saffron and blazing with light from branched candelabra of gold and
lamps fed with costly oils, which diffused the scent of musk and

ambergris. I saw there also two great censers each big as a mazer
bowl, flaming with lign aloes, nadd perfume, ambergris, and honeyed

scents, and the place was full of their fragrance.
Presently, O my lady, I espied a noble steed, black as the murks

of night when murkiest, standing ready saddled and bridled (and his
saddle was of red gold) before two mangers, one of clear crystal

wherein was husked sesame, and the other also of crystal containing
water of the rose scented with musk. When I saw this I marveled and

said to myself, "Doubtless in this animal must be some wondrous
mystery." And Satan cozened me so I led him without the palace and

mounted him, but he would not stir from his place. So I hammered his
sides with my heels, but he moved not, and then I took the rein whip

and struck him withal. When he felt the blow, he neighed a neigh
with a sound like deafening thunder and, opening a pair of wings, flew

up with me in the firmament of heaven far beyond the eyesight of
man. After a full hour of flight he descended and alighted on a

terrace roof and shaking me off his back, lashed me on the face with
his tad and gouged out my left eye, causing it roll along my cheek.

Then he flew away. I went down from the terrace and found myself
again amongst the ten one-eyed youths sitting upon their ten couches

with blue covers, and they cried out when they saw me: "No welcome
to thee, nor aught of good cheer! We all lived of lives the happiest

and we ate and drank of the best. Upon brocades and cloths of gold
we took our rest, and we slept with our heads on beauty's breast,

but we could not await one day to gain the delights of a year!"
Quoth I, "Behold, I have become one like unto you and now I would have

you bring me a tray full of blackness, wherewith to blacken my face,
and receive me into your society." "No, by Allah," quoth they, "thou

shalt not sojourn with us, and now get thee hence!" So they drove me
away.

Finding them reject me thus, I foresaw that matters would go hard
with me, and I remembered the many miseries which Destiny had

written upon my forehead, and I fared forth from among them
heavy-hearted and tearful-eyed, repeating to myself these words: "I

was sitting at mine ease, but my frowardness brought me to unease."
Then I shaved beard and mustachios and eyebrows, renouncing the world.

and wandered in Kalandar garb about Allah's earth, and the Almighty
decreed safety for me till I arrived at Baghdad, which was on the

evening of this very night. Here I met these two other Kalandars
standing bewildered, so I saluted them saying, "I am a stranger!"

and they answered, "And we likewise be strangers!" By the freak of
Fortune we were like to like, three Kalandars and three monoculars all

blind of the left eye.
Such, O my lady, is the cause of the shearing of my beard and the

manner of my losing an eye. Said the lady to him, "Rub thy head and
wend thy ways," but he answered, "By Allah, I will not go until I hear

the stories of these others." Then the lady, turning toward the Caliph
and Ja'afar and Masrur, said to them, "Do ye also give an account of

yourselves, you men!" Whereupon Ja'afar stood forth and told her
what he had told the portress as they were entering the house, and

when she heard his story of their being merchants and Mosul men who
had outrun the watch, she said, "I grant you your lives each for

each sake, and now away with you all." So they all went out, and
when they were in the street, quoth the Caliph to the Kalandars, "O

company, whither go ye now, seeing that the morning hath not yet
dawned?" Quoth they, "By Allah, O our lord, we know not where to

go." "Come and pass the rest of the night with us," said the Caliph
and, turning to Ja'afar, "Take them home with thee, and tomorrow bring

them to my presence that we may chronicle their adventures."
Ja'afar did as the Caliph bade him and the Commander of the Faithful

returned to his palace, but sleep gave no sign of visiting him that
night and he lay awake pondering the mishaps of the three Kalandar

Princes, and impatient to know the history of the ladies and the two
black bitches. No sooner had morning dawned than he went forth and sat

upon the throne of his sovereignty and, turning to Ja'afar, after
all his grandees and officers of state were gathered together, he

said, "Bring me the three ladies and the two bitches and the three
Kalandars."

So Ja'afar fared forth and brought them all before him (and the
ladies were veiled). Then the Minister turned to them and said in

the Caliph's name: "We pardon you your maltreatment of us and your
want of courtesy, in consideration of the kindness which forewent

it, and for that ye knew us not. Now however I would have you to
know that ye stand in presence of the fifth of the sons of Abbas,

Harun al-Rashid, brother of Caliph Musa al-Hadi, son of Al-Mansur, son
of Mohammed the brother of Al-Saffah bin Mohammed who was first of the

royal house. Speak ye therefore before him the truth and the whole
truth!" When the ladies heard Ja'afar's words touching the Commander

of the Faithful, the eldest came forward and said, "O Prince of True
Believers, my story is one which were it graven with needle gravers

upon the eye corners, were a warner for whoso would be warned and an
example for whoso can take profit from example." And she began to tell

• costly [´kɔstli] a.昂贵的；费用大的 (初中英语单词)
• perfume [´pə:fju:m, pə´fju:m] n.香味 vt.使发香 (初中英语单词)
• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
• crystal [´kristəl] n.水晶 a.水晶的 (初中英语单词)
• thunder [´θʌndə] n.雷 vi.打雷 vt.吼出 (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)
• likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中英语单词)
• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
• commander [kə´mɑ:ndə] n.指挥员，司令员 (初中英语单词)
• minister [´ministə] n.部长；大臣 v.伺候 (初中英语单词)
• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• consideration [kən,sidə´reiʃən] n.考虑；原因；体谅 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)
• needle [´ni:dl] n.针；指针 v.用针缝 (初中英语单词)
• terrace [´terəs] n.梯田 vt.使成梯田 (高中英语单词)
• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
• reject [ri´dʒekt] vt.拒绝；抵制；否决 (高中英语单词)
• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• chronicle [´krɔnikl] n.历史 vt.记述 (高中英语单词)
• impatient [im´peiʃənt] a.不耐烦的，急躁的 (高中英语单词)
• throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)
• courtesy [´kə:tisi] n.礼貌；殷勤；好意 (高中英语单词)
• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)
• flaming [´fleimiŋ] a.熊熊燃烧的；热情的 (英语四级单词)
• withal [wi´ðɔ:l] ad.加之；同样；然而 (英语四级单词)
• firmament [´fə:məmənt] n.苍穹，天空 (英语四级单词)
• blackness [´blæknis] n.黑色；阴险 (英语四级单词)
• blacken [´blækən] v.(使)变黑，诽谤 (英语四级单词)
• sojourn [´sɔdʒə:n] vi.&n.旅居；逗留 (英语四级单词)
• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)
• sovereignty [´sɔvrinti] n.主权；君权 (英语四级单词)
• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)
• wherewith [wɛə´wiθ] ad.用什么；用以 (英语六级单词)
• outrun [aut´rʌn] vt.追过；逃脱 (英语六级单词)