if thou be dumb, inform me by a sign, that I may give up hope of thy
speaking. I also beg of God that He will bless thee with a son that may
inherit my kingdom after me; for I am solitary, having none to be my
heir, and my age hath become great. I conjure thee, then, by Allah, if
thou love me, that thou return me a reply." And upon this, the damsel
hung her head toward the ground, meditating. Then she raised her head,
and smiled in the face of the king, whereat it appeared to the king that
lightning filled the private chamber; and she said: "O magnanimous King,
God hath answered thy prayer; for I am about to bring thee a child, and
the time is almost come. And were it not that I knew this thing, I had
not spoken to thee one word." And when the king heard what she said, his
face brightened up with happiness, and he kissed her hands by reason of
the violence of his joy, and said: "Praise be to God who hath favoured
me with things that I desired; the first, thy speaking; and the second,
thy information that thou art about to bring me a child." Then the king
arose and went forth from her, and seated himself upon the throne of his
kingdom in a state of exceeding happiness; and he ordered the vizier to
give out to the poor and the needy a hundred thousand pieces of gold as
a thank-offering to God. So the vizier did as the king had commanded
him. And after that, the king went in to the damsel, and embraced her,
saying to her: "O my mistress, wherefore hath been this silence, seeing
that thou hast been with me a whole year, awake and asleep, yet hast not
spoken to me, except on this day?"

The damsel answered: "Hear, O King of the age, and know that I am a poor
person, a stranger, broken-hearted: I have become separated from my
mother, and my family, and my brother." And when the king heard her
words, he knew her desire, and he replied: "As to thy saying that thou
art poor, there is no occasion for such an assertion; for all my kingdom
and possessions are at thy service, and as to thy saying, 'I have become
separated from my mother and my family and my brother'--inform me in
what place they are, and I will send to them, and bring them to thee."
So she said to him: "Know, O King, that my name is Gulnare (_Pomegranate
Flower_) of the Sea. My father was one of the Kings of the Sea, and he
died, and left to us the kingdom; but while we were enjoying it, another
of the kings came upon us, and took the kingdom from our hands. I have