Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 015 - Night 917 - 918

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015 - Night 917 - 918 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section fifteen of the Book of the Thousand Knights and
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  Speaker 1: a Knight, Volume nine. This is a LibriVox recording. All
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
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  Speaker 1: nor to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Andre Levy andre Levy dot net, Lisbon, Portugal. The Book
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  Speaker 1: of the Thousand Knights in a Night, Volume nine by Anonymous,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burdon Knight nine hundred and seventeen.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and seventeenth night, she
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  Speaker 1: pursued it, hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
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  Speaker 1: King Jaliad charged his son with such injunctions and made
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  Speaker 1: him his heir to succeed him in his reign. The
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  Speaker 1: prince said, O, dear father mine, thou knowest that I
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  Speaker 1: have ever been to THEE obedient and thy commandment, carrying
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  Speaker 1: out mindful of thine injunctions and thine ap proof seeking,
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  Speaker 1: for thou hast been to me the best of fathers.
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  Speaker 1: How then, after thy death shall I depart from that
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  Speaker 1: which contenteth THEE. And now, having fairly ordered my nurture,
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  Speaker 1: thou art about to depart from me, and I have
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  Speaker 1: no power to bring THEE back to me. But an
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  Speaker 1: I be mindful of thy charge, I shall be blessed therein,
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  Speaker 1: and great good fortune shall betide me. Quoth the King,
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  Speaker 1: And indeed he was in the last agony of departing life.
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  Speaker 1: Dear my son, cleave fast unto ten precepts, which, if
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  Speaker 1: thou hold Allah, shall profit THEE herewith, in this world
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  Speaker 1: and the next world. And they are as follows. When'est
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  Speaker 1: thou art wrath, curb thy wrath, when thou art afflicted,
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  Speaker 1: be patient, when thou speakest, be soothfast, when thou promisest perform,
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  Speaker 1: when thou judgest do justice, when thou hast power, be merciful,
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  Speaker 1: Deal generously by thy governors and lieutenants, forgive thy foes,
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  Speaker 1: be lavish of good offices to thine adversary, and stay
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  Speaker 1: thy mischief from him. Observe also other ten precepts, wherewith
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  Speaker 1: Allah shall profit THEE among the people of thy realm.
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  Speaker 1: To wit, when thou dividest, be just, when thou punishest oppressed,
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  Speaker 1: not when when thou engagest thyself, fulfill thine engagement. Hearken
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  Speaker 1: to those that give THEE loyal counsel when offenses offer
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  Speaker 1: to thee neglected, abstain from contention, enjoin thy subjects to
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  Speaker 1: the observance of the divine laws and of praiseworthy practices.
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  Speaker 1: Abate ignorance with a sharp sword, withhold thy regard from
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  Speaker 1: treachery and its untruth. And lastly, do equal justice between
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  Speaker 1: the folk, so they may love THEE great and small,
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  Speaker 1: and the wicked and corrupt of them may fear THEE.
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  Speaker 1: Then he addressed himself to the emirs and Olemma, which
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  Speaker 1: were present when he appointed his son to be his successor, saying,
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  Speaker 1: beware ye of transgressing the commandment of your king, and
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  Speaker 1: neglecting to hearken to your chief, For therein lieth ru
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  Speaker 1: for your realm, and sundering for your society, and bane
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  Speaker 1: for your bodies, and perdition for your possessions, and your
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  Speaker 1: foe would exalt over you. Well, ye, what the covenant
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  Speaker 1: ye made with me? And even thus shall be your
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  Speaker 1: covenant with this youth. And the troth which plighteth between
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  Speaker 1: you and me shall be also between you and him.
