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
he drew near the broker[FN#266] and said to him, "This box for
how much?"[FN#267] and the other answered, "For an hundred gold
dinars!" But when he questioned him as to its contents the man
replied, "I know not; whoso taketh it his luck be his lot."
Thereupon he brought out to him the hundred ducats and the broker
made over to him the box which he charged upon his shoulders and
carried off to his cell. There arrived he bolted himself in and
opened the coffer wherein he found a white slave-girl which was a
model of beauty and loveliness and stature and perfect grace: but
she was like one drunken with wine. So he shook her but she was
not aroused when he said to himself, "What may be the story of
this handmaiden?" and he was never tired of looking upon her
while she was in that condition and he kept saying to himself,
"Would Heaven I wot and she be on life or in death; withal I see
her breath coming and going." Now when it was about midnight, the
handmaiden revived and looking around and about her, cried,
"Where am I?" and said the Bhang-eater, "Thou, O my lady, art in
my home;" whereby she understood what had befallen her?And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and 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 Four Hundred and Sixth Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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