by Robert Irwin
But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, ‘Sister, what an amazing and entertaining story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and lets me live!’
THE SEVENTEENTH NIGHT
The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, ‘Please, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales to while away the night.’ The king added, ‘Let it be the rest of the story of the sage and the king and of the fisherman and the demon.’ Shahrazad replied, ‘Very well, with the greatest pleasure.’
I heard, O King, that when the sage Duban saw that the drug had spread through the king’s body and that the king was heaving and swaying, he began to recite the following verses:
For long they ruled us arbitrarily,
But suddenly vanished their powerful rule.
Had they been just, they would have happily
Lived, but they oppressed, and punishing fate
Afflicted them with ruin deservedly,
And on the morrow the world taunted them,
‘ ’Tis tit for tat; blame not just destiny.’
As the sage’s head finished reciting the verses, the king fell dead, and at that very moment the head too succumbed to death. Demon, consider this story.
But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, ‘Sister, what an entertaining story!’ Shahrazad replied, ‘What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if I live!’
Haddawy (trans.), The Arabian Nights, pp. 36–47
Stories about poisoned books have a long ancestry, going back to ancient Indian times.
The version of The Thousand and One Nights which circulated in the Mamluk period probably contained relatively few stories, artfully arranged in such a manner that they could – implicitly, at least – comment on one another. However, in the centuries which followed compilers and copyists swelled the bulk of the anthology with all manner of stories – with whatever took their fantasy. Large numbers of stories were added in the Ottoman period (from the early sixteenth century onwards). Many of these tales were pilfered from traditional anthologies of adab and featured the caliphs, their cup companions, and poets. Others were pietistic parables or Sufi teaching-stories. Some were animal fables. Some swashbuckling popular epics were used to increase the bulk of the Nights. Many of the added tales dealt with low-life exploits, or the buffoonery of drinkers and drug-takers. Adultery and the cunning of would-be adulterers were especially popular topics.
‘The Tale of Judar and His Brothers’, which is given below, is a superb tale of treasure-hunting and sorcery.
Once upon a time there was a merchant called Omar who had three sons: the eldest was named Salem, the second Seleem, and the youngest Judar. He reared them all to manhood, but the youngest he loved more than his brothers, so that they grew jealous of Judar and hated him. When Omar, who was by now well advanced in years, noticed that the two hated their brother, he feared that after his death Judar might come to mischief at their hands. He therefore summoned his kinsfolk together with some learned men and a number of property-dividers from the Cadi’s court, and said to them: ‘Bring me my money and all my goods.’ They brought him his money and his goods, and Omar said: ‘Friends, divide these things into four portions according to the law.’
They did so; and he gave each of his sons a portion and kept the last for himself, saying: ‘This is the sum of my property and I have divided it among my children in my lifetime, so that all disputes should be avoided. They shall have nothing to claim from each other after my death. The portion which I have kept for myself shall belong to my wife, the mother of these children, that she may have the wherewithal to support herself when I am gone.’
Shortly afterwards old Omar died, and the two elder brothers, not content with their inheritance, claimed a part of Judar’s share, saying: ‘Our father’s wealth has fallen into your hands.’
Judar referred the matter to the judges, and the Moslems who witnessed the division came and gave testimony. The judge dismissed their claim; but as a result of the dispute Judar lost a part of his property and so did his brothers. Yet it was not long before they plotted against him a second time, so that he was obliged to go to law again. The three lost more money at the hands of the judges. Bent on ruining Judar, his brothers pursued their claim from court to court; they lost, and he lost, until at length they were reduced to penury.
The two elder brothers then came to their mother; they cheated her of her money, beat her, and threw her out. In this state she came to Judar and told him what his brothers had done to her, cursing them bitterly.
‘Mother, do not curse them,’ Judar replied. ‘Allah will requite them for their deeds. We are paupers now; we have lost all our inheritance in suing one another and incurred disgrace in the sight of men. Am I to sue them again on your account? No, we must resign ourselves. Stay with me, and the bread I eat I will share with you. Allah will sustain us both. As for my brothers, leave them to Allah’s judgement.’ And he went on comforting his mother until he persuaded her to stay with him.
