The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 2 | Page 4

Nur Al-Din Ali and the Damsel Anis Al-Jalis 8. Tale of Ghanim Bin
Ayyub, The Distraught, The Thrall O' Love a. Tale of the First Eunuch,
Bukhayt b. Tale of the Second Eunuch, Kafur 9. Tale of King Omar
Bin Al-Nu'uman and His Sons Sharrkan and Zau Al-Makan a. Tale of
Taj Al-Muluk and the Princess Dunya aa. Tale of Aziz and Azizah

The Book Of The THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT
Nur Al-Din Ali and the Damsel Anis Al-Jalis Quoth Shahrazad
[FN#1]:--It hath reached me, O auspicious King of intelligence
penetrating, that there was, amongst the Kings of Bassorah[FN#2], a
King who loved the poor and needy and cherished his lieges, and gave
of his wealth to all who believed in Mohammed (whom Allah bless and
assain!), and he was even as one of the poets described him,
"A King who when hosts of the foe invade, * Receives them with
lance-lunge and sabre-sway; Writes his name on bosoms in thin red
lines, * And scatters the horsemen in wild dismay."[FN#3]
His name was King Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni, and he had
two Wazirs, one called Al-Mu'ín, son of Sáwí and the other Al-Fazl son
of Khákán. Now Al-Fazl was the most generous of the people of his
age, upright of life, so that all hearts united in loving him and the wise
flocked to him for counsel; whilst the subjects used to pray for his long
life, because he was a compendium of the best qualities, encouraging
the good and lief, and preventing evil and mischief. But the Wazir
Mu'ín bin Sáwí on the contrary hated folk [FN#4] and loved not the
good and was a mere compound of ill; even as was said of him,
"Hold to nobles, sons of nobles! 'tis ever Nature's test * That nobles
born of nobles shall excel in noble deed: And shun the mean of soul,
meanly bred, for 'tis the law, * Mean deeds come of men who are mean
of blood and breed."
And as much as the people loved and fondly loved Al-Fazl bin Khákán,
so they hated and thoroughly hated the mean and miserly Mu'ín bin
Sáwí. It befel one day by the decree of the Decreer, that King
Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni, being seated on his throne with his
officers of state about him, summoned his Wazir Al-Fazl and said to
him, "I wish to have a slave-girl of passing beauty, perfect in loveliness,
exquisite in symmetry and endowed with all praiseworthy gifts." Said
the courtiers, "Such a girl is not to be bought for less than ten thousand
gold pieces:" whereupon the Sultan called out to his treasurer and said,
"Carry ten thousand dinars to the house of Al-Fazl bin Khákán." The
treasurer did the King's bidding; and the Minister went away, after
receiving the royal charge to repair to the slave-bazar every day, and
entrust to brokers the matter aforesaid. Moreover the King issued

orders that girls worth above a thousand gold pieces should not be
bought or sold without being first displayed to the Wazir. Accordingly
no broker purchased a slave-girl ere she had been paraded before the
minister; but none pleased him, till one day a dealer came to the house
and found him taking horse and intending for the palace. So he caught
hold of his stirrup saying,
"O thou, who givest to royal state sweet savour, * Thou'rt a Wazir shalt
never fail of favour! Dead Bounty thou hast raised to life for men; *
Ne'er fail of Allah's grace such high endeavour!"
Then quoth he, "O my lord, that surpassing object for whom the
gracious mandate was issued is at last found; [FN#5]" and quoth the
Wazir, "Here with her to me!" So he went away and returned after a
little, bringing a damsel in richest raiment robed, a maid spear-straight
of stature and five feet tall; budding of bosom with eyes large and black
as by Kohl traced, and dewy lips sweeter than syrup or the sherbet one
sips, a virginette smooth cheeked and shapely faced, whose slender
waist with massive hips was engraced; a form more pleasing than
branchlet waving upon the top-most trees, and a voice softer and
gentler than the morning breeze, even as saith one of those who have
described her,
"Strange is the charm which dights her brows like Luna's disk that
shine; * O sweeter taste than sweetest Robb[FN#6] or raisins of the
vine. A throne th'Empyrean keeps for her in high and glorious state, *
For wit and wisdom, wandlike form and graceful bending line: She in
the Heaven of her face[FN#7] the seven-fold stars displays, * That
guard her cheeks as satellites against the spy's design: If man should
cast a furtive glance or steal far look at her, * His heart