Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 037 - Night 961 - 962

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037 - Night 961 - 962 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty seven of the Book of the Thousand Knights
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  Speaker 1: and the Night Volume nine. This is LibriVox recording. All
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings and in the public domain. For more information
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  Speaker 1: or the volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The Book
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  Speaker 1: of the Thousand Knights and the Night Volume nine by Anonymous,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burton, nine nine hundred and sixty one.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and sixty first night
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  Speaker 1: she pursued it, hath reached me, O auspicious king, that
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  Speaker 1: Abuha's son, the Khorasani, thus pursued his tale. So I
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  Speaker 1: said to the jeweler, give her the necklace and set
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  Speaker 1: down the prize to me. Then she took it and
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  Speaker 1: went away. But I followed her till she came to
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  Speaker 1: the Tigris and boarded a boat there, whereupon I signed
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  Speaker 1: with my hand to the ground, as who would say,
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  Speaker 1: I kiss it before the She went off laughing, and
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  Speaker 1: I stood watching her till I saw her land and
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  Speaker 1: enter a palace, which, when I considered, I knew it
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  Speaker 1: for the palace of the Caliph Al Mutawakil. So I
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  Speaker 1: turned back, O Commander of the Faithful, with all the
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  Speaker 1: cares in the world fallen on my heart, for she
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  Speaker 1: had of me three thousand denials. And I said to myself,
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  Speaker 1: she hath taken my wealth and ravished my wait, and peradventure,
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  Speaker 1: I shall lose my life for her love. Then I
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  Speaker 1: returned home and told my mother all that had befallen me,
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  Speaker 1: and she said, O, my son, beware how thou have
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  Speaker 1: to do with her? After this hire thou art lost.
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  Speaker 1: When I went to my shop, my factor in the
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  Speaker 1: drug market, who was a very old man, came to
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  Speaker 1: me and said, O, my lord, how is it that
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  Speaker 1: I see THEE changed in case and showing marks of chagrin?
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  Speaker 1: Tell me what aileth thee? So I told him all
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  Speaker 1: that had befollowed me with her, and he said, O,
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  Speaker 1: my son, this is indeed one of the handmaidens of
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  Speaker 1: the palace of the Commander of the Faithful, and haply
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  Speaker 1: she is the Caliph's favorite concubine. So do thou reckon
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  Speaker 1: the money as spent for the sake of Almighty Allah.
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  Speaker 1: And occupied thyself no more with her? And she come again,
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  Speaker 1: beware lest she have to do with THEE. And tell
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  Speaker 1: me of this that I may devise THEE some device,
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  Speaker 1: lest perdition betide THEE. Then he fared forth and left
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  Speaker 1: me with a flame of fire in my heart. At
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  Speaker 1: the end of the month, behold she came again, and
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  Speaker 1: I rejoiced in her with exceeding joy. Quoth she what
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  Speaker 1: ailed THEE to follow me? And quoth I excess of
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  Speaker 1: passion that is in my heart urged me to these
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  Speaker 1: and I wept before her. She wept for ruth of me,
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  Speaker 1: and said, by Allah, there is not in thy heart
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  Speaker 1: ought of love longing, But in my heart is more.
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  Speaker 1: Yet how shall I do? By Allah? I have no
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  Speaker 1: resource save to see THEE thus once a month. Then
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  Speaker 1: she gave me a bill, saying, carry this to such
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  Speaker 1: an one of such a trade who is my agent,
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  Speaker 1: and take off him what is named therein. But I replied,
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  Speaker 1: I have no need of money. Be my wealth and
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  Speaker 1: my life thy sacrifice, quoth she, I will rite soon
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  Speaker 1: contrive THEE a means of access to me, whatever trouble
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  Speaker 1: it cost me. Then she farewelled me and fared forth,
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  Speaker 1: whilst I repaired to the old druggist and told him
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  Speaker 1: what had passed. He went with me to the palace
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  Speaker 1: of al mutawakil, which I knew for that which the
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  Speaker 1: damsel had entered. But the Sheikh was at last for
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  Speaker 1: a device. Presently he spied a tailor sitting with his
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  Speaker 1: apprentices at work in his shop, opposite the lattice giving
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  Speaker 1: upon the river bank, and said to me, yonder is
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  Speaker 1: one by whom thou shalt win thy wish. But first
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  Speaker 1: tare thy pocket and go to him and bid him
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  Speaker 1: sue it up. When he hath done this, give him
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  Speaker 1: ten diners. I hear and obey, answered I, and taking
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  Speaker 1: with me two pieces of Greek brocade, went to the
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  Speaker 1: tailor and bade him make of them four suits, two
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  Speaker 1: with longs leaved coats, and two without. When he had
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  Speaker 1: finished cutting them out and sawing them, I gave him
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  Speaker 1: to his hire much more than of want. And he
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  Speaker 1: put out his hand to me with the clothes. But
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  Speaker 1: I said, take them to thyself and for those who
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  Speaker 1: are with thee. And I fell to sitting with him,
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  Speaker 1: and sitting long. I also bespoke of him other clothes,
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  Speaker 1: and said to him hang them out in front of
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  Speaker 1: thy shop, so the folk may see them and buy them.
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  Speaker 1: He did as I bade him, And whoso came forth
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  Speaker 1: of the Caliph's palace and aught to the close pleased him.
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  Speaker 1: I made him a present thereof even to the doorkeeper
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  Speaker 1: one day of the day is the tailor said to me, O,
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  Speaker 1: my son, I would have THEE tell me the truth
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  Speaker 1: of thy case. For thou hast bespoken of me a
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  Speaker 1: hundred costly suits, each worth a mint of money, and
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  Speaker 1: hast given most of them to the folk. This is
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  Speaker 1: no merchant's fashion. For a merchant calleth an account of
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  Speaker 1: every deer man, and what can be the sum of
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  Speaker 1: thy capital that thou givest these gifts, and what thy
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  Speaker 1: gain every year? Tell me the truth of thy case,
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  Speaker 1: that I may assist THEE to thy desire presently, adding,
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  Speaker 1: I conjure thee by Allah tell me. Add thou not
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  Speaker 1: in love, yes, replied I. And he said, with whom
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  Speaker 1: quoth I? With one of the handmaids of the Caliph's palace,
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  Speaker 1: quoth he? Allah? Put them to shame? How long shall
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  Speaker 1: they seduce the folk? Knowest thou her name? Said I no,
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  Speaker 1: and said he describe her to me. So I described
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  Speaker 1: her to him, and he cried out on it. This
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  Speaker 1: is the lutest of the caliph Al Mutawakil and his
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  Speaker 1: pet concubine. But she hath a mameluke, And do thou
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  Speaker 1: make friends with him, it may be he shall become
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  Speaker 1: the means of thy having access to her. Now, as
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  Speaker 1: we were talking, behold outwalked the servant in question from
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  Speaker 1: the palace, as he were a moon on the fourteenth night,
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  Speaker 1: and seeing that I had before me the clothes which
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  Speaker 1: the tailor had made me, and they were of brocade
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  Speaker 1: of all colors, he begun to look at them and
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  Speaker 1: examine them. Then he came up to me, and I
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  Speaker 1: rose and saluted him. He asked who art thou, and
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  Speaker 1: I answered, I am a man of the merchant. Quoth
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  Speaker 1: he wilt thou sell these clothes? And quoth I? Yes?
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  Speaker 1: So he chose out five of them and said to
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  Speaker 1: me how much these five? Said I, They are a
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  Speaker 1: present to THEE from me in earnest of friendship between
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  Speaker 1: me and THEE. At these he rejoiced, And I went home, and,
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  Speaker 1: fetching a suit embroidered with jewels and jacinths worth three
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  Speaker 1: thousand dinars, returned therewith and gave it to him. He
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  Speaker 1: accepted it, and carrying me into a room within the palace,
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  Speaker 1: said to me, what is thy name among the merchants?
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  Speaker 1: Said I, I am a man of them. He continued, verily,
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  Speaker 1: I misdoubt me of thine affair. I asked why so?
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  Speaker 1: And he answered, because thou hast bestowed on me a
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  Speaker 1: costly gift and won my heart therewith, and I make
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  Speaker 1: certain that thou art Abu al Hassan of Khorazan the Shroff.
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  Speaker 1: With these I fell a weeping o prince of true believers.
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  Speaker 1: And he said to me, why does thou weep? By Allah?
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  Speaker 1: She for whom thou weepest is yet more longingly in
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  Speaker 1: love with THEE than thou with her, And indeed her
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  Speaker 1: case with THEE is notorious among all palace women. But
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  Speaker 1: what wouldst thou have? Quoth I? I would have THEE
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  Speaker 1: succor me in my calamity. So he appointed me for
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  Speaker 1: the morrow, and I returned home. As soon as I
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  Speaker 1: rose next morning. I betook myself to him and waited
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  Speaker 1: in his chamber till he came in and said to
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  Speaker 1: me know that yester night, when after having made an
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  Speaker 1: end of her service by the Caliph, she returned to
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  Speaker 1: her apartment, I related to her all that had passed
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  Speaker 1: between me and thee, and she is minded to foregather
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  Speaker 1: with thee. So stay with me till the end of
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  Speaker 1: the day. Accordingly, I stayed with him till dark, when
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  Speaker 1: the Mameluke brought me a shirt of gold in woven
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  Speaker 1: stuff and a suit of the caliph's apparel and clothing
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  Speaker 1: me therein incensed me, and I became like the commander
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  Speaker 1: of the fate. Then he brought me to a gallery
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  Speaker 1: with rows of rooms on either side, and said to me,
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  Speaker 1: these are the lodgings of the chief of the slave girls.
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  Speaker 1: And when thou passest along the gallery, do thou lay
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  Speaker 1: at each door a being, for tis the custom of
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  Speaker 1: the caliph to do this every night. And Shahrazad perceived
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  Speaker 1: the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
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  Speaker 1: say end of night nine hundred and sixty one night
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred and sixty two. When it was the nine
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  Speaker 1: hundred and sixty second night, she resumed it. Hath reached
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  Speaker 1: me o auspicious king, that the Mameluke said to Abu Hassan,
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  Speaker 1: when thou passest along the gallery, set down at each
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  Speaker 1: door a bin, for tis the custom of the caliph.
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  Speaker 1: So to do till thou come to the second passage
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  Speaker 1: on thy right hand, when thou wilt see a door
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  Speaker 1: with a marble threshold, touch it with thy hand, Or
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  Speaker 1: and thou wilt count the doors which are so many,
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  Speaker 1: and enter the one whose marks are thus. And thus
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  Speaker 1: there thy mistress will see THEE and take THEE in
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  Speaker 1: with her, as for thy coming forth. Verily, Allah will
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  Speaker 1: make it easy for me, though I carry THEE out
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  Speaker 1: in a chest. Then he left me and returned whilst
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  Speaker 1: I went on counting the doors and laying at each
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  Speaker 1: a bean. When I had reached the middle of the gallery,
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  Speaker 1: I heard a great clutter and saw the light of
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  Speaker 1: flambeaux coming towards me. As the light draw near me,
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  Speaker 1: I looked at it, and behold the Caliph himself came
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  Speaker 1: surrounded by the slave girls carrying walks and lights. And
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  Speaker 1: I heard one of the women say to another, O,
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  Speaker 1: my sister, have we two caliphs? Verily, the Caliph whose
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  Speaker 1: perfumes and essences I smelt, hath already passed by my room,
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  Speaker 1: and he hath laid the bean at my door as
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  Speaker 1: his wont And now I see the light of his flambeaux,
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  Speaker 1: and here he comes with them, replied the other. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: this is a wondrous thing for disguise himself in the
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  Speaker 1: Caliph's habit, none would dare. Then the light drew near me,
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  Speaker 1: whilst I trembled in every limb, and up came an eunuch,
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  Speaker 1: crying out to the concubines and saying hither. Whereupon they
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  Speaker 1: turned aside to one of the chambers and entered. Then
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  Speaker 1: they came out again and walked on till they came
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  Speaker 1: to the chamber of my mistress. And I heard the
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  Speaker 1: Caliph say, whose chamber is this? They answered, this is
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  Speaker 1: the chamber of shajerat al Ur, And he said, call her.
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  Speaker 1: So they called her, and she came out and kissed
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  Speaker 1: the feet of the Caliph, who said to her, wilt
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  Speaker 1: thou drink to night? Quoth she, but for thy presence
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  Speaker 1: and the looking on thine auspicious countenance, I would not drink,
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  Speaker 1: for I incline not to wine this night. Then quoth
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  Speaker 1: the commander of the faithful to the eunuch. Bid the
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  Speaker 1: treasurer give her such necklace, And he commanded to enter
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  Speaker 1: her chamber. So the waxen lights entered before him, and
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  Speaker 1: he followed them into the apartment, and at the same
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  Speaker 1: moment behold there came up a damsel, the last of
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  Speaker 1: whose face outshone that of the flambeaux in her hand,
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  Speaker 1: and drawing near, she said, who is this? Then she
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  Speaker 1: laid hold of me, and, carrying me into one of
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  Speaker 1: the chambers, said to me, who art thou. I kissed
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  Speaker 1: the ground before her, saying, I implore thee, by Allah,
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  Speaker 1: my lady, spare my blood and have ruth on me,
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  Speaker 1: and commend thyself unto Allah by saving my life. And
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  Speaker 1: I wept for fear of death. Quoth she doubtless, thou
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  Speaker 1: art a crobber, And quoth I, no, by Allah, I
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  Speaker 1: am no robber. Seest thou on me the signs of thieves,
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  Speaker 1: said she tell me the truth of thy case, and
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  Speaker 1: I will put THEE in safety. So I said, I
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  Speaker 1: am a silly lover and an ignorant, whom passion and
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  Speaker 1: my folly have moved to do as thou seest, so
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  Speaker 1: that I am falling into this law of despond The
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  Speaker 1: rat cried, she abide here till I come back to thee,
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  Speaker 1: And going forth, she presently returned with some of her
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  Speaker 1: handmaid's clothes wherein she clad me and bade me follow her.
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  Speaker 1: So I followed her till she came to her apartment
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  Speaker 1: and commanded me to enter. I went in, and she
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  Speaker 1: led me to a couch, whereon was a mighty fine carpet,
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  Speaker 1: and said, sit down here. No harm shall befal thee.
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  Speaker 1: Har thou not abo al hassan Ali the Khorasani the shroff.
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  Speaker 1: I answered yes, and she rejoined, Allah spare thy blood,
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  Speaker 1: given thou speak truth. An thou be a robber, thou
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  Speaker 1: art lost more by token than thou art dressed in
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  Speaker 1: the Caliph's habit and incensed with his sense. But an
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  Speaker 1: thou be indeed abe al hassan, thou art safe, and
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  Speaker 1: no hurt shall happen to THEE. For that thou art
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  Speaker 1: a friend of Shahjharat al Dur, who is my sister,
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  Speaker 1: and seaseth never to name THEE and tell us how
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  Speaker 1: she took of thee money. Yet was thou not chagrined,
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  Speaker 1: And how thou didst follow her to the river bank?
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  Speaker 1: And madest sign as thou would kiss thee earth in
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  Speaker 1: her honor? And her heart is yet more aflame for
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  Speaker 1: THEE than is thine for her. But how camest thou
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  Speaker 1: hither was it by her order or without it? She
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  Speaker 1: hath indeed imperied thy life. But what seekest thou in
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  Speaker 1: this assignation with her? I replied, by Allah, my lady
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  Speaker 1: tis I who have imperied my own life, and my
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  Speaker 1: aim in fore gathering with her is but to look
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  Speaker 1: on her and hear her pretty speech. She said, Thou
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  Speaker 1: hast spoken well. And I added, O, my lady Allah
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  Speaker 1: is my witness when I declare that my soul prompteth
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  Speaker 1: me to no offense against her honor, cried she. In
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  Speaker 1: this intent, may Allada leave thee. Indeed, compassion for thee
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  Speaker 1: hath got, and hold upon my heart. Then she called
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  Speaker 1: her handmaid and said to her, go to Shaharat Alur
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  Speaker 1: and say to her, thy sister, saluteth thee, and biddest
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  Speaker 1: thee to her. So favor her by coming to her
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  Speaker 1: this night according to thy custom, for her breast is straightened.
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  Speaker 1: The slave girl went out, and presently returned told her
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  Speaker 1: mistress that Shaharat Aldur said, may Allah bless me with
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  Speaker 1: thy long life and make me thy ransom. By Allah,
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  Speaker 1: hadst thou bidden me to other than this? I had
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  Speaker 1: not hesitated. But the caliph my grain constraineth me, and
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  Speaker 1: thou knowest my rank with him. But the other said
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  Speaker 1: to her themsel return to her, and say, needst must
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  Speaker 1: thou come to my mistress upon a private matter between
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  Speaker 1: thee and her. So the girl went out again and
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  Speaker 1: presently returned with the damsel, whose face shone like the
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  Speaker 1: full moon. Her sister met her and embraced her. Then
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  Speaker 1: said she ho abu al Hasan, come forth to her
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  Speaker 1: and kiss her hands. Now I was in a closet
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  Speaker 1: within the apartment. So I walked out, a commander of
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  Speaker 1: the faithful, And when my mistress saw me, she threw
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  Speaker 1: herself upon me and strained me to her bosom, saying,
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  Speaker 1: how comest thou in the Caliph's clothes and his ornaments
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  Speaker 1: and perfumes. Tell me what hath befallen thee. So I
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  Speaker 1: related to her all that had befallen me, and what
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  Speaker 1: I had suffered for affright and so forth. And she said,
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  Speaker 1: grievous to me is what thou hast endured for my sake,
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  Speaker 1: and praised be Allah, who hath caused the issue to
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  Speaker 1: be safety, And the fulfillment of safety is in thy
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  Speaker 1: entering my lodging and that of my sister. Then she
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  Speaker 1: carried me to her own apartment, saying to her sister,
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  Speaker 1: I have covenant with him that I will not be
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  Speaker 1: united to him unlawfully. But as he hath risked himself
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  Speaker 1: and incurred these perils, I will be earth for his
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  Speaker 1: treading and dust to his sandals. And Shahrazad perceived the
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  Speaker 1: dawn of day and ceased, saying her permitted end of night,
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred and sixty two