Time: 2013-03-30 11:06 Source: "One Thousand and One Nights" Author: Anonymous\When I was born, my eyes were not blind. My life experiences are bizarre and strange; if they were written into a book, they could provide some guidance to future generations.\My father was a king, and I was the crown prince. From a young age, I studied the Qur'an and learned its seven methods of recitation. As a youth, I also studied with many knowledgeable people, becoming proficient in astronomy, geography, poetry, and prose, while delving deeply into various fields of learning and skills. Therefore, in the contemporary academic world, my knowledge and achievements were outstanding, and my reputation spread far and wide.\Hearing of my extensive learning, the king of India sent envoys with precious gifts, traveling tirelessly across a thousand miles to visit me and invite me to India to give lectures. My father arranged six large ships for my journey, loaded with many gifts, camels, and horses. Thus, we set out, sailing for a whole month at sea, then at a port, we unloaded the camels, horses, and gifts, using ten camels to carry everything, and I rode a horse toward India, attended by my retinue.\Not long after we set out, a desert storm suddenly arose, with dust flying and blocking the sky. When the storm subsided, fifty fierce armored riders appeared in the wilderness. Upon closer inspection, we realized they were a group of Arab bandits. Because we were few in number and carrying ten laden camels with valuable goods, we attracted their robbery. When they attacked, I said to them, "We are foreign envoys going to visit the king of India; you cannot treat us this way."\"We are not in his territory, so he has no authority here," they said, as they began killing and looting.\Some of my attendants were killed, others scattered and fled, and I was gravely wounded. Luckily, at that time, the bandits were more attracted to the goods and did not notice me, allowing me to escape. I had lived a life of honor and comfort, but when disaster struck, I was terrified, bewildered, and completely lost, unable to identify any directions or routes.\In a hurry, I fled desperately for my life, scrambling into a cave to hide. The next day, I emerged from the cave and hurriedly continued my flight, eventually wandering to a city. The city was densely populated, displaying a scene of prosperity under clear skies and bright sunlight.The late winter had just passed, and the gentle wind brought spring. Everywhere, flowers were in full bloom, and the flowing water mingled with the melodious songs of birds. It was indeed:
A city where the people lived in peace and prosperity,
A scene completely free of turmoil,
Peace and tranquility were its features,
It seemed like a paradise detached from the world,
In the lives of the people,
There was always a charming posture.
I entered the city, and the stone in my heart finally fell to the ground.
At that time, I was already exhausted. Due to the continuous days of terror, I had become mentally weary, and in this unfamiliar city, I was at a loss about where to find a home. I dragged my legs, as if filled with lead, past the door of a tailor's shop and greeted the tailor. The tailor stopped me, asking with concern how I had come to be wandering here. I recounted in detail the robbery I had suffered from bandits during my journey. Upon hearing my story, he was very worried for me and said, "Young man, you must not reveal your identity. I am worried about you. Do you know our king? He is your father's mortal enemy, and there is old resentment between our countries. He will arrest you."
Then he brought me food and accompanied me as I ate and drank. We sat together and talked intimately until late at night. He arranged for me to rest in a dark room, bringing me bedding and other necessities. Thus, I stayed at the tailor's house for three days. He asked me, "Do you know any trade to make a living?"
"I am a scholar, well-versed in the Qur'an, write beautifully, and can do arithmetic and bookkeeping."
"Your knowledge and learning are of no use here. The people here, aside from knowing commerce and trade, do not understand much knowledge or learning."
"Allah is my witness, besides this knowledge and learning, I know no other trade at all."
"Tighten your belt, take an axe and rope, go into the mountains to chop firewood, and sell what you bring back to make a living! God will help you. As long as you do not reveal your identity, no more accidents will happen."
He bought me an axe and rope, and led me to the woodcutters' home, entrusting me to them. From then on, I followed the woodcutters every day into the mountains to chop firewood, then tied it with ropes into bundles and carried it back to the city to sell for half a gold coin each. Part of this money was used to get by, and the rest was saved. In this way, I lived a woodcutter's life for over a year.
