Andrew Lang
The Arabian Nights Entertainments
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Table of contents
Preface
The Arabian Nights
The Story of the Merchant and the Genius
The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind
The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs
The Story of the Fisherman
The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban
The Story of the Husband and the Parrot
The Story of the Vizir Who Was Punished
The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles
The Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings,and of Five Ladies of Bagdad
The Story of the First Calender, Son of a King
The Story of the Second Calender, Son of a King
The Story of the Envious Man and of Him Who Was Envied
The Story of the Third Calender, Son of a King
The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor
The Little Hunchback
The Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother
The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother
The Adventures of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura
Noureddin and the Fair Persian
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad
The Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla
The Story of Sidi-Nouman
The Story of Ali Colia, Merchant of Bagdad
The Enchanted Horse
The Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister
Preface
The
stories in the Fairy Books have generally been such as old women in
country places tell to their grandchildren. Nobody knows how old they
are, or who told them first. The children of Ham, Shem and Japhet may
have listened to them in the Ark, on wet days. Hector's little boy
may have heard them in Troy Town, for it is certain that Homer knew
them, and that some of them were written down in Egypt about the time
of Moses.People
in different countries tell them differently, but they are always the
same stories, really, whether among little Zulus, at the Cape, or
little Eskimo, near the North Pole. The changes are only in matters
of manners and customs; such as wearing clothes or not, meeting lions
who talk in the warm countries, or talking bears in the cold
countries. There are plenty of kings and queens in the fairy tales,
just because long ago there were plenty of kings in the country. A
gentleman who would be a squire now was a kind of king in Scotland in
very old times, and the same in other places. These old stories,
never forgotten, were taken down in writing in different ages, but
mostly in this century, in all sorts of languages. These ancient
stories are the contents of the Fairy books.Now
"The Arabian Nights," some of which, but not nearly all,
are given in this volume, are only fairy tales of the East. The
people of Asia, Arabia, and Persia told them in their own way, not
for children, but for grown-up people. There were no novels then, nor
any printed books, of course; but there were people whose profession
it was to amuse men and women by telling tales. They dressed the
fairy stories up, and made the characters good Mahommedans, living in
Bagdad or India. The events were often supposed to happen in the
reign of the great Caliph, or ruler of the Faithful, Haroun al
Raschid, who lived in Bagdad in 786-808 A.D. The vizir who
accompanies the Caliph was also a real person of the great family of
the Barmecides. He was put to death by the Caliph in a very cruel
way, nobody ever knew why. The stories must have been told in their
present shape a good long while after the Caliph died, when nobody
knew very exactly what had really happened. At last some storyteller
thought of writing down the tales, and fixing them into a kind of
framework, as if they had all been narrated to a cruel Sultan by his
wife. Probably the tales were written down about the time when Edward
I. was fighting Robert Bruce. But changes were made in them at
different times, and a great deal that is very dull and stupid was
put in, and plenty of verses. Neither the verses nor the dull pieces
are given in this book.People
in France and England knew almost nothing about "The Arabian
Nights" till the reigns of Queen Anne and George I., when they
were translated into French by Monsieur Galland. Grown-up people were
then very fond of fairy tales, and they thought these Arab stories
the best that they had ever read. They were delighted with Ghouls
(who lived among the tombs) and Geni, who seemed to be a kind of
ogres, and with Princesses who work magic spells, and with Peris, who
are Arab fairies. Sindbad had adventures which perhaps came out of
the Odyssey of Homer; in fact, all the East had contributed its
wonders, and sent them to Europe in one parcel. Young men once made a
noise at Monsieur Galland's windows in the dead of night, and asked
him to tell them one of his marvellous tales. Nobody talked of
anything but dervishes and vizirs, rocs and peris. The stories were
translated from French into all languages, and only Bishop Atterbury
complained that the tales were not likely to be true, and had no
moral. The bishop was presently banished for being on the side of
Prince Charlie's father, and had leisure to repent of being so
solemn.In
this book "The Arabian Nights" are translated from the
French version of Monsieur Galland, who dropped out the poetry and a
great deal of what the Arabian authors thought funny, though it seems
wearisome to us. In this book the stories are shortened here and
there, and omissions are made of pieces only suitable for Arabs and
old gentlemen. The translations are by the writers of the tales in
the Fairy Books, and the pictures are by Mr. Ford.I
can remember reading "The Arabian Nights" when I was six
years old, in dirty yellow old volumes of small type with no
pictures, and I hope children who read them with Mr. Ford's pictures
will be as happy as I was then in the company of Aladdin and Sindbad
the Sailor.
