Tales From The Thousand And One Nights 词汇提示 1.eunuch 太监 2.blemish 瑕疵 3.anguish 痛苦  4.smashing 打碎 5.collapsed 倒塌 6.castrated 阉割 7.concubine 妃子 8.rags 破布 9.mosque 清真寺 10.dehydrated 脱水的 11.chamber 房间 12.dizzy 发晕 13.fainted 昏厥 14.eloquent 有口才的 原文 Story 15: Tale of the Second Eunuch, Kafur There was once a slave named Kafur. He told one lie every year and caused problems for his owners. The slave-traders told the buyer about his blemish, that he told a lie every year. On the twelfth month with his new owner, he was asked by his owner to go home from the fields and get something from his wife. The slave went to the house and told the wife that an old wall fell on her husband and his friends in the field. The wife and daughters cried and screamed. In her anguish, she destroyed her home and furniture. Kafur helped her, smashing plates and cups. He ran to tells his owner in the field that his wife and children were dead. He said that a wall had collapsed on them in the house. It was discovered that Kafur tricked them both. The owner was very upset. Kafur reminded him that he was purchased with a known fault, that of being a liar. The owner was so nervous about what else the slave could do or say to make his life worse. The slave was taken to the Governor. He was beaten, bruised, his head shaved and he was castrated. He was made a eunuch and sold for a profit. Eventually he ended up in the palace. His name was now Ghanim. He shared his story with two other slaves. The third slave shared a story about a box that contained riches and it was still not buried. Very early the next morning Kafur found the box and opened it. Inside the box there was a beautiful young lady who was drugged. She seemed to be asleep. She was wearing expensive jewelry. Her name was Kut al-Kulub. He took her out of the box and the fresh air made her cough. She woke up. He helped her return home. They were together for a month, eating and talking and enjoying each other's company. She always put him off. It was unrequited love. She revealed to him that she was a concubine of the King. This was why she couldn't give herself to him. She told him how she was drugged by the Lady Zubaydah in the palace.The King's wife, Lady Zubaydah, paid one of the slave girls to put poison in her drink. Ghanim's fear of the King was too great to give in to desire. He isolated himself from her. He did not want to be disrespectful. The King was away during this time. The King's wife didn't want him to find out what she had done to the slave-girl Kutal-Kutub. She made a grave. The King returned and the wife made everyone wear black. He was very sad and also thanked his wife for making such a nice grave. He passed out crying, and woke up near the grave hearing two slave-girls talking. He heard that the grave was empty and four months the slave-girl was with a young merchant named Ghanim, son of Ayyub of Damascus. He was very upset and called his guards to bring Ghanim to him. To protect Ghanim, Kut al-Kutub dressed him in rags and put a basket on his head. He sneaked away in the crowd. She dressed herself in her best outfit and jewelry and filled a chest with precious stones, gold and all of her wealth. She told the guards, the young merchant left long ago and she didn't hear from him. The riches were delivered to the King and the guards destroyed Ghanim's house. Ghanim traveled far away until he stopped at a mosque, exhausted and sweating. He fell to the ground dehydrated. The villagers gave him food and drink. His mother and sister, two beggars, came into that same mosque. He shared his bread with them. They did not recognize each other. After one month the villagers took him to Baghdad. A man took him to his house, thinking that he would die. He asked his wife to tend to the sick stranger. The King was very angry thinking she was with another man. He locked her in a dark chamber for eighty days. One day he ov