The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01Anonymous
General
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01
Anonymous
Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Folklore -- Arab countries
Bedreddin kept on the pastry trade at Damascus, whence his uncle
Sehemseddin departed three days after his arrival; he went by the
way of Emaus, Hanah, and Halep; then crossed the Euphrates; and,
after passing through Mardin, Moussoul, Singier, Diarbeker, and
several other towns, arrived at last at Balsora; and, immediately
after his arrival, desired audience of the sultan, who was no
sooner informed of Schemseddin's quality, than he received him
very favourably, and asked him the occasion of his journey to
Balsora. Sir, replied the vizier Schemseddin, I come to know what
is become of the son of Noureddin Ali, my brother, who has had
the honour to serve your majesty. Noureddin, said the sultan, has
been dead a long while: as to his son, all I can tell you of him
is, that he disappeared very suddenly about two months after his
father's death, and nobody has seen him since, notwithstanding
all the inquiry I ordered to be made; but his mother, who is the
daughter of one of my viziers, is still alive. Schemseddin
desired leave of the sultan to see her, and carry her to Egypt;
and having obtained his request, without tarrying till next day
for the satisfaction of seeing her, inquired her place of abode,
and that very hour went to her house, accompanied by his daughter
and grandson.
The widow of Noureddin resided still in the same house where her
husband had lived: it was a very magnificent structure, adorned
with marble pillars; but Schemseddin did not stop to view it. At
his entry, he kissed the gate, and the piece of marble upon which
his brother's name was written in letters of gold. He desired to
speak with his sister-in-law, and was told by the servants that
she was then in a small edifice, in the form of a dome, which
they showed him, in the middle of a very spacious court. This
tender mother used to spend the greater part of the day, as well
as the night, in that room, which she had built in order to
represent the tomb of Bedreddin, whom she supposed to be dead
after so long an absence. At this very instant she was shedding
tears at the thoughts of her dear child; and Schemseddin
entering, found her labouring under that affliction. He paid his
compliments, and, after beseeching her to suspend her tears and
groans, gave her to know that he had the honour to be her
brother-in-law, and acquainted her with the occasion of his
journey from Cairo to Balsora. Schemseddin, after relating all
that had passed at Cairo on his daughter's wedding-night, and the
surprise occasioned by the discovery of the paper sewed up in
Bedreddin's turban, presented to her Agib and the beautiful lady.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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