Anonymous

The History of Aboulhassen Ali Ebn Becar, and Schemselnihar, Favourite of Caliph Haroun Alraschid [from Arabian Nights' Entertainments]

1706, 1715 [1706-1721]

"At the sight of this object I am not my own master: my soul is disturbed and rebels, and I fancy it has a mind to leave me!"

As soon as the prince of Persia saw Schemselnihar, he could look upon nothing else. We cease inquiring, says he to Ebn Thaher, after what we seek, when once we see it; and there is no doubt left remaining when once the truth makes itself manifest: Do you see this charming beauty? She is the cause of all my sufferings, which I hug, and will never forbear blessing them, how lasting soever they may be: At the sight of this object I am not my own master: my soul is disturbed and rebels, and I fancy it has a mind to leave me! Go then, my soul, I allow thee, but let it be for the welfare and preservation of this weak body. It is you, cruel Ebn Thaher, who is the cause of this disorder; you thought to do me a great pleasure in bringing me hither, and I perceive I am only come to complete my ruin. Pardon me, says he, interrupting himself, I am mistaken, I was willing to come, and can blame nobody but myself; and at these words broke out into tears. I am very well pleased, says Ebn Thaher, that you do me justice: When I told you at first that Schemselnihar was the caliph’s chief favourite, I did it on purpose to prevent that fatal passion which you please yourself with entertaining in your breast: All that you see here ought to disengage you, and you are to think on nothing but of acknowledgment for the honour which Schemselnihar was willing to do you, by ordering me to bring you with me. Call in then your wandering reason, and put yourself in a condition to appear before her as good breeding requires. Lo! there she comes: Were the matter to begin again, I would take other measures, but, since the thing is done, I wish we may not repent it. What I have further to say to you is this, that love is a traitor, who may throw you into a pit you will never get out of.
(I, p. 155; cf. V, p. 82-3 in ECCO; pp. 312-3 in Macks' ed.)

Government::Rebellion

Reading

81 entries in ESTC (1706, 1712, 1713, 1715, 1717, 1718, 1721, 1722, 1725, 1726, 1728, 1730, 1736, 1744, 1745, 1748, 1753, 1754, 1763, 1767, 1772, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1781, 1783, 1785, 1789, 1790, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1800).

See Antoine Galland's Mille et une Nuit (1704-1717); translated into English from 1706 to 1721 (six volumes published in French and translated into English by 1706; 1717 vols. xi and xii published and translated).

Some text from Tales of the East: Comprising the Most Popular Romances of Oriental Origin, ed. Henry Weber, 3 vols. (Edinburgh: Ballantyne, 1812). <Link to Google Books>

Reading Arabian Nights Entertainments, ed. Robert L. Mack (Oxford: OUP, 1995). [Mack bases his text on Weber's Tales of the East]

Confirmed in ECCO.

06/20/2014