burton--1001-nights--sample

The Third Shaykh’s Story.
Know, O Sultan and head of the Jann, that this mule was my wife.
Now it so happened that I went forth and was absent one whole year;
and when I returned from my journey I came to her by night, and saw
a black slave lying with her on the carpet-bed and they were talking,
and dallying, and laughing, and kissing and playing the close-buttock
game. When she saw me, she rose and came hurriedly at me with a
gugglet 20 of water; and, muttering spells over it, she besprinkled me
and said, “Come forth from this thy shape into the shape of a dog;”
and I became on the instant a dog. She drove me out of the house,
and I ran through the doorway nor ceased running until I came to a
butcher’s stall, where I stopped and began to eat what bones were
there.
When the stall-owner saw me, he took me and led me into his
house, but as soon as his daughter had sight of me she veiled her face
from me, crying out, “Dost thou bring men to me and dost thou come
in with them to me?” Her father asked, “Where is the man?”; and she
answered, “This dog is a man whom his wife hath ensorcelled and I
am able to release him.” When her father heard her words, he said,
“Allah upon thee, O my daughter, release him.” So she took a gugglet
of water and, after uttering words over it, sprinkled upon me a few
drops, saying, “Come forth from that form into thy former form.” And
I returned to my natural shape. Then I kissed her hand and said,
“I wish thou wouldest transform my wife even as she transformed me.”
Thereupon she gave me some water, saying, “As soon as thou see her
20
Arab. “Kullah,” the wide mouthed jug, “daurak” being the narrow. They are used
either for water or sherbet and, being made of porous clay, “sweat,” and keep the
contents cool.
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