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
When it was the One Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al- Zaman
said to his sire, "O my father, allow this youth to come and sit by my
side." Now when the King heard these words from his son, he rejoiced
with exceeding joy, though at the first his heart had been set against
Marzawan and he had determined that the stranger's head needs must be
stricken off: but when he heard Kamar al-Zaman speak, his anger left
him and he arose and drawing Marzawan to him, seated him by his son and
turning to him said, "Praised be Allah for thy safety!" He replied,
"Allah preserve thee! and preserve thy son to thee!" and called down
blessings on the King. Then the King asked, "From what country art
thou?"; and he answered, "From the Islands of the Inland Sea, the
kingdom of King Ghayur, Lord of the Isles and the Seas and the Seven
Palaces." Quoth King Shahriman, "Maybe thy coming shall be blessed to
my son and Allah vouchsafe to heal what is in him." Quoth Marzawan,
"Inshallah, naught shall be save what shall be well!" Then turning to
Kamar al-Zaman, he said to him in his ear unheard of the King and his
court, 'O my lord! be of good cheer, and hearten thy heart and let
shine eyes be cool and clear and, with respect to her for whose sake
thou art thus, ask not of her case on shine account. But thou keptest
thy secret and fellest sick, while she told her secret and they said
she had gone mad; so she is now in prison, with an iron chain about her
neck, in most piteous plight; but, Allah willing, the healing of both
of you shall come from my hand." Now when Kamar al-Zaman heard these
words, his life returned to him and he took heart and felt a thrill of
joy and signed to his father to help him sit up; and the King was like
to fly for gladness and rose hastily and lifted him up. Presently, of
his fear for his son, he shook the kerchief of dismissal[FN#293]; and
all the Emirs and Wazirs withdrew; then he set two pillows for his son
to lean upon, after which he bade them perfume the palace with saffron
and decorate the city, saying to Marzawan, "By Allah, O my son, of a
truth shine aspect be a lucky and a blessed!" And he made as much of
him as he might and called for food, and when they brought it, Marzawan
came up to the Prince and said, "Rise, eat with me." So he obeyed him
and ate with him, and all the while the King invoked blessings on
Marzawan and said, "How auspicious is thy coming, O my son!" And when
the father saw his boy eat, his joy and gladness redoubled, and he went
out and told the Prince's mother and all the household. Then he spread
throughout the palace the good news of the Prince's recovery and the
King commanded the decoration of the city and it was a day of high
festival. Marzawan passed that night with Kamar al-Zaman, and the King
also slept with them in joy and delight for his son's recovery.—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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