The Prologue Tale

Guest Editor’s Introduction

The Thousand and One Nights, commonly called in England The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, a new translation from the Arabic with copious notes by Edward William Lane, Hon. M.R.S.L. etc., Author of “The Modern Egyptian.” Illustrated by many hundred engravings on wood. From Original designs by William Harvey. A New Edition. From a Copy Annotated by the Translator; edited by his nephew Edward Stanley Poole. In three volumes.

Thus reads the title page of Lane’s translation published in London by C. Knight between 1839 and 1841. “The Prologue Tale” exists in English only in Lane’s lengthy note at the end of chapter 24 (3: 343–47). In the Bulaq edition the tale runs from the end of the 756th night to the beginning of the 778th night. In his introductory note, Edward Lane explains that “in the original, . . . [‘Sayfal-Muluk’] has the following introduction, which I have transferred to this place because it seems to me to be of little interest, and calculated to induce expectations that will not be fully realized. The Breslau edition does not contain it.” The story follows below.

There was, in ancient times, a King, of the Kings of the Persians, whose name was Moḥammad the son of Sebáïk, and who ruled over the countries of Khurásán, and every year he used to invade the countries of the infidels, in El-Hind¹ and Es-Sind² and China, and the regions that are beyond the River [Oxus], and other countries besides these, of the Persians and other nations.

He was a just, brave, generous, liberal King. And this King was fond of conversations over the cup, and traditions and verses, and histories and tales, and night-discourses, and the lives of the ancients. Whoever preserved in his memory an extraordinary tale, and related it to him, he used to confer favours upon him. It is said that if a stranger came to him with an extraordinary night-discourse, and recited before him, and he approved of his tale, and his words pleased him, he used to bestow upon him a sumptuous robe of honour, give him a thousand pieces of gold, mount him upon a horse saddled and bridled, clothe him from head to foot, and give him magnificent gifts; and the man would take the things and go his way.

Now it happened that an old man came to him with an extraordinary night-tale, which he related before him, and he approved of it, and his words pleased him; so he gave orders to present to him a sumptuous gift, comprising a thousand pieces of gold of Khurásán, and a horse completely equipped. Then, after this, the news of these actions of the King spread abroad throughout all the cities, and a man named the merchant ḥasan, who was generous, liberal, learned, a poet, excelling in science, heard of him. And there was, with that King, an envious Wezeer, of inauspicious aspect, who loved not any one among all the people, neither the rich nor the poor; and whenever any one came to that King and he gave him aught, he envied him, and said, Verily this practice consumeth the wealth and ruineth the country; and this is the custom of the King:—these words proceeding not save from envy and hatred in that Wezeer. Then the King heard of the merchant ḥasan; so he sent to him, and caused him to be brought; and when he came before him, he said to him, O merchant ḥasan, the Wezeer hath acted with opposition and enmity towards me on account of the wealth that I give to the boon-companions, and the reciters of tales and verses. Now I desire of thee that thou relate to me a pleasant tale and an extraordinary story, such that I have never heard the like of it. And if thy story please me, I will give thee many tracts of land with their castles and I will make them additional to thy fief:³ I will also place all my kingdom at thy disposal...