Story of the Three Sisters and Their Mother.[FN#151]

I and my sisters and my mother are not natives of this city but of a capital in the land Al-Irak where my father was Sovran having troops and guards, Wazirs and Eunuch-chamberlains; and my mother was the fairest woman of her time insomuch that her beauty was a proverb throughout each and every region.  Now it chanced that when I and my sisters were but infants, our father would set out to hunt and course and slay beasts of raven and take his pleasure in the gardens without the city.  So he sent for his Wazir and appointed and constituted him Viceregent in his stead with full authority to command and be gracious to his lieges:  then he got him ready and marched forth and the Viceroy entered upon his office.  But it happened that it was the hot season and my mother betook herself to the terrace-roof of the palace in order to smell the air and sniff up the breeze.  At that very hour, by the decree of the Decreer, the Wazir was sitting in the Kiosk or roofed balcony hanging to his upper mansion and holding in hand a mirror; and, as he looked therein, he saw the reflection of my mother, a glance of eyes which bequeathed him a thousand sighs.  He was forthright distracted by her beauty and loveliness and fell sick and took to his pillow.  Presently a confidential nurse came in and feeling his pulse, which showed no malady, said to him, “No harm for thee! thou shalt soon be well nor ever suffer from aught of sorrow.”  Quoth he, “O my nurse, canst thou keep a secret?” and quoth she, “I can.”  Then he told her all the love he had conceived for my mother and she replied, “This be a light affair nor hath it aught of hindrance:  I will manage for thee such matter and I will soon unite thee with her.”  Thereupon he packed up for her some of the most sumptuous dresses in his treasury and said, “Hie thee to her and say, ’The Wazir hath sent these to thee by way of love-token and his desire is either that thou come to him and converse, he and thou, for a couple of hours,[FN#152] or that he be allowed to visit thee.’” The nurse replied with “Hearkening and obedience,” and fared forth and found my mother (and we little ones were before her) all unknowing aught of that business.  So the old woman saluted her and brought forwards the dresses, and my mother arose and opening the bundle beheld sumptuous raiment and, amongst other valuables, a necklace of precious stones.  So she said to the nurse, “This is indeed ornamental gear, especially the collar;” and said the nurse, “O my lady, these are from thy slave the Wazir by way of love-token, for he doteth on thee with extreme desire and his only wish is to forgather with thee and converse, he and thou, for a couple of hours, either in his own place or in thine whither he will come.”  Now when my mother heard these words from the nurse she arose and drew a scymitar which lay hard by and of her angry hastiness made the old