several years under the form of some creature, and at the moment
of resuming her natural appearance once again to make the fortune
of two men. It was left to her to choose what form she would take,
and because she loved yellow she transformed herself into a lovely
bird with shining golden feathers such as no one had ever seen
before. When the time of her punishment was at an end the
beautiful yellow bird flew to Bagdad, and let herself be caught by
a Fowler at the precise moment when Badi-al-Zaman was walking up
and down outside his magnificent summer palace. This Badi-al-
Zaman--whose name means 'Wonder-of-the-World'--was looked upon in
Bagdad as the most fortunate creature under the sun, because of
his vast wealth. But really, what with anxiety about his riches
and being weary of everything, and always desiring something he
had not, he never knew a moment's real happiness. Even now he had
come out of his palace, which was large and splendid enough for
fifty kings, weary and cross because he could find nothing new to
amuse him. The Fowler thought that this would be a favourable
opportunity for offering him the marvellous bird, which he felt
certain he would buy the instant he saw it. And he was not
mistaken, for when Badi-al-Zaman took the lovely prisoner into his
own hands, he saw written under its right wing the words, 'He who
eats my head will become a king,' and under its left wing, 'He who
eats my heart will find a hundred gold pieces under his pillow
every morning.' In spite of all his wealth he at once began to
desire the promised gold, and the bargain was soon completed. Then
the difficulty arose as to how the bird was to be cooked; for
among all his army of servants not one could Badi-al-Zaman trust.
At last he asked the Fowler if he were married, and on hearing
that he was he bade him take the bird home with him and tell his
wife to cook it.