The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 by Anonymous
page 232 of 450 (51%)
page 232 of 450 (51%)
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heavier and she is the mother of the boy-babe whereas the other
bare the girl-child and we know not an it be alive or dead." Hereat the true mother of the boy held her peace but the other wailed aloud and said, "'Tis well: still this be my babe!" Thereupon quoth the Wazir, "I am about to take the boy and hew him in halves whereof I will give one to each of you twain." But the true mother arose and cried out, "No! O my lord, do not on this wise: I will forfeit my claim for Allah's sake;" while the other one exclaimed, "All this is right good!" Now all the folk of the city who were then standing by heard these words and looked on; but when this order was pronounced and the woman was satisfied and declared, "I will take half the boy," the Wazir gave orders forthright that they seize her and hang her; so they hanged her and he gave the babe to the right mother. Then said they to him, "O our lord, how was it proved to thee that the boy was the child of this one?" and he said, "It became evident to me from two sides; in the first place because her milk was the heavier, so that I knew that the boy was her boy, and secondly when I commanded, 'Let us cut the boy in half,' the real mother consented not to this and the matter was hard upon her because the child was a slice of her liver, and she said to herself, 'His life is better than his death, even though my sister-wife take him, at any rate I shall be able to look upon him.' But the second woman designed only to gratify her spite whether the boy died or not and to harm her sister-wife; so when I saw that she was contented to have the babe killed, I knew that it was right to do her die." Then all who were present of the Lords of the land and the Olema and divines and notables wondered at the judgment and exclaimed, "By Allah, well done,[FN#280] O Wazir of the realm." Now this history of the Minister's perspicacity and |
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