Classics Retold

Three beautiful girls lived independently in a splendid house in Baghdad. A Porter in the market was commissioned by one girl to carry her merchandise to the house. Later three dervishes arrived there seeking shelter for a night. After that Harun Al Rashid and his vizier and his executioner (all in disguise) came there seeking shelter for a night. The girls gave them shelter with the condition that they should not interfere in the affairs of the house. However they broke their vows, and seven black men were brought to punish seven guests. Terrified, the guests sought a reprieve. The girls wanted these guests to narrate how they happened to come to the Baghdad house. This narrative is a part presented by Second dervish. Now the narrative by the second dervish: As soon as the demon arrived he snatched me up from my recess, soared high in the sky, and flew away with me. After a while he landed, kicked the ground with his foot, split it apart, carried me in a swoon, plunged under the earth...

The second dervish was the son of a king. The king himself taught his son to read and write. Later he studied the jurisprudence of al-shatibi. Then he studied calligraphy and poetry. A fellow king of another city invited him to his kingdom. The prince accepted the invitation and began his entourage to the host kingdom. On his way he and his aids were robbed and scattered. The prince continued his journey alone. After many days he happened to meet a tailor who provided him shelter and food. The tailor came to understand that the king of his city was an enemy of prince's father. He also observed that the prince's current knowledge and skills are not enough to earn his living. The knowledge and skill he acquired are not in demand. So he advised the prince to keep his secret to himself. He also gave him a rope and an axe with an advice to pursue the trade of a wood cutter. The prince took leave of the tailor and pursued the trade of wood cutter. One day, in the forest he found a st...

Second dervish was the son of a King. The king himself taught him to read and write. Later he studied the jurisprudence of al-shatibi, and then Calligraphy. He was a poet. Another king of another city asked his father to send him to his city. On his journey to the host king he was robbed by highway men. He lost everything, which his father entrusted him to hand over to Host king. Many days after the robbery he happened to meet a tailor who gave him food and shelter. The tailor told him that the knowledge he gained in his father's city; Jurisprudence, calligraphy and poetry are not of much demand here, and he would pursue the trade of a wood cutter. The tailor gave him an axe and a rope, with which he started the life of a wood cutter. One day, in the forest, he found a stump of a tree. When he dug around it, and shoveled the earth away, he found a ring attached to a wooden plank. Beneath the wooden plank was a staircase leading to a solid and beautiful palace. He walked inside and ...

After I was robbed, I fared on, and when night approached, I climbed the sideof a mountain and took shelter in a cave till daybreak. Then I journeyed till nightfall, feeding on plants and fruits of the earth, and slept till daybreak. For a month I travelled like this, until I came to a fair, peaceful and prosperous city teeming with people and full of life. The winter had departed with its frosts and spring had arrived with it roses. The streams were flowing, the flowers blooming, and the birds singing. It was like the city of which the poet said: Behold a peaceful city, free from fear Whose wonders make it a heaven. I felt glad. I felt sad. Glad to reach it. Sad of my wretched situation. I was so tired from walking that I was pale with exhaustion. My face and hands and feet were chapped, and I felt overwhelmed with worry and grief. I entered the city, not knowing where to go, and chanced by a tailor sitting in his shop. I greeted him, and he returned my greeting, and detected in me tr...

The house of three beautiful girls. A Porter, three dervishes, Harun Al Rashid and his vizier and executioners were present. The second dervish addressed the girl and continued the story. When we looked at them closely, we discovered that they were highwaymen, and when they saw that we were a small company with ten loads of goods - these were gifts - they thought that we were carrying loads of money, drew their swords, and pointed their spears at us. We signalled to them, saying, "We are messengers to the great king of India, you cannot harm us." They replied, "We are neither within his dominion, nor under his rule." Then they killed all my men, and wounded me. But while they were scrambling for the gifts that were with us, I escaped and wandered away, without knowing where I was heading, or in which direction to go. I fell to a lowest point from mighty point. I was rich and became poor. The break of Dawn

Those who were present in the house of three beautiful girls marvelled at the story of First Dervish. The Caliph said to Ja'far "In all my life I have never heard a stranger tale." The second dervish began to tell his tale. By God, my lady, I was not born one eyed. My father was a king [1] and he taught me how to read and write. I studied jurisprudence in a book by al-shatibi, [2] and commented on it in the presence of other scholars. Then I turned to the study of classical Arabic and its grammar until I reached the height of eloquence, and I perfected the art of calligraphy until I surpassed all my contemporaries and all leading calligraphers of the day, so that the fame of my eloquence and calligraphic art spread to every province and town and reached all the kings of the age. One day the king of India [3] send my father gifts and rarities worthy of a king and asked him to send me to him. My father fitted me with six riding horses and send me along with the posted couri...

The first dervish continues his story: My lady, when my uncle struck his son's face with the shoe as he and the lady lay there in a charred heap, I said to him, "For God's sake, uncle, don't make me feel worse; I feel worried and sorry for what happened to your son; yet as if he has not suffered enough, you strike him on the face with your shoe." He replied, " Nephew, you should know that this son of mine was madly in love with his sister, and I often forbade him from seeing her but went on saying to myself, 'they are only children.' But when they grew up, they did the ugly deed, and I heard about it, hardly believing my ears. I seized him, and beat him mercilessly, saying, 'Beware, beware of that deed, lest our story spread far and wide even to every remote province and town, and you be dishonoured and disgraced among the kings, to the end of time. Beware, beware, for this girl is your sister, and God has forbidden her to you.' Then, nephew, ...