
Zarvan Uncovers the Royal Tray
From E1.1, Zarvan’s Sorcery and the Fall of Mahbud. It illustrates E1.1.56–63:
- E1.1.56One day the brothers journeyed as before,And bore the tray toward the palace door.
- E1.1.57A trusted servant bore it on his head,As was the custom when the king was fed.
- E1.1.58Zarvan beheld them nearing the king’s gate,And smiling called the young men, “Stay and wait.
- E1.1.59O faithful servants of the king, revealFor once the color of the royal meal.
- E1.1.60Its fragrance reaches me; remove the fold,And let me see what lies beneath the gold.”
- E1.1.61The youths laid bare the dishes they conveyed;Zarvan stood back, and every one surveyed.
- E1.1.62The Jew approached and likewise looked within,And marked the foods on which his craft would begin.
- E1.1.63He said to old Zarvan, “The tree you sowedHas borne its fruit; the harvest now is owed.”
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