The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition) Read online

  As I rushed to him, I fainted, and when I came to myself, he told me what my wife, this very deer, had done to him and to his mother. I said to him, “Son, God has sent us someone who will pay her back for what you and your mother and I have suffered at her hands.” Then, O demon, I gave my son in marriage to the shepherd’s daughter, who turned my wife into this very deer, saying to me, “To me this is a pretty form, for she will be with us day and night, and it is better to turn her into a pretty deer than to suffer her sinister looks.” Thus she stayed with us, while the days and nights followed one another, and the months and years went by. Then one day the shepherd’s daughter died, and my son went to the country of this very man with whom you have had your encounter. Some time later I took my wife, this very deer, with me, set out to find out what had happened to my son, and chanced to stop here. This is my story, my strange and amazing story.

  The demon assented, saying, “I grant you one-third of this man’s life.”

  Then, O King Shahrayar, the second old man with the two black dogs approached the demon and said, “I too shall tell you what happened to me and to these two dogs, and if I tell it to you and you find it stranger and more amazing than this man’s story will you grant me one-third of this man’s life?” The demon replied, “I will.” Then the old man began to tell his story, saying …

  But dawn broke, and morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then Dinarzad said, “This is an amazing story,” and Shahrazad replied, “What is this compared with what I shall tell you tomorrow night if the king spares me and lets me live!” The king said to himself, “By God, I will not have her put to death until I find out what happened to the man with the two black dogs. Then I will have her put to death, God the Almighty willing.”

  THE SIXTH NIGHT

  When the following night arrived and Shahrazad was in bed with King Shahrayar, her sister Dinarzad said, “Sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us a little tale. Finish the one you started.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:

  I heard, O happy King, that the second old man with the two dogs said:

  4. A four-day Muslim feast that celebrates the pilgrimage to Mecca and that is marked by the slaughtering of sheep and cattle as sacrificial offerings to God.

  [The Second Old Man’s Tale]

  DEMON, AS FOR my story, these are the details. These two dogs are my brothers. When our father died, he left behind three sons, and left us three thousand dinars,5 with which each of us opened a shop and became a shopkeeper. Soon my older brother, one of these very dogs, went and sold the contents of his shop for a thousand dinars, bought trading goods, and, having prepared himself for his trading trip, left us. A full year went by, when one day, as I sat in my shop, a beggar stopped by to beg. When I refused him, he tearfully asked, “Don’t you recognize me?” and when I looked at him closely, I recognized my brother. I embraced him and took him into the shop, and when I asked him about his plight, he replied, “The money is gone, and the situation is bad.” Then I took him to the public bath, clothed him in one of my robes, and took him home with me. Then I examined my books and checked my balance, and found out that I had made a thousand dinars and that my net worth was two thousand dinars. I divided the amount between my brother and myself, and said to him, “Think as if you have never been away.” He gladly took the money and opened another shop.

  Soon afterward my second brother, this other dog, went and sold his merchandise and collected his money, intending to go on a trading trip. We tried to dissuade him, but he did not listen. Instead, he bought merchandise and trading goods, joined a group of travelers, and was gone for a full year. Then he came back, just like his older brother. I said to him, “Brother, didn’t I advise you not to go?” He replied tearfully, “Brother, it was foreordained. Now I am poor and penniless, without even a shirt on my back.” Demon, I took him to the public bath, clothed him in one of my new robes, and took him back to the shop. After we had something to eat, I said to him, “Brother, I shall do my business accounts, calculate my net worth for the year, and after subtracting the capital, whatever the profit happens to be, I shall divide it equally between you and myself.” When I examined my books and subtracted the capital, I found out that my profit was two thousand dinars, and I thanked God and felt very happy. Then I divided the money, giving him a thousand dinars and keeping a thousand for myself. With that money he opened another shop, and the three of us stayed together for a while. Then my two brothers asked me to go on a trading journey with them, but I refused, saying, “What did you gain from your ventures that I can gain?”

  They dropped the matter, and for six years we worked in our stores, buying and selling. Yet every year they asked me to go on a trading journey with them, but I refused, until I finally gave in. I said, “Brothers, I am ready to go with you. How much money do you have?” I found out that they had eaten and drunk and squandered everything they had, but I said nothing to them and did not reproach them. Then I took inventory, gathered all I had together, and sold everything. I was pleased to discover that the sale netted six thousand dinars. Then I divided the money into two parts, and said to my brothers, “The sum of three thousand dinars is for you and myself to use on our trading journey. The other three thousand I shall bury in the ground, in case what happened to you happens to me, so that when we return, we will find three thousand dinars to reopen our shops.” They replied, “This is an excellent idea.” Then, demon, I divided my money and buried three thousand dinars. Of the remaining three I gave each of my brothers a thousand and kept a thousand for myself. After I closed my shop, we bought merchandise and trading goods, rented a large seafaring boat, and after loading it with our goods and provisions, sailed day and night, for a month.

