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disappearing, brought him in the twinkling of an eye all that he had commanded him withal, whilst in his hand he held a stallion, whose like is not among the horses of the Arabs of the Arabs,[1] with housings of the richest stuffs brocaded with gold; whereupon Alaeddin called his mother forthright and delivered her the twelve slave-girls and gave her the [twelve] suits,[2] so she might dress herself[3] and go with them to the Sultan’s palace. Then he despatched one of the mamelukes thither, to see an the Sultan were come forth of the harem or not; so he went and returning, swiftlier than lightning, said to him, “O my lord, the Sultan awaiteth thee.” Accordingly he arose and mounting, [set forth], whilst the mamelukes rode before him and after him, (extolled be the perfection of the Lord who created them with[4] that which clothed them of beauty and grace!), strewing gold upon the folk before their lord Alaeddin, who overpassed them all of his grace and goodliness, and ask thou not of kings’ sons,[5]
- ↑ i.e. the genuine Arabs of the unmixed blood.
- ↑ See ante, p. 166, note 2.
- ↑ Likai telbesa (tetelebbesa?) hiya. Burton, “she should wear.”
- ↑ Sic, the meaning seeming to be that kings’ sons were out of comparison with Alaeddin, as who should say (in Cockney parlance), “Don’t talk to me about kings’ sons.”
- ↑ Lit. “upon.”
