The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights

by vol 02 (tr Malcolm C

  All that time I did not see a single elephant; but the next morning, as soon as the sun had risen, I saw a large number appear. I shot several arrows at them, and at last one of them fell to the ground. The others immediately withdrew, leaving me free to go and tell my master what I had just killed. In return for this news, he rewarded me with a good meal, praising my skill and embracing me warmly. We then went together to the forest, where we dug a trench in which we buried the elephant. My master proposed to return when the animal had decayed and extract its tusks and sell them.

  I continued hunting like this for two months, and not a day passed when I did not kill an elephant. I did not always hide in the same tree, but sometimes hid in another. One morning, when I was waiting for the elephants to arrive, I was very astonished to see that instead of passing in front of me as they usually did as they traversed the forest, they stopped and came towards me with a horrible noise and in such great numbers that the ground was covered with them and trembled under their steps. They approached my tree and surrounded it, their trunks raised and their eyes fixed on me. At this astonishing sight, I remained motionless and was seized with such terror that my bow and arrows fell from my hands.

  My fears were not unfounded. After the elephants had stared at me for some time, one of the largest of them encircled the bottom of the tree with his trunk and, with an almighty effort, he uprooted it and threw it on the ground. I fell with the tree; but the animal took me up with its trunk and set me on its back, where I sat more dead than alive, with the quiver strapped to my shoulders. It then put itself at the head of all the other elephants, who followed it in a herd, carrying me off to a spot where it put me down before going off with all those that had accompanied it. Imagine, if you can, the state I was in: I thought I was dreaming rather than awake. At last, after remaining stretched out on the ground there for some time, I got up, seeing no more elephants around. I discovered that I was on quite a broad and long hill which was covered with the bones and tusks of elephants. I must admit that this sight filled me with unquantifiable thoughts. I admired the instinct of these animals and was quite sure this was their cemetery and that they had purposely brought me there as a lesson so that I should stop persecuting them, since I did it for the sole purpose of getting their tusks. I did not stop on the hill but directed my steps in the direction of the town, where I arrived at my master’s, after walking for a day and a night. I met no elephant on my way, which made me realize that they had gone off deeper into the forest so as to allow me to proceed without obstacle to the hill.

  As soon as my master saw me, he cried: ‘Ah, poor Sindbad! I was very worried to know what had become of you. I went to the forest, where I found a newly uprooted tree, and a bow and arrows lying on the ground, and after having looked for you in vain, I despaired of ever seeing you again. Tell me, I beg you, what happened to you and by what good fortune are you still alive?’ I satisfied his curiosity, and the next morning the two of us went to the hill, where he was highly delighted to discover that what I had told him was true. We loaded the elephant on which we had come with as many tusks as it could carry, and when we got back, he said to me: ‘Brother – for I can’t treat you as a slave any longer after the pleasure you have given me by a discovery which will make me rich – may God bless you with all happiness and prosperity! I declare before Him that I now give you your liberty! I kept from you what you are now going to hear: every year the elephants of our forest make us lose a vast number of slaves whom we send in to look for ivory. Despite the advice we give them, sooner or later they lose their lives thanks to the wiles of these animals. God has delivered you from their fury and has given this favour to you alone. It is a sign that He cherishes you and needs you in this world for the good you may do there. You are giving me an unbelievable advantage; up till now we have only been able to get ivory by endangering the lives of our slaves, and now an entire town is enriched thanks to you. Don’t think that I believe that I have sufficiently rewarded you just now by giving you your liberty; I want to add to this gift a large quantity of riches. I could get the whole town to make you your fortune: but this is a glory I want to keep for myself.’

  To this kind speech, I replied: ‘May God preserve you, master! The liberty you have granted me is quite enough to acquit yourself of any obligation you have towards me; and the only reward I ask for the services that I have had the good fortune to give you, and to your town, is for permission to return to my own country.’ ‘Well, then,’ he replied, ‘the monsoon will soon bring back ships to load up with ivory. I will then send you home and will give you the means of getting you there.’ I thanked him once more for giving me my liberty and for his favours, and I stayed with him while waiting for the monsoon. During that time, we made so many trips to the hill that we filled his storehouses with ivory. All the merchants of the town who engaged in the same trade did likewise, for it could not be kept a secret from them for very long.

  The ships finally arrived and my master, having himself chosen the ship on which I was to embark, loaded half of it with ivory for me. Nor did he forget to load it with abundant provisions for my voyage, and furthermore he obliged me to accept costly gifts, curiosities of the country. After I had thanked him as much as I could for all the kindnesses I had received from him, I embarked. We set sail, and as the adventure which had procured me my liberty was so extraordinary, I had it continually in my thoughts.

  We stopped at a few islands to take in refreshments. As our vessel had come from a port on the continent of India, we landed there, to avoid the dangers of the sea passage to Basra, and I had my ivory offloaded there, having resolved to continue the journey by land. I obtained a vast sum of money for my ivory, out of which I bought several rarities to give as presents, and when my retinue was ready, I attached myself to a large caravan of merchants. I journeyed for a long while and suffered much; but I endured all with patience, reflecting that I need no longer fear tempests, pirates, serpents, nor all the other perils I had encountered.

