Dinarzade called her sister next night, when she thought it was
time, and prayed her to continue the story of the fisherman; and the
sultan being also impatient to know what concern the genie had with
Solomon, Scheherazade continued her story thus:
Sir, the fisherman, when he heard these words of the genie,
recovered his courage, and said to him, Proud spirit, what is it
that you say? It is above eighteen hundred years since the prophet
Solomon died, and we are now at the end of time. Tell me your
history, and how you came to be shut up in this vessel.
The genie, turning to the fisherman, with a fierce look, says, you
must speak to me with more civility; thou art very bold to call me a
proud spirit. Very well, replies the fisherman, shall I speak to you
with more civility, and call you the owl of good luck? I say,
answers the genie, speak to me more civilly before I kill thee. Ah!
replies the fisherman, why would you kill me? Did not I just now set
you at liberty, and have you already forgotten it? Yes, I remember
it, says the genie, but that shall not hinder me from killing thee:
I have only one favour to grant thee. And what is that? says the
fisherman. It is, answers the genie, to give thee thy choice, in
what manner thou wouldst have me take thy life. But wherein have I
offended you? replies the fisherman. Is that your reward for the
good services I have done you? I cannot treat you otherwise, says
the genie; and that you may be convinced of it, hearken to my story.
I am one of those rebellious spirits that opposed the will of
Heaven; all the other genii owned Solomon, the great prophet, and
submitted to him. Sacar and I were the only genii that would never
be guilty of a mean thing: and, to avenge himself, that great
monarch sent Asaph, the son of Barakhia, his chief minister, to
apprehend me. That was accordingly done. Asaph seized my person, and
brought me by force before his master’s throne.
Solomon, the son of David, commanded me to quit my way of living, to
acknowledge his power, and to submit myself to his command; I
bravely refused to obey, and told him, I would rather expose myself
to his resentment, than swear fealty, and submit to him, as he
required. To punish me, he shut me up in this copper vessel; and to
make sure of me, that I should not break prison, he himself stamped
upon this leaden cover his seal, with the great name of God engraved
upon it. Then he gave the vessel to one of the genii who submitted
to him, with orders to throw me into the sea, which was executed to
my sorrow.
During the first hundred years imprisonment, I swore that if any one
would deliver me before the hundred years expired, I would make him
rich, even after his death: but that century ran out, and nobody did
me that good office. During the second, I made an oath, that I would
open all the treasures of the earth to any one that should set me at
liberty; but with no better success. In the third, I promised to
make my deliverer a potent monarch, to be always near him in spirit,
and to grant him every day three requests, of what nature soever
they might be: but this century ran out as well as the two former,
and I continued in prison. At last, being angry, or rather mad, to
find myself a prisoner so long, I swore, that if afterwards any one
should deliver me, I would kill him without mercy, and grant him no
other favour but to choose what kind of death he would die; and,
therefore, since you have delivered me to-day, I give you that
choice.
This discourse afflicted the poor fisherman extremely; I am very
unfortunate, cries he, to come hither to do such a piece of good
service to one that is so ungrateful. I beg you to consider your
injustice, and revoke such an unreasonable oath: pardon me, and
heaven will pardon you; if you grant me my life, heaven will protect
you from all attempts against yours. No, thy death is resolved on,
says the genie, only choose how you will die. The fisherman,
perceiving the genie to be resolute, was extremely grieved, not so
much for himself, as for his three children; and bewailed the misery
they must be reduced to by his death. He endeavoured still to
appease the genie, and says, Alas! be pleased to take pity on me, in
consideration of the good service I have done you. I have told thee
already, replies the genie, it is for that very reason I must kill
thee. That is very strange, says the fisherman, are you resolved to
reward good with evil? The proverb says, “That he who does good to
one who deserves it not, is always ill rewarded.” I must confess,
I thought it was false; for in effect there can be nothing more
contrary to reason, or the laws of society. Nevertheless, I find now
by cruel experience, that it is but too true. Do not lose time,
replies the genie; all thy reasoning shall not divert me from my
purpose: make haste and tell me which way you choose to die.
Necessity is the mother of invention. The fisherman bethought
himself of a stratagem. Since I must die, then, says he to the
genie, I submit to the will of heaven; but before I choose the
manner of death, I conjure you by the great name which was engraven
upon the seal of the prophet Solomon, the son of David, to answer me
truly the question I am going to ask you.
The genie finding himself obliged to a positive answer by this
abjuration, trembled; and replied to the fisherman, Ask what thou
wilt, but make haste. Day appearing, Scheherazade held her peace.
Sister, says Dinarzade, it must be owned that the more you speak,
the more you surprise and satisfy. I hope our lord, the sultan, will
not order you to be put to death, till he hears out the fine story
of the fisherman. The sultan is absolute, replies Scheherazade, we
must submit to his will in every thing. But Schahriar being as
willing as Dinarzade to hear an end of the story, did again put off
the execution of the sultaness.