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
about the streets, they saw him and stood gazing on him, for he had become as
thin as a toothpick, till the Syndic of the bazar came up and drove them away
from him, saying, "I will gain Paradise through this poor creature; for if they
take him into the Hospital, they will kill him in a single day."[FN#131] Then
he made his young men carry him to his house, where they spread him a new bed
with a new pillow,[FN#132] and he said to his wife, "Tend him carefully;" and
she replied, "Good! on my head be it!" Thereupon she tucked up her sleeves and
warming some water, washed his hands, feet and body; after which she clothed
him in a robe belonging to one of her slave-girls and made him drink a cup of
wine and sprinkled rose-water over him. So he revived and complained, and the
thought of his beloved Kut al-Kulub made his grief redouble. Thus far
concerning him; but as regards Kut al-Kulub, when the Caliph was angered
against her,— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Forty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Caliph was
angered against Kut al-Kulub, he ordered her to a dark chamber where she abode
eighty days, at the end of which the Caliph, happening to pass on a certain day
the place where she was, heard her repeating poetry, and after she ceased
reciting her verse, saying, "O my darling, O my Ghanim! how great is thy
goodness and how chaste is thy nature! thou didst well by one who did ill by
thee and thou guardedst his honour who garred thine become dishonour, and his
Harim thou didst protect who to enslave thee and thine did elect! But thou
shalt surely stand, thou and the Commander of the Faithful, before the Just
Judge, and thou shalt be justified of him on the Day when the Lord (to whom be
honour and glory!) shall be Kazi and the Angels of Heaven shall be witnesses!"
When the Caliph heard her complaint, he knew that she had been wronged and,
returning to the palace, sent Masrur the Eunuch for her. She came before him
with bowed head and eyes tearful and heart sorrowful; and he said to her, "O
Kut al-Kulub, I find thou accuses me of tyranny and oppression, and thou
avouchest that I have done ill by one who did well by me. Who is this who hath
guarded my honour while I garred his become dishonour? Who protected my Harim
and whose Harim I wrecked?" "He is Ghanim son of Ayyub," replied she, "for he
never approached me in wantonness or with lewd intent, I swear by thy
munificence, O Commander of the Faithful!" Then said the Caliph, "There is no
Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah! Ask what thou wilt of me, O Kut
al-Kulub." "O Prince of the Faithful!", answered she, "I require of thee only
my beloved Ghanim son of Ayyub." He did as she desired, whereupon she said, "O
Lord of the Moslems, if I bring him to thy presence, wilt thou bestow me on
him?"; and he replied, "If he come into my presence, I will give thee to him as
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