Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange (Hardcover Classics)

by Malcolm C (Tr Lyons

  On the orders of the vizier he was taken away; his matted hair was combed and everything was done to make him respectable. Next day the vizier rode out with him and, accompanied by servants, he went up to the curtain that separated him from the king. He placed the man there, telling him where the king was and to say what he wanted, as the king would hear.

  The blind man began by greeting the king, calling down blessings on him and expressing eloquent and effective admonishment. As the king listened he relaxed, and some of his sorrow left him. He ordered the man to be brought before him and told him of the effect his words had had on him, asking him for more, as this had struck a chord in his heart.

  The blind man said: ‘I have an excellent tale that will console the king and lead him to hate scheming and treacherous women and girls. It is a long, remarkable and curious story containing a lesson for men of intelligence.’ ‘I like long stories,’ the king said, ‘as I want to get through the night, filled as I am with grief.’ In order to hear it, he brought the blind man close to him and told him to start.

  ‘May God bring you fortune,’ the man said, and he then started on his story, which his father had told him on the authority of his grandfather, who had once been the police chief of a city. One day this man had been sitting at the prison door, inspecting criminals whom he might pardon and release, so hoping for a great reward from God. After many had been freed he was brought a one-eyed man, at the sight of whom he said: ‘Damn you! Didn’t I investigate your first crime when you plotted against the princess and were only saved from death by the death of her father from sorrow, after which you stayed in prison for a whole year? I then came across you again when you had attacked a woman in her own house and were seized by neighbours, who testified against you, after which you were beaten and imprisoned for another year. As for the third crime of yours that I looked into, this was when you tried to rape your own mother. I have freed you twice and I shall do so again today, but if you come back here again I shall cut off your head.’

  ‘Return me to prison,’ the man called out, ‘for I would prefer to stay there rather than meet the evil woman who will kill me. For God’s sake, spare me.’ ‘Who is this woman?’ asked the police chief, and the man said: ‘She is the one who got me imprisoned and pulled out my eye. It is a strange story.’

  The police chief ordered him to be taken to his house, after which he called for him and said: ‘Now tell me your tale. Don’t conceal anything and tell the truth, for the best story is the truest. So tell me about the evil woman who did this to you.’

  The man promised to tell the truth and gave his name, saying that he was a Bahraini merchant, who had been left a large fortune when his father had died. He went on: ‘I started to sail in distant seas, making vast profits and coming back safely to Bahrain. One year I set out for China together with three hundred traders. When we put out to sea we had a fair wind and settled weather, and for six months we sailed safely and contentedly with nothing in sight except sky and water. Then one day a violent wind came that took hold of our ship, driving it on like an arrow, without us having any idea where it was taking us.

  ‘This went on for seven days and nights until we came out into a sea that was dark as the blackest night. In the middle of it we saw a high mountain, at whose side was a great arch, through which the water poured. When we got near, the wind dropped, and we anchored by the foot of the mountain. We stayed there in a state of perplexity and we were disturbed to hear the crew whispering to each other.

  ‘We had with us an old man, who had sailed the seas for a hundred years and knew their dangers. We gathered around him and asked him where we were. “You are in a difficult place,” he said, “and there is no escape unless God wills it.” This filled us with such fear and agitation that we spent the whole night tearfully imploring God to help.

  ‘Next morning as the sun rose we saw something as big as a mountain coming towards us and we asked the old man what it was. “This is an abominable beast that snatches people,” he said, “and whoever has reached the end of his allotted span is caught up by it and swallowed. The beast will then go away for the day, only to come back on the next and take another victim, and this will go on until God permits you to escape. If you try to fight it, it will smash the ship and destroy you all.” “Damn you,” we said; “who is going to want to throw himself overboard to be eaten?”

  ‘The old man said: “Each of you should write down his name on a lot, and these should all be put together. Then blindfold someone and get him to pick one of them, and then you should give the beast the man whose name comes out, whether he wants it or not. It may be that God, the Great and Glorious, through His power, will enable us to escape.” We did this, and the name was that of one of the merchants. Then the beast came close, and it was like the most enormous Bactrian camel, but greater and more terrifying. It had a frightening head and eyes and a wide mouth that could swallow a bale of cotton, while the repulsive smell that it gave off was unbearable. We were so frightened that most of us fell on our faces, swooning at the sight, but the rest went to the merchant and threw him to it in spite of his tears and cries for help. The beast swallowed him and then went away.

  ‘We spent several days weeping and wailing, looking for God to save us, and we continued to pick lots daily and to throw the losers for the beast to swallow. This went on for a long time, but then we all went back to the old man and said: “Enemy of God, you have made up your mind to destroy us one by one so as to take our goods and our wealth. By God’s truth, if the beast comes back, we will throw it you and you alone.”

  ‘ “I was fair with you,” he told us. “You draw lots, and if it is mine that comes out, then throw me in, but don’t blame me.” “We shall do that even without a lot,” we said, and then we asked whether he had thought of any way of freeing us from the beast. When he said “no”, we all agreed to do what we had said, and when it came at its usual time we tied him up and threw him to it, at which it swallowed him.

