The Arabian Nights

by Padraic Colum

  Whoso possesseth two dirhems, his lips have learned varieties of speech, which he uttereth:

  His brethren draw near and listen to him, and thou seest him haughty among mankind.

  Were it not for his money, in which he glorieth, thou wouldst find him in a most ignominious state.

  When the rich man erreth in speech, they reply, Thou hast spoken truly, and not uttered vanity:

  But when the poor man speaketh truly, they reply, Thou hast lied,—and make void what he hath asserted.

  Verily money, in every habitation, investeth men with dignity and with comeliness:

  It is the tongue for him who would be eloquent, and it is the weapon for him who would fight.

  And when the Sherif heard these words, and understood the verses, he hung down his head for a while toward the ground; after which, he raised his head, and said to me, If it must be, I desire of thee three thousand pieces of gold besides. So I replied, I hear and obey. I immediately sent one of the servants to my house, and he brought me the money that the Sherif had demanded; and when the Sherif saw this come to him, he arose from the shop, and said to his young men, Close it. Then he invited his companions from the market to his house, and, having performed the contract of my marriage to his daughter, said to me, After ten days I will introduce thee to her.

  I returned to my house, full of joy, and in privacy informed the ape of that which had happened to me; whereupon he said, Excellently hast thou done. And when the time appointed by the Sherif approached, the ape said to me, I have a want for thee to perform: if thou accomplish it for me, thou shalt obtain of me what thou wilt.—And what is thy want? said I. He answered, At the upper end of the saloon in which thou wilt pay thy first visit to the daughter of the Sherif is a closet, upon the door of which is a ring of brass, and the keys are beneath the ring. Take them, and open the door. Thou wilt find a chest of iron, at the corners of which are four talismanic flags; in the midst is a basin filled with money, and by its side are eleven serpents, and in the basin is tied a white rooster with a cleft comb; and there is also a knife by the side of the chest. Take the knife, and kill with it the rooster, tear in pieces the flags, and empty the chest. This is what I require of thee.—And I replied, I hear and obey.

  I then went to the house of the Sherif, and entering the saloon, I looked toward the closet which the ape had described to me. And when I was left alone with the bride, I wondered at her beauty and loveliness, and her justness of stature and form; for she was such that the tongue cannot describe her beauty and loveliness. When midnight came, and the bride slept, I arose, took the keys, and opened the closet, and, taking the knife, I killed the rooster, threw down the flags, and overturned the chest; whereupon the damsel awoke, and saw that the closet was opened, and the bird killed; and she exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! The Marid hath taken me!—And her words were not ended when the Marid encompassed the house, and snatched away the bride. Upon this, a clamor ensued; and, lo, the Sherif approached, slapping his face, and said, O Abu-Mohammad, what is this deed that thou hast done unto us? Is this the recompense that we receive from thee? I made this talisman in this closet through my fear for my daughter from this accursed wretch; for he was desirous of taking this damsel during a period of six years, and could not do so. But thou shalt no longer remain with us: so go thy way.

  I therefore went forth from the house of the Sherif, and, having returned to my own abode, searched for the ape; but I found him not, nor saw any trace of him: so I knew that he was the Marid who had taken my wife, and that he had practiced a stratagem against me so that I had acted thus with the talisman and the rooster which prevented his taking her. I repented, and tore my clothes in pieces, and slapped my face. No region was wide enough for me; so I went forth immediately, seeking the desert, and stopped not until the evening overtook me; and I knew not whither to go. But while I was absorbed in meditation, lo, two serpents approached me; one, tawny-colored; and the other, white; and they were contending together. I therefore took up a stone from the ground, and struck with it the tawny serpent, and killed it; for it was oppressing the white one. Then the white serpent departed, and was absent for a while; after which it returned, accompanied by ten other white serpents; and they came to the dead serpent, and tore it in pieces, so that there remained only its head; which having done, they went their way.

  Thereupon I laid myself prostrate on my bosom in that place, through weariness; and while I was so lying, meditating upon my case, a being whose voice I heard, but whose form I saw not, uttered these two verses:—

  Let destiny run with slackened reins, and pass not the night but with careless mind;

  For between the closing of an eye and its opening, God effecteth a change in the state of affairs.

