# 036 - Seven Hundred and Forty-second Night to Seven Hundred and Forty-fourth Night

An episode of [Arabian Nights Volume 7 - Tales of Adventure and Intrigue](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1858984052), 20 Dec 2025, 22 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/68851114/036_seven_hundred_and_forty_second_night_to_seven_hundred_and_forty_fourth_night.mp3

Dive into the enchanting world of Arabian Nights, a mesmerizing collection of stories that have captivated audiences for centuries. This compilation, woven together through the artful storytelling of Shahrazad, features a rich tapestry of myths and folklore from the Indian subcontinent, Persia, and Arabia. Despite the absence of an original manuscript, this timeless collection is believed to have originated between AD 800-900. Among its many treasures are the iconic tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. This volume is part of the renowned sixteen-volume translation by Richard Francis Burton, showcasing the allure of these age-old narratives. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia) This episode includes AI-generated content.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Section thirty six of the Book of A Thousand Knights
[0:03] Speaker 1: and a Knight, Volume seven. This is a LibriVox recording.
[0:09] Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
[0:13] Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
[0:19] Speaker 1: by Ravi Shanka The Book of A Thousand Knights and
[0:25] Speaker 1: a Knight, Volume seven by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton,
[0:32] Speaker 1: Section thirty six. When it was the seven hundred and
[0:37] Speaker 1: forty second night, she said it hath reached me o
[0:42] Speaker 1: auspicious king, that when Julnar was brought to bed and
[0:47] Speaker 1: was visited by her people, the king received them with
[0:50] Speaker 1: joy at their coming, and said to them, I said
[0:55] Speaker 1: that I would not give my son a name till
[0:58] Speaker 1: you should come and name him of your knowledge. So
[1:02] Speaker 1: they named him Badr Basim, and all agreed upon his name.
[1:09] Speaker 1: Then they showed the child to his uncle Salih, who
[1:12] Speaker 1: took him in his arms, and, arising, began to walk
[1:16] Speaker 1: about the chamber with him in all directions right and left. Presently,
[1:22] Speaker 1: he carried him forth of the palace, and, going down
[1:26] Speaker 1: to the salt sea, fared on with him till he
[1:29] Speaker 1: was hidden from the King's sight. Now, when Shahriman saw
[1:34] Speaker 1: him take his son and disappear with him in the
[1:36] Speaker 1: depth of the sea, he gave the child up for lost,
[1:41] Speaker 1: and fell to weeping and wailing. But Julnar said to him, O,
[1:47] Speaker 1: King of the age, fear not neither grieve for thy son,
[1:52] Speaker 1: For I love my child more than thou, and he
[1:55] Speaker 1: is with my brother. So reck thou not of the sea.
[1:59] Speaker 1: Neither fear for him drowning. Had my brother known that
[2:03] Speaker 1: aught of harm would betide the little one, he had
[2:07] Speaker 1: not done this deed, and he will presently bring thee
[2:10] Speaker 1: thy son safe inshallah An. It pleased the Almighty. Nor
[2:17] Speaker 1: was an hour passed before the sea became turbid and troubled,
[2:21] Speaker 1: and King Salih came forth and flew from the sea
[2:25] Speaker 1: till he came up to them, with the child, lying
[2:27] Speaker 1: quiet and showing a face like the moon on a
[2:31] Speaker 1: knight of fullness. Then, looking at the King, he said, haply,
[2:37] Speaker 1: thou fear'st harm for thy son, when as I plunged
[2:40] Speaker 1: into the sea with him, replied the father, Yes, O,
[2:44] Speaker 1: my lord, I did indeed fear for him, and thought
[2:48] Speaker 1: he would never be saved. Therefrom rejoined salih O, King
[2:53] Speaker 1: of the Land. We penciled his eyes with an eye
[2:56] Speaker 1: powder we know of, and who recited over him the
[2:59] Speaker 1: name Graven upon the seal ring of Solomon David's son,
[3:03] Speaker 1: on whom be peace. For this is what we used
[3:07] Speaker 1: to do with children newly born among us. And now
[3:11] Speaker 1: thou needst not fear for him drowning or suffocation in
[3:15] Speaker 1: all the oceans of the world, if he should go
[3:17] Speaker 1: down into them. For even as yer walk on the land,
[3:22] Speaker 1: so we walk in the sea. Then he pulled out
[3:26] Speaker 1: of his pocket the casket graven and sealed, and breaking
[3:31] Speaker 1: open the seals emptied it, whereupon they fell from it
[3:35] Speaker 1: strings of all manner, jacinths and other jewels, besides three
[3:40] Speaker 1: hundred bugles of emerald, and other three hundred hollow gems
[3:44] Speaker 1: as big as ostrich eggs, whose light dimmed that of
[3:48] Speaker 1: sun and moon. Quoth salih O, King of the Age.