  ‘ “We’ve killed him now,” we said, “but what are we going to do tomorrow?” Everyone decided that we should fight. Either we would kill the beast and free ourselves from it or else it would kill us, and this would be better than having to taste the pangs of death every day.

  ‘We all agreed on this and next morning we armed ourselves with what we had and told each other that we had to hold together. Then, before we had noticed it, there the beast was. We cried out to God, hoping to scare it, but when it saw what we were doing it attacked the ship ferociously and broke it in pieces with a single blow. All our goods sank, and the beast started to gulp us down, one by one.

  ‘I myself took hold of one of the ship’s timbers and got on top of it. The winds started to drive me to and fro, lifting me up and then plunging me down, until they propelled me through the arch beneath the mountain to emerge into another sea whose vivid green waters were the clearest that I had ever seen.

  ‘The waves then cast me up on what was beyond my experience, a beautiful island, well wooded and with many waters. I started to explore happily and I came to a spring of the purest water, sweeter than sugar and colder than snow. I drank my fill and then made for the biggest and tallest tree, where I sheltered at night, climbing down again when it was day.

  ‘For ten days I stayed there, seeing no single creature, but on the tenth day, when I was about to come down, I saw something huge swimming in the sea and making for the island. When it was near enough I saw that it was a black creature, which was pushing something along the surface with its hands and chest.

  ‘At this sight I retreated to my shelter in the tree and looked down to see what it was. It reached the island and came out of the water, and I could make out that it was the largest and blackest beast that I had ever seen, with thick lips like a camel but larger and more frightening. Its shape terrified me.

  ‘What it had been pushing through the water was a closed glass chest, which it put down when it came to the spring, and out of it, when it was ope
ned, came a girl. She was like a full moon, the most perfectly beautiful that had ever been seen, with jewels and magnificent robes, and the splendour of her beauty illumined all that was around her.

  ‘The creature left her and went off to return later, leading a most enormous ram and carrying a huge fish as well as a large basket of fruits, the like of which I had never seen. From the bottom of the chest he produced a fire drill and lit a great fire with logs he had collected. He then skinned the ram, doused the fire and began to cut up the ram’s flesh and throw it on to the embers. When it was cooked he ate and gave the girl her share, and they both went on eating until they had had enough.

  ‘He then started to toy with the girl, getting closer and closer until he could lie with her, while she did the same thing with him, as he muttered to her using words that I could not understand. He then climbed on her as she lay still, allowing him to take her, which he did five times without any sound or resistance on her part. I was astonished at how she could endure it. When he got off her, he put his head on her thigh and fell asleep like a great bull, snoring and snorting in his sleep with a sound like rumbling thunder.

  ‘When he was deeply asleep she eased his head gently from her thigh, got up and began to walk, swinging her hips and lighting the island with her radiant loveliness. On reaching the spring she undressed to bathe, and that beauty of hers robbed me of my wits until I could not look away.

  ‘When she came out of the water she began to walk amongst the trees, shedding tears and lamenting her plight, saying: “Lord Whom we worship, Who frees slaves and relieves the distressed, I beg You for a quick release so that I may rest from my troubles.”

  ‘On hearing this, I felt pity for her. On my finger was a ring engraved with the greatest name of God, and I thought of speaking to her but supposed that she might not be human, as I had never seen anyone more lovely, and so I held back. As she was wandering through the trees and repeating her prayers she happened to look up to where I was. After staring at me for some time she asked: “Are you a jinni or a man?” I was too afraid of her to say anything and she asked: “Why don’t you answer? Are you dumb and unable to speak or deaf and unable to hear? Say something and don’t be afraid, for I am human and I think that you are too. The only way that you are going to get away from this wild and desolate spot is through my help.”

  ‘I remained dumbfounded and said nothing, and after a time, when she could see that I was staying silent and not answering, she got up and went off towards her companion. She woke him up and said: “Friend, I have just been asleep and I dreamed that you had become smaller and weaker. I would like to see whether you are still as strong as you used to be.” He asked quickly what she wanted him to do, and she told him that she would like him to use all his strength to uproot a tree. “Say what you want,” he said, and she led him towards me. Terror filled my heart and I had despaired of life as she looked at me, but then she pointed to a tree nearby, which was so big that ten men working together with spades and axes could not have uprooted it.

  ‘Her companion rolled up his sleeves, tightened his belt and, with a shout, tugged so powerfully that the whole island shook beneath me. Up came the tree, roots and all, and was tossed aside as the girl laughed. The two of them went back, and she stretched out her thighs for him until he fell asleep, snoring as he had done before. She then put his head down on the ground and hurried over to me.

  ‘ “You saw what this monstrous evil-doer did,” she said to me, “and you realize that, had I wanted to get you down from your tree, it would have been easy enough for me, and if I wanted to harm you I could. Don’t be afraid but come down now, for I will do what you want.” When I heard this, and after seeing what she had done, I climbed down to her, although I was still afraid. Without a word she came up to me and embraced me, holding me tightly. When my flesh met hers my lust was roused, and on noticing this she put herself at my disposal, and I lay with her, experiencing such delight as I had never known before.

