ARABIAN NIGHTS
Truth lies not in one dream, but in many dreams
Who will bid for this slave, the Lady of Moons?
She will give the best massages you have ever had
...head massages to bring sweet sleep...
leg massages to make you skip like a goat
As the poet says...
She is worth more than wise men. She tends to the heads of kings
- Five hundred dinars - Six hundred
Seven hundred
You hear Lady of Moons? Seven hundred
- Shall he own you? - I don't want a monkey-beard
I'll buy her. Eight hundred
You've only one eye. You must be bad and God's punished you
How dare you insult me!
You dare to let her do that?
I can't help it. Her owner has given her the right to choose her buyer
A thousand dinars
Will you accept this old man as your owner, Zumarud?
Your candle is soft. It rises when you sleep, falls when you rise
May the Lord have mercy on the woman who lies with you
How dare you bring a slave here who ridicules us so brazenly...
..irreverently...
...stupidly?
I beg your forgiveness
I won't be sold to anyone..
...but that young man
Me?
He won't have enough money
You've decided?
Yes. He has smooth cheeks, and his beauty enchants me
Come on, buy this slave. She has chosen you
She's yours
Take my hand. Come along
Take this money
What then?
Pay the seller, and then rent a house in the district of carpenters
Not there silly. Not like that
I don't know. Show me the way
Stop playing and come here, Barsum
Nuradin, come and see
See what, my love?
Did you stay up all night to do that?
Go to the market and sell it for two hundred dinars
Listen carefully. Don't sell it to a blue-eyed man
Not at any price
I fear that something will part us. Something is going to happen
Fear not, I am here
Look how beautiful this is, sir
A work of art. Who made it?
A slave girl made it for me
I'll buy her
You ask me to sell my soul
I'm joking. Please buy it..
...for two hundred dinars
I'll pay one thousand
I've been forbidden to sell it to a blue-eyed man
- That's a good offer, it's more than it's worth
Very well, but stay away from me
Why follow me?
I'm hungry. All I ask is something to eat
There's nothing in the house Go with God
God expects us to help each other, doesn't he?
What are you reading?
Listen
My eyes saw her, to my misfortune
What agony it was to leave her there
Poets of my court
Let us see if it is true that poets can can speak of things they have not seen
Compose a poem that begins with the words I have recited
My eyes saw her, to my misfortune
My eyes saw her, to my misfortune. What agony it was to leave her there
She held me captive beneath the shade of two palm trees
She bathed in water from a silver vase
Her hands were too small...
...to hide her charms from me - ah, to lie with her for an hour or two
I said to two youths: "I love you". "Have you money?", they replied
"Yes, I spend generously"
"Then we can strike a bargain"
Those boys, who are they?
Wit. May I read some verses to you?
I wrote them when I was almost as young as you
I am old now, with all the desires of the young
I have a passion for enjoyment, and I love men in their youth
Oh city of piety, our thoughts are constantly driven to sin
I have a suggestion
Tell us
I promise everything you desire
Wine, brought by the brothers of the monastery
Lamb, and many delicate birds
We shall eat, drink, you will take pleasure with each other...
...and with me, if you wish to reward an old man
It will please us
The greatest joy is a young drinker with handsome boys for company
One sings for him, one drinks to his health
..and the other offers him his mouth to be kissed
Can you think of a verse about us?
I would give my life
for the tenderness of this cheek, what bliss
I thank God for the fair cheeks of youth
beardless and so beautiful
While my soul remains in this tranquil village...
...my heart is torn between two desires..
...the minarets of Baghdad...
...and the land of the two mosques
- What is your name?. - Berhame
How old are you?. - Fifteen
- Are you married? - No, and I don't want to marry
Why not? Has a woman hurt you?
No, but books say they are treacherous
Heaven on earth is to be found on their breasts
That is written in books
But it is in their nature to betray men, whether near or far
They paint their eyes, dye their hair, they make you swallow bitter pills
Will you come with us?
