The Story of Es-Sindibad of the Sea and Es-Sindibad

There was, in the time of Khalifeh, the Prince of the
Faithful, Harun Er-Rashid, in the city of Baghdad, a
man called Es-Sindibad the Porter. He was a man in
poor circumstances, who bore burdens for hire upon his head.
And it happened to him that he bore one day a heavy bur-
den, and that day was excessively hot; so he was wearied
by the load, and perspired profusely, the heat violently
oppressing him. In this state he passed by the door of a
merchant, the ground before which was swept and sprinkled,
and there the air was temperate; and by the side of the
door was a wide mastabah. The porter therefore put down
his burden upon that mastabah, to rest himself, and to scent
the air; and when he had done so, there came forth upon
him, from the door, a pleasant, gentle gale, and an exquisite
odour, wherewith the porter was delighted. He seated him-
self upon the edge of the mastabah, and heard in that place
the melodious sounds of stringed instruments, with the lute
among them, and mirth-exciting voices, and varieties of
distinct recitations. He heard also the voices of birds,
warbling, and praising God (whose name be exalted!) with
diverse tones and with all dialects ; consisting of turtle-doves
and he^ars and blackbirds and nightingales and ring-doves
and kirawans;^ whereupon he wondered in his mind, and
was moved with great delight. He then advanced to that
door, and found within the house a great garden, wherein
he beheld pages and slaves and servants and other depend-
ants, and such things as existed not elsewhere save in the
abodes of Kings and Sultans; and after that, there blew
upon him the odour of delicious, exquisite viands, of all
different kinds, and of delicious wine,

Upon this he raised his eyes towards heaven, and said,
Extolled be thy perfection, O Lord! O Creator! O Supplier
of the conveniences of life! Thou suppliest whom Thou
wilt without reckoning ! O Allah, I implore thy forgiveness
of all offences, and turn to Thee repenting of all faults ! O
Lord, there is no animadverting upon Thee with respect to
thy judgment, and thy power; for Thou art not to be ques-
tioned regarding that which Thou doest, and Thou art able
to do whatsoever Thou wilt ! Extolled be thy perfection !
Thou enrichest whom Thou wilt, and whom Thou wilt Thou
impoverishest ! Thou magnifiest whom Thou wilt, and whom
Thou wilt Thou abasest ! There is no deity but Thou !
How great is thy dignity ! and how mighty is thy domin-
ion ! and how excellent is thy government ! Thou hast be-
stowed favours upon him whom Thou choosest among thy
servants, and the owner of this place is in the utmost
affluence, delighting himself with pleasant odours and
delicious meats and exquisite beverages of all descriptions.
And Thou hast appointed unto thy creatures what Thou
wilt, and what Thou hast predestined for them; so that
among them one is weary, and another is at ease; and
one of them is prosperous, and another is like me, in the
extreme of fatigue and abjection! — And he recited thus: —

How many wretched persons are destitute of ease ! and how many

are in luxury, reposing in the shade !
I find myself afflicted by trouble beyond measure ; and strange is

my condition, and heavy is my load !
Others are in prosperity, and from wretchedness are free, and never

for a single day have borne a load like mine ;
Incessantly and amply blest, throughout the course of life, with

happiness and grandeur, as well as drink and meat.
All men whom God hath made are in origin alike ; and I resemble

this man, and he resembleth me ;
But otherwise, between us is a difference as great as the difference

that we find between wine and vinegar.
Yet in saying this, I utter no falsehood against Thee, [O my Lord;]

art wise, and with justice Thou hast judged.

And when Es-Sindibad the Porter had finished the rec-
itation of his verses, he desired to take up his burden and
to depart. But, lo, there came forth to him from that
door a young page, handsome in countenance, comely in
stature, magnificent in apparel; and he laid hold upon the
porter's hand, saying to him. Enter : answer the summons
of my master; for he calleth for thee. And the porter
would have refused to enter with the page; but he could
not. He therefore deposited his burden with the door-
keeper in the entrance-passage, and, entering the house with
the page, he found it to be a handsome mansion, presenting
an appearance of joy and majesty. And he looked towards
a grand chamber, in which he beheld noblemen and great
lords; and in it were all kinds of flowers, and all kinds of
sweet scents, and varieties of dried and fresh fruits, together
with abundance of various kinds of exquisite viands, and
beverage prepared from the fruit of the choicest grape-vines.
In it were also instruments of music and mirth, and varieties
of beautiful slave-girls, all ranged in proper order. And at
the upper end of that chamber was a great and venerable
man, in the sides of whose beard grey hairs had begun to
appear. He was of handsome form, comely in countenance,
with an aspect of gravity and dignity and majesty and state-
lincss. So, upon this, Es-Sindibad the Porter was con-
founded, and he said within himself. By Allah, this place is
a portion of Paradise, or it is the palace of a King or Sultan !
Then, putting himself in a respectful posture, he saluted the
assembly, prayed for them, and kissed the ground before
them ; after which he stood, hanging down his head in
humility. But the master of the house gave him permission
to seat himself. He therefore sat. And the master of the
house had caused him to draw near unto him, and now
began to cheer him with conversation, and to welcome him ;
and he put before him some of the various excellent, de-
licious, exquisite viands. So Es-Sindibad the Porter ad-
vanced, and, having said, In the name of God, the Com-
passionate, the Merciful, — ate until he was satisfied and
satiated, when he said. Praise be to God in every case! —
and washed his hands, and thanked them for this.

The master of the house then said, Thou art welcome,
and thy day is blessed. What is thy name, and what trade
dost thou follow? — O my master, he answered, my name is
Es-Sindibad the Porter, and I bear upon my head men's
merchandise for hire. And at this, the master of the house
smiled, and he said to him, Know, O porter, that thy name
is like mine ; for I am Es-Sindibad of the Sea : but, O
porter, I desire that thou let me hear the verses that thou
wast reciting when thou wast at the door. The porter
therefore was ashamed, and said to him, I conjure thee by
Allah that thou be not angry with me; for fatigue and
trouble, and paucity of what the hand possesseth, teach a
man ill manners, and impertinence. His host, however, re-
plied. Be not ashamed ; for thou hast become my brother ;
recite then the verses, since they pleased me when I heard
them from thee as thou recitedst them at the door. So
upon this the porter recited to him those verses, and they
pleased him, and he was moved with delight on hearing
them. He then said to him, O porter, know that my story
is wonderful, and I will inform thee of all that happened to
me and befell me before I attained this prosperity and sat
in this place wherein thou seest me. For I attained not
this prosperity and this place save after severe fatigue and
great trouble and many terrors. How often have I endured
fatigue and toil in my early years ! I have performed seven
voyages, and connected with each voyage is a wonderful
tale, that would confound the mind. All that which I
endured happened by fate and destiny, and from that which
is written there is no escape nor flight.