So the Caliph was certified that the young man was the murderer,

whereat he wondered and asked him: "What was the cause of thy



wrongfully doing this damsel to die, and what made thee confess the

murder without the bastinado, and what brought thee here to yield up



thy life, and what made thee say 'Do her wreak upon me'?" The youth

answered: "Know, O Commander of the Faithful, that this woman was my



wife and the mother of my children, also my first cousin and the

daughter of my paternal uncle, this old man, who is my father's own



brother. When I married her she was a maid, and Allah blessed me

with three male children by her. She loved me and served me and I



saw no evil in her, for I also loved her with fondest love. Now on the

first day of this month she fell ill with grievoussickness and I



fetched in physicians to her, but recovery came to her little by

little, and when I wished her to go to the hammam bath, she said,



'There is something I long for before I go to the bath, and I long for

it with an exceeding longing.' 'To hear is to comply,' said I. 'And



what is it?' Quoth she, 'I have a queasy craving for an apple, to

smell it and bite a bit of it.' I replied, 'Hadst thou a thousand



longings, I would try to satisfy them!' So I went on the instant

into the city and sought for apples, but could find none, yet had they



cost a gold piece each, would I have bought them. I was vexed at

this and went home and said, 'O daughter of my uncle, by Allah I can



find none!' She was distressed, being yet very weakly, and her

weakness increased greatly on her that night and I felt anxious and



alarmed on her account.

"As soon as morning dawned I went out again and made the round of



the gardens, one by one, but found no apples anywhere. At last there

met me an old gardener, of whom I asked about them and he answered, 'O



my son, this fruit is a rarity with us and is not now to be found save

in the garden of the Commander of the Faithful at Bassorah, where



the gardener keepeth it for the Caliph's eating.' I returned to my

house troubled by my ill success, and my love for my wife and my



affection moved me to undertake the journey, So I at me ready and

set out and traveled fifteen days and nights, going and coming, and



brought her three apples, which I bought from the gardener for three

dinars. But when I went in to my wife and set them before her, she



took no pleasure in them and let them lie by her side, for her

weakness and fever had increased on her, and her malady lasted without



abating ten days, after which she began to recover health.

"So I left my house and betaking me to my shop, sat there buying and



selling. And about midday, behold, a great ugly black slave, long as a

lance and broad as a bench, passed by my shop holding in hand one of



the three apples, wherewith he was playing, Quoth I, `O my good slave,

tell me whence thou tookest that apple, that I may get the like of



it?' He laughed and answered: `I got it from my mistress, for I had

been absent and on my return I found her lying ill with three apples



by her side, and she said to me, "My horned wittol of a husband made a

journey for them to Bassorah and bought them for three dinars." 'So



I ate and drank with her and took this one from her.' When I heard

such words from the slave, O Commander of the Faithful, the world grew



black before my face, and I arose and locked up my shop and went

home beside myself for excess of rage. I looked for the apples and



finding, only two of the three, asked my wife, `O my cousin, where

is the third apple?' And raising her head languidly, she answered,



`I wot not, O son of my uncle, where 'tis gone!' This convinced me

that the slave had spoken the truth, so I took a knife and coming



behind her, got upon her breast without a word said and cut her

throat. Then I hewed off her head and her limbs in pieces and,



wrapping her in her mantilla and a rag of carpet, hurriedly sewed up

the whole, which I set in a chest and, locking it tight, loaded it



on my he-mule and threw it into the Tigris with my own hands.

