Know, O my brothers and friends and companions all, that I abode
some time, after my return from my fifth voyage, in great solace
and satisfaction and mirth and merriment, joyance and enjoyment;
and I forgot what I had suffered, seeing the great gain and
profit I had made till, one day, as I sat making merry and
enjoying myself with my friends, there came in to me a company of
merchants whose case told tales of travel, and talked with me of
voyage and adventure and greatness of pelf and lucre. Hereupon I
remembered the days of my return from abroad, and my joy at once
more seeing my native land and foregathering with my family and
friends; and my soul yearned for travel and traffic. So compelled
by Fate and Fortune I resolved to undertake another voyage; and,
buying me fine and costly merchandise meet for foreign trade,
made it up into bales, with which I journeyed from Baghdad to
Bassorah. Here I found a great ship ready for sea and full of
merchants and notables, who had with them goods of price; so I
embarked my bales therein. And we left Bassorah in safety and
good spirits under the safeguard of the King, the Preserver.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixtieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the
Seaman continued:--And after embarking my bales and leaving
Bassorah in safety and good spirits, we continued our voyage from
place to place and from city to city, buying and selling and
profiting and diverting ourselves with the sight of countries
where strange folk dwell. And Fortune and the voyage smiled upon
us, till one day, as we went along, behold, the captain suddenly
cried with a great cry and cast his turband on the deck. Then he
buffeted his face like a woman and plucked out his beard and fell
down in the waist of the ship will nigh fainting for stress of
grief and rage, and crying, "Oh and alas for the ruin of my house
and the orphanship of my poor children!" So all the merchant and
sailors came round about him and asked him, "O master, what is
the matter?"; for the light had become night before their sight.
And he answered, saying, "Know, O folk, that we have wandered
from our course and left the sea whose ways we wot, and come into
a sea whose ways I know not; and unless Allah vouchsafe us a
means of escape, we are all dead men; wherefore pray ye to the
Most High, that He deliver us from this strait. Haply amongst you
is one righteous whose prayers the Lord will accept." Then he
arose and clomb the mast to see an there were any escape from
that strait; and he would have loosed the sails; but the wind
redoubled upon the ship and whirled her round thrice and drave
her backwards; whereupon her rudder brake and she fell off
towards a high mountain. With this the captain came down from the
mast, saying, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great; nor can man prevent that which is
fore-ordained of fate! By Allah, we are fallen on a place of sure
destruction, and there is no way of escape for us, nor can any of
us be saved!" Then we all fell a-weeping over ourselves and
bidding one another farewell for that our days were come to an
end, and we had lost all hopes of life. Presently the ship struck
the mountain and broke up, and all and everything on board of her
were plunged into the sea. Some of the merchants were drowned and
others made shift to reach the shore and save themselves upon the
mountain; I amongst the number, and when we got ashore, we found
a great island, or rather peninsula
[FN#72] whose base was strewn
with wreckage of crafts and goods and gear cast up by the sea
from broken ships whose passengers had been drowned; and the
quantity confounded compt and calculation. So I climbed the
cliffs into the inward of the isle and walked on inland, till I
came to a stream of sweet water, that welled up at the nearest
foot of the mountains and disappeared in the earth under the
range of hills on the opposite side. But all the other passengers
went over the mountains to the inner tracts; and, dispersing
hither and thither, were confounded at what they saw and became
like madmen at the sight of the wealth and treasures wherewith
the shores were strewn. As for me I looked into the bed of the
stream aforesaid and saw therein great plenty of rubies, and
great royal pearls
[FN#73] and all kinds of jewels and precious
stones which were as gravel in the bed of the rivulets that ran
through the fields, and the sands sparkled and glittered with
gems and precious ores. Moreover we found in the island abundance
of the finest lign-aloes, both Chinese and Comorin; and there
also is a spring of crude ambergris
[FN#74] which floweth like wax
or gum over the stream-banks, for the great heat of the sun, and
runneth down to the sea-shore, where the monsters of the deep
come up and swallowing it, return into the sea. But it burneth in
their bellies; so they cast it up again and it congealeth on the
surface of the water, whereby its color and quantities are
changed; and at last, the waves cast it ashore, and the
travellers and merchants who know it, collect it and sell it. But
as to the raw ambergris which is not swallowed, it floweth over
the channel and congealeth on the banks and when the sun shineth
on it, it melteth and scenteth the whole valley with a musk-like
fragrance: then, when the sun ceaseth from it, it congealeth
again. But none can get to this place where is the crude
ambergris, because of the mountains which enclose the island on
all sides and which foot of man cannot ascend.
