Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 02
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Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 02
Literature -- Collections
When the morning morrowed the King went forth, and sitting down on the
throne of the Kingship, summoned the Lords of his land; whereupon the
Chamberlains and Nabobs and Captains of the host went in to him and
kissed ground before him. He distinguished the Wazir, Shahrazad's sire,
with special favor and bestowed on him a costly and splendid robe of
honor, and entreated him with the utmost kindness, and said to him,
"Allah protect thee for that thou gavest me to wife thy noble daughter,
who hath been the means of my repentance from slaying the daughters of
folk. Indeed, I have found her pure and pious, chaste and ingenuous, and
Allah hath vouchsafed me by her three boy children; wherefore praised be
He for His passing favor." Then he bestowed robes of honor upon his
Wazirs and Emirs and Chief Officers and he set forth to them briefly
that which had betided him with Shahrazad, and how he had turned from
his former ways and repented him of what he had done, and proposed to
take the Wazir's daughter Shahrazad to wife, and let draw up the
marriage-contract with her. When those who were present heard this, they
kissed ground before him and blessed him and his betrothed Shahrazad,
and the Wazir thanked her.
Then Shahryar made an end of his sitting in all weal, whereupon the folk
dispersed to their dwelling-places, and the news was bruited abroad that
the King proposed to marry the Wazir's daughter, Shahrazad. Then he
proceeded to make ready the wedding gear, and presently he sent after
his brother, King Shah Zaman, who came, and King Shahryar went forth to
meet him with the troops. Furthermore, they decorated the city after the
goodliest fashion and diffused scents from censers and burnt aloes-wood
and other perfumes in all the markets and thoroughfares and rubbed
themselves with saffron, what while the drums beat and the flutes and
pipes sounded and mimes and mountebanks played and plied their arts, and
the King lavished on them gifts and largesse, and in very deed it was a
notable day. When they came to the palace, King Shahryar commanded to
spread the table with beasts roasted whole, and sweetmeats, and all
manner of viands, and bade the crier cry to the folk that they should
come up to the Diwan and eat and drink, and that this should be a means
of reconciliation between him and them. So high and low, great and
small, came up unto him, and they abode on that wise, eating and
drinking, seven days with their nights.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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