The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01Anonymous
General
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01
Anonymous
Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Folklore -- Arab countries
Some time after, one of my brothers comes to me to propose a
trading voyage with them; I immediately rejected their proposal.
You have travelled, said I, and what have you gained by it? Who
can assure me that I shall be more successful than you have been?
They represented to me in vain all that they thought fit to
prevail upon me to engage in that design with them, for I
constantly refused; but they importuned me so much, that after
having resisted their solicitations five whole. years, they
overcame me at last: but when we were to make preparations for
our voyage, and to buy goods necessary for the undertaking, I
found they had spent all, and that they had not one farthing left
of the thousand sequins I had given each of them. I did not,
however, upbraid them in the least with it. On the contrary, my
stock being six thousand sequins, I shared the half of it with
them, telling them, My brothers, we must venture these three
thousand sequins, and hide the rest in some sure place, that, in
case our voyage be no more successful than yours was formerly, we
may have wherewith to assist us, and to follow our ancient way of
living. I gave each of them a thousand sequins; and keeping as
much for myself, I buried the other three thousand in a corner of
my house. We bought our goods; and, after having embarked them on
board a vessel, which we freighted betwixt us three, we put to
sea with a favourable wind. After a month's sail--But I see day,
says Scheherazade, I must stop here.
Sister, says Dinarzade, this story promises a great deal; I fancy
the rest of it must be very extraordinary. You are not mistaken,
answered the sultaness; and if the sultan will allow me to tell
it you, I am persuaded it will very much divert you. Schahriar
got up, as he did the day before, without explaining his mind;
but gave no order to the grand vizier to kill his daughter.
The Seventh Night.
When the seventh night drew near a close, Dinarzade awaked the
sultaness, and prayed her to continue the story of the second old
man. I will, answered Scheherazade, provided the sultan, my lord
and master, do not oppose it. Not at all, says Shahriar; I am so
far from opposing it, that I desire you earnestly to go on with
it.
To resume the thread of the story, says Scheherazade, you must
know that the old man, who led the two dogs, continued his story
to the genie, the other two old men, and the merchant, thus: In
short, says he, after two months sail, we arrived happily at a
port, where we landed, and had a very great vent for our goods. I
especially sold mine so well, that I gained ten to one; and we
bought commodities of that country to transport and sell in our
own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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