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Tale of the Trader and the Jinni & The First Shaykh’s Story, Ch. 3 of the Thousand and One Nights
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00:00the tale of the trader and the jinny it is related o auspicious king that there was a merchant of the merchants who had much wealth and business in various cities
00:15now on a day he mounted horse and went forth to recover moneys in certain towns and the heat sore oppressed him so he sat beneath a tree and putting his hand into his saddle-bags took thence some broken bread and dried dates and began to break his fast
00:33when he had ended eating the dates he threw away the stones with force and lo an ifrit appeared huge of stature and brandishing a drawn sword wherewith he approached the merchant and said stand up that i may slay thee even as thou slewest my son
00:51asked the merchant how have i slain thy son and he answered when thou ettest dates and threwest away the stones they struck my son full in the breast as he was walking by so that he died forthwith
01:06quoth the merchant verity from allah we proceeded and unto allah we are returning there is no majesty and there is no might save in allah the glorious the great if i slew thy son i slew him by chance medley i pray thee now pardon me
01:24rejoined the jinny there is no help but i must slay thee then he seized him and dragged him along and casting him to the earth raised the sword to strike him
01:36whereupon the merchant wept and said i commit my case to allah and began repeating these couplets containeth time a twain of days this of blessing that of bane and holdeth life a twain of halves this of pleasure that of pain
01:53cease not when blows the hurricane sweeping stark and striking strong none save the forest giant feels the suffering of the strain how many trees earth nourisheth of the dry and of the green yet none of those which bear the fruits for cast of stone complain
02:13cease not how corpses rise and float on the surface of the tide while pearls of price lie hidden in the deepest of the main in heaven are unnumbered the many of the stars yet never a star but sun and moon by eclipse is o'er taean
02:30well judgest thou the days that saw thy faring sound and well and countedst not the pangs and pain whereof fate is never fain the knights have kept thee safe and the safety brought thee pride but bliss and blessings of the knight are genderous of bane
02:50when the merchant ceased repeating these verses the jinni said to him cut thy words short by allah needs must i slay thee
03:00but the merchant spake him thus know o thou ifrit that i have debts due to me and much wealth and children and wife and many pledges in hand so permit me to go home and discharge to every claimant his claim and i will come back to thee at the head of the new year
03:17allah be my testimony in surety that i will return to thee and then thou mayest do with me as thou wilt and allah is witness to what i say
03:27the jinni took sure promise of him and let him go so he returned to his own city and transacted his business and rendered to all men their dues and after informing his wife and children of what had betided him he appointed a guardian and dwelt with them for a full year
03:45then he arose and made the wuzu ablution to purify himself before death and took his shroud under his arm and bade farewell to his people his neighbours and all his kith and kin and went forth despite his own nose
04:01then they began weeping and wailing and beating their breasts over him but he travelled until he arrived at the same garden and the day of his arrival was the head of the new year
04:13as he sat weeping over what had befallen him behold a sheik a very ancient man drew near leading a chained gazelle and he saluted the merchant and wishing him long life said
04:27what is the cause of thy sitting in this place and thou alone and this be a resort of evil spirits the merchant related to him what had come to pass with the ifrit and the old man the owner of the gazelle wandered and said
04:43by allah o brother thy faith is none other than exceeding faith and thy story right strange were it graven with gravers on the eye corners it were a warner to whoso would be warned
04:58then seating himself near the merchant he said by allah o my brother i will not leave thee until i see what may come to pass with thee in this ifrit
05:09and presently as he sat and the two were at talk the merchant began to feel fear and terror and exceeding grief and sorrow beyond relief and ever-growing care and extreme despair
05:23and the owner of the gazelle was hard by his side when behold a second sheik approached them and with him were two dogs both of greyhound breed and both black
05:35the second old man after saluting them with the salaam also asked them of their tidings and said what causeth you to sit in this place a dwelling of the jann
05:46so they told him the tale from beginning to end and their stay there had not lasted long before there came up a third sheik and with him a she-mule of bright bay-coat and he saluted them
