1000 and one night illustration. Arabian tales "A Thousand and One Nights" (set of postcards)

To create portraits like these, so unusual and colorful, artists Yasmina Alaoui and Marco Guerra mix old and new image techniques. In the presented series of works entitled “100 and 1 Nights” / “1001 Dreams” Marco first photographed nude models in black and white, and then Yasmina hand-painted the images with ink and sometimes watercolors.



As the artists say in one of their interviews, they simply wanted to create something very beautiful, eye-catching and at the same time calm and meaningful. So that there is something here from the great masters and something completely new and relevant. Inspired by the beauty and sensuality of the fairy tale "1000 and one nights", as well as the fine arts of Morocco and Chile, the guys began work, the result of which you see here.



In the drawings you can see natural elements, for example, plants or even animals and insects. They are used as spiritual symbols as a message to all humanity - "we are one" or "we are in harmony".... The works made a huge impression all over the world!

One of the best illustrated reprints of 2011, according to, was the book "The most beautiful tales of the thousand and one nights". I couldn't agree more - the book is truly amazing in every way.

Illustrations Olga Dugina so thin and graceful that they instantly immerse you in the atmosphere of the Ancient East - I even dreamed of the beautiful Marjana. The retelling from German by Leonid Yakhnin is pleasant, smooth and not too overloaded with oriental terms for children's perception. In addition to the three tales, there is a beginning and an end to the story of Scheherizade herself.

The quality of the publication is excellent: large format, varnished inscriptions on the cover, excellent printing, light beige coated paper, large font and an eye-pleasing “oriental” stripe on the endpapers. The pagination of some of the drawings, which would look better on a full spread, without a white stripe in the center, looks a little inorganic, but this is a trifle. In general, the atmosphere of the book is fascinating - see for yourself.

in "Labyrinth"
Olga Dugina and her husband Andrey create masterpieces of book illustration.
As D. Yakovlev notes, “the Dugins have properties that make them similar to medieval miniaturists: they decorate a modern book with the same love as the old masters did...” Andrei and Olga spend an average of two years on one book. And they spent almost seven years drawing illustrations for the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Brave Little Tailor.” For this book in 2007, the Dugins were awarded the Gold Medal of the US Society of Illustrators.

The illustrations in these two books are truly beautiful, but they are designed for the perception of children of middle and high school age, and the texts of the books are intended for older preschoolers and primary schoolchildren. Therefore, I WILL NOT recommend these books to children. They are more suitable for adult collectors and lovers of Bosch and Bruegel. For myself, I limited myself to postcards - to enjoy the beauty and save space in my closet/finances.

There is also the book “Ruddy Bun” on sale, but I don’t recommend it to anyone except fans of the Dugins’ work, and they already bought it without me.
More information about the artists can be found at: http://www.illustratoren-online.de/Dugin/illustration1/thumb1.htm

And for those who want to get acquainted with the tales of Scheherazade in the “adult” classic oriental translation by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Salier, there is a luxurious book from the Eksmo publishing house with drawings for the tales of the 1001 nights by the English artist Edmond Dulac, unsurpassed to this day. "One Thousand and One Nights" is a masterpiece of prose of the medieval East, a collection of 40 amazing Arabic and Persian fairy tales for adults. In addition to Dulac, illustrations by L. Bakst and S. Vidberg were used in the design. This book will undoubtedly become a decoration for any library.

A children's version with illustrations by Dulac was published by IDM - this is the book “Legends of the Singing Sands” from my favorite Reflections series, which I already wrote about in . “Legends of the Singing Sands” contains four fairy tales, well retold by Julia Doppelmayer.

FAIRY TALE

The Arabian tales "A Thousand and One Nights" are included in the treasury of world literature as a wonderful monument of Arab culture. In the proposed set of color illustrations, made in the spirit of oriental miniatures, Moscow artist Alexander Melikhov sought to convey the national flavor, the whimsical and unique world of an oriental fairy tale.

THE TAJ AL-MULUK

And he approached her and said: “Allah save you from any bad thing happening to your father because of you.” And he told her about everything that had happened and that her lover, the son of King Suleiman Shah, wanted to marry her. “The matter of matchmaking and marriage depends on your desire,” he said, and Sitt Dunya smiled and replied: “Didn’t I tell you that he is the son of the Sultan, and I will certainly make him crucify you on a board at the cost of two dirhams.”

“Oh my daughter, have pity on me, Allah will have pity on you,” her father told her. And she exclaimed: “Quickly, go quickly and bring him to me quickly, without delay!” - “On the head and in front of the eyes!” - her father answered her and quickly returned from her and, coming to Taj-al-Muluk, slowly conveyed these words to him. And they got up and went to her, and, seeing Taj-al-Muluk, the princess hugged him in the presence of her father, and leaned close to him, and kissed him, saying: “You made me yearn!”

THE STORY ABOUT KING SHAKHRIIR AND HIS BROTHER

And so the vizier, Shahrazad’s father, brought her to the king, and the king, seeing him, was delighted and asked: “Have you delivered what I need?”

And the vizier said: “Yes!”

And Shahryar wanted to take Shahrazad, but she began to cry: and then he asked her: “What’s the matter with you?”

Shahrazad said: “O king, I have a little sister, and I want to say goodbye to her.” And the king then sent for Danyazada, and she came to her sister, hugged her and sat down on the floor near the bed. And then Shahriyar took possession of Shahrazade, and then they began to talk; and the younger sister said to Shahrazad: “I conjure you by Allah, sister, tell us something to shorten the sleepless hours of the night.”

“With love and desire, if the most worthy king allows me,” answered Shahrazad. And, hearing these words, the king, who was suffering from insomnia, was glad that he would listen to the story, and allowed it.

“What do you want to achieve by this struggle, O conquered one? Come here and know that this fight will be enough.”

And then she bent down and called him to fight, and Sharr-Kan also bent over her and began to fight in earnest, being careful not to weaken. And they wrestled a little, and the girl found in him a strength that she had not known in him before, and said to him: “O Muslim, have you decided to be careful?” “Yes,” answered Sharr-Kan, “you know that I only have this fight left with you, and after that each of us will go our own way.” And she laughed, and Sharr-Kan also laughed in her face, and when this happened, the girl quickly grabbed him by the thigh, unexpectedly for him, and threw him to the ground, so that he fell on his back.

THE STORY OF A PORTER AND THREE GIRLS

And when the woman heard their words, she exclaimed: “Truly, O guests, you have offended me with a great insult! After all, we previously agreed with you that those who begin to talk about what does not concern them will hear something that they do not like! Is it not enough for you that we brought you into our house and fed you with our food? But the fault is not with you, the fault is with the one who brought you to us.” Then she bared her hands, struck the floor three times, and exclaimed, “Hurry!” Suddenly the closet door opened and seven slaves came out with drawn swords in their hands. “Twist up these long-winded ones and tie them to each other!” - she exclaimed. And the slaves did this and said: “O venerable lady, order us to remove their heads.” “Give them a moment's respite while I ask them who they are before they get their heads knocked off,” said the woman.

THE TALE OF THE VAZIR OF KING YUNAN

And King Yunan ordered the doctor's head to be cut off and took the book from him, and the executioner stood up and cut off the doctor's head, and the head fell into the middle of the dish. And the king rubbed his head with powder, and the blood stopped, and the doctor Duban opened his eyes and said: “O king, open the book!” And the king opened it and saw that the sheets were stuck together, and then he put his finger in his mouth, moistened it with saliva and opened the first sheet, and the second, and the third, and the sheets opened with difficulty. And the king turned over the six sheets of paper and looked at them, but did not see any writing and said to the doctor: “O doctor, nothing is written on it.” “Open more than this,” said the doctor; and the king turned over three more leaves, and only a little time passed, and in one minute the poison spread throughout the king’s entire body, since the book was poisoned.

THE TALE OF KING OMAR IBN AN-NUMAN

And when night fell, they entered the tent of this sorceress Zat-ad-Dawahi and saw that she was standing and praying. And, approaching her, they began to cry, feeling sorry for her, but she did not pay attention to them until night fell. And then she ended the prayer with a final greeting and, turning to them, greeted them and asked: “Why have you come?” And they said to her: “O pilgrim, didn’t you hear how we cried around you?” “He who stands before the face of Allah does not exist in existence and does not hear anyone’s voice and does not see anyone,” answered the old woman. And they said: “We want you to tell us why you were in captivity, and to pray for us tonight; it is better for us than to own al-Kustantinyya.”

Hearing their words, the old woman exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, if you were not the emirs of Muslims, I would not have told you anything about this at all, for I complain only to Allah! But I’ll tell you why I was in captivity.”

THE TAJ AL-MULUK

And when everything necessary for the bride was completely ready, the king ordered the tents to be set up.

They were defeated outside the city, and the materials were put in chests, and the Rumian slaves and Turkish servants were prepared, and the king sent valuable treasures and expensive stones along with the bride. And, in addition, he made her a stretcher of pure gold, embroidered with pearls and jewels, and assigned twenty mules to carry them for one stretcher. And these stretchers became like an upper room among upper rooms, and their owner was like a guria from the beautiful gurias, and the dome above them resembled a small room from heavenly little rooms. And the treasures and wealth were tied up, and they were loaded onto mules and camels, and King Zahr Shah traveled with those departing a distance of three farsakhs, and then he said goodbye to the vizier and those who were with him, and returned to his hometown, joyful and calm. And the vizier went with the king’s daughter and constantly passed through stops and deserts...

A TALE ABOUT THE LOVER AND THE BEloved

And when the young man took the flap and put it under his thigh, Taj-al-Muluk asked him: “What kind of flap is this?” “Oh, lord,” said the young man, “I refused to show you my goods only because of this rag: I cannot let you look at it...”

A STORY OF THREE APPLES

And the vizier, hearing this, was amazed and, taking with him the young man and the old man, went up with them to the caliph and kissed the ground before him and said: “O Commander of the Faithful, we have brought the murderer of a woman.” - "Where is he?" - asked the Caliph. And Jafar replied: “This young man says that he is the murderer, and this old man assures that the young man is lying and says that he killed. Here they are both in front of you."

And they revealed the hunchback to him, and he sat down next to him and, taking his head on his knees, looked into his face and began to laugh so much that he turned over on his back, and then exclaimed: “Every death is amazing, but the death of this hunchback should be written down in gold ink! » And all those gathered were dumbfounded by the barber’s words, and the king was surprised at his speeches and asked: “What’s wrong with you, O Silent Man, tell us.” And the barber replied: “O king of time, I swear by your mercy, there is a spirit in the liar-hunchback!” The barber took out a box from his bosom and, opening it, took out a pot of fat and smeared it on the hunchback’s neck and the veins on it, and then he took out two iron hooks and, lowering them into his throat, took out a piece of fish with a bone; and when he took it out, it was found to be covered in blood. And the hunchback sneezed once and jumped to his feet and stroked his face...

THE TALE OF THE VAZIR NUR-AD-DIN AND HIS BROTHER

And they began to curse the hunchbacked groom and the one who was the reason for his marriage to this beauty, and every time, blessing Bedr-ad-din Hasan, they cursed this hunchback. And then the singers beat their tambourines and whistled their pipes, and the servants appeared, and among them was the vizier’s daughter; They perfumed her and anointed her, and dressed her, and pulled back her hair, and smoked her, and put on her jewelry and clothes from the clothes of the kings of Khosroes. And among other clothes she wore a robe embroidered with red gold, with images of animals and birds, and it descended from her eyebrows, and around her neck they put a necklace worth thousands, and every pebble in it was worth a wealth that Tobba and Caesar did not have . And the bride became like the moon on the fourteenth night, and as she approached, she looked like a houri; may he be exalted who made her brilliant! And the women surrounded her and became like stars, and she among them was like the moon when the clouds opened it.

And Bedr-ad-din Hasan of Basria sat, and people looked at him, and the bride proudly approached, swaying, and the hunchbacked groom rose to kiss her, but she turned away and turned so that she found herself in front of Hasan, her uncle’s son, and that’s all laughed.

A TALE OF TWO VIZIRS
AND ANIS AL-JALIS

And al-Muin ibn Savi wanted to rush at him, and then the merchants looked at Nur-ad-din (and they all loved him), and he told them: “Here I am in front of you, and you know how cruel he is!” And the vizier exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, if it weren’t for you, I probably would have killed him!” And all the merchants showed Nur-ad-din a sign with their eyes: “Deal with him! - and they said: “Not one of us will come between him and you.”

Then Nur-ad-din approached the vizier ibn Savi (and Nur-ad-din was a brave man) and pulled the vizier from the saddle and threw him to the ground. And then there was a clay kneader, and the vizier fell into it, and Nur-ad-din began to beat him and hit him with his fists, and one of the blows hit him in the teeth, so that the vizier’s beard was stained with his blood.

TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND THE SPIRIT

And suddenly a huge spinning column of dust flew out of the desert, and when the dust cleared, it turned out that it was the same genie, and in his hands he had a naked sword, and his eyes were throwing sparks. And, approaching them, the genie dragged the merchant by the hand and exclaimed: “Get up, I will kill you, as you killed my child, which was dearer to me than life!” And the merchant burst into tears and cried, and the three elders also began to cry, sob and scream.

And he took out a knife and tried to work on the lead until he tore it off the jug, and laid the jug sideways on the ground, and shook it so that what was in it would pour out - and nothing poured out, and the fisherman was extremely surprised. And then smoke came out of the jug, which rose to the clouds of heaven and crawled across the face of the earth, and when the smoke came out completely, it gathered, and shrank, and trembled, and became an ifrit with his head in the clouds and his feet on the ground.

There are few books in world literature that are as popular as the tales of the Arabian Nights. Fantasy and reality, teaching and unique literary flavor are inextricably linked here. We are all familiar with the amazing fairy tales of this book from childhood. The travels of Sinbad the Sailor, stories about oriental sages and wizards, the adventures of Ali Baba, stories with the participation of Harun ar-Rashitz - all these are vivid signs of memory among our very first books.

And now we, adults, long gone from childhood, rejoice, turning again to this book. Together with Shahrazade, as if for the first time, we set off to travel through thousands of nights of the patterned East to the wonderful land of fairy tales. Night after night stretches on, the moon rises and goes, the nightingale falls silent and sings its songs again in the bizarre tangles of branches - the stories of Scheherazade. And as if enchanted, we cannot tear ourselves away from the ancient lines, from which the smell of blooming peach orchards, roses and jasmine seems to flow.

They say that they once asked one of the Persian kings which book was the best in the world. And he answered: the one in which is wisdom. There is no fairy tale without wisdom, and wisdom is not born without fairy tales. That is why the magnificent stories of the legendary Shahrazatz, filled with the aroma of antiquity, are alive for us.

The fairy tale collection was born in Persia and, in Persian and Arabic versions, was distributed throughout the East. Who knows where, when and who laid the foundation of this great monument of the word, the “Tower of Babel” of world literature. They are still arguing about this. And there is no consensus on this matter. Highly artistic language, folk literature, the very spirit of the wise and crafty East - this is the basis on which the flowers of the fairy tales “1001 Nights” bloom.

In 1704, a small book was published in Paris, which almost immediately became a bibliographic rarity. It was a French translation of several Arabic tales, previously unknown in Europe. Their translator was a modest Latin teacher at one of the colleges, A. Gallan. How and where did the translator learn about the existence of the fairy tales “1001 nights”, we can only guess. However, it is known that at the turn of the 15th–17th centuries, Gallan was the secretary of the French embassy in Turkey. And having returned from there, he was not slow in publishing his famous translations, the publication cycle of which ended in 1717, after the death of the “discoverer” of the wonderful land of Eastern fairy tales.

As time passed, Galland's translation appeared in other Western European countries. Already from French, the fairy tale was translated in Germany (Von Hammer), then in England (Ed. Lane) and in many other countries.

Translations of fairy tales also appeared in Russia, around the middle of the 19th century, as a translation from a translation, without using the original. And only in 1929 was a complete publication of the fairy tales carried out directly from the original Calcutta text of “Nights,” which is the most reliable. The translation was made by M. A. Salye for the publishing house "Academia". In the introductory article, M. Gorky noted: “... I warmly welcome the publication of the first translation of fairy tales from... the original. This is a solid cultural achievement of the translator and a good, quite timely whole...”

How many publications - so many illustrations. And each artist sees the tales of “A Thousand and One Nights” in his own way. Offered to the reader is the second issue of the set of postcards “1001 Nights” made by the artist A. G. Melikhov. Here are scenes from fairy tales, individual characters, here in each illustration there is a riot of color and the aroma of a blooming oriental night.

THE TALE OF ALI IBN BEKKAR

And when we were drowning in a sea of ​​​​joy,” said the jeweler, “suddenly a little maid came in to us, trembling all over, and said: “Oh lady, think about how you can escape: people surrounded us and overtook us, and we don’t know what this means.” cause".

Hearing this, I stood up frightened, and suddenly I heard one slave screaming: “Trouble has come!” And the earth became cramped for me, despite all its spaciousness. And I looked at the gate, but did not find a way there. I ran to my neighbor's gate and hid and saw that people had entered my house and there was a great noise.

I thought then that news of us had reached the Caliph and he sent the chief of the guard to seize us and bring us to him. And I was confused and sat outside my neighbor’s gate until midnight, unable to get out of where I was. And the owner of the house stood up, and when he saw me, he was afraid and felt great fear because of me. He left the house and came up to me, holding a naked sword in his hand, and asked: “Who is this with us?” And I answered him: “I am your neighbor, a jeweler.”

BUDUR

And Dakhnash and Maimuna began to look at them, and Dakhnash exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, good, oh lady! My beloved is more beautiful!” “No, my beloved is more beautiful!” said Maimuna. “Woe to you, Dakhnash, you are blind in your eyes and heart and do not distinguish skinny from fat. Will the truth be hidden? Don't you see how beautiful and charming, slender and proportionate he is? Woe to you, listen to what I say about my beloved, and if you sincerely love the one with whom you are in love, say about her what I say about mine
beloved."

THE TALE OF QAMAR-AZ-ZAMAN AND THE QUEEN
BUDUR

And when Sitt Budur finished her poems, she immediately stood up and, bracing her feet against the wall, leaned forcefully on the iron collar and tore it from her neck, and then she broke the chains and, coming out from behind the curtain, rushed to Kamaraz-Zaman and kissed him on the mouth, as doves peck, and, hugging him out of intense love and passion, exclaimed: “Oh my lord, is this reality or a dream? Has Allah really sent us closeness after separation? Glory to Allah that we met after we lost hope!”

THE TALE OF QAMAR-AZ-ZAMAN AND THE QUEEN
BUDUR

And all this happened, and Kamar az-Zaman looked and was surprised, and suddenly he glanced at the place where the bird was killed and saw something shiny there. And he came closer, and it turned out that it was the crop of that bird, and Qamar-az-Zaman took it and opened it and found there a stone, which was the reason for his separation from his wife. And when Kamar-az-Zaman saw and recognized the stone, he fell unconscious with joy, and when he woke up, he exclaimed: “Praise be to Allah! This is a good sign and news of a meeting with my beloved.”

THE STORY OF AL-AMJAD AND AL-ASAD

And they followed the footsteps of the vizier, and the footsteps led them to a thicket, and the brothers said to one another: “Truly, the horse and the treasurer did not go further than this thicket.” “Stay here,” al-Assad said to his brother, “and I’ll go into the thicket and see the emir.” But al-Amjad exclaimed: “I will not let you enter the forest alone, and only both of us will enter!” If we are saved, we will be saved together, and if we perish, we will perish together.”

And both entered and saw that the lion had already rushed at the treasurer, and he was under him like a sparrow, but only he prayed to Allah and pointed his hand to the sky. And when al-Amjad saw this, he grabbed the sword and, rushing at the lion, struck him between the eyes with the sword, and the lion fell and stretched out on the ground.

THE TALE OF HIM AND NUM

And then one day he was sitting, and suddenly an old woman approached him riding a donkey, the saddle on which was made of brocade, decorated with precious stones. And the old woman stopped near the Persian’s shop and, tying the donkey by the bridle, made a sign to the Persian and said: “Take me by the hand,” and the Persian took the old woman by the hand, and she got off the donkey and asked: “Are you the Persian doctor who has arrived?” from Iraq?” “Yes,” answered the doctor. And the old woman said: “Know, I have a daughter, and she is sick.” And the old woman took out a jar, and when the Persian looked at what was in the jar, he asked: “O lady, tell me what this girl’s name is, so that I can calculate her star and find out at what time it is suitable for her to drink the medicine.” And the old woman said: “O brother of the Persians, her name is Num...”

THE STORY ABOUT ALA AD-DIN ABU-SH-SHAMATH

And Ala ad-Din opened the gates to the dervishes and brought them and seated them and said to them: “Welcome!”, and then he brought food; but they did not eat and said: “O sir... order your wife to play music for us so that we can enjoy and feel cheerful, music for some people is food, for some it is medicine, and for some it is a fan...”

And Zubeida played music for them on the lute that would make a rock dance, and they spent time in pleasure, joy and fun, telling each other different stories; and when the morning rose and shone with light and sparkled, the Caliph put a hundred dinars under the rug, and then they said goodbye to Ala ad-Din and went their way.

THE STORY ABOUT ISHAK OF MOSOUL

And then we spent the whole day enjoying ourselves, and al-Mamun’s heart became attached to that girl. And we could not believe that the time had come, and we set off, and I instructed al-Mamun and told him: “Refrain from calling me by name in front of her - in her presence I am your guide.”

And we agreed on this and walked until we reached the place where the basket was, and we found two baskets there, and sat down in them, and they were taken up with us to an already familiar place. And the girl came and greeted us, and when he saw her, al-Mamun fell into confusion because of her beauty and charm.

THE STORY OF THE CLEANER AND THE WOMAN

“And I went with the donkey into the alley and stood waiting for the crowd to disperse. And I saw eunuchs with sticks in their hands and with them about thirty women, among whom was one, like a willow branch or a thirsty gazelle, and she was perfect in beauty, grace and delicacy, and everyone served her. And, having reached the gate of the alley where I stood, this woman looked to the right and to the left, and then called one eunuch. And when he appeared before her, she said something in his ear, and suddenly the eunuch came up to me and grabbed me, and the people fled. And suddenly another eunuch took my donkey and led him away, and then the eunuch came and tied me with a rope and dragged me along with him, and I did not know what was the matter, and the people who stood behind us shouted and said: “Allah does not do this.” allows! This is a cleaner, a poor man, why was he tied with ropes?”

And Abul-Muzaffar saw a man sitting there, and in front of him there were many monkeys, among which was one with plucked hair. And the other monkeys, every time their owner turned away, grabbed the plucked monkey and beat it and threw it to the owner, and he beat them and tied them up and tortured them, and all the monkeys got angry at that monkey and beat it. And when Sheikh Abul-Muzaffar saw this wallpaper, he felt sorry for it and was saddened.

“Will you sell me this monkey?” - he asked the owner, and he answered: “Buy!” And then Abul-Muzaffar said: “I have five dirhams that belong to one orphan child. Will you sell me a monkey for this price?” - “I will sell it to you, may Allah bless you!” - answered the owner of the monkeys.

THE STORY ABOUT ABU MUHAMMED THE LAZY MAN

And being left alone with the bride, I marveled at her beauty and charm, her harmony and proportionality, since languages ​​cannot describe her beauty and charm, and I rejoiced at her with great joy; when midnight came and the bride fell asleep, I got up and, taking the keys, unlocked the closet, took a knife, killed the rooster, threw down the flags and overturned the chest. And the woman woke up and, seeing that the closet was unlocked and the rooster had been slaughtered, exclaimed: “There is no power and strength except with Allah, the high, the great! Marid took me! And she had not yet finished her words when the Marid began circling around the house and kidnapped the bride.

And the girl saw that Ali-Shar had lowered his head, and said to the mediator: “Take me by the hand and lead me to him; I will show myself to him and tempt him to take me - I will not be sold to anyone but him.” And the mediator took the girl and put her before Ali-Shar and said to him: “What do you think, oh lord?” But Ali-Shar did not give him an answer. “O my lord and beloved of my heart, why do you not buy me? - asked the girl. “Buy me and I will be the reason for your happiness.”

THE STORY ABOUT ALI-SHARA AND ZUMURRUD

And Barsoum mounted a mule and, taking with him his servants, went with his brother to the house of Ali-Shar and grabbed a bag with a thousand dinars, so that when the Vali met him, he could bribe him.

And he opened the rooms, and the people who were with him rushed at Zumurrud and took her by force, threatening her with death if she spoke, and left the house as it was, taking nothing. And Ali-Shar was left lying in the passage, and the door was closed, and the key to the rooms was placed next to him.

A TALE OF SIX SLAVES

And he had six slave girls, like moons: the first was white, the second was brown, the third was plump, the fourth was thin, the fifth was yellow and the sixth was black, and they were all beautiful in face and perfect in education, and knew the art of singing and playing musical instruments. And it happened that he called these slave girls to him one day and demanded food and wine, and they began to eat, and drink, and enjoyed, and rejoiced, and their master filled the cup and, taking it in his hand, made a sign with a white slave and said: “O face of the new moon, let us hear sweet words.”

ABOUT THE JEWELER AND THREE STRANGERS

And when he sat down in his shop, three people came to him and asked him about his father, and he mentioned his death, and then these people asked him: “Did he leave any offspring?” “He left the slave who is in front of you,” answered the jeweler, and those who came said: “Who knows that you are his son?” “People in the market,” answered the jeweler. “Gather them together so that they can testify that you are his son,” those who came said. And the jeweler gathered people, and they witnessed it. And then those three men took out a bag in which there were about thirty thousand dinars and expensive stones and valuable metals, and said: “This was entrusted to us by your father.” And then they left.

A STORY ABOUT A THIEF AND A SIMPLE

And her husband went to the market and stopped near the donkeys and suddenly saw his donkey being sold! And, recognizing the donkey, he approached him and put his mouth to his ear and said: “Woe to you, unfortunate one! Maybe you went back to drinking or beat your mother? I swear to Allah, I will never buy you again!” And then he left him and left.