The Four Hundred and Seventh Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as soon as the Sultan returned from the chase he asked after Kut al-Kuluh from his exceeding desire to her, and the daughter of his uncle told him the tidings saying, “By Allah, O King of the Age, three days after thou faredst forth there came upon her malaise and malady wherein she abode six days and then she deceased to the mercy of Almighty Allah.”  He exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!  Verily we are the Almighty’s and unto Him shall we return.”  Then befel him the extreme of grief and straitness of breast and he passed that night in exceeding cark and care for Kut al-Kulub.  And when it was morning he sent after the Wazir and summoned him between his hands and bade him go forth to the Tigris-bank and there approve some place whereon he might build a palace which should command all roads.  The Minister replied, “Hearkening and obeying;” and hied to do his lord’s bidding taking with him architects[FN#269] and others, and having found a piece of level ground he ordered them to measure an hundred ells of length for the building by a breadth of seventy cubits.  Presently he sent for surveyors and master-masons whom he commanded to make ready every requisite for the work, of ashlar and lime and lead; also to dig trenches for the base of the walls.  Then they fell to laying the foundations, and the builders and handicraftsmen began to pile the stones and prepare the loads while the Wazir stood by them bidding and forbidding.  Now when it was the third day, the Sultan went forth the Palace to look at the masons and artizans who were working at the foundations of his new edifice.  And as soon as he had inspected it, it pleased him, so he said to the Wazir, “Wallahi! none would befit this palace save and except Kut al-Kulub, when ’twould have been full of significance;” and so saying he wept with sore weeping at the remembrance of her.  Quoth the Wazir to him, “O King of the Age, have patience when calamity afflicteth thee, even as said one of them with much meaning, anent long-suffering:—­

’Be patient under weight of wrath and blow of sore calamities:  *
     The Nights compressed by Time’s embrace gravidoe miras
     gerunt res.’"[FN#270]

Then quoth the Sultan, “’Tis well, O Wazir, I know that patience is praiseworthy and fretfulness is blameworthy, for indeed quoth the poet:—­

When Time shall turn on thee, have patience for ’tis best of
     plight:  * Ease shall pursue unease and naught but suffrance
     make it light;’