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
Makan, that time they slew his uncle Sharrkan. So he said to the
Prince, "If thy father could have come by this courser, he would have
bought it with a thousand blood horses: but now let the honour return
to the honourable. We accept the steed and we give him back to thee as
a gift, for to him thou hast more right than any wight, being
knightliest of knights." Then King Sasan bade bring forth for him
dresses of honour and led horses and appointed to him the chief lodging
in the palace, and showed him the utmost affection and honour, because
he feared the issue of the Wazir Dandan's doings. At this Kanmakan
rejoiced and shame and humiliation ceased from him. Then he went to
his house and, going to his mother, asked, "O my mother, how is it with
the daughter of my uncle?" Answered she, "By Allah, O my son, my
concern for thine absence hath distracted me from any other, even from
thy beloved; especially as she was the cause of thy strangerhood and
thy separation from me." Then he complained to her of his case, saying,
"O my mother, go to her and speak with her; haply she will vouchsafe me
her sight to see and dispel from me this despondency." Replied his
mother, "Idle desires abase men's necks; so put away from thee this
thought that can only vex; for I will not wend to her nor go in to her
with such message.' Now when he heard his mother's words he told her
what said the horse-thief concerning Zat al-Dawahi, how the old woman
was then in their land purposing to make Baghdad, and added, "It was
she who slew my uncle and my grandfather, and needs must I avenge them
with man-bote, that our reproach be wiped out." Then he left her and
repaired to an old woman, a wicked, whorish, pernicious beldam by name
Sa'adánah and complained to her of his case and of what he suffered for
love of his cousin Kuzia Fakan and begged her to go to her and win her
favour for him. "I hear and I obey," answered the old hag and leaving
him betook herself to Kuzia Fakan's palace, that she might intercede
with her in his behalf. Then she returned to him and said, "Of a truth
Kuzia Fakan saluteth thee and promiseth to visit thee this night about
midnight."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Forty-second Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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