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I will have thee dress and tire thyself and put away melancholy from thee; and when the accursed Maugrabin cometh to thee, do thou receive him with ‘Welcome and fair welcome’ and go to meet him with a smiling face and bid him come sup with thee and profess to him that thou hast forgotten thy beloved Alaeddin and thy father and that thou lovest him with an exceeding love. Moreover, do thou seek of him wine, and that red,[1] and make him a show of all joy and gladness and drink to his health.[2] Then, when thou hast filled him two or three cups of wine,[3] [watch] till thou take him off his guard; then put him this powder[4] in the cup and fill it up with wine, and an he drink it, he will straightway turn over on his back, like a dead man.” When the Lady Bedrulbudour heard Alaeddin’s words, she said! to him, “This is a thing exceeding hard on me to do; but it is lawful to slay this accursed, so we may be delivered from his un-
- ↑ Because white wine would have been visibly troubled by the drug.
- ↑ Ishrebi bi-surrihi (lit. “drink by his pleasure or gladness;” surr or surour). Burton, “Pledge him to his secret in a significant draught.”
- ↑ Kasein thelatheh, lit. two cups three (unusual way of putting it).
- ↑ Reshoush (for reshash), “anything sprinkled,” i.e. powder or drops. I translate “powder,” as I find no mention in the Nights of the use of this narcotic in a liquid form.
