The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales. Various

Libraries of Romance.

       The Book of rocs,

       Sandalwood, ivory, turbans, ambergris,

       Cream-tarts, and lettered apes, and Calenders,

       And ghouls, and genies—O so huge

       They might have overed the tall Minster Tower,

       Hands down, as schoolboys take a post;

       In truth the Book of Camaralzaman,

       Schemselnihar and Sinbad, Scheherezade

       The peerless, Bedreddin, Badroulbadour,

       Cairo and Serendib and Candahar,

       And Caspian, and the dim, terrific bulk—

       Ice-ribbed, fiend-visited, isled in spells and storms—

       Of Kaf … That centre of miracles

       The sole, unparalleled Arabian Nights."

      Kate Douglas Wiggin.

      August, 1909.

ILLUSTRATIONS

       Table of Contents

      FROM DRAWINGS IN COLORS

       BY MAXFIELD PARRISH

       The Talking Bird

      It will be sufficient to break off a branch and carry it to plant in your garden

       The Fisherman and the Genie

      The smoke ascended to the clouds, and extending itself along the sea and upon the shore formed a great mist

       The Young King of the Black Isles

      When he came to this part of his narrative the young king could not restrain his tears

       Gulnare of the Sea

      And she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the sea foamed and was agitated

       Aladdin

      At the same time the earth, trembling, opened just before the magician, and uncovered a stone, laid horizontally, with a brass ring fixed into the middle

       Prince Agib

      And when the boat came to me I found in it a man of brass, with a tablet of lead upon his breast, engraven with names and talismans

       Prince Agib

      At the approach of evening I opened the first closet and, entering it, found a mansion like paradise

       The City of Brass

      And when they had ascended that mountain they saw a city than which eyes had not beheld any greater

       The Story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

      Cassim … was so alarmed at the danger he was in that the more he endeavoured to remember the word Sesame the more his memory was confounded

       The History of Codadad and His Brothers

      As it drew near we saw ten or twelve armed pirates appear on the deck

       Second Voyage of Sinbad

      The spot where she left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains that seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that there was no possibility of getting out of the valley

       Third Voyage of Sinbad

      Having finished his repast, he returned to his porch, where he lay and fell asleep, snoring louder than thunder

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

       Table of Contents

       "When the breeze of a joyful dawn blew free

       In the silken sail of infancy,

       The tide of time flow'd back with me,

       The forward-flowing time of time;

       And many a sheeny summer morn,

       Adown the Tigris I was borne,

       By Bagdat's shrines of fretted gold,

       High-walled gardens green and old;

       True Mussulman was I and sworn,

       For it was in the golden prime

       Of good Haroun Alraschid.

       "Anight my shallop, rustling thro'

       The low and bloomèd foliage, drove

       The fragrant, glistening deeps, and clove

       The citron-shadows in the blue:

       By garden porches on the brim,

       The costly doors flung open wide,

       Gold glittering thro' lamplight dim,

       And broider'd sofas on each side:

       In sooth it was a goodly time,

       For it was in the golden prime

       Of good Haroun Alraschid."

      Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

THE TALKING BIRD, THE SINGING TREE, AND THE GOLDEN WATER

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      There was an emperor of Persia named Kosrouschah, who, when he first came to his crown, in order to obtain a knowledge of affairs, took great pleasure in night excursions, attended by a trusty minister. He often walked in disguise through the city, and met with many adventures, one of the most remarkable of which happened to him upon his first ramble, which was not long after his accession to the throne of his father.

      After the ceremonies of his father's funeral rites and his own inauguration were over, the new sultan, as well from inclination as from duty, went out one evening attended by his grand vizier, disguised like himself, to observe what was transacting in the city. As he was passing through a street in that part of the town inhabited only by the meaner sort, he heard some people talking very loud; and going close to the house whence the noise proceeded, and looking through a crack in the door, perceived a light, and three sisters sitting on a sofa, conversing together after supper. By what the eldest said he presently understood the subject of their conversation was wishes: "for," said she, "since we are talking about wishes, mine shall be to have the sultan's baker for my husband, for then I shall eat my fill of that bread, which by way of excellence is called the sultan's; let us see if your tastes are as good as mine." "For my part," replied the second sister, "I wish I was wife to the sultan's chief cook, for then I should eat of the most excellent dishes; and as I am persuaded that the sultan's bread is common in the palace, I should not want any of that; therefore you see," addressing herself to her eldest sister, "that I have a better taste than you." The youngest sister, who was very beautiful, and had more charms and wit than the two elder, spoke in her turn: "For my part, sisters," said she, "I shall not limit my desires to such trifles, but take a higher flight; and since we are upon wishing, I wish to be the emperor's queen-consort. I would make him father of a prince, whose hair should be gold on one side of his head, and silver on the other; when he cried, the tears from his eyes should be pearls; and when he smiled, his vermilion lips should look like a rosebud fresh-blown."

      The