The Arabian Nights Entertainments
"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