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Stories Of Es-SindibadStory Of Es-Sindibad Of The Sea And Es-Sindibad Of The Land
Story Of Es-Sindibad Of The Sea And Es-Sindibad Of The Land
There was, in the time of Khalifeh, the Prince of the Faithful, Harun
Er-Rashid, in the city of Baghdad, a man called Es-Sindibad the Porter. He was
a man in poor circumstances, who bore burdens for hire upon his head. And it
happened to him that he bore one day a heavy burden, and that day was
excessively hot; so he was wearied by the load, and perspired profusely, the
heat violently oppressing him. In this state he passed by the door of a
merchant, the ground before which was swept and sprinkled, and there the air
was temperate; and by the side of the door was a wide mastabah. The porter
therefore put down his burden upon that mastabah, to rest himself, and to
scent the air; and when he had done so,there came forth upon him, from the
door, a pleasant, gentle gale, and an exquisite odour, wherewith the porter
was delighted. He seated himself upon the edge of the mastabah, and heard in
that place the melodious sounds of stringed instruments, with the lute among
them, and mirth-exciting voices, and varieties of distinct recitations. He
heard also the voices of birds, warbling, and praising God (whose name be
exalted!) with diverse tones and with all dialects; consisting of turtle-doves
and hezars and blackbirds and nightingales and ring-dove and kirawans;^1
whereupon he wondered in his mind, and was moved with great delight. He then
advanced to that door, and found within the house a great garden, wherein he
beheld pages and slaves and servants and other dependants, and such things as
existed not elsewhere save in the abodes of Kings and Sultans; and after that,
there blew upon him the odour of delicious, exquisite viands, of all different
kinds, and of delicious wine.
[Footnote 1: Or Karawan: stone-curlew.]
Upon this he raised his eyes towards heaven, and said, Extolled be thy
perfection, O Lord! O Creator! O Supplier of the conveniences of life! Thou
suppliest whom Thou wilt without reckoning! O Allah, I implore thy forgiveness
of all offences, and turn to Thee repenting of all faults! O Lord,there is no
animadverting upon Thee with respect to thy judgment, and thy power; for Thou
not be questioned regarding that which Thou doest, and Thou art able to do
whatsoever Thou wilt! Extolled by thy perfection! Thou enrichest whom Thou
wilt, and whom Thou wilt Thou impoverishest! Thou magnifiest whom Thou wilt,
and whom Thou wilt Thou abasest! There is no deity but Thou! How great is thy
dignity! and how mighty is thy dominion! and how excellent is thy government!
Thou hast bestowed favours upon him whom Thou choosest among thy servants, and
the owner of this place is in the utmost affluence, delighting himself with
pleasant odours and delicious meats and exquisite beverages of all
descriptions. And Thou has appointed unto thy creatures what Thou wilt, and
what Thou hast predestined for them; so that among them one is weary, and
another is at ease; and one of them is prosperous, and another is like me, in
the extreme of fatigue and abjection! - And he recited thus: -
How many wretched persons are destitute of ease! and how many are in luxury,
reposing in the shade!
I find myself afflicted by trouble beyond measure; and strange is my
condition, and heavy is my load!
Others are in prosperity, and from wretchedness are free, and never for a
single day have borne a load like mine;
Incessantly and amply blest, throughout the course of life, with happiness and
grandeur, as well as drink and meat.
All men whom God hath made are in origin alike; and I resemble this man, and
he resembleth me;
But otherwise, between us is a difference as great as the difference that we
find between wine and vinegar.
Yet in saying this, I utter no falsehood against Thee, [O my Lord;] art wise,
and with justice Thou hast judged.
And when Es-Sindibad the Porter had finished the recitation of his
verses, he desired to take up his burden and to depart. But, lo, there came
forth to him from that door a young page, handsome in countenance, comely in
stature, magnificent in apparel; and he laid hold upon the porter`s hand,
saying to him, Enter: answer the summons of my master; for he calleth for
thee. And the porter would have refused to enter with the page; but he could
not. He therefore deposited his burden with the doorkeeper in the entrance
passage, and, entering the house with the page, he found it to be a handsome
mansion, presenting an appearance of joy and majesty. And he looked towards a
grand chamber, in which he beheld noblemen and great lords; and in it were all
kinds of flowers, and all kinds of sweet scents, and varieties of dried and
fresh fruits, together with abundance of various kinds of exquisite viands,
and beverage prepared from the fruit of the choicest grape-vines. In it were
also instruments of music and mirth, and varieties of beautiful slave-girls,
all ranged in proper order. And at the upper end of that chamber was a great
and venerable man, in the sides of whose beard grey hairs had begun to appear.
He was of handsome form, comely in countenance, with an aspect of gravity and
dignity and majesty and stateliness. So, upon this, Es-Sindibad the Porter
was confounded, and he said within himself, By Allah, this place is a portion
of Paradise, or it is the palace of a King or Sultan! Then, putting himself in
a respectful posture, he saluted the assembly, prayed for them, and kissed the
ground before them; after which he stood, hanging down his head in humility.
But the master of the house gave him permission to seat himself. He therefore
sat. And the master of the house had caused him to draw near unto him, and now
began to cheer him with conversation, and to welcome him; and he put before
him some of the various excellent, delicious, exquisite viands. So Es -
Sindibad the Porter advanced, and, having said, In the name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful, - ate until he was satisfied and satiated, when
he said, Praise be to God in every case! - and washed his hands, and thanked
them for this.
The master of the house then said, Thou art welcome, and thy day is
blessed. What is thy name, and what trade dost thou follow? - O my master, he
answered, my name is Es-Sindibad the Porter, and I bear upon my head men`s
merchandise for hire. And at this, the master of the house smiled, and he said
to him, Know, O porter, that thy name is like mine; for I am Es-Sindibad of
the Sea: but, O porter, I desire that thou let me hear the verses that thou
wast reciting when thou wast at the door. The porter therefore was ashamed,
and said to him, I conjure thee by Allah that thou be not angry with me; for
fatigue and trouble, and paucity of what the hand possesseth, teach a man ill
manners, and impertinence. His host, however, replied, Be not ashamed; for
thou hast become my brother; recite then the verses, since they pleased me
when I heard them from thee as thou recitedst them at the door. So upon this
the porter recited to him those verses, and they pleased him, and he was moved
with delight on hearing them. He then said to him, O porter, know that my
story is wonderful, and I will inform thee of all that happened to me and
befell me before I attained this prosperity and sat in this place wherein thou
seest me. For I attained not this prosperity and this place save after severe
fatigue and great trouble and many terrors. How often have I endured fatigue
and toil in my early years! I have performed seven voyages, and connected with
each voyage is a wonderful tale, that would confound the mind. All that which
I endured happened by fate and destiny, and from that which is written there
is no escape nor flight.
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