by Jan Potocki
At the end of the second century of the Hegira, a Zegris dared to proclaim himself mahdi, that is, legitimate chief. He made his capital at Kairouan, a day’s journey from Tunis, conquered the whole of Africa and became the first of the line of Fatimid caliphs.2 The Sheikh of Cassar Gomelez sent him a great deal of gold but had to be more than ever careful to keep his secret because the Christians were beginning to win victories and it was feared that the Cassar might fall into their hands. Soon other worries preoccupied the sheikh, namely the sudden rise of the Abencerrages, a family which was hostile to us and whose outlook was opposed to ours. The Zegris and Gomelez were shy, reserved but keen on spreading the faith. The Abencerrages, on the other hand, were gentle, courteous to women and friendly towards Christians. They had discovered some of our secrets and encompassed us with snares.
The mahdi’s successors conquered Egypt3 and were recognized in Syria and Persia. The power of the Abbasids collapsed. Turcoman princes conquered Baghdad.4 But in spite of this the doctrine of Ali scarcely spread and the Sunnis still held sway.
In Spain the example set by the Abencerrages started a progressive moral decline. Women appeared in public without veils, men sighed at their feet, the sheikhs of the Cassar no longer left their castle and did not touch the gold. This state of affairs went on for a long time. In their desire to save the faith and the kingdom, the Zegris and the Gomelez formed a league against the Abencerrages and slaughtered them in the Court of the Lions in their own palace, which they called the Alhambra.5
This disastrous event deprived Granada of a considerable number of its defenders and precipitated its fall. The valleys of the Alpujarras followed the example of the region and surrendered to the victors. The Sheikh of Cassar Gomelez destroyed the castle and took refuge in the underground dwellings in which you met Zoto’s brothers. Six families hid with him in the depths of the earth. Others fled to surrounding caves, which open out on to other valleys.
Some members of the Zegris and Gomelez families adopted the Christian faith or pretended to be converted. Among those was the Moro family, which before had had a trading house in Granada. Members of this family later became court bankers. They did not have to fear running short of money because the treasures of the mines were at their disposal. Contacts with Africa, especially Tunis, were maintained. So all went tolerably well until the time of Charles, the Emperor and King of Spain. The faith of the prophet, which was no longer as widespread in Asia as at the time of the caliphs, spread on the other hand through Europe, thanks to the Ottoman conquests.
At this time discord, which destroys everything on earth, reached below its surface too. That is to say, it reached our caves. Moreover, the small amount of living space exacerbated rivalries. Sefi and Billah fought over the position of sheikh, which was indeed worth coveting since it also conferred on its holder the right to have at his disposal an inexhaustible gold-mine. Sefi saw that he was weaker and sought to ally himself with the Christians. Billah plunged a dagger into his heart. Then he began to think about the whole issue of security. The secret of the underground domain was written down on a parchment and this was cut into six vertical strips so the page could not be read except by bringing together the six strips. All six chiefs of the tribes received one and were forbidden on pain of death to give it to anyone else. The initiate carried the strip on his right shoulder. Billah kept the power of life and death over all the inhabitants of the caves and of the region. The dagger he had plunged into Sefi’s heart became the symbol of his power and was handed down to his successor. Having thus established a harsh regime in the caves, Billah devoted his indefatigable energies to Africa, where the Gomelez occupied several thrones. They reigned in Taroudant and Tlemcen. But Africans are fickle: men who listen above all to the voice of their passions. And Billah’s undertakings on that continent did not result in the hoped-for success.
At about this time there began the persecution of the Moors who had stayed in Spain. Billah skilfully turned these circumstances to his advantage. With great shrewdness he established between the caves and high dignitaries of the state a system of mutual help. The latter thought that they were protecting a few Moorish families who wanted to be left to live in peace; in reality they were furthering the plans of the sheikh, who opened his purse to them in recompense. I also note in the annals that Billah introduced, or rather revived, the ordeals which young men had to undergo to show their strength of character. Before Billah’s time they had fallen into oblivion.
