"One Thousand and One Nights", known in Arabic as "Alf Laylah wa-Laylah", is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales cultivated during the Golden Age of Islam, compiled in Arabic.This work is widely known in English as "Arabian Nights", originated from the first English version between 1706 and 1721. The original title was translated as "Arabian Nights Entertainment".Its content has been included by many authors, translators and scholars from West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia and North Africa for centuries.The roots of these stories can be traced back to ancient and medieval Arab, Persian and Mesopotamian literature, but most of them were originally folk stories from the Abbasid and Mamluk eras, while others - especially the framework - The story—perhaps it is based on the Persian “Hezār Afsān”, which may be translated from an older Indian text.

The so-called "Legendary System" is vividly expressed in "One Thousand and One Nights", which also makes it extremely numerous.

Most versions of One Thousand and One Nights have a similar design, that is, Scheherazade, the wife of the ruler Shahriyal, tells him the story of the night with the goal of The story delayed her execution.The nightly narration made King Shahriyal gradually attracted by the story and was unwilling to execute the execution.The plan lasted for a thousand and one night until he finally forgives Sheikh Rashad.

The diversity of stories is so widespread, including historical stories, love stories, tragedies, comedy, poetry and various forms of erotic literature, which is amazing.

The story themes and endings in different versions are also different, and most of them are in the end around Shahriyal's kindness to Sheikh Rashad, and such structures and changes make the charm of the story collection more diverse.The endings of several versions change from time to time, but only one thing remains unchanged is Shahriyal's forgiveness to his wife.Sheikh Rashad uses her wisdom to direct the king's attention to her story, allowing her to prolong her life, and this wisdom of survival demonstrates a kind of tenacity and creativity in human nature.

These stories not only attract countless readers, but also the science fiction elements in them are unexpected.In some stories, such as "The Adventure of Bruggia", the protagonist pursues the herbs of immortality, shows a desire for cosmic exploration and experiences many extraordinary encounters during his journey.

The stories in "One Thousand and One Nights" offer readers of many generations of readers with profound reflections on human nature, wisdom and morality.

Scholars have made many efforts to sort out their complex evolutions about the history and version of "One Thousand and One Nights".According to the research of scholar Robert Irving, modern scholars have reached a consensus that "One Thousand and One Nights" was compiled from stories from India and Persia. In the early 8th century, these stories were translated into Arabic and formed Alf Laylah.Over time, stories from many countries were gradually absorbed, especially in the later tenth century, which contained many legends about Abbasid's Caliph Haren Rasid, which eventually formed what we are now familiar with. The "One Thousand and One Nights" version.

It is fascinating that many stories in "One Thousand and One Nights" show the pursuit of morality and wisdom, typically including wise young women who tell stories to solve dilemmas when facing crises, and This principle can obviously be traced back to the literary traditions of India.Scholars have confirmed that the structure and themes in many stories are similar to the ancient Indian Panchatantra and Jatak, which adds different aspects to the origin of the story.

These stories have been continuously adapted and evolved in the long river of history, allowing them to gain vitality in various cultures.

As time goes by, different translations and versions have emerged.For example, many stories under the French version of Les Mille et une nuits by French translator Antoine Galang actually appeared for the first time in its translation.However, the existing versions of the story in the single Arabic book he used are different from those of the early Arabic literature.The translator was influenced by the cultural needs of the time and expanded and adjusted the stories, which allowed later readers to experience these stories in different ways.

The history of this work continues the charm and richness of a thousand and one night, and the appearance of each version represents the interpretation and reshaping of the story by a certain culture.With the progress of globalization, modern readers' understanding of "One Thousand and One Nights" is not limited to its original story, but is transformed into an extension and exchange of cultural symbols.How exactly will this classic work evolve to adapt to the ever-changing cultural background and readers’ needs, and will new innovations appear again over time?

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