The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01Anonymous
General
The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Volume 01
Anonymous
Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Folklore -- Arab countries
When they came to the side of the pond, the genie says to the
fisherman, Cast in thy nets, and take fish; the fisherman did not
doubt to catch some, because he saw a great number in the pond;
but he was extremely surprised when he found they were of four
colours; that is to say, white, red, blue, and yellow. He threw
in his nets, and brought out one of each colour; having never
seen the like, he could not but admire them, and, judging that he
might get a considerable sum for them, he was very joyful. Carry
these fish, says the genie to him, and present them to the
sultan; he will give you more money for them than ever you had in
your life. You may come every day to fish in this pond, and I
give thee warming not to throw in thy nets above once a day;
otherwise you will repent it. Take heed, and remember my advice;
if you follow it exactly, you will find your account in it.
Having spoken thus, he struck his foot upon the ground, which
opened, and shut again after it had swallowed up the genie.
The fisherman, being resolved to follow the genie's advice
exactly, forebore casting in his nets a second time; but returned
to the town very well satisfied with his fish, and making a
thousand reflections upon his adventure. He went straight to the
sultan's palace to present him his fish. But, sir, says
Scheherazade, I perceive day, and must stop here.
Dear sister, says Dinarzade, how surprising are the last events
you have told us? I have much ado to believe that any thing you
have to say can be more surprising. Sister, replies the
sultaness, if the sultan, my master, will let me live till
to-morrow, I am persuaded you will find the sequel of the history
of the fisherman more wonderful than the beginning of it, and
incomparably more diverting. Schahriar, being curious to know if
the remainder of the story of the fisherman would be such as the
sultaness said, put off the execution of the cruel law one day
more.
The Nineteenth Night.
Towards morning, Dinarzade called the sultaness, and said, Dear
sister, my pendulum tells me it will be day speedily, therefore
pray continue the history of the fisherman; I am extremely
impatient to know what the issue of it was. Scheherazade, having
demanded leave of Schahriar, resumed her discourse as follows:
Sir, I leave it to your majesty to think how much the sultan was
surprised when he saw the four fishes which the fisherman
presented him. He took them up one after another, and beheld them
with attention; and after having admired them a long time, take
these fishes, says he to his prime vizier, and carry them to the
fine cook-maid that the emperor of the Greeks has sent me. I
cannot imagine but they must be as good as they are fine.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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