Well, Tome 1, anyway…
—
I’ve finished listening to and reading two very similar but different versions of the first couple hundred nights or so of the Thousand and One (aka Arabian) Nights: both compiled from the first set of translations, by French Arabic translator and Story-o-Phile A. Galland (who added the famous but imho inferior stories of Sinbad the sailor and possibly also either Aladdin and the lamp or Ali Babba and the 40 Thieves).
I can definitely see why the Sultan of the Indies spared our Heroine’s life to listen each night: these stories are rivetting!
And even better, the ones that are not French additions are also excellently entertaining Cautionary Tales for rich rulers!!
–
Yet,
This is a good summation of the entire book: mostly stories-within-stories that illustrate cautionary tales, of rulers repenting of hasty decisions, or unjustly condemned heroes reaping the benefit of their patience and winning the day (not to mention, not being executed!), and people of all stations telling stories in exchange for not being killed in various ways by various beings.
Fascinating to see the different point of view: that
-physical beauty indicates some sort of goodness inside as well,
-that faith and patience are always rewarded
-that Curiosity is always good, even when it leads to (temporarily) very bad results,
and
-that one (or more) good story is worth the life of one (or more) people!
What an interesting culture, where curiosity is presented as one of the most important points of intelligence, and intelligence and beauty, much like in ancient Greece, are expected to go with a well-rounded knowledge and skill-set. And where loyalty above all goes with curiosity. I found this almost incredible, yet wonderful. All while remembering that the story being told, often by a person in another story, who is telling a story to some other person or being, in order to avoid some horrible fate.
These stories are worth hearing and then reading again, in various languages, which is what I continue to do now!
Would that they were still well known here in the west, and told, and learned from as generations have learned the cautionary tales and virtues encompassed in these stories, and from the audacity and selflessness of the incredible young girl, Sheherazade, who volunteers to sacrifice herself for the good of all of the young women of her realm…
8.19% “J’ai tellement aimée raconter a mes étudiants sûr l’intelligence et courage d’heroe Sheherazad !
Enjoying telling my students about the intelligence and courage of the heroic Sheherazad!!”
8.19%“Just ended chapter2: le bœuf et le marchand, with little sister asking for a last story. What a hell of a risk to take by asking the sister to be ready, assuming that the sultan would allow her to be present in the room that night. Brilliant story about brilliant self confidence.”
8.19% “Actually only at 1%: “Vous voulez absolument ôter la vie a un pauvre innocent ! Oui, repartit le génie, j’y suis résolu. En achevant ces paroles…”
Wow! Absolutely perfectly exquisite timing!! Ahhh!!!”
8.19%“Like the Sultan Shahriyar, I cannot wait to find out what happens to the court innocent merchant tonight!”
8.19%“She is framing the same situation, where stories act as currency, valuable enough to spare a life. I wonder if this was common, or part of the culture on ancient Persia it India or Arabia?”
8.19% “Bravo, le sang froid de !Shéhérazade !
Excellent grâce under pressure, Shéhérazade !”
8.19%“Mais, c’est pas possible ça ! Comme laisse-t-il, retenir l’histoire du 3e vieillard, le sultan ?”
8.19% “De plaindre au fortune et prier au Dieu. Intéressant…
Reminds me of the trial at Auschwitz where God was found guilty of violating his contract with his chosen people, and then those who conducted the trial said ‘okay it’s time for the evening prayers.'”
8.19%“”La nécessité donne de l’esprit.”. Cette phrase est nouvelle pour moi. Voilà j’ai appris ce soir.”
8.19%“Il me manque dans la version écrit de cette tome, l’histoire du roi grec et du médecin du Bain, mais l’histoire est lu dans la version de livre Vox! je croyais que toutes les versions de l’histoire originaires en français c’etait la même.”
13.0%“Again, the written version has edited out parts of the audio book, so I am hearing descriptions of beautiful ladies and dropped baskets that the e-book left out. Glad I decided to listen to the audio version of the book.”
13.0%“L’histoire des trois Calenders c’est le 23e nuit dans le livre, mais, dans le livre audio c’est le 30ème nuit.”
13.0% “50 cavaliers : ça ne semble pas du tout bien…
50 bandits : that doesn’t look good at all for the Prince and the ambassador to India…”
15.0% “”et il l’a baissa aux yeux.”
And he kissed her on the eyes. Just as Greeks still do today!”
16.0%“Le 49eme nuit, dans le livre audio, c’est le XLe nuit , a 23%, dans le livre Kindle, ce que manque l’histoire de l’ennui meurtrier qui a fait le maître derviche se jeter dans le puits.”
16.0% “Le 50ieme nuit, au LibreVox, c’est le XLIe nuit dans le livre écrit. J’ai hâte de savoir demain si la princesse va se marier avec le Prince singe…
50th night in audiobook is 41st night in e-book. I am dying to know whether or not the princess will marry the prince ape…”
27.0%“Okay, so who allows himself to be sewn up inside a sheepskin knowing that he’s going to lose the right eye, just to satisfy his curiosity??”
