Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales -- Arab countries; Tales -- Arab countries
Another voice then asked what occasion the princess had for the
prayers of the dervise, to which the first answered; “Are you
ignorant then, that she is possessed by the power of the Genius
Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, who has fallen in love with her? But I
know how this good dervise can cure her. The thing is by no means
difficult, as I will inform you. In his monastery there is a black
cat, which has a white spot at the end of her tail, about the size
of a small piece of money. Let him only pull out seven hairs from
this while spot, and burn them; and then with the smoke perfume the
head of the princess. From that moment she will be so thoroughly
cured, and free from Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, that he will never
again be able to come near her.”
The chief of the dervises did not lose a single syllable of this
conversation between the Fairies and Genii, who, from this time,
remained silent the whole night. The next morning, as soon as the
day began to break, and the different objects became discernible,
the dervise perceived, as the wall was decayed in many places, a
hole, by which he could get out without any difficulty.
The other dervises, who were seeking after him, were delighted at
his appearance. He related to them, in a few words, the cunning and
wickedness of the guest he had entertained the day before, and then
retired to his cell. It was not long before the black cat, which had
been mentioned in the discourse of the Fairies and Genii, came to
him to be taken notice of as usual. He then took it up, and plucked
out seven hairs from the white spot in its tail, and put them aside,
in order to make use of whenever he should have occasion for them.
The sun had not long risen above the horizon, when the sultan, who
wished to neglect nothing, from which he thought there was any
chance of curing the princess, arrived at the gate. He ordered his
guards to stop, and went in with the principal officers who
accompanied him. The dervises received him with the greatest
respect. The sultan directly took the chief aside, and said to him,
“Worthy sheik, you are perhaps already acquainted with the cause
of my visit.”--“If, Sire,” the dervise modestly answered,
“I do not deceive myself, it is the malady of the princess that
has been the occasion of my seeing you; an honour of which I am
unworthy.”--“It is so,” replied the sultan, “and you will
restore almost my life to me, if, by means of your prayers, I shall
obtain the re-establishment of my daughter’s health.”--“If
your majesty,” answered the worthy man, “will have the goodness
to suffer her to come here, I flatter myself, that with the help and
favor of God she shall return in perfect health.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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