Summary

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

The Thousand Nights & One Night-Sir Richard Burton

The story starts with the description of two brothers, one is the King Shahryar, of
Banu Sasan in the islands of India and other is King Shah Zaman of Samarkand in
Barbarian land. They were full of grief and anger at the treason of their wives. The King
Shahryar swore himself a binding oath that whatever wife he married he would abate her
maidenhead at night and slay her next morning for he felt that there was no chaste woman
on the face of the earth. As this was done for three years, the daughter of the Wazir,
Scheherazade wished to marry the king so that she could try to break the oath of the king
and save herself as well as other women of her country. Then King Shahryar married
Scheherazade. At night she began telling stories of various kinds and the King was so
immersed in her stories that he postponed her execution.

The stories told by Scheherazade included Ifrits, Jinnies, large palaces, heaps of
treasures, lands and islands full of rubies, pearls and other costlies such as velvets, satins
perfumes, sweet meats,etc. Her stories were full of suspense and adventure. Some of the
stories are the stories of :

THE EBONY HORSE

The story is about a wooden horse which flies high in the air by operating and
trilling some pins on the horse. The Persian sage, the creator of that horse showed
it to the king. The prince Kamar Al-Akmar flew many lands and had many
adventures. He met his princess whom he married and brought her home. Then his
father the king finally destroys that Ebony Horse.

SINDBAD THE SEAMAN & SINDBAD THE LANDSMAN

These are the famous 7 tales of Sindbad the seaman or sailor. He describes the
Landsman how he went for the 7 voyages in his life inspite of facing much of the
difficulties and dangers. In the first voyage are the adventures of a fish, so large in
size that it appeared to be an island. The second adventures are that of the bird
roc. The third are of apes, fourth being of cannibals, fifth of the Old man of the
sea, Sheikh-al-Bahr, the sixth of an island full of treasures, and the seventh of
large serpents. And thus, Sindbad the Landsman was friends with the seaman.
 ALLADIN, OR THE WONDERFUL LAMP

This is the famous story of Alladin; a pauper boy in China, who didnt know any
craft. But from a villain-magician, The Maghrabi, he came to know that he was
owner of many heaps of coins and gardens having crystal-bearing trees and a
magical lamp and a magical ring. From the lamp and ring, there appeared jinnies
and accomplished each and every task assigned to them. With their help Alladin
made a huge palace and married princess Badr-al-Budur. He had many other
adventures and lived happily with his wife, till death came unto them.

ALIBABA & THE FORTY THIEVES

Alibaba, a poor fuel-gatherer once happened to see the store of treasure made by a
group of 40 thieves in the forest. As he commanded the door of the cave, it
opened and it closed. He took the treasury along with him and became rich. The
robbers came to know and traced him out. They devised plans to kill Alibaba, but
both times a slave-girl named Morgiana saved her master and killed all the 40
thieves. Then Alibaba being impressed, proposed her to marry his brothers son,
and she did as he wished. Thus they lived happily.

The other stories are of FISHERMAN AND THE JINNI, TALE OF THE ENSORCELED PRINCE,
THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD, TALE OF THREE APPLES, TALE OF NUR
AL-DIN ALI & HIS SON BADR AL-DIN HASAN, CITY OF MANY COLUMNED IRAM, THE SWEEP AND
THE NOBLE LADY, MAN WHO STOLE DISH OF GOLD WHERIN THE DOG ATE, THE RUINED MAN
WHO BECAME RICH AGAIN THROUGH A DREAM, THE LADY AND HER FIVE SUITORS, THE
ANGEL OF DEATH WITH THE PROUD KING AND THE DEVOUT MAN, KHALIFAH THE
FISHERMANOF BAGHDAD, ABUKIR THE DYER AND ABUSIR THE BARBER, THE SLEEPER AND
THE WAKER AND STORY OF THE LARRIKIN AND THE COOK.

Now thousand and one nights had passed while Scheherazade fished telling the
stories and even she bore three boy-children. She pleaded the King not to kill her for the
sake of her children. King Shahryay found her pure and chaste and so broke his oath of
killing his wife. He married her with great pomp and pleasure and King Shah Zaman
married Scheherazades sister Dunyazade, and the four lived happily and with content, till
the Destroyer of Life came unto them.

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