between me and her; and he said to me, "O man, depart from this
city, for I acquit thee for thy valiance sake and because of thy
[constancy in] keeping thy secret and thy daring in exposing
thyself to death." So I arose forthright and departed his city;
and this is what befell me.'"





SHEHRZAD AND SHEHRIYAR.



King Shehriyar marvelled at these things and Shehrzad said to
him, "Thou marvelledst at that which befell thee on the part of
women; yet hath there befallen the kings of the Chosroes before
thee what was more grievous than that which befell thee, and
indeed I have set forth unto thee that which betided khalifs and
kings and others than they with their women, but the exposition
is long and hearkening groweth tedious, and in this [that I have
already told thee] is sufficiency for the man of understanding
and admonishment for the wise."

Then she was silent, and when the king heard her speech and
profited by that which she said, he summoned up his reasoning
faculties and cleansed his heart and caused his understanding
revert [to the right way] and turned [with repentance] to God the
Most High and said in himself, "Since there befell the kings of
the Chosroes more than that which hath befallen me, never, whilst