The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 01 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 01 (of 10)
Fairy tales -- Arab countries; Folklore -- Arab countries
But the fame of this good man hath this very night come to the
Sultan of our city who designeth to visit him on the morrow on account
of his daughter." "What aileth his daughter?" asked one, and another
answered "She is possessed of a spirit; for Maymun, son of Damdam, is
madly in love with her; but, if this pious man knew the remedy, her
cure would be as easy as could be." Hereupon one of them inquired, "And
what is the medicine?" and he replied, "The black tom-cat which is with
him in the oratory hath, on the end of his tail, a white spot, the size
of a dirham; let him pluck seven white hairs from the spot, then let
him fumigate her therewith and the Marid will flee from her and not
return; so she shall be sane for the rest of her life. All this took
place, O Ifrit, within earshot of the Envied who listened readily. When
dawn broke and morn arose in sheen and shone, the Fakirs went to seek
the Shaykh and found him climbing up the wall of the well; whereby he
was magnified in their eyes.[220] Then, knowing that naught save the
black tom-cat could supply him with the remedy required, he plucked the
seven tail-hairs from the white spot and laid them by him; and hardly
had the sun risen ere the Sultan entered the hermitage, with the great
lords of his estate, bidding the rest of his retinue to remain standing
outside. The Envied gave him a hearty welcome, and seating him by his
side asked him, "Shall I tell thee the cause of thy coming?" The King
answered "Yes." He continued, "Thou hast come upon pretext of a
visitation;[221] but it is in thy heart to question me of thy
daughter." Replied the King, "'Tis even so, O thou holy Shaykh;" and
the Envied continued, "Send and fetch her, and I trust to heal her
forthright (an such it be the will of Allah!). The King in great joy
sent for his daughter, and they brought her pinioned and fettered. The
Envied made her sit down behind a curtain and taking out the hairs
fumigated her therewith; whereupon that which was in her head cried out
and departed from her. The girl was at once restored to her right mind
and veiling her face, said, "What hath happened and who brought me
hither?" The Sultan rejoiced with a joy which nothing could exceed, and
kissed his daughter's eyes,[222] and the holy man's hand; then, turning
to his great lords, he asked, "How say ye! What fee deserveth he who
hath made my daughter whole?" and all answered "He deserveth her to
wife;" and the King said, "Ye speak sooth!" So he married him to her
and the Envied thus became son-in-law to the King. And after a little
the Wazir died and the King said, "Whom can I make Minister in his
stead?" "Thy son-in-law," replied the courtiers. So the Envied became a
Wazir; and after a while the Sultan also died and the lieges said,
"Whom shall we make King?" and all cried, "The Wazir." So the Wazir was
forthright made Sultan, and he became King regnant, a true ruler of
men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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