ABDULLAH[FN#232] THE FISHERMAN AND
ABDULLAH THE MERMAN.
There was once a Fisherman named Abdullah, who had a large
family, to wit, nine children and their mother, so was he poor,
very poor, owning naught save his net. Every day he used to go
to the sea a-fishing, and if he caught little, he sold it and
spent the price on his children, after the measure of that which
Allah vouchsafed him of provision; but if he caught much, he
would cook a good mess of meat and buy fruit and spend without
stint till nothing was left him, saying to himself, "The daily
bread of to-morrow will come to-morrow." Presently, his wife
gave birth to another child, making a total of ten, and it
chanced that day that he had nothing at all; so she said to him,
"O my master, see and get me somewhat wherewithal I may sustain
myself." Quoth he, "I am going (under favour of Almighty Allah)
this day seawards to fish on the luck of this new-born child,
that we may see its fair fortune;" and quoth she, "Put thy trust
in Allah!" So he took his net and went down to the sea-shore,
where he cast it on the luck of the little one, saying, "O my
God, make his living of ease not of unease, and abundant, not
scant!" Then he waited awhile and drew in the net, which came up
full of rubbish and sand and pebbles and weeds, and he saw
therein no sign of fish neither muchel nor little. He cast it
again and waited, then drew it in, but found no catch in it, and
threw it a third and a fourth and a fifth time still not a single
fish came up. So he removed to another place beseeching his
daily bread of Allah Almighty and thus he kept working till the
end of the day, but caught not so much as a minnow;[FN#233]
whereat he fell a-marvelling in himself and said self-communing,
"Hath Allah then created this new-born child without lot of
provision? This may never, never be. He who slitteth the
corners of the lips hath pledged Himself for its provision,
because Almighty Allah is the Bountiful, the Provider!"[FN#234]
So saying, he shouldered his net and turned him homewards,
broken-spirited and heavy at heart about his family, for that he
had left them without food, more by token that his wife was in
the straw. And as he continued trudging along and saying in
himself, "How shall I do and what shall I say to the children to-
night?" he came to a baker's oven and saw a crowd about it; for
the season was one of dearth and in those days food was scant
with the folk; so people were proffering the baker money, but he
paid no heed to any of them, by reason of the dense crowd. The
fisherman stood looking and snuffing he smell of the hot bread
(and indeed his soul longed for it, by reason of his hunger),
till the baker caught sight of him and cried out to him, "Come
hither, O fisherman!" So he went up to him, and the baker said,
"Dost thou want bread?" But he was silent. Quoth the baker,
"Speak out and be not ashamed, for Allah is bountiful. An thou
have no silver, I will give thee bread and have patience with
thee till weal betide thee." And quoth the fisherman, "By Allah,
O master, I have indeed no money! But give me bread enough for
my family, and I will leave thee this net in pawn till the
morrow." Rejoined the baker, "Nay, my poor fellow, this net is
thy shop and the door of thy daily subsistence; so an thou pawn
it, wherewithal wilt thou fish? Tell me how much will suffice
thee?"; and replied the fisherman, "Ten half-dirhams'
worth."[FN#235] So he gave him ten Nusfs worth of bread and ten
in silver saying, "Take these ten Nusfs and cook thyself a mess
of meat therewith; so wilt thou owe me twenty, for which bring me
fish to-morrow; but, an thou catch nothing again, come and take
thy bread and thy ten Nusfs, and I will have patience with thee
till better luck betide thee,"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-first Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
baker said to the fisherman, "Take whatso thou needest and I will
have patience with thee till better luck betide thee, after the
which thou shalt bring me fish for all thou owest me." Said the
fisherman, Almighty Allah reward thee, and requite thee for me
with all good!" Then he took the bread and the coins and went
away, glad at heart, and buying what he could returned to his
wife whom he found sitting up, soothing the children, who were
weeping for hunger, and saying to them, "At once your father will
be here with what ye may eat." So he set the bread before them
and they ate, whilst he told his wife what had befallen him, and
she said, "Allah is bountiful."[FN#236] On the morrow, he
shouldered his net and went forth of his house, saying, "I
beseech thee, O Lord, to vouchsafe me this day that which shall
whiten my face with the baker!"[FN#237] When he came to the sea-
shore, he proceeded to cast his net and pull it in; but there
came up no fish therein; and he ceased not to toil thus till
ended day but he caught nothing. Then he set out homewards, in
great concern, and the way to his house lay past the baker's
oven; so he said to himself, "How shall I go home? But I will
hasten my pace that the baker may not see me." When he reached
the shop, he saw a crowd about it and walked the faster, being
ashamed to face his creditor; but the baker raised his eyes to
him and cried out to him, saying, "Ho, fisherman! Come and take
thy bread and spending-money. Meseems thou forgettest." Quoth
Abdullah, "By Allah, I had not forgotten; but I was ashamed to
face thee, because I have caught no fish this day;" and quoth the
baker, "Be not ashamed. Said I not to thee, At thy
leisure,[FN#238] till better luck betide thee?" Then he gave him
the bread and the ten Nusfs and he returned and told his wife,
who said, "Allah is bountiful. Better luck shall yet betide thee
and thou shalt give the baker his due, Inshallah." He ceased not
doing on this wise forty days, betaking himself daily to the sea,
from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof, and
returning home without fish; and still he took bread and
spending-money of the baker, who never once named the fish to him
nor neglected him nor kept him waiting like the folk,[FN#239] but
gave him the bread and the ten half-dirhams without delay.
