The Penguin Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature

by Robert Irwin

  ‘ “This then is the condition which I impose upon you. Whoever fails to open that treasure shall forfeit his claim to this book; but he that opens it and brings me the four precious things it holds shall become sole master of it.”

  ‘We all agreed to his condition, and the old sage went on: “Know, my children, that the Treasure of Al-Shamardal is under the power of the sons of the Red King. Your father told me that he himself had vainly tried to open it, for the sons of the Red King had fled away from him to Egypt. He pursued them to that land, but could not capture them because they had thrown themselves into an enchanted lake called Lake Karoon. When he returned and told me of his failure I made for him a computation and discovered that the treasure could be opened only under the auspices of an Egyptian youth called Judar son of Omar, who would be the means of capturing the Red King’s sons. This youth was a fisherman and could be met with on the shores of Lake Karoon. He alone could break the spell that bound it, and it was for him to cast into the lake those who would tackle the sons of the Red King. The man whose destiny it was to vanquish them, his hands would come out of the water and Judar would bring him safe to land with his net. But those who were destined to drown, their feet would come out first and they would be abandoned to their fate.”

  ‘Two of my brothers said: “We will go, even though we perish,” and I resolved to do the same. But my third brother, Abdul Rahim, said: “I will not risk my life.” We thereupon arranged with him that he should go to Egypt in the guise of a Jewish merchant, so that if any of us perished in the attempt he should take the mule and the saddlebag from Judar and pay him a hundred pieces of gold.

  ‘My first brother was slain by the sons of the Red King, and so was my second brother. But against me they could not prevail and I took them prisoner.’

  ‘Where did you imprison them?’ Judar asked.

  ‘Did you not see them?’ answered the Moor. ‘I shut them up in the two caskets.’

  ‘But those were fish,’ said Judar in amazement.

  ‘No, they are not fish,’ replied the Moor. ‘They are jinn in the shape of fish. Now you must know that the treasure can be opened only in your presence. Will you agree to come with me to the city of Fez-and-Meknes and open the treasure? I will give you everything that you demand and you shall be my brother in the sight of Allah. When our quest has been accomplished, you shall return to your people with a joyful heart.’

  ‘Sir,’ Judar replied, ‘I have a mother and two brothers to support. If I go with you, who will provide for them?’

  ‘A poor excuse,’ rejoined the Moor. ‘If it is money that prevents you, I will give you a thousand dinars for your mother to spend and my promise that you shall return within four months.’

  On hearing mention of this sum, the fisherman cried: ‘Give me the thousand dinars, my master. I will at once carry them to my mother and set out with you.’

  He handed him the gold, and Judar hastened to his mother and recounted to her all that had passed between him and the Moor.

  ‘Take these thousand dinars,’ he said, ‘and spend them on yourself and my brothers. I am going away to Maghreb with the Moor, and shall be back within four months. I may return with a vast fortune.’

  ‘My son, I shall be desolate without you,’ said the old woman. ‘I greatly fear for your safety.’

  ‘No harm can befall the man who is in Allah’s protection,’ he replied. ‘Besides, the Moor is a good and honest fellow.’

  And he went on praising him to her until his mother said: ‘May Allah incline his heart towards you! Go with him, my son; perhaps he will reward your labours.’

  He took leave of his mother and returned to the Moor.

  ‘Have you consulted your mother?’ Abdul Samad asked.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘and she has given me her blessing.’

  The Moor bade Judar mount behind him on the mule, and they rode from midday till late in the afternoon. By that time the fisherman felt very hungry, and, noticing that his companion had nothing with him to eat, he remarked: ‘Sir, you have forgotten to bring any provisions for the journey.’

  ‘Are you hungry?’ asked the Moor.

  ‘I am indeed,’ Judar replied.

  They both dismounted from the mule.

  ‘Bring down the saddlebag,’ said the Moor.

  Judar brought it down.

  ‘Now, my brother, what would you like?’ his companion asked.

  ‘Anything will do,’ Judar answered.

  ‘In Allah’s name, tell me what you would rather have,’ said the Moor.

  ‘Some bread and cheese,’ replied the fisherman.

  ‘Poor Judar,’ said the Moor, ‘you surely deserve better than that. Ask for some excellent dish.’

  ‘Anything would be excellent to me just now,’ Judar replied.

  ‘Would you like some roast chicken?’ asked the Moor.

  ‘I would,’ answered the fisherman.

  ‘And some honeyed rice?’ asked the Moor.

  ‘Yes, by Allah,’ replied Judar.

  ‘And such-and-such a dish,’ went on the Moor, until he had named four-and-twenty dishes.

  ‘The man is mad,’ thought Judar to himself. ‘Where will he bring me all these dishes from when he has no cook and no kitchen?’ Then, aloud, he said: ‘That is enough. But why do you make my mouth water when I cannot see a thing?’

  ‘You are welcome, Judar,’ said the Moor with a smile. And, putting his hand into the bag, he took out a gold plate with two roast chickens upon it steaming hot. He thrust his hand in a second time and there appeared a plate filled with kebab. And he went on bringing dishes out of the bag until he had produced the two dozen courses he had named.

