One Thousand and One Nights

Author: Fang Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: "One Thousand and One Nights," also known as "Arabian Nights," is a treasure of Arabic literature. Legend has it that in ancient Arabia, there was a king who would marry a woman every day and have her executed the next morning. A young girl wanted to stop him from such a cruel practice and volunteered to be his queen for one night. After entering the palace, she began to tell the king stories. When the time for execution came, the king was so engrossed in the tale that he said, "Wait until tomorrow to execute her." However, the stories continued one after another, and each time the execution was due, the story reached the point where it said, "To know how the story ends, listen to the next installment." To hear more, the king had to postpone her execution day after day. In this way, the stories went on for one thousand and one nights, and the king finally gave up his horrifying habit, making her a queen for life. This is the origin of "One Thousand and One Nights." The stories she told were so captivating to the king, of course, because they were truly delightful. Indeed, stories like "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," "The Magic Lamp," and "Sinbad the Sailor's Adventures at Sea" have long been spread across the world. How can we not read such wonderful and meaningful stories?