The Story of the Envier and the Envied

Know, O my master, that there was a certain man who
had a neighbour that envied him ; and the more this person
envied him, so much the more did God increase the pros-
perity of the former. Thus it continued a long time ; but
when the envied man found that his neighbour persisted
in troubling him, he removed to a place where there was a
deserted well ; and there he built for himself an oratory, and
occupied himself in the worship of God. Numerous Fakirs'
assembled around him, and he acquired great esteem, people
repairing to him from every quarter, placing firm reliance
upon his sanctity ; and his fame reached the ears of his
envious neighbour, who mounted his horse, and went to
visit him ; and when the envied man saw him, he saluted
him, and payed him the utmost civility. The envier then
said to him, I have come hither to inform thee of a matter
in which thou wilt find advantage, and for which I shall
obtain a recompense in heaven. The envied man replied,
May God requite thee for me with every blessing. Then,
said the envier, order the Fakirs to retire to their cells, for
the information that I am about to give thee I would have
no one overhear. So he ordered them to enter their cells;
and the envier said to him. Arise, and let us walk together,
and converse ; and they walked on until they came to the
deserted well before mentioned, when the envier pushed
the envied man into this well, without the knowledge of
any one, and went his way, imagining that he had killed
him.

But this well was inhabited by Jinn, who received him
unhurt, and seated him upon a large stone ; and when they
had done this, one of them said to the others. Do ye know
this man? They answered, We know him not. — This, said
he, is the envied man who fled from him who envied him,
and took up his abode in this quarter, in the neighbouring
oratory, and who entertaineth us by his zikr^ and his read-
ings ; and when his envier heard of him, he came hither to
him, and, devising a stratagem against him, threw him down
here. His fame hath this night reached the Sultan of this
city, who hath purposed to visit him to-morrow, on account
of the affliction which hath befallen his daughter. — And
what, said they, hath happened to his daughter? He
answered, Madness ; for Meymun, the son of Demdem,
hath become inflamed with love for her; and her cure is
the easiest of things. They asked him. What is it? — and
he answered, The black cat that is with him in the oratory-
hath at the end of her tail a white spot, of the size of a
piece of silver; and from this white spot should be taken
seven hairs, and with these the damsel should be fumigated,
and the Marid would depart from over her head, and not
return to her; so she would be instantly cured. And now
it is our duty to take him out.

When the morning came, the Fakirs saw the sheykh
rising out of the well ; and he became magnified in their
eyes. And when he entered the oratory, he took from the
white spot at the end of the cat's tail seven hairs, and placed
them in a portfolio by him ; and at sunrise the King came
to him, and when the sheykh saw him, he said to him, O
King, thou hast come to visit me in order that I may cure
thy daughter. The King replied, Yes, O virtuous Sheykh. —
Then, said the sheykh, send some person to bring her
hither; and I trust in God, whose name be exalted, that
she may be instantly cured. And when the King had
brought his daughter, the sheykh beheld her bound, and,
seating her, suspended a curtain over her, and took out the
hairs, and fumigated her with them; whereupon the Marid
cried out from over her head, and left her; and the damsel
immediately recovered her reason, and, veiling her face,
said to her father, What is this, and wherefore didst thou
bring me to this place? He answered her. Thou hast
nothing to fear; — and rejoiced greatly. He kissed the
hand of the envied sheykh, and said to the great men of
his court who were with him. What shall be the recompense
of this sheykh for that which he hath done ? They answered,
His recompense should be that thou marry him to her. —
Ye have spoken truly, said the King: — and he gave her in
marriage to him, and thus the sheykh became a connection
of the King; and after some days the King died, and he
was made King in his place.

And it happened one day that this envied King was
riding with his troops, and he saw his envier approaching;
and when this man came before him he seated him upon a
horse with high distinction and honour, and, taking him to
his palace, gave him a thousand pieces of gold, and a costly
dress; after which he sent him back from the city, with
attendants to escort him to his house, and reproached him
for nothing. — Consider, then, O 'Efrit, the pardon of the
envied to the envier, and his kindness to him, notwithstand-
ing the injuries he had done him. —

The 'Efrit, when he had heard this story, repHcd,
Lengthen not thy words to me: as to my killing thee, fear
it not; and as to my pardoning thee, covet it not; but as
to my enchanting thee, there is no escape from it; — and,
so saying, he clove the earth asunder, and soared with me
through the sky to such a height that I beheld the world
beneath me as though it were a bowl of water; then, alighting
upon a mountain, he took up a little dust, and, having
muttered and pronounced certain words over it, sprinkled
me with it, saying. Quit this form, and take the form of an
ape ! — whereupon I became like an ape of a hundred years
of age.

