About the Sleeping Beauty [antikvár]

Once upon a time, a time that never was and is always, there lived in Arabia a sultan and his wife. They were, as sovereigns go, reasonably benevolent and as much loved by their subjects as is possible for fallible human beings. The life they led was comfortable, even, one might say, luxurious. They had spacious divans to sleep on, garments of finest silk and damask, expensive jewels to deck their persons, well-groomed horses and hounds for hunting, and for dwelling place a lordly palace in whose cellars stood numerous sacks of gold. They were well-served by their servants, well-fed by their cooks, and well-protected by their soldiers.'Dear me/ you will be saying, 'some people have all the good fortune!'But the Sultan and his wife would not, I think, have agreed with you. For this elegant life of theirs lacked one important thing.Each day they looked at each other and sighed. 'How lonely we are!' they told each other. 'Our footsteps ring on the marble floors but who hears the echo and runs to meet us? Each season the flowers bloom anew but to whom can we say "Now, pick them gently!"? Where9