The Arabian Nights
In
the chronicles of the ancient dynasty of the Sassanidae, who reigned
for about four hundred years, from Persia to the borders of China,
beyond the great river Ganges itself, we read the praises of one of
the kings of this race, who was said to be the best monarch of his
time. His subjects loved him, and his neighbors feared him, and when
he died he left his kingdom in a more prosperous and powerful
condition than any king had done before him.The
two sons who survived him loved each other tenderly, and it was a
real grief to the elder, Schahriar, that the laws of the empire
forbade him to share his dominions with his brother Schahzeman.
Indeed, after ten years, during which this state of things had not
ceased to trouble him, Schahriar cut off the country of Great Tartary
from the Persian Empire and made his brother king.Now
the Sultan Schahriar had a wife whom he loved more than all the
world, and his greatest happiness was to surround her with splendour,
and to give her the finest dresses and the most beautiful jewels. It
was therefore with the deepest shame and sorrow that he accidentally
discovered, after several years, that she had deceived him
completely, and her whole conduct turned out to have been so bad,
that he felt himself obliged to carry out the law of the land, and
order the grand-vizir to put her to death. The blow was so heavy that
his mind almost gave way, and he declared that he was quite sure that
at bottom all women were as wicked as the sultana, if you could only
find them out, and that the fewer the world contained the better. So
every evening he married a fresh wife and had her strangled the
following morning before the grand-vizir, whose duty it was to
provide these unhappy brides for the Sultan. The poor man fulfilled
his task with reluctance, but there was no escape, and every day saw
a girl married and a wife dead.This
behaviour caused the greatest horror in the town, where nothing was
heard but cries and lamentations. In one house was a father weeping
for the loss of his daughter, in another perhaps a mother trembling
for the fate of her child; and instead of the blessings that had
formerly been heaped on the Sultan's head, the air was now full of
curses.The
grand-vizir himself was the father of two daughters, of whom the
elder was called Scheherazade, and the younger Dinarzade. Dinarzade
had no particular gifts to distinguish her from other girls, but her
sister was clever and courageous in the highest degree. Her father
had given her the best masters in philosophy, medicine, history and
the fine arts, and besides all this, her beauty excelled that of any
girl in the kingdom of Persia.One
day, when the grand-vizir was talking to his eldest daughter, who was
his delight and pride, Scheherazade said to him, "Father, I have
a favour to ask of you. Will you grant it to me?""I
can refuse you nothing," replied he, "that is just and
reasonable.""Then
listen," said Scheherazade. "I am determined to stop this
barbarous practice of the Sultan's, and to deliver the girls and
mothers from the awful fate that hangs over them.""It
would be an excellent thing to do," returned the grand-vizir,
"but how do you propose to accomplish it?""My
father," answered Scheherazade, "it is you who have to
provide the Sultan daily with a fresh wife, and I implore you, by all
the affection you bear me, to allow the honour to fall upon me.""Have
you lost your senses?" cried the grand-vizir, starting back in
horror. "What has put such a thing into your head? You ought to
know by this time what it means to be the sultan's bride!""Yes,
my father, I know it well," replied she, "and I am not
afraid to think of it. If I fail, my death will be a glorious one,
and if I succeed I shall have done a great service to my country.""It
is of no use," said the grand-vizir, "I shall never
consent. If the Sultan was to order me to plunge a dagger in your
heart, I should have to obey. What a task for a father! Ah, if you do
not fear death, fear at any rate the anguish you would cause me.""Once
again, my father," said Scheherazade, "will you grant me
what I ask?""What,
are you still so obstinate?" exclaimed the grand-vizir. "Why
are you so resolved upon your own ruin?"But
the maiden absolutely refused to attend to her father's words, and at
length, in despair, the grand-vizir was obliged to give way, and went
sadly to the palace to tell the Sultan that the following evening he
would bring him Scheherazade.The
Sultan received this news with the greatest astonishment."How
have you made up your mind," he asked, "to sacrifice your
own daughter to me?""Sire,"
answered the grand-vizir, "it is her own wish. Even the sad fate
that awaits her could not hold her back.""Let
there be no mistake, vizir," said the Sultan. "Remember you
will have to take her life yourself. If you refuse, I swear that your
head shall pay forfeit.""Sire,"
returned the vizir. "Whatever the cost, I will obey you. Though
a father, I am also your subject." So the Sultan told the
