The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales

Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Arab countries; Folklore -- Arab countries; Tales -- Arab countries

they flew toward the sea, and descended into it, and disappeared.

The king treated Gulnare with beneficence, and honoured her exceedingly,
and the little one grew up well; and his maternal uncle, with his
grandmother and the daughters of his uncle, after every period of a few
days used to come to the residence of the king, and to remain with him a
month, and then return to their places. The boy ceased not to increase
in beauty and loveliness until his age became fifteen years; and he was
incomparable in his perfect beauty, and his stature and his justness of
form. He had learned writing and reading, and history and grammar and
philology, and archery; and he learned to play with the spear; and he
also learned horsemanship, and all that the sons of the kings required.
There was not one of the children of the inhabitants of the city, men
and women, that talked not of the charms of that young man; for he was
of surpassing loveliness and perfection; and the king loved him greatly.
Then the king summoned the vizier and the emeers, and the lords of the
empire, and the great men of the kingdom, and made them swear by binding
oaths that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after his father;
so they swore to him by binding oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the
king himself was beneficent to the people, courteous in speech and of
auspicious aspect. And on the following day, the king mounted, together
with the lords of the empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers,
and they ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the vestibule of
the palace; the king's son riding. Thereupon he alighted, and his father
embraced him, he and the emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of
the kingdom, while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him.
Then Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested
the just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when he rose
from the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother, Gulnare of
the Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resembling the moon. So
when his mother saw him, and the king before him, she rose to him and
kissed him, and congratulated him on his elevation to the dignity of
sultan; and she offered up a prayer in favour of him and his father for
length of life, and victory over their enemies. He then sat with his
mother and rested; and when the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he
rode with the emeers before him until he came to the horse-course, where
he played with arms till the time of nightfall, together with his
father and the lords of his empire; after which he returned to the
palace, with all the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the
horse-course; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and
administered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He ceased not
to do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to ride to the
chase, and go about through the cities and provinces that were under his

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales

Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Arab countries; Folklore -- Arab countries; Tales -- Arab countries

they flew toward the sea, and descended into it, and disappeared.

The king treated Gulnare with beneficence, and honoured her exceedingly,
and the little one grew up well; and his maternal uncle, with his
grandmother and the daughters of his uncle, after every period of a few
days used to come to the residence of the king, and to remain with him a
month, and then return to their places. The boy ceased not to increase
in beauty and loveliness until his age became fifteen years; and he was
incomparable in his perfect beauty, and his stature and his justness of
form. He had learned writing and reading, and history and grammar and
philology, and archery; and he learned to play with the spear; and he
also learned horsemanship, and all that the sons of the kings required.
There was not one of the children of the inhabitants of the city, men
and women, that talked not of the charms of that young man; for he was
of surpassing loveliness and perfection; and the king loved him greatly.
Then the king summoned the vizier and the emeers, and the lords of the
empire, and the great men of the kingdom, and made them swear by binding
oaths that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after his father;
so they swore to him by binding oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the
king himself was beneficent to the people, courteous in speech and of
auspicious aspect. And on the following day, the king mounted, together
with the lords of the empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers,
and they ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the vestibule of
the palace; the king's son riding. Thereupon he alighted, and his father
embraced him, he and the emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of
the kingdom, while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him.
Then Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested
the just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when he rose
from the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother, Gulnare of
the Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resembling the moon. So
when his mother saw him, and the king before him, she rose to him and
kissed him, and congratulated him on his elevation to the dignity of
sultan; and she offered up a prayer in favour of him and his father for
length of life, and victory over their enemies. He then sat with his
mother and rested; and when the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he
rode with the emeers before him until he came to the horse-course, where
he played with arms till the time of nightfall, together with his
father and the lords of his empire; after which he returned to the
palace, with all the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the
horse-course; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and
administered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He ceased not
to do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to ride to the
chase, and go about through the cities and provinces that were under his

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales

The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales

No reviews yet