E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
A’zor’s Mirror.
Zemi’ra is the name of the lady, and Azor that of the bear, in Marmontel’s tale of Beauty and the Beast. Zemi’ra entreats the kind monster to let her see her father, if only for a few moments; so drawing aside a curtain, he shows him to her in a magic mirror. This mirror was a sort of telescope, which rendered objects otherwise too far off distinctly visible.