  ‘Now eat, my friend,’ said the Moor.

  ‘Sir,’ exclaimed the confounded Judar, ‘you must surely have a kitchen and numerous cooks in that saddlebag of yours!’

  ‘It is enchanted,’ replied the Moor, laughing. ‘It is served by a jinnee. If we were to ask for a thousand dishes every hour, the jinnee would come and prepare them for us immediately.’

  ‘Upon my life,’ Judar exclaimed, ‘that is an excellent bag!’

  The two ate together, and when they were satisfied the Moor threw away what remained of the meal and replaced the empty dishes into the bag. He put his hand in again and brought out a ewer filled with water. They drank, made their ablutions, and recited the afternoon prayers; then, returning the ewer to the bag, they mounted on the mule and resumed their journey.

  Presently the Moor said to Judar: ‘Do you know how far we have travelled from Egypt?’

  ‘No, by Allah,’ Judar replied.

  ‘We have travelled a whole year’s journey,’ said the Moor. ‘You must know that this mule of mine is a jinnee and can make a year’s journey in a single day. But for your sake it has been going at an easy pace.’

  For four days they travelled westwards, riding every day till midnight and having all their food provided by the enchanted bag. Judar demanded of the Moor whatever he fancied, and the Moor supplied it promptly upon a gold dish. On the fifth day they reached Maghreb and entered the city of Fez-and-Meknes. As they made their way into the town, everyone who met the Moor greeted him and kissed his hand. At length they halted before a certain house; the Moor knocked, and the door was opened by a girl as radiant as the moon.

  ‘Rahmah, my daughter,’ said the Moor, ‘open for us the great hall.’

  ‘Welcome, father,’ the girl replied, and went in, swinging her hips.

  ‘She must be a princess,’ said Judar to himself, marvelling at her beauty.

  The girl opened the great hall, and the Moor took the saddlebag off the mule.

  ‘Go,’ he said to the beast, ‘and may Allah’s blessing be upon you!’

  At once the earth opened, swallowed up the mule, and closed again.

  ‘Praise be to Allah,’ Judar exclaimed, ‘who kept us safe on the creature’s back!’

  ‘Do not be amazed, Judar,’ said the Moor. ‘Did I not te
ll you that the mule was a jinnee? Come now, let us go into the hall.’

  Judar followed him into the hall and was astounded at the abundance of fine carpets, the rare ornaments, and the hangings of gold and jewels which decked its walls. As soon as the two were seated the Moor bade his daughter bring him a certain bundle. She fetched it for him and he took out from it a robe worth a thousand dinars.

  ‘Put this on, Judar,’ he said, ‘and be welcome in this house.’

  Judar put it on and was so transformed that he looked like some Moroccan king. Then the Moor plunged his hand into the bag and drew from it dish after dish until he had spread out before his guest a banquet of forty courses.

  ‘Eat, sir,’ he said, ‘and pardon us our shortcomings. We do not know what kind of food you fancy. Tell us what you relish and we will set it before you without delay.’

  ‘By Allah,’ Judar replied, ‘I like every kind of food and hate nothing. Do not ask me what I fancy; give me whatever comes into your mind and I will do nothing but eat.’

  He stayed with the Moor twenty days, receiving from his host a new robe every day and feasting with him on the provisions of the enchanted bag. On the morning of the twenty-first day the Moor came to him and said: ‘Rise, my friend. This is the day appointed for opening the Treasure of Al-Shamardal.’

  Judar walked with the Moor to the outskirts of the city, where he found two mules with two slaves in attendance. The Moor mounted one beast and Judar the other, and they rode on and on, followed by the slaves. At midday they came to a running river and dismounted. The Moor made a sign to the slaves, who took the mules and went off with them. Presently they returned, one carrying a tent, which he pitched, and the other a mattress and cushions, which he spread inside. Then one of them went and brought the two caskets containing the two fish, and the other brought the enchanted bag.

  The Moor drew several dishes out of the bag and, seating Judar by his side, invited him to eat. As soon as the meal was over he took the caskets in his hands and mumbled a magic charm over them.

  ‘At your service, dread enchanter!’ cried the two fish from within. ‘Have mercy upon us!’

  He repeated his incantation, and they pleaded louder and louder, until the caskets burst in fragments and there appeared two creatures with their arms chained behind them.

  ‘Pardon us, great enchanter!’ they cried. ‘What would you do with us?’

  ‘Swear to open the Treasure of Al-Shamardal,’ roared the Moor, ‘or I will burn you both!’

  ‘We will open it on one condition,’ they answered. ‘You must bring the son of Omar, Judar the fisherman. The treasure cannot be opened except in his presence. None but he may enter it.’

  ‘Here stands the very man of whom you speak,’ replied the sorcerer. ‘He beholds and hears you.’

