The ifrit gazed at him and cried, “There is no god but the God, and Solomon is the prophet of God.” Immediately afterward, he added, “Oh Apostle of Allah, don’t slay me. Never again will I slander you, or commit a sin against your laws.”
“Oh jinnee,” said the fisherman, “did you say, ‘Solomon, the Apostle of Allah’? Solomon has been dead for some eighteen hundred years, and we are now approaching the end of the world! What happened to you? Tell me about yourself. How did you get into that jar?”
Now, when the evil spirit heard the words of the fisherman, he said, “There is no god but the God. Be of good cheer, fisherman!”
“Why should I be of good cheer?” asked the fisherman.
“Because you shall have to die this very hour.”
“May heaven abandon you because of your good tidings!” replied the fisherman. “Why should you kill me? What have I done to deserve death? After all, it was I who freed you from the jar, saved you from the depths of the sea, and brought you up to dry land!”
“Ask me only how you will die, and how I shall slaughter you,” the jinnee declared.
“What’s my crime?” exclaimed the fisherman. “Why such retribution?”
“Hear my story, oh fisherman,” answered the jinnee.
“Tell it to me,” said the fisherman, “and be brief, for my heart is in my mouth.”
“I’ll have you know that I am one among the heretical jinn, and I sinned against Solomon. Consequently, the prophet sent his minister, Asaf son of Barkhiya, to seize me, and this vizier had me bound and brought me against my will to stand before the prophet as a suppliant. When Solomon saw me, he demanded that I embrace the true faith and obey his commands. But I refused, and he had me imprisoned in the jar, which was sealed by lead and stamped by his signet. After Solomon gave orders to a jinnee, I was carried off and cast into the middle of the ocean. I lived in the jar for a hundred years, during which time I said in my heart, ‘I’ll reward whoever releases me with great riches.’ But a full century went by, and when no one set me free, I began the second and said, ‘I’ll open the hidden treasures of the earth for whoever releases me.’ But still no one set me free, and four hundred years went by. Then I said, ‘I’ll grant three wishes to whoever releases me.’ Yet no one set me free. Thereupon I became extremely furious and said, ‘From this time on I promise to slay whoever releases me, and the only choice I’ll give him will be the kind of death he’ll die.’ And now, since you’ve released me, I’ll give you your choice of death.”
Upon hearing the ifrit’s words, the fisherman exclaimed, “Oh Allah, why couldn’t I have freed him before this! Spare my life, jinnee, and Allah will spare yours.”
“Nothing can help you,” replied the jinnee. “You must die! I’ll only grant you your choice of death. So tell me how you want to die.”
“I’d prefer that you pardon me for having freed you.”
But the jinnee was resolute and said, “It’s precisely because you’ve released me that I must slay you.”
“Oh Chief of the Ifrits,” said the fisherman, “I do you a good deed, and you return my good deed with evil.”
“No more of this talk,” the jinnee answered. “I must kill you.”
Now the fisherman paused and thought to himself, “This is a jinnee, and I am a man whom Allah has blessed with cunning. So I must use my brains just as he has sought to make use of his malice.” Then he said to the jinnee, “So you’re really determined to kill me?”
“Indeed I am.”
“But if I ask you a certain question, will you swear on the name engraved on the ring of Solomon that you will give me a truthful answer?”
The ifrit replied, “Yes.” But hearing the holy name disturbed him, and he began to tremble. “Ask, but be brief.”
“How did you fit into this bottle, which is not even large enough to hold your hand or even your foot? And how did it become large enough to contain you?”
“What?” exclaimed the jinnee. “You don’t believe that all of me was in there?”
“No, I don’t,” responded the fisherman. “I’ll never believe it until I see you inside with my own eyes.”
And Scheherazade noticed that dawn was approaching and stopped telling her story. Then, when the next night arrived, her sister said to her, “Please finish the tale for us, since we’re not sleepy.”
The king nodded his approval, and so she resumed.
