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14-THE EBONY HOUSE.TXT-Part2_THE ARABIAN NIGHTS_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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thee from my might and majesty when, if I cried out to my slaves and



servants and bade them put thee to the vilest of deaths, they would

slay thee forthright? Who shall deliver thee out of my hand?"



When the Prince heard this speech of the King, he answered: "Verily,

I wonder at thee and at the shortness and denseness of thy wit! Say



me, canst covet for thy daughter a mate comelier than myself, and hast

ever seen a stouter-hearted man or one better fitted for a Sultan or a



more glorious in rank and dominion than I?" Rejoined the King: "Nay,

by Allah! But I would have had thee, O youth, act after the custom



of kings and demand her from me to wife before witnesses, that I might

have married her to thee publicly. And now, even were I to marry her



to thee privily, yet hast thou dishonored me in her person."

Rejoined the Prince: "Thou sayest sooth, O King, but if thou summon



thy slaves and thy soldiers and they fall upon me and slay me, as thou

pretendest, thou wouldst but publish thine own disgrace, and the



folk would be divided between belief in thee and disbelief in thee.

Wherefore, O King, thou wilt do well, meseemeth, to turn from this



thought to that which I shall counsel thee." Quoth the King, "Let me

hear what thou hast to advise," and quoth the Prince:



"What I have to propose to thee is this: Either do thou meet me in

combat singular, I and thou, and he who slayeth his adversary shall be



held the worthier and having a better title to the kingdom; or else

let me be this night, and whenas dawns the morn, draw out against me



thy horsemen and footmen and servants, but first tell me their

number." Said the King, "They are forty thousand horse, besides my own



slaves and their followers, who are the like of them in number."

Thereupon said the Prince: "When the day shall break, do thou array



them against me and say to them: 'This man is a suitor to me for my

daughter's hand, on condition that he shall do battle singlehanded



against you all; for he pretendeth that he will overcome you and put

you to the rout, and indeed that ye cannot prevail against him.' After



which, leave me to do battle with them. If they slay me, then is thy

secret the surer guarded and thine honor the better warded, and if I



overcome them and see their backs, then is it the like of me a king

should covet to his son-in-law."



So the King approved of his opinion and accepted his proposition,

despite his awe at the boldness of his speech and amaze at the



pretensions of the Prince to meet in fight his whole host, such as

he had described it to him, being at heart assured that he would



perish in the fray and so he should be quit of him and freed from

the fear of dishonor. Thereupon he called the eunuch and bade him go



to his Wazir without stay and delay and command him to assemble the

whole of the army and cause them don their arms and armor and mount



their steeds. So the eunuch carried the King's order to the

Minister, who straightway summoned the captains of the host and the



lords of the realm and bade them don their harness of derring-do and

mount horse and sally forth in battle array.



Such was their case, but as regards the King, he sat a long while

conversing with the young Prince, being pleased with his wise speech



and good sense and fine breeding. And when it was daybreak, he

returned to his palace and, seating himself on his throne, commanded



his merry men to mount, and bade them saddle one of the best of the

royal steeds with handsome selle and housings and trappings and



bring it to the Prince. But the youth said, "O King, I will not

mount horse till I come in view of the troops and review them." "Be it



as thou wilt," replied the King. Then the two repaired to the parade

ground where the troops were drawn up, and the young Prince looked



upon them and noted their great number. After which the King cried out

to them, saying: "Ho, all ye men, there is come to me a youth who



seeketh my daughter in marriage, and in very sooth never have I seen a

goodlier than he- no, nor a stouter of heart nor a doughtier of arm,



for he pretendeth that he can overcome you singlehanded, and force you

to flight and that, were ye a hundred thousand in number, yet for



him would ye be but few. Now when he chargeth down on you, do ye

receive him upon point of pike and sharp of saber, for indeed he



hath undertaken a mighty matter."

Then quoth the King to the Prince, "Up, O my son, and do thy



devoir on them." Answered he: "O King, thou dealest not justly and

fairly by me. How shall I go forth against them, seeing that I am



afoot and the men be mounted?" The King retorted, "I bade thee

mount, and thou refusedst, but choose thou which of my horses thou



wilt." Then he said, "Not one of thy horses pleaseth me, and I will




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