The Arabian Nights, Volume I of IV

by Unknown

The two parts of the lion directly disappeared, and the head only remained, which changed into a large scorpion. The princess then took the form of a serpent, and began a fierce combat with the scorpion, which, finding itself in danger of being defeated, changed into an eagle and flew away. But the serpent then became another eagle, black, and more powerful, and went in pursuit of it. We now lost sight of them for some time.

Shortly after they had disappeared, the earth opened before us, and a black and white cat appeared, the hairs of which stood quite on end, and which made a most horrible mewing. A black wolf directly followed, and gave it no respite. The cat being hard pressed changed into a worm, and finding itself near a pomegranate which had fallen by accident from a tree that grew upon the bank of a deep but narrow canal, instantly made a hole in it, and concealed itself there. The pomegranate immediately began to swell, and became as large as a gourd, which then rose up as high as the gallery, and rolled backwards and forwards there several times; it then fell down to the bottom of the court, and broke into many pieces.

The wolf in the mean time transformed itself into a cock, ran to the seeds of the pomegranate, and began swallowing them one after the other as fast as possible. When it could see no more, it came to us with its wings extended, and making a great noise, as if to inquire of us whether there were any more seeds. There was one lying on the border of the canal, which the cock in going back perceived, and ran towards it as quick as possible; but at the very instant in which its beak was upon it, the seed rolled into the canal and changed into a small fish. The cock then flew into the canal, and becoming a pike, pursued the little fish. They were both two hours under water, and we knew not what was become of them, when we heard the most horrible cries, that made us tremble. Soon after we saw the genius and the princess all on fire. They threw the flames against each other with their breath, and at last came to a close attack. Then the fire increased, and every thing about was encompassed with smoke and flame to a great height. We were afraid, and not without reason, that the whole palace would be burnt: but we soon had a much more dreadful cause for terror; for the Genius having disengaged himself from the princess, came towards the gallery where we were, and blew his flames all over us. This would have destroyed us, if the princess, running to our assistance, had not compelled him, by her cries, to retreat to a distance and guard himself against her. In spite, however, of all the haste she made, she could not prevent the sultan from having his head singed and his face scorched; the chief of the eunuchs, too, was stifled and consumed on the spot; and a spark flew into my right eye and blinded me. Both the sultan and myself expected to perish, when we suddenly heard the cry of “Victory, victory!” and the princess immediately appeared to us in her own form, while the Genius was reduced to a heap of ashes.

The princess approached us, and in order to lose no time, she asked for a cupfull of water, which was brought by the young slave whom the fire had not injured. She took it, and after pronouncing some words over it, she threw some of the water upon me, and said, “If thou art an ape by inchantment, change thy figure and take that of a man which thou hadst before.” She had hardly concluded, when I again became a man, the same as before I was changed, except with the loss of one eye.

I was preparing to thank the princess, but she did not give me time before she said to the sultan, her father, “I have gained, sire, the victory over the Genius, as your majesty may see, but it is a victory which has cost me dear. I have but a few moments to live, and you will not have the satisfaction of completing the marriage you intended. The fire in this dreadful combat has penetrated my body, and I feel that it will soon consume me. This would not have happened if I had perceived the last seed of the pomegranate when I was in the shape of a cock, and had swallowed it as I did the others. The Genius had fled to it as his last retreat; and on that depended the success of the combat, which would then have been fortunate and without danger to me. This omission obliged me to have recourse to fire, and fight with that powerful weapon between heaven and earth, as you saw me. In spite of this dreadful power and experience, I convinced him that my knowledge and art were greater than his. I have at length conquered and reduced him to ashes; but I cannot avoid the death which I feel approaching.”

The princess had no sooner finished this account of the battle, than the sultan, in a tone of voice which showed how much he was agitated by this recital, answered, “You see, my daughter, the state in which your father is. Alas! I am only astonished that I am still alive. The eunuch, your governor, is dead; and the prince whom you have delivered from enchantment, has lost an eye.” He could say no more, for his tears and sobs stopped his utterance. Both his daughter and myself were extremely affected at his sufferings, and mingled our tears with his.

While we were each of us indulging in this excess of sorrow, the princess suddenly exclaimed, “I burn, I burn.” She perceived that the fire which consumed her, had at last seized her whole body, and she did not cease calling out, “I burn,” till death put an end to her almost insupportable sufferings. The effect of this fire was so extraordinary, that in a few minutes she was reduced, like the Genius, to a heap of ashes.

I need not say how much this dreadful and melancholy sight affected us. I would rather have continued an ape or a dog my whole life, than have seen my benefactress perish in such a horrid manner. The sultan too, on his part, was beyond measure afflicted. It is almost impossible to conceive what lamentable cries he uttered, beating himself at the same time most violently on his head and breast, till at last, yielding to despair, he fainted, and I feared even his life would fall a sacrifice.

In the mean time the cries of the sultan brought the eunuchs and officers to his assistance, and they found great difficulty in recovering him. There was no occasion for either the prince or myself giving them a very long detail of this adventure, to convince them of the propriety of our sorrow; the two heaps of ashes to which the princess and the Genius had been reduced, were quite sufficient. As the sultan could scarcely support himself, he was obliged to lean upon them in order to get to his apartment.

As soon as the knowledge of an event so tragical was spread through the palace and the city, every one lamented the melancholy fate of the princess, surnamed the Queen of Beauty; and joined in the grief of the sultan. They put on mourning for seven days, and performed many ceremonies; the ashes of the Genius they scattered in the wind, but collected those of the princess in a costly vase, and preserved them: this vase was then deposited in a superb mausoleum, which was erected on the very spot where the ashes had been found.