The raft floated on for a short distance, but then it reached a broad stretch where I could see a large valley into which the water fell with a roar like thunder and a rush like that of wind. I clutched my raft with both hands, fearful I might fall off. The waves were tossing me right and left as the current carried the raft down into the valley, and I could neither stop it nor bring it in towards the shore. This went on until it brought me alongside a large and well-built city, full of people, and when they saw the current carrying me downstream on my raft in the middle of the river, they threw me nets and ropes. They managed to bring the raft in to land and there I collapsed half-dead of hunger, sleeplessness and terror.
One of the crowd of spectators, a dignified-looking old man, welcomed me and passed me a number of fine clothes with which I covered my nakedness. He then took me with him and brought me to the baths, before providing me with revivifying drinks and fragrant perfumes. When we left the baths he took me into his house, where his family showed pleasure at meeting me. I was made to sit in an elegant room and my host prepared some splendid food for me, which I ate until I was full, and I then gave thanks to Almighty God for having rescued me. Servants brought me hot water with which I washed my hands, and slave girls fetched silk towels, which I used to dry my hands and wipe my mouth. As soon as I had finished, the old man got up and provided me with a chamber of my own, standing by itself at the side of his house, and he gave instructions to his servants and slave girls to serve me and to do anything I might want. I remained being waited on in the guest chamber for three days, eating well, with plenty to drink and surrounded by pleasant scents, until, as my fears subsided, I recovered my spirits and became calm and relaxed.
On the fourth day, the old man came to me and said: ‘We have enjoyed your company, my son, and we thank God that you are safe. Would you like to come down with me to the market by the shore where you can sell your goods? With the price that you get for them you may be able to buy some things that you can use for trade.’ I stayed silent for a while, saying to myself: ‘Where am I to get any goods and why is he talking like this?’ But he said: ‘Don’t be concerned or worried, my son; come with me to the market and if you find someone who will give you an acceptable price for what you have, I shall take it for you, and if not, I shall put your goods in my warehouses and keep them until a better time comes for trading.’ I thought this over and decided that I had better accept his offer in order to find out what these ‘goods’ might be. So I said: ‘To hear is to obey, uncle, for whatever you do brings blessings, and I cannot disobey you in anything.’ So I went with him to the market and found that he had taken my raft to pieces, it being of sandalwood, and had told the auctioneer to call for bids.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the five hundred and sixty-fifth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that Sindbad went with the old man to the shore, where he found that his raft of sandalwood had been dismantled and the auctioneer was calling for bids. SINDBAD SAID:
The merchants gathered and when the bidding opened, it went up and up until it ended at a thousand dinars. The old man then turned to me and said: ‘That is the price of your goods at times like these, my son. Do you want to sell at this price or would you prefer to wait? I can store the wood for you in my warehouses until the price rises and then sell it for you.’ ‘It is for you to decide, sir,’ I told him, ‘so do what you want.’ ‘My son,’ he said, ‘will you sell it to me for a hundred dinars more than the price offered by the merchants?’ ‘Certainly,’ I told him. ‘I agree to the sale and accept the price.’ At that, he told his servants to remove the wood to his warehouses and I went back with him to his house. We sat down and he counted out the entire purchase price for me, after which he brought me bags in which the money was placed, and these were secured with an iron lock, whose key he handed over to me.
Some time later he said to me: ‘My son, I have a proposal to make to you and I hope that you will follow my wishes in the matter.’ I asked what this was, and he explained: ‘I am now an old man. I have no son, but I do have a pretty young daughter, as rich as she is beautiful, whom I would like to marry to you. You could then stay with her here in this country and I would pass over to you all my wealth and my possessions. For I am old and you can take my place.’ I stayed silent for a time without speaking, and he went on: ‘Obey me in this, my son. I want to help you and, if you do what I ask, I will marry you to my daughter; you will be like a son to me and every single thing that I own will pass to you. If you want to go trading and to travel to your own country, no one will stop you. This wealth is at your disposal, so do what you want with it and make your own choice.’ ‘By God, uncle,’ I told him, ‘you have become like a father to me. I have experienced so many terrors that I no longer have any powers of judgement or know what to do, and as a result it is up to you to do whatever you want.’ At this point the old man told his servants to fetch the qadi and the notaries, which they did, and he then gave his daughter to me in marriage and provided a grand feast by way of celebration. When I was taken to my bride, I found her to be very lovely indeed, well shaped and wearing ornaments, robes, valuable stones, jewellery, necklaces and precious gems which, although no one could have valued them exactly, were worth thousands upon thousands of dinars. I was filled with delight when I lay with her, and we fell in love with each other.
I stayed with my wife for some time, enjoying the greatest happiness and contentment. Her father was then gathered to the merciful presence of Almighty God. We prepared him for the funeral and then buried him, after which I took over all his possessions while all his attendants were transferred to my service. He had been the leader of the merchants, none of whom, thanks to his status, had done any dealings without his knowledge and consent, and they now put me in his place as his successor.