[FN#75] We
continued thus to explore the island, marvelling at the wonderful
works of Allah and the riches we found there, but sore troubled
for our own case, and dismayed at our prospects. Now we had
picked up on the beach some small matter of victual from the
wreck and husbanded it carefully, eating but once every day or
two, in our fear lest it should fail us and we die miserably of
famine or affright. Moreover, we were weak for colic brought on
by sea-sickness and low diet, and my companions deceased, one
after other, till there was but a small company of us left. Each
that died we washed and shrouded in some of the clothes and linen
cast ashore by the tides; and after a little, the rest of my
fellows perished, one by one, till I had buried the last of the
party and abode alone on the island, with but a little provision
left, I who was wont to have so much. And I wept over myself,
saying, "Would Heaven I had died before my companions and they
had washed and buried me! It had been better than I should perish
and none wash me and shroud me and bury me. But there is Majesty
and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!"--
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the
Seaman continued in these words:--Now after I had buried the last
of my party and abode alone on the island, I arose and dug me a
deep grave on the sea-shore, saying to myself, "Whenas I grow
weak and know that death cometh to me, I will cast myself into
the grave and die there, so the wind may drift the sand over me
and cover me and I be buried therein."
[FN#76] Then I fell to
reproaching myself for my little wit in leaving my native land
and betaking me again to travel, after all I had suffered during
my first five voyages, and when I had not made a single one
without suffering more horrible perils and more terrible
hardships than in its forerunner and having no hope of escape
from my present stress; and I repented me of my folly and
bemoaned myself, especially as I had no need of money, seeing
that I had enough and more than enough and could not spend what I
had, no, nor a half of it in all my life. However, after a while
Allah sent me a thought and I said to myself, "By God, needs must
this stream have an end as well as a beginning; ergo an issue
somewhere, and belike its course may lead to some inhabited
place; so my best plan is to make me a little boat
[FN#77] big
enough to sit in, and carry it and launching it on the river,
embark therein and drop down the stream. If I escape, I escape,
by God's leave; and if I perish, better die in the river than
here." Then, sighing for myself, I set to work collecting a
number of pieces of Chinese and Comorin aloes-wood and I bound
them together with ropes from the wreckage; then I chose out from
the broken-up ships straight planks of even size and fixed them
firmly upon the aloes-wood, making me a boat-raft a little
narrower than the channel of the stream; and I tied it tightly
and firmly as though it were nailed. Then I loaded it with the
goods, precious ores and jewels: and the union pearls which were
like gravel and the best of the ambergris crude and pure,
together with what I had collected on the island and what was
left me of victual and wild herbs. Lastly I lashed a piece of
wood on either side, to serve me as oars; and launched it, and
embarking, did according to the saying of the poet,
"Fly, fly with life whenas evils threat;
Leave the house to
tell of its builder's fate!
Land after land shalt thou seek and find
But no other life on
thy wish shall wait:
Fret not thy soul in thy thoughts o' night;
All woes shall end
or sooner or late.
Whoso is born in one land to die,
There and only there shall
gang his gait:
Nor trust great things to another wight,
Soul hath only soul
for confederate."[FN#78]
My boat-raft drifted with the stream, I pondering the issue of my
affair; and the drifting ceased not till I came to the place
where it disappeared beneath the mountain. I rowed my conveyance
into the place which was intensely dark; and the current carried
the raft with it down the underground channel.
[FN#79] The thin
stream bore me on through a narrow tunnel where the raft touched
either side and my head rubbed against the roof, return therefrom
being impossible. Then I blamed myself for having thus risked my
life, and said, "If this passage grow any straiter, the raft will
hardly pass, and I cannot turn back; so I shall inevitably perish
miserably in this place." And I threw myself down upon my face on
the raft, by reason of the narrowness of the channel, whilst the
stream ceased not to carry me along, knowing not night from day,
for the excess of the gloom which encompassed me about and my
terror and concern for myself lest I should perish. And in such
condition my course continued down the channel which now grew
wide and then straiter till, sore aweary by reason of the
darkness which could be felt, I fell asleep, as I lay prone on
the raft, and I slept knowing not an the time were long or short.
