One of my Favorite Stories

by Annabelle R. Villanueva

Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights.First Series.

Edited by E. DixonIllustrations by Mr. J. D. Batten.

J. M. Dent & Co.London

1893Note.

The text of the present selection from the Arabian Nights is that of Galland, 1821,

slightly abridged and edited. The edition is designed virginibus puerisque.

E. DIXON.Cambridge,Xmas, 1893

.

THE KING OF PERSIA AND

THE PRINCESS OF

THE SEA

There was once a king of Persia who had no heir to his kingdom, so he married a fair slave who was beautiful and

charming.

The King of Persia’s palace was built upon the sea shore. He would often see his wife

looking sadly at the sea.

For a whole year, the new Queen of Persia did not speak even a single word. She never laughed, too.

The king and his silent slave-queen was born a son who they named Prince Beder.

The kind King would often ask his wife nicely why she would not speak.

One day, the Queen broke her silence. She explained to the king that she didn’t speak because she missed her family and that she didn’t love him.

The king was overjoyed

because her speaking meant that she loved him already.

And, since she said she missed her

family, he told her to invite them over

to the palace.

She confessed that she was of royal blood, from a

kingdom under the sea.

She said she left home

because of an

argument with her brother.

She also said that after leaving the sea kingdom, a person of distinction, from the earth, carried her to his home and wanted to marry

her.

Refusing to marry, she was sold as a

slave to the merchant who in turn sold her to the King of Persia.

Then, she did some magical things and said some magic words that

made the sea open at some distance, and out came her mother,

her brother Saleh, the new under-sea king, and other relatives.

They were all happy to see one another. Queen

Gulnare asked for forgiveness from

her mother.

Then her brother, King Saleh, told her that if she chose to, she could come back with them to their sea kingdom. The King of

Persia was alarmed, for he loved her queen so dearly.

Queen Gulnare explained to her family that she opted to stay with her king, not only because they had a son, but

also because she loved him already.

Next day, as Queen Gulnare was talking with her family, her

son, Prince Beder, was

brought to them by the nurse.

King Saleh took Prince Beder to their kingdom under the

sea. The King of Persia was so

scared while his son was under the sea

with King Saleh because he really thought the boy would drown.

When King Saleh and Prince Beder came

back, the boy did not show any sign of being underwater. The King of Persia

was assured that the boy was also part of

the sea kingdom, hence the ability to breathe underwater.

A few days after staying with the King, Queen, and Prince of

Persia, the queen’s sea kingdom family decided to go back home.

Before leaving, King Saleh gave the King of Persia a

precious gift of three hundred very big diamonds, big

rubies, many emerald wands, thirty strings of pearl, in a

box.

The King of Persia did not want to accept it, but King

Saleh begged him to accept their gift as a sign of their

gratitude for his taking good care of Queen Gulnare.

The entire sea kingdom family did not want to leave yet, but their kingdom needed them.

Many tears were shed in their separation.

Then the King of Persia told Queen Gulnare how blessed

he was that she agreed to become his wife.

Applying the Cognitive Domain

of Bloom’s Taxonomyto this wonderful story:

KNOWLEDGE

Tell the reason why the King

of Persia married a fair

slave.

Reproduce what

happened after the

Princess of the Sea left her family.

Describe the King of Persia and then the Princess of the Sea.

Identify Queen Gulnare’s relatives who came to visit her after she summoned

them to.

Write the plots of this fairy tale.

COMPREHENSION

Explain why the fair slave who became the

King of Persia’s wife was

speechless for a whole year.

Generalize the

characteris-tics of the

Princess of the Sea.

Paraphrase the part where King Saleh brought

Prince Beder to their kingdom under the sea.

Retell the fairy tale briefly.

Interpret the ending of the story

in three sentences.

APPLICATION

Relate the Princess

of the Sea’s life-

story to yours.

Modify the character of the King of Persia from positive to negative.

Show what would happen if Queen Gulnare opted to go back to the sea instead of staying for

good with the King of Persia.

Change the ending the way you want it to be.

Produce another

possible but hidden

reason why Queen

Gulnare was speechless for a year.

ANALYSIS

Select another/ a new title for this fairy tale.

Breakdown the entire story into three parts.

Point out a possible

outcome if Queen

Gulnare did not leave her sea kingdom.

Distinguish the life story of Princess

Gulnare under the sea

and that on earth.

Illustrate what could have happened if Queen Gulnare decided not to speak at all.

SYNTHESIS

Revise the beginning of the story had the fair

slave told everyone she was a princess.

Rewrite the whole story under the new title “The King of Persia and Me.”

Devise a new plot

where King Saleh did not return

Prince Beder.

Compose a new ending, that Queen

Gulnare decided to go back to her

sea kingdom with Prince

Beder.

Create a solution that

would not separate the King, Queen, and Prince of

Persia from the Queen’s family.

EVALUATION

Discriminate the man who found the Princess of the Sea, right

after she came to earth, against the merchant she was sold to.

Describe the King

and Queen of Persia’s

relationship.

Explain how King Saleh took Prince Beder to their kingdom under the sea.

Appraise the decision of Queen Gulnare to stay with the King of

Persia inspite of her family’s offer.

Conclude if Queen

Gulnare made the

right decision or not, at the

end of the fairy tale.

Thank you…