And Shahrazad saw the dawn of day and stopped her storytelling.
Then Dunyazad said, “My sister, how pleasant your tale is, and how
tasteful, how sweet, how generous!” Shahrazad replied, “And what is this
compared to what I could tell you in the night to come, if I live and if
the king spare me?” The king thought, “By Allah, I shall not kill her
until I hear the rest of her tale, for it is truly wonderful.” So they rested
that night in mutual embrace until the dawn. After this, the king went
to his court, and the minister and the troops came in and the court was
crowded. The king gave orders and judged and appointed and deposed,
bidding and forbidding during the rest of the day. Then the council broke
up, and the king entered his palace. When it was the third night, and the
king had had his will of Shahrazad, Dunyazad, her sister, said to her,
“Finish for us that tale of yours,” and Shahrazad continued her story. . . .1
