Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 1
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 1
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
Quoth Dunyazad, “O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do tell us
some of thy pleasant tales,” whereupon Shahrazad replied, “With love and
good will.”——It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that after the King
had inspected the work of his jewellers and goldsmiths, they informed
him how all the gems stored in the Lesser Treasury had been brought to
them and used by them but that the whole had proved insufficient;
wherefor he bade open the Greater Treasury and gave the workmen all they
wanted of him. Moreover he allowed them, an it sufficed not, to take the
jewels wherewith Alaeddin had gifted him. They carried off the whole and
pushed on their labours but they found the gems fail them, albeit had
they not yet finished half the part wanting to the Kiosque-window.
Herewith the King commanded them to seize all the precious stones owned
by the Wazirs and Grandees of the realm; but, although they did his
bidding, the supply still fell short of their requirements. Next morning
Alaeddin arose to look at the jewellers’ work and remarked that they had
not finished a moiety of what was wanting to the Kiosque-window: so he
at once ordered them to undo all they had done and restore the jewels to
their owners. Accordingly, they pulled out the precious stones and sent
the Sultan’s to the Sultan and the Wazirs’ to the Wazirs. Then the
jewellers went to the King and told him of what Alaeddin had bidden; so
he asked them, “What said he to you, and what was his reason and
wherefore was he not content that the window be finished and why did he
undo the work ye wrought?” They answered, “O our lord, we know not at
all, but he bade us deface whatso we had done.” Hereupon the Sultan at
once called for his horse, and mounting, took the way pavilion-wards,
when Alaeddin, after dismissing the goldsmiths and jewellers had retired
into his closet and had rubbed the Lamp. Hereat straightway its Servitor
appeared to him and said, “Ask whatso thou wantest: thy Slave is between
thy hands;” and said Alaeddin, “’Tis my desire that thou finish the
window which was left unfinished.” The Marid replied, “On my head be it
and also upon mine eyes!” then he vanished and after a little while
returned saying, “O my lord, verily that thou commandedst me do is
completed.” So Alaeddin went upstairs to the Kiosque and found the whole
window in wholly finished state; and, whilst he was still considering
it, behold, a castrato came in to him and said, “O my lord, the Sultan
hath ridden forth to visit thee and is passing through the
pavilion-gate.” So Alaeddin at once went down and received his
father-in-law.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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