On a day at the beginning of the following year, I went out to chop wood as usual.I ventured into the deep mountains and found a forest with plenty of dry firewood, among which was an unusually large dead tree. I started digging along the tree roots, shoveling away the soil, and accidentally my axe hit something hard as iron. I dug all the soil away and saw that it was a copper ring nailed to a wooden cover. I lifted the wooden cover, revealing a staircase ahead. At the bottom of the staircase was a door. I pushed the door open and saw an architecturalally unique and beautiful house, where a young woman as beautiful as a flower lived. Seeing the young woman, I was extremely astonished by the greatness of God, who had created such a captivating maiden, and could not help but kneel and bow my head in devout reverence.\ The young woman looked at me and asked, "Who are you? Are you a human or a demon?"\ "I am human."\ "How did you come here? I have lived here for twenty-five whole years, but I have never seen another human being."\ I told her my true identity and experiences from beginning to end. She listened, feeling great sympathy for me, and could not help but shed tears, saying, "Let me tell you about myself. Do you know that I am the daughter of King Aimus, the lord of Enus Island? Unfortunately, on the night of my wedding to my cousin, I was abducted by the demon Zherqi, the son of Lekimos and the grandson of Iblis. He carried me all the way to this place and imprisoned me. Since then, everything I need—clothing, jewelry, food, and all daily necessities—has been brought to me by him. Every ten days he comes to stay for a night. He once told me that whenever, whatever I need, as long as I touch the two lines of writing on the dome of this house, he will immediately appear. He left here four days ago and will not come again for another six days. Would you be willing to stay here for five days, leaving only the day before he returns?"\ I said, "Of course, I am willing."\ She was very pleased to hear that. She stood up, took my hand, and led me through an archway into a small, exquisite bathroom. She asked me to sit on a cushion next to her, gave me musk sugar water to drink, and also brought out many fruits for me to taste. We ate and chatted about matters outside. Later, she said, "You look very tired, you should lie down for a while."\ I slept comfortably, completely forgetting the hardships I had endured and the misery of being stranded in a foreign land.I woke from a dream and saw her gently massaging my legs, so I got up and joined her for food, drink, and conversation. She said, "Allah is my witness, I am lonely and isolated, living here alone; for the past twenty-five years, no one has spoken with me, and I have been extremely distressed. It is Allah who has brought you to me."
I appreciated her warmth toward me. Being with her made me incredibly happy, because it was the first time in my life that I was with such a beautiful and charming girl. We talked and laughed, ate and drank, and spent the evening joyfully together.
The next day, we were already inseparable. She asked me, "Hey! Do you want to have some wine?"
I replied, "Sure, bring out the wine."
She went into the storage room, brought out a bottle of wine, served dishes and fruits, and sang:
"If I had known you were coming,
I would not have hesitated to shed blood and tears,
To let them cover my cheeks,
To welcome you, please walk across my eyelids."
I greatly admired her talent and appreciated her hospitality, so I happily drank with her. When I was halfway drunk, I said to her, "Come, let me take you out so that you will no longer be bound by the devil."
She shook her head with a smile and said, "Ah! That's easy to say! If you truly care for me, let's make an agreement: from now on, the devil may take me for one day every ten days, and the remaining nine days I will share with you. Then I will be satisfied."
By this time, I was already heavily intoxicated and confused, swaying as I stood up, determined to completely save her, saying, "I will erase the writing on the roof now and let the devil come here. I will fight him to the death; I am very skilled at exorcising demons!"
Hearing my words, she was terrified and turned pale, saying, "Swear by the name of Allah, do not act recklessly, lest you bring disaster upon yourself and have no time to regret it."
She then sang:
"The horses run swiftly, racing one another,
O those soon to part,
Walk as slowly as you can,
For time once gone never returns,
And the end of life means everlasting separation."
I ignored her warnings, stubbornly kicked through the roof. Instantly, the sky darkened, and amid thunder and lightning, wind and rain, the ground trembled. At this moment, I was scared into clarity and asked, "How could this happen so suddenly?"