After the fisherman said to the ifrit that he would never believe him until he saw him inside the jar with his own eyes, the jinnee immediately shook and became a vapor, which condensed and gradually entered the jar until all of it was well inside. Right then and there the fisherman quickly took the lead cap with the seal, stopped the mouth of the jar, and cried out to the ifrit, “Ask me for a favor, and I’ll grant you your choice of death! By Allah, I’ll throw you into the sea right here, and I’ll build a lodge on this spot. And I’ll warn whoever comes not to fish here because a jinnee dwells in the waters, a jinnee who graciously rewards the person who saves him with a choice of death!”
Now, when the jinnee heard the fisherman’s words and saw himself in limbo, he tried to escape, but he was prevented by Solomon’s seal. So he knew that the fisherman had outwitted him, and he became submissive. “I was only jesting with you,” he said in a humble manner.
“You’re lying!” replied the fisherman. “You’re the vilest, meanest, and filthiest of jinnees!” And he moved toward the sea with the ifrit crying out, “No! No!” and him responding with “Yes! Yes!”
Then the evil spirit softened his voice, sweetened his speech, and abased himself. “What are you going to do with me, fisherman?” he asked.
“I’m going to throw you back into the sea,” he answered, “Where you were housed for eighteen hundred years. And I’m going to leave you there until Judgment Day. Didn’t I say to you, spare me, and Allah will spare you, and don’t slay me or Allah will slay you? But you spurned my pleas and intended only to treat me ungraciously. So now Allah has thrown you into my hands, for I am more cunning than you!”
“If you open the bottle, I’ll make you a wealthy man,” the jinnee replied.
“You’re lying, you cursed jinnee,” exclaimed the fisherman. “You and I are in exactly the same situation as King Yunan was with the Sage Duban.”
“And who were King Yunan and the Sage Duban? What happened to them?” asked the jinnee.
Thereupon the fisherman began to tell
The Tale of King Yunan and the Sage Duban
A long time ago there lived a king called Yunan, who reigned over the city of Fars in the land of Persia. He was a wealthy and powerful ruler, who had massive armies and was allied with all nations of men. However, his body was afflicted with a leprosy that the doctors were unable to heal. He drank potions, swallowed pills, and used salves, but nothing would help. Finally, a mighty healer of men came to his city, the Sage Duban, who was extremely old and well versed in the works of the Greeks, Persians, Romans, Arabs, and Syrians. Moreover, he was skilled in astronomy and knew everything in theory and practice that could heal or harm a body. Indeed, he was familiar with the virtues of every plant, grass, and herb in the world and how they could benefit or damage a person, and he understood philosophy, medical science, and other branches of the tree of knowledge. Now, this physician had been in the city for only a few days when he heard about the king’s malady and how he had been suffering from leprosy and how all the doctors and wise men had failed to heal him. As a result, he sat up the entire night and thought about the king’s condition. When dawn broke, he put on his most becoming outfit and went to see King Yunan. After he kissed the ground before him, he wished the king long life and prosperity and introduced himself. “Your majesty, news has reached me that none of your physicians have been able to stop your sickness. However, you will see that I can cure you, and I shall have no need of potions or ointments.”
When King Yunan heard these words, he responded with great surprise, “How a
re you going to do this? By Allah, if you heal me, I will make you and your grandchildren rich, and I will give you sumptuous gifts. Whatever you wish will be yours, and you will be my friend and boon companion.” Then the king had him dressed in a robe of honor and asked him graciously, “Is it really possible for you to cure me without drugs and potions?”
“Yes!” he answered. “I’ll heal you without the pains and drawbacks of medicine.”
The king was astonished and said, “When will all this take place, and how soon? Let it be soon.”
“As you wish,” he replied. “The cure will begin tomorrow.”
