Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Folklore -- Arab countries
The magic queen did not fail to pass by the old man’s shop the next day,
with the same pomp she had done the day before; and Abdallah waited for
her with great respect. Father, cried she, stopping just against him, you
may judge of my impatience to have your nephew with me, by my punctual
coming to put you in mind of your promise: I know you are a man of your
word, and I cannot think you will break it with me.
Abdallah, who fell on his knees as soon as he saw the queen approaching,
rose up when she had done speaking; and as he would have nobody hear what
he had a mind to say to her, he advanced with great respect as far as her
horse’s head, and then said softly, Puissant queen! I am persuaded your
majesty will not be offended at my seeming unwillingness to trust my
nephew with you yesterday, since you cannot be ignorant of the reasons I
had for it; but I conjure you to lay aside the secrets of that art which
you possess in so wonderful a degree. I respect my nephew as my own son;
and your majesty would reduce me to the utmost despair, if you should
think fit to deal with him as you have done with others.
I promise you once more I will not, replied the queen; and I once more
repeat the oath I made yesterday, that neither you nor your nephew shall
have any cause to be offended at me. I see plainly, added she, you are
not yet well enough acquainted with me: you never saw me yet but through
a veil; but as I find your nephew worthy of my friendship, I will show
you I am not any wise unworthy of his. With that she threw off her veil,
and discovered to king Beder, who came near her with Abdallah, an
incomparable face: but king Beder was little charmed. It is not enough,
said he within himself, to be beautiful; one’s actions ought to
correspond in regularity with one’s features.
While king Beder was making these reflections, with his eyes fixed on
queen Labe, the old man turned towards him, and, taking him by the arm,
presented him to her majesty, saying, Here he is, madam; and I beg of
your majesty once more to remember he is my nephew, and to let him come
and see me sometimes. The queen promised he should; and, to give a
farther assurance of her acknowledgment, she caused a bag of a thousand
pieces of gold to be given him. He excused himself at first from
receiving them; but she insisted absolutely upon it, and he could not
refuse her. She had caused a horse to be brought, as richly harnessed and
set out as her own, for the king of Persia. While he was mounting him, I
forgot, said the queen to Abdallah, to ask you your nephew’s name; pray
how is he called? He answered, his name was Beder, (The Full Moon); and
her majesty replied, Sure his ancestors were mistaken; they ought to have
given him the name of Shems, (The Sun).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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