LXXXIII NUIT
by Unknown · from Les mille et une nuits - Tome premier
Adapted Version
The young bride was very, very happy. She had just gotten married! Her father was The Vizier. He was a big, important man. He looked at his daughter. He did not understand her joy.
The Vizier asked, "Why so happy?" He looked angry. "You must marry The Hunchback Man. He is your husband now. You should not be happy. This is very strange." The Young Bride smiled.
The Young Bride said, "Father, listen to me. I did not marry The Hunchback Man. He was not there! A nice young man came. He is my true husband. He is very charming."
The Vizier was very surprised. "What are you saying?" he asked. "The Hunchback Man was not with you? He did not sleep in your room? This is not true!" He did not believe.
The Young Bride said, "No, Father. I was not with him. I was with the nice young man. He has big eyes. He has black eyebrows. He is my husband."
The Vizier got very angry. "You are bad!" he shouted. "You want to make me crazy. Your words are not true. I will lose my mind!" He was upset.
The Young Bride also got angry. "No, Father!" she said. "You make me crazy! You do not believe me. I was not with The Hunchback Man. I hate him! My true husband is near."
The Vizier went to find the young man. He looked and looked. But he did not find him. He found The Hunchback Man. He was upside down! A magic spirit put him there.
The Vizier asked, "What happened?" He saw the Hunchback. "Who put you like this? Why are you upside down?"
The Hunchback Man saw The Vizier. He was very angry. "You want me to marry a strange woman!" He shouted. "She knows a magic spirit. You cannot trick me. I will not marry her!"
The Vizier stood there. He was very, very confused. The Young Bride said one thing. The Hunchback Man said another. He did not know what was true. What would happen next?
Original Story
LXXXIII NUIT.
Sire, le grand vizir Giafar continuant de raconter l'histoire de Bedreddin Hassan: «Quand la nouvelle mariée, poursuivit-il, vit que son père lui reprochait la joie qu'elle faisait paraître, elle lui dit: «Seigneur, ne me faites point, de grâce, un reproche si injuste; ce n'est pas le bossu, que je déteste plus que la mort, ce n'est pas ce monstre que j'ai épousé: tout le monde lui a fait tant de confusion qu'il a été contraint de s'aller cacher et de faire place à un jeune homme charmant qui est mon véritable mari. - Quelle fable me contez-vous? interrompit brusquement Schemseddin Mohammed. Quoi! le bossu n'a pas couché cette nuit avec vous? - Non, seigneur, répondit-elle, je n'ai point couché avec d'autre personne qu'avec le jeune homme dont je vous parle, qui a de gros yeux et de grands sourcils noirs.» À ces paroles, le vizir perdit patience et se mit dans une furieuse colère contre sa fille. «Ah! méchante, lui dit-il, voulez-vous me faire perdre l'esprit par le discours que vous me tenez? - C'est vous, mon père, repartit-elle, qui me faites perdre l'esprit à moi-même par votre incrédulité. - Il n'est donc pas vrai, répliqua le vizir, que le bossu…… - Hé! laissons là le bossu, interrompit-elle avec précipitation, maudit soit le bossu! Entendrai-je toujours parler du bossu! Je vous le répète encore, mon père, ajouta-t-elle, je n'ai point passé la nuit avec lui, mais avec le cher époux que je vous dis, et qui ne doit pas être loin d'ici.»
«Schemseddin Mohammed sortit pour l'aller chercher; mais au lieu de le trouver, il fut dans une surprise extrême de rencontrer le bossu, qui avait la tête en bas, les pieds en haut, dans la même situation où l'avait mis le génie. «Que veut dire cela? lui dit- il; qui vous a mis en cet état?» Le bossu, reconnaissant le vizir, lui répondit: «Ah! ah! c'est donc vous qui vouliez me donner en mariage la maîtresse d'un buffle, l'amoureuse d'un vilain génie? Je ne serai pas votre dupe, et vous ne m'y attraperez pas.»
Scheherazade en était là lorsqu'elle aperçut la première lumière du jour; quoiqu'il n'y eût pas longtemps qu'elle parlât, elle n'en dit pas davantage cette nuit. Le lendemain, elle reprit ainsi la suite de sa narration, et dit au sultan des Indes:
Story DNA
Plot Summary
A new bride joyfully tells her father, the vizier, that she did not marry the detested hunchback but a charming young man, much to her father's disbelief and fury. Despite her repeated insistence and description of her true husband, the vizier remains incredulous. He goes to find the young man but instead discovers the hunchback in an absurd, inverted position, who then accuses the vizier of trying to marry him to a 'buffalo's mistress' and 'genie's lover', leaving the vizier utterly bewildered as Scheherazade pauses her tale.
