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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 9

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 9




When it was the Nine Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Sea-captain asked Abu Sir the cause of the King's wrath with him,
he replied, "By Allah, O my brother I have committed no crime
against him which meriteth this!" Rejoined the Captain, "Verily,
thou wast high in rank with the King, such as none ever won
before thee, and all who are prosperous are envied. Haply some
one was jealous of thy good fortune and threw out certain hints
concerning thee to the King, by reason whereof he is become
enraged against thee with rage so violent: but be of good cheer;
no harm shall befal thee; for, even as thou entreatedst me
generously, without acquaintanceship between me and thee, so now
I will deliver thee. But, an if I release thee, thou must abide
with me on this island till some galleon sail from our city to
thy native land, when I will send thee thither therein." Abu Sir
kissed his hand and thanked him for that; after which the Captain
fetched the quicklime and set it in a sack, together with a great
stone, the size of a man, saying, "I put my trust in
Allah!"[FN#224] Then he gave the barber a net, saying, "Cast this
net into the sea, so haply thou mayst take somewhat of fish. For
I am bound to supply the King's kitchen with fish every day; but
to-day I have been distracted from fishing by this calamity which
hath befallen thee, and I fear lest the cook's boys come to me in
quest of fish and find none. So, an thou take aught, they will
find it and thou wilt veil my face,[FN#225] whilst I go and play
off my practice in front of the palace and feign to cast thee
into the sea." Answered Abu Sir, "I will fish the while; go thou
and God help thee!" So the Captain set the sack in the boat and
paddled till he came under the palace, where he saw the King
seated at the lattice and said to him, "O King of the age, shall
I cast him in?" "Cast him!" cried the King, and signed to him
with his hand, when lo and behold!; something flashed like leven
and fell into the sea. Now that which had fallen into the water
was the King's seal-ring; and the same was enchanted in such way
that, when the King was wroth with any one and was minded to slay
him, he had but to sign to him with his right hand, whereon was
the signet-ring, and therefrom issued a flash of lightning, which
smote the object, and thereupon his head fell from between his
shoulders; and the troops obeyed him not, nor did he overcome the
men of might save by means of the ring. So, when it dropped from
his finger, he concealed the matter and kept silence, for that
dared not say, "My ring is fallen into the sea," for fear of the
troops, lest they rise against him and slay him. On this wise it
befel the King; but as regards Abu Sir, after the Captain had
left him on the island he took the net and casting it into the
sea presently drew it up full of fish; nor did he cease to throw
it and pull it up full, till there was a great mound of fish
before him. So he said in himself, "By Allah, his long while I
have not eaten fish!"; and chose himself a large fat fish,
saying, "When the Captain cometh back, I will bid him fry it for
me, so I may dine on it." Then he cut its throat with a knife he
had with him; but the knife stuck in its gills and there he saw
the King's signet-ring; for the fish had swallowed it and Destiny
had driven it to that island, where it had fallen into the net.
He took the ring and drew it on his little finger,[FN#226] not
knowing its peculiar properties. Presently, up came two of the
cook's boys in quest of fish and seeing Abu Sir, said to him, "O
man, whither is the Captain gone?" "I know not," said he and
signed to them with his right hand; when, behold, the heads of
both underlings dropped off from between their shoulders. At
this Abu Sir was amazed and said, "Would I wot who slew them!"
And their case was grievous to him and he was still pondering it,
when the Captain suddenly returned and seeing the mound of fishes
and two men lying dead and the seal-ring on Abu Sir's finger,
said to him, "O my brother, move not thy hand whereon is the
signet-ring; else thou wilt kill me." Abu Sir wondered at this
speech and kept his hand motionless; whereupon the Captain came
up to him and said, "Who slew these two men?" "By Allah, O my
brother I wot not!" "Thou sayst sooth; but tell me whence hadst
thou that ring?" "I found it in this fish's gills." "True,"
said the Captain, "for I saw it fall flashing from the King's
palace and disappear in the sea, what time he signed towards
thee,[FN#227] saying, Cast him in. So I cast the sack into the
water, and it was then that the ring slipped from his finger and
fell into the sea, where this fish swallowed it, and Allah drave
it to thee, so that thou madest it thy prey, for this ring was
thy lot; but kennest thou its property?" Said Abu Sir, "I knew
not that it had any properties peculiar to it;" and the Captain
said, "Learn, then, that the King's troops obey him not save for
fear of this signet-ring, because it is spelled, and when he was
wroth with any one and had a mind to kill him, he would sign at
him therewith and his head would drop from between his shoulders;
for there issued a flash of lightning from the ring and its ray
smote the object of his wrath, who died forthright." At this,
Abu Sir rejoiced with exceeding joy and said to the Captain,
"Carry me back to the city;" and he said, "That will I, now that
I no longer fear for thee from the King; for, wert thou to sign
at him with thy hand, purposing to kill him, his head would fall
down between thy hands; and if thou be minded to slay him and all
his host, thou mayst slaughter them without let or hindrance."