When I saw myself changed into this ugly form, I wept
for myself, but determined to be patient under the tyranny
of fortune, knowing it to be constant to no one. I de-
scended from the summit of the mountain, and, after having
journeyed for the space of a month, arrived at the sea-
shore; and, when I had stood there a short time, I saw a
vessel in the midst of the sea, with a favourable wind ap-
proaching the land; I therefore hid myself behind a rock
on the beach, and when the ship came close up, I sprang
into the midst of it. But as soon as the persons on board
saw me, one of them cried. Turn out this unlucky brute
from the ship: — another said. Let us kill him: — and a third
exclaimed, I will kill him with this sword. I, however,
caught hold of the end of the sword, and tears flowed from
my eyes; at the sight of which the captain took compassion
on me, and said to the passengers, O merchants, this ape
hath sought my aid, and I give it him; he is under my
protection; let no one, therefore, oppose or trouble him.
He then treated me with kindness, and whatever he said
to me I understood, and all that he required to be done
I performed as his servant.

We continued our voyage for fifty days with a fair wind,
and cast anchor under a large city containing a population
which no one but God, whose name be exalted, could
reckon ; and when we had moored our vessel, there came
to us some memluks from the King of the city, w-ho came
on board the ship, and complimented the merchants on
their safe arrival, saying, Our King greeteth you, rejoicing
in your safety, and hath sent to you this roll of paper, de-
siring that each of you shall write a line upon it; for the
King had a Wezir who was an eminent calligraphist, and he
is dead, and the King hath sworn that he will not appoint
any person to his office who cannot write equally well.
Though in the form of an ape, I arose and snatched the
paper from their hands ; upon which, fearing that I would
tear it and throw it into the sea, they cried out against me,
and would have killed me; but I made signs to them that
I would write, and the captain said to them, Suffer him to
write, and if he scribble we will turn him away; but if he
write well I will adopt him as my son ; for I have never
seen a more intelligent ape. So I took the pen, and de-
manded tjie ink, and wrote in an epistolary hand this
couplet : —

Fame hath recorded the virtues of the noble ; but no one hath

been able to reckon thine.
May God not deprive mankind of such a father ; for thou art the

parent of every excellence.

Then, in a more formal, large hand, I wrote the following
verses : —

There is no writer that shall not perish ; but what his hand hath

written endureth ever.
Write, therefore, nothing but what will please thee when thou

shalt see it on the day of resurrection.

Two other specimens I wrote, in two dift'erent and smaller
hands, and returned the paper to the memluks, who took it
back to the King; and when he saw what was written upon
it, the hand of no one pleased him excepting mine; and he
said to his attendants, Go to the author of this hand-writing,
put upon him this dress, and mount him upon a mule, and
conduct him, with the band of music before him, to my
presence. On hearing this order, they smiled : and the
King was angry with them, and said, How is it that I give
you an order, and ye laugh at me ? They answered, O King,
we laugh not at thy words, but because he who wrote this
is an ape, and not a son of Adam: he is with the captain
of the ship newly arrived.

The King was astonished at their words ; he shook with
delight, and said, I would purchase this ape. He then sent
some messengers to the ship, with the mule and the dress
of honour, saying to them, Ye must clothe him with this
dress, and mount him upon the mule, and bring him hither.
So they came to the ship, and, taking me from the captain,
clad me with the dress ; and the people were astonished,
and flocked to amuse themselves with the sight of me. And
.when they brought me to the King, and I beheld him, I
kissed the ground before him three times, and he ordered
me to sit down : so I sat down upon my knees ; and the
persons present were surprised at my polite manners, and
especially the King, who presently ordered his people to
retire. They, therefore, did so; none remaining but the
King, and a eunuch, and a young memluk, and myself.
The King then commandc4 that a repast should be brought ;
and they placed before him a service of viands, such as
gratified the appetite and delighted the eye; and the King
made a sign to me that I should eat; whereupon I arose,
and, having kissed the ground before him seven times, sat
down to eat with him ; and when the table was removed, I
washed my hands, and, taking the ink-case, and pen and
paper, I wrote these two verses : —

Great is my appetite for thee, O Kunafeh !' I cannot be happy

nor endure without thee.
Be thou every day and night my food; and may drops of honey

not be wanting to moisten thee.

Having done this, I arose, and seated myself at a distance;
and the King, looking at what I had written, read it with
astonishment, and exclaimed, Can an ape possess such
fluency and such skill in calligraphy? This is, indeed, a
wonder of wonders ! — Afterwards, a chess-table was brought
to the King, and he said to me, Wilt thou play? By a
motion of my head I answered. Yes: — and I advanced, and
arranged the pieces. I played with him twice, and beat
Him; and the King was perplexed, and said. Were this a
man, he would surpass all the people of his age.