He bought a net, and every day he went to the river and the neighbouring lakes. One day he would earn ten coppers, another day twenty, and another thirty, so that he and his mother ate and drank well.
Meanwhile the two brothers squandered away the money which they had taken from their mother. Misery and ruin soon overtook them, for they neither bought nor sold, nor had any trade with which to earn a living. Naked and destitute, they would come from time to time humbling themselves before their mother and complaining of hunger. Her heart being compassionate, the old woman would feed them on mouldy bread or any remnants from the previous night’s supper.
‘Eat this quickly,’ she would say, ‘and go before your brother returns; for if he sees you here he will harden his heart against me and I shall justly earn his displeasure.’
So they would eat in haste and leave her. One day, however, as they sat eating the bread and cooked meat she had placed before them, their brother Judar came in. Confused and ashamed, his mother hung her head and looked at the ground, fearing his anger. But Judar smiled at them.
‘Welcome, my brothers,’ he cried, ‘and may this day bring you joy! How is it that you have honoured me today with this visit?’
Then he embraced them lovingly, saying: ‘I never thought that you would keep away from me and your mother.’
‘By Allah, we have longed to see you, brother,’ they replied. ‘But we were stricken with remorse over what had passed between us, and shame prevented us from coming. That was the work of Satan, Allah’s curse be upon him! We have no blessing but you and our mother.’
‘And I have no blessing but you two,’ Judar answered.
‘May Allah bless you, my son,’ exclaimed the old woman, ‘and shower His abundance upon you. You are the most generous of us all!’
‘Stay and be welcome in this house,’ said Judar to his brothers. ‘Allah is bountiful; there is plenty here for all.’
He thus made peace with them, and they ate and stayed the night in his house.
Next morning, after they had breakfasted, Judar took up his net and went to work, trusting in Allah’s bounty. His brothers also went out, and came back at noon to eat with their mother. In the evening Judar returned, bringing meat and vegetables. In this way they lived together for a whole month, Judar paying for their daily needs with his fishing and his brothers eating their fill and making merry.
Now it chanced that one day Judar went down to the river, cast his net, and brought it up empty. He cast it a second time, and again it came up empty.
‘There are no fish in this place,’ he muttered to himself, and moved to another spot. He cast his net there, but it still brought up nothing. In that way he moved farther and farther along the bank from morning till evening, but caught nothing at all.
‘This is indeed a stra
nge thing!’ he exclaimed. ‘Are there no fish left in the river? Or is there some other reason?’
Dejected and sick at heart, he took up his net and made for home, troubled over his brothers and his mother; for he did not know what he could give them to eat. Presently he came to a baker’s shop and saw the people crowding round the bread with money in their hands. He stopped and sighed.
‘Welcome, Judar!’ the baker cried. ‘Do you want any bread?’
But Judar remained silent.
‘If you have no money with you,’ said the baker, ‘take what you need. You can pay me some other time.’
‘Give me ten halves’ worth of bread,’ said the fisherman. The baker handed him the loaves together with ten halves, saying: ‘You can bring me fish for the twenty tomorrow.’
Judar warmly thanked the good man. He took the loaves and the ten halves and bought meat and vegetables with the money. ‘The Lord willing,’ he said to himself, ‘all will be well again tomorrow.’
His mother cooked the meal, and Judar had his supper and went to bed. Next morning he rose and took up his net.
‘Sit down and eat your breakfast,’ said his mother.
‘You have breakfast,’ he replied, ‘and my brothers.’
He went down to the river and cast his net time after time, moving from place to place until the afternoon; but all to no purpose. In despair he carried up his net and walked away. The baker saw him as he passed by, and gave him bread and ten coppers, as on the day before.
‘Here,’ he cried, ‘take this and go. If you had no luck today, you will have luck tomorrow.’
Judar wished to apologize, but the baker would not listen to him.
‘There is no need for apologies,’ he said. ‘When I saw you empty-handed I knew you had caught nothing. If you have no luck tomorrow, come again and take your bread. Let shame not prevent you; I will give you time to pay.’
