Arabian Nights, in 16 volumes: Volume VIIINotorious for the delight he took in tweaking the sexual taboos of the Victorian age-as well as the delight he took in the resulting shock of his bashful peers-British adventurer, linguist, and author CAPTAIN SIR RICHARD FRANCIS BURTON (1821-1890) is perhaps best remembered for his unexpurgated translation of the Eastern classic The One Thousand and One Nights, more famously known today as The Arabian Nights. Originating in Persian, Indian, and Arabic sources as far back as the ninth century AD, this collection of bawdy tales-which Burton was the first to bring to English readers in uncensored form-has exerted incalculable influence on modern literature. It represents one of the earliest examples of a framing story, as young Shahrazad, under threat of execution by the King, postpones her death by regaling him with these wildly entertaining stories over the course of 1,001 nights. The stories themselves feature early instances of sexual humor, satire and parody, murder mystery, horror, and even science fiction. Burton's annotated 16-volume collection, as infamous as it is important, was first published between 1885 and 1888, and remains an entertainingly naughty read. Volume VIII includes: [ "King Mohammed Bin Sabaik and the Merchant Hasan" [ "Hassan of Bassorah" [ "Khalifah the Fisherman of Baghdad" [ "Masrur and Zayn Al-Mawasif" [ "Ali Nur Al-Din and Miriam the Girdle-Girl" [ and others. |
Contents
1 | |
7 | |
THE SAME FROM the Breslau EDITION IV 315 | 184 |
ALI NUR ALDIN AND MIRIAM THE GIRDLEGIRL | 264 |
Common terms and phrases
¹ Arab ¹i.e abode al-Din al-Huda Al-Rashid Allah answered asked auspicious King bade Baghdad beauty and loveliness behold Caliph ceased saying ceased to say cheeks cried damsel daughter dawn of day day and ceased dirhams door Eight Hundred eunuch eyes fair fared fell fish forthright gold hand Harun al-Rashid Hasan hath reached heard heart Hubub hundred dinars Ifrit Islands of Wak Ja'afar Jinn Kazi Khalif kissed Kut al-Kulub Lady Zubaydah lord lover Magian Manar al-Sana Masrur merchants Miriam Moslem mother naught ne'er night Nur al-Din old woman palace perceived the dawn permitted say Persian Princess Queen Quoth recited these couplets rejoiced replied rose saith say her permitted Shahrazad perceived shalt Shaykh sister slave-girl sore strangerhood tears thee therein thine thou art thou hast thou wilt thousand dinars took verses Wazir weeping wept whenas wherefore whereupon whilst wife Zayn al-Mawasif