War for a Drop of Honey

Nights 579-606

There are about 26 stories over 60 or so pages in these Nights. The frame involves a king’s son. He has been accused of sleeping with the king’s slave girl, and the king is torn between trusting his accuser (a woman) or his advisers. Over these nights, we get several stories that are loosely themed about the wiles of men and the wiles of women.

Some stand out. In one story, a man’s parrot tells him that his wife is unfaithful, the wife makes the parrot look like a liar, the man kills the parrot, and then he regrets it when he learns the truth (Night 579, p. 549). Another man is tricked into drinking an enchanted spring, which turns him into a woman. (Night 582, p. 559). A different woman lures five influential men, traps them in a cupboard, and while she goes out and reaps her rewards, the trapped men have nowhere to urinate except on each other (“What foulness is this!”) (Night 595, p. 585). And in one of the stupidest stories, a man learns to regret that he wished for his penis to grow larger (Night 596, p. 587).

The nicest surprise was the story of the drop of honey (a Magic card). Like a nursery rhyme or something from the Panchatantra, the drop of honey attracts progressively larger creatures to it who all proceed to eat each other, until finally two armies are fighting over it. (Night 582, p. 556) One of the Magic designers did a good job with converting this story into a card. 

We also spend some time in the “market” of Baghdad (not a “Bazaar of Baghdad,” as in the Magic card) on Night 599, p. 593). Otherwise I don’t think there were any new cards in this week’s readings.