  All these fatigues finally came to an end and I arrived happily at Baghdad. I immediately went to present myself to the caliph, to give him an account of my embassy. The caliph told me that the length of my voyage had caused him some disquiet but that he had always hoped that God would not abandon me. When I told him about the adventure of the elephants, he appeared to be very surprised and would have refused to believe it had he not known that I told the truth. He found this story and the others that I told him so curious that he charged one of his secretaries to write them down in letters of gold to be preserved in his treasury. I withdrew very content with the honour and the presents he gave me; then I devoted myself entirely to my family, my parents and my friends.

  This was how Sindbad finished the narration of his seventh and last voyage. Addressing himself to Hindbad,* he added: ‘Well, then, my friend, have you ever heard of anyone suffering as much as I have, or of any mortal finding himself in such pressing difficulties? Isn’t it right that after such travails I should enjoy a quiet and pleasant life?’ As he finished these words, Hindbad went up to him, kissed his hands and said: ‘One must admit, sir, that you have experienced terrible perils; my troubles are nothing compared to yours. If they afflict me for a time, I console myself with the thought that I get some profit from them. You not only deserve a quiet life, but are worthy of all the riches you possess, since you make such good use of them and are so generous. May you then continue to live happily till the hour of your death.’

  Sindbad gave another hundred dinars to him, received him among his friends and told him to quit his profession as porter and continue to come and eat with him; so that he had cause to remember Sindbad the sailor for the rest of his life.

  I have also heard that in the old days in Damascus there was a caliph named ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. One day while he was sitting with the kings and sultans of his empire, they began to discuss tales of past peoples and came to the stories of our master Solomon, son of David, on both of whom be pea
ce, which contained accounts of what Almighty God had granted to him by way of rule and authority over mankind, jinn, birds, beasts and so on. The caliph was told: ‘We have heard from our predecessors that Almighty God gave to our master Solomon what He gave to no one else, and Solomon advanced to a stage that no one else has reached, in that he would imprison jinn, marids and devils in brass bottles, which he would close up with lead, adding his seal.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the five hundred and sixty-seventh night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the caliph ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan held a discussion with his officers and the dignitaries of his empire during which they mentioned our master Solomon, and the authority that God had granted him. He was said to have advanced to a stage that no one had reached before, so much so that he would imprison marids and devils in brass bottles, which he would close up with lead, adding his seal.

  Talib ibn Sahl then told the story of a man who had sailed to the lands of India with a number of others. During the course of their voyage the wind drove them to an unknown land, which they reached in the dark of night. At daybreak black people, naked like wild beasts, emerged from caves. They could not understand what was said to them, but they had a king of their own race who alone among them knew Arabic. When he saw the ship and its crew, he came out with a number of his people and gave a friendly welcome to his visitors. He then asked them about their religion and, when they told him, he said: ‘No harm will come to you.’ They themselves then asked about the local religion, and were told that the inhabitants followed one of those faiths that had preceded Islam and the mission of Muhammad, may God bless him and give him peace, at which the sailors admitted that they didn’t understand what he was talking about and knew nothing about that religion.

  The king then told them that they were the first visitors ever to come to his country, and by way of guest provisions he gave them the flesh of birds and wild beasts, as well as fish, these being the only kinds of foods that were to be had. The ship’s company then landed to look around the city. They found a fisherman casting his net into the sea for fish, and when he pulled it out, it contained a brass bottle with a lead seal stamped with the seal of Solomon, son of David. The fisherman took it out and broke it, and from it came blue smoke that rose high into the sky. They heard a terrible voice crying: ‘Prophet of God, I repent, I repent,’ and the smoke formed into an awesome shape of terrifying appearance, whose head reached the mountain tops. It then disappeared, leaving the visitors with their hearts almost leaping out of their throats, whereas the blacks appeared to think nothing of it. Talib’s informant went back to the king to ask him about it, and the king told him: ‘This was one of the jinn whom Solomon, son of David, in his anger, imprisoned in bottles like these, before sealing them with lead and throwing them into the sea here. Very often, when the fishermen cast their nets, they bring up the bottles, and when they are broken, a jinni comes out. He thinks that Solomon is still alive and so repents and calls out: “I repent, prophet of God.” ’

  ‘Abd al-Malik was astonished when he heard this, and exclaimed: ‘God be praised! What great power was granted to Solomon!’ Among those who were at his assembly was al-Nabigha al-Dhubyani,* who said: ‘What Talib told you is true, as is proved by the lines of the first of the wise poets:

  An example is found in Solomon, when God said to him:

  “Become my regent; rule with diligence.

  Reward those who obey you for their obedience,

  But imprison those who disobey for all eternity.”

  He used to put these disobedient ones in brass bottles, which he threw into the sea.’