When I awoke at last, I found myself in the light of Heaven and
opening my eyes I saw myself in a broad stream and the raft
moored to an island in the midst of a number of Indians and
Abyssinians. As soon as these blackamoors
[FN#80] saw that I was
awake, they came up to me and bespoke me in their speech; but I
understood not what they said and thought that this was a dream
and a vision which had betided me for stress of concern and
chagrin. But I was delighted at my escape from the river. When
they saw I understood them not and made them no answer, one of
them came forward and said to me in Arabic, "Peace be with thee,
O my brother! Who art thou and whence faredst thou thither? How
camest thou into this river and what manner of land lies behind
yonder mountains, for never knew we any one make his way thence
to us?" Quoth I, "And upon thee be peace and the ruth of Allah
and his blessing! Who are ye and what country is this?" "O my
brother," answered he, "we are husbandmen and tillers of the
soil, who came out to water our fields and plantations; and,
finding thee asleep on this raft, laid hold of it and made it
fast by us, against thou shouldst awake at thy leisure. So tell
us how thou camest hither?" I answered, "For Allah's sake, O my
lord, ere I speak give me somewhat to eat, for I am starving, and
after ask me what thou wilt." So he hastened to fetch me food and
I ate my fill, till I was refreshed and my fear was calmed by a
good belly-full and my life returned to me. Then I rendered
thanks to the Most High for mercies great and small, glad to be
out of the river and rejoicing to be amongst them, and I told
them all my adventures from first to last, especially my troubles
in the narrow channel.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the
Seaman continued:--When I landed and found myself amongst the
Indians and Abyssinians and had taken some rest, they consulted
among themselves and said to one another, "There is no help for
it but we carry him with us and present him to our King, that he
may acquaint him with his adventures." So they took me, together
with the raft-boat and its lading of monies and merchandise;
jewels, minerals and golden gear, and brought me to their King,
who was King of Sarandib,
[FN#81] telling him what had happened;
whereupon he saluted me and bade me welcome. Then he questioned
me of my condition and adventures through the man who had spoken
Arabic and I repeated to him my story from beginning to end,
whereat he marvelled exceedingly and gave me joy of my
deliverance; after which I arose and fetched from the raft great
store of precious ores and jewels and ambergris and lign-aloes
and presented them to the King, who accepted them and entreated
me with the utmost honour, appointing me a lodging in his own
palace. So I consorted with the chief of the islanders, and they
paid me the utmost respect. And I quitted not the royal palace.
Now the Island Sarandib lieth under the equinoctial line, its
night and day both numbering twelve house. It measureth eighty
leagues long by a breadth of thirty and its wideth is bounded by
a lofty mountain
[FN#82] and a deep valley, The mountain is
conspicuous from a distance of three days and it containeth many
kinds of rubies and other minerals, and spice-trees of all sorts.
The surface is covered with emery wherewith gems are cut and
fashioned; diamonds are in its rivers and pearls are in its
valleys. I ascended that mountain and solaced myself with a view
of its marvels which are indescribable and afterwards I returned
to the King.
[FN#83] Thereupon, all the travellers and merchants
who came to the place questioned me of the affairs of my native
land and of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid and his rule and I told
them of him and of that wherefor he was renowned, and they
praised him because of this; whilst I in turn questioned them of
the manners and customers of their own countries and got the
knowledge I desired. One day, the King himself asked me of the
fashions and form of government of my country, and I acquainted
him with the circumstance of the Caliph's sway in the city of
Baghdad and the justice of his rule. The King marvelled at my
account of his appointments and said, "By Allah, the Caliph's
ordinances are indeed wise and his fashions of praiseworthy guise
and thou hast made me love him by what thou tellest me; wherefore
I have a mind to make him a present and send it by thee." Quoth
I, "Hearkening and obedience, O my lord; I will bear thy gift to
him and inform him that thou art his sincere lover and true
friend." Then I abode with the King in great honour and regard
and consideration for a long while till, one day, as I sat in his
palace, I heard news of a company of merchants, that were fitting
out a ship for Bassorah, and said to myself, "I cannot do better
than voyage with these men." So I rose without stay or delay and
kissed the King's hand and acquainted him with my longing to set
out with the merchants, for that I pined after my people and mine
own land. Quoth he, "Thou art thine own master; yet, if it be thy
will to abide with us, on our head and eyes be it, for thou
gladdenest us with thy company." "By Allah, O my lord," answered
I, "thou hast indeed overwhelmed me with thy favours and well-
