Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Arab countries; Folklore -- Arab countries; Tales -- Arab countries
And the Emeer Moosa went on into the interior of the palace. There he
beheld a great hall, and four large and lofty chambers, each one
fronting another, wide, decorated with gold and silver and with various
colours. In the midst of the hall was a great fountain of alabaster,
over which was a canopy of brocade; and in those chambers were fountains
lined with marble; and channels of water flowed along the floors of
those chambers, the four streams meeting in a great tank lined with
marbles of various colours. The Emeer Moosa then said to the Sheikh
Abd-Es-Samad: "Enter these chambers with us." So they entered the first
chamber; and they found it filled with gold and with white silver, and
pearls and jewels, and jacinths and precious minerals. They found in it
also chests full of red and yellow and white brocades. And they went
thence to the second chamber, and opened a closet in it, and, lo, it was
filled with arms and weapons of war, consisting of gilded helmets, and
coats of mail, and swords, and lances, and maces, and other instruments
of war and battle. Then they passed thence to the third chamber, in
which they found closets having upon their doors closed locks, and over
them were curtains worked with various kinds of embroidery. They opened
one of these closets, and found it filled with weapons decorated with
varieties of gold and silver and jewels. And they went thence to the
fourth chamber, where also they found closets, one of which they opened,
and they found it full of utensils for food and drink, consisting of
various vessels of gold and silver, and saucers of crystal, and cups set
with brilliant pearls and cups of carnelian, and other things. So they
began to take what suited them of those things, and each of the soldiers
carried off what he could. And when they determined to go forth from
those chambers, they saw there a door inlaid with ivory and ebony, and
adorned with plates of brilliant gold. Over it was hung a curtain of
silk worked with various kinds of embroidery, and upon it were locks of
white silver, to be opened by artifice, without a key. The Sheikh
Abd-Es-Samad therefore advanced to those locks, and he opened them by
his knowledge and excellent skill. And the party entered a passage paved
with marble, upon the sides of which were curtains whereon were figured
various wild beasts and birds, all these being worked with red gold and
white silver, and their eyes were of pearls and jacinths: whosoever
beheld them was confounded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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