There was once a princess of
The kingdom of Agrabah
Her name was Jasmine
She refused to marry
Any of her suitors
She was twenty-one and
Old enough to marry
Many girls her age
Were already married
Her father, the sultan
Was very worried
For all this while, the princess
Was learned and cultivated
In poetry and discussion
Of worldly affairs
Most of her suitors were
Only interested
In her royal status
Or did not care enough
To engage in discussion
The sultan asked Jafar
His most trusted advisor
For advice in this matter
If Jasmine did not marry
There will not be a royal
Heir to inherit the throne
Jafar, the grand vizier
Was silent for a moment
He suggested the matter
Be brought to the princess's
Attention, for she cared
Greatly for her kingdom
She might not realize
How she was jeopardizing
Agrabah's future
In a private conference
With her father that night
The princess sighed deeply
She agrees to marry
On the condition that she
Be let in her father's court
For all this while, Jasmine had
Only been a spectator
She wants an active hand
In running the kingdom
Disguised as a prince
She was free to sit among
The viziers, princes
And foreign ambassadors
Then one of them caught her eye
He lead the discussion
On her father's behalf
Polite and gracious
Able to settle
Disputes with seeming ease
He was intelligent
Of that there was no doubt
But Jasmine found herself
Discomfited when
His gaze landed on her
Drawn by the sound of his voice
And the gleam of his teeth
When he smiled at a comment
He found amusing
Jasmine felt embarrassed
That her first attendance
In court, focused not on
Building political ties
But on this mysterious man
Who had captured her heart
Who was he, she wondered
As she tossed and turned that night
Did he like poetry, was he
As accomplished at poetry
As he was at holding court
And a darker thought
Was he already married
Not surprising then, she had
Little sleep that night
Jafar wondered why
A certain prince was
Unable to hold his gaze
Surely he must be shy
New to court as he was
Unused to presenting
His views to an audience
He let the matter settle
To the back of his mind
What of the princess
The sultan had told him
That at Jafar's advice
He had successfully
Counselled his daughter
Jafar expects the
Wedding to be soon
That would mean dignitaries
Visiting Agrabah
He would have to sort out
The logistics later
The next morning, the sultan
Asked his daughter Jasmine
If there were any
Dissatisfaction with
The way the kingdom was run
Jasmine answered no
However she proposed that
A poetry competition
Be held for entertainment
The sultan agreed, he knew
How much Jasmine loved poetry
But he himself would
Not be present, retiring
Early to his chambers