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a lovely story!” Shahrazad replied, “Tomorrow night I shall tell you something even lovelier, stranger, and more wonderful if I live, the Almighty God willing.”

  THE SEVENTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, “For God’s sake, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us a little tale.” The king added, “Let it be the completion of the story of the merchant and the demon.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:

  I heard, O happy King, that the second old man said to the demon:

  For a month my brothers, these very dogs, and I sailed the salty sea, until we came to a port city. We entered the city and sold our goods, earning ten dinars for every dinar. Then we bought other goods, and when we got to the seashore to embark, I met a girl who was dressed in tatters. She kissed my hands and said, “O my lord, be charitable and do me a favor, and I believe that I shall be able to reward you for it.” I replied, “I am willing to do you a favor regardless of any reward.” She said, “O my lord, marry me, clothe me, and take me home with you on this boat, as your wife, for I wish to give myself to you. I, in turn, will reward you for your kindness and charity, the Almighty God willing. Don’t be misled by my poverty and present condition.” When I heard her words, I felt pity for her, and guided by what God the Most High had intended for me, I consented. I clothed her with an expensive dress and married her. Then I took her to the boat, spread the bed for her, and consummated our marriage. We sailed many days and nights, and I, feeling love for her, stayed with her day and night, neglecting my brothers. In the meantime they, these very dogs, grew jealous of me, envied me for my increasing merchandise and wealth, and coveted all our possessions. At last they decided to betray me and, tempted by the Devil, plotted to kill me. One night they waited until I was asleep beside my wife; then they carried the two of us and threw us into the sea.

  When we awoke, my wife turned into a she-demon and carried me out of the sea to an island. When it was morning, she said, “Husband, I have rewarded you by saving you from drowning, for I am one of the demons who believe in God. When I saw you by the seashore, I felt love for you and came to yo
u in the guise in which you saw me, and when I expressed my love for you, you accepted me. Now I must kill your brothers.” When I heard what she said, I was amazed and I thanked her and said, “As for destroying my brothers, this I do not wish, for I will not behave like them.” Then I related to her what had happened to me and them, from beginning to end. When she heard my story, she got very angry at them, and said, “I shall fly to them now, drown their boat, and let them all perish.” I entreated her, saying, “For God’s sake, don’t. The proverb advises ‘Be kind to those who hurt you.’ No matter what, they are my brothers after all.” In this manner, I entreated her and pacified her. Afterward, she took me and flew away with me until she brought me home and put me down on the roof of my house. I climbed down, threw the doors open, and dug up the money I had buried. Then I went out and, greeting the people in the market, reopened my shop. When I came home in the evening, I found these two dogs tied up, and when they saw me, they came to me, wept, and rubbed themselves against me. I started, when I suddenly heard my wife say, “O my lord, these are your brothers.” I asked, “Who has done this to them?” She replied, “I sent to my sister and asked her to do it. They will stay in this condition for ten years, after which they may be delivered.” Then she told me where to find her and departed. The ten years have passed, and I was with my brothers on my way to her to have the spell lifted, when I met this man, together with this old man with the deer. When I asked him about himself, he told me about his encounter with you, and I resolved not to leave until I found out what would happen between you and him. This is my story. Isn’t it amazing?

  The demon replied, “By God, it is strange and amazing. I grant you one-third of my claim on him for his crime.”

  Then the third old man said, “Demon, don’t disappoint me. If I told you a story that is stranger and more amazing than the first two would you grant me one-third of your claim on him for his crime?” The demon replied, “I will.” Then the old man said, “Demon, listen”:

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister said, “What an amazing story!” Shahrazad replied, “The rest is even more amazing.” The king said to himself, “I will not have her put to death until I hear what happened to the old man and the demon; then I will have her put to death, as is my custom with the others.”

  THE EIGHTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, “For God’s sake, sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely little tales to while away the night.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:

  I heard, O happy King, that the third old man told the demon a story that was even stranger and more amazing than the first two. The demon was very much amazed and, swaying with delight, said, “I grant you one-third of my claim on him for his crime.” Then the demon released the merchant and departed. The merchant turned to the three old men and thanked them, and they congratulated him on his deliverance and bade him good-bye. Then they separated, and each of them went on his way. The merchant himself went back home to his family, his wife, and his children, and he lived with them until the day he died. But this story is not as strange or as amazing as the story of the fisherman.

