Nights 34 to 44: Shahrazad’s Emerging Voice

Illustration by Albert Letchford

34—38 Nur al-Din Ali and Anis al-Jalis • 38—45 Ghanim ibn Ayyub, the slave of love • 39 The story of the eunuch Bukhait • 39—40 The story of the eunuch Kafur


Is it me, or are the two stories in this set of nights a little more sophisticated and mature than those that came prior?

The first is the story of Nur Al-Din, which is at once a drama of power and influence and yet also a morality tale about how kindness and generosity will be rewarded.

There are two rival viziers in a sultan’s court. Al-Fadl is kind and just, while al-Mu’in is a more malevolent operator. The former is set the task of procuring a beautiful slave girl for the sultan, a task that he performs with diligence and efficiency. Unfortunately, the project is entirely derailed by his son Nur Al-Din, a lothario who seduces and then subsequently falls in love with the girl, Anis al-Jalis (in yet another Love At First Sight, Face Like The Moon situation).

This is not just a social faux pas. Bedding the sultan’s concubine is theft and embezzlement, which gives al-Mu’in the leverage he needs to cause mischief. When al-Fadl dies, al-Mu’in manages to politically skewer Nur al-Din, who flees with his lover. Continue reading “Nights 34 to 44: Shahrazad’s Emerging Voice”

Nights 19 to 33: Manic Pixie Dream Dowry

19—24 Harun al-Rashid and the fisherman’s chest • 19—24 The story of the young man and the three apples • 20—24 The story of Nur al-Din and Shams al-Din • 24—34 The hunchback • 25—26 The Christian’s story • 27—28 The inspector’s story • 28—29 The Jewish doctor’s story • 29—34 The tailor’s story • 31—34 The story of the barber • 31 The story of the barber’s first brother • 31—32 The story of the barber’s second brother • 32 The story of the barber’s third brother • 32 The story of the barber’s fourth brother • 32—33 The story of the barber’s fifth brother • 33 The story of the barber’s sixth brother


As Shahrazad finds her rhythm with a set of slightly longer stories, The Arabian Nights establishes a sort of internal logic. It is a world built around and for kings, and the stories exist because of them. Most of the tales so far have ended with the king to whom it was told ordering that it be written down. It is an endorsement and an approval, and it offers an explanation for why Shahrazad has heard it and can recite it.

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Nights 1 to 18: Keep Talking

1—3 • The merchant and the jinni • 1—2 The story of the first old man • 2 The story of the second old man • 2—3 The story of the third old man • 3—9 The fisherman and the ‘ifrit • 4—5 The story of King Yunan and Duban the sage • 5 The story of King Sindbad and the falcon • 5 The story of the treacherous vizier • 7—8 The story of the semi-petrified prince • 9—19 The porter and the three ladies • 11—12 The story of the first dervish • 12—14 The story of the second dervish • 13 The story of the envious and the envied • 14—16 The story of the third dervish • 17—18 The story of the lady of the house • 18 The story of the doorkeeper


千里之行,始於足下

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”

— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching (Ch. 64)

The prospect of reading The Arabian Nights is a daunting one. It will be an epic journey of sorts, even if it is one taken from the comfort of one’s home rather than a trudge across the dunes or a hike up a mountain.

But just as every journey begins with a single step, our assault on this three-volume mountain of literature must begin with the first page and the first Night.

Nights 1 to 18 comprise three sets of stories: ‘The Merchant and the Jinni’, ‘The Fisherman and the Ifrit’, and ‘The Porter and the Three Ladies’. Each is slightly longer than the last, and each is more ‘nested’ as Shahrazad presents more stories within stories. But I’d say that these tales do a good job of setting expectations for the Nights to come. Themes are established and, even in these early literary foothills, we see tropes recurring in different stories.

The fisherman and the Ifrit
“At the appearance of this huge monster the fisherman wished to run away’ – Illustration by Louis Rhead

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Prelude: Shahrazad’s selfless gamble

The one thing that I (and, one suspects, most new readers) know about The Arabian Nights is the basic premise: that Shahrazad finds herself in the king’s presence, telling stories to save her life. We open with a framing narrative that explains why this should be so: the king has been cuckolded by a slave and therefore killed his queen. Fearful of a repeat, he resolves to ‘deflower’ a different girl every night and kill her in the morning.

Shariyar and Shahrazad by Rene Bull
Shariyar and Shahrazad by Rene Bull

Continue reading “Prelude: Shahrazad’s selfless gamble”