Upon saying this, the sage departed and rented a house in the city in order to store his books, scrolls, medicines, and aromatic roots in a better way. Then he set to work by choosing the most effective drugs and balsams. Afterward he carved a polo stick with a hollow inside and a wide end with which to hit a ball. All this was made with consummate art. On the next day when both the stick and ball were ready for use, he went to the king, and after kissing the ground, he asked the king to ride out onto the parade ground to play polo. He was accompanied by his emirs, chamberlains, viziers, and lords of the realm, and before he was seated, the Sage Duban went up to him, handed him the stick, and said, “Take this stick and grip it as I do. Good! Now lean over your horse and drive the ball with all your might until your palm is moist and your body perspires. Then the medicine will penetrate through your palm and will permeate your body. After you have finished playing and you feel the effects of the medicine, return to your palace and wash yourself in the Hammam bath. Then lie down to sleep, and you will be healed. Now, peace be with you!”
Thereupon King Yunan took the stick from the sage and grasped it firmly. After mounting his steed, he drove the ball before him and galloped after it until he reached it, and he did not stop hitting the ball until his hand became moist and his skin perspired so that he imbibed the medicine from the wood. Then the Sage Duban knew that the drugs had penetrated his body, and he told the king that it was time to return to the palace and enter the bath without delay. So King Yunan returned immediately and ordered them to prepare the bath for him. The carpet spreaders rushed about, and the slaves hurried and prepared a change of clothes for the king, who entered the bath and made the total ablution long and thorough. Then he put on his clothes within the Hammam and rode from there to his palace, where he lay down and slept.
Meanwhile, the Sage Duban returned home and slept as usual. When morning dawned, he went back to the palace and asked for an audience with the king. The king ordered him to be admitted, and after the Sage Duban sang a solemn song in honor of the king, the king rose to his feet quickly and embraced him. After giving him a seat by his side, the king had him clothed in a sumptuous robe, for it so happened that after the king had left the Hammam bath, he had looked at his body and had not been able to find a single trace of leprosy. Indeed, his skin had become as clean as pure silver, and he had rejoiced. Now the food trays carrying the most delicious viands were brought, and the physician ate with the king and remained with him all that day. Then at nightfall the king gave the Sage Duban two thousand gold pieces besides the usual robe of honor and other gifts galore. Finally, he sent him home on his own steed.
After the sage had departed, King Yunan again expressed his amazement at the doctor’s art and said, “This man cured my body without the aid of ointments. Surely, this shows how great and consummate his skills are! I feel obliged to honor such a man with rewards and distinction and make him my friend and companion until the end of my days.”
So King Yunan spent the night in joy and happiness because his body had been healed and had overcome such a pernicious malady. The next day the king left his seraglio and sat on his throne. The lords of estate stood around him, and the emirs and viziers sat on his right and on his left as was their custom. Then the king asked for the Sage Duban, who came in and kissed the ground before him. After the king rose to greet him and seated him by his side, he ate with him and wished him long life. Moreover, he gave him clothes and gifts and did not stop conversing with him until night approached. Then, as a kind of salary, the king gave him five robes of honor and a thousand dinars, whereupon the doctor returned to his own house full of gratitude to the king.
When the next morning dawned, the king went to his audience hall, and his lords, nobles, chamberlains, and ministers surrounded him just as the white encompasses the black of the eye. Now the king had a vizier among the nobility, unpleasant in appearance, sordid, ungenerous, full of envy and ill will. When this minister saw the king place the physician near him and give him all those gifts, he was jealous of him and planned to do him harm. So the minister went before the king and, kissing the ground between his hands, said, “Your majesty, I have some serious advice for you, and though you may not like it, I would be amiss in my duties as your minister if I did not speak my piece.”
The king was troubled by the words of the minister and said, “What is this advice of yours?”
“Oh glorious monarch,” he responded, “the wise men of former times have a saying which runs like this: whoever does not regard the end will not have Fortune as his friend. And indeed, I have recently seen the king heading in the wrong direction, for he has been bestowing lavish presents on his enemy, on one whose intention is to bring an end to your rule. You have favored this man and honored him unduly by making him an intimate friend. Consequently, I fear for the king’s life.”
The king, whose face changed color, was greatly disturbed and asked, “Whom do you suspect?”
