Thousand & One Nights: Nineth Night: The Fisherman & The Demon

When the fisherman finished reciting the verses, he pushed the donkey out of the net, and sat down to mend it. Then he wrung it and spread it out to dry it. Then he waded into the water, and invoking the Almighty cast the net and waited for it to sink. Then he pulled the rope little by little. The net was even more firmly snagged. Thinking that it was heavy with fish he was extremely happy. He took off his clothes, dived into the water, freed the net, struggled with it until he reached the shore. Inside the net he found a jar full of mud and sand.  He felt sad. With tears in his eyes, he said to himself, "This is a strange day! God's we are and to God we return." He began to recite the following verses:

O my tormenting fate, forbear,

Or if you can't, at least be fair,

I went to seek my daily bread,

They said to me it was dead.

Neither luck nor industry 

Brought back my daily bread. 

Pleiades many fools attain

While sages sit in the dark disdain. 

The fisherman threw the jar away, washed his net, wrung it, spread it out to dry it. He went back to the water, and cast his net a third time, waited for it to sink.  When he pulled it up, he found nothing inside, but broken pots, bottles, stones, bones  refuse, and the like. He wept at this ill luck and began to recite the following verses:

Your livelihood not in your hands

Neither by writing nor by pen

You thrive. Your luck and wages

Are by lot.

Some lands are waste; some fertile

The wheel of fortune lowers the man

Of worth, raising the base man

Who deserves to fall. O death!

Come and end this worthless life.

Where ducks sore, falcons bound

To Earth. No wonder good man poor 

While the bad exalts in wealth.

Our wages are allotted; 'tis our fate

To search like birds for gleanings.

One bird searches the earth

From east to west. Another 

Gets tidbits while at rest.

The fisherman raised his eyes to heaven, and seeing that the Sun had 

risen and that it was morning and full daylight said, "O Lord you know that I cast my net four times only.  I have already cast three times, and there is only one more try left. Lord let the sea serve me, even as you let it serve Moses.  Having mended the net he cast it into the sea, and waited for it to sink. When pulled, he found that it was so heavy that he was unable to 

haul it.  He shook it and found that

it was caught at the bottom. Saying, "there is no power streangth, save God Almighty the Magnificent" he took off his clothes and dove to net. He worked at it until he managed to free it, and as he hauled it to the shore, he felt that there was something heavy inside. He struggled with the net, until he opened it and found a large long-necked brass jar, with a lead stopper bearing the mark of a seal ring. When the fisherman saw the jar, he was happy and said to himself, "I will sell it in the copper market, for it must be worth at least two measures of wheat." He tried to move the jar, but it was so full and so heavy so that he was unable to budge it.  Looking at the lead stopper he said to himself, "I will open the jar, and shake out the contents, then roll it before me until I reach the copper market." Then he took out a knife from his belt and began to scrape and struggle with the lead stopper until he pried it loose. He held it in his mouth, tilted the jar to the ground, and shook it, trying to pour out its contents, but when nothing came out he was extremely surprised.

After a while, there began to emerge from the jar, a great column of smoke, which rose and spread over the premises, and gradually covered the sea, and rising so high that it reached the clouds and hid the daylight. For a long time, the smoke kept rising from the jar; and then it gathered and took a shape, suddenly it shook and there stood a demon with his feet like pincers, a mouth like a cave, teeth like stones, nostrils like trumpets, ears like shields, a throat like an alley, and the eyes like lantern. In short, he was a hideous monster. When the fisherman saw him, he shook with terror, his jaws locked together, and his mouth went dry. The demon cried, "O Solomon, prophet of God, forgive me, forgive me.  Never again will I disobey you or defy your command." 

The dawn. Shahrazad said, "We will continue the story tomorrow.

End of the Section 

Notes:-

1. The Pleiades: Also known as "the Seven Stars" are the open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus.

In Greek mythology Pleiades were Seven Sisters transformed into stars by Zeus to protect them from the advances of Orion.

2. Solomon: Wise and powerful king of ancient Israel known for his wisdom, wealth and achievements.