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  Speaker 1: Wherefore it behooveth you to give ear unto and obey
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  Speaker 1: his commandment, for that in this is the well being
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  Speaker 1: of your conditions. So be ye constant with him anent
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  Speaker 1: that wherein ye were with me, and your estate shall prosper,
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  Speaker 1: and your affairs be fair. For behold, he hath the
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  Speaker 1: kingship over you, and is the lord of your fortune
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  Speaker 1: and the peace. Then the death agony seized him, and
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  Speaker 1: his tongue was bridled. So he pressed his son to
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  Speaker 1: him and kissed him and gave thanks unto Allah. After
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  Speaker 1: which his hour came and his soul fared. Forth, all
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  Speaker 1: his subjects and the people of his court mourned and
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  Speaker 1: keened over him, and they shrouded him and buried him
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  Speaker 1: with pomp and honor and reverence, after which they returned
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  Speaker 1: with the prince and clad him in the royal robes,
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  Speaker 1: and crowned him with his father's crown, and put the
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  Speaker 1: seal ring on his finger. After seating him on the
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  Speaker 1: throne of soverignship, the young king ordered himself towards them,
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  Speaker 1: after his father's fashion of mildness and justice and benevolence
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  Speaker 1: for a little while till the world waylaid him and
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  Speaker 1: entangled him in his lusts, whereupon its pleasures made him
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  Speaker 1: their prey, and he turned to its guilding and Gigaus,
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  Speaker 1: forsaking the engagements which his father had imposed on him,
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  Speaker 1: and casting off his obedience to him, neglecting the affairs
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  Speaker 1: of his reign, and treading a road wherein was his
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  Speaker 1: own destruction. The love of women waxed stark in him,
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  Speaker 1: and came to such a pass that whenever he heard
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  Speaker 1: tell of the beauty, he would send for her and
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  Speaker 1: take her to wife. And after this wise he collected
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  Speaker 1: women more in number than ever had Solomon David's son,
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  Speaker 1: King of the Children of Israel. Also he would shut
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  Speaker 1: himself up with a company of them for a month
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  Speaker 1: at a time, during which he went not forth, neither
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  Speaker 1: inquired of his realm or its rule, nor looked into
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  Speaker 1: the grievances of such of his subjects as complained to him.
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  Speaker 1: And if they wrote to him, he returned them no reply. Now,
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  Speaker 1: when they saw this, and witnessed his neglect of their
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  Speaker 1: affairs and lack of care for their interests in those
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  Speaker 1: of the state, they were assured that ere long some
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  Speaker 1: calamity would betie them, and this was grievous to them.
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  Speaker 1: So they met privily one with other, and took counsel together,
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  Speaker 1: blaming their king, and one of them said to the rest, come,
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  Speaker 1: let us go to Shemas, chief of the Wazirs, and
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  Speaker 1: set forth to him our case, and acquaint him with
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  Speaker 1: that wherein we are by reason of this king, so
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  Speaker 1: he may admonish him. Else in a little calamity will
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  Speaker 1: dawn upon us. For the world hath dazzled the sovereign
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  Speaker 1: with its delights and seduced him with its snares. Accordingly
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  Speaker 1: they repaired to Shemas, and said to him, O, wise
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  Speaker 1: man and prudent. The world hath dazed the king with
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  Speaker 1: its delights and taken him in its toils, so that
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  Speaker 1: he turneth unto vanity, and worketh for the undoing of
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  Speaker 1: the state. Now, with the disordering of the state, the
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  Speaker 1: commons will be corrupted, and our affairs will run to ruin.
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  Speaker 1: We see him not for days in months, nor cometh
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  Speaker 1: thereforth from him any commandment to us, or to the Wazir,
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  Speaker 1: or any else. We cannot refer aught of our need
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  Speaker 1: to him. And he looketh not to the administration of justice,
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  Speaker 1: nor taketh thought to the condition of any of his
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  Speaker 1: subjects in his disregard of them. And behold, we are
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  Speaker 1: come to acquaint thee with the truth of things, for
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  Speaker 1: that thou art the chiefest and most accomplished of us.