30.0% “Voilà la soixantième nuit, dans l’audioBook, ou elle a lu, très belle a mes oreilles, le récit du troisième Calenders, qui va se coucher chaque nuit avec une des 40 dames, mais c’est le LIe nuit dans le eBook écrit, où il n’y a pas de mot sûr ce fait…
60th night in audiobook: sleeps with a new lady/night; not mentioned in written eBook (=51st night…)”
30.0% “Chapitre 15, 3me Prince Calendar borgne: ils avait déjà inventéent l’irrigation drip ?? 😄😄
Third one-eyed Prince: They had already invented drip irrigation?? 😄😄”
32.0%“The Calif is about to find out the history of Zobeide, which is the end of volume one, so we’ll be the beginning of volume 2 when we hear her story in the audiobook, but in the written ebook, it continues with the LIVeme night…”
33.0%“Histoire de Zobeide, chez l’audiobook: Tome 2, on commence le 63ieme nuit, mais dans le ebook : 33%, on commence le LVe nuit sans avoir remariées (les deux sœurs aînées).”
35.0% “je n’ai pas eu le temps, au jour d’hui, de lire/écouter l’histoire d’Amine, soeur de Zobéîde. Je meurs de savoir pour quoi elle a des cicatrices…
I’ve had no time today for the story of Amine, Zobéïde’s sister. Dying to know why she’s got scars…
(35% LVIII nuit au eBook…)”
37.0%“Zobéïde having finished her story and been rewarded by the Caliph, we now hear the start of Sinbad the Sailor’s 7 voyages, which does not start off nearly as interestingly as the previous stories, imho.”
37.0%“Now I know what bothers me about Sinbad: rich kid wastes his twenties then takes his remaining money, which he was born with, to start a business and has the nerve, the gall, to preach to a poor man that he made his own money himself.”
38.0% “Sinbad sounds like a spoiled rich kid telling a story where he is the hero, rather than the previous stories, which all involved humble people (even when Princes/esses) exchanging stories for their lives.
Prudish (yes slave-owning, as only the upper classes had time & education enough to read novels) French readers demanded the extraction, after about night 65 (at the start of the Sinbad story) of Dinarazad waking..”
44.0%“Sindbad only worries about himself being buried alive, not about his poor wife!!”
44.0% “Chapitre 11, Histoire des trois pommes. En fin terminé avec Sinbad !
Ch. 11, story of the three apples. Finally done with Sinbad’s story.”
48.0%“Now you how each story is building with some innocent person killed, and then the killer repenting of the deed. she is stretching out the stories and the time to give the king time to get over his pain and to understand his Injustice.”
49.0% “Histoire de trois pommes : autre fois, la vie se paye avec une histoire. Cette fois ci d’une presque innocent…
This time of an almost innocent…
The three apples: Again, a life is bought with a story…”
50.0% “99: excellent !! Les Djinn ont changé ent les hommes !;.
Excellent, the genies swapped men!!”
52.0%“Chapitre 15, tome 2:. Je suppose qu’un bossu etait un type d’esclave particulier ?”
69.0%“The story of the Calif’s favorite and the Persian prince is a bit like aa Arabic version of Romeo and Juliet!”
69.0%“” contes chois…” I missed this part of the title of my eBook: selected stories, explains why many are missing, vs. what I hear on the audio book. The book skips many interesting stories about Djinn making marriages, Chinese princesses passing for princes, smart and beautiful slaves saving the day.”
69.0%“interesting how every birth of a prince and every public holiday or marriage is marked with the release of prisoners and the distribution of money to the people. Redistributing the wealth has always been part of the governing classes job.”
69.0%“Rings, mirrors nothing in Shakespeare, LoR or Harry Potter isn’t already here !!”
70.0% “Inverted retelling of the Joseph story…
And ppl the world over are the same: Dad’s friend, mine in NH, and those of two young men: take & leave.
These are also cautionary tales…”
73.0% “Cette histoire d’Aladdin fait semble que le Sultan est un con.
This story of Aladdin makes the Sultan look like an idiot.”
73.0% “Cette histoire d’Aladdin fait semble que le Sultan est un con.
This story of Aladdin makes the Sultan look like an idiot.”
–
So, it turns out that … More on my continuing striving with French next week, friends:
Yassas, γεια σας! Salût ! Nos vemos! Görüşürüz! ! שָׁלוֹם
Action Items in support of literacy and hope that you can take right now:
1.) Search for two different sources to translate the word “One Thousand” into French.
2.) Share them with us in the comments, here, please.
3.) Share your thoughts on how you like each of the sources you found, perhaps as an update on your GoodReads reading,
4.) Write a blog post or tweet that uses a French word, tells a good story, and makes a difference. I’m working on that through my historical fantasy #WiP, #WhoByFireIWill. Once published, donate one or more copies to your local public library, as I intend to do.
Dear Readers, any additional ideas toward learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning as part of on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness, #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?
Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure & #StopSmoking for CCOVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write, Ranked Choice Voting and Housing for ALL!!, Teach and Learn (Lesson Plans)!
Preptober (October, Prep for NaNoWriMo!)
2020 CE, which is 12020 HE
(The previous lesson plan since this post, and the most recent lesson plan…)
Ranger Mayann 
This post is originally from the ShiraDest blog.
http://ShiraDest.wordpress.com
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