the buttery and the King's treasure chambers, and continued to explore

the palace and to pace from place to place. I forgot myself in my



awe and marvel at these matters and I was drowned in thought till

the night came on.



Then I would have gone forth, but knowing not the gate, I lost my

way, so I returned to the alcove whither the lighted candles



directed me and sat down upon the couch, and wrapping myself in a

coverlet, after I had repeated somewhat from the Koran, I would have



slept but could not, for restlessness possessed me. When night was

at its noon I heard a voice chanting the Koran in sweetest accents,



but the tone thereof was weak. So I rose, glad to hear the silence

broken, and followed the sound until I reached a closet whose door



stood ajar. Then, peeping through a chink, I considered the place

and lo! it was an oratorywherein was a prayer niche with two wax



candles burning and lamps hanging from the ceiling. In it too was

spread a prayer carpetwhereupon sat a youth fair to see, and before



him on its stand was a copy of the Koran, from which he was reading. I

marveled to see him alone alive amongst the people of the city and



entering, saluted him. Whereupon he raised his eyes and returned my

salaam. Quoth I, "Now by the truth of what thou readest in Allah's



Holy Book, I conjure thee to answer my question." He looked upon me

with a smile and said: "O handmaid of Allah, first tell me the cause



of thy coming hither, and I in turn will tell what hath befallen

both me and the people of this city, and what was the reason of my



escaping their doom." So I told him my story, whereat he wondered, and

I questioned him of the people of the city, when he replied, "Have



patience with me for awhile, O my sister!" and, reverently closing the

Holy Book, he laid it up in a satin bag. Then he seated me by his



side, and I looked at him and behold, he was as the moon at its

full, fair of face and rare of form, soft-sided and slight, of



well-proportioned height, and cheek smoothly bright and diffusing

light. I glanced at him with one glance of eyes which caused me a



thousand sighs, and my heart was at once taken captive-wise, so I

asked him, "O my lord and my love, tell me that whereof I questioned



thee," and he answered:

"Hearing is obeying! Know, O handmaid of Allah, that this city was



the capital of my father who is the King thou sawest on the throne

transfigured by Allah's wrath to a black stone, and the Queen thou



foundest in the alcove is my mother. They and all the people of the

city were Magians who fire adored in lieu of the Omnipotent Lord and



were wont to swear by lowe and heat and shade and light, and the

spheres revolving day and night. My father had ne'er a son till he was



blest with me near the last of his days, and he reared me till I

grew up and prosperity anticipated me in all things. Now it is



fortuned there was with us an old woman well stricken in years, a

Moslemah who, inwardly believing in Allah and His Apostle, conformed



outwardly with the religion of my people. And my father placed

thorough confidence in her for that he knew her to be trustworthy



and virtuous, and he treated her with ever-increasing kindness,

believing her to be of his own belief.



"So when I was well-nigh grown up my father committed me to her

chargesaying: 'Take him and educate him and teach him the rules of



our faith. Let him have the best instructions and cease not thy

fostering care of him.' So she took me and taught me the tenets of



Al-Islam with the divine ordinances of the wuzu ablution and the

five daily prayers and she made me learn the Koran by rote, often



repeating, 'Serve none save Allah Almighty!' When I had mastered

this much of knowledge, she said to me, 'O my son, keep this matter



concealed from thy sire and reveal naught to him, lest he slay

thee." So I hid it from him, and I abode on this wise for a term of



days, when the old woman died, and the people of the city redoubled in

their impiety and arrogance and the error of their ways.



"One day while they were as wont, behold, they heard a loud and

terrible sound and a crier crying out with a voice like roaring



thunder so every ear could hear, far and near: 'O folk of this city,

leave ye your fire-worshiping and adore Allah the All-compassionate



King!" At this, fear and terror fell upon the citizens and they

crowded to my father (he being King of the city) and asked him:



'What is this awesome voice we have heard; for it hath confounded us

with the excess of its terror?' And he answered: 'Let not a voice

• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)


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


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


• shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)


• patience [´peiʃəns] n.忍耐(力)；耐心；坚韧 (初中英语单词)


• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


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


• ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)


• henceforth [´hens´fɔ:θ] ad.今后；从今以后 (初中英语单词)


• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)


• traffic [´træfik] n.交通，运输 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)


• marvel [´mɑ:vəl] n.令人惊异的事；奇迹 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)


• thence [ðens] ad.从那里；因此 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


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


• carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)


• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)


• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)


• awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• prosperity [prɔ´speriti] n.繁荣；成功；幸运 (初中英语单词)


• educate [´edjukeit] vt.教育；培养；训练 (初中英语单词)


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• excess [´ekses] n.超过 a.过分的 (初中英语单词)


• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)


• plight [plait] n.境况；困境；苦境 (高中英语单词)


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


• inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)


• spinning [´spiniŋ] n.纺织 a.纺织品的 (高中英语单词)


• hitherto [,hiðə´tu:] ad.至今，迄今 (高中英语单词)


• outfit [´aut,fit] n.装备 vt.供给；装备 (高中英语单词)


• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)


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


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)


• merchandise [´mə:tʃəndaiz] n.商品 v.经商 (高中英语单词)


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


• rejoicing [ri´dʒɔisiŋ] n.高兴；欢呼 (高中英语单词)


• profitable [´prɔfitəbəl] a.有益的；有用的 (高中英语单词)


• therein [ðeə´rin] ad.在那里，在其中 (高中英语单词)


• throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)


• silken [´silkən] a.丝制的；柔软光滑的 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• wherein [weər´in] ad.那里面 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• smoothly [´smu:ðli] ad.光滑地；顺利地 (高中英语单词)


• stricken [´strikən] strike的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• heritage [´heritidʒ] n.遗产，继承物 (英语四级单词)


• bankrupt [´bæŋkrʌpt] n.破产者 a.破产了的 (英语四级单词)


• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)


• resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)


• conveyance [kən´veiəns] n.运送；传达；传播 (英语四级单词)


• trusty [´trʌsti] a.可靠的 n.可信任的 (英语四级单词)


• astray [ə´strei] ad.&a.在歧途上(的) (英语四级单词)


• lookout [´lukaut] n.警戒；景色；前途 (英语四级单词)


• righteous [´raitʃəs] a.正直的；正当的 (英语四级单词)


• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)


• tapestry [´tæpistri] n.挂毯 (英语四级单词)


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


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


• whereat [weər´æt] ad.对于…；在这里 (英语四级单词)


• whereof [weər´ɔv] ad.关于什么；关于那事 (英语四级单词)


• apostle [ə´pɔsəl] n.传道者 (英语四级单词)


• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)


• honorably [´ɔnərəbli] ad.光荣地；光明正大地 (英语六级单词)


• advisable [əd´vaizəbl] a.合适的，得当的 (英语六级单词)


• abject [´æbdʒekt] a.卑鄙的；可怜的 (英语六级单词)


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


• divers [´daivə(:)z] a.&pron.若干个 (英语六级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


• diadem [´daiədem] n.王冠 (英语六级单词)


• ostrich [´ɔstritʃ] n.鸵鸟 (英语六级单词)


• richness [´ritʃnis] n.富饶；富裕；华美 (英语六级单词)


• wrapping [´ræpiŋ] n.包装材料 (英语六级单词)


• oratory [´ɔrətəri] n.演讲(术)；修辞 (英语六级单词)


• inwardly [´inwədli] ad.内向；独自地 (英语六级单词)


• arrogance [´ærəgəns] n.傲慢；自大 (英语六级单词)