office, for he was their sheikh and their chief, and none of them
purchased aught but with his knowledge and by his leave. And now his

rank passed on to me.
When I became acquainted with the townsfolk, I found that at the

beginning of each month they were transformed, in that their faces
changed and they became like unto birds and they put forth wings

wherewith they flew unto the upper regions of the firmament; and
none remained in the city save the women and children. And I said in

my mind, "When the first of the month cometh, I will ask one of them
to carry me with them, whither they go." So when the time came and

their complexion changed and their forms altered, I went in to one
of the townsfolk and said to him: "Allah upon thee! Carry me with

thee, that I might divert myself with the rest and return with you."
"This may not be," answered he. But I ceased not to solicit him, and I

importuned him till he consented. Then I went out in his company,
without telling any of my family or servants or friends, and he took

me on his back and flew up with me so high in air that I heard the
angels glorifying God in the heavenly dome, whereat I wondered and

exclaimed: "Praised be Allah! Extolled be the perfection of Allah!"
Hardly had I made an end of pronouncing the tasbih- praised be

Allah!- when there came out a fire from Heaven and all but consumed
the company. Whereupon they fied from it and descended with curses

upon me and, casting me down on a high mountain, went away exceeding
wroth with me, and left me there alone. As I found myself in this

plight, I repented of what I had done and reproached myself for having
undertaken that for which I was unable, saying: "There is no Majesty

and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! No
sooner am I delivered from one affliction than I fall into a worse."

And I continued in this case, knowing not whither I should go, when
lo! there came up two young men, as they were moons, each using as a

staff a rod of red gold. So I approached them and saluted them; and
when they returned my salaam, I said to them: Allah upon you twain.

Who are ye, and what are ye?" Quoth they, "We are of the servants of
the Most High Allah, abiding in this mountain," and giving me a rod of

red gold they had with them, went their ways and left me.
I walked on along the mountain ridge, staying my steps with the

staff and pondering the case of the two youths, when behold, a serpent
came forth from under the mountain, with a man in her jaws whom she

had swallowed even to below his navel, and he was crying out and
saying, "Whoso delivereth me, Allah will deliver him from all

adversity!" So I went up to the the serpent and smote her on the
head with the golden staff, whereupon she cast the man forth of her

mouth. Then I smote her a second time, and she turned and fled,
whereupon he came up to me and said, "Since my deliverance from yonder

serpent hath been at thy hands I will never leave thee, and thou shalt
be my comrade on this mountain." "And welcome," answered I. So we

fared on along the mountain till we fell in with a company of folk,
and I looked and saw amongst them the very man who had carried me

and cast me down there. I went up to him and spake him fair,
excusing to him and saying, "O my comrade, it is not thus that

friend should deal with friend." Quoth he, "It was thou who
well-nigh destroyed us by thy tasbih and thy glorifying God on my

back." Quoth I, "Pardon me, for I had no knowledge of this matter, but
if thou wilt take me with thee, I swear not to say a word."

So he relented and consented to carry me with him, but he made an
express condition that so long as I abode on his back, I should

abstain from pronouncing the tasbih or otherwise glorifying God.
Then I gave the wand of gold to him whom I had delivered from the

serpent and bade him farewell, and my friend took me on his back and
flew with me as before, till he brought me to the city and set me down

in my own house. My wife came to meet me and, saluting me, gave me joy
of my safety and then said: "Beware of going forth hereafter with

yonder folk, neither consort with them, for they are brethren of the
devils, and know not how to mention the name of Allah Almighty,

neither worship they Him." "And how did thy father with them?" asked
I, and she answered: "My father was not of them, neither did he as

they. And as now he is dead, methinks thou hadst better sell all we
have and with the price buy merchandise and journey to thine own

country and people, and I with thee; for I care not to tarry in this
city, my father and my mother being dead." So I sold all the Sheikh's

property piecemeal, and looked for one who should be journeying thence
to Bassorah that I might join myself to him.

And while thus doing I heard of a company of townsfolk who had a
mind to make the voyage but could not find them a ship, so they bought

wood and built them a great ship, wherein I took passage with them,
and paid them all the hire. Then we embarked, I and my wife, with

all our movables, leaving our houses and domains and so forth, and set
sail, and ceased not sailing from island to island and from sea to

sea, with a fair wind and a favoring, till we arrived at Bassorah safe
and sound. I made no stay there, but freighted another vessel and,

transferring my goods to her, set out forthright for Baghdad city,
where I arrived in safety, and entering my quarter and repairing to my

house, forgathered with my family and friends and familiars and laid
up my goods in my warehouses.

When my people, who, reckoning the period of my absence on this my
seventh voyage, had found it to be seven and twenty years and had

given up all hope of me, heard of my return, they came to welcome me
and to give me joy of my safety. And I related to them all that had

befallen me, whereat they marveled with exceedingmarvel. Then I
foreswore travel and vowed to Allah the Most High I would venture no

more by land or sea, for that this seventh and last voyage had
surfeited me of travel and adventure, and I thanked the Lord (be He

praised and glorified!), and blessed Him for having restored me to
my kith and kin and country and home. "Consider, therefore, O Sindbad,

O Landsman," continued Sindbad the Seaman, "what sufferings I have
undergone and what perils and hardships I have endured before coming

to my present state." "Allah upon thee, O my Lord!" answered Sindbad
the, Landsman. "Pardon me the wrong I did thee." And they ceased not

from friendship and fellowship, abiding in all cheer and pleasures and
solace of life till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and

the Sunderer of Societies, and the Shatterer of palaces and the
Caterer for Cemeteries; to wit, the Cup of Death, and glory be to

the Living One who dieth not! And there is a tale touching

• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• worship [´wə:ʃip] n.&v.崇拜；敬仰 (初中英语单词)
• voyage [´vɔi-idʒ] n.&vi.航海；航程；旅行 (初中英语单词)
• vessel [´vesəl] n.容器；船；脉管 (初中英语单词)
• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
• marvel [´mɑ:vəl] n.令人惊异的事；奇迹 (初中英语单词)
• venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险；敢于 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• complexion [kəm´plekʃən] n.肤色；情况；局面 (高中英语单词)
• divert [dai´və:t] vt.转移注意力；消遣 (高中英语单词)
• heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)
• perfection [pə´fekʃən] n.完美；极致；熟练 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• serpent [´sə:pənt] n.大毒蛇；阴险的人 (高中英语单词)
• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
• hereafter [hiər´ɑ:ftə] ad.&n.将来；来世 (高中英语单词)
• methinks [mi´θiŋks] vi.据我看来 (高中英语单词)
• merchandise [´mə:tʃəndaiz] n.商品 v.经商 (高中英语单词)
• wherein [weər´in] ad.那里面 (高中英语单词)
• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)
• firmament [´fə:məmənt] n.苍穹，天空 (英语四级单词)
• solicit [sə´lisit] v.恳求，请求 (英语四级单词)
• whereat [weər´æt] ad.对于...；在这里 (英语四级单词)
• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)
• deliverance [di´livərəns] n.援救；获释 (英语四级单词)
• consort [´kɔnsɔ:t] n.&v.配偶；合作；一致 (英语四级单词)
• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• fellowship [´feləuʃip] n.团体；伙伴关系；友谊 (英语四级单词)
• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)
• affliction [ə´flikʃən] n.痛苦，苦恼；折磨 (英语六级单词)
• reckoning [´rekəniŋ] n.计算；算帐；估计 (英语六级单词)
• seaman [´si:mən] n.海员，水手 (英语六级单词)