Shortly after, the Moors were expelled. The sheikh of the caves was then called Kader. He was a wise man who used all the means at his disposal to ensure the safety of the inhabitants of the caves. Moro the bankers founded a society of highly-placed people who pretended to feel pity for the Moors. Under this cover they did many services for which they were handsomely paid.
The Moors who were banished to Africa were filled with a spirit of vengeance which constantly spurred them on. The whole continent looked as though it would rise up and overrun Spain but the African states were set against the interests of the exiled Moors. Much blood was pointlessly shed in civil wars. In vain did the sheikhs of the caves spend untold sums of money. The ruthless Moulay Ismael6 took advantage of the age-old discord and founded the state of Morocco which still exists today.
I have reached the time of my own birth and will speak about myself from now on.
When the sheikh had said this he was told that dinner was served. The evening was spent in the same way as the previous one.
The Sixty-third Day
I was sent back down the mine in the morning. I set about extracting as much gold as I could. By now I was used to this work, having spent whole days at it. In the evening I went to see the sheikh, where I met my cousins again. I asked him to continue his story, which he did as follows:
THE GREAT SHEIKH OF THE GOMELEZ’S STORY
CONTINUED
I have told you what I know of the story of our underground domains. Now I shall tell you about my own adventures. I was born in a spacious cave next to the one in which we find ourselves. It was lit by indirect light. The sky could not be seen, but we sometimes went out into clefts in the rock to breathe fresh air, and from there we could see a narrow part of the vault of the heavens and often even the sun. Above ground we had a small plot of land where we grew flowers. My father was one of the six tribal chiefs; that is why he lived with all his family underground, while his collateral relatives who were reckoned as Christians lived in the valley. Some had settled at Albicín on the outskirts of Granada. As you know, there are no houses there and the population lives in caves on the mountainside. Some of these strange dwellings were connected to certain caves which extended as far as our own underground domains. Some of those who lived close at hand came to pray with us every Friday. Those who lived further afield came only on great feast-days.
My mother spoke to me in Spanish, my father in Arabic, so from the beginning I knew both languages but principally Arabic. I learned the Koran by heart and made a deep study of its commentaries. From my earliest childhood I was a fervent Muslim and a follower of Ali. I had been inculcated with a deep hatred of Christians. All these feelings were more or less innate and grew as I grew in the darkness of the caves.
I reached my eighteenth year. For a long time it had seemed to me that the roof of the underground dwelling was oppressing my soul and crushing me. I was thirsty for pure air. This feeling made me ill. I lost my strength and grew visibly listless. My mother was the first to notice what was happening. She began questioning me and I confided to her all my feelings. I described to her the oppressive sensation which tormented me and the strange restlessness of my heart, which I could not express. I added that I wished absolutely to breathe a different air, to see the sky, the forests, the mountains, the sea, other men, and that I would die if this wish was not granted.
My mother shed some tears and said, ‘Dear Massoud, your illness is common among us. I myself have suffered from it, and I was then allowe
d to make a few excursions. I went to Granada, and even further afield. But for you it’s different. There are great plans for you. Soon you will be launched into the world and you will go much further away than I would like. But come and see me very early tomorrow and I shall see to it that you can breathe some pure air.’
The next day I joined my mother at the appointed hour.
‘Dear Massoud,’ she said, ‘you want to breathe fresher air than that which you can breathe in these caves. Be patient. If you crawl for a certain time under this rock you will reach a deep, narrow gorge. The air is freer there than it is here. In places you can even climb the rocks and see a limitless horizon spreading out at your feet. This hollow passage was in the beginning only a crack in the rock, from which fissures have since run out in various directions. Today you will see before you a labyrinth of intersecting paths. Take some pieces of charcoal with you and at every fork mark the path you have followed. That is how to avoid getting lost. Here is a bag with provisions. You’ll find no shortage of water. I hope that you don’t meet anyone, but slip a yatagan1 into your belt in case you do. I am putting myself in great danger in satisfying your wishes so don’t stay away too long.’