Whenever the fisherman said to him, "O my brother, reckon with
me," he would say, "Be off:[FN#240] this is no time for
reckoning. Wait till better luck betide thee, and then I will
reckon with thee." And the fisherman would bless him and go away
thanking him. On the one-and-fortieth day, he said to his wife,
"I have a mind to tear up the net and be quit of this life." She
asked, "Why wilt thou do this?"; and he answered, "Meseems there
is an end of my getting my daily bread from the waters. How long
shall this last? By Allah, I burn with shame before the baker
and I will go no more to the sea, so I may not pass by his oven,
for I have none other way home; and every time I pass he calleth
me and giveth me the bread and the ten silvers. How much longer
shall I run in debt to him?" The wife replied, "Alhamdolillah--
lauded be the Lord, the Most High, who hath inclined his heart to
thee, so that he giveth thee our daily bread! What dislikest
thou in this?"; and the husband rejoined, "I owe him now a mighty
great sum of dirhams, and there is no doubt but that he will
demand his due." "Hath he vexed thee with words?" "No, on the
contrary, he still refuseth to reckon with me, saying, 'Wait till
better luck betide thee.'" "If he press thee, say to him, 'Wait
till there come the good luck for which we hope, thou and I.'"
"And when will the good luck come that we hope for?" "Allah is
bountiful." "Sooth thou speakest!" So saying he shouldered his
net and went down to the sea-side, praying, "O Lord provide thou
me, though but with one fish, that I may give it to the baker!"
And he cast his net into the sea and pulling it in, found it
heavy; so he tugged at it till he was tired with sore travail.
But when he got it ashore, he found in it a dead donkey swollen
and stinking; whereat his senses sickened and he freed it from
the net, saying, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save
in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Indeed, I can no more! I say
to that wife of mine, 'There is no more provision for me in the
waters; let me leave this craft.' And she still answereth me,
'Allah is bountiful: good will presently betide thee.' Is this
dead ass the good whereof she speaketh?" And he grieved with the
sorest grief. Then he turned to another place, so he might remove
from the stench of the dead donkey, and cast his net there and
waited a full hour: then he drew it in and found it heavy.
Thereupon quoth he, "Good; we are hauling up all the dead donkeys
in the sea and ridding it of its rubbish.[FN#241]" However he
gave not over tugging at the net, till blood came from the palms
of his hands, and when he got it ashore, he saw a man[FN#242] in
it and took him for one of the Ifrits of the lord Solomon, whom
he was wont to imprison in cucurbits of brass and cast him into
the main, believing that the vessel had burst for length of years
and that the Ifrit had come forth and fallen into the net;
wherefore he fled from him, crying out and saying, "Mercy, mercy,
O Ifrit of Solomon!" But the Adamite called out to him from
within the net and said, "Come hither, O fisherman, and flee not
from me; for I am human like thyself. Release me, so thou mayst
get a recompense for me of Allah." Whenas he heard these words,
the fisherman took heart and coming up to him, said to him, "Art
thou not an Ifrit of the Jinn?"; and replied the other, "No: I am
a mortal and a believer in Allah and His Apostle." Asked the
fisherman, "Who threw thee into the sea?"; and the other
answered, "I am of the children of the sea, and was going about
therein, when thou castest the net over me. We are people who
obey Allah's commandments and show loving-kindness unto the
creatures of the Almighty, and but that I fear and dread to be of
the disobedient, I had torn thy net; but I accept that which the
Lord hath decreed unto me; wherefore by setting me free thou
becomest my owner and I thy captive. Wilt thou then set me free
for the love[FN#243] of Almighty Allah and make a covenant with
me and become my comrade? I will come to thee every day in this
place, and do thou come to me and bring me a gift of the fruits
of the land. For with you are grapes and figs and water-melons
and peaches and pomegranates and so forth, and all thou bringest
me will be acceptable unto me. Moreover, with us are coral and
pearls and chrysolites and emeralds and rubies and other gems,
and I will fill thee the basket, wherein thou bringest me the
fruit, with precious stones of the jewels of the sea.[FN#244]
What sayest thou to this, O my brother?" Quoth the fisherman,
"Be the Opening Chapter of the Koran between thee and me upon
this!" So they recited together the Fátihah, and the fisherman
loosed the Merman from the net and asked him, "What is thy name?"
He replied, "My name is Abdullah of the sea; and if thou come
hither and see me not, call out and say, 'Where are thou, O
Abdullah, O Merman?' and I will be with thee."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-second Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the sea thus enjoined the other, "An thou come hither and see
me not, call out and say, 'Where art thou, O Abdullah, O Merman?'
and I will be with thee forthwith. But thou, what is thy name?"
