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
was indeed his brother Ajib, he cried out and said, “Ho, to avenge my
father and mother!” Then giving his sword to Kaylajan,[FN#54] he drave
at Ajib and smote him with his mace a smashing blow and a swashing,
that went nigh to beat in his ribs, and seizing him by the mail-gorget
tore him from the saddle and cast him to the ground; whereupon the two
Marids pounced upon him and binding him fast, dragged him off dejected
and abject; whilst Gharib rejoiced in the capture of his enemy and
repeated these couplets of the poet,
“I have won my wish and my need have scored * Unto Thee be the praise
and the thanks, O our
Lord!
I grew up dejected and abject; poor, * But Allah vouchsafed me all
boons implored:
I have conquered countries and mastered men * But for Thee were I
naught, O thou Lord
adored!”
When Ra’ad Shah saw how evilly Ajib fared with his brother, he called
for his charger and donning his harness and habergeon, mounted and
dashed out a-field. As soon as he drew near King Gharib, he cried out
at him, saying, “O basest of Arabs and bearer of scrubs,[FN#55] who art
thou, that thou shouldest capture Kings and braves? Down from thy horse
and put elbows behind back and kiss my feet and set my warriors free
and go with me in bond of chains to my reign that I may pardon thee and
make thee a Shaykh in our own land, so mayst thou eat there a bittock
of bread.” When Gharib heard these words he laughed till he fell
backwards and answered, saying, “O mad hound and mangy wolf, soon shalt
thou see against whom the shifts of Fortune will turn!” Then he cried
out to Sahim, saying, “Bring me the prisoners;” so he brought them, and
Gharib smote off their heads; whereupon Ra’ad Shah drave at him, with
the driving of a lordly champion and the onslaught of a fierce
slaughterer and they falsed and feinted and fought till nightfall, when
the kettle-drums beat the retreat.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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