grand-vizir he might bring his daughter as soon as he liked.The
vizir took back this news to Scheherazade, who received it as if it
had been the most pleasant thing in the world. She thanked her father
warmly for yielding to her wishes, and, seeing him still bowed down
with grief, told him that she hoped he would never repent having
allowed her to marry the Sultan. Then she went to prepare herself for
the marriage, and begged that her sister Dinarzade should be sent for
to speak to her.When
they were alone, Scheherazade addressed her thus:"My
dear sister; I want your help in a very important affair. My father
is going to take me to the palace to celebrate my marriage with the
Sultan. When his Highness receives me, I shall beg him, as a last
favour, to let you sleep in our chamber, so that I may have your
company during the last night I am alive. If, as I hope, he grants me
my wish, be sure that you wake me an hour before the dawn, and speak
to me in these words: 'My sister, if you are not asleep, I beg you,
before the sun rises, to tell me one of your charming stories.' Then
I shall begin, and I hope by this means to deliver the people from
the terror that reigns over them." Dinarzade replied that she
would do with pleasure what her sister wished.When
the usual hour arrived the grand-vizir conducted Scheherazade to the
palace, and left her alone with the Sultan, who bade her raise her
veil and was amazed at her beauty. But seeing her eyes full of tears,
he asked what was the matter. "Sire," replied Scheherazade,
"I have a sister who loves me as tenderly as I love her. Grant
me the favour of allowing her to sleep this night in the same room,
as it is the last we shall be together." Schahriar consented to
Scheherazade's petition and Dinarzade was sent for.An
hour before daybreak Dinarzade awoke, and exclaimed, as she had
promised, "My dear sister, if you are not asleep, tell me I pray
you, before the sun rises, one of your charming stories. It is the
last time that I shall have the pleasure of hearing you."Scheherazade
did not answer her sister, but turned to the Sultan. "Will your
highness permit me to do as my sister asks?" said she."Willingly,"
he answered. So Scheherazade began.
The Story of the Merchant and the Genius
Sire,
there was once upon a time a merchant who possessed great wealth, in
land and merchandise, as well as in ready money. He was obliged from
time to time to take journeys to arrange his affairs. One day, having
to go a long way from home, he mounted his horse, taking with him a
small wallet in which he had put a few biscuits and dates, because he
had to pass through the desert where no food was to be got. He
arrived without any mishap, and, having finished his business, set
out on his return. On the fourth day of his journey, the heat of the
sun being very great, he turned out of his road to rest under some
trees. He found at the foot of a large walnut-tree a fountain of
clear and running water. He dismounted, fastened his horse to a
branch of the tree, and sat by the fountain, after having taken from
his wallet some of his dates and biscuits. When he had finished this
frugal meal he washed his face and hands in the fountain.When
he was thus employed he saw an enormous genius, white with rage,
coming towards him, with a scimitar in his hand."Arise,"
he cried in a terrible voice, "and let me kill you as you have
killed my son!"As
he uttered these words he gave a frightful yell. The merchant, quite
as much terrified at the hideous face of the monster as at his words,
answered him tremblingly, "Alas, good sir, what can I have done
to you to deserve death?""I
shall kill you," repeated the genius, "as you have killed
my son.""But,"
said the merchant, "how can I have killed your son? I do not
know him, and I have never even seen him.""When
you arrived here did you not sit down on the ground?" asked the
genius, "and did you not take some dates from your wallet, and
whilst eating them did not you throw the stones about?""Yes,"
said the merchant, "I certainly did so.""Then,"
said the genius, "I tell you you have killed my son, for whilst
you were throwing about the stones, my son passed by, and one of them
struck him in the eye and killed him. So I shall kill you.""Ah,
sir, forgive me!" cried the merchant."I
will have no mercy on you," answered the genius."But
I killed your son quite unintentionally, so I implore you to spare my
life.""No,"
said the genius, "I shall kill you as you killed my son,"
and so saying, he seized the merchant by the arm, threw him on the
ground, and lifted his sabre to cut off his head.The
merchant, protesting his innocence, bewailed his wife and children,
and tried pitifully to avert his fate. The genius, with his raised
scimitar, waited till he had finished, but was not in the least
touched.Scheherazade,
at this point, seeing that it was day, and knowing that the Sultan
always rose very early to attend the council, stopped speaking."Indeed,
sister," said Dinarzade, "this is a wonderful story.""The
rest is still more wonderful," replied Scheherazade, "and
you would say so, if the sultan would allow me to live another day,
and would give me leave to tell it to you the next night."Schahriar,
who had been listening to Scheherazade with pleasure, said to
himself, "I will wait till to-morrow; I can always have her
killed when I have heard the end of her story."All
this time the grand-vizir was in a terrible state of anxiety. But he
was much delighted when he saw the Sultan enter the council-chamber
without giving the terrible command that he was expecting.The
next morning, before the day broke, Dinarzade said to her sister,
"Dear sister, if you are awake I pray you to go on with your
story."The
Sultan did not wait for Scheherazade to ask his leave. "Finish,"
said he, "the story of the genius and the merchant. I am curious
to hear the end."So
Scheherazade went on with the story. This happened every morning. The
Sultana told a story, and the Sultan let her live to finish it.When
the merchant saw that the genius was determined to cut off his head,
he said: "One word more, I entreat you. Grant me a little delay;
just a short time to go home and bid my wife and children farewell,
and to make my will. When I have done this I will come back here, and
you shall kill me.""But,"
said the genius, "if I grant you the delay you ask, I am afraid
that you will not come back.""I
give you my word of honour," answered the merchant, "that I
will come back without fail.""How
long do you require?" asked the genius."I
ask you for a year's grace," replied the merchant. "I
promise you that to-morrow twelvemonth, I shall be waiting under
these trees to give myself up to you."On
this the genius left him near the fountain and disappeared.The
merchant, having recovered from his fright, mounted his horse and
went on his road.When
he arrived home his wife and children received him with the greatest
joy. But instead of embracing them he began to weep so bitterly that
they soon guessed that something terrible was the matter."Tell
us, I pray you," said his wife, "what has happened.""Alas!"
answered her husband, "I have only a year to live."Then
he told them what had passed between him and the genius, and how he
had given his word to return at the end of a year to be killed. When
they heard this sad news they were in despair, and wept much.The
next day the merchant began to settle his affairs, and first of all
to pay his debts. He gave presents to his friends, and large alms to
the poor. He set his slaves at liberty, and provided for his wife and
children. The year soon passed away, and he was obliged to depart.
When he tried to say good-bye he was quite overcome with grief, and
with difficulty tore himself away. At length he reached the place
where he had first seen the genius, on the very day that he had
appointed. He dismounted, and sat down at the edge of the fountain,
where he awaited the genius in terrible suspense.Whilst
he was thus waiting an old man leading a hind came towards him. They
greeted one another, and then the old man said to him, "May I
ask, brother, what brought you to this desert place, where there are
so many evil genii about? To see these beautiful trees one would
imagine it was inhabited, but it is a dangerous place to stop long
in."The
merchant told the old man why he was obliged to come there. He
listened in astonishment."This
is a most marvellous affair. I should like to be a witness of your
interview with the genius." So saying he sat down by the
merchant.While
they were talking another old man came up, followed by two black
dogs. He greeted them, and asked what they were doing in this place.
The old man who was leading the hind told him the adventure of the
merchant and the genius. The second old man had not sooner heard the
story than he, too, decided to stay there to see what would happen.
He sat down by the others, and was talking, when a third old man
arrived. He asked why the merchant who was with them looked so sad.
They told him the story, and he also resolved to see what would pass
between the genius and the merchant, so waited with the rest.They
soon saw in the distance a thick smoke, like a cloud of dust. This
smoke came nearer and nearer, and then, all at once, it vanished, and
they saw the genius, who, without speaking to them, approached the
merchant, sword in hand, and, taking him by the arm, said, "Get
up and let me kill you as you killed my son."The
merchant and the three old men began to weep and groan.Then
the old man leading the hind threw himself at the monster's feet and
said, "O Prince of the Genii, I beg of you to stay your fury and
to listen to me. I am going to tell you my story and that of the hind
I have with me, and if you find it more marvellous than that of the
merchant whom you are about to kill, I hope that you will do away
with a third part of his punishment?"The
genius considered some time, and then he said, "Very well, I
agree to this."
