第91章 ALAEDDIN ABOU ESH SHAMAT.(1)

There lived once in Cairo，of old time，a merchant named Shemseddin，who was of the best and truest-spoken of the traders of the city and had great store of money and goods and slaves and servants，white and black and male and female. Moreover，he was Provost of the Merchants of Cairo and had a wife，whom he loved and who loved him；but he had lived with her forty years，yet had not been blessed with son or daughter by her. One Friday，as he sat in his shop，he noted that each of the merchants had a son or two or more，sitting in shops like their fathers. Presently，he entered the bath and made the Friday ablution；after which he came out and took the barbers glass，saying，I testify that there is no god but God and that Mohammed is His Apostle！' Then he looked at his beard and seeing that the white hairs in it outnumbered the black，bethought himself that hoariness is the harbinger of death. Now his wife knew the time of his coming and had washed and made ready for him；so when he came in to her，she said，Good even；but he replied，I see no good.' Then she called for the evening meal and said to her husband，Eat，O my lord.' Quoth he，I will eat nothing，'and pushing the table away with his foot，turned his back to her. Why dost thou thus？said she. What has vexed thee？And he answered，Thou art the cause of my vexation.' How so？asked she. This morning，'replied he，when I opened my shop，I saw that each of the other merchants had a son or two or more，and I said to myself，'He who took thy father will not spare thee.' Now the night I wedded thee，thou madest me swear that I would never take a second wife nor a concubine，Abyssinian or Greek or other，nor would lie a night from thee： and behold，thou art barren，and swiving thee is like boring into the rock.' God is my witness，'rejoined she，that the fault lies with thee，for that thy seed is thin.' And how is it with him whose seed is thin？asked he，and she，He cannot get women with child nor beget children.' What thickens seed？

asked he. Tell me and I will try it： haply，it will thicken mine.' Quoth she，Enquire for it of the druggists.' They slept that night and arose on the morrow，repenting each of having spoken angrily to the other. Then he went to the market and accosting a druggist，said to him，Hast thou wherewithal to thicken the seed？I had it，but am spent of it，'answered the druggist；ask my neighbour.' So Shemseddin made the round of the bazaar，till he had asked every one；but they all laughed at him and he returned to his shop and sat down，troubled. Now there was in the market a man called Sheikh Mohammed Semsem，who was syndic of the brokers and was given to the use of opium and bang and hashish. He was poor and used to wish Shemseddin good morrow every day；so he came to him according to his wont and saluted him. The merchant returned his salute，and the other，seeing him vexed，said to him，O my lord，what hath crossed thee？Quoth Shemseddin，These forty years have I been married to my wife，yet hath she borne me neither son nor daughter；and I am told that the cause of my failure to get her with child is the thinness of my seed；so I have been seeking wherewithal to thicken it，but found it not.' I have a thickener，'said Sheikh Mohammed；but what wilt thou say to him who makes thy wife conceive by thee，after forty years barrenness？An thou do this，'answered the merchant，I will largely reward thee.' Then give me a dinar，'rejoined the broker，and Shemseddin said，Take these two dinars.' He took them and said，Give me also yonder bowl of porcelain.' So he gave it him，and the broker betook himself to a hashish-seller，of whom he bought two ounces of concentrated Turkish opium and equal parts of Chinese cubebs，cinnamon，cloves，cardamoms，white pepper，ginger and mountain lizard[86] and pounding them all together，boiled them in sweet oil；after which he added three ounces of frankincense and a cupful or coriander-seed and macerating the whole，made it into a paste with Greek honey. Then he put the electuary in the bowl and carried it to the merchant，to whom he delivered it，saying，This is the seed-thickener，and the manner of using it is this.

Make the evening-meal of mutton and house-pigeon，plentifully seasoned and spiced；then take of this electuary with a spoon and wash it down with a draught of boiled date-wine.' So the merchant bought mutton and pigeons and sent them to his wife，bidding her dress them well and lay up the electuary till he should call for it. She did as he bade her and he ate the evening-meal，after which he called for the bowl and ate of the electuary. It liked him well，so he ate the rest and lay with his wife. That very night she conceived by him and after three months，her courses ceased and she knew that she was with child.