05:59and asked them why they were seated in that place so they told him the story from first to last and of no avail o my master is a twice-told tale there he sat down with them and lo a dust cloud advanced
06:13and a mighty send devil appeared amid most of the waste presently the cloud opened and behold within it was that jinny hending in hand a drawn sword while his eyes were shooting fire sparks of rage
06:29he came up to them and hailing away the merchant from among them cried to them arise that i may slay thee as thou slewest my son the life-stuff of my liver
06:41the merchant wailed and wept and the three old men began sighing and crying and weeping and wailing with their companion presently the first old man the owner of the gazelle came out from among them and kissed the hand of the ifrit and said
06:57o jinny thou crown of the kings of the jann were i to tell thee the story of me and this gazelle and thou shouldst consider it wondrous wouldst thou give me a third part of this merchant's blood
07:10then quass the jinny even so o sheikh if thou tell me this tale and i hold it a marvellous then i will give thee a third of his blood
07:21thereupon the old man began to tell the first sheikh's story know o jinny that this gazelle is the daughter of my paternal uncle my own flesh and blood and i married her when she was a young maid and i lived with her well nigh thirty years yet was i not blessed with issue by her
07:42so i took me a concubine who brought to me the boon of a male child fair as the full moon with eyes of lovely shine and eyebrows which formed one line and limbs of perfect design
07:55little by little he grew in stature and waxed tall and when he was a lad fifteen years old it became needful i should journey to certain cities and i travelled with great store of goods
08:09but the daughter of my uncle this gazelle had learned grammar and eggromancy and clerkly craft from her childhood so she bewitched that son of mine to a calf and my handmaid his mother to a heifer
08:25and made them over to the herdsman's care now when i returned after a long time from my journey and asked for my son and his mother she answered me saying thy slave-girl is dead and thy son hath fled and i know not whither he is sped
08:42so i remained for a whole year with grieving heart and streaming eyes until the time came for the great festival of allah then sent i to my herdsman bidding him choose for me a fat heifer and he brought me one which was the damsel my handmaid whom this gazelle had ensorcelled
09:02i tucked up my sleeves and skirt and taking a knife proceeded to cut her throat but she loud aloud and wept bitter tears thereat i marvelled and pity seized me and i held my hand saying to the herd bring me other than this
09:19then cried my cousin slay her for i have not a fatter nor a fairer once more i went forward to sacrifice her but she again loud aloud upon which in ruth i refrained and commanded the herdsman to slay her and flay her
09:34he killed her and skinned her but found in her neither fat nor flesh only hide and bone and i repented when penitence availed me naught
09:45i gave her to the herdsman and said to him fetch me a fat calf so he brought my son ensorcelled when the calf saw me he broke his tether and ran to me and fawned upon me and wailed and shed tears so that i took pity on him and said to the herdsman bring me a heifer and let this calf go
10:05thereupon my cousin this gazelle called aloud at me saying needs must thou kill this calf this is a holy day and a blessed whereon naught is slain save what be perfect pure and we have not amongst our calves any fatter or fairer than this
10:23quoth i look thou upon the condition of the heifer which i slaughtered at thy bidding and how we turn from her in disappointment and she profited us on no wise
10:34and i repent with an exceeding repentance of having killed her so this time i will not obey thy bidding for the sacrifice of this calf quoth she by allah the most great the compassionating the compassionate
10:48there is no help for it thou must kill him on this holy day and if thou kill him not to me thou art no man and i to thee am no wife
11:00now when i heard those hard words not knowing her object i went up to the calf knife in hand and shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say
11:15then quoth her sister to her how fair is thy tale and how grateful and how sweet and how tasteful and shahrazad answered her what is this to that i could tell thee on the coming night
11:28were i to live and the king would spare me then said the king to himself by allah i will not slay her until i shall have heard the rest of her tale so they slept the rest of that night in mutual embrace till day fully break
11:44then the king went forth to his audience hall and the wazir went up with his daughter's shroud under his arm the king issued his orders and promoted this and deposed that until the end of the day and he told the wazir no wit of what had happened