So saying, he embarked him in the boat and bore him back to the
city;--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Captain embarked with Abu Sir he bore him back to the city, so
Abu Sir landed and going up to the palace, entered the
council-chamber, where he found the King seated facing his
officers, in sore cark and care by reason of the seal-ring and
daring not tell any of his folk anent its loss. When he saw Abu
Sir, he said to him, "Did we not cast thee into the sea? How
hast thou contrived to come forth of it?" Abu Sir replied, "O
King of the age, whenas thou badest throw me into the sea, thy
Captain carried me to an island and asked me of the cause of thy
wrath against me, saying, 'What hast thou done with the King,
that he should decree thy death?' I answered, 'By Allah, I know
not that I have wrought him any wrong!' Quoth he, 'Thou wast high
in rank with the King, and haply some one envied thee and threw
out certain hints concerning htee to him, so that he is become
incensed against thee. But when I visited thee in thy Hammam,
thou entreatedst me honourably, and I will requite thee thy
hospitality to me by setting thee free and sending thee back to
thine own land.' Then he set a great stone in the sack in my
stead and cast it into the sea; but, when thou signedst to him to
throw me in, thy seal-ring dropped from thy finger into the main,
and a fish swallowed it. Now I was on the island a-fishing, and
this fish came up in the net with the others; whereupon I took
it, intending to broil it; but, when I opened its belly, I found
the signet-ring therein; so I took it and put it on my finger.
Presently, up came two of the servants of the kitchen, questing
fish, and I signed to them with my hand, knowing not the property
of the seal-ring, and their heads fell off. Then the Captain
came back, and seeing the ring on my finger, acquainted me with
its spell; and behold, I have brought it back to thee, for that
thou dealtest kindly by me and entreatedst me with the utmost
honour, nor is that which thou hast done me of kindness lost upon
me. Here is thy ring; take it! But an I have done with thee
aught deserving of death, tell me my crime and slay me and thou
shalt be absolved of sin in shedding my blood." So saying, he
pulled the ring from his finger and gave it to the King who,
seeing Abu Sir's noble conduct, took the ring and put it on and
felt life return to him afresh. Then he rose to his feet and
embracing the barber, said to him, "O man, thou art indeed of the
flower of the well-born! Blame me not, but forgive me the wrong
I have done thee. Had any but thou gotten hold of this ring, he
had never restored it to me." Answered Abu Sir, "O King of the
age, an thou wouldst have me forgive thee, tell me what was my
fault which drew down thine anger upon me, so that thou
commandedst to do me die." Rejoined the King, "By Allah, 'tis
clear to me that thou art free and guiltless in all things of
offence since thou hast done this good deed; only the dyer
denounced thee to me in such and such words;" and he told him all
that Abu Kir had said. Abu Sir replied, "By Allah, O King of the
age, I know no King of the Nazarenes nor during my days have ever
journeyed to a Christian country, nor did it ever come into my
mind to kill thee. But this dyer was my comrade and neighbour in
the city of Alexandria where life was straitened upon us;
therefore we departed thence, to seek our fortunes, by reason of
the narrowness of our means at home, after we had recited the
Opening Chapter of the Koran together, pledging ourselves that he
who got work should feed him who lacked work; and there befel me
with him such and such things." Then he went on to relate to the
King all that had betided him with Abu Kir the dyer; how he had
robbed him of his dirhams and had left him alone and sick in the
Khan-closet and how the door-keeper had fed him of his own monies
till Allah recovered him of his sickness, when he went forth and
walked about the city with his budget, as was his wont, till he
espied a dyery, about which the folk were crowding; so he looked
at the door and seeing Abu Kir seated on a bench there, went in
to salute him, whereupon he accused him of being a thief and beat
him a grievous beating; brief, he told him his whole tale, from
first to last, and added, "O King of the age, 'twas he who
counselled me to make the depilatory and present it to thee,
saying, 'The Hammam is perfect in all things but that it lacketh
this'; and know, O King of the age, that this drug is harmless