  The caliph approved of al-Nabigha’s speech and said: ‘I should like to see one of these bottles myself.’ Talib replied: ‘You don’t have to leave your own lands to do that, Commander of the Faithful, if you tell your brother, ‘Abd al-’Aziz ibn Marwan, to fetch you one from the Maghrib. Your brother should send a message to Musa ibn Nusair† telling him to go from the Maghrib to the mountain that I mentioned and fetch the bottles that you want, since the farthest part of his province adjoins that mountain.’ The caliph approved and said: ‘This is sound advice and I want you to go to Musa to act as my messenger in this affair. You will take with you my white flag together with whatever money, emblems of rank and so on that you want, while I shall look after your family in your absence.’ Talib agreed willingly and the caliph said: ‘Set off, then, with the blessing and help of God.’ He had a letter written to his brother, ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, who was his lieutenant in Egypt, and another to Musa, the governor of the Maghrib, ordering him to go himself to search for Solomon’s bottles, leaving his son in charge of the country. He was to take guides with him, spend money freely, recruit numbers of men, and show no slackness in his quest or take refuge in excuses. He put his seal on the letters and handed them to Talib, urging him to travel as fast as he could underneath the caliphal banners, and providing him with money as well as with an escort of horse and foot to help him on his way. He also ordered that all his household expenses be paid.

  Talib set off on his way to Egypt…

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the five hundred and sixty-eighth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Talib set out together with his companions, and when he reached Cairo he was met by the governor, who lodged him in his palace and treated him with all possible honour during his stay. He was then provided with a guide to lead him to Upper Egypt, where he and his party came to the emir Musa ibn Nusair. As soon as Musa learned of his arrival, he came out gladly to meet him, and when the caliph’s letter was handed to him he took it, read it, grasped its contents and put it on his head, exclaiming: ‘To hear is to obey, Commander of the Faithful.’

  He then decided to summon the principal officers of state and, when they came, he asked them about the problem posed by the letter. They told him that if he wanted someone to guide him to the place that the caliph had mentioned, the man he needed was the shaikh ‘Abd al-Samad ibn ‘Abd al-Qaddus al-Samudi, a knowledgeable man and an experienced traveller who was familiar with the wastes, the deserts and the seas, together with the lands and regions, their inhabitants and wonders. ‘You should make an approach to him,’ they said, ‘for he will lead you to where you want to go.’ Musa sent for ‘Abd al-Samad, and when he came he turned out to be a very old man, made decrepit by the passage of time. Musa greeted him and said: ‘Shaikh ‘Abd al-Samad, ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, the Commander of the Faithful, has given me such-and-such instructions, but I know very little about this country and I have been told that you are an expert who knows all its tracks. Would you be willing to do what the caliph wants?’ In reply, the shaikh told Musa and Talib: ‘This is a long and rough journey with few tracks,’ and when Musa asked how long it would take, the shaikh said: ‘Two years and some months on the outward half and the same on the way back,’ adding, ‘and you will meet many difficulties and perils, as well as coming across strange wonders. You are a champion of the holy war; enemies are close to our lands and, if you are absent, the Christians may come out against us. You will have to appoint a deputy to govern the country in your place.’ Musa agreed and appointed Harun, his son, to act as deputy, getting an oath of allegiance sworn to him and ordering the troops to follow all his instructions without disobedience. They agreed to this, Harun being an energetic and intrepid man and a great fighter.

  ‘Abd al-Samad then told Harun that their goal was only four months’ distance away on the seashore, and that there was grass and water at all the linking stages. ‘God will make this easy for us through your blessing,’ he said, ‘as you stand in place of the Commander of the Faithful.’ Musa then asked ‘Abd al-Samad if he knew whether any king had crossed this land before, and was told that it had been done by the king of Alexandria, Daran the Rumi.

  The expe
dition then set off and travelled on until they reached a palace, which ‘Abd al-Samad told Musa to enter, as there was a lesson to be learned there. Musa, together with his intimates, accompanied him and when they got to the door they found it open. They saw lofty columns and flights of steps, among these latter being two extended staircases of coloured marble, whose like had never been seen. The roofs and walls were inlaid with gold, silver and precious stones, and over the door was a tablet with an inscription in Greek. ‘Shall I read it for you, emir?’ ‘Abd al-Samad asked. ‘Do so, God bless you,’ said Musa, ‘for all that has happened on this journey has happened because of the blessing that you have brought.’ ‘Abd al-Samad then read out the inscription, which contained the following lines of poetry:

  This people and their works lament the empire they have lost.

  The palace brings the last news of its lords, who all lie buried here.

  Death parted and destroyed them, throwing to the ground what they had gathered in.

  It is as though they halted here to rest, but then set off again in haste.

  Musa was overcome by tears, but then said: ‘There is no god but the Living and Everlasting God, Who does not pass away.’ He entered the palace and was lost in wonder at the beauty of its construction as he looked at its pictures and statues. He caught sight of lines inscribed over a second doorway and asked ‘Abd al-Samad to come and read them out. These were the lines: