登陆注册
15283500000029

第29章 THE BUTTERFLY THAT STAMPED(2)

Then Suleiman-bin-Daoud forgot his nine hundred and ninety-nine bothersome wives,and laughed,till the camphor-tree shook,at the Butterfly's boast.And he held out his finger and said,'Little man,come here.'

The Butterfly was dreadfully frightened,but he managed to fly up to the hand of Suleiman-bin-Daoud,and clung there,fanning himself.Suleiman-bin-Daoud bent his head and whispered very softly,'Little man,you know that all your stamping wouldn't bend one blade of grass.What made you tell that awful fib to your wife?--for doubtless she is your wife.'

The Butterfly looked at Suleiman-bin-Daoud and saw the most wise King's eye twinkle like stars on a frosty night,and he picked up his courage with both wings,and he put his head on one side and said,'O King,live for ever.She is my wife;and you know what wives are like.

Suleiman-bin-Daoud smiled in his beard and said,'Yes,I know,little brother.

'One must keep them in order somehow,said the Butterfly,and she has been quarrelling with me all the morning.I said that to quiet her.'

And Suleiman-bin-Daoud said,'May it quiet her.Go back to your wife,little brother,and let me hear what you say.'

Back flew the Butterfly to his wife,who was all of a twitter behind a leaf,and she said,'He heard you!Suleiman-bin-Daoud himself heard you!'

'Heard me!'said the Butterfly.'Of course he did.I meant him to hear me.'

'And what did he say?Oh,what did he say?'

'Well,'said the Butterfly,fanning himself most importantly,'between you and me,my dear--of course I don't blame him,because his Palace must have cost a great deal and the oranges are just ripening,--he asked me not to stamp,and I promised Iwouldn't.'

'Gracious!'said his wife,and sat quite quiet;but Suleiman-bin-Daoud laughed till the tears ran down his face at the impudence of the bad little Butterfly.

Balkis the Most Beautiful stood up behind the tree among the red lilies and smiled to herself,for she had heard all this talk.

She thought,'If I am wise I can yet save my Lord from the persecutions of these quarrelsome Queens,'and she held out her finger and whispered softly to the Butterfly's Wife,'Little woman,come here.'Up flew the Butterfly's Wife,very frightened,and clung to Balkis's white hand.

Balkis bent her beautiful head down and whispered,'Little woman,do you believe what your husband has just said?'

The Butterfly's Wife looked at Balkis,and saw the most beautiful Queen's eyes shining like deep pools with starlight on them,and she picked up her courage with both wings and said,'O Queen,be lovely for ever.You know what men-folk are like.'

And the Queen Balkis,the Wise Balkis of Sheba,put her hand to her lips to hide a smile and said,'Little sister,I know.'

'They get angry,'said the Butterfly's Wife,fanning herself quickly,'over nothing at all,but we must humour them,O Queen.

They never mean half they say.If it pleases my husband to believe that I believe he can make Suleiman-bin-Daoud's Palace disappear by stamping his foot,I'm sure I don't care.He'll forget all about it to-morrow.'

'Little sister,'said Balkis,'you are quite right;but next time he begins to boast,take him at his word.Ask him to stamp,and see what will happen.We know what men-folk are like,don't we?

He'll be very much ashamed.'

Away flew the Butterfly's Wife to her husband,and in five minutes they were quarrelling worse than ever.

'Remember!'said the Butterfly.'Remember what I can do if Istamp my foot.'

'I don't believe you one little bit,'said the Butterfly's Wife.

'I should very much like to see it done.Suppose you stamp now.'

'I promised Suleiman-bin-Daoud that I wouldn't,'said the Butterfly,'and I don't want to break my promise.'

'It wouldn't matter if you did,'said his wife.'You couldn't bend a blade of grass with your stamping.I dare you to do it,'

she said.Stamp!Stamp!Stamp!'

Suleiman-bin-Daoud,sitting under the camphor-tree,heard every word of this,and he laughed as he had never laughed in his life before.He forgot all about his Queens;he forgot all about the Animal that came out of the sea;he forgot about showing off.He just laughed with joy,and Balkis,on the other side of the tree,smiled because her own true love was so joyful.

Presently the Butterfly,very hot and puffy,came whirling back under the shadow of the camphor-tree and said to Suleiman,'She wants me to stamp!She wants to see what will happen,O Suleiman-bin-Daoud!You know I can't do it,and now she'll never believe a word I say.She'll laugh at me to the end of my days!'

'No,little brother,'said Suleiman-bin-Daoud,'she will never laugh at you again,'and he turned the ring on his finger--just for the little Butterfly's sake,not for the sake of showing off,--and,lo and behold,four huge Djinns came out of the earth!

'Slaves,'said Suleiman-bin-Daoud,'when this gentleman on my finger'(that was where the impudent Butterfly was sitting)'stamps his left front forefoot you will make my Palace and these gardens disappear in a clap of thunder.When he stamps again you will bring them back carefully.'

'Now,little brother,'he said,'go back to your wife and stamp all you've a mind to.'

Away flew the Butterfly to his wife,who was crying,'I dare you to do it!I dare you to do it!Stamp!Stamp now!Stamp!'Balkis saw the four vast Djinns stoop down to the four corners of the gardens with the Palace in the middle,and she clapped her hands softly and said,'At last Suleiman-bin-Daoud will do for the sake of a Butterfly what he ought to have done long ago for his own sake,and the quarrelsome Queens will be frightened!'

The the butterfly stamped.The Djinns jerked the Palace and the gardens a thousand miles into the air:there was a most awful thunder-clap,and everything grew inky-black.The Butterfly's Wife fluttered about in the dark,crying,'Oh,I'll be good!I'm so sorry I spoke.Only bring the gardens back,my dear darling husband,and I'll never contradict again.'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 十度人生

    十度人生

    生活中,有些人常常抱怨自己的命运不济,或者老天待自己不公,其实不然,命运取决于我们有什么“度”。我们对待生活的度,决定了我们的生活。虽然我们无法改变人生,但我们可以改变对人生的看法;虽然我们无法改变环境,但我们可以改变心境。毕竟我们的生活并非全数由生命所发生的事情来决定,而是由你自己面对生命的态度,与你的心灵看待事情的态度来决定。
  • 我的变身妹妹

    我的变身妹妹

    本故事纯属虚构,如有雷同实属巧合。他是个内向胆小的人,在他三十二岁时的某一天遇到件令人不敢相信的怪事.他被雷劈了,到了异世界.?这就是传说中的穿越吗?后来的穿越者,他是年轻的歌星,帅气的外表,有钱的富二代,泡妞的高手,因为车祸意外的穿越了,只是他变成了美女!这是对他伤害所有前女友的报应吗?又来了个魂穿越美女,他们是怎么在这个世界生存,闹出了多少笑话呢?欢迎大家收藏,投票,推荐,评论。09年写的草稿,现在改了太多,和重写没什么两样了!希望大家多多支持!交流群519553135
  • 尸潮之下

    尸潮之下

    僵尸如潮,依靠着自己特别改造的特大巴士,众人是否可以到达北方最后的净土。
  • 医见倾心:总裁宠妻日常

    医见倾心:总裁宠妻日常

    怀了我的孩子就逃了?五年整整五年。”某帅男咬牙切齿道。“咳咳,开什么玩笑,你不是gay嘛,再说了没有孩子!”某女嘟着嘴倔强道!直到某男向她证实了什么叫做纯爷们的时候,某女才相信他就是五年前那个男的。婚后某男开启宠妻狗腿模式,“老公,她对我下药,想把我送给其他男人,沐晓晓指着同父异母的姐姐说道”。陆先生生气了,直接让坏姐姐身败名裂。“老公,那个男的想轻薄我!”陆先生不能忍了,直接让那个渣男见不到明天的太阳了!仗着陆先生的宠爱,沐晓晓对欺负她的人千倍万倍还回去,有人看不惯她的娇纵,陆先生不屑一顾,我就宠了,你们有意见?
  • 徐行读书

    徐行读书

    莫听穿林打叶声,何妨吟啸且徐行。竹杖芒鞋轻胜马,谁怕?一蓑烟雨任平生。料峭春风吹酒醒,微冷,山头斜照却相迎。回首向来萧瑟处,归去,也无风雨也无晴这不是一部小说,只是作为个人业余书评以来的一个总结,收录了一些点评,一些心得,一些牢骚,一些恶搞,希望大家能够喜欢。(收藏评论欢迎,推荐票就不用了)
  • 血色APP

    血色APP

    在繁华喧嚣的大城市中,某个隐藏的角落,总会藏有不为人知的秘密。假如你在一些奇怪的地方看到一些二维码,那么代表死神已经出现在了你的身边,千万不要尝试扫描因为死神的镰刀已经落在了你的脖颈之间。。。当一切成为定局时,你只有杀与被杀的选择
  • 无名记

    无名记

    无名,并不仅仅代表没有姓名,可能不想说,也可能不想知道……我不叫张鸿明!因为我的心底藏着另一个张鸿明·······
  • 我的真实世界

    我的真实世界

    无法退出游戏,唯一的目的就是要不择手段的生存下去!
  • 洛克王国之极端

    洛克王国之极端

    光愈强,影愈强。毁灭与希望本就在一线之间,正如两人站立在天平的两段,身后交织着的便是光与影。而所有事情的源头,只为一人而已。
  • 恶魔校草:我的甜心萌萌哒

    恶魔校草:我的甜心萌萌哒

    曾经那个娇小的萝莉的糖乐乐因为感情的背叛而出国,而夜翌凡呢?几年后,乐乐霸气回归,她再也不是以前那个糖乐乐,她变得高冷,无情。她变了很多,可是她无法改变爱夜翌凡。这场误会,回怎样解决呢?他和她,是否能重新和好呢?……直到有一天,他们和好后,夜翌凡问了她一个问题“知道圆为什么是一直是圆的吗?”“不知道”“因为它的心——一直没变”,“就像我和你一样”……