The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade By Edgar Allan Poe Truth is stranger than fiction. bered, that, in the usual version of the tales, OLD SAYING. a certain monarch having good cause to be jealous of his queen, not only puts her to Having had occasion, lately, in the death, but makes a vow, by his beard and the course of some Oriental investigations, to prophet, to espouse each night the most beau- consult the Tellmenow Isitsoornot, a work tiful maiden in his dominions, and the next which (like the Zohar of Simeon Jochaides) morning to deliver her up to the executioner. is scarcely known at all, even in Europe; and Having fulfilled this vow for many years to which has never been quoted, to my knowl- the letter, and with a religious punctuality edge, by any American—if we except, and method that conferred great credit perhaps, the author of the “Cu- upon him as a man of devout feel- riosities of American Litera- ing and excellent sense, he was ture”;—having had occasion, interrupted one afternoon I say, to turn over some pag- (no doubt at his prayers) es of the first—mentioned by a visit from his grand very remarkable work, I vizier, to whose daugh- was not a little astonished ter, it appears, there had to discover that the liter- occurred an idea. Her ary world has hitherto been name was Scheherazade, strangely in error respecting and her idea was, that she the fate of the vizier’s daugh- would either redeem the ter, Scheherazade, as that fate is land from the depopulating depicted in the “Arabian Nights”; tax upon its beauty, or perish, af- and that the denouement there given, if not ter the approved fashion of all heroines, in altogether inaccurate, as far as it goes, is at the attempt. Accordingly, and although we least to blame in not having gone very much do not find it to be leap-year (which makes farther. the sacrifice more meritorious), she deputes For full information on this interesting her father, the grand vizier, to make an of- topic, I must refer the inquisitive reader to fer to the king of her hand. This hand the the “Isitsoornot” itself, but in the meantime, king eagerly accepts—(he had intended to I shall be pardoned for giving a summary of take it at all events, and had put off the mat- what I there discovered. It will be remem- ter from day to day, only through fear of the — — Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade By Edgar Allan Poe vizier),—but, in accepting it now, he gives pleasant than hanging, only a trifle more all parties very distinctly to understand, that, genteel. The king’s curiosity, however, pre- grand vizier or no grand vizier, he has not the vailing, I am sorry to say, even over his sound slightest design of giving up one iota of his religious principles, induced him for this vow or of his privileges. When, therefore, the once to postpone the fulfilment of his vow fair Scheherazade insisted upon marrying the until next morning, for the purpose and with king, and did actually marry him despite her the hope of hearing that night how it fared father’s excellent advice not to do any thing in the end with the black cat (a black cat, I of the kind—when she would and did marry think it was) and the rat. The night having him, I say, will I, nill I, it was with her beau- arrived, however, the lady Scheherazade not tiful black eyes as thoroughly open as the na- only put the finishing stroke to the black cat ture of the case would allow. It seems, how- and the rat (the rat was blue) but before she ever, that this politic damsel (who had been well knew what she was about, found herself reading Machiavelli, beyond doubt), had a deep in the intricacies of a narration, having very ingenious little plot in her mind. On the reference (if I am not altogether mistaken) to night of the wedding, she contrived, upon I a pink horse (with green wings) that went, forget what specious pretence, to have her in a violent manner, by clockwork, and was sister occupy a couch sufficiently near that of wound up with an indigo key. With this his- the royal pair to admit of easy conversation tory the king was even more profoundly in- from bed to bed; and, a little before cock- terested than with the other—and, as the day crowing, she took care to awaken the good broke before its conclusion (notwithstanding monarch, her husband (who bore her none all the queen’s endeavors to get through with the worse will because he intended to wring it in time for the bowstringing), there was her neck on the morrow),—she managed to again no resource but to postpone that cer- awaken him, I say, (although on account of emony as before, for twenty-four hours. The a capital conscience and an easy digestion, next night there happened a similar accident he slept well) by the profound interest of a with a similar result; and then the next—and story (about a rat and a black cat, I think) then again the next; so that, in the end, the which she was narrating (all in an undertone, good monarch, having been unavoidably of course) to her sister. When the day broke, deprived of all opportunity to keep his vow it so happened that this history was not al- during a period of no less than one thousand together finished, and that Scheherazade, in and one nights, either forgets it altogether by the nature of things could not finish it just the expiration of this time, or gets himself then, since it was high time for her to get up absolved of it in the regular way, or (what is and be bowstrung—a thing very little more more probable) breaks it outright, as well as — — Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade By Edgar Allan Poe the head of his father confessor. At all events, into cutting them short—a grievous piece of Scheherazade, who, being lineally descended misconduct, for which I only trust that Allah from Eve, fell heir, perhaps, to the whole sev- will forgive me. But even yet it is not too late en baskets of talk, which the latter lady, we to remedy my great neglect—and as soon as I all know, picked up from under the trees in have given the king a pinch or two in order to the garden of Eden-Scheherazade, I say, fi- wake him up so far that he may stop making nally triumphed, and the tariff upon beauty that horrible noise, I will forthwith entertain was repealed. you (and him if he pleases) with the sequel Now, this conclusion (which is that of of this very remarkable story.” Hereupon the the story as we have it upon record) is, no sister of Scheherazade, as I have it from the doubt, excessively proper and pleasant—but “Isitsoornot,” expressed no very particular in- alas! like a great many pleasant things, is tensity of gratification; but the king, having more pleasant than true, and I am indebted been sufficiently pinched, at length ceased altogether to the “Isitsoornot” for the means snoring, and finally said, “hum!” and then of correcting the error. “Le mieux,” says a “hoo!” when the queen, understanding these French proverb, “est l’ennemi du bien,” and, in words (which are no doubt Arabic) to signify mentioning that Scheherazade had inherited that he was all attention, and would do his the seven baskets of talk, I should have added best not to snore any more—the queen, I say, that she put them out at compound interest having arranged these matters to her satisfac- until they amounted to seventy-seven. tion, re-entered thus, at once, into the his- “My dear sister,” said she, on the thou- tory of Sinbad the sailor: sand-and-second night, (I quote the language “‘At length, in my old age, [these are the of the “Isitsoornot” at this point, verbatim) words of Sinbad himself, as retailed by Sche- “my dear sister,” said she, “now that all this herazade]—‘at length, in my old age, and after little difficulty about the bowstring has blown enjoying many years of tranquillity at home, I over, and that this odious tax is so happily re- became once more possessed of a desire of vis- pealed, I feel that I have been guilty of great iting foreign countries; and one day, without indiscretion in withholding from you and acquainting any of my family with my design, the king (who I am sorry to say, snores—a I packed up some bundles of such merchan- thing no gentleman would do) the full con- dise as was most precious and least bulky, and, clusion of Sinbad the sailor. This person went engaged a porter to carry them, went with him through numerous other and more interest- down to the sea-shore, to await the arrival of ing adventures than those which I related; any chance vessel that might convey me out but the truth is, I felt sleepy on the particular of the kingdom into some region which I had night of their narration, and so was seduced not as yet explored. — — Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade By Edgar Allan Poe “‘Having deposited the packages upon was entirely covered with metallic scales, of a the sands, we sat down beneath some trees, color like that of the moon in misty weather.