The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind
I
am now going to begin my story (said the old man), so please attend.This
hind that you see with me is my wife. We have no children of our own,
therefore I adopted the son of a favorite slave, and determined to
make him my heir.My
wife, however, took a great dislike to both mother and child, which
she concealed from me till too late. When my adopted son was about
ten years old I was obliged to go on a journey. Before I went I
entrusted to my wife's keeping both the mother and child, and begged
her to take care of them during my absence, which lasted a whole
year. During this time she studied magic in order to carry out her
wicked scheme. When she had learnt enough she took my son into a
distant place and changed him into a calf. Then she gave him to my
steward, and told him to look after a calf she had bought. She also
changed the slave into a cow, which she sent to my steward.When
I returned I inquired after my slave and the child. "Your slave
is dead," she said, "and as for your son, I have not seen
him for two months, and I do not know where he is."I
was grieved to hear of my slave's death, but as my son had only
disappeared, I thought I should soon find him. Eight months, however,
passed, and still no tidings of him; then the feast of Bairam came.To
celebrate it I ordered my steward to bring me a very fat cow to
sacrifice. He did so. The cow that he brought was my unfortunate
slave. I bound her, but just as I was about to kill her she began to
low most piteously, and I saw that her eyes were streaming with
tears. It seemed to me most extraordinary, and, feeling a movement of
pity, I ordered the steward to lead her away and bring another. My
wife, who was present, scoffed at my compassion, which made her
malice of no avail. "What are you doing?" she cried. "Kill
this cow. It is the best we have to sacrifice."To
please her, I tried again, but again the animal's lows and tears
disarmed me."Take
her away," I said to the steward, "and kill her; I cannot."The
steward killed her, but on skinning her found that she was nothing
but bones, although she appeared so fat. I was vexed."Keep
her for yourself," I said to the steward, "and if you have
a fat calf, bring that in her stead."In
a short time he brought a very fat calf, which, although I did not
know it, was my son. It tried hard to break its cord and come to me.
It threw itself at my feet, with its head on the ground, as if it
wished to excite my pity, and to beg me not to take away its life.I
was even more surprised and touched at this action than I had been at
the tears of the cow."Go,"
I said to the steward, "take back this calf, take great care of
it, and bring me another in its place instantly."As
soon as my wife heard me speak this she at once cried out, "What
are you doing, husband? Do not sacrifice any calf but this.""Wife,"
I answered, "I will not sacrifice this calf," and in spite
of all her remonstrances, I remained firm.I
had another calf killed; this one was led away. The next day the
steward asked to speak to me in private."I
have come," he said, "to tell you some news which I think
you will like to hear. I have a daughter who knows magic. Yesterday,
when I was leading back the calf which you refused to sacrifice, I
noticed that she smiled, and then directly afterwards began to cry. I
asked her why she did so.""Father,"
she answered, "this calf is the son of our master. I smile with
joy at seeing him still alive, and I weep to think of his mother, who
was sacrificed yesterday as a cow. These changes have been wrought by
our master's wife, who hated the mother and son.""At
these words, of Genius," continued the old man, "I leave
you to imagine my astonishment. I went immediately with the steward
to speak with his daughter myself. First of all I went to the stable
to see my son, and he replied in his dumb way to all my caresses.
When the steward's daughter came I asked her if she could change my
son back to his proper shape.""Yes,
I can," she replied, "on two conditions. One is that you
will give him to me for a husband, and the other is that you will let
me punish the woman who changed him into a calf.""To
the first condition," I answered, "I agree with all my
heart, and I will give you an ample dowry. To the second I also
agree, I only beg you to spare her life.""That
I will do," she replied; "I will treat her as she treated
your son."Then
she took a vessel of water and pronounced over it some words I did
not understand; then, on throwing the water over him, he became
immediately a young man once more."My
son, my dear son," I exclaimed, kissing him in a transport of
joy. "This kind maiden has rescued you from a terrible
enchantment, and I am sure that out of gratitude you will marry her."He
consented joyfully, but before they were married, the young girl
changed my wife into a hind, and it is she whom you see before you. I
wished her to have this form rather than a stranger one, so that we
could see her in the family without repugnance.Since
then my son has become a widower and has gone travelling. I am now
going in search of him, and not wishing to confide my wife to the
care of other people, I am taking her with me. Is this not a most
marvellous tale?"It
is indeed," said the genius, "and because of it I grant to
you the third part of the punishment of this merchant."When
the first old man had finished his story, the second, who was leading
the two black dogs, said to the genius, "I am going to tell you
what happened to me, and I am sure that you will find my story even
more astonishing than the one to which you have just been listening.
But when I have related it, will you grant me also the third part of
the merchant's punishment?""Yes,"
replied the genius, "provided that your story surpasses that of
the hind."With
this agreement the second old man began in this way.
The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs
Great
prince of the genii, you must know that we are three brothers--these
two black dogs and myself. Our father died, leaving us each a
thousand sequins. With this sum we all three took up the same
profession, and became merchants. A short time after we had opened
our shops, my eldest brother, one of these two dogs, resolved to
travel in foreign countries for the sake of merchandise. With this
intention he sold all he had and bought merchandise suitable to the
voyages he was about to make. He set out, and was away a whole year.
At the end of this time a beggar came to my shop. "Good-day,"
I said. "Good-day," he answered; "is it possible that
you do not recognise me?" Then I looked at him closely and saw
he was my brother. I made him come into my house, and asked him how
he had fared in his enterprise.
"Do
not question me," he replied, "see me, you see all I have.
It would but renew my trouble to tell of all the misfortunes that
have befallen me in a year, and have brought me to this state."
I
shut up my shop, paid him every attention, taking him to the bath,
giving him my most beautiful robes. I examined my accounts, and found
that I had doubled my capital--that is, that I now possessed two
thousand sequins. I gave my brother half, saying: "Now, brother,
you can forget your losses." He accepted them with joy, and we
lived together as we had before.
Some
time afterwards my second brother wished also to sell his business
and travel. My eldest brother and I did all we could to dissuade him,
but it was of no use. He joined a caravan and set out. He came back
at the end of a year in the same state as his elder brother. I took
care of him, and as I had a thousand sequins to spare I gave them to
him, and he re-opened his shop.
One
day, my two brothers came to me to propose that we should make a
journey and trade. At first I refused to go. "You travelled,"
I said, "and what did you gain?" But they came to me
repeatedly, and after having held out for five years I at last gave
way. But when they had made their preparation, and they began to buy
the merchandise we needed, they found they had spent every piece of
the thousand sequins I had given them. I did not reproach them. I
divided my six thousand sequins with them, giving a thousand to each
and keeping one for myself, and the other three I buried in a corner
of my house. We bought merchandise, loaded a vessel with it, and set
forth with a favorable wind.
After
two months' sailing we arrived at a seaport, where we disembarked and
did a great trade. Then we bought the merchandise of the country, and
were just going to sail once more, when I was stopped on the shore by
a beautiful though poorly dressed woman. She came up to me, kissed my
hand, and implored me to marry her, and take her on board. At first I
refused, but she begged so hard and promised to be such a good wife
to me, that at last I consented. I got her some beautiful dresses,
and after having married her, we embarked and set sail. During the
voyage, I discovered so many good qualities in my wife that I began
to love her more and more. But my brothers began to be jealous of my
prosperity, and set to work to plot against my life. One night when
we were sleeping they threw my wife and myself into the sea. My wife,
however, was a fairy, and so she did not let me drown, but
transported me to an island. When the day dawned, she said to me,
"When
I saw you on the sea-shore I took a great fancy to you, and wished to
try your good nature, so I presented myself in the disguise you saw.
Now I have rewarded you by saving your life. But I am very angry with
your brothers, and I shall not rest till I have taken their lives."
I
thanked the fairy for all that she had done for me, but I begged her
not to kill my brothers.
I
appeased her wrath, and in a moment she transported me from the
island where we were to the roof of my house, and she disappeared a
moment afterwards. I went down, and opened the doors, and dug up the
three thousand sequins which I had buried. I went to the place where
my shop was, opened it, and received from my fellow-merchants
congratulations on my return. When I went home, I saw two black dogs
who came to meet me with sorrowful faces. I was much astonished, but
the fairy who reappeared said to me,
"Do
not be surprised to see these dogs; they are your two brothers. I
have condemned them to remain for ten years in these shapes."
Then having told me where I could hear news of her, she vanished.
The
ten years are nearly passed, and I am on the road to find her. As in
passing I met this merchant and the old man with the hind, I stayed
with them.
This
is my history, O prince of genii! Do you not think it is a most
marvellous one?
"Yes,
indeed," replied the genius, "and I will give up to you the
third of the merchant's punishment."
Then
the third old man made the genius the same request as the other two
had done, and the genius promised him the last third of the
merchant's punishment if his story surpassed both the others.
So
he told his story to the genius, but I cannot tell you what it was,
as I do not know.
But
I do know that it was even more marvellous than either of the others,
so that the genius was astonished, and said to the third old man, "I
will give up to you the third part of the merchant's punishment. He
ought to thank all three of you for having interested yourselves in
his favour. But for you, he would be here no longer."
So
saying, he disappeared, to the great joy of the company. The merchant
did not fail to thank his friends, and then each went on his way. The
merchant returned to his wife and children, and passed the rest of
his days happily with them.
"But,
sire," added Scheherazade, "however beautiful are the
stories I have just told you, they cannot compare with the story of
the Fisherman."
The Story of the Fisherman
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