On further association with the townsfolk, I discovered that once a month a change came over them. They could be seen to sprout wings, with which they would fly off into the upper air, leaving no one in the city apart from children and women. I told myself that on the first of the month I would ask one of them to take me with them to wherever they were going. When the first of the month arrived, their complexions changed as their appearance altered, and so I went to one of them and begged him for God’s sake to take me with him as a spectator and then bring me back. He told me that this was impossible, but I kept pressing him until he consented, and when I had got the agreement of the others, without telling any of my household, my servants or my companions, I clung on to him as he soared with me up into the sky. He flew so high with me on his shoulders that to my astonishment I heard the angels in the dome of heaven glorifying God. I said: ‘Glory and praise be to God,’ but before I had finished, fire came out of heaven, which almost consumed the townsfolk. They dived down and, as they were furiously angry with me, they put me down on a lofty mountain and then flew away and left me.
Alone on the mountain I blamed myself for what I had done, and I recited the formula: ‘There is no might and no power except with God, the Exalted, the Omnipotent,’ adding: ‘Every time I escape from one disaster, I fall into another that is even worse.’ I stayed on the mountain not knowing where to go when suddenly I caught sight of two young men walking there, resplendent as moons, each holding a golden staff on which he leaned. I went up to them and, after we had exchanged greetings, I conjured them in God’s Name to tell me who and what they were. ‘We are servants of Almighty God,’ they told me, after which they gave me a staff of red gold that they had with them, before going on their way. I walked along the summit of the mountain, supporting myself on the staff and thinking about the two young men, when from beneath the mountain there emerged a snake with a man in its mouth whom it had swallowed up to his navel. He was shrieking and calling out: ‘Whoever saves me will be saved by God from every calamity,’ and so I advanced on the snake and struck it on the head with my golden staff, at whi
ch it spat the man out of its mouth.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the five hundred and sixty-sixth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that when Sindbad struck the snake with the golden staff that he was holding, it spat the man out of its mouth. SINDBAD WENT ON:
He came up to me and said: ‘As it was you who rescued me from that snake, I shall not leave you and you will be my companion on this mountain.’ I welcomed him and we were making our way over the mountain when we were approached by a group of men. When I looked at them, I noticed that among them was the one who had flown with me on his shoulders. I went up to him and excused myself politely, adding: ‘My friend, this is not the way in which friends should treat each other.’ He said: ‘It was you who almost had us killed by glorifying God while you were on my back.’ ‘Don’t hold it against me,’ I replied. ‘I didn’t know about this, but I shall not speak another word.’ He agreed to take me back with him, but on condition that I would not mention the Name of God or glorify Him while he was carrying me, after which he took me up and flew off with me as he had done before, bringing me to my own house. My wife met me and greeted me, but after congratulating me on my safe return, she warned me: ‘Take care not to go out with these people again and have no dealings with them. They are brothers of the devils and don’t know how to call on the Name of Almighty God.’ ‘How did your father deal with them, then?’ I asked her. ‘My father was not one of them and did not do what they do. My advice, now that he is dead, is that you should sell everything that we have, use the purchase price to buy goods, and then sail back to your own country and your own family. I shall go with you as there is nothing to keep me here now that both my parents are dead.’
After that, I began to sell my father-in-law’s possessions bit by bit, while waiting for someone to sail from the city whom I could accompany. I was still doing this when a group of city merchants made up their minds to embark on a voyage, and as they could not find a ship, they bought timber and built a large one for themselves. I hired myself a passage with them and, after having paid the price in full, I embarked with my wife and all that we could take with us, abandoning our properties and estates. We put out to sea and sailed on from island to island and sea to sea, enjoying fair winds, until we came safely to land at Basra. I did not stay there but hired a passage on another ship, on which I loaded everything that I had brought with me, and set off for Baghdad. There I went to my own district and, on coming to my house, I met my family, my companions and my friends, and then I stored all my goods in my warehouses. My family calculated that on this seventh voyage I had been absent for twenty-seven years and this had made them despair of ever seeing me again. When I arrived and told them of all my adventures, they were filled with astonishment and congratulated me on my safe return.
I now vowed to Almighty God that after this, my seventh and last, voyage I would never again travel either by land or sea, for I no longer felt any desire for this, and I gave thanks to Almighty God, glory be to Him, with grateful praise, for having brought me back to my family, my land and my country. So consider, Sindbad the landsman, what happened to me during my experiences and adventures.
‘Don’t hold against me what I said about you,’ said the other Sindbad, and the two of them continued to enjoy an increasingly happy, cheerful and contented life as friends until they were visited by the destroyer of delights, the parter of companions, the wrecker of palaces and the filler of graves, the bearer of the cup of death. Praise be to the living God, Who does not die.
Alternative version of Sindbad’s seventh voyage (from Galland): ‘Sindbad and the elephant graveyard’
SINDBAD CONTINUED:
After returning from my sixth voyage, I completely abandoned any thought of ever making another. Apart from being of an age which only asked for rest, I had firmly promised myself I would no longer expose myself to the kind of dangers I had so often encountered. All I thought of was to spend the rest of my life in peace and quiet. However, one day, when I was entertaining some friends, a servant came to tell me that one of the caliph’s officials was asking for me. I left the table and went up to the man. ‘The caliph,’ he said to me, ‘has charged me to come and tell you that he wants to speak to you.’ I followed him to the palace, where he presented me to this prince, whom I greeted, prostrating myself at his feet.
‘Sindbad,’ he said, ‘I need you to do me a service: I want you to bear my reply and my presents to the king of Serendib, as it is only right that I should return him the courtesies he has shown me.’
The caliph’s command came upon me as a bolt from the blue. ‘Commander of the Faithful,’ I said to him, ‘I am ready to carry out all that your majesty orders me to do, but I most humbly beseech you to reflect that I am wearied by the unbelievable hardships I have suffered, and have even made a vow never to leave Baghdad.’ I then took the opportunity of giving him a long and detailed account of all my adventures, which he patiently listened to right to the end.
‘I admit,’ he said, ‘that these are indeed the most extraordinary events, but they should not prevent you from undertaking for my sake the voyage I am going to propose to you. To carry out the commission I am giving you, all you have to do is go to the island of Serendib. After that, you will be free to return. But you must go there, for you can see that it would not be proper for me or for my dignity to be indebted to the king of that island.’ Seeing that the caliph’s demand was absolute, I indicated to him that I was ready to obey. He was very pleased at this and gave me a thousand dinars to cover the expenses of my voyage.
I took only a few days to prepare for my departure, and as soon as the caliph’s presents were delivered to me together with a letter in his own hand, I set out and took the route to Basra, where I embarked. My voyage was very successful, and I arrived at the island of Serendib. There I explained to the ministers the commission with which I had been charged, and begged them to get me an audience without delay, which they duly did. I was led with honour to the palace, where I greeted the king by prostrating myself before him, as was the custom.
This king immediately recognized me and showed particular pleasure at seeing me again. ‘Ah! Sindbad!’ he exclaimed. ‘Welcome. Since you left, I swear I have often thought of you. I bless this day, since we meet again.’ I paid him my compliments and, after thanking him for the kindness he showed me, I presented him with the caliph’s letter and his gifts, which he received with great satisfaction. The caliph had sent him a bed covered with golden cloth, valued at a thousand dinars; fifty robes of a very rich material; a hundred others of the finest white cloth from Cairo, Suez, Kufa and Alexandria; a second bed covered with crimson cloth and yet another of a different kind; a large but shallow agate vase, the thickness of a finger and half a foot wide, the base of which represented in bas-relief a man with one knee on the ground holding a bow with an arrow, ready to shoot at a lion; and finally a splendid table which tradition had it came from the great Solomon. The caliph’s letter ran as follows: ‘Greetings, in the Name of the Sovereign Guide of the Right Way, to the mighty and fortunate king, from ‘Abdallah Harun al-Rashid, whom God has set in the place of honour, after his ancestors of happy memory. We received your letter with joy and send you this from the council of our Porte, the garden of superior minds. We hope that as you look on it, you will recognize our good intentions and will be pleased with it. Farewell.’
The king of Serendib was very pleased to see that the caliph returned the friendship which he had shown him. A little after this audience, I asked leave to depart, which I had great difficulty in obtaining. As he dismissed me, the king gave me a substantial present. I immediately re-embarked, with the intention of returning to Baghdad; but I had not the fortune to arrive there as I hoped, as God ordered otherwise.
Three or four days after our departure we were attacked by pirates, who had very little difficulty in seizing our vessel as we were in no state
to defend ourselves. Some members of the crew wanted to put up a resistance, but it cost them their lives; as for myself and all those who were prudent enough not to oppose the pirates’ intentions, we were made slaves.
After the pirates had stripped us of our clothes, giving us in exchange some tattered rags, they took us far off to a large island where they sold us. I fell into the hands of a rich merchant, who, no sooner had he bought me, took me to his house, where he fed me well and dressed me in the clothes appropriate to a slave. A few days later, as he had not yet discovered who I was, he asked me whether I knew some trade. Without revealing much, I replied that I was not an artisan but a merchant by profession and that the pirates who had sold me had stripped me of all I had. ‘But tell me,’ he went on, ‘can you not use a bow and arrow?’ I replied that this was something I had practised in my youth and that I had not forgotten it since. He then gave me a bow and some arrows and, making me mount behind him on an elephant, he led me to a vast and extensive forest some hours’ journey from the town. We went some way into it, and when he decided we should stop, he made me get down. Then, showing me a large tree, he said: ‘Climb up this tree and shoot at the elephants you will see pass, for there are a vast number of them in this forest. If any of them falls, come and tell me.’ On saying this, he left me some provisions and followed the path back to the town, while I lay in wait on the tree for the whole of the night.
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights Page 65