[3:54] Speaker 1: These jewels and jacinths are a present from me to THEE.
[3:59] Speaker 1: We never yet brought THEE a gift, for that we
[4:02] Speaker 1: knew not Julnar's abiding place, neither had we of her
[4:06] Speaker 1: any tidings or trace. But now that we see THEE
[4:10] Speaker 1: to be united with her, and we are all become
[4:13] Speaker 1: one thing. We have brought THEE this present, and every
[4:17] Speaker 1: little while we will bring THEE the like thereof Inshallah.
[4:23] Speaker 1: For that these jewels and jacinths are more plentiful with
[4:27] Speaker 1: us than pebbles on the beach. And we know the
[4:30] Speaker 1: good and the bad of them, and their whereabouts and
[4:33] Speaker 1: the way to them, and they are easy to us.
[4:38] Speaker 1: When the king saw the jewels, his wits were bewildered,
[4:42] Speaker 1: and his sense was astounded, and he said, by Allah,
[4:46] Speaker 1: one single gem of these jewels is worth my realm.
[4:51] Speaker 1: Then he thanked for his bounty Salih the sea born,
[4:55] Speaker 1: and looking towards Queen Julnar, said, I am abashed before
[5:00] Speaker 1: thy brother, for he hath dealt munificently by me, and
[5:04] Speaker 1: bestood on me this splendid gift, which the folk of
[5:07] Speaker 1: the land were unable to present. So she thanked her
[5:12] Speaker 1: brother for his deed. And he said, O, King of
[5:15] Speaker 1: the age, thou hast the prior claim on us, and
[5:19] Speaker 1: it behooves us to thank THEE, for thou hast entreated
[5:23] Speaker 1: our sister with kindness, and we have entered thy dwelling
[5:26] Speaker 1: and eaten of thy vittal and the poet saith had
[5:32] Speaker 1: I wept before she did in my passion for Dah,
[5:36] Speaker 1: I had healed my soul before repentance came. But she
[5:41] Speaker 1: wept before I did. Her tears drew mine, and I
[5:45] Speaker 1: said the merit belongs to the precedent, and resumed Salih
[5:53] Speaker 1: the Pious. If we stood on our faces in thy service, O,
[5:58] Speaker 1: King of the Age, a thousand years, yet we had
[6:01] Speaker 1: not the might to requite thee, and this were but
[6:05] Speaker 1: a scantling of thy due. The king thanked him with
[6:10] Speaker 1: heartiest thanks, and the Merman and merh women abode with
[6:15] Speaker 1: him forty days space, at the end of which Salih
[6:19] Speaker 1: arose and kissed the ground before his brother in law,
[6:23] Speaker 1: who asked, what wantest thou, O Salih, He answered, O,
[6:29] Speaker 1: King of the Age. Indeed thou hast done us over
[6:33] Speaker 1: abundant favors, and we crave of thy bounties, that thou
[6:37] Speaker 1: deal charitably with us and grant us permission to depart,
[6:41] Speaker 1: for we yearn after our people and country, and our
[6:44] Speaker 1: kinsfolk and our homes. So we will never forsake thy service,
[6:48] Speaker 1: nor that of my sister and my nephew. And by allah,
[6:53] Speaker 1: O King of the age tis not pleasant to my
[6:56] Speaker 1: heart depart from thee. But how shall we do, seeing
[7:00] Speaker 1: that we have been reared in the sea, and that
[7:03] Speaker 1: the sojourn of the shore liketh us not. When the
[7:07] Speaker 1: king heard these words, he rose to his feet and
