Thousand & One Nights: 112th Night

One hundred and twelfth night.
The Young Man with Severed Hand and the Girl -3
Shahrazad, Shahriar, and Dinarzad were present. Shahrazad was the frame story teller.
This was the third part of the story: 
The young man with severed hand and the girl, as told by the Christian trader to the king of China.

When we finished eating, I poured water on his hand and gave something to wipe it with, and after I offered him some sweets, we sat to chat. I asked him, "Sir, releive mind by telling me why you ate with me with your left hand? Does something ail your right hand?" At this, the young man wept and recited the following verses:

If Leyla I have for Selma exchanged
'T was not at will but by necessity.
Then he drew his right arm from his bosom and showed it to me. It was a stump, with hand cut off at the wrist.
I was astonished. He said, "Don't say to yourself that I am conceited and eaten with my left hand out of conceit. There is a strange story behind the cutting off of my hand."
"How came it to be cut off?" Sighing and weeping, he said:

I was a native of Baghdad, and the son of its most prominent men. When I reached manhood, I heard travellers tell of the land of Egypt, and it lingered in my mind. When my father died I inherited my business. I prepared for a journey to Cairo. I collected merchandise, which consisted of fabrics, of Baghdad and Mosul including thousand silks and cloaks. Then I left Baghdad and journeyed, and reached Egypt. When I entered Cairo I unloaded at Masrur Caravanserai, where I unpacked the goods and stored them in the godown. Then I arranged my servant to prepare food. After the food we rested. Then I went out for a walk. After the walk, I returned and had a sleep. After the sleep, I opened the bales. I decided to find out the market and the price that my merchandise could bring. I asked my servant to carry the goods to the market. We came to Jerjes market. Brokers, who had heard of me previously, came to me. They took my goods and auctioned them. But I failed to get even the cost of my goods. I was vexed and said to the brokers, "My pieces did not get even the cost." They replied, "We can tell you how you can make a profit without risk."

It was day break, and part three of the story ended.





Notes:-
1. Leyla: Beloved cousin of Arab poet Kasim, known as Majnum, who went bad because of his unrequited love for her. She is a legendary figure in Arabic and Persian poetry and art.

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