For the third day Judar went from lake to lake, but when evening came he had caught nothing, and was forced to accept the baker’s loaves and coppers. Ill-luck pursued him for a whole week, and at the end of that time he said despondently: ‘Today I will go to Lake Karoon.’
He journeyed to Lake Karoon, and was about to cast his net when there suddenly came up to him a Moor riding upon a mule and wearing a magnificent robe. The mule was richly saddled and bridled and bore upon its flank a saddlebag embroidered with gold.
‘Peace be to you, Judar son of Omar,’ cried the Moor, dismounting.
‘And to you peace, good pilgrim,’ answered the fisherman.
‘Judar,’ said the Moor, ‘I need your help. If you accept my offer you shall have much to gain and be my companion and trusted friend.’
‘Good sir,’ Judar replied, ‘tell me what you have in mind and I will gladly do your bidding.’
‘First,’ said the Moor, ‘recite the opening chapter of the Koran.’
Judar recited it with him, and then the stranger took out a silken cord and handed it to the fisherman, saying: ‘Fasten my arms behind me as firmly as you can, then throw me into the lake and wait a little. If you see me lift up my hands out of the water, cast in your net and haul me quickly ashore. But if you see me put up my feet, you will know that I am dead. In that case leave me in the water and take the mule with the saddlebag to the market-place. There you will find a Jew called Shamayah; give him the beast and he will pay you a hundred dinars. Take them and go your way. But you must on no account reveal the secret.’
Judar fastened the Moor tightly; then, at his request, he pushed him forward and threw him into the lake. After a little while he saw his feet come out of the water, and he knew that the Moor was dead. Leaving the body in the lake, Judar took the mule to the market-place, where he found the Jew sitting on a chair at the door of his shop.
‘The man must have perished!’ exclaimed the Jew when he saw the mule. ‘It was greed that destroyed him.’
He took the beast and gave Judar a hundred pieces of gold, charging him to keep the matter secret.
Judar hastened to the baker’s and, giving him a dinar, took as many loaves as he required. The baker made up his account and said: ‘I now owe you enough for two days’ bread.’ He then bought meat and vegetables and returned home with the provisions, to find his brothers asking their mother for something to eat.
‘I have nothing to give you,’ she was saying. ‘Have patience until your brother returns.’
‘Take this,’ Judar cried, throwing to them the bread. And the two fell upon the loaves like famished beasts.
Then Judar gave his mother the rest of the gold, saying: ‘If my brothers come tomorrow, give them money to buy some food and eat while I am away.’
Next morning he went again to Lake Karoon, and was just about to cast his net when he was approached by another Moor, dressed more sumptuously than the first. He, too, was on a mule and had a saddlebag which held a pair of little caskets.
‘Peace be to you, Judar!’ he cried.
‘And to you peace, pilgrim,’ replied the fisherman.
‘Did you meet a Moor yesterday, mounted upon a mule like mine?’ he asked.
Fearing lest he should be accused of having drowned the man, Judar denied all knowledge of him. But the Moor cried: ‘Poor wretch! He was my brother. He came here before me. Was it not you that tied his hands behind him and threw him into the lake? And did he not say to you: “If you see my hands come up through the water, haul me quickly ashore, but if my feet appear you will know that I am dead”? It was his feet that came up; you took the mule to Shamayah the Jew and he gave you a hundred pieces of gold.’
‘If you know all that,’ said Judar, ‘why do you ask me?’
‘Because I wish you to do with me as you did with my brother,’ replied the Moor.
And he thereupon took out a silken cord and handed it to the fisherman, saying: ‘Fasten my arms and throw me into the lake. If I meet the same end as my brother’s, take my mule to the Jew and he will give you a hundred pieces of gold.’
‘Very well,’ Judar answered.
He tied his arms and threw him into the lake, and the Moor disappeared under the water. After a while his feet emerged.
‘He is dead and finished,’ said Judar to himself. ‘May Allah send me a Moor each day to drown, that I may earn a hundred pieces of gold!’
Then he took the mule to the market-place.
‘The second one is dead!’ exclaimed the Jew when he saw him.
‘May Allah give you long life!’ cried the fisherman.