[7:11] Speaker 1: farewelled Salih the sea born, and his mother and his cousins,
[7:15] Speaker 1: and all wept together because of parting. And presently they
[7:20] Speaker 1: said to him, Anon, we will be with THEE again,
[7:24] Speaker 1: nor will we forsake THEE, but will visit thee every
[7:27] Speaker 1: few days. Then they flew off, and, descending into the sea,
[7:34] Speaker 1: disappeared from sight, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of the
[7:39] Speaker 1: day and ceased saying her permitted say when it was
[7:46] Speaker 1: thee seven hundred and forty third night, she continued it
[7:51] Speaker 1: hath reached me o auspicious King, that the relations of
[7:55] Speaker 1: Julnar the sea born, farewelled the king and her we
[8:00] Speaker 1: together because of parting. Then they flew off, and, descending
[8:04] Speaker 1: into the depths, disappeared from sight. After this, King Shahriman
[8:10] Speaker 1: showed more kindness to Julnar and honored her with increase
[8:13] Speaker 1: of honor, and the little one grew up and flourished,
[8:17] Speaker 1: whilst his maternal uncle and grandame and cousins visited the
[8:22] Speaker 1: king every few days, and a bird with him a
[8:25] Speaker 1: month or two months at a time. The boy ceased
[8:30] Speaker 1: not to increase in beauty and loveliness with increase of years,
[8:35] Speaker 1: till he attained the age of fifteen, and was unique
[8:38] Speaker 1: in his perfection and symmetry. He learnt writing and koran, reading, history,
[8:45] Speaker 1: syntax and lexicography, archery, spear play, and horsemanship, and what
[8:53] Speaker 1: not else behooveth the sons of kings. Nor was there
[8:57] Speaker 1: one of the children of the folk of the city,
[8:59] Speaker 1: men or women, but would talk of the youth's charms,
[9:03] Speaker 1: for he was of surpassing beauty and perfection, even such
[9:07] Speaker 1: an one as is praised in the saying of the
[9:10] Speaker 1: poet The whiskers write upon his cheek with ambergis on
[9:16] Speaker 1: pearl two lines, as twere with jet upon an apple
[9:21] Speaker 1: line for line. Death harbors in his languid eye and
[9:26] Speaker 1: slays with every glance. And in his cheek is drunkenness,
[9:31] Speaker 1: and not in any wine, and in that of another
[9:38] Speaker 1: up springs from the table of his lovely cheeks, a
[9:42] Speaker 1: growth like broidery. My wonder is astwe a lamp that
[9:46] Speaker 1: burns through night, hung up beneath the gloom in chains
[9:50] Speaker 1: of ambergris. And indeed the king loved him with exceeding love,
[9:58] Speaker 1: and summoning him his wazir and amirs and the chief
[10:02] Speaker 1: officers of state and grandees of his realm, required of
[10:06] Speaker 1: them a binding oath that they would make Badr Basim
[10:09] Speaker 1: king over them after his sire. And they swear the
[10:13] Speaker 1: oath gladly, for the sovereign was liberal to the lieges,
[10:17] Speaker 1: pleasant in pali, and a very compend of goodness, saying
[10:21] Speaker 1: naught but that wherein was advantage for the people. On
[10:26] Speaker 1: the morrow, Shahriman mounted with all his troops and emirs
[10:31] Speaker 1: and lords, and went forth into the city, and returned.
