The Perfumed Garden of the Shaykh Nefwazi | Page 7

have come to see what has come to our Lord, whom may God make
victorious.'
'And what has come to thee?' replied the King, 'and how art thou getting on with thy new
and with thy old wife?' For Bahloul, not content with one wife, had married a second one.
'I am not happy,' he answered, 'neither with the old one, nor with the new one: and
moreover poverty overpowers me.'
The King said, 'Can you recite any verses on this subject?'
The buffoon having answered in the affirmative, Mamoum commanded him to recite
those he knew, and Bahloul began as follows:
Poverty holds me in chains; misery torments me: I am being scourged with all
misfortunes; Ill luck has cast me in trouble and peril, And has drawn upon me the

contempt of man. God does not favour a poverty like mine; That is opprobrious in every
one's eyes. Misfortune and misery for a long time Have held me tightly; and no doubt of
it My dwelling house will soon not know me more.
Mamoum said to him, 'Where are you going to?'
He replied, 'To God and his Prophet, O prince of the believers.'
'That is well!' said the King; 'those who take refuge in God and his Prophet and then in us,
will be made welcome. But can you now tell me some more verses about your two wives,
and about what comes to pass with them?'
Certainly,' said Bahloul.
'Then let us hear what you have to say!'
Bahloul then began thus with poetical words:
By reason of my ignorance I have married two wives - And why do you complain, O
husband of two wives? I said to myself, I shall be like a lamb between them; I shall take
my pleasure upon the bosoms of my two sheep, And I have become like a ram between
two female jackals, Days follow upon days, and nights upon nights, And their yoke bears
me down during both days and nights. If I am kind to one, the other gets vexed. And so I
cannot escape from these two furies. If you want to live well and with a free heart, And
with your hands unclenched, then do not marry. If you must wed, then marry one wife
only: One alone is enough to satisfy two armies
When Mamoum heard these words he began to laugh, till he nearly tumbled over. Then,
as a proof of his kindness, he gave to Bahloul his golden robe, a most beautiful vestment.
Bahloul went in high spirits towards the dwelling of the Grand Vizir. Just then
Hamdonna looked from the height of her palace in that direction, and saw him. She said
to her negress, 'By the God of the temple of Mecca! There is Bahloul dressed in a fine
gold-worked robe! How can I manage to get possession of the same?'
The negress said, 'Oh, my mistress, you would not know how to get hold of that robe.'
Hamdonna answered, 'I have thought of a trick whereby to achieve my ends, and I shall
get the robe from him.' 'Bahloul is a sly man,' replied the negress. 'People think generally
that they can make fun of him; but for God, it is he who really makes fun of them. Give
up the idea, mistress mine, and take care that you do not fall into the snare which you
intend setting for him.'
But Hamdonna said again, 'It must be done!' She then sent her negress to Bahloul, to tell
him that he should come to her.
He said, 'By the blessing of God, to him who calls you, you shall make answer,' and went
to Hamdonna.

Hamdonna welcomed him and said: 'Oh, Bahloul, I believe you come to hear me sing.'
He replied: 'Most certainly, oh, my mistress! You have a marvellous gift for singing.'
'I also think that after having listened to my songs, you will be pleased to take some
refreshments.'
'Yes,' said he.
Then she began to sing admirably, so as to make people who listened die with love.
After Bahloul had heard her sing, refreshments were served; he ate, and he drank Then
she said to him: 'I do not know why, but I fancy you would gladly take off your robe, to
make me a present of it.' And Bahloul answered: 'Oh, my mistress! I have sworn to give it
to her to whom I have done as a man does to a woman.'
'Do you know what that is, Bahloul?' said she.
'Do I know it?' replied he. 'I, who am instructing God's creatures in that science? It is I
who make them copulate in love, who initiate them in the delights a female can give,
show them how one must caress a woman, and