The King of Persia and the Princess of the Sea

An unparalleled and ageless storytelling, One hundred and one nights or the Arabian Nights has the imaginations of readers all over the world. It is one of the greatest Arabic, Middle Eastern and Islamic contributions to world literature. Many cinematic pieces have also been drafted based on these stories.

Arabian Nights

Summary of the King of Persia and Sea Princess

There once was a King of Persia, who had distinguished himself by many glorious and successful conquests, and enjoyed such profound peace and tranquillity as rendered him the happiest of monarchs. One day, according to the custom of his royal predecessors during their residence in the capital, he held an assembly of his courtiers. There appeared a merchant from a far-distant country, who sent a message to the king craving an audience, as he wished to speak to him about a very important matter. The king gave orders for the merchant to be instantly admitted, and the king inquired about the business that had brought him to the palace. On being questioned, the merchant immediately presented the most beautiful fair slave and no sooner did the king surpass anything he had ever imagined and instantly fell in love with her and was determined to marry her at once.

And so, the royal marriage took place. The king had the fair slave lodged in the next finest apartment to his own. He gave particular orders to the matrons and the women slaves appointed to attend her.The King of Persia’s capital was situated on an island, and his very magnificent palace was built upon the seashore with the windows facing towards the sea. The fair slave, magnificently dressed, sat alone in her chamber, sitting on a sofa and leaning against one of the windows that faced the sea. She never spoke to anyone, and swore to silence for a whole year. The King was stunned to see a slave of such beauteous form and so very ignorant of the world. He attributed this to her illiteracy and lack of civility.

At length, one day there were great rejoicings in the capital because the king and his silent slave queen gave birth to a son, Prince Beder, and heir to the kingdom. Once more, the king decided to make another attempt to have the pleasure of hearing his queen speak. At this discourse, the fair slave began to smile a little. At last, the queen, breaking her long-kept silence, thus addressed herself to the king. She told him the reason for her plight, being away from and held captive as a slave and not being to meet her loved ones were reasons enough to maintain silence for a whole year. She revealed she instead belonged to a royal family and was the sea princess.

Her actual name was Gulnare, Rose of the Sea; and her father, who is now dead, was one of the most potent monarchs of the ocean. When he died, he left his kingdom to her brother, named Saleh, and to the queen,her mother. However, her kingdom was attacked by a neighbouring prince and they were strapped of all their wealth. Her family was taken aback by this loss, and her brother vowed to win back their kingdom. He wanted Gulnare to marry a powerful king on earth. Her brother was earnest for the marriage, however improper for Gulnare, endeavoured to make believe that there were kings of the earth who were now inferior to those of the sea. This put the sea princess into a more violent passion, and in this peevish mood she gave a spring from the bottom of the sea up to the island of the moon. Notwithstanding the violent displeasure that made her cast herself upon that island, she lived content in retirement. But in spite of all her precautions, a person of distinction, attended by his servants, surprised her while sleeping, carried her  to his own house, and wished Gulnare to marry him. On denying this proposal, he resolved to sell Gulnare to that very merchant who brought her to the King of Persia.

Hearing the distressing story of his wife, the King of Persia insisted Gulnare to invite her family and meet them himself. During the King’s meeting with her family, King Saleh, held Prince Beder in his hands and plunged into the ocean, pronouncing some mysterious words so that the prince enjoyed the same privileges as the people in the sea. On returning, he brought with him a box filled with riches for the King of Persia as a token of his love and respect.  Soon, the persia princess bid farewell to her family for they had to return to their own kingdom in the sea. The King of Persia assured them that they were always invited and could visit their daughter and sister whenever they pleased.

King of Persia

Beautiful Fair Slave

King and Queen

Conclusion

In this story we read about the Persian king who married the beautiful slave. He later discovered of her royal background and that she was in fact a sea princess who had been abducted and made a slave. Later, he became acquainted with her family and beautiful gestures were exchanged which made the king respect the inhabitants of the sea.

Note to Parents 

Building a more literary environment benefits a child’s development and comprehension abilities.Short stories trigger a child’s curiosity to read more and thus, develop a habit of daily reading. Parents shall help inculcate these values in their child.