"The devil is coming soon.I warned you just now not to be reckless. Allah is a testimony; you have caused me hardship. You should quickly escape this place from where you came. "I panicked, turned and ran, leaving my shoes and axe on the ground. I had just stepped onto the stairs when I heard a loud crash, the ground cracked, and a terrifying demon crawled out from a crack and asked her, "Why did you suddenly summon me?" "Are you in some danger?" "No danger at all. It was just a moment of annoyance, so I had some wine to relieve my boredom. I was drunk, and somehow I ended up touching the writing on the roof." ""Bastard, how dare you deceive me!" He turned his head and looked around, saw my shoes and axe, and pointed at them, saying, "These belong to people. Who exactly came here?" "I just found out about this too. Maybe you just got involved." "Nonsense!" The devil cursed, stripped off her clothes, spread her hands and feet, tied them to four wooden stakes, and brutally tortured her, forcing her to tell the truth. I couldn't bear to hear her cry and moan. Filled with fear and unease, I trembled and staggered out, put the wooden cover back on as before, and covered it with earth. I deeply regretted not implicating her. Thinking of that beautiful and charming girl being harmed by demons, thinking of her being imprisoned for twenty-five years, and today suffering torture because of me, thinking of my father and his throne, thinking of myself drifting to a foreign land as a woodcutter, I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions and deeply pessimistic. I couldn't help but weep sadly and sang: "When you are in adversity, you should recall the past. Life is short, setbacks are inevitable, so you should comfort yourself with memories and lift your spirits." I hurriedly found a way out of the forest and went straight back to the tailor's house. He was anxious and uneasy, waiting for me like sitting on pins and needles. As soon as he saw me, he came forward and said, "Last night I worried about you all night, afraid you might encounter wild beasts or have some accident in the mountains. Praise Allah, now you have finally returned safely." I thanked him for his concern, returned to my room, and hid alone, reflecting on my experiences in the mountains, filled with regret, and blamed my own recklessness for causing trouble. Just as I was feeling regretful and remorseful, my tailor friend suddenly pushed open the door and came in, saying, "Friend, a foreigner from a stranger has come to see you with your shoes and axe.He went to find the woodcutters, who said he had gone to the mosque before dawn to pray and found the shoe and axe on the way, but did not know whose they were, so he asked them. The woodcutters recognized them as yours and told him, so he came to you with the shoes and axe. He is waiting for you outside; go and collect the shoes and axe. "Hearing the tailor's words, I was stunned, my face changed drastically, my mind unsettled, and I was at a loss for what to do. At that moment, the ground suddenly cracked, and a stranger crawled out from inside. I looked closely and realized he was the devil from the forest. Although he tortured the girl in every way, she refused to tell the truth, so the devil took the shoe and axe and said, "Since I am Zerki, the grandson of Iblis, of course I can capture the shoes, the axe, and the master!" He went to ask the woodcutter, then found where I lived. He rushed over like lightning, grabbed me in the devil's claws, flew into the air, soaring higher and higher, and finally landed in the forest and crawled into the basement I had visited. Gradually, I came to my senses and saw the girl still tied up, nailed to the ground, covered in wounds and bloodstains. The devil reached out his claws and grabbed her hair, asking, "Is this the person?" The girl glanced at me and said, "I don't know this man; this is the first time I've seen him." "You have been punished because of him, and you still want to hide it for him?" "I have never seen him, that's the truth! Allah forbids lying." "Since you do not know him, then use this sword and cut off his head." She walked up to me holding the sword, and I tearfully signaled to her, hoping she would not kill. She understood my meaning and whispered, "These troubles are caused by you." I hinted, "Now is the time for you to forgive me and rescue me." Then I recited: "My eyes are my tongue and messenger, telling her the secrets in my heart. When we meet, our feelings are earth-shattering. When I am speechless, my eyes express my feelings for me. She gives me a look, and I understand her feelings. I make a gesture, and she understands my thoughts. We silently let love flow naturally, because our hearts are connected.The girl understood what I meant, dropped the sword in her hand, and said, "I don't know this person at all, and he hasn't offended me. How could I possibly kill him?" Besides, this kind of thing is not allowed in Islam. "As she spoke, she took a few steps back. The devil said, "You don't intend to kill him, nor do you refuse to tell the truth. This is a sign of mutual protection among humans." So he turned to look at me and asked, "Do you recognize this woman?" "This woman?" "This is the first time I've seen her." ""If you kill her with this sword, I'll believe you never knew her, and I'll let you go." I picked up my sword, hesitated as I walked up to the girl, raised it as if ready to kill her. She gave me a meaningful look, hinting: "I just forgave you, and