He then said to his eunuch, Go to thy mistress, and say
to her. Answer the summons of the King: — that she may
come and gratify her curiosity by the sight of this wonderful
ape. The eunuch, therefore,, went, and returned with his
mistress, the King's daughter, who, as soon as she s?w me,
veiled her face, and said, O my father, how is it that thou
art pleased to send for me and suffer strange men to see
me? — O my daughter, answered the King, there is no one
here but the young memluk, and the eunuch who brought
thee up, and this ape, with myself, thy father: from whom,
then, dost thou veil thy face? — This ape, said she, is the
son of a King, and the name of his father is Eymar : he
is enchanted, and it was the 'Efrit Jarjaris, a descendant of
Iblis, who transformed him, after having slain his own wife,
the daughter of King Aknamus. This, whom thou sup-
posedst to be an ape, is a learned and wise man. — The
King was amazed at his daughter's words, and, looking
towards me, said. Is it true that she saith of thee? I
answered, by a motion of my head. Yes : — and wept. The
King then said to his daughter, By what means didst thou
discover that he was enchanted ? — O my father, she answered,
I had with me, in my younger years, an old woman who was
a cunning enchantress, and she taught me the art of en-
chantment: I have committed its rules to memory, and
know it thoroughly, being acquainted with a hundred and
seventy modes of performing it, by the least of which I
could transport the stones of thy city beyond Ivlount Kaf,
and make its site to be an abyss of the sea. and convert
its inhabitants into fish in the midst of it. — I conjure thee,
then, by the name of Allah, said her father, to restore this
young man, that I may make him my W'ezir. Is it possible
that thou possessedst this excellence, and I knew it not?
Restore him, that I may make him my Wezir, for he is a
polite and intelligent youth.

She replied. With pleasure: — and, taking a knife upon
which were engraved some Hebrew names, marked with it
a circle in the midst of the palace. Within this she wrote
certain names and talismans, and then she pronounced invo-
cations, and uttered unintelligible words; and soon the
palace around us became immersed in gloom to such a
degree, that we thought the whole world was overspread;
and lo, the 'Efrit appeared before us in a most hideous
shape, w^ith hands like w^nnowing-forks, and legs like masts,
and eyes like burning torches; so that we were terrified at
him. The King's daughter exclaimed, No welcome to thee !
— to which the 'Efrit, assuming the form of a lion, replied,
Thou traitress, how is it that thou hast broken thine oath?
Did we not swear that we would not oppose one another? —
Thou wretch, said she, when didst thou receive an oath? —
The 'Efrit, still in the form of a lion, then exclaimed. Take
what awaiteth thee ! — and, opening his mouth, rushed upon
the lady; but she instantly plucked a hair from her head
and muttered with her lips, w^hereupon the hair became
converted into a piercing sword, with which she struck the
lion, and he was cleft in twain by the blow; but his head
became changed into a scorpion. The lady immediately
transformed herself into an enormous serpent, and crept
after the execrable wretch in the shape of a scorpion, and
a sharp contest ensued between them; after which, the
scorpion became an eagle, and the serpent, changing to a
vulture, pursued the eagle for a length of time. The latter
then transformed himself into a black cat, and the King's
daughter became a wolf, and they fought together long and
fiercely, till the cat, seeing himself overcome, changed him-
self into a large red pomegranate, which fell into a pool;
but, the wolf pursuing it, it ascended into the air, and then
fell upon the pavement of the palace, and broke in pieces,
its grains becoming scattered, each apart from the others,
and all spread about the whole space of ground enclosed by
the palace. The wolf, upon this, transformed itself into a
cock, in order to pick up the grains, and not leave one of
them ; but, according to the decree of fate, one grain re-
mained hidden by the side of the pool of the fountain.
The cock began to cry, and flapped its wings, and made a
sign to us with its beak ; but we understood not what it
would say. It then uttered at us such a cry, that we thought
the palace had fallen down upon us; and it ran about the
whole of the ground, until it saw the grain that had Iain hid
by the side of the pool, when it pounced upon it, to pick it
up; but it fell into the midst of the water, and became
transformed into a fish, and sank into the water ; upon
which the cock became a fish of a larger size, and plunged
in after the other. For a while it was absent from our
sight; but, at length, we heard a loud cry, and trembled at
the sound ; after which, the 'Ef rit rose as a flame of fire,
casting fire from his mouth, and fire and smoke from his
eyes and nostrils: the King's daughter also became as a
vast body of fire; and we would have plunged into the
water from fear of our being burnt and destroyed; but sud-
denly the 'Efrit cried out from within the fire, and came
towards us upon the liwan," blowing fire at our faces. The
lady, however, overtook him, and blew fire in like manner
in his face ; and some sparks struck us both from her and
from him: her sparks did us no harm; but one from him
struck me in my eye, and destroyed it, I being still in the
form of an ape; and a spark from him reached the face of
the King, and burned the lower half, with his beard and
mouth, and struck out his lower teeth : another spark also
fell upon the breast of the eunuch; who was burnt, and
died immediately. We expected destruction, and gave up
all hope of preserving our lives ; but while we were in this
state, a voice exclaimed, God is most great ! God is most
great ! He hath conquered and aided, and abandoned the
denier of the faith of Mohammad, the chief of mankind.'"
— The person from whom this voice proceeded was the
King's daughter : she had burnt the 'Ef rit ; and when we
looked towards him, we perceived that he had become a
heap of ashes.

