Thousand & One Nights: Twenty Second Night: Half Moon & Half Stone

The king who came alone in search of mystery behind the coloured fish and the lake surrounded by hills found a young man in a lonely palace without nobody to attend him. His face was as bright as moon. But he was half man (from head to navel) and half stone (from navel to feet).

The king said to the young man:
"I came to look for an answer to the mystery behind coloured fish. Now, young man you have added one more mystery. There is no power and no strength except God. Now hurry up and tell me your story." The young man replied:
"Lend me your ears, your eyes and your mind." The king replied, "My ears, my eyes and my mind are ready."
The young man began to tell his story: 
"My story and the story of fish is strange and amazing. If it could be engraved with needle at the tail of my eye would be a lesson for others. My father was the king of this city. King Mahmud of Back Islands. These four hills were four islands. He ruled for seventy years. When he died, I succeeded and married my cousin. She loved me very much, so much so that if I was away for a single day, she would refuse to eat and drink till I return. In this way we lived for five years. But every thing changed after that incident. One day she went to bath, and I ordered the cook to grill meat and prepare a sumptuous supper for her. Then I entered this palace and lay down in this very spot where you are sitting now, and ordered two maids to sit down, one at my head and one at my feet, to fan me. I felt uneasy and could not go to sleep. But I lay with my eyes closed, breathing heavily. The girls thought that I was asleep. The one at my head said to the other, "O, Mas'uda, what a pity! Our poor master and the damned mistress! Him so young." The other replied, "What can I say. May God damn all treacherous, adulterous women. It is not right that such a young man like our master lives with this bitch who spends every night out." She added, "Is our master stupid? When he wakes up at night, doesn't he finds that she is not by his side?" The other replied, "Alas, may God trip the bitch our mistress. Does she leave our master with his wits about him? No. She places a sleeping potion in the last drink
he takes, offers him the cup, and when he drinks it, he sleeps like a dead man. Then she leaves him. When she returns, she burs incense under his nose, he inhales it, and wakes up. What a pity!"

"When I heard the conversation, I was extremely angry. When my wife returned from the bath, we had the meal served but ate very little l. Then we retired to bed and I pretended to drink the contents of the cup, which I poured out, and went to sleep. No sooner had I fallen on my side, than my wife said, "Go to sleep, and may you never rise again. By God your sight disgusts me and your company bores me." Then she put on her clothes, perfumed herself with burning incense, and taking my sword, girded herself with it. Then she opened the door and walked out. My lord, I got up...."

The Night Ends

Notes:-
1. Story reflects the history of marriage between blood relatives. So the story goes back to First Century.


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