you still want to treat me like this?" I understood her meaning and replied with a meaningful look: "I am willing to sacrifice myself to help you escape." Then I recited: "A silent and speechless person pours out her feelings to her lover with her eyes. Her lively glances, her delicate face! That glance conveys love, her smile radiates beauty. "My heart is pained and conflicted, tears of sorrow flowing. I dropped the sword in my hand and said, "Cruel devil, a woman who is shallow and emotionally superior to reason, she won't kill me. As a man, I have never met her before—how could I bear to kill her? Even if I were to be shattered, I would never kill her." "You two really have feelings." The devil said as he picked up his sword and struck four times in succession, severing the girl's hands and feet. Witnessing such atrocities, I knew I was doomed. The girl looked at me for a moment—this was the final farewell. The devil cut off her neck with a sword and killed her, then turned to glare at me and said, "O man, I must kill you. Before you die, tell me what you want." "What do you want me to ask for?" "Tell me, what do you want me to magically turn you into—a dog, a donkey, or a monkey?" "I swear in Allah's name, if you spare me, spare a blameless Muslim, Allah will forgive you." I hoped he would show some kindness, flatter him in every way, and plead bitterly. I said, "I have done nothing wrong.""Stop talking nonsense. I will definitely kill you, but I am just giving you a choice before death."\ "Demon King, have mercy! For you, it's an easy task. I beg you to forgive me as the jealous forgive those they envy."\ "What are you talking about? What kind of matter is this? Tell me!"\ Once there was a kind and widely renowned man. He lived in a city and had a happy and blissful life. However, one of his neighbors was extremely jealous of his happiness and good reputation. The jealousy gradually grew, becoming more and more reckless, and he could not help but do heartless things, slandering and attacking the good man arbitrarily, making himself unable to sleep or eat properly. As for the venerable good man, his situation did not worsen, and his life continued to improve. Later, to avoid conflict with his neighbor and to appease his jealousy and harm, he resolutely decided to leave his hometown and move to another city. Before leaving, he sighed, saying, "Alas! Allah is witness, because of him, I must leave Earth and flee to the Moon."\ He bought a piece of land in a foreign city, built a house, purchased furniture and daily necessities, and constructed a small mosque near an old dry well, dedicating himself to spiritual cultivation. He lived a quiet life and often did acts of charity. Some devout and needy Muslims from nearby frequently visited and interacted with him, and many even traveled from afar, tirelessly coming to meet him and befriend him. His reputation spread wider and wider, and that neighbor who had envied him also heard about him and mingled with the crowd to see him. He welcomed them warmly. Taking advantage of the situation, the jealous neighbor said to him, "I've come from far away because there's important news to tell you, something joyful. Come with me, let's go outside to talk."\ Believing it to be true, he stood up, held the hand of the envious neighbor, and walked while talking, all the way to the old dry well. The jealous man seized the opportunity, pushed him forcefully, and threw him into the well. At that moment, there was no one in sight; everything was done so secretly that no one knew. The jealous man believed him dead and ran away.\ Who would have thought, several deities lived in the dry well. When he fell, he was gently caught and placed on a large stone slab by the deities, leaving him completely unharmed. At that time, one deity asked, "Do you recognize this person?"\ "No," replied the other deities.“This is the kind man who was pushed into the well by someone jealous of him. He moved to our city to live, built this small chapel, and devoted himself to religious practice inside. Every day he praises Allah and recites the Qur'an, and his voice is like soothing celestial music to us. His neighbor intended to kill him and tricked him into falling into the well, but his fame has spread far and wide. Regarding the princess, the king will come to visit him tomorrow.”
“How is this related to the princess?”
“The princess has been bewitched by a demon. If someone knows a secret remedy, they can cure the princess's illness, and this secret remedy is very easy for this good man to obtain.”
“What medicine does she need?”
“This good man keeps a black cat, which has a coin-sized white spot on its tail. If you pluck seven white hairs from the white spot, light them, and use the smoke to surround the princess, her illness will immediately be cured, and the demon will leave her forever.”
The conversation with the celestial being was remembered by this good man. The next morning, he climbed out of the well, caught the black cat, plucked seven white hairs from the white spot on its tail, and wrapped them in paper. Just as the sun rose in the east, the king personally came with all his ministers and guards to visit him.
He humbly went out to greet the king and walked quickly toward him. After performing the formal greeting, he said, “May I guess the reason Your Majesty has honored my humble home with your presence?”
“Of course, honest elder, please guess.”
“Your Majesty has come to inquire of me how to cure the princess's illness.”
