Thousand & One Nights: 78th Night

These stories were popularised by ancient and mediaeval story tellers who entertained crowds in markets. Markets were a common meeting place.

Shahrazad the queen of Indian King Shahriar uses these stories to lead the king to the world of reason and logic. 

Here, the story is told by Ja'far, the vizier of the Caliph Harun al Rashid to the latter. 

Two demons, demon and she demon saw Badr al-Din Hasan in deep sleep in a cemetery. She demon found that the youth resembled exactly the daughter of Shams al Din Muhammad, the vizier of Egypt. The daughter of the vizier attained twenty. The king of Egypt was attracted by her beauty. He summoned his vizier Shams al Din Muhammad and asked him to give his daughter to him in marriage. The vizier said he had decided to give her to Badr al-Din Hasan, the son of Nur al Din Ali. The king was angry.

Continue to read the rest:

The king said, "Damn you, you put me off with lame excuse." The king had a plan to take revenge on the vizier. He decided to marry her to the meanest of his servants. He has a hunch backed groom with two humps, one in front and one behind. The hunch backed was brought to a pavilion erected for the purpose of the ceremony. Summoning witnesses the king ordered to draw the contract. Then the hunchbacked was taken in a procession. It was arranged that the hunchbacked must enter the bride the same night. Vizier's daughter was dressed, and deked out with jewellery. Her father was placed under guard until the hunchbacked enter into her. The demon told the she-demon, "None is worthy of her, save Badr al-Din Hasan." The she-demon said, "It would be a pity to waste her on that hunchbacked."

The demon said, "Let us take him up, carry him in his sleep to the girl, and leave them alone together." She-demon agreed.

The demon carried Badr al-Din Hasan and flew up with him in the air. The she-demon flew by his side. They came down at the gate of Cairo, and setting Badr al-Din Hasan on a bench, awakened him.

Badr al-Din Hasan woke up and found himself in an unknown city. He started to make enquiries, but the demon jabbed him; handed him a lighted candle, and said to him, "Go to the Mamluks and the crowd, walk with them until you come to the wedding hall. Press ahead and enter the hall as if you are one of the candle bearers. Stand at the right side of the hunchbacked bridegroom, and whenever the bride's attendants, the singing women or the bride herself approach you, take a handful of gold from your pocket and give it to the woman. Don't hesitate, and whenever you put your hand in your pocket and take it out, it will be full of gold. Take it and give it to.those who approach you. Do not wonder, this is not by your power or strength, but by the will of God."

Badr al-Din Hasan rose, lighted the candle, walked until he came to the bath, where he found the hunchbacked bridegroom, already on horseback. He mixed with the people in the guise and manners already mentioned, wearing a double turban.

The End of 78th Night



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