Wardan the Butcher and the Vizier's Daughter
After this frenzy of sexual activity, the story of Wardan the butcher ends much more quietly in marriage and happiness.
As this is a rather short end, we will start the beginning of the story of King Schahriar and his brother King Schahzaman, which will explain why Scheherazade has to tell King Schahriar tales night after night.
ON THE THIRD NIGHT
Scheherazade said:
And Wardan the butcher continued his story:
At the sight of the two eels, the old woman was on the verge of jubilation and exclaimed: “My son, give thanks to Allah! The effect of the remedy is produced! Know, indeed, that these two eels were the cause of the dissatisfaction of which you had complained to me. One of the eels was born from the copulation with the black man and the other from the copulation with the monkey. Now that they are out, this young woman will enjoy a moderate temper, and will no longer be tiresome and disorderly in her desires!"
And, indeed, I noticed that the girl, once returned to herself, no longer asked to satisfy her senses. And I found her so calm that I did not hesitate to ask her to marry me. She consented because she was used to me. And we lived together, since then, in the sweetest life and the most perfect delights, after having received in our house the old woman who had effected this stupefying cure and had taught us in this way the remedy for immoderate desires.
Glorified be the Living One who does not die and who holds empires and kingdoms in His hand!"
And Scheherazade continued, speaking to King Schahriar: “That, O fortunate King, is all I know about the remedy to be applied to women of too troublesome temperament! And King Schahriar said: “I would have liked to know this recipe, last year, to fumigate the cursed one that I had surprised in the garden with the black slave!”
The Story of King Schahriar and his brother King Schahzaman
The book of the 1,001-night tales starts with the story of King Schahriar and his brother King Schahzaman. It will explain why Scheherazade told tales to King Schahriar for 1,001 nights.
In Persian:
- Shahriar means "Master of the City".
- Schahzaman means "Master of the Century or of the Time".
Part One
It is narrated — but Allah is wiser and more powerful and more beneficent — than there was — in what passed and presented itself in the antiquity of time and the past of the age and the moment — a king of the kings of Eranshahr, the Sasanian Empire, in Persia and India. He was the master of armies, auxiliaries, servants, and a large retinue. And he had two children: the older one was tall and the younger one was shorter. Both were heroic horsemen, but the tall one was a better rider than the short one. This tall one reigned over the countries and ruled with justice among men; also the inhabitants of the land and the kingdom loved him. His name was King Schahriar. As for his brother the short one, his name was King Schahzaman, and he was king of Samarkand Al-Ajam. This state of things not ceasing, they resided in their country; and each of them was, in his kingdom, just governor of his flock during the space of twenty years. And they were both on the verge of expansion and blossoming.
And they did not cease to be so until King Schahriar longed to see his brother King Schahzaman. So he ordered his vizier to leave and to come back with him. The vizier answered him: “I listen and I obey! »
Then he left and arrived safely by the grace of Allah: he entered the brother's house, gave him peace, and told him that King Schahriar was very eager to see him and that the purpose of this trip was to visit him and invite him to visit his brother. King Schahzaman answered him: “I listen and I obey! Then he made his preparations for departure and brought out his tents, his camels, his mules, his servants, and his auxiliaries. Then he made his vizier governor of the country and left to travel to his brother's lands.
To be continued...'