Thousand & One Nights: 60th Night: Tale of 3rd Dervish - 8

Next morning. The girls bathed me, dressed me. Served me food and wine.

Night came. One of the girls asked me, "Whom do you choose for this day? You cannot choose the last day's girl. You will get her only in the next round."

"Why?"

"It is our rule not to foster attachment between male and female, and we see lust only a part of life. We are a community of women."

I chose a girl with lovely face and soft body.

I saw two jewel boxes on her bosom 
Shielded with musk seal to escape 
Lover's embrace. Her dart glances
Guarded against the assault of stare.

I spent with her a sweet night. In this way I spent a full year with them, eating, drinking and hooking. But one day at the beginning of the new year they began to show the symptoms of parting. Parting is always painful. I asked them what happened. One of them told, "We have lived with many men, but you are special to us." I thought, "'They would have told 
same to other men also."'

"Tell me your story. Are you tired of me?" 

"Oh! No. Not that. We are leaving you for forty days. We are the daughters of kings and we have lived together here for many years. Once a year we go to our father's house and live there for forty days. We are giving you all the keys of this palace. During our absence you can open all the rooms, and occupy there, except one room. You have ninety nine rooms to open, enjoy and occupy. The room with the door of red gold, you must not open. Once you open it you will never seen us again.

The End of the Night 

Notes:-
1. Number 40 is very important. It holds significant cultural and historical meaning. It is frequently used in Bible to represent long period of time. Israelites wandered in the desert for forty days. Noah spent forty days and forty nights on the ark during the great flood.
Forty is the only number spelled in alphabetical order. Here it is forty girls and forty days.

2. The story emphasizes the nothingness of the idea of virginity and charity.





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