89-8 -
The Story of the Hunchback:
The Story
of the Barber's Second Brother
On
the 31st Night contd ...
So the
Barber started the story of his second brother - "My second brother's
name is Al-Haddar, the Babbler. He was paralytic. One day he was going with his business, that he met an
old woman and said to him - "Stop a little, I wish to say you
something, which if you agree with me, do it for me." My
brother stopped, and she said to him - "I will give you a thing, and
you will not speak about it." So he said - "OK, Tell me what do you
want to give me?" She said - "If you will act according to my condition,
you will prosper. What if you have a beautiful palace and a fair garden
with flowing waters, flowering bushes, fruitful tress, and a damsel who
embraces you since dusk till dawn." "Is is all possible for me?" "Yes, if
you obey me as I say." My brother asked her - "How come that you have
chosen me for this favor, and what is in me which you liked?" She replied
- "Didn't I say to you that you will not talk much about it." The woman
said - "The lady I am talking about, and I am taking you, has her own
ways, if you will please her, you will be happy."
So the
old woman went her way and my brother followed her. They came to a
spacious house. They went up and my brother found it a beautiful palace
with all luxuries. The woman seated him on a couch. In the meantime he saw
a few maids coming in with a beautiful girl like moon. He rose and greeted
her, and she signed him to sit down and asked his welfare. Then she
ordered for some food and they sat down to eat it. While they ate they
talked and she was laughing but when my brother looked at her she showed
as if she was laughing with her maids. My brother could not understand
anything, but guessed that she was in love with him and soon will grant
his desire to fulfill.
When
they had finished eating, 10 maidens came and started singing and
drinking. One of them
drank a cup of wine and my brother proceeded to wait upon her, but she
stopped him doing so and then she herself gave him a cup of wine. As soon
as he drank it, she hit him on his neck. At this he went out of the
chamber in anger, but the old woman asked him to return through sign so he
returned. That girl slapped him on his neck again, and not only she others
also slapped him on his neck. He kept saying to the old woman - "I have
never seen anything nicer than this one." The woman kept saying - "Stop
now, enough, enough, I pray you to stop." My brother ran away from there
but the woman stopped him saying - "Be patient, You shall win your wish."
He said - "How much longer I will have to wait. This beating has made me
faint." He came back and sat down. The lady said - "I am very fond of fun
and he who complies with my demands will obtain my favor. Allaah advance
you to honor. You have entered my house and has borne my conditions." He
said - "I am your slave."
Then
she ordered her maids to sing loudly and take me and give me what I needed
and bring him back to her immediately. So the maid took him away ignorant
of that what she would do with him that the old woman said - "Be patient,
just only a little more." I asked her what she would do with me?" She
replied - "Just she will dye your eyebrows and pluck out your mustaches."
He said - "The color of eyebrows will come out by washing but plucking out
mustache is painful." The woman said - "Do not cross her, because she
loves you."
So she
took him away, dyed his eyebrows and plucked out his mustaches and
came back to the lady. The lady said - "Be patient, for there remains but
little to do. Just one thing remains that is to shave your beard." He said
- "How I will do this, because this will bring me disgrace among the
people?" The old woman said - "She desires this only to make you like a
beardless youth so that there is nothing on your face to prick her." So my
brother patiently submitted himself to her.
When
he came back he looked red - his
eyebrows were dyed, his mustaches and beard were shaved. His face was
painted red. First she got
frightened and then laughed till she fell on her back and said - "You have
won my heart by your good nature." Then she asked him to dance which he did.
Other girls threw on him the cushions, oranges, limes or citrons until he
fell down. Then they again slapped him upon his neck. At length the old woman
said to him - "Now you have attained your wish, now no more beatings.
It is her custom that when she is under the influence of wine, no one
should come near her until she has taken off her clothes, you should also
be prepared in the same manner. Then she will run away from you and you
will run after her until you overtake her." So he rose and took off her
clothes.
On
the 32nd Night
He
arose and took off his clothes. The lady also did the same and asked my
brother to run after her if he wanted something from her." He did so until he found himself in the midst of the street. This
street was in the market of the leather sellers who were then crying for
the prices of the skins
and hides for sale. When the people saw him naked with shaven beard and
mustaches and dyed eyebrows, with his face painted red, they shouted at him and laughed at
him. Some of them beat him with the skins they had in their hands until he became
unconscious. Then
they mounted him on an ass and took him to the Valee.
Valee
asked them - "What is this?" They said - "He came to us in
this condition from the Vazeer's house." He ordered for him 100
lashes and banished him from the city. Then I went after him and brought
him privately into the city and allotted him a maintenance.
Now
you listen to the story of my third brother ....
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