“Yes! Honest elder, you guessed correctly at once.”
“Please send someone to bring the princess now. With God's blessing, I can cure her illness immediately.”
The king was very pleased and sent attendants to bring the princess, who was bound hand and foot. The good man seated her, covered her with a cloth, took out the white hairs, lit them, and surrounded her with the smoke. The princess immediately began to regain consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes, covering her face, and said, “What is happening? Who brought me here?”
The king was overjoyed, kissed the princess's eyes, then kissed the good man, and then turned to the ministers and asked, “Tell me, how should we reward the person who cured the princess?”
“She should be married to him.”
“Indeed, you are right.”So the king gladly ordered that the princess be betrothed to him, and overnight he became the prince consort. Not long after, the prime minister fell ill and died. The king consulted his ministers, asking, 'Who should we choose as the new prime minister?' 'Let the prince consort take the position,' the ministers responded unanimously. As a result, he became the prime minister. Soon after, the king passed away, and the ministers discussed the succession of the throne, asking, 'Who shall be our new king?' 'Choose the prime minister,' the ministers agreed unanimously. Consequently, he leapt from prime minister to king. He loved his people as his own children and became a wise ruler beloved by all his subjects.
One day, the king went on an inspection ride, with civilian and military officials, along with the guards, surrounding him in grand procession. He suddenly saw that the envious fellow was also watching the scene from the crowd and instructed, 'Bring that person to me, but do not frighten him.' The attendants, upon hearing the order, brought the envious man before the king. The king then instructed the prime minister, 'Take a thousand gold coins from the treasury, prepare ten loads of goods to reward him, and send a few people to escort him back to his hometown.' In the end, he warmly bade farewell to the envious man, without holding him accountable for past wrongs.
'Demon, now you know the virtues of that good man. Back then, his neighbors were envious of him in every possible way, attacked him, wantonly destroyed his happiness, and even after he moved to another city, he was still harmed and pushed into a well by the envious person, yet he held no grudges, not only refraining from retaliation but also forgiving his neighbor and even rewarding him with money and goods. Can't you be like that good man? Those who do good will receive good rewards!' I earnestly begged the demon, pleading for my life. I recited:
'The generous and magnanimous
Never scrupulously judge others' faults.
The sins of others
Are always met with leniency.
All the sins lingering within me,
Please erase them entirely from the treasured memory.
Those hoping for Allah's forgiveness
Should treat others with forgiveness.'
The demon listened to my plea and said, 'Stop talking! I won't kill you, that's for sure, but I still won't easily forgive you. I will cast magic upon you.'
Then he grabbed me and flew up into the sky. He flew very high, looking down at the earth, which appeared like a floating bowl. After a while, I was taken to the peak of a mountain.The demon grabbed a handful of sand, muttered a spell, and sprinkled the sand on me, saying, 'Turn this person into a monkey.' I immediately turned into a monkey that seemed to have lived for a hundred years.
Thinking about my own origins, I couldn't help but feel very sad, but I had no way to change this cruel fate and could only endure it silently, for I deeply understood that the sky has unpredictable storms, and people have sudden misfortunes and blessings.
I climbed to the foot of the mountain, before me was a vast plain stretching endlessly. I wandered through the plain for a month, arriving at the edge of a boundless sea. I roamed around there when I suddenly noticed a wooden boat heading toward the shore on the calm sea. I immediately hid behind a large rock, and when the boat reached the shore, I jumped into it. One passenger said, 'Quick, kick that unlucky thing off.' Another said, 'Let's just kill it.' A third said, 'Use this sword to chop it.' I tightly held onto the captain's coat and cried continuously. The captain took pity on me, saying, 'Friends, this monkey regards us as a savior. I am willing to protect it. From now on, let it stay by my side. Do not kill it, and do not mistreat it.' So the captain took me in. I could understand everything he said, and I did whatever he asked. I served him attentively and carefully, earning his favor.
The ship sailed smoothly across the sea for fifty days, arriving at a city densely populated. Just as the ship docked, the king sent ministers to the ship to offer congratulations, saying, 'His Majesty wishes you a safe arrival here. He instructed me to deliver this scroll to the ship and asks each of you to freely write a line of characters on it. Because the minister recording the king's writings has passed away, the king vowed to find someone whose calligraphy could match his to inherit the position.'
