The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
A wonder of beauty! Her face full moon of the palace sky; Of a
tribe of gazelles and wild cows the dearest and most high!
The Lord of the empyrean hath given her pride and state,
Elegance, charm and a shape that with the branch may vie;
She hath in the heaven of her face a cluster of seven stars, That
keep the ward of her cheek to guard it from every spy.
So if one think to steal a look, the imps of her glance Consume
him straight with a star, that shoots from her gleaming eye.
When the Vizier saw her she pleased him exceedingly, so he turned
to the broker and said to him, 'What is the price of this
damsel?' 'Her price is ten thousand dinars,' replied he, 'and
her owner swears that this sum will not cover the cost of the
chickens she hath eaten, the wine she hath drunk and the
dresses of honour bestowed on her teachers; for she hath learnt
penmanship and grammar and lexicology and the exposition of the
Koran and the rudiments of law and theology, medicine and the
calendar, as well as the art of playing on instruments of music.'
Then said the Vizier, 'Bring me her master.' So the broker
brought him at once, and behold, he was a foreigner, who had
lived so long that time had worn him to bones and skin. Quoth
the Vizier to him, 'Art thou content to sell this damsel to
the Sultan for ten thousand dinars?' 'By Allah,' replied the
merchant, 'if I made him a present of her, it were but my duty!'
So the Vizier sent for the money and gave it to the slave-dealer,
who said, 'By the leave of our lord the Vizier, I have something
to say.' 'Speak,' said the Vizier: and the slave-dealer said, 'If
thou wilt be ruled by me, thou wilt not carry the damsel to the
King to-day, for she is newly off a journey; the change of air
has affected her and the journey has fretted her. But let her
abide in thy palace ten days, that she may recover her good
looks. Then send her to the bath and dress her in the richest of
clothes and go up with her to the Sultan, and this will be more
to thy profit.' The Vizier considered the man's advice and
approved it; so he took her to his palace, where he appointed her
a separate lodging and a daily allowance of meat and drink and so
forth, and she abode thus awhile.
Now the Vizier Fezl had a son like the rising full moon, with
shining visage, red cheeks covered with a tender down and a mole
like a grain of ambergris; as says of him the poet and therein
errs not:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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