第97章
The Nights so fair and restful cozened thee，
For peaceful Nights bring woes of heavy weight.
Oh children of mankind whom Time befriends，
Beware of Time's deceits or soon or late！'[279]
When the Sultan heard his Wazir's words he saw that they were right and deemed his counsel wise，and it had effect upon him for he feared lest the order of the state be deranged；so he rose at once and bade transport his son from his sick room to the pavilion in the palace overlooking the sea. Now this palace was girt round by the waters and was approached by a causeway twenty cubits wide. It had windows on all sides commanding an ocean view；its floor was paved with particoloured marbles and its ceiling was painted in the richest pigments and figured with gold and lapislazuli. They furnished it for Kamar alZaman with splendid upholstery，embroidered rugs and carpets of the richest silk；and they clothed the walls with choice brocades and hung curtains bespangled with gems of price. In the midst they set him a couch of juniper[280]wood inlaid with pearls and jewels，and Kamar alZaman sat down thereon，but the excess of his concern and passion for the young lady had wasted his charms and emaciated his body；he could neither eat nor drink nor sleep；and he was like a man who had been sick twenty years of sore sickness. His father seated himself at his head，grieving for him with the deepest grief，and every Monday and Thursday he gave his Wazirs and Emirs and Chamberlains and Viceroys and Lords of the realm and levies and the rest of his lieges leave to come up to him in that pavilion. So they entered and did their several service and duties and abode with him till the end of the day，when they went their ways and the King returned to his son in the pavilion whom he left not night nor day；and he ceased not doing on this wise for many days and nights. Such was the case with Kamar alZaman，son of King Shahriman；but as regards Princess Budur，daughter of King Ghayur，Lord of the Isles and the Seven Palaces，when the two Jinns bore her up and laid her on her bed，she slept till daybreak，when she awoke and sitting upright looked right and left，but saw not the youth who had lain in her bosom. At this her vitals fluttered，her reason fled and she shrieked a loud shriek which awoke all her slave girls and nurses and duennas. They flocked in to her；and the chief of them came forward and asked，'What aileth thee，O my lady？'Answered the Princess，'O wretched old woman，where is my beloved，the handsome youth who lay last night in my bosom？ Tell me whither he is gone.'Now when the duenna heard this，the light starkened in her sight and she feared from her mischief with sore affright，and said to her，'O my Lady Budur，what unseemly words are these？'Cried the Princess，'Woe to thee pestilent crone that thou art！I ask thee again where is my beloved，the goodly youth with the shining face and the slender form，the jetty eyes and the joined eyebrows，who lay with me last night from suppertide until near daybreak？'She rejoined 'By Allah，O my lady，I have seen no young man nor any other. I conjure thee，carry not this unseemly jest too far lest we all lose our lives；for perhaps the joke may come to thy father's ears and who shall then deliver us from his hand？'And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Ninetythird Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the duenna bespake the Lady Budur in these words，'Allah upon thee，O my lady！carry not this unseemly jest too far；for perhaps it may come to thy father's ears，and who shall then deliver us from his hand？'The Princess rejoined，'In very sooth a youth lay with me last night，one of the fairestfaced of men.'Exclaimed the duenna，'Heaven preserve thy reason！indeed no one lay with thee last night.'Thereupon the Princess looked at her hand and，finding Kamar alZaman's sealring on her finger in stead of her own，said to her，'Woe to thee，thou accursed！ thou traitress！
wilt thou lie to me and tell me that none lay with me last night and swear to me a falsehood in the name of the Lord？'Replied the duenna，'By Allah，I do not lie to thee nor have I sworn falsely.'Then the Princess was incensed by her words and，drawing a sword she had by her，she smote the old woman with it and slew her；[281] whereupon the eunuch and the waitingwomen and the concubines cried out at her，and ran to her father and，without stay or delay，acquainted him with her case. So the King went to her，and asked her，'O my daughter，what aileth thee？'
and she answered，'O my father，where is the youth who lay with me last night？'Then her reason fled from her head and she cast her eyes right and left and rent her raiment even to the skirt.
When her sire saw this，he bade the women lay hands on her；so they seized her and manacled her，then putting a chain of iron about her neck，made her fast to one of the palacewindows and there left her.[282] Thus far concerning Princess Budur；but as regards her father，King Ghayur，the world was straitened upon him when he saw what had befallen his daughter，for that he loved her and her case was not a little grievous to him. So he summoned on it the doctors and astrologers and men skilled in talisman writing and said to them，'Whoso healeth my daughter of what ill she hath，I will marry him to her and give him half of my kingdom；but whoso cometh to her and cureth her not，I will strike off his head and hang it over her palacegate.'
Accordingly，all who went in to her，but failed to heal her，he beheaded and hung their heads over the palacegates，till he had beheaded on her account forty doctors and crucified forty astrologers；wherefor the general held aloof from her，all the physicians having failed to medicine her malady；and her case was a puzzle to the men of science and the adepts in cabalistic characters. And as her longing and passion redoubled and love and distraction were sore upon her，she poured forth tears and repeated these couplets，'My fondness，O my moon，for thee my foeman is，And to thy comradeship the nights my thought compel：