Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/335

305 birth to a son like the moon, whom his father named Ardeshir, and he grew up and throve and applied himself to the study of science and polite letters, till he attained the age of fifteen.

Now there was in Irak a king called Abdulcadir, who had a daughter, by name Heyat en Nufous, and she was like the rising full moon; but she had an aversion to men and the folk scarce dared name them in her presence. The kings of the Chosroës had sought her in marriage of her father; but, when he spoke with her thereof, she said, ‘Never will I do this thing; and if thou force me, I will slay myself.’ Ardeshir heard of her and fell in love with her and told his father, who, seeing his case, took pity on him and promised him that he should marry her. So he despatched his Vizier to demand her in marriage of King Abdulcadir; but he refused, and when the Vizier returned to King Seif el Aazem and acquainted him with the failure of his mission, he was exceeding wroth and said, ‘Shall the like of me send to one of the kings on an occasion and he accomplish it not?’ Then he let make proclamation to his troops, bidding them get out the tents and equip them for war with all diligence, though they should borrow money for the necessary expenses; and he said, ‘I will not turn back, till I have laid waste King Abdulcadir’s dominions and slain his men and plundered his treasures and blotted out his traces!’

When the report of this reached Ardeshir, he rose from his bed and going in to his father, kissed the earth before him and said, ‘O mighty King, burden not thyself with this thing and levy not thy troops neither spend thy money. Thou art stronger than King Abdulcadir, and if thou loose upon him this thy host, thou wilt lay waste his dominions and spoil his good and slay his men and himself; but, when his daughter comes to know what hath befallen her

VOL. VI.