.’ ‘What is the story of the fakir,’ asked the king, ‘and what happened to him?’ ‘O king,’ answered the vizier,