Quoth the fisherman, "My name also is Abdullah;" and quoth the
other, "Thou art Abdullah of the land and I am Abdullah of the
Sea; but tarry here till I go and fetch thee a present." And the
fisherman repented him of having released him and said to
himself, "How know I that he will come back to me? Indeed, he
beguiled me, so that I loosed him, and now he will laugh at
me.[FN#245] Had I kept him, I might have made a show of him for
the diversion of the city-folk and taken silver from all men and
gone with him to the houses of the great." And he repented him
of having set him free and said, "Thou hast let thy prey from thy
hand away." But, as he was thus bemoaning his folly in releasing
the prisoner, behold, Abdullah the merman returned to him, with
both hands full of pearls and coral and smaragds and rubies and
other gems, and said to him, "Take these, O my brother, and
excuse me; had I a fish-basket[FN#246] I would have filled it for
thee." Abdullah the fisherman rejoiced and took the jewels from
the Merman who said to him, "Every day come hither, before
sunrise," and farewelling him, went down into the sea; whilst the
other returned to the city, rejoicing, and stayed not walking
till he came to the baker's oven and said to him, "O my brother,
good luck is come to us at last; so do thou reckon with me."
Answered the baker, "There needeth no reckoning. An thou have
aught, give it me: and if thou have naught, take thy bread and
spending-money and begone, against weal betide thee." Rejoined
the fisherman, "O my friend, indeed weal hath betided me of
Allah's bounty, and I owe thee much money; but take this." So
saying, he took for him a handful of the pearls and coral and
rubies and other jewels he had with him (the handful being about
half of the whole), and gave them to the baker, saying, "Give me
some ready money to spend this day, till I sell these jewels."
So the baker gave him all the money he had in hand and all the
bread in his basket and rejoiced in the jewels, saying, "I am thy
slave and thy servant." Then he set all the bread on his head
and following the fisherman home, gave it to his wife and
children, after which he repaired to the market and brought meat
and greens and all manner fruit. Moreover, he left his oven and
abode with Abdullah all that day, busying himself in his service
and fulfilling all his affairs. Said the fisherman, "O my
brother, thou weariest thyself;" and the baker replied, "This is
my duty, for I am become thy servant and thou hast overwhelmed me
with thy boons." Rejoined the fisherman, "'Tis thou who wast my
benefactor in the days of dearth and distress." And the baker
passed that night with him enjoying good cheer and became a
faithful friend to him. Then the fisherman told his wife what
had befallen him with the Merman, whereat she rejoiced and said,
"Keep thy secret, lest the government come down upon thee;" but
he said, "Though I keep my secret from all men, yet will I not
hide it from the baker." On the morrow, he rose betimes and,
shouldering a basket which he had filled in the evening with all
manner fruits, repaired before sunrise to the sea-shore, and
setting down the crate on the water-edge called out, "Where art
thou, O Abdullah, O Merman?" He answered, "Here am I, at thy
service;" and came forth to him. The fisherman gave him the fruit
and he took it and plunging into the sea with it, was absent a
full hour, after which time he came up, with the fish-basket full
of all kinds of gems and jewels. The fisherman set it on his
head and went away; and, when he came to the oven, the baker said
to him, "O my lord, I have baked thee forty buns[FN#247] and have
sent them to thy house; and now I will bake some firsts and as
soon as all is done, I will bring it to thy house and go and
fetch thee greens and meat." Abdullah handed to him three
handfuls of jewels out of the fish-basket and going home, set it
down there. Then he took a gem of price of each sort and going
to the jewel-bazar, stopped at the Syndic's shop and said to him,
"Buy these precious stones of me." "Show them to me," said the
Shaykh. So he showed them to him and the jeweller said, "Hast
thou aught beside these?"; and Abdullah replied, "I have a
basket-full at home." The Syndic asked, "And where is thine
house?" and the fisherman answered, "In such a quarter";
whereupon the Shaykh took the jewels from him and said to his
followers, "Lay hold of him, for he is the thief who stole the
jewellery of the Queen, the wife of our Sultan." And he bade
beat him. So they bastinadoed him and pinioned him; after which
the Syndic and all the people of the jewel-market arose and set
out for the palace, saying, "We have caught the thief." Quoth
one, "None robbed such an one but this villain," and quoth
another, "'Twas none but he stole all that was in such an one's
house;" and some said this and others said that. All this while
he was silent and spake not a word nor returned a reply, till
they brought him before the King, to whom said the Syndic, "O
King of the age, when the Queen's necklace was stolen, thou
sentest to acquaint us of the theft, requiring of us the
discovery of the culprit; wherefore I strove beyond the rest of
the folk and have taken the thief for thee. Here he standeth
before thee, and these be the jewels we have recovered from him."
