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第14章 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT(12)

When the Afrit saw himhe said'There is no god but Godand Solomon is His prophet!O prophet of Goddo not kill mefor I will never again disobey thee or cross theeeither in word or deed !'Quoth the fisherman'O Maridthou sayest,'Solomon is the prophet of God.'Solomon is dead these eighteen hundred yearsand we are now at the end of time. But what is thy history and how comest thou in this vessel?'When the Marid heard thishe said'There is no god but God!I have news for theeO fisherman!'What news?'asked heand the Afrit answered'Even that I am about to slay thee without mercy.'O chief of the Afrits,'said the fisherman'thou meritest the withdrawal of God's protection from thee for saying this!Why wilt thou kill me and what calls for my death? Did I not deliver thee from the abysses of the sea and bring thee to land and release thee from the vase?'Quoth the Afrit'Choose what manner of death thou wilt die and how thou wilt be killed.'What is my crime?'asked the fisherman. 'Is this my reward for setting thee free?'The Afrit answered'Hear my storyO fisherman!'Say on and be brief,'quoth he'for my heart is in my mouth.'Then said the Afrit'KnowO fishermanthat I was of the schismatic Jinn and rebelled against Solomon son of David (on whom be peace!)I and Sekhr the genie;and he sent his Vizier Asef teen Berkhiyawho took me by force and bound me and carried mein despite of myselfbefore Solomonwho invoked God's aid against me and exhorted me to embrace the Faith and submit to his authority: but I refused. Then he sent for this vessel and shut me up in it and stoppered it with lead and sealed it with the Most High Name and commanded the Jinn to take me and throw me into the midst of the sea. There I remained a hundred yearsand I said in my heart'Whoso releaseth meI will make him rich for ever.'But the hundred years passed and no one came to release meand I entered on another century and said'Whoso releaseth meI will open to him the treasures of the earth'But none released meand other four hundred years passed over meand I said'Whoso releaseth meI will grant him three wishes.'But no one set me free. Then I was exceeding wroth and said to myself,'Henceforthwhoso releaseth meI will kill him and let him choose what death he will die.'And nowthou hast released me,and I give thee thy choice of deaths.'When the fisherman heard thishe exclaimed'O Godthe pity of it that I should not have come to release thee till now!'Then he said to the Afrit'Spare methat God may spare theeand do not destroy melest God set over thee one who will destroy thee.'But he answered'There is no help for itI must kill thee: so choose what death thou wilt die.'The fisherman again returned to the chargesaying'Spare me for that I set thee free.'Did I not tell thee,'replied the Marid'that is why I kill thee?'O head of the Afrits,'said the fisherman'I did thee a kindnessand thou repayest me with evil: indeed the proverb lieth not that saith:

'We did them goodand they the contrary returned: And thisupon my lifeis what the wicked do!

Who helps thosethat deserve it notshall be repaid As the hy?na paid the man that helped her through.'

'Make no more words about it,'said the Afrit;'thou must die.'

Quoth the fisherman to himself'This is a genieand I am a man;

and God hath given me a good wit. So I will contrive for his destruction by my wit and cunningeven as he plotted mine of his craft and perfidy.'Then he said to the Afrit'Is there no help for itbut thou must kill me?'He answered'No,'and the fisherman said'I conjure theeby the Most High Name graven upon the ring of Solomon son of David (on whom be peace!)answer me one question truly.'When the Afrit heard him mention the Most High Namehe was agitated and trembled and replied'It is well:

ask and be brief.'Quoth the fisherman'This vessel would not suffice for thy hand or thy foot: so how could it hold the whole of thee?'Said the Afrit'Dost thou doubt that I was in it?'

'Yes,'answered the fisherman;'nor will I believe it till I see it with my own eyes.'Here Shehrzad perceived the day and was silent.

And when it was the fourth night

Dunyazad said to her sister'O sisteran thou be not asleep,finish us thy story.'So Shehrzad began'I have heard tellO august Kingthatwhen he heard what the fisherman saidthe Afrit shook and became a smoke over the seawhich drew together and entered the vessel little by littletill it was all inside.

Whereupon the fisherman made haste to take the leaden stopper and clapping it on the mouth of the vesselcalled out to the Afrit,saying'Choose what death thou wilt die!By AllahI will throw thee back into the sea and build myself a house hard byand all who come hither I will warn against fishing hereand say to them'There is an Afrit in these watersthat gives those who pull him out their choice of deaths and how he shall kill them.'

When the Afrit heard this and found himself shut up in the vesselhe knew that the fisherman had outwitted him and strove to get outbut could notfor Solomon's seal prevented him;so he said to the fisherman'I did but jest with thee.'Thou liestO vilest and meanest and foulest of Afrits!'answered he,and rolled the vessel to the brink of the sea;which when the Afrit felthe cried out'No!No!'And the fisherman said'Yes!

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