3 The Porter’s Tale

CHAPTER 3 The Porter's Tale THE EIGHTH NIGHT The following night, when Scheherazade was in bed, her sister Dinarzad said, "Please, sister, tell us another one of your lovely tales." The king added, "Let it be even more amazing than the story of the demon and the fisherman."

Scheherazade replied, "With the greatest pleasure!" I heard, O happy King, there once lived in the city of Baghdad a young man who worked as a porter, carrying goods and delivering them. One day he was standing in the market, leaning on his basket, when a woman came up to him. She wore a silk veil and a fine gold scarf. When she lifted her face, the young man saw that she had beautiful dark eyes. Then with a soft voice, she said "Porter, take your basket and follow me." The porter took his basket and hurried behind her, saying, "O lucky day, O happy day." She walked in front of him until she came to a house. When she knocked, an old woman came out and gave her a heavy jug. She placed the jug in the basket and said, "Porter, take your basket and follow me." The porter followed her to the fruit seller, where she bought red and yellow apples,

peaches, lemons, and oranges. She put all of this into the porter's basket and asked him to follow her. He did, crying, "O lucky day, O happy day." Then she stopped at the butcher's and ordered ten pounds of fresh lamb. She placed this in the basket and said, "Porter, follow me." The porter marveled at all the wonderful things she was buying. Then he placed his basket on his head and followed her to the grocer's, to the bakery, and to the drugstore. She put all of her goods in the basket, turned to the porter, and said, "Take your basket and follow me." The porter carried the basket and walked behind her until she got to a large house with great pillars and a double door covered with ivory and shining gold. The woman stopped at the door and knocked softly. But morning drew near Scheherazade, and she fell silent. Dinarzad said to her sister, "Sister, what a strange and amazing story!" Scheherazade replied, "This is nothing

compared with what I will tell you tomorrow." THE NINTH NIGHT The following night, when Scheherazade was in bed, her sister Dinarzad said, "Please, sister, tell us another of your amazing tales." The king added, "Let it be the end of the porter's story." Scheherazade replied, "With the greatest pleasure!" I heard, O happy King, that as the porter stood with the basket, the door swung open. The porter looked to see who opened the door, and there was another beautiful woman, with a high forehead like the new moon and teeth as white as a row of pearls. When the porter saw her, he cried, "I have never seen a more blessed day than this!" Then

the woman who had opened the door said to the one who had done the shopping, "Sister, what are you waiting for? Come in and let this poor man put down his basket." The shopper and the porter went in, and the doorkeeper followed them into a grand hall. In the middle stood a large pool of water with a fountain in the center, and at the end was a curtain of red silk. The curtain was pulled open, and from behind it came another dazzling woman with a face brighter than the sun. She walked over to them and said, "Why are you standing? Take the load off this poor man." The three sisters helped the porter lift the basket down and empty it out. They stacked everything in neat piles and gave the porter a tip. When the porter saw how charming and beautiful the women were and the many goods they had stacked around them, he did not want to leave. One of the women asked him, "Why don't you go? Is your tip too little?" Then she turned to

her sister and said, "Give him more money." The porter replied, "By God, the money is not too little, but I notice there is no one here to entertain you. A table needs four legs to stand on, and you being three, surely you need a fourth." When the women heard what he said, they replied, "You are very welcome to join us." Then the three sisters set out all kinds of food and drink by the pool. The porter thought he was in dream. The porter and the women ate and drank and sang, then ate and drank and sang some more. The porter was full of joy. He began dancing and joking, and the three sisters began dancing and joking with him. They passed many hours like this, eating and singing and playing. But morning drew near Scheherazade, and she fell silent. Dinarzad said to her sister, "Sister, what a strange and lovely story!" Scheherazade replied, "This is nothing compared with what I will tell you tomorrow, if I am still alive."