Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/146

126 When the jeweller went in to Abdurrehman’s daughter, he found her handsomer than Helimeh and lovelier a thousandfold. So he did away her maidenhead and on the morrow, he went to the bath with Kemerezzeman.

Then he abode with them in pleasance and delight awhile, till he began to yearn after his native land: so he went in to Abdurrehman and said to him, ‘O uncle, I long for my own country, for I have there estates and effects, which I left in charge of one of my journeymen; and I have it in mind to journey thither, that I may sell my possessions and return to thee. So wilt thou give me leave to go to my country to that end?’ ‘O my son,’ answered the merchant, ‘I give thee leave to do this, and no blame to thee for these words, for that love of country is a part of religion; and he who hath not good in his own land hath none in other folks’ land. But, peradventure, if thou depart without thy wife, when thou art once come to thy native place, it may seem good to thee to abide there, and thou wilt be divided between returning to thy wife and sojourning in thine own country; so it were the better counsel that thou carry thy wife with thee; and after, if thou be minded to return to us, return and welcome to you both; for we are folk who know not divorce and no woman of us marries twice, nor do we lightly discard a man.’ Quoth Ubeid, ‘O uncle, I fear me thy daughter will not consent to depart with me to my own country.’ ‘O my son,’ replied Abdurrehman, ‘we have no women amongst us who gainsay their husbands nor know we a wife who is wroth with her husband.’

‘May God bless you and your women!’ exclaimed the jeweller and going in to his wife, said to her, ‘I am minded to go to my country: what sayst thou?’ Quoth she, ‘My father still had the governance of me, whilst I was a maid, and when I married, the governance all passed into my husband’s hand, nor will I gainsay him.’