Kraljevič in grda sužnja

Besedilo

Kraljevič in grda sužnja

She said: It has reached me, O fortunate King of sound judgment, that there was once a king who had a son whom he loved and treated with the utmost honor, favoring him above all his other children. One day the prince said to him, “Father, I wish to go out hunting.” The king ordered preparations to be made and commanded one of his viziers to accompany the prince, attend upon him, and see to all his needs on the journey. The vizier gathered everything the prince would require, and servants, officers, and pages set out with them. They rode out to hunt until they reached a green country of grass, pasture, and water, where game was plentiful. The prince approached the vizier and told him how delighted he was with the outing. They remained there for several days, while the prince enjoyed a life of ease and pleasure. Then he gave orders to return home, but a gazelle that had strayed from its herd crossed his path. Eager to catch it, he said to the vizier, “I wish to pursue this gazelle.” The vizier replied, “Do as you please.” So the prince followed it alone, pursuing it all day until nightfall. The gazelle climbed into rugged country, and darkness closed around him. He wished to turn back but did not know which way to go, and was at a loss. He remained on horseback until morning without finding any relief from his plight. Then he rode on, frightened, hungry, and thirsty, with no idea where he was going, until noon came and the ground scorched him with its heat. Suddenly he came in sight of a city with lofty buildings and stoutly built walls, but it was deserted and in ruins, inhabited only by owls and crows. As he stood beside the city, marveling at its remains, his wandering gaze fell upon a beautiful maiden who sat weeping beneath one of its walls. He drew near and asked her, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Bint al-Tamimah, daughter of al-Tayyakh, king of the Grey Land. One day I went out on an errand, and an ifrit of the jinn snatched me up and flew with me between heaven and earth. Then a flaming meteor struck him and burned him up, and I fell here. For three days I have been without food or drink, but when I saw you, I began to hope that I might live.” And dawn overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-Second Night

She said: It has reached me, O fortunate King, that when the daughter of King al-Tayyakh addressed the prince and said, “When I saw you, I began to hope that I might live,” he was moved with pity for her. He seated her behind him on his horse and said, “Take heart and be comforted. If God, glorified and exalted be He, restores me to my people and my family, I shall send you home to yours.” Then the prince rode on, seeking a way out of his plight. The maiden behind him said, “Prince, let me down so that I may relieve myself beneath this wall.” He stopped, helped her down, and waited for her. She disappeared behind the wall, then came out in a most hideous form. At the sight of her, the prince’s flesh crept, his wits deserted him, and terror overcame him, leaving him utterly changed. Then the maiden leaped onto the horse behind him, wearing the ugliest shape imaginable, and said, “Prince, why do I see that your face has changed?” He replied, “I have remembered something that troubles me.” She said, “Seek the aid of your father’s armies and champions against it.” He replied, “What troubles me cannot be daunted by armies and cares nothing for champions.” She said, “Seek the aid of your father’s wealth and treasures against it.” He replied, “What troubles me will not be satisfied with wealth or treasures.” She said, “You claim that you have a God in heaven who sees but is not seen, and who has power over all things.” He answered, “Yes, we have none but Him.” She said, “Then call upon Him; perhaps He will deliver you from me.” The prince lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed with a sincere heart, saying, “O God, I seek Your aid against this thing that troubles me.” He pointed at her, and she fell to the ground, burned black as a piece of charcoal. He praised God and gave Him thanks, then pressed on his way. God, glorified and exalted be He, eased his journey and guided him along the roads until he came in sight of his own country and reached his father’s kingdom, after having despaired of his life. All this had come about through the design of the vizier who had accompanied him, intending to bring about his death upon the journey, but God Most High had granted him deliverance. “I have told you this, O King, only so that you may know that wicked viziers bear their kings no sincere goodwill, nor do they truly repent of their wrongdoing toward them. Beware, then, of such men.” The king gave her his attention and listened to her words, then ordered his son to be put to death. Thereupon the third vizier came in and said, “I shall shield you from the king’s wrath today.” Then he went before the king, kissed the ground at his feet, and said, “O King, I am your faithful counselor, solicitous for you and your kingdom, and I offer you sound advice: do not be hasty in putting to death your son, the delight of your eyes and the fruit of your heart. His offense may be some trifling matter that this maiden has magnified in your eyes. Indeed, I have heard that the people of two villages destroyed one another over a drop of honey.” The king asked him, “How was that?”