  On hearing this, O Prince of the Faithful, I was vehemently affected, and inspired with the utmost trouble of mind; and I heard a voice behind me reciting that couplet:—

  O Muslim, whose guide is the Kur’an, rejoice in it; for safety hath come to thee;

  And fear not what Satan hath suggested; for we are people whose religion is the true one.

  So I said to the person who addressed me, By the Object of thy worship, inform me who thou art! Whereupon the invisible speaker assumed the form of a man, and replied, Fear not; for thy kind conduct hath become known to us, and we are a tribe of the believing Jinn; if then thou hast any want, acquaint us with it, that we may have the pleasure of performing it. I therefore said to him, Verily I have a great want; for I have been afflicted with a heavy calamity. And unto whom hath happened the like of my calamity?—And he said, Perhaps thou art Abu-Mohammad the Lazy. I replied, Yes. And he said, O Abu-Mohammad, I am a brother of the white serpent, whose enemy thou killedst. We are four brothers by the same father and mother, and we are all thankful for thy kindness. And know that he who was in the form of an ape, and who practiced this artifice with thee, is one of the Marids of the Jinn; and had he not employed this stratagem, he had never been able to take the damsel; for of a long time he hath been desirous of taking her, and this talisman prevented him; and had the talisman remained, he could not have obtained access to her. But fear not on account of this affair: we will convey thee to her, and will slay the Marid; for thy kindness is not lost upon us.

  He then uttered a great cry, with a terrible voice; and, lo, a troop approached him, and he inquired of them respecting the ape; upon which one of them answered, I know his abode. He said, Where is his abode? And he answered, In the City of Brass, upon which the sun riseth not. And he said, O Abu-Mohammad, take one of our servants, and he will carry thee on his back, and will instruct thee how thou shalt take the damsel. But know that the servant is one of the Marids; and when he carrieth thee, mention not the name of God while he beareth thee; for if thou mention it, he will fly from thee, and thou wilt fall and perish.—So I replied, I hear and obey.

  I took one of their servants, and he stooped, and said, Mount. And I mounted. He then soared with me into the sky until he had ascended out of sight of the world; and I saw the stars resembling the firm mountains, and heard the Angels extolling the perfection of God in Heaven. All this while the Marid was conversing with me and amusing me, and diverting me from mentioning God, whose name be exalted! But while I was in this state, lo, a person clad in green garments,10 and having long locks of hair, and a resplendent countenance, and in his hand a spear from which sparks flew forth, approached and said to me, O Abu-Mohammad, say, There is no deity but God: Mohammad is God’s Apostle—or I will smite thee with this spear. My heart was already rent in pieces by my abstaining from mentioning God (whose name be exalted!): so I said, There is no deity but God: Mohammad is God’s Apostle. And immediately that person smote the Marid with the spear; whereupon he dissolved, and became ashes; and I fell from his back, and continued descending to the earth until I dropped into a roaring sea, agitated with waves.

  But, lo, there was a ship, containing five sailors; and when they saw me, th
ey came to me, and took me up into the vessel, and began to speak to me in a language which I knew not. I therefore made a sign to them that I knew not their language. And they proceeded on their voyage until the close of the day, when they cast a net, and caught a large fish, which they broiled; and they gave me to eat. They continued their voyage until they had conveyed me to their city; upon which they took me in to their King, and placed me before him; and I kissed the ground, and he bestowed upon me a dress of honor. Now this King was acquainted with Arabic, and he said, I appoint thee to be one of my guards. And I said to him, What is the name of this city? He answered, Its name is Henad, and it is the land of China. Then the King delivered me to the Wezir of the city, commanding him to shew me the city. The inhabitants of this city were originally infidels; in consequence of which, God (whose name be exalted!) had turned them into stones. I amused myself by taking a view of it; and have beheld nowhere a greater abundance of trees and fruits than it possessed.

