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
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Lady
Jamilah returned to her women, she said to them, "Come, let us go back
to our palace." They replied, "Why should we return now, seeing that we
use to abide here three days?" Quoth she, "I feel an exceeding
oppression in myself, as though I were sick, and I fear lest this
increase upon me."[FN#330] So they answered, "We hear and obey," and
donning their walking-dresses went down to the river-bank and embarked
in a boat; whereupon behold, the keeper of the garden came up to
Ibrahim and said to him, knowing not what had happened, "O Ibrahim,
thou hast not had the luck to enjoy the sight of her, and I fear lest
she have seen thee, for 'tis her wont to tarry here three days."
Replied Ibrahim, "She saw me not nor I her; for she came not forth of
the pavilion."[FN#331] Rejoined the keeper, "True, O my son, for, had
she seen thee, we were both dead men: but abide with me till she come
again next week, and thou shalt see her and take thy fill of looking at
her." Replied the Prince, "O my lord, I have with me money and fear for
it: I also left men behind me and I dread lest they take advantage of
my absence."[FN#332] He retorted, "O my son 'tis grievous to me to part
with thee;" and he embraced and farewelled him. Then Ibrahim returned
to the Khan where he lodged, and foregathering with the doorkeeper,
took of him all his property and the porter said, "Good news,
Inshallah!"[FN#333] But Ibrahim said, "I have found no way to my want,
and now I am minded to return to my people." Whereupon the porter wept;
then taking up his baggage, he carried them to the ship and abade him
adieu. Ibrahim repaired to the place which Jamilah had appointed him
and awaited her there till it grew dark, when, behold, she came up,
disguised as a bully-boy with rounded beard and waist bound with a
girdle. In one hand she held a bow and arrows and in the other a bared
blade, and she asked him, "Art thou Ibrahim, son of al-Khasib, lord of
Egypt?" "He I am," answered the Prince; and she said, "What
ne'er-do-well art thou, who comes to debauch the daughters of Kings?
Come: speak with the Sultan."[FN#334] "Therewith" (quoth Ibrahim) "I
fell down in a swoon and the sailors died[FN#335] in their skins for
fear; but, when she saw what had betided me, she pulled off her beard
and throwing down her sword, ungirdled her waist whereupon I knew her
for the Lady Jamilah and said to her, 'By Allah, thou hast rent my
heart in sunder!'[FN#336] adding to the boatmen, 'Hasten the vessel's
speed.' So they shook out the sail and putting off, fared on with all
diligence; nor was it many days ere we made Baghdad, where suddenly we
saw a ship lying by the river-bank. When her sailors saw us, they cried
out to our crew, saying, 'Ho, such an one and such an one, we give you
joy of your safety!' Then they drave their ship against our craft and I
looked and in the other boat beheld Abu al-Kasim al-Sandalani who when
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