Then, of his gladness, he went in to the child and
kissed him between the eyes, wondering at his brilliant beauty;
for in him was the saying of the poet made truth:
God hath a lion given in him unto the forts of fame And in the
heaven of high estate hath set another star.
Lo, at his birth, the spears shake all and all the wild deer
start And all the chieftains of the folk and all the men of
war!
So mount him not upon the breasts, for he shall surely deem That
horses' backs for such as he the softer sitting are;
And wean ye him from sucking milk, for he eftsoon shall find The
blood of foemen in the field the sweeter drink by far.
The midwives took the new-born child and cut the cord of his
navel, after which they anointed his eyes with kohl and named him
Taj el Mulouk Kharan. He was suckled at the breast of delight and
reared in the lap of favouring fortune, and the days ran on and
the years passed by, till he reached the age of seven. Then the
King his father summoned the doctors and learned men and bade
them teach his son writing and science and polite letters. This
they did for some years, till he had learnt all that was needful,
when the King took him out of the professors' hands and committed
him to a master, who taught him horsemanship and the use of arms,
till the boy attained the age of fourteen and became proficient
in martial exercises.
Pages:
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285