The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
hundred gold pieces." Now when the Badawi heard this, he flew into a violent
rage and cried at the merchant, saying, "Get up and go thy ways! By Allah,
wert thou to offer me two hundred dinars for the bit of camlet she weareth, I
would not sell it to thee. And now I will not sell her, but will keep her by
me, to pasture the camels and grind my grist." And he cried out to her, saying,
"Come here, thou stinkard! I will not sell thee." Then he turned to the
merchant and said to him, "I used to think thee a man of judgment; but, by the
right of my bonnet, if thou begone not from me, I will let thee hear what shall
not please thee!" Quoth the merchant to himself, "Of a truth this Badawi is mad
and knoweth not her value, and I will say no more to him about her price at the
present time; for by Allah, were he a man of sense, he would not say, 'By the
rights of my bonnet!' By the Almighty, she is worth the kingdom of the Chosroës
and I have not her price by me, but if he ask even more, I will give him what
he will, though it be all my goods." Then he turned and said to him, "O Shaykh
of the Arabs, take patience and calm thyself and tell me what clothes she hath
with thee?" Cried the Badawi, "And what hath the baggage to do with clothes?
By Allah, this camlet in which she is wrapped is ample for her." "With thy
leave," said the merchant, "I will unveil her face and examine her even as folk
examine slave-girls whom they think of buying."[FN#250] Replied the other, "Up
and do what thou wilt and Allah keep thy youth! Examine her outside and inside
and, if thou wilt, strip off her clothes and look at her when she is naked."
Quoth the trader, "Allah forfend! I will look at naught save her
face."[FN#251] Then he went up to her and was put to shame by her beauty and
loveliness,—And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Fifty-seventh Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account