[10:35] Speaker 1: When they drew near the palace, the king dismounted to
[10:38] Speaker 1: wait upon his son, who abode on horseback, and he
[10:42] Speaker 1: and all the emirs and grandees bore the saddle cloth
[10:46] Speaker 1: of honor before him, each and every of them bearing
[10:49] Speaker 1: it in his turn, till they came to the vestibule
[10:52] Speaker 1: of the palace, where the prince alighted, and his father
[10:56] Speaker 1: and the amirs embraced him and seated him on the
[10:59] Speaker 1: throne of kingship. Whilst they, including his sire, stood before him.
[11:06] Speaker 1: Then Badir Basim judged the people, deposing the unjust and
[11:12] Speaker 1: promoting the just, and continuing so doing till near upon noon,
[11:16] Speaker 1: when he descended from the throne and went in to
[11:20] Speaker 1: his mother, Julnar the sea born, with the crown upon
[11:23] Speaker 1: his head as he were the moon. When she saw
[11:28] Speaker 1: him with the king standing before him, she rose, and,
[11:32] Speaker 1: kissing him, gave him joy of the sultanate, and wished
[11:36] Speaker 1: him and his sire length of life and victory over
[11:39] Speaker 1: their foes. He sat with her and rested till the
[11:44] Speaker 1: hour of mid afternoon prayer, when he took horse and
[11:47] Speaker 1: repaired with the emirs before him to the Maidan plain,
[11:52] Speaker 1: where he played at arms with his father and his lords,
[11:54] Speaker 1: till nightfall, when he returned to the palace, preceded by
[11:58] Speaker 1: all the folk. He rode forth thus every day to
[12:03] Speaker 1: the tilting ground, returning to sit and judge the people
[12:07] Speaker 1: and do justice between earl and churl. And thus he
[12:11] Speaker 1: continued doing a whole year, and at the end of
[12:15] Speaker 1: which he began to ride out a hunting and a chasing,
[12:18] Speaker 1: and to go round about in the cities and countries
[12:21] Speaker 1: under his rule. Proclaiming security and satisfaction, and doing after
[12:26] Speaker 1: the fashion of kings. And he was unique among the
[12:31] Speaker 1: people of his day for glory and valor and just
[12:35] Speaker 1: dealing among the subjects. And it chanced one day the
[12:40] Speaker 1: old king fell sick, and his fluttering heart forebode him
[12:43] Speaker 1: of translation to the mansion of eternity. His sickness grew
[12:49] Speaker 1: upon him till he was nigh upon death, when he
[12:53] Speaker 1: called his son and commended his mother and subjects to
[12:56] Speaker 1: his care, and caused all the emirs and grandees wants
[13:00] Speaker 1: all to swear allegiance to the prince, and assured himself
[13:03] Speaker 1: of them by strongest oaths, after which he lingered a
[13:07] Speaker 1: few days and departed to the mercy of Almighty Allah.
[13:12] Speaker 1: His son and widow, and all the emirs and wazirs
[13:15] Speaker 1: and lords mourned over him, and they built him a
[13:18] Speaker 1: tomb and buried him therein. They ceased, not ceremoniously to
[13:24] Speaker 1: mourn him for a whole month till Salih and his
[13:26] Speaker 1: mother and cousins arrived and condoled with their grieving for
[13:30] Speaker 1: the king, And said, O Julnar, though the king be dead,
[13:35] Speaker 1: yet hath he left this noble and peerless youth, and
[13:40] Speaker 1: not dead is whoso leaveth the like of him, the
[13:43] Speaker 1: rending Lion and the shining Moon. And Shahrazad perceived the
[13:49] Speaker 1: dawn of the day and ceased to say her permitted say.
