The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar said
to his brothers, “How could you do with me thus? But repent unto Allah
and crave pardon of Him, and He will forgive you both, for He is the
Most Forgiving, the Merciful. As for me, I pardon you and welcome you:
no harm shall befall you.” Then he comforted them and set their hearts
at ease and related to them all he had suffered, till he fell in with
Shaykh Abd al-Samad, and told them also of the seal ring. They replied,
“O our brother, forgive us this time; and, if we return to our old
ways, do with us as thou wilt.” Quoth he, “No harm shall befall you;
but tell me what the King did with you.” Quoth they, “He beat us and
threatened us with death and took the two pairs of saddle bags from
us.” “Will he not care?”[FN#298] said Judar, and rubbed the ring,
whereupon Al-Ra’ad appeared. When his brothers saw him, they were
frighted and thought Judar would bid him slay them; so they fled to
their mother, crying, “O our mother, we throw our selves on thy
generosity; do thou intercede for us, O our mother!” And she said to
them, “O my sons, fear nothing!” Then said Judar to the servant, “I
command thee to bring me all that is in the King’s treasury of goods
and such; let nothing remain and fetch the two pairs of saddle bags he
took from my brothers.” “I hear and I obey,” replied Al-Ra’ad; and,
disappearing straight way gathered together all he found in the
treasury and returned with the two pairs of saddle bags and the
deposits therein and laid them before Judar, saying, “O my lord, I have
left nothing in the treasury.” Judar gave the treasure to his mother
bidding her keep it and laying the enchanted saddle bags before him,
said to the Jinni, “I command thee to build me this night a lofty
palace and overlay it with liquid gold and furnish it with magnificent
furniture: and let not the day dawn, ere thou be quit of the whole
work.” Replied he, “Thy bidding shall be obeyed;” and sank into the
earth. Then Judar brought forth food and they ate and took their ease
and lay down to sleep. Meanwhile, Al-Ra’ad summoned his attendant Jinn
and bade them build the palace. So some of them fell to hewing stones
and some to building, whilst others plastered and painted and
furnished; nor did the day dawn ere the ordinance of the palace was
complete; whereupon Al-Ra’ad came to Judar and said to him, “O my lord,
the palace is finished and in best order, an it please thee to come and
look on it.” So Judar went forth with his mother and brothers and saw a
palace, whose like there was not in the whole world; and it confounded
all minds with the goodliness of its ordinance. Judar was delighted
with it while he was passing along the highway and withal it had cost
him nothing. Then he asked his mother, “Say me, wilt thou take up thine
abode in this palace?” and she answered, “I will, O my son,” and called
down blessings upon him. Then he rubbed the ring and bade the Jinni
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