一千零一夜

《一千零一夜》，也叫《天方夜譚》，是阿拉伯文字中的瑰寶。傳説阿拉伯古代有一個國王，每天娶一個女子，第二天早上就把她殺了。有一個姑娘要阻止他這種殘忍的做法，自願做他的一夜王后。進入王宮後，她就開始給國王講故事，講到緊要關頭，行刑時間到了，國王正聽得津津有味，就説：過一天再殺吧。可是故事一個接一個講下去，每次要殺她時故事都到了“欲知後事如何，且聽下回分解”的節骨眼上，國王為了聽故事，只好一天天延遲殺她的時間。就這樣，故事一直講了一千零一夜，國王終於改掉了他的可怕做法，她從此成為長久的王后。這就是“一千零一夜“的來由。她講的故事能如此吸引那位國王，當然是非常動聽的。確實，像《*和四十大盜》、《神燈》、《辛巴德航海曆險記》這些故事早已傳遍全世界。

《一千零一夜》是世界文學的瑰寶，它以絢麗多彩、曲折奇妙的故事，任意馳騁的想象和對人類美好理想執着的追求，吸引着一代又一代的億萬讀者。它的藝術魅力歷久不衰，它對世界文化，特別是歐洲文化產生過巨大的影響

VOLUME 1

Introductory Chapter

Fable of the Ass, the Ox, and the Labourer

The Merchant and the Genie

The Story of the First Old Man and the Hind

The Story of the Second Old Man and the Two Black Dogs

The Story of the Fisherman

The Story of the Grecian King and the Physician Douban

The Story of the Husband and the Parrot

The Story of the Vizier that was Punished

The History of the Young King of the Black Isles

Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Sultans, and of the FiveLadies of Bagdad

The ttistory of the First Calender

The Story of the Second Calender

The Story of the Envious Man, and of Him that He Envied

The History of the Third Calender

The Story of Zobeide

The Story of Amene

VOLUME 2

The Story of Sinbad the Voyager

The Three Apples

The Story of the Lady who was Murdered, and of the Young Man herHusband

The Story ofNoor ad Deen Ali and Buddir ad Deen Houssun

The Story of the Little Hunch-Back

The Story Told by the Christian Merchant

The Story Told by the Sultan of Casgar's Purveyor

The Story Told by the Jewish Physician

The Story Told by the Tailor

The Story of the Barber

The Story of the Barber's Eldest Brother

The Story of the Barber's Second Brother

The Story of the Barber's Third Brother

The Story of the Barber's Fourth Brother

The Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother

The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother

The History ofAboulhassen Ali Ebn Becar, and Schemselnihar,Favourite

of Caliph Maroon al Rusheed

VOLUME 3

The Story of the Loves of Kummir al Zummaun, Prince of the Isles ofthe

Children of Khaledan, and of Badoura, Princess of China

The Story of the Princes Amgiad and Assad

The Story of the Prince Amgiad and a Lady of the City of theMagicians

The Story ofNoor ad Deen and the Fair Persian

The Story of Beder, Prince of Persia, and Jehaun-Ara, Princess ofSamandal,or Summunder

VOLUME 4

Story of Prince Beder and the Princess Jehaun-Ara (continued)

The History of Ganem, Son ofAbou Ayoub, and Known by theSunan

Love's Slave

The History of Prince Zeyn Alasnam and the Sultan of theGenii

The History of Codadad, and His Brothers

The History of the Princess of Deryabar

The Story ofAbou Hassan, or the Sleeper Awakened

The Story ofAlla Ad Deen, or the Wonderful Lamp

VOLUME 5

The Story ofAlla Ad Deen; or the Wonderful Lamp (continued)

Adventure of the Caliph Haroon al Rusheed

The Story of the Blind Man Baba Abdoollah

The Story of Syed Naomaun

The Story of Khaujeh Hassan al Hubbaul

The Story ofAli Baba and the Forty Robbers Destroyed by aSlave

The Story ofAli Khaujeh, a Merchant of Bagdad

The Story of the Enchanted Horse

The Story of Prince Ahmed, and the Fairy Perle Banou

The Story of the Sisters Who Envied Their Younger Sister

VOLUME 6

Story of the Sultan of Yemen and His Three Sons

Story of the Three Sharpers and the Sultan

The Adventures of the Abdicated Sultan

History of Mahummud, Sultan of Cairo

Story of the First Lunatic

Story of the Second Lunatic

Story of the Retired Sage and His Pupil, Related to the Sultan bythe Second

Lunatic

Night Adventure of the Sultan

Story of the Broken-backed Schoolmaster

Story of the Wry-mouthed Schoolmaster.

The Sultan's Second Visit to the Sisters

Story of the Sisters and the Sultana their Mother

Story of the Bang-Eater and the Cauzee

Story of the Bang-eater and His Wife

Continuation of the Fisherman, or Bang-eater's Adventures

The Sultan and the Traveller Mhamood al Hyjemmee

The Koord Robber

Story of the Husbandman

Story of the Three Princes and Enchanting Bird

Story of a Sultan of Yemen and His Three Sons

Story of the First Sharper in the Cave

History of the Sultan of Hind

Story of the Fisherman's Son

Story ofAbou Neeut and Abou Neeuteen; or, the Well-Intentioned andthe

Double-Minded

Adventure of a Courtier, Related by Himself to His Patron, anAmeerof Egypt...

Story of the Prince of Sind, and Fatima, Daughter of Amir BinNaomaun...

Story of the Lovers of Syria; or, the Heroine

Story of Hyjauje, the Tyrannical Governor of Coufeh, and the YoungSyed.

Story of Ins al Wujjood and Wird al Ikmaum Daughter of Ibrahim,Vizier to

Sultan Shamikh

The Adventures of Mazin of Khorassaun

Adventure of Haroon al Rusheed

Story of the Sultan, the Dervish, and the Barber's Son

Adventures of Aleefa, Daughter of Mherejaun, Sultan of Hind, andEusuff,

Son of Sohul, Sultan of Sind

Adventures of the Three Princes, Sons of the Sultan of China

Story of the Good Vizier Unjustly Imprisoned

Story of the Lady of Cairo and Her Four Gallants

The Cauzee's Story

Story of the Merchant, His Daughter, and the Prince of Eerauk

Adventures of the Cauzee, His Wife, &c

The Sultan's Story of Himself

Conchlsion

這本書其實並不是哪一位作家的作品，它是中近東地區廣大市井藝人和文人學士在幾百年的時間裏收集、提煉和加工而成的，是這個地區廣大阿拉伯人民、波斯人民聰明才智的結晶。《一千零一夜》的故事，很早就在阿拉伯地區的民間口頭流傳，約在公元八九世紀之交出現了早期的手抄本，到12世紀，埃及人首先使用了《一千零一夜》的書名，但直到15世紀末16世紀初才基本定型。《一千零一夜》的故事一經產生，便廣為流傳。在十字軍東征時期就傳到了歐洲。書中的故事來源主要包括三個方面：1、波斯和印度；2、以巴格達為中心的阿拔斯王朝（750-1258年）時期流行的故事；3、埃及麥馬立克王朝（1250－1517年）統治時期流傳的故事。