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
sweetmeats and wine." Accordingly the doorkeeper went to the market;
and, buying ten dirhams' worth of victual, brought it back to Ibrahim
and gave him the other ten dirhams. But he cried to him, "Spend them on
thyself;" whereat the porter rejoiced with passing joy. Then he ate a
scone with a little kitchen[FN#308] and gave the rest to the concierge,
adding, "Carry this to the people of thy household." The porter carried
it to his family and said to them, "Methinketh there is not on the face
of the earth a more generous than the young man who has come to lodge
with us this day, nor yet a pleasanter than he. An he abide with us, we
shall grow rich." Then he returned to Ibrahim and found him weeping; so
he sat down and began to rub[FN#309] his feet and kiss them, saying, "O
my lord, wherefore weepest thou? May Allah not make thee weep!" Said
Ibrahim, "O uncle, I have a mind to drink with thee this night;" and
the porter replied, "Hearing and obeying!" So he gave him five dinars
and said, "Buy us fresh fruit and wine;" and presently added other
five, saying, "With these buy also for us dessert[FN#310] and flowers
and five fat fowls and bring me a lute." The doorkeeper went out and,
buying what he had ordered, said to his wife, "Strain this wine and
cook us this food and look thou dress it daintily, for this young man
overwhelmeth us with his bounties." She did as he bade her, to the
utmost of desire; and he took the victuals and carried them to Ibrahim
son of the Sultan.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that then they ate and
drank and made merry, and Ibrahim wept and repeated the following
verses,
"O my friend! an I rendered my life, my sprite, * My wealth and
whatever the world can unite;
Nay, th' Eternal Garden and Paradise[FN#311] * For an hour of
Union my heart would buy't!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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