The lady then came to us, and said, Bring me a cup of
water: — and when it was brought to her, she pronounced
over it some words which we understood not, and, sprinkling
me with it, said, Be restored, by virtue of the name of the
Truth, and by virtue of the most great name of God, to thy
original form ! — whereupon I became a man as I was at
first, excepting that my eye was destroyed. After this, she
cried out, The fire ! the fire ! O my father, I shall no longer
live, for I am predestined to be killed. Had he been a
human being, I had killed him at the first of the encounter.
I experienced no difficulty till the scattering of the grains of
the pomegranate, when I picked them up excepting the one
in which was the life of the Jinni : had I picked up that, he
had instantly died; but I saw it not, as fate ai:^:l destiny had
appointed; and suddenly he came upon me, and a fierce
contest ensued between us under the earth, and in the air,
and in the water; and every time that he tried against me
a new mode, I employed against him one more potent, until
he tried against me the mode of fire; and rarely does one
escape against whom the mode of fire is employed. Destiny, .
however, aided me, so that I burned him first; but I ex-'
hortod him previously to embrace the faith of El-Ialam. .
Now I die ; and may God supply my place to you. — Having '
thus said, she ceased not to pray for relief from the fire;
and lo, a spark ascended to her breast, and thence to her face ;
and when it reached her face, she wept, and exclaimed,
I testify that there is no deity but God, and I testify that
Mohammad is God's Apostle ! — We then looked towards her,
and saw that she had become a heap of ashes by the side
of the ashes of the 'Efrit.

We were plunged into grief on her account, and I wialied
that I had been in her place rather than have seen that sweet-
faced creature who had done me this kindness reduced to a
heap of ashes: but the decree of God cannot be averted.
The King, on beholding his daughter in this state, plucked
out what remained of his beard, and slapped his face, and
rent his clothes ; and I also did the same, while we both wept
for her. Then came the chamberlains and other great
officers of the court, who, finding the King in a state of in-
sensibility, with two heaps of ashes before him, were aston-
ished, and remained encompassing him until he recovered
from his fit, when he informed them of what had befallen
his daughter with the 'Efrit; and great was their affliction.
The women shrieked, with the female slaves, and continued
'itir mourning seven days. After this, the King gave orders
build, over the ashes of his daughter, a great tomb with
a dome, and illuminated it with candles and lamps: but the
ashes of the 'Efrit they scattered in the wind, exposing them
to the curse of God. The King then fell sick, and was near
unto death : his illness lasted a month ; but after this he re-
covered his health, and, summoning me to his presence, said
to me, O young man, we passed our days in the enjoyment
of the utmost happiness, secure from the vicissitudes of
fortune, until thou camest to us, when troubles overcame us.
Would that we had never seen thee, nor thy ugly form, on
account of which we have been reduced to this state of pri-
vation; for, in the first place, I have lost my daughter, who
was worth a hundred men ; and, secondly, I have suffered this
burning, and lost my teeth: my eunuch also is dead: but it
was not in thy power to prevent these afflictions : the decree
of God hath been fulfilled on us and on thee; and praise
be to God that my daughter restored thee, though she de-
stroyed herself. Now, however, depart, O my son, from
my city. It is enough that hath happened on thy account;
but as it was decreed against us and thee, depart in peace.

So I departed, O my mistress, from his presence; but
before I quitted the city, I entered a public bath, and shaved
my beard. I traversed various regions, and passed through
great cities, and bent my course to the Abode of Peace,
Baghdad, in the hope of obtaining an interview with the
Prince of the Faithful, that I might relate to him all that
had befallen me.

The third mendicant then advanced, and thus related his
story.