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
The King west also to see her weeping, and brotherly love
possessed him and his heart yearned to his brother's son Sultan
Kanmakan. So he sprang to his feet and, taking the sword from the
Sworder's hands (whereat the captives made sure of death), he caused
them to be set close to him and he cut their bonds with the blade and
said to his nurse Marjanah, "Explain the matter to this company, even
as thou hast explained it to me." Replied she, "O King, know that this
Shayth is the Wazir Dandan and he is the best of witnesses to my story,
seeing that he knoweth the facts of the case." Then she turned to the
captives and repeated the whole story to them on the spot and
forthright, and in presence of the Kings of the Greeks and the Kings of
the Franks; whereupon Queen Nuzhat al-Zaman and the Wazir Dandan and
all who were prisoners with them confirmed her words. When Marjanah,
the bond-woman, had finished, chancing to look at Sultan Kanmakan she
saw on his neck the third jewel, fellow to the two which were with
Queen Abrizah; and, recognising it, she cried so loud a cry, that the
palace re-echoed it and said to the King, "O my son, know that now my
certainty is still more assured, for this jewel that is about the neck
of yonder captive is the fellow to that I hung to thy neck; and, these
being the two, this captive is indeed thy brother's son, Kanmakan."
Then the slave women Marjanah turned to Kanmakan and said to him, "Let
me see that jewel, O King of the Age!"; so he took it from his neck and
handed it to her. Then she asked Nuzhat al-Zaman of the third jewel
and she gave it to her; and when the two were in her hand she delivered
them to King Rumzan, and the truth and proof were made manifest to him;
and he was assured that he was indeed Sultan Kanmakan's uncle and that
his father was King Omar bin al- Nu'uman. So he rose at once and on
the spot and, going up to the Wazir Dandan, threw his arms round his
neck; then he embraced King Kanmakan and the twain cried a loud cry for
excess of joy. The glad news was blazed abroad without delay; and they
beat the tabrets and cymbals, whilst the shawms sounded and the people
held high festival. The armies of Irak and Syria heard the clamour of
rejoicing among the Greeks; so they mounted to the last man, and King
Zibl Khan also took horse saying to himself, "Would I knew what can be
the cause of this clamour and rejoicing in the army of the Franks and
the Greeks!" Then the army of Irak dight itself for fight and advanced
into the plain and place of cut and foin. Presently, King Rumzan
turned him round and saw the army deployed and in preparing for battle
employed, so he asked the cause thereof and was told the state of the
case. Thereupon he bade his niece and brother's daughter, Kuzia Fakan,
return at once and forthright to the troops of Syria and Irak and
acquaint them with the plight that had betided and how it was come to
light that King Rumzan was uncle to Sultan Kanmakan. She set out,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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