Love.


It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in times of yore and
in years and ages long gone before, there lived in Damascus a
merchant among the merchants, a wealthy man who had a son like
the moon on the night of his fulness[FN#80] and withal sweet of
speech, who was named Ghanim bin 'Ayyub, surnamed the Distraught,
the Thrall o' Love. He had also a daughter, own sister to Ghanim,
who was called Fitnah, a damsel unique in beauty and loveliness.
Their father died and left them abundant wealth.--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Thirty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
merchant left his two children abundant wealth and amongst other
things an hundred loads[FN#81] of silks and brocades, musk pods
and mother o' pearl; and there was written on every bale, "This
is of the packages intended for Baghdad," it having been his
purpose to make the journey thither, when Almighty Allah took him
to Himself, which was in the time of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid.
After a while his son took the loads and, bidding farewell to his
mother and kindred and townsfolk, went forth with a company of
merchants, putting his trust in Allah Almighty, who decreed him
safety, so that he arrived without let or stay at Baghdad. There
he hired for himself a fair dwelling house which he furnished
with carpets and cushions, curtains and hangings; and therein
stored his bales and stabled his mules and camels, after which he
abode a while resting. Presently the merchants and notables of