There was once a King's daughterwhose heart was taken with love of a black slave： he did away her maidenheadand she became passionately addicted to amorous dallianceso that she could not endure from it a single hour and made moan of her case to one of her body womenwho told her that no thing doth the deed of kind more abundantly than the ape. Now it chanced，one daythat an ape-leader passed under her latticewith a great ape；so she unveiled her face and looking upon the ape，signed to him with her eyeswhereupon he broke his bonds and shackles and climbed up to the princesswho hid him in a place with herand he abodeeating and drinking and cricketing，night and day. Her father heard of this and would have killed her；but she took the alarm and disguising herself in a [male]slave's habitloaded a mule with gold and jewels and precious stuffs past count；thentaking horse with the apefled to Cairowhere she took up her abode in one of the houses without the city.
Nowevery dayshe used to buy meat of a young mana butcher，but came not to him till after noondaypale and disordered in face；so that he said in himself'There hangs some mystery by this slave.'For she used to visit him in her slave's habit.
[Quoth the butcher，] Soone daywhen she came to me as usual，I went out after herunseenand ceased not to follow her from place to placeso as she saw me nottill she came to her lodgingwithout the cityand I looked in upon herthrough a crannyand saw her light a fire and cook the meatof which she ate her fill and gave the rest to an ape she had with her.
Then she put off her slave's habit and donned the richest of women's apparel；and so I knew that she was a woman. After this she set on wine and drank and gave the ape to drink；and he served her nigh half a score timestill she swooned awaywhen he threw a silken coverlet over her and returned to his place.
Thereupon I went down into the midst of the place and the ape，becoming aware of mewould have torn me in pieces；but I made haste to pull out my knife and slit his paunch. The noise aroused the young ladywho awoketerrified and trembling；and when she saw the ape in this plightshe gave such a shriek，that her soul well-nigh departed her body. Then she fell down in a swoonand when she came to herselfshe said to me'What moved thee to do thus？ By AllahI conjure thee to send me after him！'But I spoke her fair and engaged to her that I would stand in the ape's steadin the matter of much clicketingtill her trouble subsided and I took her to wife.
HoweverI fell short in this and could not endure to it；so I complained of her case to a certain old womanwho engaged to manage the affair and said to me'Thou must bring me a cooking-pot full of virgin vinegar and a pound of pyrethrum.'
So I brought her what she soughtand she laid the pyrethrum in the pot with the vinegar and set it on the firetill it boiled briskly. Then she bade me serve the girland I served hertill she fainted awaywhen the old woman took her upand she unknowingand set her kaze to the mouth of the cooking-pot.
The steam of the pot entered her poke and there fell from it somewhatwhich I examined and beholdit was two wormsone black and the other yellow. Quoth the old woman'The black was bred of the embraces of the negro and the yellow of those of the ape.'
When my wife recovered from her swoonshe abode with mein all delight and solace of lifeand sought not copulationas beforefor God the Most High had done away from her this appetite；whereat I marvelled and acquainted her with the case.
Moreover[quoth he who tells the tale，] she took the old woman to be to her in the stead of her motherand she and Werdan and his wife abode in joy and cheertill there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and the Sunderer of Companies；and glory be to the Living Onewho dieth not and in whose hand is the empire of the Seen and the Unseen！
