by side with his dead son and, having transported all the stuff from

the dwelling to the vessel, set sail and disappeared from mine eyes. I



descended from the tree and, raising the trapdoor, went down into

the undergrounddwelling, where everything reminded me of the youth,



and I looked upon the poor remains of him and began repeating these

verses:



"Their tracks I see, and pine with pain and pang,

And on deserted hearths I weep and yearn.



And Him I pray who doomed them depart

Some day vouchsafe the boon of safe return."



Then, O my lady, I went up again by the trapdoor, and every day I

used to wander round about the island and every night I returned to



the underground hall. Thus I lived for a month, till at last,

looking at the western side of the island, I observed that every day



the tide ebbed, leaving shallow water for which the flow did not

compensate, and by the end of the month the sea showed dry land in



that direction. At this I rejoiced, making certain of my safety, so

I arose and, fording what little was left of the water, got me to



the mainland, where I fell in with great heaps of loose sand in

which even a camel's hoof would sink up to the knee. However, I



emboldened my soul and, wading through the sand, behold, a fire

shone from afar burning with a blazing light. So I made for it



hoping haply to find succor and broke out into these verses:

"Belike my Fortune may her bridle turn



And Time bring weal although he's jealous hight,

Forward my hopes, and further all my needs,



And passed ills with present weals requite."

And when I drew near the fire aforesaid, lo! it was a palace with



gates of copper burnished red which, when the rising sun shone

thereon, gleamed and glistened from afar, showing what had seemed to



me a fire. I rejoiced in the sight, and sat down over against the

gate, but I was hardly settled in my seat before there met me ten



young men clothed in sumptuous gear, and all were blind of the left

eye, which appeared as plucked out. They were accompanied by a Sheikh,



an old, old man, and much I marveled at their appearance, and their

all being blind in the same eye. When they saw me, they saluted me



with the salaam and asked me of my case and my history, whereupon I

related to them all what had befallen me and what full measure of



misfortune was mine. Marveling at my tale, they took me to the

mansion, where I saw ranged round the hall ten couches each with its



blue bedding and coverlet of blue stuff and a-middlemost stood a

smaller couch furnished like them with blue and nothing else.



As we entered each of the youths took his seat on his own couch

and the old man seated himself upon the smaller one in the middle,



saying to me, "O youth, sit thee down on the floor, and ask not of our

case nor of the loss of our eyes." Presently he rose up and set before



each young man some meat in a charger and drink in a larger mazer,

treating me in like manner, and after that they sat questioning me



concerning my adventures and what had betided me. And I kept telling

them my tale till the night was far spent. Then said the young men: "O



our Sheikh, wilt not thou set before us our ordinary? The time is

come." He replied, "With love and gladness," and rose and, entering



a closet, disappeared, but presently returned bearing on his head

ten trays each covered with a strip of blue stuff. He set a tray



before each youth and, lighting ten wax candles, he stuck one upon

each tray, and drew off the covers and lo! under them was naught but



ashes and powdered charcoal and kettle soot. Then all the young men

tucked up their sleeves to the elbows and fell a-weeping and wailing



and they blackened their faces and smeared their clothes and

buffeted their brows and beat their breasts, continually exclaiming,



"We were sitting at our ease, but our frowardness brought us

unease!" They ceased not to do thus till dawn drew nigh, when the



old man rose and heated water for them, and they washed their face and

donned other and clean clothes.



