The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01Anonymous
General
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01
Anonymous
Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Folklore -- Arab countries
Schemseddin returned to his daughter's chamber more astonished
than before. Well then, my abused daughter, said he, can you give
me no further light into this matter? Sir, said she, I can give
you no other account than what I have done already. Here are my
husband's clothes, which he left upon the chair; perhaps you may
find somewhat that may solve your doubt. She then showed him
Bedreddin's turban, which he took and examined carefully on all
sides. I should take this to be a vizier's turban, if it were not
made after the Moussol[Footnote: The town of Moussol is in
Mesopotamia, and built opposite to old Nineveh.] fashion; but,
perceiving somewhat to be sewed between the stuff and the lining,
he called for scissars, and, having unripped it, found the paper
which Noureddin Ali gave Bedreddin his son as he was dying, and
he had put it in his turban for more security. Schemseddin,
having opened the paper, knew his brother Noureddin's hand, and
found this superscription, 'For my son Bedreddin Hassan.' Before
he could make any reflections, his daughter delivered him the bag
that lay under his clothes, which he likewise opened, and found
full of sequins; for, as before mentioned, notwithstanding all
the liberality of Bedreddin, it was still kept full by the genius
and fairy. He read these words upon a note in the bag, 'A
thousand sequins belonging to Isaac the Jew;' and these lines
underneath, which the Jew wrote before he departed from
Bedreddin: ' Delivered to Bedreddin Hassan, for the cargo of the
first of those ships that formerly belonged to Noureddin Ali, his
father, of worthy memory, sold unto me upon its arrival in this
place.' He had scarcely read these words, when he gave a shout,
and fainted. Being recovered, however, by the help of his
daughter, and the woman whom she called to her assistance,
Daughter, said he, do not frighten yourself at this accident, the
reason of which is such as you can scarcely believe: Your
bridegoom is your cousin, the son of Noureddin Ali; the thousand
sequins put me in mind of a quarrel I had with my dear brother;
it is without doubt the dowry he gives you. God be praised for
all things, and particularly for this, miraculous adventure,
which demonstrates his almighty power. Then looking again upon
his brother's writing, he kissed it several times, shedding
abundance of tears. Having looked over the book from one end to
the other, he found the date of his brother's arrival at Balsora,
his marriage, and the birth of Bedreddin Hasaan; and when he
compared the same with the day of his own marriage, and the birth
of his daughter at Cairo, he wondered how every thing so exactly
agreed. This happy discovery put him into such a transport of
joy, that he took up the book, with the ticket of the bag, and
showed it to the sultan, who pardoned what was past, and was so
much pleased with the relation of the adventure, that he caused
it, with all its circumstances, to be put in writing for the use
of posterity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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