THE STORY OF THE PORTER WITH THE YOUNG LADIES
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The first saâlouk continues his story and explains how he lost one of his eyes.
ON THE SEVENTH NIGHT
Sheherazade said, continuing the story of the first saâlouk:
I then returned to my uncle's palace, but my uncle was hunting on foot and with hounds, so I went to bed that night. Then, when morning came, I began to reflect on all those things last night, and all that had happened between my cousin and me; and I repented of the deed I had done. But repentance never helps! So I returned to the tombs, and I looked for the tomb in question, without being able to recognize it. And I continued my search until the approach of the night without being able to find the way. I then returned to the palace, and I could neither eat nor drink, and all my ideas worked on the subject of my uncle's son, and I could not discover anything! Then I afflicted myself with considerable affliction and spent the whole night greatly afflicted until morning. I then returned a second time to the cemetery, thinking of all that my uncle's son had done, and I deeply regretted having listened to him; then I went back to looking for the tomb among all the other tombs, without being able to find it. I thus continued my research for seven days, and I did not find the true way. Then my worries and bad suggestions increased so much that I was on the verge of going mad.
To find a remedy and a rest for my sorrows, I thought of the trip and left to return to my father. Just as I arrived at the gates of my father's city, a troop of men appeared, threw themselves on me, and bound my arms. Then I was completely amazed at this action, seeing that I was the son of the sultan of the city, and these were my father's servants and also my young slaves. And I had considerable fear, and I said to myself: “Who knows what could have happened to my father!" So I began to question those who had bound my arms about it, and they gave me no answer. But, a few moments later, one of them, who was one of my young slaves, said to me: “The destiny of time has shown itself aggressive towards your father. The soldiers betrayed him and the vizier had him put to death. As for us, we were in an ambush to await you.
Thereupon, they kidnapped me, and I truly no longer belonged to this world, so much of the news I heard had dismayed me, so much that the death of my father had seized me with pain. And they dragged me submissively into the hands of the vizier who had killed my father. Now, between this vizier and me, there was an old enmity. The reason for this enmity is that I was very keen on crossbow shooting. Now, there was this coincidence that one day among days, when I was on the terrace of my father's palace, a large bird descended on the terrace of the vizier's palace, while the vizier was there. I wanted to hit the bird with the crossbow, but the crossbow missed the bird and hit the eye of the vizier and damaged it with the will and written judgment of Allah! As the poet says:
Let destinies be accomplished, and try to remedy only the actions of the judges of the earth!
In the face of everything, have no joy and have no affliction, for things are not eternal!
We have fulfilled our destiny, we have followed to the letter the lines which were written for us by Fate;
For he for whom a line has been drawn by Fate can only walk it.
The saâlouk continued thus:
When I thus damaged the eye of the vizier irreparably, the vizier dared not say anything, because my father was the king of the city.
And such was the cause of the enmity between him and me.
So when, with my arms tied, I was brought before him, he ordered my neck to be cut off! So I said to him: “Are you going to kill me without a crime on my part?" He replied, "And what greater crime than this?" And he motioned me to his lost eye. So I said to him: “I did this by mistake." But he replied: "If you did it by mistake, I would do it in a premeditated way!" Then he exclaimed: "Let him be brought into my hands!" And I was brought into his hands.
So he reached out and stuck his finger in my left eye, and ruined it completely.
And I've been one-eyed ever since, as you all see.
After that, the vizier had me bound and put in a crate. Then he said to the sword-bearer: "I entrust this one to you." Take your sword out of its scabbard. And take him from here. Take him outside the city, kill him, and leave him there to be eaten by wild beasts."
— At this point in her narration, Sheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
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