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
and I will cut off these Arabs.” Now, when Gharib returned to his camp,
the Princess Fakhr Taj met him, weeping and affrighted for the terror
of that which had befallen, and kissed his foot in the stirrup, saying,
“May thy hands never wither nor thy foes be blither, O champion of the
age! Alhamdolillah—Praise to God—who hath saved thee alive this day!
Verily, I am in fear for thee from yonder Arabs.” When Gharib heard
this, he smiled in her face and heartened and comforted her, saying,
“Fear not, O Princess! Did the enemy fill this wild and wold yet would
I scatter them, by the might of Allah Almighty.” She thanked him and
prayed that he might be given the victory over his foes; after which
she returned to her women and Gharib went to his tent, where he
cleansed himself of the blood of the Infidels, and they lay on guard
through the night. Next morning, the two hosts mounted and sought the
plain where cut and thrust ruled sovereign. The first to prick into the
open was Gharib, who crave his charger till he was near the Infidels
and cried out, “Who is for jousting with me? Let no sluggard or
weakling come out to me!” Whereupon there rushed forth a giant
Amalekite of the lineage of the tribe of Ad, armed with an iron flail
twenty pounds in weight, and drove at Gharib, saying, “O scum of the
Arabs, take what cometh to thee and learn the glad tidings that thy
last hour is at hand!” So saying, he aimed a blow at Gharib, but he
avoided it and the flail sank a cubit into the ground. Now the badawi
was bent double with the blow, so Gharib smote him with his mace and
clove his forehead in sunder and he fell down dead and Allah hurried
his soul to Hell-fire. Then Gharib charged and wheeled and called for
champions; so there came out to him a second and a third and a fourth
and so on, till ten had come forth to him and he slew them all. When
the Infidels saw his form of fight and his smashing blows they hung
back and forebore to fare forth to him, whereupon Samsam looked at them
and said, “Allah never bless you! I will go forth to him.” So he donned
his battle-gear and driving his charger into mid-field where he fronted
the foe and cried out to Gharib saying, “Fie on thee, O dog of the
Arabs! hath thy strength waxed so great that thou shouldst defy me in
the open field and slaughter my men?” And Gharib replied, “Up and take
bloodrevenge for the slaughter of thy braves!” So Samsam ran at Gharib
who awaited him with broadened breast and heart enheartened, and they
smote each at other with maces, till the two hosts marvelled and every
eye was fixed on them. Then they wheeled about in the field and struck
at each other two strokes; but Gharib avoided Samsam’s stroke which
wreak had wroke and dealt with a buffet that beat in his breastbone and
cast him to the ground—stone dead. Thereupon all his host ran at Gharib
as one man, and he ran at them, crying, “God is most Great! Help and
Victory for us and shame and defeat for those who misbelieve the faith
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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