The merchants took the scroll, one foot long and ten feet wide, and everyone who could write wrote a line of characters. Finally, I walked forward seriously, grabbed the scroll. They feared I would tear it, and hurriedly stopped me, but I signaled that I also wanted to write. The captain said, 'Let it write a few characters. If it smudges or ruins the scroll, we will drive it away. If it writes well, I will adopt it as my son, for a monkey as intelligent as it is truly one of a kind.'"So I held the ink brush in my hand and wrote several poems in various fonts:\ 1\ In the past years, your generosity and magnanimity were widely praised,\ And now your benevolence is still admired by everyone.\ May our Master—Allah,\ Not let you become a wandering stranger in a foreign land.\ 2\ His pen spreads meaning across all places,\ Your handwriting brings comfort to people's hearts.\ Your fingers are like five clear streams,\ Flowing water from your fingertips, irrigating the lands far and wide.\ 3\ All scholars will eventually leave this world,\ But his ink traces will be remembered forever.\ You never casually scribble,\ Only writing words that bring you joy on the Day of Resurrection.\ 4\ The news of your passing just reached our ears,\ From now on, no trace of you will remain in the world.\ We still at the mouth of the ink bottle,\ Pour out our sorrow for departure with the voice of laughter.\ 5\ There has never been a ruler lasting for thousands of years,\ Things change, stars shift, people come and go.\ Only the green pine and cypress,\ Forever represent life, standing firm and unyielding.\ 6\ When you open the beautiful and luxurious ink box,\ Let the brush and ink display their generosity and magnanimity.\ You should record the beautiful things,\ Glowing brilliantly under the reflection of ink.\ After finishing, I handed the scroll to the envoy to deliver to the palace and present to the king. The king looked at it and most admired my calligraphy, commanding the envoys: 'Prepare drums and music, bring ornate clothes, lead the mules, and with a grand ceremony, bring this calligrapher into the palace.'\ The envoys, upon hearing this command, secretly chuckled.\ The king was very angry and scolded: 'You damn fools! Is there anything wrong with what I instructed? How dare you laugh at me?!'\ 'Your Majesty, we have a reason for laughing.'\ 'What is the reason?'\ 'The calligrapher you wish to welcome is only a monkey. Although these characters are beautiful and graceful, they were not written by a human, but by a monkey brought by the ship captain.'\ 'Can a monkey really write?'\ 'Truly, Allah bears witness, it is absolutely true.'\ The king was extremely astonished and curiously said: 'I want to buy that monkey from the captain.'So he sent envoys with music, bringing clothes and a horse onto the ship to receive me, and instructed them: 'You must dress it in these clothes, let it ride on the mule, take careful care of it, and bring it safely into the palace.' The envoys came to the ship, explained the king's wishes to the captain, then dressed me in the clothes, helped me ride the mule, and sent me to the royal palace. People, having heard of such a strange occurrence, rushed out to see the spectacle, and the entire city was in an uproar. In front of the king, I knelt down and kissed the ground three times. He invited me to sit, but I knelt on the ground. The ministers, seeing that I understood etiquette, were amazed, and the king watched my actions with curiosity.
The king dismissed everyone except for a eunuch and a young boy to attend me. Then he arranged a banquet in my honor, with dishes exceptionally sumptuous. There were wild animals from the mountains, birds that fly in the sky, domestic poultry in cages, and countless exquisite delicacies. The king signaled for me to sit with him. I knelt to kiss the ground, then sat upright to eat, and after eating, I stood, washed my hands, then took up a pen and wrote a poem praising the feast, which greatly pleased the king.
He sighed: 'How strange! A monkey can actually write so beautifully and compose such fine poetry. By Allah, this is the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen.'
The servant presented the wine in a glass to the king; after taking a sip, he handed it to me. I then knelt down to kiss the ground and drank it all in one go, after which I took up the pen and wrote another poem:
One
They put me on the fire to test me,
Finding that I could endure torture and pain.
So people held me in their arms,
Allowing me to be intimate with princes.
Two
At dawn, darkness is driven away,
Please let me drink the fierce wine of misfortune three cups.
I cannot discern clean from foul,
Is it the wine in the cup, or the cup in the wine?
