Finished.
North-western Province.
In the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton’s ed., vol. v, p. 304), Princess Miriam, daughter of the King of France, who had been in a vessel that was captured, was offered for sale in Alexandria, and was bought by a youth for a thousand gold dīnārs (about £500), all the money he had. Each night she knitted a silk girdle, which he sold in the morning for twenty gold dīnārs. While he was wearing on his head a beautiful silk handkerchief worked by her, the work was recognised by a Minister sent by the French King in search of her. He bought it for a thousand dīnārs, and gave a feast at which he made the youth drunk and induced him to sell the Princess for ten thousand dīnārs; she was carried back to France, and married to the Minister. After some adventures while the youth was endeavouring to carry her off, the two lovers escaped to Baghdad, and were formally married by the Khalif. With her own hand she killed the Minister when he came to demand her return to France.
Sir R. F. Burton agreed with Dr. Bacher that this story is based on a legend of Charlemagne’s daughter Emma and his secretary Eginhardt (vol. vi, p. 290). Notwithstanding its resemblance to this tale, the Sinhalese story may be an independent one. The account of the Princess who works a jacket or scarf occurs in Nos. 8 and 248, in which, also, the sale led to her abduction. In a variant, robbers carried her off and sold her for a thousand masu.
[1] Dāwal tissē, in the thirty [paeyas] of the day-time. [↑]
[2] Some years appear to have elapsed since he went into exile. This is the case in other stories, although not mentioned by the narrators. [↑]
[3] Ladaru kumārayō dennā, the two young Princes. Kumārayō, Princes, is sometimes used when both a Prince and Princess are referred to. [↑]