  I resided there for the space of a month, after which I went to a river, and seated myself upon its banks; and while I was sitting, lo, a horseman came and said, Art thou Abu-Mohammad the Lazy? I answered him, Yes. And he said, Fear not; for thy kind conduct hath become known unto us. So I asked him, Who art thou? And he answered, I am a brother of the serpent, and thou art near unto the place of the damsel to whom thou desirest to obtain access. Then he took off his clothes, and having clad me with them, said to me, Fear not; for the servant who perished beneath thee was one of our servants. And after this, the horseman took me up behind him, and conveyed me to a desert, where he said to me, Alight from behind me, and proceed between these two mountains until thou seest the City of Brass: then stop at a distance from it, and enter it not till I return to thee, and instruct thee how to act. So I replied, I hear and obey.

  I alighted from behind him, and walked on until I arrived at the city, when I saw that its wall was of brass; and I went round about it, hoping to find a gate to it: but I found none. And while I was going round it, lo, the brother of the serpent approached me, and gave me a talismanic sword that would prevent anyone from seeing me. He then went his way; and he had been but a short time absent from me when cries rose, and I beheld a number of persons whose eyes were in their breasts; and when they saw me, they said, Who art thou, and what cast thee into this place? So I acquainted them with the occurrence; and they replied, The damsel whom thou hast mentioned is with the Marid in this city, and we know not what he hath done with her; and we are brothers of the serpent. Then they added, Go to that spring, see by what channel the water entereth, and enter thou with it; for it will convey thee into the city.

  I therefore did so. I entered with the water into a grotto beneath the earth, and, rising thence, beheld myself in the midst of the city, and found the damsel sitting upon a couch of gold, with a canopy of brocade over her, and round the canopy was a garden containing trees of gold, the fruits of which were of precious jewels, such as rubies and chrysolites, and pearls and coral. And when the damsel saw me, she knew me; and, having saluted me first, she said to me, O my master, who brought thee to this place? So I informed her of the events that had happened; and she replied, Know that this accursed wretch, from the excess of his affection for me, hath acquainted me with that which will injure him and that which will benefit him, and hath informed me that there is in this city a talisman with which, if he desired to destroy all who are in the city, he could destroy them; and whatsoever he should order his ‘Efrits to do, they would comply with his command; and that talisman is upon a pillar.—And where, said I, is the pillar? She answered, In such a place.—And what is that talisman? I asked. She answered, It is the figure of an eagle, and upon it is an inscription which I know not. Take it, and place it before thee, and take a censer with fire, and throw into it a little musk, whereupon there will rise from it a smoke which will attract the ‘Efrits. If thou do so, they will all present themselves before thee; not one of them will remain absent; and they will obey thy command, and do whatsoever thou shalt order them. Arise, therefore, and do that, and may the blessing of God (whose name be exalted!) attend the act.—So I replied, I hear and obey.

  I arose, and went to that pillar, and did all that she desired me to do, and the ‘Efrits came and presented themselves before me, each of them saying, At thy service, O my master! Whatsoever thou commandest us to do, we will do it.—I therefore said to them, Chain the Marid who brought this damsel from her abode. And they replied, We hear and obey. They repaired immediately to that Marid, and chained him, making his bonds tight; and returned to me, saying, We have done what thou hast commanded us. And I ordered them to return. I then went back to the damsel, and, having acquainted her with what had happened, said, O my wife, wilt thou go with me? She answered, Yes. And I went forth with her by the subterranean grotto by which I had entered; and we proceeded until we came to the party who had directed me to her; when I said to them, Direct me to a route that shall lead me to my country.

