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
"Beware her glance I rede thee, 'tis like wizard wight, * None can escape unscathed those eye shafts' glancing flight:
In very sooth black eyes, with languorous sleepy look, * Pierce deeper than white swords however these may bite.
Be not thy senses by her sweets of speech beguiled, * Whose brooding fever shall ferment in thought and sprite:
Soft sided Fair[FN#475] did silk but press upon her skin, * 'Twould draw red blood from it, as thou thyself canst sight.
Chary is she of charms twixt neck and anklets dwell, * And ah! what other scent shall cause me such delight?[FN#476]"
Then he sobbed a loud sob and swooned away. But when Taj al- Muluk saw him in
this case, he was perplexed about his state and went up to him; and, as the
youth came to his senses and saw the King's son standing at his head, he sprang
to his feet and kissed the ground between his hands. Taj al-Muluk asked him,
'Why didst thou not show us thy merchandise?" end he answered, O my lord, there
is naught among my stock worthy of thine august highness." Quoth the Prince,
"Needs must thou show me what thou hast and acquaint me with thy circumstance;
for I see thee weeping eyed and heavyhearted. If thou have been oppressed, we
will end thine oppression, and if thou be in debt, we will pay thy debt; for of
a truth my heart burneth to see thee, since I first set eyes on thee."[FN#477]
Then Taj al-Muluk bade the seats be set, and they brought him a chair of ivory
and ebony with a net-work of gold and silk, and spread him a silken rug for his
feet. So he sat down on the chair and bidding the youth seat himself on the
rug said to him, "Show me thy stock in trade!" The young merchant replied, "O
my Lord, do not name this to me, for my goods be unworthy of thee." Rejoined
Taj al-Muluk "It needs must be thus!"; and bade some of the pages fetch the
goods. So they brought them in despite of him; and, when he saw them, the
tears streamed from his eyes and he wept and sighed and lamented: sobs rose in
his throat and he repeated these couplets,
"By what thine eyelids show of Kohl and coquetry! * By what thy shape displays of lissome symmetry!
By what thy liplets store of honey-dew and wine! * By what thy mind adorns of gracious kindly gree!
To me thy sight dream-visioned, O my hope! exceeds * The happiest escape from horriblest injury."
Then the youth opened his bales and displayed his merchandise to Taj Al-Muluk
in detail, piece by piece, and amongst them he brought out a gown of satin
brocaded with gold, worth two thousand dinars. When he opened the gown there
fell a piece of linen from its folds. As soon as the young merchant saw this
he caught up the piece of linen in haste and hid it under his thigh; and his
reason wandered, and he began versifying,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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