doings; but I weary for a sight of my friends and family and
native country." When he heard this, he summoned the merchants in
question and commended me to their care, paying my freight and
passage-money. Then he bestowed on me great riches from his
treasuries and charged me with a magnificent present for the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Moreover he gave me a sealed letter,
saying, "Carry this with thine own hand to the Commander of the
Faithful and give him many salutations from us!" "Hearing and
obedience," I replied. The missive was written on the skin of the
Kháwi
[FN#84] (which is finer than lamb-parchment and of yellow
colour), with ink of ultramarine and the contents were as
follows. "Peace be with thee from the King of Al-Hind, before
whom are a thousand elephants and upon whose palace-crenelles are
a thousand jewels. But after (laud to the Lord and praises to His
Prophet!): we send thee a trifling gift which be thou pleased to
accept. Thou art to us a brother and a sincere friend; and great
is the love we bear for thee in heart; favour us therefore with a
reply. The gift besitteth not thy dignity: but we beg of thee, O
our brother, graciously to accept it and peace be with thee." And
the present was a cup of ruby a span high
[FN#85] the inside of
which was adorned with precious pearls; and a bed covered with
the skin of the serpent which swalloweth the elephant, which skin
hath spots each like a dinar and whoso sitteth upon it never
sickeneth;
[FN#86] and an hundred thousand miskals of Indian lign-
aloes and a slave-girl like a shining moon. Then I took leave of
him and of all my intimates and acquaintances in the island and
embarked with the merchants aforesaid. We sailed with a fair
wind, committing ourselves to the care of Allah (be He extolled
and exalted!) and by His permission arrived at Bassorah, where I
passed a few days and nights equipping myself and packing up my
bales. Then I went on to Baghdad-city, the House of Peace, where
I sought an audience of the Caliph and laid the King's presents
before him. He asked me whence they came and I said to him, "By
Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I know not the name of the
city nor the way thither!" He then asked me, "O Sindbad, is this
true which the King writeth?"; and I answered, after kissing the
ground, "O my lord, I saw in his kingdom much more than he hath
written in his letter. For state processions a throne is set for
him upon a huge elephant, eleven cubits high: and upon this he
sitteth having his great lords and officers and guests standing
in two ranks, on his right hand and on his left. At his head is a
man hending in hand a golden javelin and behind him another with
a great mace of gold whose head is an emerald
[FN#87] a span long
and as thick as a man's thumb. And when he mounteth horse there
mount with him a thousand horsemen clad in gold brocade and silk;
and as the King proceedeth a man precedeth him, crying, 'This is
the King of great dignity, of high authority!' And he continueth
to repeat his praises in words I remember not, saying at the end
of his panegyric, 'This is the King owning the crown whose like
nor Solomon nor the Mihraj
[FN#88] ever possessed.' Then he is
silent and one behind him proclaimeth, saying, 'He will die!
Again I say he will die!;' and the other addeth, 'Extolled be the
perfection of the Living who dieth not!'
[FN#89] Moreover by
reason of his justice and ordinance and intelligence, there is no
Kazi in his city, and all his lieges distinguish between Truth
and Falsehood." Quoth the Caliph, "How great is this King! His
letter hath shown me this; and as for the mightiness of his
dominion thou hast told us what thou hast eye-witnessed. By
Allah, he hath been endowed with wisdom as with wide rule." Then
I related to the Commander of the Faithful all that had befallen
me in my last voyage; at which he wondered exceedingly and bade
his historians record my story and store it up in his treasuries,
for the edification of all who might see it. Then he conferred on
me exceeding great favours, and I repaired to my quarter and
entered my home, where I warehoused all my goods and possessions.
Presently, my friends came to me and I distributed presents among
my family and gave alms and largesse; after which I yielded
myself to joyance and enjoyment, mirth and merry-making, and
forgot all that I had suffered. "Such, then, O my brothers, is
the history of what befel me in my sixth voyage, and to-morrow,
Inshallah! I will tell you the story of my seventh and last
voyage, which is still more wondrous and marvellous than that of
the first six." (Saith he who telleth the tale), Then he bade lay
the table, and the company supped with him; after which he gave
the Porter an hundred dinars, as of wont, and they all went their
ways, marvelling beyond measure at that which they had heard.--
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Sindbad the Seaman had related the history of what befel him in
his sixth voyage, and all the company had dispersed, Sindbad the
Landsman went home and slept as of wont. Next day he rose and
prayed the dawn-prayer and repaired to his namesake's house
where, after the company was all assembled, the host began to
relate
The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.
