Classics Retold

The following night Shahrazad said: The old man said to king Badr, "She may hurt even her relatives, but she will not dare hurt me.  Have you not seen how her troops and retinue stood at my shop and saluted me?  By God, son, this infidel refuses to salute even the kings, but whenever she passes by my shop, she stops to salute me and speak with me, as you have seen and heard." Next morning, queen Lab came with her girls, Mamluks and attendants who were armed with swords and spears, stopped at the door of the shop and saluted the old man.  The old man kissed the ground before her, and returned the salute. The queen said to him, "Father, fulfill your pledge at once."  The old man replied, "Swear to me again that you will never harm him, enchant him, or do to him anything he abhors."  She swore again by her faith and unveiled a face like the moon, and said, "Father, how you procrastinate in giving me your handsome nephew!  Am I not more beautiful than he?...

The following night Shahrazad said: The queen said to the old man, "Father, will you give him to me as a gift? I love him.  By the fire and light, by the hot wind and cool shade, I will make him my lot in life.  Do not fear for him, for I may harm everyone on the face of the earth, but I will not harm him.  You know the mutual esteem we hold for each other." The old man replied, "O my queen, I can neither give him to you as a gift nor surrender him to you." She said, "By the fire and the light, by the hot wind and the cool shade, and by my faith, I will not leave without him.  I will not betray him or enchant him, and I will do only what will please him." The old man who did not dare cross her, fearing for himself and for young Badr, secured an oath from her that she would not harm the young man and that she would return him as she received him.  Then he said to her, "When you return from the square tomorrow, I will give him to you." She thanked ...

The following night Shahrazad said: King Badr sat at the door of the shop, watching people who passed, and there were plenty of them. Some of them saw, and a few of them came by, and asked the old man, "Shaikh, is this your latest captive and prey?"  He replied, "No, by God, he is my brother's son. He lives far away. His father was dead, so I brought him here." "He is handsome young man, Queen Lab is sure to eye him. She would snatch him from you." The old man replied, "The Queen will not cross me.  She likes me and respects me.  When she knew that he is my son she would not bother him. King Badr lived with him for a full month, eating and drinking, and the old man liked him very much.  One day, king Badr had been sitting at the door of the shop, as he used to, there marched thousand officers riding Arabian horses with gilded saddles, dressed in uniforms, girded with jeweled girdles, and holding drawn swords.  When they passed by, they saluted the...

The following night Shahrazad said: King Badr, after the shipwreck, was landed in the city of Magicians. The old man, a favabean seller hosted him, and gave him food. According to the favabean seller the chief witch of the city used to catch any young man who enters the city, enjoys him lavishly and then turn him into an ass, or mule. Thus the city was now full of asses and mules.  The name of the witch was Lab, which means 'the sun.' These mules and asses, when any stranger or new comer tries to enter the city kick them out, so as to save them from the misfortune they suffer.  On hearing this tale, King Badr was terrified, and shook like a thunderbolt, saying to himself, "Hardly did I believe that I had been delivered from sorcery, when God cast me into the den of worse sorcerers."  Then he pondered over what to do.  The old man saw him trembling with fear, and said, "Son, go and sit at the door of the shop and see how many inhabitants there are in the city.  D...

The following night Shahrazad said: Badr suddenly saw an old man, a favabean seller sitting in his shop. He greeted him, and the old man returned the greeting.  Seeing his handsome face the old man asked, "Young man, where do you come from and who brought you to this city?" King Badr told him the whole story, and the old man was very much surprised, and asked him, "My son, did you see anyone on the way?"  King Badr replied, "No father, I did not.  Indeed I was amazed to see the the city without inhabitants." The old man said, "Son, come up into the shop, lest you perish." King Badr went up into the shop and sat at the upper end, and the old man rose and brought him some food.  The old man said, "Stay inside and eat. Glory to him, who saved you from the she-devil."  King Badr was frightened, but he ate his fill and washed his hands.  Then he turned to the old man and asked, "My lord, what is the meaning of your words?  You have made...

The following night Shahrazad said: At the request of Badr, a ship with enough sailors and provisions were arranged by the king and bid him farewell.  King Badr, set out before a fair wind, and the voyage was smooth for continuous ten days, but on the eleventh day the wind began to blow harder, sea raged making hills and valleys of waves and the ship rose and fell and sailors found it strenuous to control her. She drifted high and low, hit a rock and broke up. Some of the sailors drowned and some of them escaped. King Badr caught hold of a floating plank, and cling to it.  For three days he drifted helplessly with the ups and downs of the waves, not knowing where he is moving.  On the fourth day waves swept him ashore.  He was very tired, and he fell into a deep sleep.  After sleep, when he looked around, he saw high towers of beautiful buildings stood on the water, and waves were beating against the walls of them. He was happy that he was still alive.  He ...