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
One night those two youths not being able to sleep, the younger asked
his brother to tell him a story to pass the time, so he replied, “I will
tell you one out of our own experience: Once upon a time there lived a
great and wealthy king, who was very proud, and his pride led him to
utter ruin and caused him the sorest afflictions. One day when going
about with his army, challenging other kings to fight with him, a great
and powerful king appeared and conquered him. He escaped with his wife
and two sons to the sea, hoping to find a vessel, by which he and his
family might reach a foreign land. After walking several miles they
reached the sea-shore and found a ship ready to sail. The master of the
vessel took the queen, but the king and his two sons were held back by
some men, who had been hired by the master for this purpose, until the
ship was under way. The poor king after this walked long and far till he
came to a rapid river. As there was no bridge or boat near, he was
obliged to wade across. He took one of his boys and got over safely, and
was returning for the other when he stumbled over a stone, lost his
footing, and was carried down the stream; and he has not been heard of
since. A fisherman came along, and, seeing the two boys crying, took
them into his boat, and afterwards to his house, and became very fond of
them, as did also his wife, and they were like father and mother to
them. All this happened a few years ago, and the two boys are generally
believed to be the fisherman’s own sons. O brother, we are these two
boys! And there you have my story.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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