12:02but the minister wandered thereat with exceeding wonder and when the court broke up king shahrazad entered his palace
12:10when it was the second night said daniazad to her sister shahrazad oh my sister finish for us that story of the merchant and the jinny
12:22and she answered with joy in goodly gree if the king permit me then quoth the king tell thy tale and shahrazad began in these words it hath reached me o auspicious king and heaven-directed ruler
12:39that when the merchant purposed the sacrifice of the calf but saw it weeping his heart relented and he said to the herdsman keep the calf among my cattle
12:50all this the old sheikh told the jinny who marvelled much at these strange words then the owner of the gazelle continued o lord of the kings of the jan this much took place and my uncle's daughter
13:04this gazelle looked on and saw it and said butcher me this calf for surely it is a fat one but i bade the herdsman take it away and he took it and turned his face homewards
13:17on the next day as i was sitting in my own house lo the herdsman came and standing before me said o my master i will tell thee a thing which shall gladden thy soul
13:30and shall gain me the gift of good tidings i answered even so then said he o merchant i have a daughter and she learned magic in her childhood from an old woman who lived with us
13:45yesterday when thou gavest me the calf i went into the house to her and she looked upon it and veiled her face then she wept and laughed alternately and at last she said
13:55o my father hath mine honour become so cheap to thee that thou bringest in to me strange men i asked her where be these strange men and why wast thou laughing and crying and she answered of a truth this calf
14:10the calf which is with thee is the son of our master the merchant but he is ensorcelled by his stepdame who bewitched both him and his mother such is the course of my laughing now the reason of his weeping is his mother for that his father slew her unawares
14:26then i marveled at this with exceeding marvel and hardly made sure that day had dawned before i came to tell thee
14:34when i heard o jinny my herdsman's words i went out with him and i was drunken without wine from the excess of joy and gladness which came upon me until i reached his house
14:47there his daughter welcomed me and kissed my hand and forthwith the calf came and fawned upon me as before
14:55quoth i to the herdsman's daughter is this true that thou sayest of this calf
15:01quoth she yea o my master he is thy son the very core of thy heart
15:07i rejoiced and said to her o maiden if thou wilt release him thine shall be whatever cattle and property of mine are under thy father's hand
15:17she smiled and answered o my master i have no greed for the goods nor will i take them save on two conditions
15:25the first that thou marry me to thy son and the second that i may bewitch her who bewitched him and imprison her
15:33otherwise i cannot be safe from her malice and malpractices now when i heard o jinny these the words of the herdsman's daughter are replied
15:43beside what thou askest all the cattle and the household staff in thy father's charge are thine and as for the daughter of my uncle her blood is lawful to thee
15:55when i had spoken she took a cup and filled it with water then she recited a spell over it and sprinkled it upon the calf saying
16:03if almighty allah created thee a calf remain so shaped and change not
16:09but if thou be enchanted return to thy will and form by command of allah most highest
16:15and lo he trembled and became a man then i fell on his neck and said allah upon thee
16:23tell me all that the daughter of my uncle did by thee and by thy mother
16:27and when he told me what had come to pass between them i said
16:31o my son allah favoured thee with one to restore thee and thy right hath returned to thee
16:37then o jinny i married the herdsman's daughter to him and she transformed my wife into this gazelle saying
16:45her shape is as comely and by no means loathsome
16:49after this she abode with us night and day day and night till the almighty took her to himself
16:55when she deceased my son fared forth to the cities of hind
17:01even to the city of this man who hath done to thee what has been done
17:07and i also took this gazelle my cousin and wandered with her from town to town seeking tidings of my son
17:14till destiny drove me to this place where i saw the merchant sitting in tears
17:19such is my tale
17:21quoth the jinny
17:23this story is indeed strange and therefore i grant thee the third part of his blood
17:29thereupon the second old man who owned the two greyhounds came up and said
17:35o jinny if i recount to thee what befell me from my brothers these two hounds
17:41and thou see that it is a tale even more wondrous and marvellous than what thou hast heard
17:47wilt thou grant me also the third of this man's blood replied the jinny
17:53thou hast my word for it if thine adventures be more marvellous and wondrous thereupon he thus began the second sheikh's story
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