Reading Diary A: Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights

Family conversation

The Story of the Merchant and the Genius : 

• the genie has claimed that the merchant killed his son 
• the merchant had no idea what he was talking about
• the genie then explained that the merchant threw a stone and then killed the genie's son by striking him in the eye
• the merchant then realized that the genie was serious in his intents to kill him 
• the merchant begged for his life but the genie would not spare his life 
• the merchant asked for some time so that he good say farewell to his family 
• the merchant was given one more year to live and went to his family to tell them the news 

The Story of the Old Man and the Hind : 

• this old man met the merchant and was curious and wanted to meet the genie that wanted to kill him 
• the merchant told the genie that he would tell him a story and if the story  proved that he was worth of not living anymore then the merchant's life would be spared
• he began to tell his story about his wife's evil intentions with his adopted son 
• the wife learned magic and when the old man was gone she took his adopted son and converted him into a calf 
• time had passed and the feast of Bairam arrived and the old man ordered for a fat cow to be brought and killed for the feast 
• one fat cow was brought but the old man had compassion over it and did not kill it 
• the cow was indeed killed behind the old man's back but it was discovered that it was just "big boned" and not really fat in meat 
• the brought another cow and without the old man's knowing, this was his son when he was about to kill the cow the cow fell on his feet in a sense of begging for it's life 
• the wife was confused and kept telling the old man that he needed to kill the calf 
• the old man refused and then was told by someone else whose daughter knew about magic that the calf was the old man's son 
• at the news of this the old man wanted to meet the daughter and wanted his son turned back to his original state
• the girl agreed only if the old man give her his son in marriage and if he allowed the girl to have revenge on his wife 
• the genie agreed that he enjoyed this story and granted his a third part of the merchant's punishment 

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles : 

• Mahmoud was the king of the Black Isles 
• his son married his cousin and he thought that she loved him as much as he loved her 
• one day he was half asleep and overheard the others saying that she no longer loved him 
• he witnessed this as one day that a slave passed away she was distraught and wanted a palace in the garden built for him and she wept for him for two years 
• in a discussion between them she said some magic words against him and that is why he is half man and half marble