Sept. 15, ’87.
CONTENTS OF THE THIRD VOLUME.
| PAGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. THE TALE OF ZAYN AL-ASNAM | [1] | ||
| a. The Turkish Version by E. J. W. Gibb | [39] | ||
| 2. ALAEDDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP | [49] | ||
| a. The English Translation of Galland | [193] | ||
| 3. ADVENTURES OF KHUDADAD AND HIS BROTHERS | [267] | ||
| a. History of the Princess of Daryabar | [281] | ||
| 4. HISTORY OF THE CALIPH’S NIGHT ADVENTURE | 307 | ||
| a. Story of the Blind Man, Baba Abdullah | 311 | ||
| b. History of Sidi Nu’uman | 325 | ||
| c. History of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal | 341 | ||
| 5. STORY OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES | 369 | ||
| 6. STORY OF ALI KHWAJAH AND THE MERCHANT OF BAGHDAD | 405 | ||
| 7. ADVENTURES OF PRINCE AHMAD AND THE FAIRY PERIBANU | 419 | ||
| 8. TALE OF THE TWO SISTERS WHO ENVIED THEIR CADETTE | 491 | ||
| APPENDIX: VARIANTS AND ANALOGUES | |||
| OF THE TALES IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL NIGHTS, VOL. III. | |||
| By W. A. CLOUSTON. | |||
| PAGE | |||
| THE TALE OF ZAYN AL-ASNAM | 553 | ||
| ALADDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP | 564 | ||
| KHUDADAD AND HIS BROTHERS | 576 | ||
| THE STORY OF THE BLIND MAN, BABA ABDULLAH | 582 | ||
| HISTORY OF SIDI NU’UMAN | 585 | ||
| HISTORY OF KHWAJAH HASAN AL-HABBAL | 587 | ||
| ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES | 590 | ||
| ALI KHWAJAH AND THE MERCHANT OF BAGHDAD | 596 | ||
| PRINCE ADMAD AND THE PERI BANU | 600 | ||
| THE TWO SISTERS WHO ENVIED THEIR CADETTE | 617 | ||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES:— | |||
| The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam | 649 | ||
| Aladdin; or the Wonderful Lamp | 650 | ||
| Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves | 650 | ||
| The Tale of Prince Ahmad | 652 | ||
THE TALE OF ZAYN AL-ASNAM.
(ARABIC.)
Now when it was the Four Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,[[7]]
Quoth Dunyázád, “O 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;” and quoth the King, “Let it be
THE TALE OF ZAYN AL-ASNAM.”[[8]]
Shahrázád replied:——With love and good will! It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that in Bassorah-city[[9]] reigned a puissant Sultan, who was opulent exceedingly and who owned all the goods of life; but he lacked a child which might inherit his wealth and dominion. So, being sorely sorrowful on this account, he arose and fell to doing abundant alms-deeds to Fakírs and the common poor, to the Hallows and other holy men and prayed their recourse to Allah Almighty, in order that the Lord (to whom belong Might and Majesty!) might of His grace bless him with issue. And the Compassionate accepted his prayer for his alms to the Religious and deigned grant his petition; and one night of the nights after he lay with the Queen she went away from him with child. Now as soon as the Sultan heard of the conception he rejoiced with exceeding great joyance, and when the days of delivery near drew he gathered together all the astrologers and sages who strike the sand-board,[[10]] and said to them, “’Tis our desire that ye disclose and acquaint us anent the birth which is to be born during the present month whether it shall be male or female, and what shall befal it from the shifts of Time, and what shall proceed from it.” Thereupon the geomantists struck their sand-boards and the astrophils ascertained their ascendants and they drew the horoscope of the babe unborn, and said to the sovran, “O King of the Age and Lord of the Time and the Tide, verily the child to which the Queen shall presently give birth will be a boy and ’twill be right for thee to name him Zayn al-Asnám—Zayn of the Images.” Then spake the geomantists, saying, “Know then, Ho thou the King, that this little one shall approve him when grown to man’s estate valiant and intelligent; but his days shall happen upon sundry troubles and travails, and yet if he doughtily fight against all occurrence he shall become the most opulent of the Kings of the World.” Exclaimed the Sultan, “An the child approve himself valorous, as ye have announced, then the toil and moil which shall be his lot may be held for naught, inasmuch as calamities but train and strengthen the sons of the Kings.”[[11]] Shortly after this the Queen gave birth to a man-child, and Glory be to Him who fashioned the babe with such peerless beauty and loveliness! The King named his son Zayn al-Asnam, and presently he became even as the poets sang of one of his fellows in semblance:—
He showed; and they cried, “Be Allah blest!” ✿ And who made him and formed him His might attest!
This be surely the lord of all loveliness; ✿ And all others his lieges and thralls be confest.