A THOUSAND and ONE ARABIAN NIGHTS
or
The Story of Scherazade
Once upon a time
in Ancient Arabia . . .
There was a Sultan
who had a splendid harem of over 500 young women
who all belonged to him
just as animals might belong
to a person of our day
Blessed by the injunctions of his religion and culture
they were there for his pleasure
all picked for their beauty
charm
and special gifts
of dancing and singing
And of all the beautiful concubines
the Sultan had a favorite
one whom he loved to dally and sport with
more than all the rest
One day
word was brought to the Sultan
that the hunting was excellent
and he desired to go on an expedition for some sport
outside the walls of his palace.
So,
camels and gun-bearers supplies and cooks
beaters and hunters horses and dogs and a legion of men
were assembled to go with the Sultan
on his hunting expedition
He was to be away almost a fortnight
One evening
After only a week of hunting
although he loved the excitement of the hunt
the Sultan began to miss his favorite concubine
and the sweet pleasures of the bed
He thought it would be a great idea to steal back secretly into his palace and surprise his chosen girl
for a night of delicious love
The next morning
he had his swiftest horse brought to him
and taking only three men set out back for the palace
Arriving in the evening all unannounced
he stole into his inner chambers with his three guards
without anyone knowing that he was there
As he came to his bedroom
where he had spent so many delicious nights with his favorite
and he flung open the door
he found the object of his desire in his bed with a black eunuch
They both flung themselves to the floor
and piteously cried for mercy
The Sultan's eyes grew red with anger, and he flew into a rage
In an angry voice, he called for both of them to be seized
and for the eunuch to be tortured slowly to death
For his concubine, he didn't even look at her
His heart had been spoiled, and its doors were now shut
He told his guards to gather together the harem
To take all of them
to the wall above the river and then in front of all of them
to put the young woman in a burlap bag with three cats from the palace
and throw them in the river to drown
From that time on he lived as one betrayed by life
and especially as one who had seen the source of that betrayal as a woman
Indeed all the women of his harem
for he felt surely they were all in this together
From that time on
Whenever a girl was called to be his companion for the night
She was never seen by her sisters again
for after he had made love to the girl, he had her killed
All the women lived in utter fear of the Sultan
and the atmosphere in the palace became one of a graveyard
There was no real happiness
not a soul dared to show delight nor humor
nor joyous laughter
Whenever a girl was chosen to spend a night
with the Sultan
she knew it was to be her last night alive
All her sisters in the harem comforted her
knowing that this was to be their fate as well
All suggested ways of pleasing the Sultan
and perhaps pleasuring him so exquisitely
that he would be compassionate towards herand let her live
Whenever a new woman was brought before the Sultan
he told her to undress and come to bed with him
Each young girl sought to do his bidding
in such a sensual beautiful seductive delightful eager and alluring way
praying that she would please him with her beauty and charm alone
pleasure him so well that he would not kill her.
But none of them ever returned
One night the Sultan chose a concubine
by the name of Scheherazade
to come to him
She heard that the Sultan had chosen her
as he watched her bathe from behind the carved screens
where he often came to pick his companion for the night
She knew that her life was now in immediate danger
She knew that tonight was to be her last night alive unless she could please the Sultan
She wondered whether she would ever see her young friends or family again
She knew that
unless she did something extraordinary tonight
many more indeed all
of the young girls who lived within the harem would die
That evening
a Full moon rose in the east
and sweet-scented jasmine
wafted through the shutters of the palace windows
The Sultan lay on satin sheets on his huge bed
Frankincense, myrrh and camphor
filled a room lit only by candles
Scheherazade was brought in by the eunuchs
freshly washed
and the door was closed behind her
She looked at the Sultan
The Sultan lay on his bed and looked at her
Not a sound could be heard from anything or anyone
She bowed before him
He continued to look at her as at something
but not at someone
As a man might look at something he pitied and yet loved
He spoke
"Take off your clothes"
She took a step forward
radiant and strong in the acceptance of her fate
She then addressed him:
"O Great Sultan
it is said that the beauty of a woman is one of the delights that has been given to man by God
Do you know how this gift was first given and why?
Do you know who the first woman was
and how she looked and why God gave her to the man?
Do you know the story of their first night together and what became of them?"
The Sultan heard the words of the concubine Scheherazade
and sat up a little and looked at her
He was intrigued None of the girls had ever came to him like this
Most he knew were scared scared to death and
they sought only to please him immediately with their beauty and feminine charms
Here was something different
"Tell me this story and then we will make love"
And so she began. . . . . .
Scheherazade
began a story that started high up in the mountains of the heart
and like a small spring burst forth in such happy and delightful purity
that the Sultan was absorbed in its flow and turns and twists and delights and adventures
so that the whole night went by like a single moment of pleasure
and the sun had begun to lighten the sky in the East
and she had still not finished her story
The Sultan
both pleased and delightfully exhausted from listening bade her go to sleep
and told her to continue the story the next evening
and that next evening was much like the first except the story became more interesting
and was still not finished as the sun lit the minarets of the Sultan's palace
Again the Sultan bade Scheherazade go to sleep
and he would continue the story the next evening
And again and again and again
the evenings passed in story
and for season after season year after year night after night until
A Thousand and One Arabian nights had passed
and Scheherazade noticed that the Sultan had changed in his disposition
He was able to feel again beyond his hurt
and he was able to trust and appreciate and to laugh
and to marvel at the wondrous story
that was spread out before him and he began to marvel
at the wondrous life that was spread out before him
And he felt remorse for what he had done
to the young sisters of Scheherazade
His heart softened
and he fell in love with the one who had been the bringer
of this gift in the world for him
and he married Scheherazade
and made her his sweet wife
and the harem was set free from the threat of death
and the palace once again came to life
and the land and the people blossomed
under the wise and compassionate rule of the Sultan
and his consort Scheherazade