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  Speaker 1: And it behooveth not that calamity befall a land wherein
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  Speaker 1: thou dwell'st Seeing that thou art most able of any
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  Speaker 1: to amend this king. Wherefore go thou and speak with him.
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  Speaker 1: Haply he will hearken to thy word and return unto
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  Speaker 1: the way of Allah. So she must arose forthright, and
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  Speaker 1: repairing to the palace, foregathered with the first page he
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  Speaker 1: could find, and said to him, fare, my son, I
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  Speaker 1: beseech THEE, ask THEE for me to go in to
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  Speaker 1: the king, for I have an affair concerning which I
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  Speaker 1: would fain see his face and acquaint him therewith and
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  Speaker 1: hear what he shall answer me there enant answered the page, O,
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  Speaker 1: my Lord, by Allah, this month past, hath hee given
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  Speaker 1: none leave to come in to him, nor have I
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  Speaker 1: all this time looked upon his face. But I will
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  Speaker 1: direct THEE to one who shall crave admission. For THEE,
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  Speaker 1: do thou lay hold of such a Blackamoor slave that
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  Speaker 1: standeth at his head, and bringeth him food from the kitchen.
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  Speaker 1: When he cometh forth to go to the kitchen, ask
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  Speaker 1: him what seemeth good to THEE, for he will do
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  Speaker 1: for THEE that which thou desirest. So the Wazir repaired
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  Speaker 1: to the door of the kitchen and sat there a
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  Speaker 1: little while till up came the Black and would have
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  Speaker 1: entered the kitchen, but she must caught hold of him,
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  Speaker 1: and said to him, dear, my son, I would fain
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  Speaker 1: stand in presence of the King and speak with him
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  Speaker 1: of somewhat specially concerneth him. So prithee of thy kindness.
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  Speaker 1: When he hath ended his undurn meal and his temper
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  Speaker 1: is at its best, speak for me and give me
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  Speaker 1: leave to approach him, so I may bespeak him of
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  Speaker 1: that which shall suit him. I hear and obey, answered
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  Speaker 1: the Black, and taking the food, carried it to the King,
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  Speaker 1: who ate thereof, and his temper was soothed thereby. Then
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  Speaker 1: said the Black to him, Shemus standeth at the door,
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  Speaker 1: and craveth admission, so he may acquaint THEE with matters
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  Speaker 1: that especially concern THEE. At this the King was alarmed
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  Speaker 1: and disquieted, and commanded to admit. The minister, and Shahrazad
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  Speaker 1: perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
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  Speaker 1: permitted say end of night nine hundred and seventeen Knight
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred and eighteen, when it was the nine hundred
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  Speaker 1: and eighteenth knight, she resumed it. Hath reached me, O
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  Speaker 1: auspicious King, that when the King bathe the Blackamoor admit Shemas,
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  Speaker 1: the slave went forth to him and bade him enter,
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  Speaker 1: whereupon he went in, and, falling prone before Allah, kiss
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  Speaker 1: the King's hands and blessed him. Then said the King,
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  Speaker 1: what hath betide thee, O Shemas, that thou seekest admission
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  Speaker 1: unto me? He answered this, long while have I not
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  Speaker 1: looked upon the face of my lord, the King, And
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  Speaker 1: indeed I longed sore for THEE. And now behold I
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  Speaker 1: have seen thy countenance, and come to THEE with a
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  Speaker 1: word which I would leef say to THEE, O King
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  Speaker 1: stablished in all prosperity, quoth the King say what seemeth
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  Speaker 1: good to THEE? And quoth she Mus, I would have
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  Speaker 1: THEE bear in mind, O King, that Allah Almighty hath
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  Speaker 1: endow THEE with learning and wisdom for all the tenderness
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  Speaker 1: of thy years, such as he never vouchsafed unto any
