A Hundred and One Nights by Bruce Fudge

Author:Bruce Fudge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NYU Press
Published: 2017-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Forty-Fifth Night

Fihrās the Philosopher spoke: 10.4

She said, Master, the merchant took the apple, hid it, and called his wife.

“I feel anxious. I’d like you to make me a bed in the upper storey, so I can look out on the Nile. Maybe that will help me relax.”

She rose and went to prepare the bed, with no inkling of what was going on—the One who knows the unknown will do as He will. They went to the upper storey, where the young man opened the window.

“Put your head out and take a look,” he said to his wife.

When she had her head out the window, he picked her up by the legs and threw her into the Nile.66

As fate would have it, however, there happened to be a fisherman below the window. When the woman fell into the water—and this was in the black of night—he noticed something splashing around in the water. He hauled the woman on board his boat and took her to his home. 10.5

The fisherman lived on the banks of the Nile twelve miles distant from the city, but he used to visit that spot regularly because there were so many fish there.

The next morning, the young man came down from the upper storey into the main part of the house where he found his son crying.

“Why are you crying?” he asked.

“I gave my mother an apple,” said the boy, “it was given to me by Uncle So-and-So at your shop, and now I don’t know where she hid it.”

The young man was full of regret at what he had done, but regret was of little use. He did not tell his son or his wife’s family what had happened. 10.6

One day, he was sitting in his shop reflecting on these matters, when he saw one of the hawkers holding his wife’s dress in his hands.

He took it from him and said, “Take me to the owner of this dress.”

The hawker took him to the fisherman.

“How did you get this dress?” the young man demanded.

“It’s mine,” said the fisherman.

“Tell me the truth,” said the young man, “and I’ll give you the dress and what it’s worth.”

So the fisherman told him his story from beginning to end, and the young man looked after him as his guest for three days. Then he took his cloak and his mule and went with the fisherman to his village. The fisherman ushered him into his house where he saw his wife. He threw himself into her arms and confessed what had happened. 10.7

“I only did what I did out of jealousy,” he told her.

“Cousin,” she replied, “may God forgive all that has passed.”

The young man spent the night as the guest of the fisherman.

Just before dawn, he turned to the fisherman and said, “I would like to go now.” 10.8

“If you insist,” said the fisherman. “Now is the best time, because during the day Bedouins waylay people on the road.”

“May God bless you for this,” said the young man.

And here the dawn reached Shahrazād so she ceased to speak.

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