Th e spra wling, un tidy collecti on of storie s known throu ghout th e Arab-speak ing world as theTh ousand and One Nights (and in E nglish long called The Arabian Nights) evolved over a long period of time, and it is impossible to say just when a particular story was written. Because the collection reached its more or less definiti ve form in the 16th centu ry we hav e chosen to place this example here. Such tales of magic as “Alad din and the Wonderful Lamp” and “Ali B aba a nd the Forty T hieves” are actually quite un representative of the bulk of the Nights. Most are dec ided ly adult t ales of sc andal and treachery, often involv ing fai thl ess women. It is a n irony th at cultur es which dep ict women as irrepress ibly sexual (including European cultu re, with its Deca meron and other story collections), simultan eously ten d to po rtray th em as highly intelligent; for in a repressi ve patriarchal soci ety it takes a good deal of cleverness to break the rul es succes sfull y. Th is story stands out in depi cting sympathetically a heroine who manages to cleverly make fools o f her would-be lovers by developing her own unique defense ag ainst sexual harassment. In w hat sense ca n this adulterous woman be called fai thfu l? A woman of the merchant class was marrie d to a ma n wh o was a great traveler. Once he set out for a far countr y and was absent so long that his wife, out of sheer boredom, fell in love wi th a handsome young man, and they loved each other exceed ingly. On e da y, the you th quarreled with another man, who lodged a complai nt against him with the Chief of Police, a nd he cast him into pris on. When t he news came to the merchant’s wife, she nearly lost h ermind. Th en she arose and—putting on her richest clothes—went to the hou se of the Chie f of Poli ce. She Greeted him and presented him with a pe tition which read, “Th e man you h ave impris oned is my brother So-and-So, who had a fight with someone; but those who testified agai nst him lied. He has bee n wrongfu lly imprisoned, and I have no one else to live with or to s upport me; therefore I beg you graci ously to release him.” When th e Chie f had read the peti tion, he looked a t her and immedia tely fell in lov e with her; so he said to her, “Go into my h ouse, till I bring him out; t hen I will send for you and you may take him away.” “O, my lord,” she replied, “I have no one to protect me except a lmighty God. I can not enter any stran ge man’s home.” Th e Chief sai d, “I will not let him go unless you come to my h ome and let me do what I will with you.” She answered, “If it must be, you must come to my home and sleep throu gh the afternoon and evening there.” “And where is your home?” he asked; and she answered, “At such-an d-such a place,” and arranged a time for him to c ome. Th en she left him, who had entirely fallen in love with her, an d went to the Cadi of the city, to whom she sai d, “O, our lord the Ca di! ” He said, “Yes?” and she continu ed, “Examine my case a nd you w ill be reward ed God.” He sai d, “Who has wronged you?” and she rep lied, “O my lord, I have a brother, my only brother, and it i s on his behalf that I come to you, because the Chief has imprisoned him as a criminal and men have borne false witness against him, claiming that he is an evil man, and I beg you to intercede for him with the Chief of Police.” When the Cadi gazed at her, he i mmediately fell in love with her and sa id, “Go into the house and rest awhile with the women in my h arm while I send to the Chief to release your brother. If I knew how much his fine was, I would pay it myself out of my own purse sot that I could enjoy you, for your sweet speech greatly pleases me.: She sai d, “If y ou, O my lord, are to be have in this way, we would not be able to blame o thers.” Sai d he, “If y ou will not come i n, go away.” Th en she sai d, “If y ou insist, O our lord, it wi ll be be tter and more pri vate at my place than in yours, for here there are slave-gi rls and eunu chs and peop le coming and going; and i ndeed I am not this so rt of woman, but I see that I mu st gi ve in.” Th e Ca di a sked, “And wh ere i s your h ouse?” and she answered, “In such-an d-such a place, and set for him the sa me day and time a s the Chief of P olice. Th en she went from him to the Vi zier, to whom she offered her petiti on for the release from priso n of her brother, who was absolutely necessary to her; but he also de manded she gi ve herself to him, saying “Allow me to do what I w ill with you and I will set your brother free.” She sai d, “If y ou insist, let i t be i n my h ouse, for there we shall both have more pri vacy. I t is not far away, and you I will wash and dress myself properly foryou. He asked , “Where is your hou se.” “I n such- and-such a place,” she answered, a nd set the same time for as for the two o thers. Th en she left him to go to the Ki ng and told him her story and sought h er brother’s relea se. “Who impri soned him?” he aske d; and she replie d, “It w as the Chief of Police.” When the King heard her speech, it pierced his heart with arrows of love, and he asked her to enter this private chamber with him so that he might send to the Cadi to have her broth er released . But she sai d, “O Ki ng, every thing is e asy for you, wh ether I agree or not; and i f the Ki ng indeed wants me, I am fortu nate; but if he will co me to my house he will do me more honor by entering it, as the poet sa ys: “O my friends, hav e you seen or have you heard of his visit whose virtues I hold so hig h?” Th e Ki ng said, “I do not di sagree.” So she set for him the same time as the th ree others and told him where her house was. Then she left him and sought out a ca rpenter, and told him “I want y ou to make me a cabinet with four compartments, one above the other, each with a door that can be lock ed. Let me know how much it will cost a nd I w ill pay it.” He replied, “My price is four dinars; but, sweet lady, if you will grant me your favors, I will charge you nothing.” She answered, “If it is ab solutely n ecessa ry, I will agree; b ut in that case make five compartments with their p adlocks,” and she told him to bring it e xactly on the day required. He said, “Th is i s well; sit do wn, O m y lady, an d I will make it for you immedi ately, and th en will come with you.” So she sat down by him while he began