With pleasure, sir
- What is your name? - Giana
- How old are you? - Fifteen
- Will you come with us? - With pleasure
Come along
You'll lose your bet, Zuedi. The girl is no match for my Berhame
No point in disputing their merits
We've put them to sleep with different drugs
They'll wake at different times
You and I will never agree
She is more beautiful than he. Look
You're wrong. He is the most handsome
Love will decide the contest
We will wake them, and the one who falls in love with the other...
...is the less beautiful: the plain love the beautiful
Very well, love will decide
God wills what will happen, or won't happen
Neither of us has won. They love each other equally
One is the mirror of the other. Two bright moons in the same sky
How did you get in?
What difference does it make?
Recognize me, Zumarud?
You dared to say...
...I couldn't get it up - now I will punish you
God will punish you!
Nuradin!
Blood of my blood, Zumarud
Where are you?
Why are you crying, handsome lad?
What's happening?
I've lost Zumarud, my slave. I paid a thousand dinars for her
A blue-eyed Christian stole her from me
I'll die without her
Don't cry, I'll find her
...even if I have to disguise myself and search every house
I have good news for you, Nuradin
She was taken to Rashid's house. I spoke to her there
She'll be waiting for you tonight
Whistle, and escape with her
I helped, didn't I? Now you must reward me
My love
You'll make him rise
I'll keep it up, then
Nuradin, grab the rope
Help me, my love
Hold this bag full of gold
Who are you? Where are you taking me?
I'm me, and I'll take you where I like
Nuradin's hair is silky. You feel like a pig
Let me go, you ugly beast!
Hold your tongue, or I'll murder you
We killed that soldier. We'll do the same to you if you don't shut up
We're forty thieves, and tonight we'll all have you
I've brought you something precious, father
I'll be back with the others soon
I bet your head is full of lice
Shall I pick them out for you?
Sleep, baby, sleep. Go to bye-byes
Rider from the desert, you will be crowned King
- What is your name? - Warden. I am a soldier
When our King dies...
...leaving no heirs, we await the first man from the desert..
...and make him King
Blessed be the Lord for sending us a slim and handsome man
Before the coronation you must have a wife. You will marry my daughter
Who said I wanted to marry?
If you refuse, you will be thrown from a high tower
I shall obey the will of God
Why just sit there?
Don't you like your new bride?
You are beautiful, Hayat, but I am unhappy
Do you love another woman?
If you don't consummate our marriage...
...you'll be thrown from a tower
I must tell you a secret
Will you promise to tell no one?
I promise
Look, then
Now you know my secret. If I'm betrayed, I'll be thrown from a tower
I won't betray you, Warden
My name is Zumarud. I am Nuradin's slave, but I don't know where he is
I will help you find him, I won't give away your secret
I might find him if we can get many people to come here
Try to be my wife and keep our secret
I promise. We'll get many people to come here
Don't eat from that plate
The King said we can eat our fill
But not from other people's plates
I'll eat what I like
Eat what you like. then, and choke on it
I told him not to eat from other people's plates
If the King has him whipped, he deserves it
What is your name? Why have you come here?
My name is Ali. I'm a weaver, come to trade
Look me straight in the eyes
You lie to a king? You're Barsum who kidnapped a slave girl, aren't you?
Yes, King, I am Barsum
I sentence this blue-eyed man to be taken from the city and put to death
Excuse me, do you know where I might find my slave, Zumarud?
Children, Have you seen Zumarud pass this way
Who is Zumarud?
Come with us
Don't be afraid, we'll just give you a nice massage
Lie down here
- Stop, you're making him rise - Of course
You're trying to take all his goodness
I can share it, can't I?
No, I made it stand. "Whoever brings earth to life, owns it and enjoys it"
My mother told me different
"Game belongs to whoever takes it"
You found it, but I'm taking it
As you two can't come to an agreement...
