The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 13 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (summer reading list txt) π
The Tale of Zayn Al-AsnamAlaeddin; or, The Wonderful LampKhudadad and His BrothersThe Story of the Blind Man, Baba AbdullahHistory of Sisi Nu'umanHistory of Khwajah Hasan Al-HabbalAli Baba and the Forty ThievesAli Khwajah and the Merchant of BaghdadPrince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-BanuThe Two Sisters Who Envied Their Cadette
Additional Notes:--
The Tale of Zayn Al-AsnamAlaeddin; or, The Wonderful LampAli Baba and the Forty ThievesPrince Ahmad and the Fairy Peri-Banu
The Translator's Foreword.
The peculiar proceedings of the Curators, Bodleian Library, 1Oxford, of which full particulars shall be given in due time,have dislocated the order of my volumes. The Prospectus hadpromised that Tome III. should contain detached extracts from theMS. known as the Wortley-Montague, and that No. IV. and part ofNo. V. should comprise a reproduction of the ten Tales (oreleven, including "The Princess of DaryΓ
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The folk answered him saying, βO my lord, this be a man than whom none is wealthier or greater in boon deeds and bounties, and his home is ever open to the stranger.β Then they showed him the way and he followed it till he came to Mubarakβs mansion where he knocked at the door and a slave of the black slaves opened to him.βAnd Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and First Night, Quoth Dunyazad, βO sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the waking hours of this our night;β and quoth Shahrazad:βIt hath reached me, O King of the Age, that Zayn al-Asnam knocked at the door when a slave of Mubarakβs black slaves came out to him and opening asked him, βWho[FN#24] art thou and what is it thou wantest?β The Prince answered, βI am a foreigner from a far country, and I have heard of Mubarak thy lord that he is famed for liberality and generosity; so that I come hither purposing to become his guest.β Thereupon the chattel went in to his lord and, after reporting the matter to him, came out and said to Zayn al-Asnam, βO my lord, a blessing hath descended upon us by thy footsteps. Do thou enter, for my master Mubarak awaiteth thee.β
Therewith the Prince passed into a court spacious exceedingly and all beautified with trees and waters, and the slave led him to the pavilion wherein Mubarak was sitting. As the guest came in the host straightway rose up and met him with cordial greeting and cried, βA benediction hath alighted upon us and this night is the most benedight of the nights by reason of thy coming to us!
So who are thou, O youth, and whence is thine arrival and whither is thine intent?β He replied, βI am Zayn al-Asnam and I seek one Mubarak, a slave of the Sultan of Bassorah who deceased a year ago, and I am his son.β Mubarak rejoined, βWhat sayest thou? Thou the son of the King of Bassorah?β and the other retorted, βYea, verily I am his son.β[FN#25] Quoth Mubarak, βIn good sooth my late lord the King of Bassorah left no son known to me! But what may be thine age, O youth?β βTwenty years or so,β quoth the Prince, presently adding, βBut thou, how long is it since thou leftest my sire?β βI left him eighteen years ago,β said the other; βbut, O my shild Zayn al-Asnam, by what sign canst thou assure me of thy being the son of my old master, the Sovran of Bassorah?β Said the Prince, βThou alone knowest that my father laid out beneath his palace a souterrain,[FN#26] and in this he placed forty jars of the finest green jasper, which he filled with pieces of antique gold, also that within a pavilion he builded a second palace and set therein eight images of precious stones, each one of a single gem, and all seated upon royal seats of placer-gold.[FN#27] He also wrote upon a silken hanging a writ which I read and which bade me repair to thee and thou wouldst inform me concerning the Ninth Statue whereabouts it may be, assuring me that it is worth all the eight.β Now when Mubarak heard these words, he fell at the feet of Zayn al-Asnam and kissed them exclaiming, βPardon me, O my lord, in very truth thou art the son of my old master;β adding, presently, βI have spread, O my lord, a feast[FN#28] for all the Grandess of Cairo and I would that thy Highness honour it by thy presence.β The Prince replied, βWith love and the best will.β Thereupon Mubarak arose and forewent Zayn al-Asnam to the saloon which was full of the Lords of the land there gathered together, and here he seated himself after stablishing Zayn al-Asnam in the place of honour.