[13:55] Speaker 1: When it was the seven hundred and forty fourth night,
[13:58] Speaker 1: she pursued it. Hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Salih,
[14:04] Speaker 1: brother of Julnar, and her mother and cousins said to her,
[14:08] Speaker 1: albeit the king be dead, yet hath he left behind
[14:12] Speaker 1: him as successor, this noble and peerless youth, the rending
[14:17] Speaker 1: Lion and the shining Moon. Thereupon the grandees and notables
[14:22] Speaker 1: of the empire went in to King Badier Basim and
[14:26] Speaker 1: said to him, O, King, there is no harm in
[14:30] Speaker 1: mourning for the late sovereign, but over mourning beseemeth none
[14:35] Speaker 1: save women. Wherefore occupy thou not thy heart and our
[14:40] Speaker 1: hearts with the mourning for thy sire. Insomuch as he
[14:44] Speaker 1: hath left thee behind him, and whoso leaveth the like
[14:47] Speaker 1: of thee is not dead. Then they comforted him and
[14:52] Speaker 1: diverted him, and lastly carried him to the bath. When
[14:57] Speaker 1: he came out of the hammam, he donned a rich
[15:00] Speaker 1: rod purfled with gold and embroidered with jewels and jacinths,
[15:05] Speaker 1: and setting the royal crown upon his head, sat down
[15:08] Speaker 1: on his throne of kingship, and ordered the affairs of
[15:11] Speaker 1: the folk, doing equal justice between strong and weak, and
[15:16] Speaker 1: exacting from the prince the dus of the pauper. Wherefore
[15:19] Speaker 1: the people loved him with exceeding love. Thus he continued
[15:25] Speaker 1: doing for a full year, whilst every now and then
[15:29] Speaker 1: his kinsfolk of the sea visited him, and his life
[15:32] Speaker 1: was pleasant and his eye was cool. Now it came
[15:38] Speaker 1: to pass that his uncle Salih went in one night
[15:41] Speaker 1: of the knights to Julnar and saluted her, whereupon she rose, and,
[15:46] Speaker 1: embracing him, seated him by her side, and asked him, O,
[15:51] Speaker 1: my brother, how art thou and thy mother and my cousins.
[15:56] Speaker 1: He answered, O, my sister, they are well and glad,
[16:01] Speaker 1: and in good case, lacking nought save a sight of
[16:04] Speaker 1: thy face. Then she set somewhat of food before him,
[16:09] Speaker 1: and he ate, after which talk ensued between the twain,
[16:14] Speaker 1: and they spake of King Badr Bassim, and his beauty
[16:17] Speaker 1: and loveliness, his symmetry and skill in cavalrous and cleverness,
[16:22] Speaker 1: and good breeding. Now Badr was propped upon his elbow
[16:27] Speaker 1: hard by them, and hearing his mother and uncle speak
[16:31] Speaker 1: of him, he feigned sleep and listened to their talk. Presently,
[16:37] Speaker 1: Salih said to his sister, thy son is now seventeen
[16:41] Speaker 1: years old and is unmarried, and I fear lest mishap
[16:46] Speaker 1: befall him, and he have no son. Wherefore it is
[16:49] Speaker 1: my desire to marry him to a princess of the
[16:52] Speaker 1: princesses of the sea, who shall be a match for
[16:55] Speaker 1: him in beauty and loveliness. Quoth Julnar. Name them to me,
[17:00] Speaker 1: for I know them all. So Salih proceeded to enumerate
[17:05] Speaker 1: them to her, one by one, but to each she said,
[17:10] Speaker 1: I like not this one. For my son. I will
[17:13] Speaker 1: not marry him, but to one who is his equal
[17:16] Speaker 1: in beauty and loveliness, and wit and piety, and good breeding,
[17:20] Speaker 1: and magnanimity and dominion and rank and lineage. Quoth Salih,
[17:28] Speaker 1: I know none other of the daughters of the kings
[17:30] Speaker 1: of the Sea, for I have numbered to thee more
[17:33] Speaker 1: than an hundred girls, and not one of them pleaseth THEE.
[17:38] Speaker 1: But see, o, my sister, whether thy son be asleep
[17:42] Speaker 1: or no so she felt bader, and, finding on him
[17:48] Speaker 1: the signs of slumber, said to Salih, he is asleep.