  Accordingly they guided me and walked with me to the shore of the sea, and placed us on board a ship; and the wind was favorable, and the ship conveyed us on until we arrived at the city of El-Basrah. And when the damsel entered the house of her father, her family saw her, and rejoiced exceedingly at her return. I then fumigated the eagle with musk, and, lo, the ‘Efrits approached me from every quarter, saying, At thy service, and what dost thou desire us to do? And I commanded them to transport all that was in the City of Brass, of money and minerals and jewels, to my house which was in El-Basrah; and they did so. After that, I commanded them to bring the ape; and they brought him in an abject and despicable state; whereupon I said to him, O accursed, why didst thou act perfidiously to me? And I ordered them to put him into a bottle of brass. So they put him into a narrow bottle of brass, and stopped it over him with lead. And I resided with my wife in joy and happiness. I have now, O Prince of the Faithful, of precious treasures, and extraordinary jewels, an abundant wealth, what cannot be expressed by numbers, nor confined by limits; and if thou desire anything, of wealth or aught else, I will command the Jinn to bring it to thee immediately. All this I have received from the bounty of God, whose name be exalted!

  And the Prince of the Faithful wondered at this story extremely. He gave him imperial presents in return for his gift, and treated him with the favor that was suitable to him.

  * * *

  8. A set of dwelling-rooms over a shop: [an appartement, flat.]

  9. Descendants of the Prophet enjoy the titles sherif (noble) and seyyid (master) and the privilege of the green turban.

  10. El-Khidr, a saint who drank of the Fountain of Life and still lives. He was Wezir to Dhu-l-Karneyn, and is variously identified with Elias, Phineas, and St. George.

  The Voyages of Es-Sindibad of the Sea

  There was, in the time of the Khalifeh, the Prince of the Faithful, Harun Er-Rashid, in the city of Baghdad, a man called Es-Sindibad the Porter. He was a man in poor circumstances, who bore burdens for hire upon his head. And it happened to him that he bore one day a heavy burden, and that day was excessively hot; so he was wearied by the load, and perspired profusely, the heat violently oppressing him. In this state he passed by the door of a merchant, the ground before which was swept and sprinkled, and there the air was temperate; and by the side of the door was a wide mastaba. The porter therefore put down his burden upon that mastaba, to rest himself, and to scent the air; and when he had done so, there came forth upon him, from the door, a pleasant, gentle gale, and an exquisite odor, wherewith the porter was delighted. He seated himself upon the edge of the mastaba, and heard in that place the melodious sounds of stringed instruments, with the lute among them, and mirth-exciting voices, and varieties of distinct recitations. He heard also the voices of birds, warbling, and praising God (whose name be exalted!) with diverse tones and with all dialects; consisting of turtle-doves and hezars and blackbirds and nightingales and ring-doves and kirawans;11 whereupon he wondered in his mind, and was moved with great
delight. He then advanced to that door, and found within the house a great garden, wherein he beheld pages and servants and other dependents, and such things as existed not elsewhere save in the abodes of kings and sultans; and after that, there blew upon him the odor of delicious, exquisite viands, of all different kinds, and of delicious wine.

  Upon this he raised his eyes toward heaven, and said, Extolled be thy perfection, O Lord! O Creator! O Supplier of the conveniences of life! Thou suppliest whom Thou wilt without reckoning! O Allah, I implore thy forgiveness of all offences, and turn to Thee repenting of all fault! O Lord, there is no animadverting upon Thee with respect to thy judgment, and thy power; for Thou art not to be questioned regarding that which Thou doest, and Thou art able to do whatsoever Thou wilt! Extolled be thy perfection! Thou enrichest whom Thou wilt, and whom Thou wilt Thou impoverishest! Thou magnifiest whom Thou wilt, and whom Thou wilt Thou abasest! There is no deity but Thou! How great is thy dignity! and how mighty is thy dominion! and how excellent is thy government! Thou hast bestowed favors upon him whom Thou choosest among thy servants, and the owner of this place is in the utmost affluence, delighting himself with pleasant odors and delicious meats and exquisite beverages of all descriptions. And Thou hast appointed unto thy creatures what Thou wilt, and what Thou hast predestined for them; so that among them one is weary, and another is at ease; and one of them is prosperous, and another is like me, in the extreme of fatigue and abjection!

  And when Es-Sindibad the Porter had finished, he desired to take up his burden and to depart. But, lo, there came forth to him from that door a young page, handsome in countenance, magnificent in apparel; and he laid hold upon the porter’s hand, saying to him, Enter: answer the summons of my master; for he calleth for thee. And the porter would have refused to enter with the page; but he could not.