‘That is the reward of avarice,’ added the Jew. And he took the mule from him and gave him a hundred dinars.
Judar went home and gave the gold to his mother.
‘My son,’ she cried, ‘where did you come by this?’
Judar recounted to her all that had happened.
‘You should never go to Lake Karoon again,’ said the old woman. ‘I greatly fear that you may come to harm at the hands of these Moors.’
‘But, mother,’ replied Judar, ‘it is at their request that I throw them into the lake. Am I to give up this trade which brings me every day a hundred dinars, and for such little labour? By Allah, I will go there day after day until I have drowned them all and not a single Moor has been left alive.’
The next day he went again to Lake Karoon; and presently a third Moor, even more richly attired than the other two, came riding on a mule with a saddlebag.
‘Peace be to you, Judar son of Omar!’ he cried.
‘How is that they all know my name?’ thought Judar to himself as he returned his greeting.
‘Have any Moors passed by this lake?’ inquired the stranger.
‘Yes, two,’ replied Judar.
‘Where did they go?’ he asked.
‘I bound their arms and threw them into the lake,’ replied the fisherman. ‘They were both drowned. I am ready to render you the same service.’
‘Miserable fool!’ smiled the Moor. ‘Do you not know that every life has its predestined end?’
Then, dismounting, he gave the fisherman a silken cord and said: ‘Judar, do with me as you did with them.’
‘Turn around and let me bind your arms,’ said the fisherman. ‘Time is short and I am in a hurry.’
Judar threw the Moor into the lake and stood waiting for his feet to emerge from the water. But to his surprise a pair of hands came out instead, and he heard the Moor crying: ‘Good fellow, cast out your net!’
He threw the net over him and, drawing him in, saw that in each hand he was holding a fish, red as coral.
‘Open the two caskets,’ cried the Moor, as he quickly rose to his feet.
Judar opened the caskets, and the Moor put a fish in each and securely shut them up. Then he threw his arms about the fisherman’s neck and kissed him on both cheeks saying: ‘May the Most High preserve you from all hardships! By Allah, but for your help I would have surely perished.’
‘Sir,’ said Judar, ‘I beg you in Allah’s name to tell me the story of the drowned Moors, the red fish, and the Jew Shamayah.’
‘The two who were drowned were my brothers,’ the Moor replied. ‘One was called Abdul Salam, and the other Abdul Ahad. My name is Abdul Samad, and the man whom you take to be a Jew is my fourth brother, a true Malikite Moslem whose real name is Abdul Rahim. Our father, Abdul Wadud, taught us the occult sciences, witchcraft, and the art of opening hidden treasures, to which we applied ourselves with such diligence that in the end we made the demons and the jinn our servants. When our father died we inherited all his wealth and divided his gold and his treasures, his talismans and his books; but a quarrel arose amongst us concerning a book called The Lore of the Ancients. It is unique among writings and cannot be valued in gold or jewels: for it holds the answer to all mysteries and the clue to every hidden treasure. Our father made it the study of his life, and we four conned a little of its contents. Each of us strove to gain possession of it, so as to be acquainted with its secrets. When our feud had reached its height, we were visited by the old sheikh who had reared our father and taught him magic and divination; his name was Al-Kahin al-Abtan. He ordered us to bring him the book, and he took it in his hand and said: “You are the sons of my son, and I cannot wrong any one of you. I therefore pronounce that none shall have this book but he that opens the Treasure of Al-Shamardal and brings me the Celestial Orb, the Vial of Kohl, the Ring, and the Sword. The Ring is served by a jinnee called Rattling Thunder, and he that wears it can vanquish kings and sultans and make himself master of the vast earth. The man who holds the sword and shakes it can rout whole armies, for flames as bright as lightning shoot forth from it at his bidding. By means of the. Celestial Orb a man can view the world from east to west while sitting in his chamber: he has but to turn the orb towards the land he desires to see and, looking upon it, he shall behold that land with all its people. If he is incensed against a city and has a mind to burn it down, let him turn the orb towards the sun’s disc, and all its dwellings shall be consumed with fire. As for the Vial, he that applies its kohl to his eyes shall see the buried treasures of the earth.