Latest / Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09 / 020 - Night 927 - 928

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020 - Night 927 - 928 · Arabian Nights Tales from Volume 09

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty of the Book of the Thousand Knights in
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  Speaker 1: a Night, 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: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Andre Levy Andreleivy dot net, Lisbon, Portugal. The Book of
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  Speaker 1: the Thousand Nights in a Night, Volume nine by Anonymous,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Richard Francis Burton, Nights nine hundred and twenty seven.
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  Speaker 1: When it was the nine hundred and twenty seventh night,
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  Speaker 1: She said it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
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  Speaker 1: when the boy took the letter and read it, he
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  Speaker 1: forthright pulled out in case and paper and wrote his
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  Speaker 1: follows in the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the compassionate,
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  Speaker 1: Peace be upon him who hath gotten pardon and deliverance
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  Speaker 1: and the mercy of the merciful. But after O thou,
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  Speaker 1: who pretendest thyself a mighty king an art, but a
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  Speaker 1: king in word and not Indeed, we give thee to
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  Speaker 1: know that thy letter hath reached us, and we have
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  Speaker 1: read it and have taken note of that which is
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  Speaker 1: therein of absurdities and peregrine extravagances, whereby we are certified
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  Speaker 1: of thine ignorance and ill will to us. Verily, thou
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  Speaker 1: hast put out thy hand to that whereunto thou canst
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  Speaker 1: never reach. And but we have compassion on Allah's creatures
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  Speaker 1: and the lieges. We had not held back from THEE.
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  Speaker 1: As for thy messenger, he went forth to the market
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  Speaker 1: streets and published the news of thy letter to great
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  Speaker 1: and small, whereby he merited retaliation from us. But we
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  Speaker 1: spared him and remitted his offense of pity for him,
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  Speaker 1: seeing that he is excusable with THEE, and not for
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  Speaker 1: aught of respect to thyself. As for that warof thou
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  Speaker 1: mayst mention in thy letter of the slaying of my
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  Speaker 1: Wazirs and a Lemma and grandees, this is the truth,
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  Speaker 1: and this I did for a reason that arose with me,
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  Speaker 1: and I slew not one man of learning. But there
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  Speaker 1: are with me a thousand of his kind, wiser than he,
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  Speaker 1: and cleverer and wittier. Nor is there with me a child,
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  Speaker 1: but is filled with knowledge. And I have in the
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  Speaker 1: stead of each of the slain, of those who surpass
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  Speaker 1: in his kind, what is beyond count each man of
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  Speaker 1: my troops also can cope with an ord of thine.
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  Speaker 1: Whilst as for monies, I have a manufactory that maketh
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  Speaker 1: every day a thousand pounds of silver. Besides gold and
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  Speaker 1: precious stones are with me as pebbles. And as for
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  Speaker 1: the people of my possessions, I cannot set forth to
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  Speaker 1: THEE their goodliness and abundance of means. How dareest thou therefore,
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  Speaker 1: presume on us and say to us, build me a
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  Speaker 1: castle amidlemost the main. Verily, this is a marvelous thing,
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  Speaker 1: and doubtless it ariseth from the slightness of thy wit.
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  Speaker 1: For hadst thou aught of sense, thou hadst inquired of
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  Speaker 1: the beatings of the billows and the waftings of the winds.
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  Speaker 1: But wall it off from the waves and the surges
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  Speaker 1: of the sea, and still the winds, and we will
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  Speaker 1: build THEE the castle. Now as for thy pretension that
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  Speaker 1: thou wilt vanquish me, allah, forfend that such things should befall,
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  Speaker 1: and the like of THEE should lord it over us
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  Speaker 1: and conquer our realm. Nay, the Almighty hath given me
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  Speaker 1: the victory over THEE. For that thou hast transgressed against
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  Speaker 1: me and reveled without due cause. Know therefore that thou
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  Speaker 1: hast merited retribution from the Lord and from me. But
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  Speaker 1: I fear Allah in respect of THEE and thy thy subjects,
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  Speaker 1: and will not take horse against THEE except after warning. Wherefore,
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  Speaker 1: and thou also fear Allah, hasten to send me this
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  Speaker 1: year's tribute. Else will I not turn from my design
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  Speaker 1: to ride forth against THEE with a thousand, thousand and
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  Speaker 1: a hundred thousand fighting men, all furious giants on elephants,
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  Speaker 1: And I will range them round about my Wazir and
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  Speaker 1: bid him besiege THEE three years in lieu of the
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  Speaker 1: three days delay thou appointedest to thy messenger, and I
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  Speaker 1: will make myself master of thy dominion, except that I
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  Speaker 1: will slay none save thyself alone, and take captive therefrom
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  Speaker 1: none but thy Harim. Then the boy drew his own
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  Speaker 1: portrait in the margin of the letter and wrote thereunder
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  Speaker 1: the words this answer was written by the least of
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  Speaker 1: the boys of the school. After this he sealed it
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  Speaker 1: and handed it to the King, who gave it to
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  Speaker 1: the courier, and the man, after taking it and kissing
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  Speaker 1: the King's hand, went forth from him, thanking Allah and
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  Speaker 1: the sovereign for his royal clemency to him, and marveling
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  Speaker 1: at the boy's intelligence. He arrived at the court of
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  Speaker 1: the King his master, on the third day after the
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  Speaker 1: expiration of the term appointed to him, and found that
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  Speaker 1: he had called a meeting of his council by reason
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  Speaker 1: of the failure of the courier to return at the
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  Speaker 1: time appointed. So he went in to the king, and,
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  Speaker 1: prostrating himself before him, gave him the letter. The King
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  Speaker 1: took it and questioned him of the cause of his tarrying,
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  Speaker 1: and how it was with King weird Kan. So he
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  Speaker 1: told him all he had seen with his own eyes
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  Speaker 1: and heard with his own ears, whereat the King's wit
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  Speaker 1: was confounded, and he said, out on thee, what tale
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  Speaker 1: is this? Thou tellest me of the like of this?
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  Speaker 1: King answered the courier, O, Mighty Monarch, here am i
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  Speaker 1: in thy presence. But open the letter and read it,
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  Speaker 1: and the truth of my speech will be manifest to thee.
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  Speaker 1: So the king opened the letter and read it, and,
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  Speaker 1: seeing the semblance of the boy who had written it,
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  Speaker 1: made sure of the loss of his kingdom, and was perplexed,
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  Speaker 1: and at the end of his affair. Then, turning to
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  Speaker 1: his wazirs and grandees, he acquainted them with what had
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  Speaker 1: occurred and read to them the letter whereat they were
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  Speaker 1: affrighted with the sorest affright and sought to soothe the
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  Speaker 1: king's terror with words that were only from the tongue,
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  Speaker 1: whilst their hearts were torn piecemeal with palpitations of alarm.
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  Speaker 1: But Badhia, the chief Wazir, presently said, know, O King,
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  Speaker 1: that there is no prophet in that which my brother
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  Speaker 1: wazirs have proffered. And it is my read that thou
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  Speaker 1: write this king a writ and excuse thyself to him
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  Speaker 1: therein saying, I love THEE and love thy father before THEE,
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  Speaker 1: and sent THEE not this letter by the courier, except
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  Speaker 1: only to prove THEE and try thy constancy, and see
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  Speaker 1: what was in THEE a valiance and thy proficiency in
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  Speaker 1: matters of practic and theoric and skill in enigmas, and
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  Speaker 1: that wherewith thou art endowed of all perfections. So we
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  Speaker 1: pray Almighty Allah to bless THEE in thy kingdom, and
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  Speaker 1: strengthen the defenses of thy capital, and add to thy dominion.
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  Speaker 1: Since thou art mindful of thyself and managest to accomplish
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  Speaker 1: every need of thy subjects, and send it to him
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  Speaker 1: by another courier, exclaimed the King, by Allah of all
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  Speaker 1: might tis a marvel of marvels, that this man should
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  Speaker 1: be a mighty king and ready for war after his
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  Speaker 1: slaughter of all the wise men of his kingdom, and
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  Speaker 1: his counselors and the captains of his host, and that
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  Speaker 1: his realm should be populous and prosper after this, and
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  Speaker 1: there should issue therefrom this prodigious power. But the marvelousist
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  Speaker 1: of all is that the little ones of its schools
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  Speaker 1: should return the like of this answer for its king. Verily,
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  Speaker 1: of the vileness of my greed, I have kindled this
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  Speaker 1: fire upon myself and lieges, and I know not how
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  Speaker 1: I shall quench it, save by taking the advice of
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  Speaker 1: this my Wazir. Accordingly, he got ready a costly present
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  Speaker 1: with eunuchs and slaves manifold, and wrote the following reply
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  Speaker 1: in the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the compassionate, to proceed,
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  Speaker 1: O glorious King, Weird Khan, son of my dear brother Jaliad.
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  Speaker 1: May the Lord have mercy on thee and continue thee
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  Speaker 1: Thine answer to our letter hath reached us, and we
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  Speaker 1: have read it and apprehended its contents, and see therein
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  Speaker 1: that which gladdeneth us. And this is the utmost of
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  Speaker 1: that which we sought of Allah for THEE. So we
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  Speaker 1: beseech him to exalt thy dignity and establish the pillars
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  Speaker 1: of thy state, and give THEE the victory over thy
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  Speaker 1: foes and those who propose THEE frowardness. Know, O King,
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  Speaker 1: that thy father was my brother, and that there were
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  Speaker 1: between us in his lifetime pacts and covenants, and never
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  Speaker 1: saw he from me aught save weal, nor ever saw
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  Speaker 1: I from him other than good. And when he deceased
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  Speaker 1: and Thou tookst seat upon the throne of his kingship,
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  Speaker 1: there betided us the utmost joy and gladness. But when
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  Speaker 1: the news reached us of that which Thou didst with
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  Speaker 1: thy wazirs and the notables of thy state, we feared
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  Speaker 1: lest the report of THEE should come to the ears
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  Speaker 1: of some king other than ourselves, and we should presume
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  Speaker 1: against THEE, for that we deemed THEE negligent of thine
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  Speaker 1: affairs and of the maintenance of thy defenses, and neglectful
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  Speaker 1: of the interests of thy kingdom. So we let write
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  Speaker 1: unto THEE what should arouse thy spirit. But when we
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  Speaker 1: saw that thou return'dst us the like of this reply,
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  Speaker 1: our heart was set at ease for THEE. May Allo
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  Speaker 1: I give THEE enjoyment of thy kingdom and established THEE
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  Speaker 1: in thy dignity, and so peace be with THEE. Then
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  Speaker 1: he despatched the letter and the presence to Weird Khan
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  Speaker 1: with an escort of a hundred horse, 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 twenty seven knight
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  Speaker 1: nine hundred twenty eight. When it was the nine hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twenty eighth night, she continued it. Hath reached me
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  Speaker 1: o auspicious King that the Monarch of Outer Hind, after
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  Speaker 1: making ready his presence, despatched them to King Weird Khan
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  Speaker 1: with an escort of a hundred horse, who fared on
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  Speaker 1: till they came to his court, and, saluting him, presented
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  Speaker 1: letter and gifts. The king read the writ and lodged
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  Speaker 1: the leader of the escort in a befitting place, entreating
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  Speaker 1: him with honor and accepting the presence he presented. So
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  Speaker 1: the news of this was bruited abroad among the folk,
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  Speaker 1: and the King rejoiced therein with joy exceeding. Then he
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  Speaker 1: sent for the boy, the son of Simus, and the
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  Speaker 1: captain of the hundred horse, and, entreating the young Wazir
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  Speaker 1: with honor, gave him the letter to read, whilst he
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  Speaker 1: himself blamed the king's conduct to the captain, who kissed
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  Speaker 1: his hands and made his excuses to him, offering up
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  Speaker 1: prayers for the continuance of his life and the permanence
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  Speaker 1: of his prosperity. The King thanked him for this, and
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  Speaker 1: bestowed upon him honors and largesse, and gave to all
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  Speaker 1: his men what befitted them, and made ready presents to
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  Speaker 1: send by them, and bade the boy Wazir indict an
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  Speaker 1: answer to their king's letter. So the boy wrote a reply,
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  Speaker 1: wherein after an address beautiful exceedingly, he touched briefly on
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  Speaker 1: the question of reconciliation, and praised the good breeding of
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  Speaker 1: the envoy and of his mounted men, and showed it,
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  Speaker 1: when duly finished, to the King, who said to him,
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  Speaker 1: read it, O, thou, dear boy, that we may know
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  Speaker 1: what is written therein. So the boy read the letter
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  Speaker 1: in the presence of the hundred Horse, and the King
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  Speaker 1: and all present marveled at its ordinance of style and sense.
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  Speaker 1: Then the King sealed the letter, and, delivering it to
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  Speaker 1: the captain of the hundred Horse, dismissed him with some
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  Speaker 1: of his own troops to escort him as far as
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  Speaker 1: the frontier of his country. The captain returned, confounded in
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  Speaker 1: mind at that which he had seen of the boy's knowledge,
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  Speaker 1: and thanking Allah for the speedy accomplishment of his errand
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  Speaker 1: and the acceptance of peace to the King of Outer Hind. Then,
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  Speaker 1: going in to the presence, he delivered the presence and
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  Speaker 1: handed to him the letter, telling him what he had
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  Speaker 1: seen and heard. Whereat the King rejoiced with joy exceeding
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  Speaker 1: and rendered lauds to his Lord, the most High and
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  Speaker 1: honor the captain, commending his care and zeal and advancing
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  Speaker 1: him in rank. And from that hour he woned in
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  Speaker 1: peace and tranquility in all happiness. As for King weird Kan,
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  Speaker 1: he returned to the paths of righteousness, abandoning his evil
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  Speaker 1: ways and repenting to Allah with sincere penitence. And he
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  Speaker 1: gave up womanizing altogether and applied himself wholly to the
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  Speaker 1: ordering of the affairs of his realm and the governance
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  Speaker 1: of his people in the fear of Allah. Furthermore, he
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  Speaker 1: made the son of Simus Wazir in his father's stead,
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  Speaker 1: and the chief after himself in his realm, and keeper
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  Speaker 1: of the secrets, and bade decorate his capital for seven days,
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  Speaker 1: and likewise the other cities of his kingdom. At this
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  Speaker 1: the subjects rejoiced, and fear and alarm ceased from them,
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  Speaker 1: and they were glad in the prospect of justice and equity,
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  Speaker 1: an instant in prayer for the King and for the minister,
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  Speaker 1: who from him and them had done away this trouble.
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  Speaker 1: Then said the King to the Wazir, what is thy
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  Speaker 1: read for the assuring of the state and the prospering
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  Speaker 1: of the people, and the return of the realm to
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  Speaker 1: its aforetime state as regards captains and counselors, answered the
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  Speaker 1: boy O, King of high Estate. In my judgment, it
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  Speaker 1: behooveth before all that thou begin by rending out from
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  Speaker 1: thy heart the root of wickedness, and leave thy debauchery
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  Speaker 1: and tyranny and addiction to women. For an thou return
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  Speaker 1: to the root of transgression the second backsliding will be
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  Speaker 1: worse than the first. The king asked, and what is
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  Speaker 1: the root of sinfulness that it behooveth me to root
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  Speaker 1: out for my heart? And was answered by the Wazir,
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  Speaker 1: little of years, but great of wit, O King, the
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  Speaker 1: root of wickedness is subjection to the desire of women,
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  Speaker 1: and inclining to them, and following their counsel and contrivance.
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  Speaker 1: For the love of them changeth the soundest wit, and
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  Speaker 1: corrupteth the most upright nature and manifest proofs. Bear witness
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  Speaker 1: to my saying, wherein an thou meditate them and follow
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  Speaker 1: their actions and consequences with eyes intent, thou wilt find
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  Speaker 1: a loyal counselor against thy own soul, and wilt stand
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  Speaker 1: in no need whatever of my reed. Look, then, thou
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  Speaker 1: occupy not thy heart with the thought of womankind, and
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  Speaker 1: do away the trace of them from thy mind. For
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  Speaker 1: that Allah, the most High hath forbidden excessive use of
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  Speaker 1: them by the mouth of his prophet Moses. So that
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  Speaker 1: quoth a certain wise king to his son, O, my son,
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  Speaker 1: when thou succeedest to the kingdom after me, frequent not
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  Speaker 1: women over much, lest thy heart be let astray, and
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  Speaker 1: thy judgment be corrupted, for that overmuch commerce with them
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  Speaker 1: leadeth to love of them, and love of them to
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  Speaker 1: corruption of judgment. And the proof of this is what
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  Speaker 1: befell our Lord, Solomon, son of David. Peace be upon
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  Speaker 1: the twain of them, whom Allah specially endowed with knowledge
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  Speaker 1: and wisdom and supreme dominion, nor vouchsafety to any one
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  Speaker 1: of the kings his predecessors the like of that which
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  Speaker 1: he gave him, and women were the cause of his
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  Speaker 1: father's offending. The examples of this are many, O King,
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  Speaker 1: And I do but make mention of Solomon to thee,
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  Speaker 1: for that thou knowest that to none was given such
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  Speaker 1: dominion as that with which he was invested, so that
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  Speaker 1: all the kings of the earth obeyed him. Know then,
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  Speaker 1: O King, that the love of women is the root
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  Speaker 1: of all evil, and none of them hath any judgment.
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  Speaker 1: Wherefore it behooveth a man use them according to his need,
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  Speaker 1: and not inclined to them with utter inclination, for that
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  Speaker 1: will cast him into corruption and perdition. And thou hearken
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  Speaker 1: to my words, all thine affairs will prosper. But an
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  Speaker 1: thou neglect them, thou wilt repent. When it repentance will
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  Speaker 1: not profit. THEE answered the King verily, I have left
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  Speaker 1: my willem in inclination to women. And Shahrazad perceived the
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  Speaker 1: dawn of day and ceased, saying her permitted say end
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  Speaker 1: of night, nine hundred and twenty eight. Recording by Andre
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  Speaker 1: Levy Andre Leive dot Nete, Lisbon, Portugal,