The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
And indeed the King loved him with exceeding love, and summoning his
Wazir and Emirs and the Chief Officers of state and Grandees of his
realm, required of them a binding oath that they would make Badr Basim
King over them after his sire; and they sware the oath gladly, for the
sovran was liberal to the lieges, pleasant in parley and a very compend
of goodness, saying naught but that wherein was advantage for the
people. On the morrow Shahriman mounted, with all his troops and Emirs
and Lords, and went forth into the city and returned. When they drew
near the palace, the King dismounted, to wait upon his son who abode on
horseback, and he and all the Emirs and Grandees bore the saddlecloth
of honour before him, each and every of them bearing it in his turn,
till they came to the vestibule of the palace, where the Prince
alighted and his father and the Emirs embraced him and seated him on
the throne of Kingship, whilst they (including his sire) stood before
him. Then Badr Basim judged the people, deposing the unjust and
promoting the just and continued so doing till near upon noon, when he
descended from the throne and went in to his mother, Julnar the
Sea-born, with the crown upon his head, as he were the moon. When she
saw him, with the King standing before him, she rose and kissing him,
gave him joy of the Sultanate and wished him and his sire length of
life and victory over their foes. He sat with her and rested till the
hour of mid-afternoon prayer, when he took horse and repaired, with the
Emirs before him, to the Maydan plain, where he played at arms with his
father and his lords, till night fall, when he returned to the palace,
preceded by all the folk. He rode forth thus every day to the tilting
ground, returning to sit and judge the people and do justice between
carl and churl; and thus he continued doing a whole year, at the end of
which he began to ride out a-hunting and a-chasing and to go round
about in the cities and countries under his rule, proclaiming security
and satisfaction and doing after the fashion of Kings; and he was
unique among the people of his day for glory and valour and just
dealing among the subjects. And it chanced that one day the old King
fell sick and his fluttering heart forebode him of translation to the
Mansion of Eternity. His sickness grew upon him till he was nigh upon
death, when he called his son and commended his mother and subjects to
his care and caused all the Emirs and Grandees once more swear
allegiance to the Prince and assured himself of them by strongest
oaths; after which he lingered a few days and departed to the mercy of
Almighty Allah. His son and widow and all the Emirs and Wazirs and
Lords mourned over him, and they built him a tomb and buried him
therein. They ceased not ceremonially to mourn for him a whole month,
till Salih and his mother and cousins arrived and condoled with their
grieving for the King and said, “O Julnar, though the King be dead, yet
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account