The king, reading my poem, was astonished and said: 'If this poem were written by a human hand, the author would surely become a legendary figure in literature.' Then the king brought out a chess set and asked: 'Would you like to play a game with me?' I nodded in agreement. So I sat down and played chess with the king. After two games, the king lost to me both times, and he was greatly surprised.After finishing the game of chess, I picked up a pen and wrote the following poem on the chessboard:
On this day, two armies faced off,
The battle was unprecedentedly fierce;
Until night fell,
The fighting ceased, and each returned to their camp.
The king read the poem, and his feelings of surprise and joy did not diminish.
He instructed the page, “Bring the princess here. Tell her to come and see this monkey.” Shortly after, the page returned with the princess. But when she saw me, she covered her face with a veil and said, “Father, why have you called me to see a stranger?”
“Not at all!” the king said in surprise. “Here, there are only the servants and the eunuchs, all people you know well.”
“This monkey is actually a young prince,” said the princess, “His father is a king. The demon Zhelki cast a spell on him and killed his own wife—the daughter of Aimus. This monkey is a learned prince, and due to the magic he is under, he has been turned into the form of a monkey.”
Hearing the princess's words, the king was greatly astonished. He glanced at me and asked, “Is what she says true?”
I nodded to indicate “yes,” and could not help but weep bitterly.
The king asked the princess, “How do you know he is a prince?”
“Father, when I was little, an old woman skilled in magic taught me some magic. I studied it earnestly and understood one hundred seventy methods. A few of them, I can use their power to move the stones beneath your feet into outer space, turn land into sea, and transform humans and animals into fish and beasts.”
“My daughter, I swear by my life, quickly save this youth. I want him to be my chancellor. He is a clever, lovable, and learned young man.”
“Very well, I will rescue him immediately.”
The princess drew a circle on the ground with a knife and wrote a few incantations and charms inside it. Then she focused, took a deep breath, and pondered silently, chanting words beneath her breath. Some of her words could be understood clearly, while others left people confused and bewildered. She chanted for about the time it takes to have a cup of tea. Gradually, the sky darkened, and then the demon suddenly appeared before us, his arms like tree trunks, his legs like masts, and his eyes like lanterns, terrifying at first sight. The princess said to him, “You are someone who deserves to be cursed!”Immediately, the devil transformed into a lion and said, "You treacherous woman! Didn't we swear not to interfere with each other? Why are you breaking your vow?"
"You cursed creature! Who would believe your oath?"
"You're asking for trouble!"
The lion bared its teeth and claws and lunged at the princess. Quick-eyed and quick-handed, the princess swiftly plucked a strand of hair, waved it as she recited a spell, and the hair instantly turned into a sharp sword. She raised the sword and struck head-on, cleaving the lion into two pieces. But the lion's head, once it fell to the ground, turned into a venomous scorpion. The princess then transformed, becoming a large snake, and chased after the scorpion. The two engaged in fierce combat.
Then the devil turned into a vulture, and the princess became a hawk. The hawk chased and pecked at the vulture. Afterwards, the vulture transformed into a black cat, and the hawk became a wolf, and they fought for a while in the palace. Unable to hold its ground, the black cat transformed into a bright red, round pomegranate and fell into the fountain. The wolf lunged after it; the pomegranate slowly rose into the air, then fell to the ground and shattered, scattering its seeds everywhere. The wolf transformed into a rooster and pecked at the pomegranate seeds, eating them all, leaving not a single one.
At this moment, the rooster flapped its wings and crowed loudly, shaking its head to signal to us. We couldn't understand what it was saying. Then, with a deafening crow, it seemed as if the palace was about to collapse, pressing down on us. It searched around and finally discovered a single pomegranate seed lying among the grass at the edge of the fountain. It rushed over and was just going to peck it when the seed rolled into the water, transforming into a small fish and diving to the bottom of the pond. The rooster immediately turned into a large fish and followed the trail down.
After a while, we suddenly heard a roar that made our hearts leap in fear. The devil revealed its true form and leaped out, opening its mouth, with black smoke spewing from its nose and eyes. Then the princess transformed into a fireball and appeared behind it. They attacked with fire against each other, the flames growing stronger and stronger, filling the palace with fire and smoke. We were terrified, fearing we would be burned to death, and wanted to jump into the fountain to escape.
