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 the Maghrabi
went away and lay that night in his quarters; and early next morning he
came to the tailor’s house and rapped at the door. Now Alaeddin (for
stress of his delight in the new dress he had donned and for the past
day’s enjoyment in the Hammam and in eating and drinking and gazing at
the folk; expecting furthermore his uncle to come at dawn and carry him
off on pleasuring to the gardens) had not slept a wink that night, nor
closed his eyelids, and would hardly believe it when day broke. But
hearing the knock at the door he went out at once in hot haste, like a
spark of fire, and opened and saw his uncle, the Magician, who embraced
him and kissed him. Then, taking his hand, the Moorman said to him as
they fared forth together, “O son of my brother, this day will I show
thee a sight thou never sawest in all thy life,” and he began to make
the lad laugh and cheer him with pleasant talk. So doing they left the
city gate, and the Maroccan took to promenading with Alaeddin amongst
the gardens and to pointing out for his pleasure the mighty fine
pleasances and the marvellous high-builded[84] pavilions. And whenever
they stood to stare at a garth or a mansion or a palace the Maghrabi
would say to his companion, “Doth this please thee, O son of my
brother?” Alaeddin was nigh to fly with delight at seeing sights he had
never seen in all his born days; and they ceased not[85] to stroll about
and solace themselves until they waxed aweary, when they entered a
mighty grand garden which was nearhand, a place that the heart delighted
and the sight belighted; for that its swift-running rills flowed amidst
the flowers and the waters jetted from the jaws of lions moulded in
yellow brass like unto gold. So they took seat over against a lakelet
and rested a little while, and Alaeddin enjoyed himself with joy
exceeding and fell to jesting with his uncle and making merry with him
as though the Magician were really his father’s brother. Presently the
Maghrabi arose and loosing his girdle drew forth from thereunder a bag
full of victual, dried fruits and so forth, saying to Alaeddin, “O my
nephew, haply thou art become anhungered; so come forward and eat what
thou needest.” Accordingly the lad fell upon the food and the Moorman
ate with him and they were gladdened and cheered by rest and good cheer.
Then quoth the Magician, “Arise, O son of my brother, an thou be reposed
and let us stroll onwards a little and reach the end of our walk.”
Thereupon Alaeddin arose and the Maroccan paced with him from garden to
garden until they left all behind them and reached the base of a high
and naked hill; when the lad who, during all his days, had never issued
from the city-gate and never in his life had walked such a walk as this,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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