The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King
of France missed his daughter they brought him tidings of her, saying,
"Thy yacht is lost"; and he replied, "An the craft be lost, without
dispute or doubt my daughter is in it." So he summoned without stay or
delay the Captain of the Port and cried out at him, saying, "By the
virtue[FN#540] of the Messiah and the Faith which is no liar, except
thou and thy fighting men overtake my ship forthright and bring it back
to me, with those who are therein, I will do thee die the foulest of
deaths and make a terrible example of thee!" Thereupon the captain went
out from before him, trembling, and betook himself to the ancient dame
of the Church, to whom said he, 'Heardest thou aught from the captive,
that was with thee, anent his native land and what countryman he was?"
And she answered, "He used to say, I come from the town of Alexandria."
When the captain heard the old woman's words he returned forthright to
the port and cried out to the sailors, "Make ready and set sail." So
they did his bidding and straightway putting out to sea, fared night
and day till they sighted the city of Alexandria at the very time when
Nur al-Din landed, leaving the Princess in the ship. They soon espied
the royal yacht and knew her; so they moored their own vessel at a
distance therefrom and putting off in a little frigate they had with
them, which drew but two cubits of water and in which were an hundred
fighting-men, amongst them the one-eyed Wazir (for that he was a
stubborn tyrant and a froward devil and a wily thief, none could avail
against his craft, as he were Abu Mohammed al-Battál[FN#541]), they
ceased not rowing till they reached the bark and boarding her, all at
once, found none therein save the Princess Miriam. So they took her and
the ship, and returning to their own vessel, after they had landed and
waited a long while,[FN#542] set sail forthright for the land of the
Franks, having accomplished their errand, without a fight or even
drawing sword. The wind blew fair for them and they sailed on, without
ceasing and with all diligence, till they reached the city of France
and landing with the Princess Miriam carried her to her father, who
received her, seated on the throne of his Kingship. As soon as he saw
her, he said to her, "Woe to thee, O traitress! What ailed thee to
leave the faith of thy fathers and forefathers and the safeguard of the
Messiah, on whom is our reliance, and follow after the faith of the
Vagrants,[FN#543] to wit, the faith of Al-Islam, the which arose with
the sword against the Cross and the Images?" Replied Miriam, "I am not
at fault, I went out by night to the church, to visit the Lady Mary and
seek a blessing of her, when there fell upon me unawares a band of
Moslem robbers, who gagged me and bound me fast and carrying me on
board the barque, set sail with me for their own country. However, I
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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