The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 09 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 09 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
yet sorer than the torments of Munkar and Nakнr.[FN#228] So he said to
his guards, "Take him and parade him about the city and the
markets;"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Fortieth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicous King, that when the King
heard the words spoken by the door-keeper of the Caravanserai and the
workmen of the dyery, he was certified of the vileness of Abu Kir; so
he upbraided him with flout and fleer and said to his guards, "Take him
and parade him about the city and the market-streets; then set him in a
sack and cast him into the sea." Whereupon quoth Abu Sir, "O King of
the age, accept my intercession for him, for I pardon him all he hath
done with me." But quoth the King, "An thou pardon him all his offences
against thee, I cannot pardon him his offences against me." And he
cried out, saying, "Take him." So they took him and paraded him about
the city, after which they set him in a sack with quicklime and cast
him into the sea, and he died, drowned and burnt. Then said the King
to the barber, "O Abu Sir, ask of me what thou wilt and it shall be
given thee." And he answered, saying, "I ask of thee to send me back
to my own country, for I care no longer to tarry here." Then the King
gifted him great store of gifts, over and above that which he had
whilome bestowed on him; and amongst the rest a galleon freighted with
goods; and the crew of this galleon were Mamelukes; so he gave him
these also, after offering to make him his Wazir whereto the barber
consented not. Presently he farewelled the King and set sail in his own
ship manned by his own crew; nor did he cast anchor till he reached
Alexandria and made fast to the shore there. Then he landed and one of
his Mamelukes, seeing a sack on the beach, said to Abu Sir, "O my lord,
there is a great heavy sack on the sea-shore, with the mouth tied up
and I know not what therein." So Abu Sir came up and opening the sack,
found therein the remains of Abu Kir, which the sea had borne thither.
He took it forth and burying it near Alexandria, built over the grave a
place of visitation and endowed it with mortmain writing over the door
these couplets,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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