A damsel 'twas the tirer's art had decked with snare and sleight,
And robed with rays as though the sun from her had borrowed light.

She came before us wondrous clad in chemisette of green,
As veiled by his leafy screen Pomegranate hides from sight.

And when he said, "How callest thou the fashion of thy dress?"
She answered us in pleasant way with double meaning dight:

"We call this garment crevecoeur, and rightly is it hight,
For many a heart wi' this we brake and harried many a sprite."

Then they displayed Scheherazade in the sixth and seventh dresses
and clad her in youth's clothing, whereupon she came forward swaying

from side to side and coquettishly moving, and indeed she ravished
wits and hearts and ensorceled all eyes with her glances. She shook

her sides and swayed her haunches, then put her hair on sword hilt and
went up to King Shahryar, who embraced her as hospitable host

embraceth guest, and threatened her in her ear with the taking of
the sword, and she was even as saith of her the poet in these words:

Were not the murk of gender male,
Than feminines surpassing fair,

Tirewomen they had grudged the bride,
Who made her beard and whiskers wear!

Thus also they did with her sister Dunyazade, and when they had made
an end of the display, the King bestowed robes of honor on all who

were present and sent the brides to their own apartments. Then
Scheherazade went in to King Shahryar and Dunyazade to King, Shah

Zaman, and each of them solaced himself with the company of his
beloved consort and the hearts of the folk were comforted.

When morning morrowed, the Wazir came in to the two Kings and kissed
ground before them, wherefore they thanked him and were large of

bounty to him. Presently they went forth and sat down upon couches
of kingship, whilst all the wazirs and emirs and grandees and lords of

the land presented themselves and kissed ground. King Shahryar ordered
them dresses of honor and largess, and they prayed for the

permanence and prosperity of the King and his brother.
Then the two sovereigns appointed their sire-in-law, the Wazir, to

be Viceroy in Samarkand, and assigned him five of the chief emirs to
accompany him, charging them attend him and do him service. The

Minister kissed the ground and prayed that they might be vouchsafed
length of life. Then he went in to his daughters, whilst the eunuchs

and ushers walked before him, and saluted them and farewelled them.
They kissed his hands and gave him joy of the kingship and bestowed on

him immense treasures, after which he took leave of them and setting
out, fared days and nights till he came near Samarkand, where the

townspeople met him at a distance of three marches and rejoiced in him
with exceeding joy. So he entered the city and they decorated the

houses, and it was a notable day. He sat down on the throne of his
kingship and the wazirs did him homage and the grandees and emirs of

Samarkand, and all prayed that he might be vouchsafed justice and
victory and length of continuance. So he bestowed on them robes of

honor and entreated them with distinction, and they made him Sultan
over them.

As soon as his father-in-law had departed for Samarkand, King
Shahryar summoned the grandees of his realm and made them a stupendous

banquet of all manner of delicious meats and exquisite sweetmeats.
He also bestowed on them robes of honor and guerdoned them, and

divided the kingdoms between himself and his brother in their
presence, whereat the folk rejoiced. Then the two Kings abode, each

ruling a day in turn, and they were ever in harmony each with other,
while on similar wise their wives continued in the love of Allah

Almighty and in thanksgiving to Him. And the peoples and the provinces
were at peace and the preachers prayed for them from the pulpits,

and their report was bruited abroad and the travelers bore tidings
of them to all lands.

In due time King Shahryar summoned chroniclers and copyists and bade
them write all that had betided him with his wife, first and last.

So they wrote this and named it The Stories of the Thousand Nights and
a Night. The book came to thirty volumes, and these the King laid up

in his treasury. And the two brothers abode with their wives in all
pleasaunce and solace of life and its delights, for that indeed

Allah the Most High had chanced their annoy into joy, and on this wise
they continued till there took them the Destroyer of delights and

the Severer of societies, the Desolator of dwelling places and Gamerer
of graveyards, and they were translated to the ruth of Almighty Allah.

