登陆注册
3553600000123

第123章

By my life and by Him who made men of you * And the spy tell aught I complain of you He lies,by Allah,in foulest way!

May the Lord my sickness never dispel,* Nor ever my heart of its pains be well;What day I regret that in love I fell * Or laud any land but wherein ye dwell:

Wring my heart and ye will or make glad and gay!

I have vitals shall ever be true to you * Though racked by the rigours not new to you Ere this wrong and this right I but sue to you: * Do what you will to thrall who to you Shall ne'er grudge his life at your feet to lay.'

When Nur al-Din ceased to sing,the Princess Miriam marvelled at his song and thanked him therefor,saying,'Whoso's case is thus it behoveth him to walk the ways of men and never do the deed of curs and cowards.'Now she was stout of heart and cunning in the sailing of ships over the salt sea,and she knew all the winds and their shiftings and every course of the main.So Nur al-Din said,'O my lady,hadst thou prolonged this case on me,[538] I had surely died for stress of affright and chagrin,more by token of the fire of passion and love-longing and the cruel pangs of separation.'She laughed at his speech and rising without stay or delay brought out somewhat of food and liquor;and they ate and drank and enjoyed themselves and made merry.Then she drew forth rubies and other gems and precious stones and costly trinkets of gold and silver and all manner things of price,light of weight and weighty of worth,which she had taken from the palace of her sire and his treasuries,and displayed them to Nur al-Din,who rejoiced therein with joy exceeding.All this while the wind blew fair for them and merrily sailed the ship nor ceased sailing till they drew near the city of Alexandria and sighted its landmarks;old and new,and Pompey's Pillar.When they made the port,Nur al-Din landed forthright and securing the ship to one of the Fulling-Stones,[539] took somewhat of the treasures that Miriam had brought with her,and said to her,'O my lady,tarry in the ship,against I return and carry thee up into the city in such way as I should wish and will.'Quoth she,'It behoveth that this be done quickly,for tardiness in affairs engendereth repentance.'Quoth he,'There is no tardiness in me;'and;leaving her in the ship,went up into the city to the house of the druggist his father's old fried,to borrow of his wife for Miriam veil and mantilla,and walking boots and petticoat-trousers after the usage of the women of Alexandria;unknowing that there was appointed to betide him of the shifts of Time,the Father of Wonders,that which was far beyond his reckoning.Thus it befel Nur al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-girl;

but as regards her sire the King of France,when he arose in the morning,he missed his daughter and questioned her women and her eunuchs of her.Answered they,'O our lord,she went out last night,to go to Church and after that we have no tidings of her.'

But,as the King talked with them,behold,there arose so great a clamour of cries below the palace,that the place rang thereto;and he said,'What may be the news?'The folk replied,'O King;we have found ten men slain on the sea-shore,and the royal yacht is missing.Moreover we saw the postern of the Church,which giveth upon the tunnel leading to the sea,wide open;and the Moslem prisoner,who served in the Church,is missing.'Quoth the King,'An my ship be lost,without doubt or dispute.'--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night; She pursued,It hath reached me,O auspicious King,that when the King of France missed his daughter they brought him tidings of her,saying,'Thy yacht is lost';and he replied,'An the craft be lost,without dispute or doubt my daughter is in it.'So he summoned without stay or delay the Captain of the Port and cried out at him,saying,'By the virtue[540] of the Messiah and the Faith which is no liar,except thou and thy fighting men overtake my ship forthright and bring it back to me,with those who are therein,I will do thee die the foulest of deaths and make a terrible example of thee!'Thereupon the captain went out from before him,trembling,and betook himself to the ancient dame of the Church,to whom said he,'Heardest thou aught from the captive,that was with thee,anent his native land and what countryman he was?'And she answered,'He used to say,I come from the town of Alexandria.'When the captain heard the old woman's words he returned forthright to the port and cried out to the sailors,'Make ready and set sail.'So they did his bidding and straightway putting out to sea,fared night and day till they sighted the city of Alexandria at the very time when Nur al-Din landed,leaving the Princess in the ship.They soon espied the royal yacht and knew her;so they moored their own vessel at a distance therefrom and putting off in a little frigate they had with them,which drew but two cubits of water and in which were an hundred fighting-men,amongst them the one-eyed Wazir (for that he was a stubborn tyrant and a froward devil and a wily thief,none could avail against his craft,as he were Abu Mohammed al-Battal[541]),they ceased not rowing till they reached the bark and boarding her,all at once,found none therein save the Princess Miriam.So they took her and the ship;and returning to their own vessel,after they had landed and waited a long while,[542] set sail forthright for the land of the Franks,having accomplished their errand,without a fight or even drawing sword.The wind blew fair for them and they sailed on,without ceasing and with all diligence,till they reached the city of France and landing with the Princess Miriam carried her to her father,who received her,seated on the throne of his Kingship.As soon as he saw her,he said to her,'Woe to thee,O