"So Allah upon thee, O Commander of the Faithful, make haste to hang



me, as I fear lest she appeal for vengeance on Resurrection Day. For

when I had thrown her into the river and one knew aught of it, as I



went back home I found my eldest son crying, and yet he knew naught of

what I had done with his mother. I asked him, 'What hath made thee



weep, my boy?' and he answered, 'I took one of the three apples

which were by my mammy and went down into the lane to play with my



brethren when behold, a big long black slave snatched it from my

hand and said, "Whence hadst thou this?" Quoth I, "My father



traveled far for it, and brought it from Bassorah for my mother, who

was ill, and two other apples for which he paid three ducats." 'He



took no heed of my words and I asked for the apple a second and a

third time, but he cuffed me and kicked me and went off with it. I was

• relate [ri´leit] v.阐明；使联系；涉及 (初中英语单词)


• complain [kəm´plein] vi.抱怨，叫屈；控诉 (初中英语单词)


• provision [prə´viʒən] n.供应；规定；条款 (初中英语单词)


• pledge [pledʒ] n.信物；誓约vt.使发誓 (初中英语单词)


• existence [ig´zistəns] n.存在；生存；生活 (初中英语单词)


• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)


• disgust [dis´gʌst] n.厌恶 vt.令(人)作呕 (初中英语单词)


• ashore [ə´ʃɔ:] ad.向岸上 (初中英语单词)


• fisherman [´fiʃəmən] n.渔民，渔夫，打鱼人 (初中英语单词)


• carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)


• responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• damsel [´dæmzəl] n.姑娘，未婚少女 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• commander [kə´mɑ:ndə] n.指挥员，司令员 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• sickness [´siknis] n.生病；呕吐，恶心 (初中英语单词)


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


• anywhere [´eniweə] ad.无论何处；任何地方 (初中英语单词)


• undertake [,ʌndə´teik] vt.从事；承担；担保 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• absent [´æbsənt, əb´sent] a.不在的 vt.使缺席 (初中英语单词)


• excess [´ekses] n.超过 a.过分的 (初中英语单词)


• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• concerning [kən´sə:niŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)


• commend [kə´mend] vt.把…交托给；称赞 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• murderer [´mə:dərə] n.杀人犯，凶手 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• inspector [in´spektə] n.检查员；监察员 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• execution [,eksi´kju:ʃən] n.执行；演奏；表演 (高中英语单词)


• confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)


• avenge [ə´vendʒ] vt.替…报仇 (高中英语单词)


• ransom [´rænsəm] n.赎金；勒索 vt.赎 (高中英语单词)


• recovery [ri´kʌvəri] n.重获；获得；恢复 (高中英语单词)


• gardener [´gɑ:dnə] n.园艺家；园林工人 (高中英语单词)


• appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)


• vengeance [´vendʒəns] n.报复，复仇 (高中英语单词)


• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• leisurely [´leʒəli] a.从容地，慢慢地 (英语四级单词)


• poorly [´puəli] a.不舒服的 ad.贫穷地 (英语四级单词)


• homestead [´həumsted] n.家宅，宅基 (英语四级单词)


• midday [´middei] n.中午 (英语四级单词)


• whatsoever [,wɔtsəu´evə] (强势语)=whatever (英语四级单词)


• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)


• gallows [´gæləuz] n.绞刑架 (英语四级单词)


• readiness [´redinis] n.准备就绪；愿意 (英语四级单词)


• deliverance [di´livərəns] n.援救；获释 (英语四级单词)


• almighty [ɔ:l´maiti] a.万能的；全能的 (英语四级单词)


• firmament [´fə:məmənt] n.苍穹，天空 (英语四级单词)


• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)


• grievous [´gri:vəs] a.痛苦的；严重的 (英语四级单词)


• traveled [´trævəld] a.见面广的；旅客多的 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• hurriedly [´hʌridli] ad.仓促地，忙乱地 (英语四级单词)


• depose [di´pəuz] v.罢免，废黜(国王等) (英语六级单词)


• eunuch [´ju:nək] n.太监 (英语六级单词)


• asylum [ə´sailəm] n.避难所，收容所 (英语六级单词)


• populace [´pɔpjuləs] n.平民；大众；人口 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• paternal [pə´tə:nl] a.(象)父亲的；父方的 (英语六级单词)


• craving [´kreiviŋ] n.渴望，热望 (英语六级单词)


• malady [´mælədi] n.疾病；不正之风 (英语六级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


• wherewith [wɛə´wiθ] ad.用什么；用以 (英语六级单词)