Classics Retold

STORY BY THE SECOND DERVISH  One day the new monarch had been riding with his equipage, at the head of his princes, viziers, lords of the realm, his eyes fell on the Envious. He turned to one of his viziers and commanded, "Bring that man, but do not alarm him or frighten him." The vizier left and came back with the Envious. The king said, "Give him one thousand weights of gold from my treasury, provide him with twenty loads of goods he trade in, and send him with an escort to his own town." The envied bade him farewell and went away without reproaching him for his past misdeeds. I said to the demon, "O demon, see the mercy of the Envied towards the Envious, who had envied him from the beginning, borne him great malice, pursued him, and thrown him into the well to kill him. The Envied did not respond him in the same way, and instead of punishing the Envious he forgave him and treated him magnanimously."  O, my lady, I wept until I could weep no more and rec...

This tale was narrated by Second dervish to Demon. Two neighbours in a certain city dwelt in adjoining houses, separated by a common wall. One of them envied the other. His envy grew to such an extent that he could not eat or sleep. The envied did nothing, but he prospered. The more his neighbour envied him the more other prospered. But the malice and envy later exposed, and the envied left his neighbourhood and moved to another city. There he bought a piece of land, that had an old irrigation well. There he built a hermitage. He furnished it with straw mats and other necessities. He devoted himself to the worship of God. Mendicants began to flock him from every quarter, and his fame spread throughout the city. The news of his success reached the envious neighbour. So he journeyed to the city, and when he entered the hermitage the envied received him with cheerful greetings, warm welcome and great respect. Then the envious said, "I would like to acquaint you with something that ha...

Baghdad house of three beautiful and independent girls. One girl commissioned a porter to carry her provisions and other goods to their house. After accomplishing his job and taking his payment he was reluctant to leave the house. He wanted to stay there and enjoy. The girls tell him that no entertainment is without any reward. But the girl who commissioned him to carry their goods said that he had already given his reward by carrying their goods. The others agreed, and he was permitted to stay. Later, three dervishes came and sought shelter for the night. Afterwards Harun Al Rashid and his vizier and executioner all in disguise came and shelter for the night.  The girls gave them shelter with the condition that they should not interfere in the affairs of the house. This condition was broken, and seven black men came to punish the seven guests. Terrified, all of them sought a reprieve. The girls asked them to narrate how they happened to enter the house. The porter and the first de...

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...