Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 4 (of 6)
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 4 (of 6)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
of the righteous! Lookye, she gave me these ten golden ducats to
the price of our Roger." Said my wife, "And who may be the Mother
of Solomon?" and I told her all that had befallen me especially
in the matter of the crock of gold buried in the 'old man.' But
after she heard my words she tarried until sundown; then, going
to the land-mark she dug into it and carrying off the crock
brought it home privily. But I suspected her of so doing and said
to her, "O woman, hast thou taken the good of the Mother of
Solomon (and she of the righteous) after we have received from
her the price of our Roger out of her own moneys? And hast thou
gone and appropriated her property? By Allah, an thou restore it
not to its stead even as it was, I will report to the Wali that
my wife hath happened upon treasure-trove." And so saying I went
forth from her. Then she arose and got ready somewhat of dough
for cooking with flesh-meat and, sending for a fisherman, bade
him bring her a few fishes fresh-caught and all alive, and taking
these inside the house she drew sweet water and sprinkled them
therewith, and lastly she placed the dough and meat outside the
house ready for nightfall. Presently I returned and we supped, I
and she; but 'twas my firm resolve to report my wife's find to
the Chief of Police. We slept together till midnight when she
awoke me saying, "O man, I have dreamed a dream, and this it is,
that the sky hath rained down drink and meat and that the fishes
have entered our house." I replied to her of my folly and the
overmuch Bhang which disported in my head, "Let us get up and
look." So we searched the inside of the house and we found the
fishes, and the outside where we came upon the doughboy and
flesh-meat; so we fell to picking it up, I and she, and broiling
it and eating thereof till morning. Then said I, "Do thou go and
return the moneys of Solomon's Mother to their own place." But
she would not and flatly refused.?And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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