The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01 — John Shaqi
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01Anonymous
General
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01
Anonymous
Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Folklore -- Arab countries
have loved so constantly ever since, let me sleep a few moments
by you; for I found myself so very sleepy, that I came to this
place to take a little rest. Having spoken thus, he laid down his
huge head on the lady's knees; and stretching out his legs, which
reached as far as the sea, he fell asleep, and snored so, that he
made the banks to echo again.
The lady, happening at the same time to look up to the tree, saw
the two princes and made a sign to them with her hand to come
down without making any noise. Their fear was extraordinary when
they found themselves discovered, and they prayed the lady, by
other signs, to excuse them; but she, after having laid the
monster's head softly down, rose up, and spoke to them with a low
but quick voice to come down to her; she would take no denial.
They made signs to her that they were afraid of the genie, and
would fain have been excused. Upon which she ordered them to come
down, and, if they did not make haste, threatened to awake the
giant, and bid him kill them.
These words did so much intimidate the princes, that they began
to come down with all possible precaution, lest they should awake
the genie. When they came down, the lady took them by the hand,
and going a little farther with them under the trees, made a very
urgent proposal to them. At first they rejected it, but she
obliged them to accept it by her threats. Having obtained what
she desired, she perceived that each of them had a ring on his
finger, which she demanded of them. As soon as she received them,
she went and took a box out of the bundle, where her toilet was,
pulled out a string of other rings of all sorts, which she showed
them, and asked them if they knew what those jewels meant? No,
say they, we hope you will be pleased to tell us. They are,
replies she, the rings of all the men to whom I have granted my
favour; There are full fourscore and eighteen of them, which I
keep in token to remember them; and asked yours for the same
reason, to make up my hundred. So that, continues she, I have had
a hundred gallants already, notwithstanding the vigilance of this
wicked genie, that never leaves me. He is much the nearer for
locking me up in this glass box, and hiding me in the bottom of
the sea; I find a way to cheat him for all his care. You may see
by this, that when a woman has formed a project, there is no
husband or gallant that can hinder her from putting it in
execution. Men had better not put their wives under such
restraint, if they have a mind they should be chaste. Having
spoken thus to them, she put their rings upon the same string
with the rest, and, sitting down by the monster as before, laid
his head again upon her lap, and made a sign for the princes to
be gone.
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