  ‘She had robbed me of my wits, and when I felt at ease with her I said: “My lady, I heard you ask God in your prayer how you might use one of His Great Names to escape from your plight. I have a ring on which is the Greatest Name.” She showed delight, telling me to give it to her quickly, and when I did she took off an engraved silver ring set with a pearl such as I had never seen before. “Take this and put it on your finger in place of your own,” she said, “and it will protect you against jinn and devils.” When I took it from her she told me to go back to my place in the tree, which I did.

  ‘She herself went quickly over to the black creature as he lay asleep and placed the ring on the parting of his hair before pressing down on it with all the strength she could muster. Then she took a knife and cut his throat from ear to ear, leaving a torrent of blood to pour out over the island, an act that filled me with alarm and terror as I watched.

  ‘When she was sure that he was dead and could no longer feel anything or move, she sat beside him, sobbing and weeping, and I heard her say: “Alas for all scheming and treacherous women, who keep no covenant of love or pact of faithfulness and who neither abide by nor show loyalty to their lovers.”

  ‘I was astonished by what she said and what she had done, in that she had dared to cut his throat and then regretted killing him. She got up and came towards me, telling me to come down. When I did she asked: “Are you happy now that I have killed my lover?” “Yes I am,” I said, “but tell me about this jinni and how you came across him, for I’m sure that this must be a strange tale.” She agreed that it was but then stayed silent, and when I saw that she didn’t want to talk about it I held back and didn’t press her.

  ‘I stayed with her for ten days, enjoying life on the island, forgetting my family, my son and my home land. For her part she gave me quantities of pearls, gems and corals, showing love for me, but then she came up to me and said: “I think that you have a wife and son and that you are longing for them. Take everything I have given you, as it will make you rich. Then go to the end of the island, jump into the sea and begin to swim, for it is not far to go. Don’t be afraid of the waves, for if you hold out you will get to another island. When you are there, walk for twenty days towards the east and you will find enough fruits and fresh water sweeter than sugar, milk or butter, to eat and drink. After the twenty days you will come across a fisherman who is from an inhabited land. He will have a light boat and will be catching pearl oysters. Go up and complain of your plight to him, and he will take you back to civilization. So return to your family and your home land and leave me here for God to do with me as He wills.”

  ‘ “Lady,” I said to her, “as long as I live I shall never leave you, for to go with you is dearer to me than the world and everything in it.” “Do you want me to go back to your country with you?” she asked. “Yes, by God, lady!” I said; “I cannot endure without you and your beauty and loveliness, for to part from you would be like losing the soul from my body. If you stay, I shall stay here with you, and if you leave the island, I shall go too.”

  ‘ “I am now happy,” she said, “and so sit down and listen to my story from beginning to end. If you are content, you can take me with you in the full knowledge of what I have done, and if you don’t like it, you can go off by yourself.” “Lady,” I told her, “there is nothing I should like more than to hear what you have to say and listen to your fine speech and sweet words.” “Listen, then, with your ears and your heart,” she said to me, and I told her to tell me her story, as I would be her ransom.

  ‘She said: “I am the daughter of kings. My father was lord of a coastal city that had nothing to match it on the face of the earth. It was the most wholesome and prosperous of places, and there was nowhere with more trees or sweeter fruits. It covered seven parasangs, and a river that ran right through the middle of it provided water for it and for its orchards. It had a fine city wall, and there were so many people there that only God could know their number. It was thanks to me that it and all those in it
were destroyed, and I shall tell you about this from beginning to end.

  ‘ “My father was obeyed throughout the lands, and his undisputed and untroubled rule was of long standing. He had eighty wives and eighty concubines but he had no son to help him in his kingdom and no brother on whom he could lean. In his old age one of his fellow kings presented him with a slave girl of perfect and radiant beauty. When he set eyes on her he admired her and fell so deeply in love with her that he could not do without her. This was my mother. He preferred her to all his other women and when he lay with her she conceived instantly.

  ‘ “My father was delighted to hear the news. He took note of the date and the hour and gave alms to the poor and the wretched and continued to do so. After her nine months’ pregnancy my mother went into labour and gave birth to me. I was the most beautiful of baby girls, and my father was overjoyed. On seeing me he thought that my beauty was a sign of blessing and he called me ‘Arus al-‘Ara’is [Bride of Brides].

  ‘ “With him were ten of the most learned astrologers of the age, to whom he had been in the habit of paying a salary as well as providing them with bounty and benefits. He got them together and said: ‘I rely on you for I have saved you up for a time like this. Something happened in my palace yesterday which I want to use as a test for you, to find out what you foresee will be its consequences. You may investigate whatever you want, and I shall allow you three days for this.’ He provided each of them with a chamber of his own and a servant to look after him as well as supplies of food and drink.