  Dinarzad asked, “Please, sister, what is the story of the fisherman?” Shahrazad said:

  5. Gold coins, the basic Muslim money units.

  [The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon]

  IT IS RELATED that there was a very old fisherman who had a wife and three daughters and who was so poor that they did not have even enough food for the day. It was this fisherman’s custom to cast his net four times a day. One day, while the moon was still up, he went out with his net at the call for the early morning prayer. He reached the outskirts of the city and came to the seashore. Then he set down his basket, rolled up his shirt, and waded to his waist in the water. He cast his net and waited for it to sink; then he gathered the rope and started to pull. As he pulled little by little, he felt that the net was getting heavier until he was unable to pull any further. He climbed ashore, drove a stake into the ground, and tied the end of the rope to the stake. Then he took off his clothes, dove into the water, and went around the net, shaking it and tugging at it until he managed to pull it ashore. Feeling extremely happy, he put on his clothes and went back to the net. But when he opened it, he found inside a dead donkey, which had torn it apart. The fisherman felt sad and depressed and said to himself, “There is no power and no strength save in God, the Almighty, the Magnificent,” adding, “Indeed, this is a strange catch!” Then he began to recite the following verses:

  O you who brave the danger in the dark,

  Reduce your toil, for gain is not in work.

  Look at the fisherman who labors at his trade,

  As the stars in the night their orbits make,

  And deeply wades into the raging sea,

  Steadily gazing at the swelling net,

  Till he returns, pleased with his nightly catch,

  A fish whose mouth the hook of death has cut,

  And sells it to a man who sleeps the night,

  Safe from the cold and blessed with every wish.

  Praised be the Lord who blesses and withholds:

  This casts the net, but that one eats the fish.

  But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister Dinarzad said, “Sister, what a lovely story!” Shahrazad replied, “Tomorrow night I shall tell you the rest, which is stranger and more wonderful, if the king spares me and lets me live!”

  THE NINTH NIGHT

  The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahrazad, “Sister, if you are not sleepy, finish the fisherman’s story.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:

  I heard, O happy King, that when the fisherman finished reciting his verses, he pushed the donkey out of the net and sat down to mend it. When he was done, he wrung it out and spread it to dry. Then he waded into the water and, invoking the Almighty God, cast the net and waited for it to sink. Then he pulled the rope little by little, but this time the net was even more firmly snagged. Thinking that it was heavy with fish, he was extremely happy. He took off his clothes and, diving into the water, freed the net and struggled with it until he reached the shore, but inside the net he found a large jar full of nothing but mud and sand. When he saw this, he felt sad and, with tears in his eyes, said to himself, “This is a strange day! God’s we are and to God we return,” and he began to recite the following verses:

  O my tormenting fate, forbear,

  Or if you can’t, at least be fair.

  I went to seek, my daily bread,

  But they said to me it was dead.

  And neither luck nor industry

  Brought back my daily bread to me.

  The Pleiads6 many fools attain,

  While sages sit in dark disdain.

  Then the fisherman threw the jar away, washed his net, and, wringing it out, spread it to dry. Then he begged the Almighty God for forgiveness and went back to the water. For the third time, he cast the net and waited for it to sink. But when he pulled it up, he found nothing inside but broken pots and bottles, stones, bones, refuse, and the like. He wept at this great injustice and ill luck and began to recite the following verses:

  Your livelihood is not in your own hands;

  Neither by writing nor by the pen you thrive.

  Your luck and your wages are by lot;

  Some lands are waste, and some are fertile lands.

  The wheel of fortune lowers the man of worth,

  Raising the base man who deserves to fall.

  Come then, O death, and end this worthless life,

  Where the ducks soar, while the falcons are bound to earth.

  No wonder that you see the good man poor,

  While the vicious exalts in his estate.

  Our wages are alloted; ’tis our fate

  To search like birds for gleanings everywhere.

  One bird searches the earth from east to w
est,

  Another gets the tidbits while at rest.

  Then the fisherman raised his eyes to the heavens and, seeing that the sun had risen and that it was morning and full daylight, said, “O Lord, you know that I cast my net four times only. I have already cast it three times, and there is only one more try left. Lord, let the sea serve me, even as you let it serve Moses.”7 Having mended the net, he cast it into the sea, and waited for it to sink. When he pulled, he found that it was so heavy that he was unable to haul it. He shook it and found that it was caught at the bottom. Saying “There is no power or strength save in God, the Almighty, the Magnificent,” he took off his clothes and dove for the net. He worked at it until he managed to free it, and as he hauled it to the shore, he felt that there was something heavy inside. He struggled with the net, until he opened it and found a large long-necked brass jar, with a lead stopper bearing the mark of a seal ring.8 When the fisherman saw the jar, he was happy and said to himself, “I will sell it in the copper market, for it must be worth at least two measures of wheat.” He tried to move the jar, but it was so full and so heavy that he was unable to budge it. Looking at the lead stopper, he said to himself, “I will open the jar, shake out the contents, then roll it before me until I reach the copper market.” Then he took out a knife from his belt and began to scrape and struggle with the lead stopper until he pried it loose. He held the stopper in his mouth, tilted the jar to the ground, and shook it, trying to pour out its contents, but when nothing came out, he was extremely surprised.