“Oh king,” the minister said, “if you are asleep, wake up! I am pointing at the physician Duban.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself!” the king cried out. “He is a true friend, and I’ve favored him above all other men because he cured me of my leprosy, which had baffled all the physicians of my land. Indeed, there is no one like him to be found in these times—no, no one in the entire world from the far east to the far west! And this is the man whom you are accusing! Why, this very day I granted him a monthly salary and allowance of one thousand gold pieces, and were I to share my realm with him, it would be inconsequential. Therefore, I must assume that you are speaking about him out of mere envy and jealousy just as one spoke about King Sinbad.”
And Scheherazade noticed that dawn was approaching and stopped her story. Then Dunazade said, “Oh my sister, your tale is delightful. How sweet and graceful!”
“This is nothing compared with what I could tell you tomorrow night if the king would spare my life,” she replied.
Then the king said to himself, “By Allah, I won’t slay her until I hear the rest of her tale, for it is truly wondrous.”
So they rested that night in mutual embrace until dawn. Then the king went to his audience hall, and the vizier and the troops entered. The reception chamber was thronged, and the king judged, appointed, deposed, permitted, and prohibited during the rest of the day until the court was adjourned, whereupon King Shahryar returned to his palace. Later that night, Dunazade said to Scheherazade, “If you’re not sleepy, will you please finish the story for us?”
“With the king’s permission,” she replied.
“You have my permission,” said Shahryad.
And Scheherazade resumed:
If you recall, oh mighty monarch, King Yunan had said to his minister, “Oh vizier, the evil spirit of envy has contaminated you because of this physician, and you are trying to urge me to put him to death, after which I would sorely repent just as King Sinbad repented the killing of his falcon.”
“Pardon me, your majesty, what was that about?” asked the vizier.
In reply the king began
The Tale of King Sinbad and His Falcon
There was once a king of Persia who enjoyed all the sporting life, especially hunting. He had raised a falcon which he carried all night on his fist, and he had a little gold cup made for it that was draped around its neck so it could drink at will. Of course, whenever he went
hunting, he took this bird with him.
Now, one day as the king was sitting quietly in his palace, the high falconer of his household appeared before him and said, “Your majesty, this is just the right day for hunting.”
So the king gave orders accordingly and set out with the falcon on his fist. They went merrily on their way until they found a ravine, where they laid their nets for the chase. Just then a gazelle came within sight, and the king cried, “I’ll kill any man who allows that gazelle over there to jump over his head and get away!”
They closed in on the gazelle with the nets, driving it near the king’s post. Then it squatted on its hindquarters and crossed its forehead over its breast, as if about to kiss the earth before the king. So unusual was this behavior that the king bowed his brow in acknowledgment to the gazelle, allowing the beast time to jump quickly over his head and disappear from sight. Thereupon, the king turned toward his troops and saw them pointing at him. “Oh vizier,” he asked, “what are my men saying?”
“They say,” the minister replied, “that you had proclaimed you would kill any man who allowed the gazelle to jump over his head.”
“Well, by the life of my head, I shall pursue that gazelle until I bring it back!”
So he set off on his horse, galloping after the gazelle’s trail, and he did not stop tracking the beast until he reached the foothills of a mountain chain where the quarry had made for a cave. Then the king set the falcon loose, and when the bird caught up with it, she swooped down, and drove her talons into its eyes, bewildering and blinding it. When he saw this, the king came up, drew his mace, and struck a blow that killed the beast. After that he dismounted, cut the antelope’s throat, flayed the body, and hung it on the pommel of his saddle.
Now the time for siesta had arrived, and the surrounding land was parched and dry. There was no water to be found anywhere, and the king and his horse were thirsty. So he went searching until he found a tree moist with water on its boughs, as if butter were melting from its branches. Thereupon the king, who wore leather gauntlets to protect him against poison, took the cup from the hawk’s neck, and after filling it with water, he set it before the bird, who suddenly struck it with her claws so that the liquid poured out. The king filled it a second time with the drops from the branches, thinking his falcon was thirsty, but the bird struck the cup again with her claws and knocked it over. Now the king became mad at the falcon and filled the cup a third time but offered it to his horse. Once more, the bird upset it with a flick of her wings.
Arabian Nights Page 5