The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 16, Sir Richard Francis Burton [novels to read for beginners TXT] 📗

interceded for his life]. The Sultan then treated him as a madman, and drove him ignominiously from the town, and he wandered away without knowing where he was going. At length he arrived at a mountain of rock, where he saw a great serpent rising from his lair to prey on young Rokhs. He slew the serpent with the sword of Morhagian, and the father and mother of the Rokhs arrived at the moment, and asked him to demand whatever he desired in return. He hesitated awhile, but at length he asked them to show him the way to the upper world. The male Rokh then told him to prepare ten quarters of mutton, to mount on his back, and to give him some of the meat whenever he should turn his head either to one side or to the other on the journey.

 

The prince mounted on the back of the Rokh, the Rokh stamped with his foot, and the earth opened before them wherever he turned. They reached the bottom of the well when the Rokh turned his head, but there was no more meat left, so the prince cut off the calf of his leg and gave it to him. When the Rokh arrived at the top of the well, the prince leaped to the ground, when the Rokh perceived [that he was lame, when he inquired the reason, and the prince explained what had happened]. The Rokh then disgorged the calf of the leg, and returned it to its place, when it grew fast, and the prince was cured immediately.

 

As the prince left the well, he met a peasant, and changed clothes with him, but he kept the sword, the three balls, and the horse-hair. He went into the town, where he took lodgings with a tailor, and kept himself in retirement.

The prince gradually rose in the tailor’s esteem by letting him perceive that he knew how to sew [and all the arts of an accomplished tailor]. Presently, preparations were made for the wedding of Prince Rostam, and the tailor with whom Badialzaman lodged was ordered to prepare the fairy’s robes. Badialzaman, who slept in the shop, took clothes from one of the balls similar to those which were already far advanced, and put them in the place of the others. The tailor was astonished [at their fine workmanship] and wished to take the prince with him to receive a present, but he refused, alleging as an excuse that he had so lately come to the town. When the fairies saw the clothes, they thought it a good omen.

 

The wedding day arrived, and they threw the jar�d[FN#436] [and practised other martial exercises]. It was a grand festival, and all the shops were closed.

The tailor wished to take the prince to see the spectacle, but he put him off with an excuse. However, he went to a retired part of the town, where he struck fire with a gun,[FN#437] and burned a little of the horse hair. The horse appeared, and he told him to bring him a complete outfit all in red, and that he should likewise appear with trappings, jewels, &c., and a reed (jar�d) of the same colour. The prince then mounted the horse, and proceeded to the race-course, where his appearance excited general admiration. At the close of the sports, he cut off the head of Prince Rostam, and the horsemen pursued him, but were unable to overtake him, and soon lost sight of him. He returned to the shop dressed as usual before the arrival of the tailor, who related to him what had happened, of which he pretended to be entirely ignorant. There was a great mourning at the court; but three months afterwards, fresh robes were ordered for the wedding of the second prince. The fairies were confirmed in their suspicions when they saw the fresh clothes [which Badialzaman sent them].

 

On the wedding day they again assembled to throw the jar�d. Prince Badialzaman now presented himself on the white horse, robed in white, and with pearls and jewels to match, and again he attracted general admiration. He pushed himself into the midst of a guard of eight hundred horsemen, and slew Gaiath Eddin.

They rushed upon him, and he allowed himself to be carried before the Sultan, who recognised him [and pronounced his decision]. “A brother who has been abandoned to die by his brothers has a right to kill them.”

 

After this, Prince Badialzaman espoused the youngest princess, and the two others were given in marriage to two princes who were related to the Sultan.

 

Cazotte’s Continuation, and the Composite Editions of the Arabian Nights (Pp. 418-422).

 

P. 422.—There is a small Dutch work, the title of which is as follows: Oostersche Vertellingen, uit de Duizend-en-cen-Nacht: Naar de Hoogduitsche Bewerking van M. Claudius,[FN#438] voor de Nederlandsche Jeugduiitgegeven door J. J. A. Gouverneur. Te Groningen, bij B. Wolters, n.d. 8vo., pp. 281, colt front. (illustrating No. 170).