Thereupon the King said to the chief eunuch, "Carry these jewels
for the Queen to see, and say to her, 'Are these thy property
thou hast lost?'" So the eunuch took the jewels and went in with
them to the Queen, who seeing their lustre marvelled at them and
sent to the King to say, "I have found my necklace in my own
place and these jewels are not my property; nay, they are finer
than those of my necklace. So oppress not the man;"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King's wife sent to the King to say, "These are not my property;
nay, these gems are finer than those of my necklace. So oppress
not this man; but, if he will sell them, buy them for thy
daughter Umm al-Su'úd,[FN#248] that we may set them in a necklace
for her." When the eunuch returned and told the King what the
Queen said, he damned the Syndic of the jewellers, him and his
company, with the damnation of Ád and Thamúd,[FN#249] and they
said to him, "O King of the age, we knew this man for a poor
fisherman and deemed such things too much for him,[FN#250] so we
supposed that he had stolen them." Cried the King, "O ye filthy
villains, begrudge ye a True Believer good fortune? Why did ye
not make due enquiry of him? Haply Allah Almighty hath
vouchsafed him these things from a source whereupon he reckoned
not. Why did ye make him out a thief and disgrace him amongst the
folk? Begone, and may Allah never bless you!" So they went out
affrighted and the King said to Abdullah, "O man (Allah bless
thee in all He hath bestowed on thee!), no harm shall befal thee;
but tell me truly, whence gottest thou these jewels; for I am a
King yet have I not the like of them." The fisherman replied, "O
King of the age, I have a fish-basket full of them at home and
the case is thus and thus." Then he told him of his friendship
with the Merman, adding, "We have made a covenant together that I
shall bring him every day a basket full of fruit and that he
shall fill me the basket with these jewels." Quoth the King, O
man this is thy lucky lot; but wealth needeth rank,[FN#251] I
will defend thee for the present against men's domineering; but
haply I shall be deposed or die and another rule in my stead, and
he shall slay thee because of his love of the goods of this world
and his covetousness. So I am minded to marry thee to my
daughter and make thee my Wazir and bequeath thee the kingdom
after me, so none may hanker for thy riches when I am gone. Then
said he, "Hie with this man to the Hammam." So they bore him to
the Baths and bathed his body and robed him in royal raiment,
after which they brought him back to the King, and he made him
his Wazir and sent to his house couriers and the soldiers of his
guard and all the wives of the notables, who clad his wife and
children in Kingly costume and mounting the woman in a horse-
litter, with the little child in her lap, walked before her to
the palace, escorted by the troops and couriers and officers.
They also brought her elder children in to the King who made much
of them, taking them in his lap and seating them by his side; for
they were nine children male and the King had no son and heir nor
had he been blessed with any child save this one daughter, Umm
al-Su'ud hight. Meanwhile the Queen entreated Abdullah's wife
with honour and bestowed favours on her and made her Waziress to
her. Then the King bade draw up the marriage contract between
his daughter and Abdullah of the Land[FN#252] who assigned to
her, as her dower, all the gems and precious stones in his
possession, and they opened the gates of festival. The King
commanded by proclamation to decorate the city, in honour of his
daughter's wedding. Then Abdullah went in unto the Princess and
abated her maidenhead. Next morning the King looked out of the
lattice and saw Abdullah carrying on his head a fish-crate full
of fruit. So he called to him, "What hast thou there, O my son-
in-law, and whither wendest thou?" The fisherman replied, "To my
friend, Abdullah the Merman;" and the King said, "O my son-in-
law, this is no time to go to thy comrade." Quoth Abdullah,
"Indeed, I fear to break tryst with him, lest he reckon me a liar
and say, 'The things of the world have diverted thee from me,'"
and quoth the King, "Thou speakest sooth: go to thy friend and
God help thee!" So he walked through the city on his way to his
companion; and, as he went, he heard the folk who knew him say,
"There goeth the King's son-in-law to exchange fruit for gems;"
whilst those who knew him not said, "Ho, fellow, how much a
pound? Come, sell to me." And he answered, saying, "Wait till I
come back to thee," for that he would not hurt the feelings of
any man. Then he fared on till he came to the sea-shore and
foregathered with his friend Abdullah the Merman, to whom he
delivered the fruit, receiving gems in return. He ceased not
doing thus till one day, as he passed by the baker's oven, he
found it closed; and so he did ten days, during which time the
oven remained shut and he saw nothing of the baker. So he said
to himself, "This is a strange thing! Would I wot whither the
baker went!" Then he enquired of his neighbour, saying, "O my
brother, where is thy neighbour the baker and what hath Allah
done with him?"; and the other responded, "O my lord, he is sick
and cometh not forth of his house." "Where is his house?" asked
Abdullah; and the other answered, "In such a quarter." So he
fared thither and enquired of him; but, when he knocked at the
door, the baker looked out of window and seeing his friend the
fisherman, full basket on head, came down and opened the door to
him. Abdullah entered and throwing himself on the baker embraced
him and wept, saying, "How dost thou, O my friend? Every day, I
pass by thine oven and see it unopened; so I asked thy neighbour,
who told me that thou wast sick; therefore I enquired for thy
house, that I might see thee." Answered the baker, "Allah
requite thee for me with all good! Nothing aileth me; but it
reached me that the King had taken thee, for that certain of the
folk had lied against thee and accused thee of being a robber
wherefore I feared and shut shop and hid myself." "True," said
Abdullah and told him all that had befallen him with the King and
the Shaykh of the jewellers' bazar, adding "Moreover, the King
hath given me his daughter to wife and made me his Wazir;" and,
after a pause, "So do thou take what is in this fish-basket to
thy share and fear naught." Then he left him, after having done
away from his affright, and returned with the empty crate to the
King, who said to him, "O my son-in-law, 'twould seem thou hast
not foregathered with thy friend the Merman to-day." Replied
Abdullah, "I went to him but that which he gave me I gave to my
gossip the baker, to whom I owe kindness." "Who may be this
baker?" asked the King; and the fisherman answered, "He is a
benevolent man, who did with me thus and thus in the days of my
poverty and never neglected me a single day nor hurt my
