The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian entertainment. Complete

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George Meredith. The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian entertainment. Complete

THE THWACKINGS

AND THIS IS THE STORY OF BHANAVAR THE BEAUTIFUL

THE BETROTHAL

AND THIS IS THE PUNISHMENT OF SHAHPESH, THE PERSIAN, ON KHIPIL, THE BUILDER

THE GENIE KARAZ

THE WELL OF PARAVID

THE HORSE GARRAVEEN

THE TALKING HAWK

GOORELKA OF OOLB

THE LILY OF THE ENCHANTED SEA

AND THIS IS THE STORY OF NOORNA BIN NOORKA, THE GENIE KARAZ, AND THE PRINCESS OF OOLB

THE WILES OF RABESQURAT

THE PALACE OF AKLIS

THE SONS OF AKLIS

THE SWORD OF AKLIS

KOOROOKH

THE VEILED FIGURE

THE BOSOM OF NOORNA

THE REVIVAL

THE PLOT

THE DISH OF POMEGRANATE GRAIN

THE BURNING OF THE IDENTICAL

THE FLASHES OF THE BLADE

CONCLUSION

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Know that at the foot of a lofty mountain of the Caucasus there lieth a deep blue lake; near to this lake a nest of serpents, wise and ancient. Now, it was the habit of a damsel to pass by the lake early at morn, on her way from the tents of her tribe to the pastures of the flocks. As she pressed the white arch of her feet on the soft green-mossed grasses by the shore of the lake she would let loose her hair, looking over into the water, and bind the braid again round her temples and behind her ears, as it had been in a lucent mirror: so doing she would laugh. Her laughter was like the falls of water at moonrise; her loveliness like the very moonrise; and she was stately as a palm-tree standing before the moon.

This was Bhanavar the Beautiful.

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She remembered that Ruark had spoken in like manner, and the curse of her beauty smote her, and she thought, ‘This fair youth, he hath not a mother to watch over him and ward off souls of evil. I dread there will come a mishap to him through me; Allah shield him from it!’ And she sought to dissuade him from resting by her, but he cried, ‘‘Tis but a choice to dwell with thee or with the dogs in the street outside thy door, O Bhanavar!’

Now, the ship sailed close up to the quay, and cast anchor there in the midst of other ships of merchandise. Almeryl then threw a robe over his mountain dress and spoke with the captain apart, and he and Bhanavar took leave of the captain, and landed on the quay among the porters, and of these one stepped forward to them and shouted cheerily, ‘Where be the burdens and the bales, O ye, fair couple fashioned in the eye of elegant proportions? Ye twin palm-trees, male and female! Wullahy! broad is the back of your servant.’

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