 

A composite juvenile edition, including Introduction (very short), and Nos.

251g, 36a 163 (complete form), 6ef, 4, 5, 1, 52, 170, 6ee, 223, 207c, 6, 194c, 206a, 204h, 2a, 174a and Introduction (a).

 

Derived from at least four different sources.

 

Translations of the Printed Texts (Pp. 438-439).

 

Under this heading I have to record Sir Richard and Lady Burton’s own works.

 

Lady Burton’s Edition of her husband’s Arabian Nights, translated literally from the Arabic, prepared for household reading by Justin Huntly McCarthy, M.P., London, Waterlow and Sons, Roy. 8vo. 6 vols.

 

In preparing this edition for the press, as much as possible has been retained, both of the translation and notes; and it has not been found necessary to omit altogether more than a very few of the least important tales. The contents of the 6 volumes are as follows:—

 

Vol. I. (1886), Front’s piece (Portrait of Lady Burton), Preface, Translator’s Foreword Introduction 1-9 (pp. xxiii. 476).

 

Vol. II. (1886), Front’s piece (Portrait of Sir Richard F. Burton), 9

(continued), 9a-29 (pp. ii. 526).

 

Vol. III. (1887), 29 (continued)-133e (pp. viii. 511).

 

Vol. IV. (1887), 133e (continued)-154a (pp. iv. 514).

 

Vol. V. (1887), 154a (continued)-163 (pp. iv. 516).

 

Vol. VI. (1886) [? 1888], 163 (continued)-169 (pp. ii. 486).

 

Also includes Terminal Essay, Index to Tales and Proper Names, Contributions to Bibliography, as far as it relates to Galland’s MS. and Translations; Comparative Table of Tales; Opinions of the Press; and Letters from Scholars.

 

Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, with notes anthropological and explanatory, by Richard F. Burton. Benares, printed by the Kamashastra Society for private subscribers only. Roy. 8vo.

 

The contents of the 6 volumes are as follows: Vol. I. (1886) Translator’s Foreword, 170-181bb.

 

Vol. II. (1886) 182-189. Appendix: Variants and analogues of some of the tales in vols. i. and ii., by Mr. W. A. Clouston.

 

These two volumes contain the tales peculiar to the Breslau Text, and cover the same ground as Mr. Payne’s 3 vols. of “Tales from the Arabic.”

 

Vol. III. (1887) Foreword, 191-198. Appendix: Variants and Analogues of the Tales in the Supplemental Nights, vol. iii., by Mr. W. A. Clouston.

 

This volume, the bulkiest of the whole series, contains such of Galland’s tales as are not to be found in the ordinary texts of the Nights.

 

Vol. IV. (1887) The Translator’s Foreword, 203-209; App. A. Inepti�

Bodleianae; App. B., The three untranslated tales in Mr. E. J. W. Gibb’s “Forty Vezirs.”

 

Vol. V. (1888) 210-241a, Translator’s Foreword; App. i. Catalogue of Wortley Montague Manuscript, Contents, App. ii. Notes on the Stories contained in vols. iv. and v. of Supplemental Nights, by Mr. W. F. Kirby.

 

These two volumes contain tales translated from the Wortley Montague MS., used by Jonathan Scott, and now in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. The following tales, not in our table, are added:—

 

Vol. IV. Story of the Limping Schoolmaster (between 204i and 204j).

 

How Drummer Abu Kasim became a Kazi, and Story of the Kazi and his Slipper.

(These two tales come between 206a and 206b.) Adventure of the Fruit-seller and the Concubine (between 207c and 207d).

 

Tale of the third Larrikin concerning himself (between 208 and 209).