feelings." Quoth the King, "What is his name?"; and quoth the
fisherman "His name is Abdullah the Baker; and my name is
Abdullah of the Land and that of my friend the Merman Abdullah of
the Sea." Rejoined the King, "And my name also is Abdullah; and
the servants of Allah[FN#253] are all brethren. So send and
fetch thy friend the baker, that I may make him my Wazir of the
left."[FN#254] So he sent for the baker who speedily came to the
presence, and the King invested him with the Wazirial uniform and
made him Wazir of the left, making Abdullah of the Land his Wazir
of the right.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
King made his son-in-law, Abdullah of the Land, Wazir of the
right and Abdullah the baker Wazir of the left. In such
condition the fisherman abode a whole year, every day carrying
for the Merman the crate full of fruit and receiving it back,
full of jewels; and when fruit failed from the gardens, he
carried him raisins and almonds and filberts and walnuts and figs
and so forth; and all that he brought for him the Merman accepted
and returned him the fish-basket full of jewels according to his
custom. Now it chanced one day that he carried him the crate,
full of dry[FN#255] fruits as was his wont, and his friend took
them from him. Then they sat down to converse, Abdullah the
fisherman on the beach and Abdullah the Merman in the water near
the shore, and discoursed; and the talk went round between them,
till it fell upon the subject of sepulchres; whereat quoth the
Merman, "O my brother, they say that the Prophet (whom Allah
assain and save!) is buried with you on the land. Knowest thou
his tomb?" Abdullah replied, "Yes; it lieth in a city called
Yathrib.[FN#256]" Asked the Merman, "And do the people of the
land visit it?" "Yes," answered the fisherman, and the other
said, "I give you joy, O people of the land, of visiting[FN#257]
that noble Prophet and compassionate, which whoso visiteth
meriteth his intercession! Hast thou made such visitation, O my
brother?" Replied the fisherman, "No: for I was poor and had not
the necessary sum[FN#258] to spend by the way, nor have I been in
easy case but since I knew thee and thou bestowedst on me this
good fortune. But such visitation behoveth me after I have
pilgrimed to the Holy House of Allah[FN#259] and naught
withholdeth ,me therefrom but my love to thee, because I cannot
leave thee for one day." Rejoined the Merman, "And dost thou set
the love of me before the visitation of the tomb of Mohammed
(whom Allah assain and save!), who shall intercede for thee on
the Day of Review before Allah and shall save thee from the Fire
and through whose intercession thou shalt enter Paradise? And
dost thou, for the love of the world, neglect to visit the tomb
of thy Prophet[FN#260] Mohammed, whom God bless and preserve?"
Replied Abdullah, "No, by Allah, I set the visitation of the
Prophet's tomb above all else, and I crave thy leave to pray
before it this year." The Merman rejoined, "I grant thee leave,
on condition that when thou shalt stand by his sepulchre thou
salute him for me with the Salam. Furthermore I have a trust to
give thee; so come thou with me into the sea, that I may carry
thee to my city and entertain thee in my house and give thee a
deposit; which when thou takest thy station by the Prophet's
tomb, do thou lay thereon, saying, 'O apostle of Allah, Abdullah
the Merman saluteth thee, and sendeth thee this present,
imploring thine intercession to save him from the Fire.'" Said
the fisherman, "O my brother, thou wast created in the water and
water is thy abiding-place and doth thee no hurt, but, if thou
shouldst come forth to the land, would any harm betide thee?"
The Merman replied, "Yes; my body would dry up and the breezes of
the land would blow upon me and I should die." Rejoined the
fisherman, "And I, in like manner, was created on the land and
the land is my abiding-place; but, an I went down into the sea,
the water would enter my belly and choke me and I should die."
Retorted the other, "Have no fear for that, for I will bring thee
an ointment, wherewith when thou hast anointed thy body, the
water will do thee no hurt, though thou shouldst pass the lave of
thy life going about in the great deep: and thou shalt lie down
and rise up in the sea and naught shall harm thee." Quoth the
fisherman, "An the case by thus, well and good; but bring me the
ointment, so that I may make trial of it;" and quoth the Merman,
"So be it;" then, taking the fish-basket disappeared in the
depths. He was absent awhile, and presently returned with an
unguent as it were the fat of beef, yellow as gold and sweet of
savour. Asked the fisherman, "What is this, O my brother?"; and
answered the Merman, "'Tis the liver-fat of a kind of fish called
the Dandan,[FN#261] which is the biggest of all fishes and the
fiercest of our foes. His bulk is greater than that of any beast
of the land, and were he to meet a camel or an elephant, he would
swallow it at a single mouthful." Abdullah enquired, "O my
brother, what doth this baleful beast?"; and the Merman replied,
"He eateth of the beasts of the sea. Hast thou not heard the
saying, 'Like the fishes of the sea: forcible eateth
feeble?[FN#262]'" "True; but have you many of these Dandans in
the sea?" "Yes, there be many of them with us. None can tell
their tale save Almighty Allah." "Verily, I fear lest, if I go
down with thee into the deep a creature of this kind fall in with
me and devour me." "Have no fear: when he seeth thee, he will
know thee for a son of Adam and will fear thee and flee. He
dreadeth none in the sea as he dreadeth a son of Adam; for that
an he eateth a man he dieth forthright, because human fat is a
deadly poison to this kind of creature; nor do we collect its
liver-speck save by means of a man, when he falleth into the sea
and is drowned; for that his semblance becometh changed and
ofttimes his flesh is torn; so the Dandan eateth him, deeming him
the same of the denizens of the deep, and dieth. Then we light
upon our enemy dead and take the speck of his liver and grease
ourselves so that we can over-wander the main in safety. Also,
wherever there is a son of Adam, though there be in that place an
hundred or two hundred or a thousand or more of these beasts, all
die forthright an they but hear him,--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the sea said to Abdullah of the Land, "And if a thousand or
more of this kind hear an Adamite cry a single cry, forthright
all die nor hath one of them power to remove from his place; so,
whenever a son of Adam falleth into the sea, we take him and
anoint him with this fat and go round about the depths with him,
and whenever we see a Dandan or two or three or more, we bid him
cry out and they all die forthright for his once crying." Quoth
the fisherman, "I put my trust in Allah;" and, doffing his
clothes, buried them in a hole which he dug in the beach; after
which he rubbed his body from head to heels which that ointment.
Then he descended into the water and diving, opened his eyes and
the brine did him no hurt. So he walked right and left, and if
he would, he rose to the sea-face, and if he would, he sank to
the base. And he beheld the water as it were a tent over his
head; yet it wrought him no hurt. Then said the Merman to him,
"What seest thou, O my brother?"; and said he, "O my brother, I
see naught save weal[FN#263]; and indeed thou spakest truth in
that which thou saidst to me; for the water doth me no hurt."
Quoth the Merman, "Follow me." So he followed him and they
ceased not faring on from place to place, whilst Abdullah
discovered before him and on his right and left mountains of
water and solaced himself by gazing thereon and on the various
sorts of fish, some great and some small, which disported
themselves in the main. Some of them favoured buffaloes[FN#264]
others oxen and others dogs and yet others human beings; but all
to which they drew near fled, whenas they saw the fisherman, who
said to the Merman, "O my brother, how is it that I see all the
fish, to which we draw near, flee from us afar?" Said the other,
"Because they fear thee, for all things that Allah hath made fear
the son of Adam.[FN#265]" The fisherman ceased not to divert
himself with the marvels of the deep, till they came to a high
mountain and fared on beside it. Suddenly, he heard a mighty
loud cry and turning, saw some black thing, the bigness of a
camel or bigger, coming down upon him from the liquid mountain
and crying out. So he asked his friend, "What is this, O my
brother?"; and the Merman answered, "This is the Dandan. He
cometh in search of me, seeking to devour me; so cry out at him,
O my brother, ere he reach us; else he will snatch me up and
devour me." Accordingly Abdullah cried out at the beast and
behold, it fell down dead; which when he saw, he said, "Glorified
be the perfection of God and His praise! I smote it not with the
sword nor knife; how cometh it that, for all the vastness of the
creature's bulk, it could not bear my cry, but died?" Replied the
Merman, "Marvel not, for, by Allah, O my brother, were there a
thousand or two thousand of these creatures, yet could they not
endure the cry of a son of Adam." Then they walked on, till they
made a city, whose inhabitants the fisherman saw to be all women,
there being no male among them; so he said to his companion, "O
my brother, what city is this and what are these women?" "This
is the city of women; for its inhabitants are of the women of the
sea." "Are there any males among them?" "No!" "Then how do they
conceive and bear young, without males?[FN#266]" "The King of
the sea banisheth them hither and they conceive not neither bear
children. All the women of the sea, with whom he is wroth, he
sendeth to this city, and they cannot leave it; for, should one
of them come forth therefrom, any of the beasts of the sea that
saw her would eat her. But in other cities of the main there are
both males and females." Thereupon asked the fisherman, "Are
there then other cities than this in the sea?"; and the Merman
answered, "There are many." Quoth the fisherman, "And is there a
Sultan over you in the sea?" "Yes," quoth the Merman. Then said
Abdullah "O my brother, I have indeed seen many marvels in the
main!" But the Merman said, "And what hast thou seen of its
marvels?[FN#267] Hast thou not heard the saying, 'The marvels of
the sea are more manifold than the marvels of the land?'"
"True," rejoined the fisherman and fell to gazing upon those
women, whom he saw with faces like moons and hair like women's
hair, but their hands and feet were in their middle and they had
tails like fishes' tails. Now when the Merman had shown him the
people of the city, he carried him forth therefrom and forewalked
him to another city, which he found full of folk, both males and
females, formed like the women aforesaid and having tails; but
there was neither selling nor buying amongst them, as with the
people of the land, nor were they clothed, but went all naked and
with their same uncovered. Said Abdullah "O my brother, I see
males and females alike with their shame exposed,[FN#268]" and
the other said, "This is because the folk of the sea have no
clothes." Asked the fisherman, "And how do they when they
marry?" The Merman answered, "They do not marry; but every one
who taketh a liking to a female doth his will of her." Quoth
Abdullah, "This is unlawful! Why doth he not ask her in marriage
and dower her and make her a wedding festival and marry her, in
accordance with that which is pleasing to Allah and His
Apostle?"; and quoth the other, "We are not all of one religion:
some of us are Moslems, believers in The Unity, others Nazarenes
and what not else; and each marrieth in accordance with the
ordinances of his creed; but those of us who marry are mostly
Moslems." The fisherman continued, "Ye are naked and have
neither buying nor selling among you: of what then is your wives'
dowry? Do ye give them jewels and precious stones?" The Merman
rejoined, "Gems with us are only stones without worth: but upon
the Moslem who is minded to marry they impose a dowry of a
certain number of fishes of various kinds that he must catch, a
thousand or two thousand, more or less, according to the
agreement between himself and the bride's father. As soon as he
bringeth the amount required, the families of the bride and
bridegroom assemble and eat the marriage-banquet; after which
they bring him in to his bride, and he catcheth fish and feedeth
her; or, if he be unable, she catcheth fish and feedeth him."
Enquired the fisherman, "And how if a woman commit adultery?";
and the other replied, "If a woman be convicted of this case,
they banish her to the City of Women; and if she be with child by
her gallant, they leave her till she be delivered; then, if she
give birth to a girl, they banish her with her, calling her
adulteress, daughter of adulteress, and she abideth a maid till
she die; but, if the woman give birth to a male child, they carry
it to the Sultan of the Sea, who putteth it to death." Abdullah
marvelled at this and the Merman carried him to another city and
thence to another and yet another, till he had diverted him with
the sight of eighty cities, and he saw the people of each city
unlike those of every other. Then said he to the Merman, "O my
brother, are there yet other cities in the main?"; whereto said
the other, "And what hast thou seen of the cities of the sea and
its wondrous spectacles? By the virtue of the noble Prophet, the
benign, the compassionate, were I to show thee every day a
thousand cities for a thousand years, and in each city a thousand
marvels, I should not have shown thee one carat of the four-and-
twenty carats of the cities of the sea and its miracles! I have
but shown thee our own province and country, nothing more." The
fisherman thus resumed, "O my brother, since this is the case,
what I have seen sufficeth me, for I am a-weary of eating fish,
and these fourscore days I have been in thy company, thou hast
fed me, morning and night, upon nothing but raw fish, neither
broiled nor boiled." "And what is broiled or boiled?" "We broil
fish with fire and boil it in water and dress it in various ways
and make many dishes of it." "And how should we come by fire in
the sea? We know not broiled nor boiled nor aught else of the
kind." "We also fry it in olive-oil and oil of sesame.[FN#269]"
How should be come by olive-oil and oil of sesame in the sea?
Verily we know nothing of that thou namest." "True, but O my
brother, thou hast shown me many cities; yet hast thou not shown
me thine own city." "As for mine own city, we passed it a long
way, for it is near the land whence we came, and I left it and
came with thee hither, thinking only to divert thee with the
sight of the greater cities of the sea." "That which I have seen
of them sufficeth me; and now I would have thee show me thine own
city." "So be it," answered Abdullah of the Sea; and, returning
on his traces, carried him back thither and said to him, "This is
my city." Abdullah of the Land looked and saw a city small by
comparison with those he had seen; then he entered with his
comrade of the deep and they fared on till they came to a cave.
Quoth the Merman, "This is my house and all the houses in the
city are like this, caverns great and small in the mountains; as
are also those of every other city of the sea. For whoso is
minded to make him a house must repair to the King and say to
him, 'I wish to make me a house in such a place.' Whereupon the
King sends with him a band of the fish called 'Peckers,'[FN#270]
which have beaks that crumble the hardest rock, appointing for
their wage a certain quantum of fish. They betake themselves to
the mountain chosen by the intended owner and therein pierce the
house, whilst the owner catcheth fish for them and feedeth them,
till the cave is finished, when they wend their ways and the
house-owner taketh up his abode therein. On such wise do all the
people of the sea; they traffic not one with other nor serve each
other save by means of fish; and their food is fish and they
themselves are a kind of fish.[FN#271]" Then he said to him,
"Enter!" So Abdullah entered and the Merman cried out, saying,
"Ho, daughter mine!" when behold, there came to him a damsel with
a face like the rondure of the moon and hair long, hips heavy,
eyes black-edged and waist slender; but she was naked and had a
tail. When she saw Abdullah of the Land she said to her sire, "O
my father, what is this No-tail[FN#272] thou hast brought with
thee?" He replied, "O my daughter this is my friend of the land,
from whom I used to bring thee the fruits of the ground. Come
hither and salute him with the salam." So she came forward and
saluted the fisherman with loquent tongue and eloquent speech;
and her father said to her, "Bring meat for our guest, by whose
visit a blessing hath betided us:[FN#273]" whereupon she brought
him two great fishes, each the bigness of a lamb, and the Merman
said to him, "Eat." So he ate for stress of hunger, despite
himself; because he was tired of eating fish and they had naught
else save fish. Before long, in came the Merman's wife, who was
beautiful of form and favour and with her two children, each
having in his hand a young fish, which he craunched as a man
would craunch a cucumber. When she saw the fisherman with her
husband, she said, "What is this No-tail?" And she and her sons
and their sister came up to him and fell to examining the back
parts of Abdullah of the Land, and saying, "Yea, by Allah, he is
tailless!"; and they laughed at him. So he said to the Merman,
"O my brother, hast thou brought me hither to make me a butt and
a laughing-stock for thy children and thy consort?"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Nine Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah
of the Land said to Abdullah of the sea, "O my brother, hast thou
brought me hither to make me a butt and a laughing-stock for thy
children and thy consort?" Cried the Merman, "Pardon, O my
brother! Those who have no tails are rare among us, and whenever
one such is found, the Sultan taketh him, to make fun of him, and
he abideth a marvel amongst us, and all who see him laugh at him.
But, O my brother, excuse these young children and this woman,
for they lack wits." Then he cried out to his family, saying,
"Silence!"; so they were afraid and held their peace; whilst he
went on to soothe Abdullah's mind. Presently, as they were
talking, behold, in came some ten Merman, tall and strong and
stout, and said to him, "O Abdullah, it hath reached the King
that thou hast with thee a No-tail of the No-tails of the earth."
Answered the Merman, "Yes; and this is he; but he is not of us
nor of the children of the sea. He is my friend of the land and
hath come to me as a guest and I purpose to carry him back to the
land." Quoth they, "We cannot depart but with him; so, an thou
have aught to say, arise and come with him before the King; and
whatso thou wouldst say to us, say thou that same to the King."
Then quoth the Merman to the fisherman, "O my brother, my excuse
is manifest, and we may not disobey the King: but go thou with me
to him and I will do my best to deliver thee from him, Inshallah!
Fear not, for he deemeth thee of the children of the sea; but,
when he seeth thee, he will know thee to be of the children of
the land, and he will surely entreat thee honourably and restore
thee to the land." And Abdullah of the Land replied, "'Tis thine
to decide, I will trust in Allah and wend with thee." So he took
him and carried him to the King, who, when he saw him, laughed at
him and said, "Welcome to the No-tail!" And all who were about
the King began to laugh at him and say, "Yea, by Allah, he is
tailless!" Then Abdullah of the Sea came forward and acquainted
the King with the fisherman's case, saying, "This man is of the
children of the land and he is my comrade and cannot live amongst
us, for that he loveth not the eating of fish, except it be fried
or boiled; wherefore I desire that thou give me leave to restore
him to the land." Whereto the King replied, "Since the case is
so, and he cannot live among us, I give thee leave to restore him
to his place, after due entertainment," presently adding, "Bring
him the guest-meal." So they brought him fish of various kinds
and colours and he ate, in obedience to the royal behest; after
which the King said to him, "Ask a boon of me." Quoth he, "I ask
of thee that thou give me jewels;" and the King said, "Carry him
to the jewel-house and let him choose that whereof he hath need."
So his friend carried him to the jewel-house and he picked out
whatso he would, after which the Merman brought him back to his
own city and pulling out a purse, said to him, "Take this deposit
and lay it on the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah save and
assain!" And he took it, knowing not what was therein. Then the
Merman went forth with him, to bring him back to land, and by the
way he heard singing and merrymaking and saw a table spread with
fish and folk eating and singing and holding mighty high
festival. So Abdullah of the Land said to his friend, "What
aileth these people to rejoice thus? Is there a wedding among
them?" Replied Abdullah of the Sea, "Nay; one of them is dead."
Asked the fisherman, "Then do ye, when one dieth amongst you,
rejoice for him and sing and feast?"; and the Merman answered,
"Yes: and ye of the land, what do ye?" Quoth Abdullah of the
Land, "When one dieth amongst us, we weep and keen for him and
the women beat their faces and rend the bosoms of their raiment,
in token of mourning for the dead." But Abdullah the Merman
stared at him with wide eyes and said to him, "Give me the
deposit!" So he gave it to him. Then he set him ashore and said
to him, "I have broken off our companionship and our amity;
wherefore from this day forward thou shalt no more see me, nor I
see thee." Cried the fisherman, "Why sayst thou this?"; and the
other said, "Are ye not, O folk of the land, a deposit of Allah?"
"Yes." "Why then," asked the Merman, "is it grievous to you that
Allah should take back His deposit and wherefore weep ye over it?
How can I entrust thee with a deposit for the Prophet (whom Allah
save and assain!), seeing that, when a child is born to you, ye
rejoice in it, albeit the Almighty setteth the soul therein as a
deposit; and yet, when he taketh it again, it is grievous to you
and ye weep and mourn? Since it is hard for thee to give up the
deposit of Allah, how shall it be easy to thee to give up the
deposit of the Prophet?[FN#274] Wherefore we need not your
companionship." Saying thus he left him and disappeared in the
sea. Thereupon Abdullah of the Land donned his dress and taking
the jewels, went up to the King, who met him lovingly and
rejoiced at his return saying, "How dost thou, O my son-in-law,
and what is the cause of thine absence from me this while?" So
he told him his tale and acquainted him with that which he had
seen of marvels in the sea, whereat the King wondered. Then he
told him what Abdullah the Merman had said[FN#275]; and the King
replied, "Indeed 'twas thou wast at fault to tell him this."
Nevertheless, he continued for some time to go down to the shore
and call upon Abdullah of the Sea, but he answered him not nor
came to him; so, at last, he gave up all hope of him and abode,
he and the King his father-in-law and the families of them both
in the happiest of case and the practice of righteous ways, till
there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of
societies and they died all. Wherefore glory be to the Living,
who dieth not, whose is the empire of the Seen and the Unseen,
who over all things is Omnnipotent and is gracious to His
servants and knowth their every intent! And amongst the tales
they tell is one anent