The king sighed, "It's over. We can only hope that the great Allah will save us. We belong to Allah; we will all return to His side. Had I known this, I shouldn't have asked her to rescue that monkey, to prevent her from battling this powerful devil and bringing such danger. How I wish we had never seen that monkey, how wonderful that would have been!"It is an unlucky thing, it brings calamity. Out of compassion, we rescued it, but we ourselves were struck by great misfortune!” I could barely speak to him in hoarse whispers. Later, the demon roared and leapt in front of us, spraying flames in our faces. The princess pursued from behind, and we were surrounded by two balls of fire. The princess's flames did not harm us, but the demon's flames blinded my eyes and scorched the king's cheeks, beard, and lips. One ball of flame fell upon the eunuch, burning him alive. At that moment, we were in utter misery, believing that disaster was unavoidable. In the midst of this dire situation, suddenly a voice recited: “Allah is the Greatest! Allah is the Greatest! He guides us to overcome evil.” As the words fell, the demon was burned to death by the princess's flames, instantly turning into a heap of ashes.
The princess came to us and said: “Give me a bowl of water.” She then took the water, muttered an incantation, sprinkled the water on me, and said: “By the power of Allah and His noble name, restore your original form.”
After the princess finished reciting, my whole body trembled, and I instantly returned to human form, regaining my previous appearance. Unfortunately, one of my eyes had already been burned blind by the demon's flames.
The princess said: “Father, I am about to die. This is because I have never fought the demon before. If he were merely human, I could have killed him quickly; the reason it was so difficult for me to defeat him is that the pomegranate seeds were scattered on the ground. If I had pecked them, the demon would have been destroyed instantly. But under fate's arrangement, he appeared multiple times, grappling with me on the ground, in the air, and in water, fighting to the death. Whenever I cast a spell, he countered me with the same spell, and in the end, he even used flames against me. Never before had a sorcerer used fire magic and still not been defeated. Luckily, fate looked after me, letting me burn him to death first. But now I see I am near death. After I am gone, Allah will give you another daughter.”
After speaking, black flames burned her chest and gradually spread to her face. At that moment, she shed tears and said: “I testify that Allah is the One and Only Master, and Muhammad is His Messenger.”
Having said this, she was finally consumed by fire and turned into a heap of ashes.
Witnessing this separation by death, we were unimaginably sorrowful.I could not bear to see the beautiful princess who had saved me turned to ashes; I would rather die in her place. Although I had this wish, Allah's plan is not something mortals can change. When the king saw that the princess had been burned to ashes, he beat his chest and stomped his feet, cried to the heavens, tore his clothes, pulled out his beard, and wailed in deep sorrow. I also cried out loudly, my tears gushing like a spring. The king's attendants and ministers rushed over at the sound, and seeing the king on the verge of death with two piles of ashes on the ground, they were terrified, panicked, and hurriedly surrounded him to offer aid.
The king slowly regained consciousness and recounted to them the battle between the princess and the devil. They considered this a national tragedy, and the attendants and ministers wept in sorrow.
Later, the king held a funeral for the princess that lasted seven days. He ordered the construction of a tall tomb for her, lit bright oil lamps, and commanded that the devil's ashes be scattered everywhere, let loose in the wind, leaving no trace behind.
After the funeral was over, the king became seriously ill, bedridden, and nearly died.
After an entire month, the king recovered, and his burnt beard had grown back slightly. He summoned me to his bedside and said, “Young man, before you came to us, our lives were always calm and peaceful. I wish we had never seen you; now that we are so sorrowful and desolate, it is all because of you. First, I lost my daughter, who was a hundred times stronger than any man; second, the fire disfigured my face and killed my eunuch. We paid a high price for you, yet from start to finish, we demanded no reward from you. Allah arranged this disaster; it was inevitable. In any case, my daughter sacrificed herself to save you, and for that, I should praise Allah. Child, now go, leave from afar. The tragedies that have happened because of you break my heart. May you return home safely, and never let me see you again, or else I might kill you.”
I bid farewell to the king, left the palace, and departed from the country.
I wandered aimlessly, completely at a dead end, and memories surged one by one: escaping from bandits; after traveling for a month, encountering a tailor in the city; meeting a girl in a hidden chamber in the forest; almost being killed by the devil… The experiences of this period were vividly etched in my mind. Finally, I praised Allah and sighed, “I have lost one eye, yet I kept my life.”"From then on, I wept every day, walking to the holy site for pilgrimage, determined to find my final resting place there."
