The Arabian Nights Entertainments
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
Sire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that he
could scarcely manage to support his wife and three children. He went
every day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throw
his nets more than four times. He started out one morning by moonlight
and came to the sea-shore. He undressed and threw his nets, and as he
was drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. He though he
had caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased. But a moment
afterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets the
carcase of an ass, he was much disappointed.
Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which
the carcase of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them a
second time. In drawing them in he again felt a great weight, so that
he thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basket
full of rubbish. He was much annoyed.
"O Fortune," he cried, "do not trifle thus with me, a poor fisherman,
who can hardly support his family!"
So saying, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets
clean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But he only drew
in stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair.
Then he threw his nets for the fourth time. When he thought he had a
fish he drew them in with a great deal of trouble. There was no fish
however, but he found a yellow pot, which by its weight seemed full of
something, and he noticed that it was fastened and sealed with lead,
with the impression of a seal. He was delighted. "I will sell it to
the founder," he said; "with the money I shall get for it I shall buy a
measure of wheat."
He examined the jar on all sides; he shook it to see if it would
rattle. But he heard nothing, and so, judging from the impression of
the seal and the lid, he thought there must be something precious