Click on image to enlarge.
|
1001 Arabian Nights [Volume 13 of 16] [MultiFormat]
eBook by Sir Richard F. Burton
| |
Regular |
|
 |
|
Club |
| You Pay: |
$3.49 |
|
|
|
$2.97 |
eBook Category: Classic Literature
eBook Description: Bawdy and exotic, 1001 Arabian Nights features the wily and seductive Shahrazad, who saves her own life by telling tales of magical transformation, genies and wishes, flying carpets and fantastical journeys, terror and passion to entertain and appease the brutal King Shahryar. First introduced in the West in 1704, the stories of The Thousand and One Nights are most familiar to American readers in sanitized children's versions. This edition, based on Richard F. Burton's unexpurgated translation, restores the sensuality and lushness of the original Arabic. Here are the famous adventures of Sindbad, "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," and "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp." Here too are less familiar stories, such as "Prince Behram and the Princess Al-Datma," a delightful early version of The Taming of the Shrew, and "The Wily Dalilah and her Daughter Zaynab," a hilarious tale about two crafty women who put an entire city of men in their place. Intricate and imaginative, these stories-within-stories told over a thousand and one nights continue to captivate readers as they have for centuries. [Publisher Note: Contains footnotes to assist the translation.]
eBook Publisher: Fictionwise.com/Fictionwise Classic, Published: 1887
Fictionwise Release Date: July 2003
This eBook is also available in the following bundle(s):
This eBook is part of the following series:
Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [1.6 MB], eReader (PDB) [657 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [710 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [604 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [507 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [583 KB], hiebook (KML) [1.3 MB], Sony Reader (LRF) [592 KB], iSilo (PDB) [583 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [721 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [748 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [892 KB]
Words: 225913
Reading time: 645-903 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format: Printing ENABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
 
The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam.[FN#8] It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that in Bassorah-city[FN#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 Fakirs 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 drew near he gathered together all the astrologers and sages who strike the sand-board,[FN#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 't will be right for thee to name him Zayn al-Asnam--Zayn of the Images." Then spake the geomantists, saying, "Know then, Ho though 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 songs of the Kings."[FN#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."
|
)