Then he bade the tables be spread and the feast be served and he waited upon the Prince with arms crossed behind his back[FN#29]
and at times falling upon his knees. So the Grandees of Cairo marvelled to see Mubarak, one of the great men of the city, serving the youth and wondered with extreme wonderment, unknowing whence the stranger was.βAnd Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Second Night, Quoth Dunyazad, βO sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the waking hours of this our night,β and quoth Shahrazad:βIt hath reached me, O King of the Age, that Mubarak fell to waiting upon Zayn al-Asnam the son of his old lord, and the Grandees of Cairo there sitting marvelled to see Mubarak, one of the great men of the city, serving the youth and wondered with extreme wonderment, unknowing whence the stranger was. After this they ate and drank and supped well and were cheered till at last Mubarak turned towards them and said, βO folk, admire not that I wait upon this young man with all worship and honour, for that he is the son of my old lord, the Sultan of Bassorah, who bought me with his money and who died without manumitting me. I am, therefore, bound to do service to his son, this my young lord, and all that my hand possesseth of money and munition belongeth to him nor own I aught thereof at all, at all.β When the Grandees of Cairo heard these words, they stood up before Zayn al-Asnam and salamed to him with mighty great respect and entreated him with high regard and blessed him. Then said the Prince, βO assembly, I am in the presence of your worships, and be ye my witnesses. O Mubarak, thou art now freed and all thou hast of goods, gold and gear erst belonging to us becometh henceforth thine own and thou art endowed with them for good each and every. Eke do thou ask whatso of importance thou wouldst have from me, for I will on no wise let or stay thee in thy requiring it.β With this Mubarak arose and kissed the hand of Zayn al-Asnam and thanked him for his boons, saying, βO my lord, I wish for thee naught save thy weal, but the wealth that is with me is altogether overmuch for my wants.β Then the Prince abode with the Freedman four days, during which all the Grandees of Cairo made act of presence day by day to offer their salams as soon as they heard men say, βThis is the master of Mubarak and the monarch of Bassorah.β And whenas the guest had taken his rest he said to his host, βO Mubarak, my tarrying with thee hath been long; whereto said the other, βThou wottest, O my lord, that the matter whereinto thou comest to enquire is singular-rare, but that it also involveth risk of death, and I know not if thy valour can make the attainment thereto possible to thee.β Rejoined Zayn al-Asnam, βKnow, O
Mubarak, that opulence is gained only by blood; nor cometh aught upon mankind save by determination and predestination of the Creator (be He glorified and magnified!); so look to thine own stoutness of heart and take thou no thought of me.β Thereupon Mubarak forthright bade his slaves get them ready for wayfare; so they obeyed his bidding in all things and mounted horse and travelled by light and dark over the wildest of wolds, every day seeing matters and marvels which bewildered their wits, sights they had never seen in all their years, until they drew near unto a certain place. There the party dismounted and Mubarak bade the negro slaves and eunuchs abide on the spot saying to them, βDo ye keep watch and ward over the beasts of burthen and the horses until what time we return to you.β After this the twain set out together afoot and quoth the Freedman to the Prince, βO my lord, here valiancy besitteth, for that now thou art in the land of the Image[FN#30] thou camest to seek.β And they ceased not walking till they reached a lake, a long water and a wide, where quoth Mubarak to his companion, βKnow, O my lord, that anon will come to us a little craft bearing a banner of azure tinct and all its planks are of chaunders and lign-aloes of Comorin, the most precious of woods. And now I would charge thee with a charge the which must thou most diligently observe.β Asked the other, βThou wilt see in that boat a boatman[FN#31] whose fashion is the reverse of manβs; but beware, and again I say beware, lest thou utter a word, otherwise he will at once drown us.[FN#32] Learn also that this stead belongeth to the King of the Jinns and that everything thou beholdest is the work of the Jann.ββAnd Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Third Night, Quoth Dunyazad, βO sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the waking hours of this our night,β and quoth Shahrazad:βIt hath reached me, O King of the Age, that Mubarak and Zayn al-Asnam came upon a lake where, behold, they found a little craft whose planks were of chaunders and lign-aloes of Comorin and therein stood a ferryman with the head of an elephant while the rest of his body wore the semblance of a lion.[FN#33] Presently he approached them and winding his trunk around them[FN#34] lifted them both into the boat and seated them beside himself: then he
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