Arabian Nights: 222nd Night: Anis al Jalis, The Slave Girl - 22

The following night Shahrazad said:

When the Caliph heard her concluded with the words, "You gave me to Karim," he turned to Nur al-Din and asked, "My lord, the girl said in her verses that you had transgressed against her lord and master.  Against whom did you transgress and who is it who has a claim on you?"
Nur al-Din replied, "Fisherman, what has happened to me and to this girl is extraordinary."
The Caliph said, "Tell me your story."
Nur al-Din: "Do you wish it in prose or in verse?"
The Caliph in Fisherman: "O my lord, prose is words, but verses are  pearls in strings."
Nur al-Din bowed his head and recited:
O my friend, since I left my home, 
My grief is always with me, but sleep
Comes an irregular guest; I had a 
Father who loved me well, but lay
Dead long long ago. And after him
Misfortunes fell on me. This girl he
Bought for me.  I loved her, spent on
Her.  And lavished all I had on my 
Friends.  All was gone,  friends also
Gone, put I her for sale.  When the Auctioner called out for bids, came a
Vile old man, and obstructed the bid
Furious I was, snatched the girl and 
Vile old man out of hate gave me a
Blow. But right and left I returned his Blows. He went to the king, and the 
King's men came after me. Father's Friend chamberlain bid me to flee.
With this girl I fled aboard a ship
Came to this land, in this garden.
You gave me the fine fish, in return 
I gave you my soul, s beautiful girl.

The Caliph in Fisherman said, "My dear friend, tell me the story in detail."
Nur al-Din told his story from beginning to end.  Then the Caliph asked him, "Where do you intend to go from here?"
Nur al-Din said, "It is a wide wide world."
The Caliph said, "I will write a letter to give to the king Muhammad ibn-Sulaiman, and when he reads it, he will no longer bother you or harm you."

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.






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