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Updated: May 17, 2025
Thou didst good to him who hath injured thee, thou guardedst his honour who hath violated thine, and didst protect the harem of him who hath despoiled thee and thine! She came before him, with bowed head, tearful-eyed and mournful-hearted, and he said to her, 'O Cout el Culoub, I find thou taxest me with injustice and tyranny and avouchest that I have wronged him who did me good.
Ask what thou wilt of me, O Cout el Culoub, and it shall be granted to thee. 'O Commander of the Faithful, said she, 'I ask of thee my beloved Ghanim ben Eyoub. The Khalif granted her prayer, and she said, 'O Commander of the Faithful, if I bring him to thee, wilt thou bestow me on him? 'If he come, replied the Khalif, 'I will bestow thee on him, the gift of a generous man who does not go back on his giving. 'O Commander of the Faithful, said she, 'suffer me to go in quest of him: it may be God will unite me with him. 'Do what seemeth good to thee, answered he.
If he should say to himself, "My cousin Zubeideh has compassed the death of Cout el Culoub out of jealousy," or if love-longing should master him and he order to take her forth of the tomb, fear thou not; for when they dig and come to the figure, he will see it as it were a human body, shrouded in costly grave-clothes; and if he desire to take off the swathings, do thou forbid him and say to him, "It is unlawful to look upon her nakedness."
One day he went on a journey to one of his provinces and the Lady Zubeideh came to one of my waiting-women and said to her, "I have somewhat to ask of thee." "What is it, O my lady?" asked she. "When thy mistress Cout el Culoub is asleep," said Zubeideh, "put this piece of henbane up her nostrils or in her drink, and thou shalt have of me as much money as will content thee."
Now the latter had brought home a pot of meat and was about to put forth his hand to eat of it, he and Cout d Culoub, when the damsel, happening to look out, found the house beset on all sides by the Vizier and the chief of the police and their officers and attendants, with drawn swords in their hands, encompassing the place, as the white of the eye encompasses the black.
'Yes, O Commander of the Faithful, answered Alaeddin, and Haroun said, 'By the life of my head and the tombs of my forefathers, she is a gift from me to thee, she and her waiting-women! Alaeddin thought that the Khalif was jesting with him; but, on the morrow, he went in to Cout el Culoub and said to her, 'I have given thee to Alaeddin; whereat she rejoiced, for she had seen and loved him.
No, I have not gone in to her nor do I know her length from her breadth; so do thou quit me of her. Quoth the Khalif, 'I would fain see her and question her of her case. And Alaeddin replied, 'I hear and obey, O Commander of the Faithful. So the Khalif went in to Cout el Culoub, who rose and kissed the ground before him, and said to her, 'Hath Alaeddin gone in to thee? 'No, O Commander of the Faithful, answered she; 'I sent to bid him to me, but he would not come. So he bade carry her back to the harem and saying to Alaeddin, 'Do not absent thyself from us, returned to his palace.
Then she opened the skirt of her shift, and taking up the ribbon of her trousers, said to him, 'O my lord, read what is on this ribbon. So he took it and saw, wrought in letters of gold, the following words, 'I am thine, and thou art mine, O descendant of the Prophet's Uncle! When he read this, he dropped his hand and said to her, 'Tell me who thou art. 'It is well, answered she; 'know that I am one of the favourites of the Commander of the Faithful and my name is Cout el Culoub.
She sat awhile, conversing with them, after which she enquired for the sick youth, and the syndic's wife replied, 'He is in the same state. Then said Cout el Culoub, 'Come, let us go and visit him. So they all went into the room where he lay and sat down by him.
He saw all the pages and damsels and eunuchs in mourning, at which his heart quaked; and when he went in to the Lady Zubeideh, he found her also clad in black. So he asked the cause of this and was told that Cout el Culoub was dead, whereupon he fell down in a swoon.
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