The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
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.
Know, O company, that after my return from my sixth voyage, which
brought me abundant profit, I resumed my former life in all possible
joyance and enjoyment and mirth and making merry day and night; and I
tarried some time in this solace and satisfaction till my soul began
once more to long to sail the seas and see foreign countries and
company with merchants and hear new things. So having made up my mind,
I packed up in bales a quantity of precious stuffs suited for sea-trade
and repaired with them from Baghdad-city to Bassorah-town, where I
found a ship ready for sea, and in her a company of considerable
merchants. I shipped with them and becoming friends, we set forth on
our venture, in health and safety; and sailed with a fair wind, till we
came to a city called Madínat-al-Sín; but after we had left it, as we
fared on in all cheer and confidence, devising of traffic and travel,
behold, there sprang up a violent head-wind and a tempest of rain fell
on us and drenched us and our goods. So we covered the bales with our
cloaks and garments and drugget and canvas, lest they be spoiled by the
rain, and betook ourselves to prayer and supplication to Almighty Allah
and humbled ourselves before Him for deliverance from the peril that
was upon us. But the captain arose and tightening his girdle tucked up
his skirts and, after taking refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned,
clomb to the mast-head, whence he looked out right and left and gazing
at the passengers and crew fell to buffeting his face and plucking out
his beard. So we cried to him, “O Rais, what is the matter?”; and he
replied saying, “Seek ye deliverance of the Most High from the strait
into which we have fallen and bemoan yourselves and take leave of one
another; for know that the wind hath gotten the mastery of us and hath
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