Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 2 (of 6)
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 2 (of 6)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
There was in the palace of the world a king who was very desirous of
seeing Khizr[504] (peace on him!), and he would even say, “If there be
any one who will show me Khizr, I will give him whatsoever he may wish.”
Now there was at that time a man poor of estate, and from the stress of
his poverty he said to himself, “Let me go and speak to the king, that
if he provide for me during three years, either I shall be dead, or the
king will be dead, or he will forgive me my fault, or I shall on
somewise win to escape, and in this way shall I make merry for a time.”
So he went to the king and spake these words to him.[505] The king said,
“An thou show him not, then I will kill thee,” and that poor man
consented. Then the king let give him much wealth and money, and the
poor man took that wealth and money and went to his house. Three years
he spent in merriment and delight, and he rested at ease till the term
was accomplished. At the end of that time he fled and hid himself in a
trackless place and he began to quake for fear. Of a sudden he saw a
personage with white raiment and shining face, who saluted him. The poor
man returned the salutation, and the radiant being asked, “Why art thou
thus sad?” But he gave no answer. Again the radiant being asked him and
sware to him, saying, “Do indeed tell to me thy plight, that I may find
thee some remedy.” So that hapless one narrated his story from its
beginning to its end, and the radiant being said, “Come, I will go with
thee to the king, and I will answer for thee.” So they arose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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