Themes
Emotional Arc
confusion to anger to further confusion
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This is an excerpt from 'One Thousand and One Nights' (Arabian Nights), a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled during the Islamic Golden Age. The framing device of Scheherazade telling stories to delay her execution is central to the collection.
Plot Beats (11)
- The grand vizier Giafar continues the story of Bedreddin Hassan.
- The new bride is scolded by her father for her joy, as she was meant to marry a hunchback.
- The bride explains that the hunchback was shamed into hiding, replaced by a charming young man who is her true husband.
- Schemseddin Mohammed, the vizier, interrupts, disbelieving her story and asking if the hunchback did not sleep with her.
- The bride insists she only slept with the young man she described.
- The vizier becomes enraged, accusing his daughter of trying to drive him mad.
- The daughter retorts that his incredulity is driving her mad, reiterating her claim about her true husband and cursing the hunchback.
- Schemseddin Mohammed goes to find the young man but instead finds the hunchback upside down, as a genie had left him.
- The vizier asks the hunchback who put him in that state.
- The hunchback recognizes the vizier and accuses him of trying to marry him to the 'mistress of a buffalo' and 'lover of a genie'.
- Scheherazade stops her narration as dawn breaks.
Characters
The New Bride (Dunyazad)
Slender and graceful, with a delicate build typical of a young woman from a noble Arabian family. Her movements are lively and expressive, reflecting her strong emotions. She carries herself with a mixture of youthful joy and defiant conviction.
Attire: She wears a richly embroidered wedding gown, likely made of fine silk or brocade in vibrant colors like crimson, gold, or emerald green, adorned with intricate patterns and possibly gold thread. Her head is covered with a delicate veil or a jeweled headpiece, and she would wear elaborate gold jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, all indicative of her high social status.
Wants: To assert the truth of her marriage to the charming young man and reject the notion of being married to the hunchback.
Flaw: Her strong conviction can make her appear stubborn or disrespectful to authority figures, especially her father, in a society that values filial piety.
In this excerpt, she is asserting her truth and defending her experience, showing her strength of character in a challenging situation.
Joyful, defiant, truthful, strong-willed, passionate.
Schemseddin Mohammed (The Grand Vizier)
A man of mature age, likely of a sturdy build befitting a high-ranking official in an Arabian court. He carries himself with authority and a sense of importance, though his composure can be easily rattled by frustration and anger. His movements are deliberate, but become agitated when provoked.
Attire: He wears the formal attire of a Grand Vizier in an Arabian court: a flowing, long-sleeved thobe or kaftan made of fine silk or brocade, possibly in deep blues, greens, or purples, with gold embroidery. He would wear a large, elaborate turban, possibly adorned with a jewel, signifying his status. He might also wear a wide sash or belt.
Wants: To understand the truth of his daughter's wedding night and to maintain order and his family's honor. He wants to believe in the conventional reality.
Flaw: His quick temper and inability to believe anything outside of his conventional understanding, leading him to dismiss his daughter's truthful account.
In this excerpt, he is challenged by his daughter's unbelievable story, leading him from incredulity to furious anger and confusion.
Authoritative, incredulous, easily angered, traditional, concerned with appearances.
The Hunchback
A man with a pronounced hunch on his back, making him appear deformed. His body is likely twisted or asymmetrical due to his condition. He is found in an undignified position, head down and feet up, suggesting a lack of physical prowess or grace.
Attire: He would wear simple, possibly ill-fitting garments, perhaps a plain tunic and trousers, reflecting his lower status or the lack of care given to him after his ordeal. His clothes might be disheveled from being tossed around.
Wants: To avoid being tricked or made a fool of, and to accuse the vizier of attempting to marry him to an unsuitable woman.
Flaw: His physical deformity makes him vulnerable, and he is easily outwitted or manipulated by magical forces (the genie). He is also quick to accuse others.
He remains a victim of circumstance, confused and resentful, without any significant change in this excerpt.
Resentful, confused, accusatory, easily manipulated (by the genie).
Locations
The Bridal Chamber
A private room within a grand Arabian palace, likely adorned with rich textiles and cushions, where the new bride is found by her father. The atmosphere is initially one of joyful defiance from the bride, contrasting with her father's growing anger.
Mood: Tense, confrontational, bewildered, with an underlying sense of mystery and magic.
The bride reveals to her father that she did not spend the night with the hunchback, but with a charming young man, leading to her father's disbelief and fury.
A Hidden Corner of the Palace
A less frequented area of the palace, perhaps a secluded courtyard or a service passage, where the hunchback is discovered in an absurd, inverted position, having been placed there by a genie.
Mood: Surprising, absurd, magical, with an undercurrent of indignation from the hunchback.
Schemseddin Mohammed discovers the hunchback upside down, confirming the magical intervention and the bride's strange story.