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第48章

'By Allah,O my lady,'replied Marjanah,'I know none but a black slave called Al-Ghazban,[222] who is one of the slaves of King Omar bin al-Nu'uman;he is a valiant wight,and he keepeth guard at our palace gate.The King appointed him to attend us,and indeed we have overwhelmed him with our favours;so,lookye,I will go out and speak with him of this matter,and promise him some monies and tell him that,if he have a mind to tarry with us,I will marry him to whom he will.He told me before to day that he had been a highwayman;so if he consent to us we shall win our wish and reach to our own land.'She rejoined,'Call him that I may talk with him;'whereupon Marjanah fared forth and said to the slave,'O Ghazban,Allah prosper thee,so thou fall in with what my lady saith to thee!'Then she took him by the hand and brought him to the Princess,whose hands he kissed but as she beheld him,her heart took fright at him.'How ever,'she said to herself,'of a truth,Need giveth the law;'and she approached to speak with him,yet her heart started away from him.Presently she said,'O Ghazban,say me,wilt thou help me against the perfidies of Fortune and conceal my secret if I discover it to thee?'When the slave saw her,his heart was taken by storm and he fell in love with her forthright and could not but reply; 'O my mistress,whatsoever thou biddest me do,I will not depart therefrom.'

Quoth she,'I would have thee take me at this hour and take this my handmaid and saddle us two camels and two of the King's horses and set on each horse a saddle bag of goods and somewhat of provaunt,and go with us to our own country; where,if thou desire to abide with us,I will marry thee to her thou shalt choose of my handmaidens,or,if thou prefer return to thine own land,we will marry thee and give thee whatso thou desires'after thou hast taken of money what shall satisfy thee.'When Al Ghazban,heard this,he rejoiced with great joy and replied,'O my lady,I will serve both of you with mine eyes and will go at once and saddle the horses.'Then he went away gladsome and saying to himself,'I shall get my will of them and if they will not yield to me,I will kill them both and take their riches.'

But he kept this his intent to himself,and presently returned with two camels and three head of horses,one of which he rode,and Princess Abrizah made Marjanah mount the second she mounting the third,albeit she was in labour pains and possessed not her soul for anguish.And the slave ceased not travelling with them night and day through the passes of the mountains,till there remained but musingly march between them and their own country;when the travail pangs came upon Abrizah and she could no longer resist;so she said to Al-Ghazban,'Set me down,for the pains of labour are upon me;'and cried to Marjanah,'Do thou alight and sit by me and deliver me.'Then Marjanah dismounted from her horse,and Al-Ghazban did in like sort,and they made fast the bridles and helped the Princess to dismount,for she was aswoon from excess of anguish.When Al-Ghazban saw her on the ground,Satan entered into him and he drew his falchion and brandishing it in her face,said 'O my lady,vouchsafe me thy favours.'

Hearing these words she turned to him and said,'It remaineth for me only that I yield me to negro slaves,after having refused Kings and Braves!'--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Fifty-second Night,She said,It hath reached me,O auspicious King,that Princess Abrizah said to the black slave Al Ghazban,'It remaineth for me only that I yield me to negro slaves,after having refused Kings and Braves!'And she was wroth with him and cried,'Woe to thee!

what words are these thou sayest?Out on thee,and talk not thus in my presence and know that I will never consent to what thou sayest,though I drink the cup of death.Wait till I have cast my burden and am delivered of the after birth,and then,if thou be able thereto,do with me as thou wilt;but,an thou leave not lewd talk at this time assuredly I will slay myself with my own hand and quit the world and be at peace from all this.'And she began reciting extempore,[223]'O spare me,thou Ghazban,indeed enow for me Are heavy strokes of time,mischance and misery!

Whoredom my Lord forfends to all humanity;Quoth He,'Who breaks my bidding Hell for home shall see!'

And if thou leave not suing me to whoredom's way Against th'Almighty's choicest gift,my chastity,Upon my tribesmen I with might and main will call And gather all,however far or near they be;And with Yamani blade were I in pieces hewn,Ne'er shall he sight my face who makes for villeiny,The face of free born come of noble folk and brave;What then can be to me the seed of whoreson slave?'

When Ghazban heard these lines he was wroth exceedingly;his eyes reddened with blood and his face became a dusty grey[224];his nostrils swelled,his lips protruded and the repulsiveness of his aspect redoubled.And he repeated these couplets,'Ho thou,Abrizah,mercy! leave me not for I Of thy love and Yamani[225] glance the victim lie My heart is cut to pieces by thy cruelty,My body wasted and my patience done to die:

From glances ravishing all hearts with witchery Reason far flies,the while desire to thee draws nigh;Though at thy call should armies fill the face of earth E'en now I'd win my wish and worlds in arms defy!'

When Abrizah heard these words,she wept with sore weeping and said to him,'Woe to thee,O Ghazban!How dareth the like of thee to address me such demand,O base born and obscene bred?

Dost thou deem all folk are alike?' When the vile slave heard this from her,he waxt more enraged and his eyes grew redder: and he came up to her and smiting her with the sword on her neck wounded her to the death.Then he drove her horse before him with the treasure and made off with himself to the mountains.

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