Their houses fell waste and their palaces lay in ruins and the kings
inherited their riches.

Then there reigned after them a wise ruler, who was just,
keen-witted, and accomplished, and loved tales and legends, especially

those which chronicle the doings of sovereigns and sultans, and he
found in the treasury these marvelous stories and wondrous

histories, contained in the thirty volumes aforesaid. So he read in
them a first book and a second and a third and so on to the last of

them, and each book astounded and delighted him more than that which
preceded it, till he came to the end of them. Then he admired whatso

he had read therein of description and discourse and rare traits and
anecdotes and moral instances and reminiscences, and bade the folk

copy them and dispread them over all lands and climes, wherefore their
report was bruited abroad and the people named them The Marvels and

Wonders of the Thousand Nights and a Night. This is all that hath come
down to us of the origin of this book, and Allah is All-knowing. So

Glory he to Him Whom the shifts of Time waste not away, nor doth aught
of chance or change affect His sway, Whom one case diverteth not

from other case and Who is sole in the attributes of perfect grace.
And prayer and peace he upon the Lord's Pontiff and Chosen One among

His creatures, our lord MOHAMMED, the Prince of mankind, through
whom we supplicate Him for a goodly and a godly

FINIS

• damsel [´dæmzəl] n.姑娘，未婚少女 (初中英语单词)
• screen [skri:n] n.银幕 vt.遮蔽 (初中英语单词)
• garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)
• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
• prosperity [prɔ´speriti] n.繁荣；成功；幸运 (初中英语单词)
• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)
• distinction [di´stiŋkʃən] n.差别；特征；卓越 (初中英语单词)
• delicious [di´liʃəs] a.美味的，可口的 (初中英语单词)
• harmony [´hɑ:məni] n.调合，协调，和谐 (初中英语单词)
• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)
• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)
• doings [´du:iŋz] n.行动；所作的事 (初中英语单词)
• marvelous [´mɑ:viləs] (=marvellous) a.奇异的 (初中英语单词)
• description [di´skripʃən] n.描写 (初中英语单词)
• origin [´ɔridʒin] n.起源；由来；出身 (初中英语单词)
• affect [ə´fekt] vt.影响；感动；假装 (初中英语单词)
• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)
• whilst [wailst] conj.当...时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)
• notable [´nəutəbəl] a.显著的 n.名人 (高中英语单词)
• throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)
• homage [´hɔmidʒ] n.敬意，尊敬 (高中英语单词)
• exquisite [ik´skwizit] a.精巧的；敏锐的 (高中英语单词)
• thanksgiving [´θæŋks,giviŋ] 感恩节 (高中英语单词)
• chronicle [´krɔnikl] n.历史 vt.记述 (高中英语单词)
• therein [ðeə´rin] ad.在那里，在其中 (高中英语单词)
• discourse [´diskɔ:s] n.论文；演说；说教 (高中英语单词)
• goodly [´gudli] a.适意的；漂亮的 (高中英语单词)
• wondrous [´wʌndrəs] a.极好的 ad.惊人地 (英语四级单词)
• rightly [´raitli] ad.正义地；正确地 (英语四级单词)
• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)
• hospitable [´hɔspitəbəl] a.好客的；招待周到的 (英语四级单词)
• consort [´kɔnsɔ:t] n.&v.配偶；合作；一致 (英语四级单词)
• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)
• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)
• continuance [kən´tinjuəns] n.继续；持续逗留；连续 (英语四级单词)
• whereat [weər´æt] ad.对于...；在这里 (英语四级单词)
• almighty [ɔ:l´maiti] a.万能的；全能的 (英语四级单词)
• accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)
• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• viceroy [´vaisrɔi] n.副王；总督 (英语六级单词)
• departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)
• solace [´sɔləs] n.&vt.安慰(物)；缓和 (英语六级单词)