Page 21 - Bulbul Hezar

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

The Editio Princeps of Les Mille et une nuits (Paris 1704-1717, 12 tomes),
was written by Antoine Galland (1646-1715), French scholar, Orientalist

and traveler, secretary of the Sun King’s ambassador in Costantinople, was
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published in Paris, 1704-1717. Galland translated his Syrian 14 century
manuscript, including other stories, like the cycle of Sindbad the Sailor.
Galland published the last three tomes writing stories that he heard from
Hannà, a Maronite of Aleppo who had come to Paris. The Story of the Two
Sisters who envied their younger Sister is one of the Maronite’s tales, together
with stories like Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty

Thieves. Galland chose this story as the last one that Shahrazàd told
Shahriyàr, writing his denouement of the frame story of the Arab
collection. In his 14 century’s manuscript there is no ending. Let’s
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remark the exceptional character of Parizade and Shahrazàd and the cruel
decree of the two sultans, eventually sweetened thanks to these women.

See a broader note on this story in Fabulando Fairinfo, The Bird Bulbul
Hezar. We named the story given in this e-book The Bird Bulbul Hezar, to
underline its belonging to the same type of the Italian 16 century fairy
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tale The Green Beaubird, available in Fabulando together with other three
stories of the same type: La Princesse Belle-Étoile et le Prince Chéri (Paris
1698), and two Italian folk stories collected in the 19 century: The Song
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and Sound of Sibyl Sarah and The Daughters of the Cabbage’s Gatherer.

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