and we use it in our land where 'tis one of the requisites of the
bath; but I had forgotten it: so, when the dyer visited the
Hammam I entreated him with honour and he reminded me of it, and
enjoined me to make it forthwith. But do thou send after the
porter of such a Khan and the workmen of the dyery and question
them all of that which I have told thee." Accordingly the King
sent for them and questioned them one and all and they acquainted
him with the truth of the matter. Then he summoned the dyer,
saying, "Bring him barefooted, bareheaded and with elbows
pinioned!" Now he was sitting in his house, rejoicing in Abu
Sir's death; but ere he could be ware, the King's guards rushed
in upon him and cuffed him on the nape, after which they bound
him and bore him into the presence, where he saw Abu Sir seated
by the King's side and the door-keeper of the Khan and workmen of
the dyery standing before him. Quoth the door-keeper to him, "Is
no this thy comrade whom thou robbedst of his silvers and leftest
with me sick in the closet doing such and such by him?" And the
workmen said to him, "Is not this he whom thou badest us seize
and beat?" Therewith Abu Kir's baseness was made manifest to the
King and he was certified that he merited torture yet sorer than
the torments of Munkar and Nakir.[FN#228] So he said to his
guards, "Take him and parade him about the city and the
markets;"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Fortieth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicous King, that when
the King heard the words spoken by the door-keeper of the
Caravanserai and the workmen of the dyery, he was certified of
the vileness of Abu Kir; so he upbraided him with flout and fleer
and said to his guards, "Take him and parade him about the city
and the market-streets; then set him in a sack and cast him into
the sea." Whereupon quoth Abu Sir, "O King of the age, accept my
intercession for him, for I pardon him all he hath done with me."
But quoth the King, "An thou pardon him all his offences against
thee, I cannot pardon him his offences against me." And he cried
out, saying, "Take him." So they took him and paraded him about
the city, after which they set him in a sack with quicklime and
cast him into the sea, and he died, drowned and burnt. Then said
the King to the barber, "O Abu Sir, ask of me what thou wilt and
it shall be given thee." And he answered, saying, "I ask of thee
to send me back to my own country, for I care no longer to tarry
here." Then the King gifted him great store of gifts, over and
above that which he had whilome bestowed on the crew of this
galleon were Mamelukes; so he gave him these also, after offering
to make him his Wazir whereto the barber consented not.
Presently he farewelled the King and set sail in his own ship
manned by his own crew; nor did he cast anchor till he reached
Alexandria and made fast to the shore there. Then he landed and
one of his Mamelukes, seeing a sack on the beach, said to Abu
Sir, "O my lord, there is a great heavy sack on the sea-shore,
with the mouth tied up and I know not what therein." So Abu Sir
came up and opening the sack, found therein the remains of Abu
Kir, which the sea had borne thither. He took it forth and
burying it near Alexandria, built over the grave a place of
visitation and endowed it with mortmain writing over the door
these couplets,


"Man is known among me as his deeds attest; * Which make noble
origin manifest:
Backbite not, lest other men bit thy back; * Who saith aught, the
same shall to him be addrest:
Shun immodest words and indecent speech * When thou speakest in
earnest or e'en in jest.[FN#229]
We bear with the dog which behaves itself * But the lion is
chained lest he prove a pest:
And the desert carcases swim the main * While union-pearls on the
sandbank rest[FN#230]:
No sparrow would hustle the sparrow-hawk, * Were it not by folly
and weakness prest:
A-sky is written on page of air * 'Who doth kindly of kindness
shall have the best!'
'Ware of gathering sugar from bitter gourd:[FN#231] * 'Twill
prove to its origin like in taste."

After this Abu Sir abode awhile, till Allah took him to Himself,
and they buried him hard by the tomb of his comrade Abu Kir;
wherefore that place was called Abu Kir and Abu Sir; but it is
now known as Abu Kir only. This, then, is that which hath
reached us of their history, and glory be to Him who endureth for
ever and aye and by whose will interchange the night and the day.
And of the stories they tell is one anent




ABDULLAH[FN#232] THE FISHERMAN AND
ABDULLAH THE MERMAN.



