



Produced by Pat Castevans and David Widger





THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT

By George Meredith

AN ARABIAN ENTERTAINMENT


1898/1909



     CONTENTS:

     THE THWACKINGS
     THE STORY OF BHANAVAR THE BEAUTIFUL
     THE BETROTHAL
     PUNISHMENT OF SHAHPESH, THE PERSIAN, ON KHIPIL, THE BUILDER
     THE GENIE KARAZ
     THE WELL OF PARAVID
     THE HORSE GARRAVEEN
     THE TALKING HAWK
     GOORELKA OF OOLB
     THE LILY OF THE ENCHANTED SEA
     STORY OF NOORNA BIN NOORKA, THE GENIE KARAZ, AND THE PRINCESS OF OOLB
     THE WILES OF RABESQURAT
     THE PALACE OF AKLIS
     THE SONS OF AKLIS
     THE SWORD OF AKLIS
     KOOROOKH
     THE VEILED FIGURE
     THE BOSOM OF NOORNA
     THE REVIVAL
     THE PLOT
     THE DISH OF POMEGRANATE GRAIN
     THE BURNING OF THE IDENTICAL
     THE FLASHES OF THE BLADE
     CONCLUSION




THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT

BOOK I.

THE THWACKINGS
THE STORY OF BHANAVAR THE BEAUTIFUL




THE THWACKINGS

It was ordained that Shibli Bagarag, nephew to the renowned Baba
Mustapha, chief barber to the Court of Persia, should shave Shagpat, the
son of Shimpoor, the son of Shoolpi, the son of Shullum; and they had
been clothiers for generations, even to the time of Shagpat, the
illustrious.

Now, the story of Shibli Bagarag, and of the ball he followed, and of the
subterranean kingdom he came to, and of the enchanted palace he entered,
and of the sleeping king he shaved, and of the two princesses he
released, and of the Afrite held in subjection by the arts of one and
bottled by her, is it not known as 'twere written on the finger-nails of
men and traced in their corner-robes? As the poet says:

     Ripe with oft telling and old is the tale,
     But 'tis of the sort