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  Speaker 1: of the kings before THEE, and hath fulfill the measure
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  Speaker 1: of his bounties to THEE with the kingship. And he
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  Speaker 1: loveth not that thou depart from that wherewith he hath
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  Speaker 1: endowed THEE unto other than it by means of thy
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  Speaker 1: disobedience to him. Wherefore it behooveth THEE not till evy
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  Speaker 1: war against him with thy hoards, but of his injunctions,
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  Speaker 1: to be mindful and unto his commandments obedient. Indeed, I
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  Speaker 1: have seen THEE this while past, forget thy sire and
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  Speaker 1: his charges, and reject his covenant, and neglect his counsel
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  Speaker 1: and words of wisdom, and renounce his justice and good governance,
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  Speaker 1: remembering not the bounty of Allah to THEE, nor requitting
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  Speaker 1: it with gratitude and thanks to him. The King asked,
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  Speaker 1: how so, and what is the manner of this? And
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  Speaker 1: Shemus answered, the manner of it is that thou neglectest
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  Speaker 1: to administer the affairs of the state and that which
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  Speaker 1: Allah hath committed unto THEE of the interests of thy lieges,
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  Speaker 1: and surrendereest thyself to thy lower nature in that which
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  Speaker 1: it maketh fair to THEE of the slight lusts of
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  Speaker 1: the world. Verily, it is said that the welfare of
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  Speaker 1: the state, and of the faith and of the folk
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  Speaker 1: is of the things which it behooveth the king to watch.
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  Speaker 1: Wherefore it is my read, o, King, that thou look
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  Speaker 1: fairly to the issue of thine affair. For thus wilt
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  Speaker 1: thou find the manifest road wherein is salvation, and not
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  Speaker 1: except a trifling pleasure and a transient which leadeth to
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  Speaker 1: the abyss of destruction. Lest there befall thee that which
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  Speaker 1: befell the fisherman. The King asked what was that? And
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  Speaker 1: Shemus answered, there hath reached me this tale of the
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  Speaker 1: foolish fisherman. A fisherman went forth to a river for
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  Speaker 1: fishing therein, as was his wont And when he came
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  Speaker 1: thither and walked upon the bridge, he saw a great fish,
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  Speaker 1: and said in himself, twill not serve me to abide here,
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  Speaker 1: but I will follow yonder fish whitherso it goeth till
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  Speaker 1: I catch it, for it will relieve me from fishing
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  Speaker 1: for days and days. So he did off his clothes
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  Speaker 1: and plunged into the river after the fish. The current
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  Speaker 1: bore him along till he overtook it. And laid hold
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  Speaker 1: of it. When he turned and found himself far from
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  Speaker 1: the bank. But albeit he saw what the stream had
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  Speaker 1: done with him, he would not loose the fish and return,
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  Speaker 1: but ventured life, and, gripping it fast with both hands,
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  Speaker 1: let his body float with the floe which carried him
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  Speaker 1: on till it cast him into a whirlpool none might
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  Speaker 1: enter and come out therefrom With this he fell to,
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  Speaker 1: crying out and saying, save a drowning man. And there
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  Speaker 1: came to him folk of the keepers of the river,
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  Speaker 1: and said to him, what ailed thee to cast thyself
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  Speaker 1: into this great peril? Quoth he? It was I myself
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  Speaker 1: who forsook the plain way wherein was salvation, and gave
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  Speaker 1: myself over to concupiscence and perdition. Quoth they, o, fellow,
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  Speaker 1: Why didst thou leave the way of safety and cast
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  Speaker 1: thyself into this destruction? Knowing from of old that none
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  Speaker 1: may enter herein and be saved? What hindered thee from
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  Speaker 1: throwing away what was in thy hand and saving thyself?
