Arabian Nights
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.‘“For,” said he, “there never was nor is there one chaste woman upon the face of earth.”’A collection of Persian, Arabian and Indian tales dating from the 9th century, Sir Richard Burton’s most well-known translation of Arabian Nights brings together ancient folklore and stories passed down from generation to generation.Featuring tales about love, history, tragedy and comedy as well as fables and fairy tales, this edition remains a well-loved collection of exotic and evocative stories. Fantastical and curious customs are bought to life by Burton’s translation in stories such as ‘The Lovers of Bassorah’, ‘The Concubine of Al-Maamun’ and ‘The Hunchback’s Tale’.
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ARABIAN NIGHTS
Translated by
Sir Richard Burton
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 In the Name of Allah the Compassionating the Compassionate!
Chapter 2 The Tale of the Ensorcelled Prince
Chapter 3 The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad
Chapter 4 The Hunchbackâs Tale
Chapter 5 The Tale of Nur Al-Din Ali and His Son Badr Al-Din Hasan
Chapter 6 The Sweep and the Noble Lady
Chapter 7 The Man of Al-Yaman and His Six Slave-Girls
Chapter 8 Two Stories of Harun Al-Rashid
THE CALIPH HARUN AL-RASHID AND QUEEN ZUBAYDAH IN THE BATH
HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE THREE POETS
Chapter 9 The Foolish Dominie
Chapter 10 The Butcherâs Adventure with the Lady and the Bear
Chapter 11 The Goldsmith and the Cashmere Singing-Girl
Chapter 12 The Lady and Her Five Suitors
Chapter 13 The Lovers of Bassorah
Chapter 14 The Man and His Wife
Chapter 15 Tale of the Singer and the Druggist
Chapter 16 The Tale of the Richard Who Married His Beautiful Daughter to the Poor Old Man
Chapter 17 The Tale of the Simpleton Husband
Chapter 18 The Tale of the Robber and the Woman
Chapter 19 The Tale of the Two Sharpers Who Each Cozened His Compeer
Chapter 20 Womenâs Wiles
Chapter 21 The Concubine of Al-Maamun
Chapter 22 The Story of the Three Sharpers
Chapter 23 The Cairene Youth, the Barber, and the Captain
Chapter 24 The Goodwife of Cairo and Her Four Gallants
THE TAILOR AND THE LADY AND THE CAPTAIN
Chapter 25 The Syrian and the Three Women of Cairo
Chapter 26 The Whorish Wife Who Vaunted Her Virtue
Chapter 27 Coelebs the Droll and His Wife and Her Four Lovers
Chapter 28 Mohammed the Shalabi and His Mistress and His Wife
Chapter 29 The Fellah and his Wicked Wife
Chapter 30 The Woman Who Humoured her Lover at Her Husbandâs Expense
Chapter 31 Story of the Two Lack-Tacts of Cairo and Damascus
Chapter 32 Tale of the Second Eunuch, Kafur
Chapter 33 Nur Al-Din Ali and the Damsel Anis Al-Jalis
Chapter 34 The Barberâs Tale of His Third Brother
THE BARBERâS TALE OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER
THE BARBERâS TALE OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER
THE BARBERâS TALE OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER
Classic Literature: Words and Phrases Adapted from theCollins English Dictionary
Praise be to Allah
The Beneficent King
The Creator of the Universe
Lord of the Three Worlds
Who set up the firmament without pillars in its stead
And who stretched out the earth even as a bed
And grace, and prayer â blessing be upon our Lord Mohammed
Lord of Apostolic men
And upon his family and companion-train
Prayer and blessings enduring and grace which
Unto the day of doom shall remain Amen!
O Thou of the Three Worlds Sovereign!
And afterwards. Verily the works and words of those gone before us have become instances and examples to men of our modern day, that folk may view what admonishing chances befell other folk and may therefrom take warning; and that they may peruse the annals of antique peoples and all that hath betided them, and be thereby ruled and restrained. Praise, therefore, be to Him who hath made the histories of the Past and admonition unto the Present!
Now of such instances are the tales called A Thousand Nights and a Night, together with their far-famed legends and wonders. Therein it is related (but Allah is All-knowing of His hidden things and All-ruling and All-honoured and All-giving and All-gracious and All-merciful!) that, in time of yore and in time long gone before, there was a King of the Kings of the Banu Sasan in the Islands of India and China a Lord of armies and guards and servants and dependents. He left only two sons, one in the prime of manhood and the other yet a youth, while both were Knights and Braves, albeit the elder was a doughtier horseman than the younger. So he succeeded to the empire: when he ruled the land and lorded it over his lieges with justice so exemplary that he was beloved by all the peoples of his capital and of his kingdom.
His name was King Shahryar, and he made his younger brother, Shah Zaman hight, King of Samarcand in Barbarianland. These two ceased not to abide in their several realms and the law was ever carried out in their dominions; and each ruled his own kingdom, with equity and fair-dealing to his subjects, in extreme solace and enjoyment; and this condition continually endured for a score of years. But at the end of the twentieth twelvemonth the elder King yearned for a sight of his younger brother and felt that he must look upon him once more. So he took counsel with his Wazir about visiting him, but the Minister, finding the project unadvisable, recommended that a letter be written and a present be sent under his charge to the younger brother with an invitation to visit the elder. Having accepted this advice the King forthwith bade prepare handsome gifts, such as horses with saddles of gem encrusted gold; Mamelukes, or white slaves; beautiful handmaids, high-breasted virgins, and splendid stuffs and costly.
