Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights | Page 5

as
that of the writing engraved upon the seal of the great prophet Solomon,
the son of David.

'I must not forget to tell you, further, that the water does not in the least
hinder us from seeing in the sea; for we can open our eyes without any
inconvenience; and as we have quick, piercing sight, we can discern
any object as clearly in the deepest part of the sea as upon land. We
have also there a succession of day and night; the moon affords us her
light, and even the planets and the stars appear visible to us. I have
already spoken of our kingdoms; but as the sea is much more spacious
than the earth, so there are a greater number of them, and of greater
extent. They are divided into provinces; and in each province there are
several great cities, well peopled. In short, there are an infinite number
of nations, differing in manners and customs, just as upon the earth.
'The palaces of the kings and princes are very sumptuous and
magnificent. Some of them are of marble of various colours; others of
rock-crystal, with which the sea abounds, mother of pearl, coral, and of
other materials more valuable; gold, silver, and all sorts of precious
stones are more plentiful there than on earth. I say nothing of the pearls,
since the largest that ever were seen upon earth would not be valued
amongst us; and none but the very lowest rank of citizens would wear
them.
'As we can transport ourselves whither we please in the twinkling of an
eye, we have no occasion for any carriages or riding-horses; not but
what the king has his stables, and his stud of sea-horses; but they are
seldom made use of, except upon public feasts or rejoicing days. Some,
after they have trained them, take delight in riding them, and show their
skill and dexterity in races; others put them to chariots of
mother-of-pearl, adorned with an infinite number of shells of all sorts,
of the brightest colours. These chariots are open; and in the middle
there is a throne upon which the king sits, and shows himself to his
subjects. The horses are trained up to draw by themselves; so that there
is no occasion for a charioteer to guide them. I pass over a thousand
other curious particulars relating to these marine countries, which
would be very entertaining to your majesty; but you must permit me to
defer it to a future leisure, to speak of something of much greater
consequence. I should like to send for my mother and my cousins, and
at the same time to desire the king my brother's company, to whom I

have a great desire to be reconciled. They will be very glad to see me
again, after I have related my story to them, and when they understand I
am wife to the mighty king of Persia. I beseech your majesty to give
me leave to send for them: I am sure they will be happy to pay their
respects to you; and I venture to say you will be extremely pleased to
see them.'
'Madam,' replied the King of Persia, 'you are mistress; do whatever you
please; I will endeavour to receive them with all the honours they
deserve. But I would fain know how you would acquaint them with
what you desire, and when they will arrive, that I may give orders to
make preparation for their reception, and go myself in person to meet
them.'
'Sire,' replied the Queen Gulnare, 'there is no need of these ceremonies;
they will be here in a moment; and if your Majesty will but look
through the lattice, you shall see the manner of their arrival.'
Queen Gulnare then ordered one of her women to bring her a brazier
with a little fire. After that she bade her retire, and shut the door. When
she was alone, she took a piece of aloes out of a box, and put it into the
brazier. As soon as she saw the smoke rise, she repeated some words
unknown to the King of Persia, who from a recess observe with great
attention all that she did. She had no sooner ended, than the sea began
to be disturbed. At length the sea opened at some distance; and
presently there rose out of it a tall, handsome young man, with
moustaches of a sea-green colour; a little behind him, a lady, advanced
in years, but of a majestic air, attended by five young ladies, nowise
inferior in beauty to the Queen Gulnare.
Queen Gulnare immediately went to one of the windows, and saw the
king her brother, the queen her mother, and the rest of her relations,
who at the same time perceived