91-7-1 -
The Seventh Voyage of Sindbaad of the Sea:
Sindbaad on the Island of Sarandeeb
This
story is according to Lane's book. This version is according to KalKuttaa
(Kolkota) edition.
The next
story is according to Burton version. Both the versions differ
considerably.
Sindbaad
said - "Now when I had come back from my sixth voyage I thought
whatever has happened to me, it was enough and I started enjoying what I
had; but again, one day, as I was sitting, somebody knocked my door. The
doorkeeper opened the door and a servant of the Caliph came in and said -
"The Caliph has called you." So I went with him, kissed the
ground before the Caliph and saluted him. He welcomed me, and treated me
with honor and said - "I have an affair for you to do. Will you do
it?" "What affair has the Master this slave to perform?" He
said to me - "I wish that you go to the King of Sarandeeb and take
some gifts from me, because he has sent us a letter and a gift for us."
Hearing
this, I trembled and said - "By Allaah, O My Lord, I have taken a
hatred for voyaging and when a voyage on the sea, or any other travel is
mentioned to me, my joints tremble thinking about what has happened to me
in the last voyages. I have experienced many troubles and horrors during
these voyages, so I have taken an oath not to go out of Bagadaad."
Then I told the Caliph all about my troubles I faced during my voyages, and
he also wondered exceedingly hearing them. He said - "By Allaah,
Nobody has heard such things ever before, but for my sake you will go this
time, and give our present and the letter to that King. You will return
quickly and then we will have no debt of favor and courtesy to the King on
us." So he gave me the letter and the present, and money for my
travel expense and I set for my journey.
I went
to the sea and embarked in a ship with other merchants. By proceeding in the ship by day and
night we arrived at the Island of Sarandeeb. As we landed, I took the
present and the letter and went to the King. As he saw me he welcomed me -
"O Sindbaad, We have longed to see you and praise be to God who has
shown us your face second time. He seated me beside him and talked to me -
"What is the reason of your coming to me?" I said - "My
Lord, I have brought a letter and a present from my Master the
Caliph." And I handed over the letter and the present to him. He read
the letter and rejoiced greatly. The present was a horse with 10,000
pieces of gold, with its saddle adorned with gold set with jewels and a
book, and a costly dress and a hundred different kinds of clothes from
Egypt and silks of As-Sways (Suez) and al-Kufeh and Alexandria and Greek
carpets and a 100 maunds (a weight from 2 to 6 pounds) of silk and flax and a wonderful extraordinary cup
of crystal. In the midst of which there was a figure of a lion with a man
kneeling before him and having drawn an arrow in his bow; an also the
table of Sulaimaan, the son of David.
And
the contents of the letter were as follows - "Peace from the King Al-Rasheed
on the fortunate Sultaan. Your letter has reached us and we rejoiced at
it. We have sent the book entitled, "The Delight of the Intelligent and
for Present the Rare Friends" together with varieties of royal
rarities, so please accept them and treat me with utmost favor." The
King in turn gave me lots of presents and after some days I begged him to leave,
but he permitted me only after pressing him for it. And I left that island
without any wish for further traveling for any other place or trade.
But
when we were returning, once we found several boats surrounded us. They
wounded us with their arrows, they took our ship and sent us to an island
where they sold as slaves. A rich man purchased me and took me to his
house gave me drink, and clad me and treated me in a friendly manner. I
felt very comfortable there. One day he asked me - "Do you know any
art or trade?" I answered him - "I am a merchant, I know nothing
but traffic." He asked me - "Can you shoot with bow and
arrow?" "Yes." So he bought me a bow and some arrows and
mounted me on elephant behind himself. He took me in a forest, made me sit
on a lofty tree and said - "Sit here, And when the elephants come
here, shoot at them. Maybe you happen one of them fall down, and if you
can, just inform me."
I sat
there terrified until the Sun rose and elephant came that side. I could
shoot one of them. I went to my Master in the evening to inform him about
this. He was very happy to hear this and treated me with honor. He then
removed the slain animal. In this way I shot one elephant everyday and my
Master removed it everyday, until one day I was sitting on the tree that
suddenly many elephants came forth and I heard the sounds of their roaring
and growling. They all surrounded the tree on which I was sitting. A huge
elephant came to the tree, wound its trunk around the tree and pulled it
up and cast it upon the ground.
I fell
down senseless among elephants. That big elephant picked me up with its
trunk and took me away. The other elephants followed it. I did not know
anything until he took me to some place and threw me down. Then he went
away and other elephants also followed it, I rested a little and looked
around and found myself among the elephants bones It seemed to me their
burial place.
After
a while I arose and came home in one day and one night. When the Master
saw me he found my changed complexion by fright and hunger. But he
rejoiced at my return and said to me - "By Allaah, You have pained my
heart. I went to check on you to that tree but I found it uprooted so I
thought that elephants have destroyed you. Tell me how it happened this to
you?" I told him that happened to me. He wondered greatly and asked
me - "Do you know that place?" I said - "Yes." So we went there
mounted on an elephant and when my Master saw numerous teeth, he rejoiced
greatly at the sight, Then he carried away those teeth as many as
he liked and we came back to the house.
He
treated me with increased favor and said - "You have directed me to a
means of great gain. God will compensate you for this. You are free now.
These elephants used to destroy many of us because of these teeth." I
said - "O Master, May God free you from the fire of the Hell. Now you
give me permission to go to my country." "Yes, You have my
permission, but we have a fair in which merchants come to buy these teeth
from us. That fair is near, so when they will come to us, I will send you
with them." I agreed.
After
a few days was the fair. When the merchants were about to go back, my
Master came to me and said - "Let us go, those people are going
now." So he sent me with them. He paid the money for my fare, gave
all that required of me, and gave me a large quantity of goods. So we came
back buying and selling things to Bagadaad. I went to the Caliph and told
him what had happened to me. He rejoiced at my return and asked my story
written in letters of gold.
This
is the history of the events that happened to me during my voyages."
When Sindbaad had finished his story, he ordered his servants to give to Sindbaad
of the Land, a 100 pieces of gold and said to him - "Have you heard that
anybody else had suffered such calamities like I suffered? Know then that
these pleasures are at the cost of those hardships I have suffered." Sindbaad
of the Land said - "O Lord, You have gone through great horrors, you
deserve all this pleasure. May God give you more." Then Sindbaad of the Sea had appointed him as his cup companion and kept him
with him day and night.
When
Shaharzaad finished the story of the two Sindbaad, Deenaarzaad said - "How
wonderful and pleasant was your story?" Shaharzaad replied - "What was
this story in comparison to the story I will tell you tomorrow." The King
asked - "And what it is?" She said - "It is touching tale."
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