The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 03 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 03 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al- Zaman
said to himself, "By Allah, when I see dawn I will say to my sire,
'Marry me to her that I may enjoy her'; nor will I let half the day
pass ere I possess her and take my fill of her beauty and loveliness."
Then he bent over Budur to buss her, whereat the Jinniyah Maymunah
trembled and was abashed and Dahnash, the Ifrit, was like to fly for
joy. But, as Kamar al- Zaman was about to kiss her upon the mouth, he
was ashamed before Allah and turned away his head and averted his face,
saying to his heart, "Have patience." Then he took thought awhile and
said, "I will be patient; haply my father when he was wroth with me and
sent me to this jail, may have brought my young lady and made her lie
by my side to try me with her, and may have charged her not to be
readily awakened when I would arouse her, and may have said to her,
'Whatever thing Kamar al-Zaman do to thee, make me ware thereof'; or
belike my sire standeth hidden in some stead whence (being himself
unseen) he can see all I do with this young lady; and to morrow he will
scold me and cry, 'How cometh it that thou sayest, I have no mind to
marry; and yet thou didst kiss and embrace yonder damsel?' So I will
withhold myself lest I be ashamed before my sire; and the right and
proper thing to do is not to touch her at this present, nor even to
look upon her, except to take from her somewhat which shall serve as a
token to me and a memorial of her; that some sign endure between me and
her." Then Kamar al-Zaman raised the young lady's hand and took from
her little finger a seal-ring worth an immense amount of money, for
that its bezel was a precious jewel and around it were graven these
couplets,
"Count not that I your promises forgot, *
Despite the length of your delinquencies
Be generous, O my lord, to me inclining; *
Haply your mouth and cheeks these lips may kiss:
By Allah, ne'er will I relinquish you *
Albe you will transgress love's boundaries."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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