The Arabian Nights, Volume II of IV

In Short

This volume continues the legendary cycle of stories told by the Sultana Scheherazadè to her husband, the King, to delay her own execution. Through a sophisticated "frame narrative" structure, the book unfolds as a series of nested accounts—tales within tales—featuring tailors, caliphs, star-crossed lovers, and magicians. These stories have endured for centuries not merely as exotic adventure, but as a profound exploration of human folly, the whims of fate, and the power of storytelling itself. It is a world where the mundane and the miraculous coexist, and where every character is one conversation away from a completely altered destiny.

The Story

The volume opens with the darkly comic "History of the Little Hunchback," where a tailor and his wife find a professional entertainer dead at their dinner table from a lodged fish-bone. Terrified of being accused of murder, they pass the body to a doctor, who passes it to a merchant, creating a chain of comedic anxiety as each person believes they have killed the man. This absurdity is interrupted by the entrance of a barber, whose own long-winded account of his brothers—men whose lives are defined by their own vanity and catastrophic mistakes—becomes the centerpiece of the narrative.

From there, the scope shifts to the court of the Caliph Haroun Alraschid. We follow the intense, forbidden romance between the Prince of Persia and the Caliph’s favorite, Schemselnihar. Their love is a high-stakes game of shadows, involving secret meetings, panicked escapes, and the constant threat of the Caliph’s discovery. The narrative then expands into the sweeping saga of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura. Their connection is forged by supernatural intervention, only to be tested by vast distances, mistaken identities, and the heavy weight of royal expectation. The arc follows the royal couple as they traverse the world, enduring separation, the loss of their own children, and the perilous climb up mountains of black stone.

The stories eventually converge on the fates of the brothers Amgiad and Assad, whose rivalry and eventual exile lead them into the hands of dangerous religious cults and the domain of a powerful, just queen. Throughout, the transitions are seamless; characters who appear as minor figures in one tale suddenly become the protagonists of the next. The volume concludes not with a final resolution, but with the promise of more tales to come, as the Sultana keeps the King engaged, her life hanging on the thread of his continued curiosity.

How It Unfolds

The accidental death A cheerful evening in the tailor’s home turns to panic when a hunchback suffocates on a fish-bone. The couple’s desperate attempts to hide the body lead to a series of frantic, slapstick encounters with neighbors who all believe they have committed a crime.

The barber’s intervention A talkative barber arrives, imposing his presence on those around him with relentless, unsolicited commentary. He eventually recounts the failures of his own brothers, shifting the focus from the dead hunchback to the living history of the city’s eccentric inhabitants.

The royal intrigue The narrative moves to the gilded halls of the Caliph, where love is a dangerous commodity. The Prince of Persia and the favorite, Schemselnihar, must navigate a labyrinth of palace guards and eunuchs, knowing that discovery means certain death.

The celestial marriage Prince Camaralzaman and Princess Badoura are brought together by the genii, yet their journey is one of immense physical and emotional distance. Their lives are defined by the tension between their private desires and their public duties as royals.

The test of the mountain The saga culminates in the trials of Amgiad and Assad, who face the harsh reality of exile and the threat of ritual sacrifice. Their survival depends on their ability to navigate hostile lands and win the favor of a righteous queen.

The People

The characters in these pages are driven by intense, often volatile emotions. The Tailor and his Wife represent the common person caught in the machinery of fate, their lives easily upended by the sudden, inexplicable presence of a corpse. The Barber acts as a force of nature—an intrusive, irrepressible ego who insists on participating in the lives of those he encounters, whether they wish it or not.

The Prince of Persia and Schemselnihar are archetypes of tragic, consuming love. Their obsession with one another ignores all social boundaries, turning the palace into a place of constant, suffocating tension. They are never truly at rest, as their internal passion is constantly mirrored by the external threats of the Caliph’s reach. In contrast, Prince Camaralzaman and Princess Badoura are defined by their resilience. They are victims of divine whims and royal pride—specifically the Prince’s father, who exiles them in a fit of rage—but they grow through their trials, moving from sheltered royalty to desperate, wandering survivors. Finally, the Caliph Haroun Alraschid looms over the entire volume as the ultimate arbiter of life and death, an unpredictable authority who can bestow great wealth or demand a head with equal indifference.

In Its Own Voice

The barber’s relentless need to dominate the social space of his listeners is captured in this exchange:

“Sir,” replied he, “do not refuse me the favor I ask of you. Come and amuse yourself with the good company I shall have; if you had once been with such people, you would have been so pleased with them, that you would give up your friends for them.”

The sheer fragility of the lovers' situation in the palace is highlighted when the Caliph makes an unexpected appearance:

“Come,” said the caliph, “let us make haste and finish: we have now only to see what is in that chest.” At this instant I knew not whether I was alive or dead; nor could I possibly hope to escape so great a danger.

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume is an investigation into the precariousness of status. The book argues that fortune is not a static state but a flowing current. A merchant’s wealth, a prince’s title, or a slave’s favor can be stripped away in a heartbeat by a misunderstanding, a secret, or the whims of a ruler. It asks the reader to consider the role of truth versus performance: how much of our lives do we spend hiding, disguising, or narrating ourselves to satisfy the expectations of others? The recurring theme of the "secret" acts as a metaphor for the human condition—we all inhabit a version of the Caliph’s palace, where we hope our true selves remain hidden in the chest while the world walks by, ignorant of what we carry inside.

Why Read It Today

You should read this if you appreciate literature that values the rhythm of the voice over the cold precision of a plot. There is a distinct pleasure in the way these stories refuse to resolve cleanly, instead spiraling outward into new, unexpected directions. Because this is an older translation, the prose carries a formal, slightly stately cadence that feels both remote and inviting, like listening to an old friend recount a dream.

Be prepared for the period attitudes; the gender roles are fixed and often harsh, and the casual treatment of life—where a life can be bought or lost on a whim—reflects a world view far removed from our own. Some readers may find the relentless, nested structure taxing, as the narrative constantly pauses to start a new story. However, if you allow yourself to fall into the tempo, you will find a rare, immersive quality that modern novels rarely achieve. It is not a book to be rushed. Instead, it is a rewarding, hypnotic experience, best enjoyed as a companion during quiet hours. It stays with you because it captures the fundamental human fear of being found out, and the equally fundamental need to keep telling stories to stay alive.