[17:52] Speaker 1: What hast thou to say? And what is thine object
[17:56] Speaker 1: in making sure his sleeping? Reply? He O, my sister,
[18:02] Speaker 1: know that I have bethought me of a mermaid of
[18:05] Speaker 1: the mermaids, who befitteth thy son. But I fear to
[18:09] Speaker 1: name her, lest he be awake and his heart be
[18:12] Speaker 1: taken with her love. And maybe we shall be unable
[18:16] Speaker 1: to win her, So should he and we, and the
[18:19] Speaker 1: grandees of the realm be wearied in vain, and trouble
[18:22] Speaker 1: betide us through this. For as saith the poet, love
[18:27] Speaker 1: at first sight is a spurt of spray, but a
[18:31] Speaker 1: spreading sea when it gaineth sway. When she heard these words,
[18:37] Speaker 1: she cried, tell me the condition of this girl and
[18:41] Speaker 1: her name. For I know all the damsels of the
[18:43] Speaker 1: sea King's daughters and others, And if I judge her
[18:47] Speaker 1: worthy of him, I will demand her in marriage for
[18:50] Speaker 1: him of her father. Though I spend on her whatso
[18:54] Speaker 1: my hand possesseth, So recount to me all anent her,
[18:58] Speaker 1: and fear naught for my son sleepeth, quoth Salih, I
[19:03] Speaker 1: fear lest he be awake, and the poet saith I
[19:08] Speaker 1: loved him soon as his praise I heard for ear
[19:12] Speaker 1: oft loveth ere I survey. But Julnar said, speak out
[19:20] Speaker 1: and be brief, and fear not O my brother. So
[19:25] Speaker 1: he said, by allah, O, my sister. None is worthy
[19:30] Speaker 1: of thy son, save the Princess Ja'w'arah, daughter of King
[19:35] Speaker 1: al Samandal, for that she is like unto him in
[19:38] Speaker 1: beauty and loveliness, and brilliancy and perfection. Nor is there
[19:45] Speaker 1: found in sea or on land a sweeter or pleasanter
[19:48] Speaker 1: of gifts than she. For she is prime in comeliness
[19:53] Speaker 1: and seemly head of face and symmetrical shape of perfect grace.
[19:58] Speaker 1: Her cheek is ruddy doe, her brow flower white, her
[20:02] Speaker 1: teeth gem bright, her eyes blackest black and whitest white.
[20:09] Speaker 1: Her hips of heavy weight, her waist slight, and her
[20:13] Speaker 1: favor exquisite. When she turneth she shameth the wild cattle
[20:18] Speaker 1: and the gazelle's, And when she walketh, she breedeth envy
[20:23] Speaker 1: in the willow branch. When she unveileth her face outshineth
[20:28] Speaker 1: the sun and moon, and all those who look upon her.
[20:33] Speaker 1: She enslaveth soon, sweet lipp'd and soft sided. Indeed is
[20:38] Speaker 1: she now? When Julnar heard what Salih said, she replied,
[20:45] Speaker 1: thou sayest sooth, oh, my brother. By Allah, I have
[20:49] Speaker 1: seen her many and many a time, and she was
[20:53] Speaker 1: my companion when we were little ones. But now we
[20:56] Speaker 1: have no knowledge of each other for constraint of distance,
[21:00] Speaker 1: nor have I set eyes on her for eighteen years.
[21:04] Speaker 1: By Allah, none is worthy of my son, but she now.
[21:11] Speaker 1: Badiir heard all they said and mastered what had passed.
[21:15] Speaker 1: First and last of these praises bestowed on Ja'wara, daughter
[21:20] Speaker 1: of the King al Samanda. So he fell in love
[21:24] Speaker 1: with her on hearsay, pretending sleep the while, wherefore fire
[21:30] Speaker 1: was kindled in his heart on her account full sore,
[21:34] Speaker 1: and he was drowned in a sea without bottom or shore.
[21:40] Speaker 1: And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased, saying
[21:45] Speaker 1: her permitted say. End of section thirty six. Recording by
[21:52] Speaker 1: Ravishanka

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