...I'll enjoy all of it
Don't eat that
I'll eat what I like
It's cursed. You'll be crucified if you eat it
It happened to someone else
I don't care, I'll eat what I like
He'll even eat the plate
He's got the face of a dead man already
What can you do against God's will?
Are you strong enough to carry things for me?
You will be well paid
Give me apples from Syria...
...peaches from Amman, jasmine from Aleppo, lemons from Egypt...
...myrtle, camomile...
...pomegranates, white roses...
...nutmeg ring cakes, sweets...
...short pastry, puff pastry, sugar and incense...
...amber, musk and candlewax
Nabur! Budar!
Come down, I've got everything
Taci Almolup, son of King Sul e Man, had grown into a handsome young man
Everyone who saw him was enchanted
Inspirer of poems...
...even the most modest became shameless for his love
As the poet said:
"I embrace him and become drunk with his perfume"
"Like a windswept branch, I became drunk without drinking...
"...intoxicated by the liquor of his saliva"
Getting off his horse...
...Tagy saw a handsome young man dressed in black
But he seemed depressed...
...as though separated from his loved ones
- What is that scroll? - It means nothing, except for me
Show me
Glory to God that allows us to learn what we did not know
You began to cry when you saw this
My story is long
And the parts that link me to that scroll and its owner are very strange
Tell me your story, and about the scroll
My name is Aziz and I was engaged to my cousin Aziza
On the day of the wedding I went to bathe
Best wishes for you and Aziza
You smell like a flower, Aziz
Aziza, my bride
I forgot to invite my best friend, Ali. I'll fetch him
Aziza is waiting
Don't put your handkerchief under your arse
The sun and the moon are astonished when he appears...
...and rosebuds are put to shame by his curls
Everyone was here. They ate, drank and waited for you
They left, and your father has postponed the wedding for a year
What happened to you?
I love a beautiful girl. From her window she dropped her kerchief to me
Didn't she say anything?
No. She did this
What do those gestures mean?
Finger in the mouth means you're chosen to be her body's soul
Two fingers between her breasts mean return in two days to ease her heart
Two days?
Aziz, how awful you look
You haven't eaten or slept
Now dress and be happy, the two days have passed
Dress and go to her
God grant you happiness
Well, Aziz?
Haven't you spent the night in the arms of your beloved?
I wasn't making fun of you. Tell me what happened
She didn't appear
She was testing the sincerity of your love. You will have your desires
Tomorrow night sit beneath her window
Your troubles are over. Now you must eat, or you might die
Love drives you wild. You can't eat or sleep
I know. These are the signs of love
- What happened? - She did this
What does it mean?
Wait until the sun has set
When darkness falls..
...go to the garden at the far end of the city, walk till you find a lamp
Wait for her. Her love is almost killing her
It is not yet sunset. Eat, you've not eaten for eight days
How was it?
I dozed off. When I awoke I found these. What do they mean?
The coin is her right eye, the eye everybody swears by
The dagger means she will kill you...
...if you disappoint her again tonight
What must I do?
Return to her garden tonight
But don't doze again. Eat something. Rest
I hope to die
Wake up and eat
I'm not hungry
Don't act up like a baby
Be sure not to fall asleep again. She will come at dawn
I'll give you some advice
When you leave her...after... recite these lines
In the name of God, what to do when love becomes master?
Nothing must be touched
My love, you waited for me
Did you recite the lines?
I forgot, because she gave this scroll to me
May I have it?
Yes, if you like it
Tomorrow, before leaving her, promise to recite those lines
I promise. Now I am so happy
In the name of God, what to do when love becomes master?
I say: She who loves must hide her secret and be resigned to it
- Where is Aziza? - On the terrace, alone and crying
How have you the heart to leave her, without a thought of her suffering
Did you recite?
Yes. She said: She who loves must hide her secret and be resigned to it
She has tried, but her heart was broken by an impossible passion