There was once a Fisherman named Abdullah, who had a large
family, to wit, nine children and their mother, so was he poor,
very poor, owning naught save his net. Every day he used to go
to the sea a-fishing, and if he caught little, he sold it and
spent the price on his children, after the measure of that which
Allah vouchsafed him of provision; but if he caught much, he
would cook a good mess of meat and buy fruit and spend without
stint till nothing was left him, saying to himself, "The daily
bread of to-morrow will come to-morrow." Presently, his wife
gave birth to another child, making a total of ten, and it
chanced that day that he had nothing at all; so she said to him,
"O my master, see and get me somewhat wherewithal I may sustain
myself." Quoth he, "I am going (under favour of Almighty Allah)
this day seawards to fish on the luck of this new-born child,
that we may see its fair fortune;" and quoth she, "Put thy trust
in Allah!" So he took his net and went down to the sea-shore,
where he cast it on the luck of the little one, saying, "O my
God, make his living of ease not of unease, and abundant, not
scant!" Then he waited awhile and drew in the net, which came up
full of rubbish and sand and pebbles and weeds, and he saw
therein no sign of fish neither muchel nor little. He cast it
again and waited, then drew it in, but found no catch in it, and
threw it a third and a fourth and a fifth time still not a single
fish came up. So he removed to another place beseeching his
daily bread of Allah Almighty and thus he kept working till the
end of the day, but caught not so much as a minnow;[FN#233]
whereat he fell a-marvelling in himself and said self-communing,
"Hath Allah then created this new-born child without lot of
provision? This may never, never be. He who slitteth the
corners of the lips hath pledged Himself for its provision,
because Almighty Allah is the Bountiful, the Provider!"[FN#234]
So saying, he shouldered his net and turned him homewards,
broken-spirited and heavy at heart about his family, for that he
had left them without food, more by token that his wife was in
the straw. And as he continued trudging along and saying in
himself, "How shall I do and what shall I say to the children to-
night?" he came to a baker's oven and saw a crowd about it; for
the season was one of dearth and in those days food was scant
with the folk; so people were proffering the baker money, but he
paid no heed to any of them, by reason of the dense crowd. The
fisherman stood looking and snuffing he smell of the hot bread
(and indeed his soul longed for it, by reason of his hunger),
till the baker caught sight of him and cried out to him, "Come
hither, O fisherman!" So he went up to him, and the baker said,
"Dost thou want bread?" But he was silent. Quoth the baker,
"Speak out and be not ashamed, for Allah is bountiful. An thou
have no silver, I will give thee bread and have patience with
thee till weal betide thee." And quoth the fisherman, "By Allah,
O master, I have indeed no money! But give me bread enough for
my family, and I will leave thee this net in pawn till the
morrow." Rejoined the baker, "Nay, my poor fellow, this net is
thy shop and the door of thy daily subsistence; so an thou pawn
it, wherewithal wilt thou fish? Tell me how much will suffice
thee?"; and replied the fisherman, "Ten half-dirhams'
worth."[FN#235] So he gave him ten Nusfs worth of bread and ten
in silver saying, "Take these ten Nusfs and cook thyself a mess
of meat therewith; so wilt thou owe me twenty, for which bring me
fish to-morrow; but, an thou catch nothing again, come and take
thy bread and thy ten Nusfs, and I will have patience with thee
till better luck betide thee,"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-first Night,

She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
baker said to the fisherman, "Take whatso thou needest and I will
have patience with thee till better luck betide thee, after the
which thou shalt bring me fish for all thou owest me." Said the
fisherman, Almighty Allah reward thee, and requite thee for me
with all good!" Then he took the bread and the coins and went
away, glad at heart, and buying what he could returned to his
wife whom he found sitting up, soothing the children, who were
weeping for hunger, and saying to them, "At once your father will
be here with what ye may eat." So he set the bread before them
and they ate, whilst he told his wife what had befallen him, and
she said, "Allah is bountiful."[FN#236] On the morrow, he
shouldered his net and went forth of his house, saying, "I
beseech thee, O Lord, to vouchsafe me this day that which shall
whiten my face with the baker!"[FN#237] When he came to the sea-
shore, he proceeded to cast his net and pull it in; but there
came up no fish therein; and he ceased not to toil thus till
ended day but he caught nothing. Then he set out homewards, in
great concern, and the way to his house lay past the baker's
oven; so he said to himself, "How shall I go home? But I will
hasten my pace that the baker may not see me." When he reached
the shop, he saw a crowd about it and walked the faster, being
ashamed to face his creditor; but the baker raised his eyes to
him and cried out to him, saying, "Ho, fisherman! Come and take
thy bread and spending-money. Meseems thou forgettest." Quoth
Abdullah, "By Allah, I had not forgotten; but I was ashamed to
face thee, because I have caught no fish this day;" and quoth the
baker, "Be not ashamed. Said I not to thee, At thy
leisure,[FN#238] till better luck betide thee?" Then he gave him
the bread and the ten Nusfs and he returned and told his wife,
who said, "Allah is bountiful. Better luck shall yet betide thee
and thou shalt give the baker his due, Inshallah." He ceased not
doing on this wise forty days, betaking himself daily to the sea,
from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof, and
returning home without fish; and still he took bread and
spending-money of the baker, who never once named the fish to him
nor neglected him nor kept him waiting like the folk,[FN#239] but
gave him the bread and the ten half-dirhams without delay.
