The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments
General
The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
up this, they found beneath it an izár,[IV_4] and when they had
taken up the izár they discovered under it a damsel like molten silver,
killed, and cut in pieces.
When the Khaleefeh beheld this, tears ran down his cheeks, and, looking
towards Jaạfar, he exclaimed, O dog of Wezeers, shall people be murdered
in my time, and be thrown into the river, and become burdens upon my
responsibility? By Allah, I must retaliate for this damsel upon him who
killed her, and put him to death!--Then said he to Jaạfar, By the truth
of my descent from the Khaleefehs of the sons of El-'Abbás, if thou do
not bring to me him who killed this woman, that I may avenge her upon
him, I will crucify thee at the gate of my palace, together with forty
of thy kinsmen![IV_5] And the Khaleefeh was enraged.--Grant me,
said Jaạfar, a delay of three days.--I grant thee the delay, replied the
Khaleefeh. Jaạfar then went forth from his presence, and took his route
through the city, sorrowful, and saying within himself, How shall I
discover him who killed this damsel, that I may take him before the
Khaleefeh? And if I take to him any other person, he will become a
weight upon my conscience. I know not what to do.--For three days he
remained in his house, and on the fourth day the Khaleefeh sent to
summon him, and, when he had presented himself before him, said to him,
Where is the murderer of the damsel?--O Prince of the Faithful, answered
Jaạfar, am I acquainted with things hidden from the senses, that I
should know who is her murderer? The Khaleefeh, incensed at this answer,
gave orders to crucify him at the gate of his palace, and commanded a
crier to proclaim through the streets of Baghdád, Whosoever desireth to
amuse himself by seeing the crucifixion of Jaạfar El-Barmekee, the
Wezeer of the Khaleefeh, and the crucifixion of his kinsmen, at the gate
of the Khaleefeh's palace, let him come forth and amuse himself.--So the
people came forth from every quarter to see the crucifixion of Jaạfar
and his kinsmen; and they knew not the cause of this. The Khaleefeh then
gave orders to set up the crosses; and they did so, and placed the
Wezeer and his kinsmen beneath, to crucify them, and were awaiting the
Khaleefeh's permission, while the people wept for Jaạfar and his
relatives.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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