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  Speaker 1: So hadst thou escaped with thy life and not fallen
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  Speaker 1: into this perdition? Whence there is no deliverance, and now
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  Speaker 1: not one of us can rescue THEE from this thy ruin. Accordingly,
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  Speaker 1: the man off all his hopes of life and lost
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  Speaker 1: that which was in his hand, and for which his
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  Speaker 1: flesh had prompted him to venture himself, and died a
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  Speaker 1: miserable death. And I tell THEE not this parable, o king,
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  Speaker 1: added Shemus, but that thou mayst leave this contemptible conduct
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  Speaker 1: that diverteth THEE from thy duties, and look to that
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  Speaker 1: which is committed to THEE, of the rule of thy
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  Speaker 1: folk and the maintenance of the order of thy realm,
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  Speaker 1: so that none may see fault in thee. The king asked,
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  Speaker 1: what wouldst thou have me do? And Shemus answered, tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: an thou be well, and in good case, give the
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  Speaker 1: folk leave to come in to THEE and look into
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  Speaker 1: their affairs, and excuse thyself to them, and promise them
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  Speaker 1: of thine own accord, good governance, and prosperity. Quoth the King,
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  Speaker 1: O Shemus, thou hast spoken sensibly and rightly, and tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: in sha allah, I will do that which thou counselst me.
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  Speaker 1: So the Wazir went out from him and told the
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  Speaker 1: lieges all he had said to him, and When morning morrowed,
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  Speaker 1: the king came forth of his privacy and bade admit
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  Speaker 1: the people, to whom he excused himself, promising them that
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  Speaker 1: thenceforth he would deal with them as they wished, wherewith
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  Speaker 1: they were content, and departed each to his own dwelling.
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  Speaker 1: Then one of the king's wives, who was his best
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  Speaker 1: beloved of them and most in honor with him, visited him, and,
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  Speaker 1: seeing him changed of color and thoughtful over his affairs
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  Speaker 1: by reason of that which he had heard from his chief,
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  Speaker 1: Wazir said to him, O King, how is it that
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  Speaker 1: I see thee troubled in mind? Hast thou aught to
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  Speaker 1: complain of? Answered he no, but my pleasures have distracted
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  Speaker 1: me from my duties. What right have I to be
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  Speaker 1: thus negligent of my affairs in those of my subjects?
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  Speaker 1: If I continue on this wise, soon, very soon, the
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  Speaker 1: kingdom will pass out of my hand. She rejoined, I see,
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  Speaker 1: O King, that thou hast been duped by the Wazirs
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  Speaker 1: and ministers, who wish but to torment and entrap thee.
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  Speaker 1: So thou mayst have no joyance of this, Thy kingship,
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  Speaker 1: neither feel ease nor taste delight. Nay, they would have
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  Speaker 1: thee consumed thy life, in warding off trouble from them,
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  Speaker 1: till thy days be wasted in travail and weariness, and
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  Speaker 1: thou be as one who slayeth himself for the benefit
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  Speaker 1: of another, or like the boy in the thieves asked
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  Speaker 1: the king, how is that? And she answered, they tell
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  Speaker 1: the following tale. Anent the boy and the thieves. Seven
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  Speaker 1: thieves once went out to steal according to their custom,
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  Speaker 1: and fell in with the boy, poor and orphan to boot,
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  Speaker 1: who besought them for somewhat to eat. One of them
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  Speaker 1: asked him, wilt thou go with us, o boy, and
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  Speaker 1: we will feed thee, and give thee drink, clothe thee,
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  Speaker 1: and entreat thee kindly? And he answered, needs must I
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  Speaker 1: go with you Whitherso ye will, and ye are as
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  Speaker 1: my own kith and kin. So they took him and
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  Speaker 1: fared on with him till they came to a garden,
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  Speaker 1: and entering, went round about therein till they found a
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  Speaker 1: walnut tree laden with ripe fruit, and said to him,
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  Speaker 1: oh boy, wilt thou enter this garden with us? And
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  Speaker 1: swarm up this tree and eat of its walnuts thy sufficiency,
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  Speaker 1: and throw the rest down to us. He consented and
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  Speaker 1: entered with them, and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
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  Speaker 1: and ceased, saying her permitted say end of night, nine
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eighteen