I thanked my kind mother, started crawling and reached a narrow passage hollowed out in the rock but still covered with vegetation. Later I saw a little lake with clear water and several paths crossing one another. I walked for most of the day. The noise of a waterfall attracted my attention. I followed the downward path of the stream and reached the point where it flowed down into a bay. It was a magical place. For a moment I was silent in admiration, then hunger gnawed at me. I got out the provisions from my bag, proceeded to perform the ablutions prescribed by the prophet and eagerly set about my food. When I had finished my meal I performed my ablutions again, prepared to return to the caves and followed the path by which I had come. Suddenly I heard a strange rustling. I turned round and saw a woman emerging from a spring. Her wet hair covered her nearly completely, but she was wearing a green silk dress, which clung to her body. After the fairy had emerged from the water, she hid in the bushes and came out again dressed in dry clothes, with her hair held back by a comb.
She climbed on to a rock, no doubt to enjoy the view, and then went back to the spring from which she had come. Without knowing why, I instinctively blocked her path. She was frightened at first but I fell to my knees. This humble attitude seemed to reassure her somewhat. She came up to me, took me by the chin and kissed me on the forehead. Then, as fast as lightning, she threw herself in the lake and disappeared from sight. I was convinced that she was a fairy or, as they are called in our stories, a peri. But in spite of this I went up to the bush where she had hidden and found there the dress hung up to dry.
I had no other reason to linger there and returned to the cave. I greeted my mother with a kiss but did not tell her of the adventures which had befallen me, for I had read in our ghasels 2 that fairies like their secrets to be kept. My mother noticed that I was extremely lively and was glad that the liberty she had given me had had such a beneficial effect.
The next day I went back to the spring and, as I had marked the way with charcoal, I found it without difficulty. Once there I called out to the fairy at the top of my voice and asked her to excuse me for having performed my ablutions in her spring. However, I performed them again and then spread out my provisions. Guided by a secret instinct, I had brought enough for two people. I hadn’t begun eating when I heard a rustling coming from the spring. The fairy emerged from it and laughed as she shook water over me.
She ran to the bush, put on a dry dress and sat down next to me. Then she ate like an ordinary mortal, but didn’t say a word. I thought that this was the custom of fairies and was not surprised.
Don Juan Avadoro has already told you his story, so you have guessed that my fairy was his daughter Ondina, who dived into the passages under the rock and swam from her lake to mine. Ondina was innocent, or rather, she was unaware of innocence or sin. Her face was so enchanting, her behaviour so simple and engaging that I fell deeply in love with her and imagined that I had become the husband of a fairy. This lasted for one month.
One day the sheikh summoned me. In his company I discovered the six chiefs of the tribes, including my father.
‘My son,’ he said, ‘you are going to leave our caves and go to those happy regions where people profess the faith of the prophet.’
These words made the blood run cold in my veins. To be parted from the fairy meant death to me. ‘Dear father,’ I cried, ‘allow me never to leave these caves.’
I had no sooner uttered these words than I saw six daggers pointing at me. My father seemed to want to be the first to strike me in the heart.
‘I accept that I must die,’ I said, ‘but let me first speak to my mother.’
This favour was granted me. I threw myself in her arms and told her of my adventure with the fairy. My mother was amazed and said, ‘Dear Massoud, I didn’t think there were any fairies on earth. In any case I don’t know anything about them, but there’s a wise Jew living nearby whom I’ll ask about them. If the one whom you love is a fairy, she will be able to find you wherever you are. Moreover, you must also consider that in this place the least sign of disobedience is punished by death. Submit yourself to their wishes, and try to earn their good graces.’