同类推荐
  • 释门正统

    释门正统

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 分别业报略经

    分别业报略经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 无门关

    无门关

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 宝觉祖心禅师语录

    宝觉祖心禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上说朝天谢雷真经

    太上说朝天谢雷真经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 农民工维权法律读本

    农民工维权法律读本

    采用问答的形式,共分为三大篇目,即答疑解惑、农民工维权案例和相关法律法规。内容丰富、实用,可操作性强,紧贴当前社会现实,是集新颖性、实用性、全面性于一体的法律手册,是农民工兄弟的良师益友,体现强烈的时代感和参考价值。
  • 中小企业财税一本通

    中小企业财税一本通

    本书全程展示了从原始单据到报表的所有操作流程,详细解读了两大核心报表的填报与处理技巧,并从账务处理的7大关键入手,介绍了如何把控12种税目申报缴纳,从而使得没学过财务的管理者也可以正确进行财务决策,通过一套账轻松规避财税风险,将隐患解决在账面之外。
  • 三世惊情

    三世惊情

    高中女生宁若紫天生具有“一语成谶”的能力,为了避免牵连他人,她甘愿当一个开不了口的哑巴。不知何时起,她不断招致恶灵索命,在曾经是道士的化学老师的帮助下,她追寻前世,意图解开恶鬼缠身之谜。谁知那段邪恶残忍的恐怖之源,竟在比前世更远的远方。而在她抗争命运的过程中,刻骨铭心的爱人化身为冷血的恶魔,意在夺取她那颗比任何人都要强壮的心!不知从何时起,她屡遭恶鬼袭击,为了找出问题之症结,她开始追溯前世,却发现每一世的恋人竟都是夺命凶手!而这一世,看穿真相的她能否躲过命运的劫难?
  • 叙述的乐趣(张石山散文随笔选辑)

    叙述的乐趣(张石山散文随笔选辑)

    始有一部分人富起来,既而沿海特区兴盛发达。屡有号召要提高知识分子地位,只证明着他们的地位不曾提高。于是他们就有机会保持清高,穿起精神的长衫,傲视群小。他们的贫穷贫寒便也与众不同,格外雅致,叫做“清贫”。清贫,以我理解应是一种境界。好比难得糊涂:聪明难,糊涂难;由聪明而转入糊涂更难。砍柴挑水,无非求道。开悟之前做什么?砍柴挑水。百尺竿头,更进一步,进步到哪儿去了?
  • 星辰之主

    星辰之主

    世纪之交,人类懵懂着踏入星空,就此暴露在诸神的视线之下。少年罗南背负着祖父的罪孽,走出实验室,且看他:高举燃烧的笔记,脚踏诸神的尸骨;书写万物的格式,增删宇宙的星图。当知:万物皆备于我;必信:吾心即是宇宙。
  • 宝贝生病妈妈治

    宝贝生病妈妈治

    宝贝身体不舒服了,我们第一时间想到的肯定是送医院治疗。其实,一些孩子常见的疾病,只要不是急症,有时妈妈完全可以在家里给孩子做治疗,效果不错,孩子也不受罪。都有哪些治疗方法可以在家中进行呢?有很多西药、中草药和其他天然制剂都可以不需要医生处方就在家庭治疗中使用,你知道怎么用吗?妈咪们快快仔细看过来吧。
  • 毛诗多识

    毛诗多识

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 殿下请勿撒娇

    殿下请勿撒娇

    洛少爷专属:死丫头就给我抱一下。妃妃我会对你负责的。PS:包女猪的抓狂“告诉我你除了无赖流/氓变态卖萌以为还会什么??”“没用的,她身体各处严重烧伤,即使活过来,也会…”“这是事故后遗症,可能从此以后失去了语言能力”一场事故,她失去了语言能力,是欺骗还是崩溃…
  • 牵魂

    牵魂

    郎园在海瞳市经营餐饮酒店,安雅是业界小有名气的美容师,偶然的机会,俩人参加一次旅游活动认识,后来就产生了复杂的情感纠葛。本来就尴尬的关系,更加上秋水恒和湘北的加入,更使得原本简单的关系陷入纷纭和错乱!
  • 凯特·格林纳威的游戏之书

    凯特·格林纳威的游戏之书

    假扮猫咪的孩子站在中间,其他孩子围绕着他站在一个固定位置上。一个人召唤另一个人说道:“猫咪,猫咪,给我一滴水。”然后所有孩子跑着更换位置。