Whenever the fisherman said to him, "O my brother, reckon with
me," he would say, "Be off:[FN#240] this is no time for
reckoning. Wait till better luck betide thee, and then I will
reckon with thee." And the fisherman would bless him and go away
thanking him. On the one-and-fortieth day, he said to his wife,
"I have a mind to tear up the net and be quit of this life." She
asked, "Why wilt thou do this?"; and he answered, "Meseems there
is an end of my getting my daily bread from the waters. How long
shall this last? By Allah, I burn with shame before the baker
and I will go no more to the sea, so I may not pass by his oven,
for I have none other way home; and every time I pass he calleth
me and giveth me the bread and the ten silvers. How much longer
shall I run in debt to him?" The wife replied, "Alhamdolillah--
lauded be the Lord, the Most High, who hath inclined his heart to
thee, so that he giveth thee our daily bread! What dislikest
thou in this?"; and the husband rejoined, "I owe him now a mighty
great sum of dirhams, and there is no doubt but that he will
demand his due." "Hath he vexed thee with words?" "No, on the
contrary, he still refuseth to reckon with me, saying, 'Wait till
better luck betide thee.'" "If he press thee, say to him, 'Wait
till there come the good luck for which we hope, thou and I.'"
"And when will the good luck come that we hope for?" "Allah is
bountiful." "Sooth thou speakest!" So saying he shouldered his
net and went down to the sea-side, praying, "O Lord provide thou
me, though but with one fish, that I may give it to the baker!"
And he cast his net into the sea and pulling it in, found it
heavy; so he tugged at it till he was tired with sore travail.
But when he got it ashore, he found in it a dead donkey swollen
and stinking; whereat his senses sickened and he freed it from
the net, saying, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save
in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Indeed, I can no more! I say
to that wife of mine, 'There is no more provision for me in the
waters; let me leave this craft.' And she still answereth me,
'Allah is bountiful: good will presently betide thee.' Is this
dead ass the good whereof she speaketh?" And he grieved with the
sorest grief. Then he turned to another place, so he might remove
from the stench of the dead donkey, and cast his net there and
waited a full hour: then he drew it in and found it heavy.
Thereupon quoth he, "Good; we are hauling up all the dead donkeys
in the sea and ridding it of its rubbish.[FN#241]" However he
gave not over tugging at the net, till blood came from the palms
of his hands, and when he got it ashore, he saw a man[FN#242] in
it and took him for one of the Ifrits of the lord Solomon, whom
he was wont to imprison in cucurbits of brass and cast him into
the main, believing that the vessel had burst for length of years
and that the Ifrit had come forth and fallen into the net;
wherefore he fled from him, crying out and saying, "Mercy, mercy,
O Ifrit of Solomon!" But the Adamite called out to him from
within the net and said, "Come hither, O fisherman, and flee not
from me; for I am human like thyself. Release me, so thou mayst
get a recompense for me of Allah." Whenas he heard these words,
the fisherman took heart and coming up to him, said to him, "Art
thou not an Ifrit of the Jinn?"; and replied the other, "No: I am
a mortal and a believer in Allah and His Apostle." Asked the
fisherman, "Who threw thee into the sea?"; and the other
answered, "I am of the children of the sea, and was going about
therein, when thou castest the net over me. We are people who
obey Allah's commandments and show loving-kindness unto the
creatures of the Almighty, and but that I fear and dread to be of
the disobedient, I had torn thy net; but I accept that which the
Lord hath decreed unto me; wherefore by setting me free thou
becomest my owner and I thy captive. Wilt thou then set me free
for the love[FN#243] of Almighty Allah and make a covenant with
me and become my comrade? I will come to thee every day in this
place, and do thou come to me and bring me a gift of the fruits
of the land. For with you are grapes and figs and water-melons
and peaches and pomegranates and so forth, and all thou bringest
me will be acceptable unto me. Moreover, with us are coral and
pearls and chrysolites and emeralds and rubies and other gems,
and I will fill thee the basket, wherein thou bringest me the
fruit, with precious stones of the jewels of the sea.[FN#244]
What sayest thou to this, O my brother?" Quoth the fisherman,
"Be the Opening Chapter of the Koran between thee and me upon
this!" So they recited together the Fatihah, and the fisherman
loosed the Merman from the net and asked him, "What is thy name?"
He replied, "My name is Abdullah of the sea; and if thou come
hither and see me not, call out and say, 'Where are thou, O
Abdullah, O Merman?' and I will be with thee."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

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