My mother’s words made a deep impression on me. I thought to myself that the fairy was indeed bound to be an omnipotent being and that she would be able to find me even at the very ends of the earth. I went to see my father and swore him blind obedience.
The next day I set off on my journey with a Tunisian called Sid Ahmed. He first took me to his native city, one of the most enchanting in the world. From Tunis we went to Zaghouan, a little town famous for the manufacture of the red beret called the fez. I was told that near the town there was a strange building composed of a temple and a colonnade forming a semicircle around a lake. The water springs from the temple like a fountain and runs into the lake. It was said that in ancient times the waters of the lake were piped as far away as Carthage. It was also said that the temple was dedicated to an aquatic deity. Deranged as I was, I thought that this deity was my fairy. I went to the fountain and started shouting for her as loud as I could, but all that replied was an echo.
Later, still at Zaghouan, I was told about a castle of ghosts, whose ruins were a few miles off in the desert. I went there and saw a circular edifice built in an unusual but fine style. A man was sitting in the ruins and drawing. I asked him in Spanish whether it was true that the palace had been built by ghosts. He smiled and said that it was a theatre in which the ancient Romans organized fights between wild animals. The place was called el Djem and had once been famous under the name of Zama. The traveller’s explanation didn’t interest me in the slightest. I would have preferred to meet a ghost there who might have brought me news of my fairy.
From Zaghouan we went on to Kairouan, the old capital of the mahdi. There I saw an immense town of a hundred thousand violent and passionate inhabitants, ready to rise up at any moment. We spent a whole year there. From Kairouan we went to Ghadames, a little independent state which is part of the Bled el Djerid, or the country of the date palms. That is what the region which stretches from the Atlas mountains to the Sahara, the desert of sand, is called. The date palms are so productive in this region that one tree is enough to feed a man of moderate appetite (as all the men of that race are) for a whole year. But there is no lack of other food. A cereal called doura is found there too, and tall sheep with no fleece whose flesh is succulent.
At Ghadames we met many Moors who had come from Spain. There were no Zegris or Gomelez among them but many families who were deeply devoted to us. It was a country of refugees.
Less than a year had gone by when I received a letter from my father, which ended as follows:
Your mother asked me to tell you that fairies are ordinary women and that they even bear children.
I then realized t
hat my fairy was a mortal like myself, and this thought calmed my imagination somewhat.
When the sheikh had reached this point in his story, a dervish came to say that dinner was served and we merrily sat down to table.
The Sixty-fourth Day
The next day I went back down the mine and practised the trade of miner for a few hours. In the evening I went to the sheikh and asked him to continue his story, which he did as follows:
THE GREAT SHEIKH OF THE GOMELEZ’S STORY
CONTINUED
I told you that I had received a letter from my father, who informed me that my fairy was a woman. I was then at Ghadames. Sid Ahmed then took me to Fezzan, a bigger but less fertile region than Ghadames, all of whose inhabitants were black. From there we went to the oasis of Amnon, where we had to wait for news from Egypt. A fortnight later our messenger came back with eight dromedaries. The way these animals walked made riding unbearable, but we had to bear it eight hours without a break. Then we stopped. Each dromedary was given a ball made up of rice, gum Arabic and coffee. We rested for four hours and then set off again.
On the third day we stopped at Bahr Bila maa, that is, the sea without water. It is a large sandy valley covered in shells. We did not see any trace of plants or animals there. Towards evening we reached a lake rich in soda, which is a kind of salt. We dismissed our escort with his dromedaries and I spent the night alone with Sid Ahmed. At dawn eight strong men came to carry us across the lake on stretchers. Where the way across seemed narrow they went ahead in single file; the soda crackled under their feet, which they had wrapped in animal skins to protect them. We were transported in this way for more than two hours. The lake opened out into a valley, which was flanked on both sides at its entrance by two white granite rocks. It then stretched out into the distance and passed into a cave which was of natural origin although human hands had helped to fashion it.