Now when I saw this, O my lady, for very wonderment my senses left

me and my wits went wild and heart and head were full of thought, till



I forgot what had betided me and I could not keep silence, feeling I

fain must speak out and question them of these strangenesses. So I



said to them: "How come ye to do this after we have been so

openhearted and frolicsome? Thanks be to Allah, ye be all sound and



sane, yet actions such as these befit none but madmen or those

possessed of an evil spirit. I conjure you by all that is dearest to



you, why stint ye to tell me your history, and the cause of your

losing your eyes and your blackening your faces with ashes and



soot?" Hereupon they turned to me and said, "O young man, hearken

• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)


• stocking [´stɔkiŋ] n.长统袜 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


• blessing [´blesiŋ] n.祝福 (初中英语单词)


• healthy [´helθi] a.健康的 (初中英语单词)


• wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)


• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)


• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)


• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• survive [sə´vaiv] vt.幸存；残存 (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)


• vessel [´vesəl] n.容器；船；脉管 (初中英语单词)


• wander [´wɔndə, ´wɑ:n:dər] v.徘徊；流浪 (初中英语单词)


• western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)


• shallow [´ʃæləu] a.肤浅的；表面的 (初中英语单词)


• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)


• copper [´kɔpə] n.铜 a.铜制的 (初中英语单词)


• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)


• closet [´klɔzit] n.橱；私室；盥洗室 (初中英语单词)


• kettle [´ketl] n.水壶 (初中英语单词)


• summit [´sʌmit] n.顶(点)；绝顶 (高中英语单词)


• horseman [´hɔ:smən] n.骑手，马术师 (高中英语单词)


• bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)


• tablet [´tæblit] n.碑；牌；匾额 (高中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


• escort [´eskɔ:t] n.伴随者；警卫(队) (高中英语单词)


• drowsy [´drauzi] a.困倦的；催眠的 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• implore [im´plɔ:] vt.乞求，恳求 (高中英语单词)


• innocence [´inəsəns] n.无罪；天真 (高中英语单词)


• murderer [´mə:dərə] n.杀人犯，凶手 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• anguish [´æŋgwiʃ] n.(极度的)痛苦；苦恼 (高中英语单词)


• sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)


• underground [,ʌndə´graund] ad.&a.地下(的) (高中英语单词)


• bridle [´braidl] n.(马)笼头；束缚 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• charcoal [´tʃɑ:kəul] n.木炭；炭笔 (高中英语单词)


• continually [kən´tinjuəli] ad.不断地，频繁地 (高中英语单词)


• magnet [´mægnit] n.磁体；磁石；磁铁 (英语四级单词)


• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)


• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)


• almighty [ɔ:l´maiti] a.万能的；全能的 (英语四级单词)


• platter [´plætə] n.(椭圆形的)大浅盘 (英语四级单词)


• sheath [ʃi:θ] n.鞘，壳，套 (英语四级单词)


• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)


• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)


• shroud [ʃraud] n.尸衣；覆盖物；罩 (英语四级单词)


• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)


• mainland [´meinlənd] n.大陆；本土 (英语四级单词)


• succor [´sʌkə] n.救援 vt.支援 (英语四级单词)


• befallen [bi´fɔ:lən] befall的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)


• conjure [´kʌndʒə] v.祈求；召(鬼)；变魔术 (英语四级单词)


• hearken [´hɑ:kən] vi.听 (英语四级单词)


• wherewith [wɛə´wiθ] ad.用什么；用以 (英语六级单词)


• whereon [weər´ɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• foretold [fɔ:´təuld] foretell过去式(分词) (英语六级单词)


• seaward [´si:wəd] a.&ad.朝海(的) (英语六级单词)


• beaming [´bi:miŋ] a.笑吟吟的 (英语六级单词)


• weeping [´wi:piŋ] a.&n.哭泣(的) (英语六级单词)


• undergone [,ʌndə´gɔn] undergo的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


• vouchsafe [vautʃ´seif] v.赐予；俯允 (英语六级单词)


• sumptuous [´sʌmptʃuəs] a.奢侈的；豪华的 (英语六级单词)


• bedding [´bediŋ] n.寝具；垫草；基础 (英语六级单词)


• coverlet [´kʌvəlit] n.床罩，被单 (英语六级单词)


• charger [´tʃɑ:dʒə] n.军马；委托者；控诉者 (英语六级单词)