 

On the other hand, a few tales in the MS. are omitted as repetitions, or as too unimportant to be worth translating:—

 

Vol. VI. (1888) Translator’s Foreword: 248; 246; The Linguist-Dame, the Duenna, and the King’s Son; 247; The Pleasant History of the Cock and the Fox; History of what befel the Fowl-let with the Fowler; 249; 250.

 

App. i. Index to the Tales and Proper Names; ii. Alphabetical Table of the Notes (Anthropological, &c.); iii. Notes on the Stories contained in vol. vi.

of Supplementary Nights, by W. F. Kirby; iv. Additional Notes on the Bibliography of the Thousand and One Nights, by W. F. Kirby; v. The Biography of the Book and the Reviewers Reviewed, Opinions of the Press.

 

This volume contains the originals of Chavis and Cazotte’s Tales, omitting the four doubtful ones (cf. Nights, x. App., pp. 418, 419).

 

Collections of Selected Tales (P. 439).

 

“We have also ‘Aladdin or the Wonderful Lamp,’ ‘Sindbad the Sailor, or the Old Man of the Sea’ and ‘Ali Baba, or the Forty Thieves,’ revised by M. E.

Braddon, author of ‘Lady Audley’s Secret,’ etc. Illustrated by Gustav Dor� and other artists. London: J. & R. Maxwell.

 

“Miss Braddon has contented herself with ‘Englishing’ the vulgar version, whose Gallicisms are so offensive to the national ear.” (Sir R. F. Burton, in litt.)

 

Imitations and Miscellaneous Works Having More or less Connection with the Nights (Pp. 448-453). B. English (Pp. 452-453).

 

13. History of Rhedi, the Hermit of Mount Ararat, an Oriental Tale.

By—Mackenzie, 16mo., Dublin, 1781.

 

I have not seen this little book.

 

14. Miscellanies, consisting of classical extracts, and Oriental Epilogues. By William Beloe, F.S.A. Translator of Herodotus, &c. London, 1795.

 

Includes some genuine Oriental tales, such as a version of that of B�sim the Smith.

 

15. The Orientalist, or Letters of a Rabbi, with Notes by James Noble, Oriental Master in the Scottish Nasal and Military Academy. Edinburgh, 1831.

 

Noticed by Mr. W. A. Clouston, Suppl. Nights, iii., p. 377.

 

16. The Adventures of the Caliph Haroun Alraschid. Recounted by the Author of “Mary Powell” [Miss Manning]. 8vo., London, 1855; Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co.

 

17. The 1001 Days, a Companion to the Arabian Nights, with introduction by Miss J.] Pardoe. 8vo., London 1857, woodcuts.

 

A miscellaneous collection partly derived from “Les Mille et un Jours” (cf.

Nights x., pp. 499, 500). I have also seen a similar miscellaneous collection in French under the latter title. The tales in the English work are as follows:

 

I. Hassan Abdallah, or the Enchanted Keys Story of Hassan.

Hassan Abdallah the Basket Maker.

Hassan Abdallah the Dervise Abounader II. Soliman Bey and the Story Tellers

The First Story Teller.

The Second Story Teller.

The Third Story Teller.

 

III. Prince Khalaf and the Princess of China Story of Prince Al-Abbas.

Story of Liri-in.

 

IV. The Wise Dey.

 

V. The Tunisian Sage.

 

VI. The Nose for Gold.

 

VII. The Treasures of Basra.

 

History of Aboulcassem.

 

VIII. The Old Camel.

 

IX. The Story of Medjeddin (Grimm’s “Haschem,” cf. Nights, x., p. 422).

 

X. King Bedreddin Lolo and his Vizier.

Story of the Old Slippers.

Story of Atalmulk, surnamed the Sorrowful Vizier, and the Princess Zelica.

Story of Malek and the Princess Schirine 18. The Modern Arabian Nights. By Arthur A’Beckett and Linley Sambourne.

London: Bradbury, Agnew & Co., 1877, sm. 4to., with comic coloured frontispieces and woodcuts.

 

Four clever satires (social and political) as follows: