Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/170

152 to come, for that indeed thou adventurest thyself and wilt either perish or attain to thy desire.’

So she did this and fair fortune aided her and the Divine favour was vouchsafed unto her and she discovered her intent to her father, who forbade her therefrom, fearing her slaughter. However, she repeated her speech to him a second and a third time, but he consented not. Then he cited unto her a parable, that should deter her, and she cited him a parable in answer to his, and the talk was prolonged between them and the adducing of instances, till her father saw that he availed not to turn her from her purpose and she said to him, ‘Needs must I marry the king, so haply I may be a sacrifice for the children of the Muslims; either I shall turn him from this his heresy or I shall die.’ When the vizier despaired of dissuading her, he went up to the king and acquainted him with the case, saying, ‘I have a daughter and she desireth to give herself to the king.’ Quoth the king, ‘How can thy soul consent unto this, seeing that thou knowest I lie but one night with a girl and when I arise on the morrow, I put her to death, and it is thou who slayest her, and thou hast done this again and again?’ ‘Know, O king,’ answered the vizier, ‘that I have set forth all this to her, yet consented she not unto aught, but needs must she have thy company and still chooseth to come to thee and present herself before thee, notwithstanding that I have cited to her the sayings of the sages; but she hath answered me to the contrary thereof with more than that which I said to her.’ And the king said, ‘Bring