  Thereupon they swore to open the treasure and the Moor broke the spell that bound them. He placed two tablets of red carnelian upon a hollow reed; then he took a brazier filled with charcoal and set it alight with one breath. After that he brought some incense and said to Judar: ‘I am about to throw the incense and recite my conjuration. Once I begin the charm I cannot speak again, or the spell will be broken. Therefore I will now tell you what you are to do so as to achieve your end.’

  ‘Speak,’ Judar replied.

  ‘Know,’ said the Moor, ‘that as soon as I have cast the incense and begun my charm, the water of the river will dry up and on the sloping bank there will appear a door of gold, as high as the city gate, with a pair of metal rings. Go down to that door, knock lightly on it, and wait a little. Then knock louder and wait again. After that knock three times in succession, and you will hear a voice say from within: “Who knocks at the door of the treasure-house and yet cannot solve the Riddle?” You will reply: “I am the son of Omar, Judar the fisherman.” The door will open and reveal a man bearing a sword in his hand, who will say: “If you are that man stretch out your neck, that I may strike off your head.” Stretch out your neck to him and have no fear; for no sooner will he raise his sword and smite you than he will fall on the ground, a body without a soul. You will feel no pain from the blow, nor will any harm befall you. But if you defy him he will kill you.

  ‘When you have thus broken the first charm, go in and you will find another door. Knock on it, and the door will be opened by a horseman bearing a lance upon his shoulder, who will say: “What brings you to this place, forbidden alike to man and jinnee?” He will brandish his lance at you. Bare your breast to him and he will strike you and fall on the ground, a body without a soul. But if you defy him he will kill you.

  ‘You will make your way to a third door, which will be opened by a man armed with a bow and arrow. He will shoot at you with his weapon. Bare your breast to him and he will at once fall on the ground, a body without a soul. But if you defy him he will kill you.

  ‘After that go in to the fourth door and knock. An enormous lion will rush out and leap upon you, opening its jaws apart to eat you. Do not flinch or run away; give it your hand and it will fall down lifeless upon the instant.

  ‘Then knock at the fifth door. A black slave will open it to you, saying: “Who are you?” Say: “I am Judar”, and he will reply: “If you are that man, go and open the sixth door.”

  ‘At the sixth door you must cry: “Jesus, bid Moses open the door.” The door will swing ajar. Go in, and two huge serpents, one on the right and the other on the left, will hurl themselves at you with open mouths. If you stretch out a hand to each they will do you no harm. But if you resist them they will kill you.

  ‘The seventh door will be opened by your mother. “Welcome, my son,” she will say. “Come near that I may greet you.” You must answer: “Stay where you are and put off your clothes!” “My child,” she will say, “I am your mother, who suckled you and brought you up. How would you see me naked?” You must reply: “Put off your clothes, or I will kill you.” Look on your right, and you will find a sword hanging from the wall: take it down and threaten her with it. She will plead with you and humble herself before you; have no pity on her, and each time she takes anything off, cry: “The rest!” Go on threatening her until she has put off all her clothes. Then she will fall at your feet.

  ‘At that moment all the charms will be annulled and all the spells broken. Safe and sound, you will enter the hall of the treasure and see the gold lying in heaps. But pay no heed to that. At the opposite end you will find a small pavilion with a curtain over it. Draw aside the curtain and you will see the Magician Al-Shamardal sleeping on a couch of gold, with a round object above his head shining like the moon. That is the Celestial Orb. You will find the Sword on his side, the Ring on his finger, and the Vial of Kohl hung from a chain about his neck. Bring back these four talismans. Be on your guard lest you forget any of my instructions; if you go against them you shall rue it.’

  The Moor repeated his directions until Judar assured him that he had them all by heart.

  ‘But who can face the charms you speak of?’ the fisherman then cried. ‘Who can brave such mighty perils?’

  ‘Have no fear, Judar,’ the Moor replied. ‘They are but phantoms without souls.’

  Judar commended himself to Allah, and the Moor threw the incense on the fire and began his incantation. Presently the water of the river vanished and the door of the treasure-house appeared below. Judar went down to the door and knocked.

  ‘Who knocks at the door of the treasure-house and yet cannot solve the Riddle?’ cried a voice from within.

  ‘Judar, son of Omar,’ he answered.

  The door was opened and a man with an unsheathed sword appeared, crying: ‘Stretch out your neck!’ Judar stretched out his neck, but no sooner did he raise his sword and smite Judar than the man fell down on the ground. Then Judar passed on to the other doors, breaking their spells in turn. When he reached the seventh door, his mother came out and greeted him.

  ‘What are you?’ Judar asked.

  ‘I am your mother,’ she answered. ‘I suckled you
and brought you up. I carried you for nine months, my son.’

  ‘Put off your clothes!’ cried Judar.

  ‘But you are my son!’ the old woman exclaimed. ‘How can you strip me naked?’

  She pleaded long with him, but Judar repeated his demand, threatening her with the sword which he had taken from the wall, until she had put off all but one of her garments.

  ‘Is your heart of stone, my son?’ she cried. ‘Would you see your mother utterly naked? Do you not know that this is unlawful?’