Chapter XII: Book V: Hatim’s journey to the mountain of Nida (2)

While Hatim was thus waiting, a large dolphin raised his head above the water, and thus spoke: “O Hatim, these two loaves and the fried fish have been dressed for thee only; eat, then, and appease thy hunger.” When the dolphin had done speaking, he dived into his native element; and Hatim, without further delay, ate the loaves and the fish, after which he allayed his thirst from a jar of fresh water that stood in a corner of the vessel. Shortly after a favorable breeze sprung up, and Hatim having trimmed the sails, launched into the wide ocean. His greatest wish was to return to the city of Nida, and inform the inhabitants of the fate of his friend Jam; but then he knew not which way to steer, so he placed his reliance upon Providence, and allowed his bark to sail smoothly before the wind.

For the following seven days Hatim’s vessel continued to dart through the ocean; nor during that space did he taste any food, nor see aught but the heavens above and the roaring billows around. On the eighth day he beheld rising above the waters a mountain whose cliffs seemed to pierce the moon. In three days more he landed at the foot of the mountain; and in his ascent, was astonished on beholding streams of blood gushing from its rocks. He stood still to view this strange phenomenon, and said in his heart, “How wonderful the works of the Creator! Each rock and stone of this mountain discharges drops of blood; but who can explain to me the cause of it?”

In these reflections Hatim at length reached the summit, and there saw before him an extensive plain of blood-red hue, while the color of all the animals that frequented it was green. So intent was Hatim in the contemplation of those wonderful regions, that he completely forgot the pangs of hunger, and advanced several farasangs into the plain. At last he came to the brink of a sea, whose waters were blood, and whose billows, chasing each other to land, moistened the stars with their purple spray. On the red beach were numbers of birds, the brilliancy of whose azure plumage was dazzling to the sight. Here Hatim wandered along the shores of the blood-red sea for the space of a month, and having caught some of the birds, he struck fire from a flint, and dressed food for himself. At length he came to a narrow point of land, beyond which nothing was visible but the purple waves and across whose expanse none of the birds attempted it flight. Hatim began to despair of ever returning from these crimson shores. “Thou hast wandered here for a whole month,” said he to himself, “but all of no avail; and wert thou to advance for years along this blood-stained coast, thou wouldst see no termination. Here art thou destined to linger out thy life-time, for to return hence is beyond thy power. And, alas! thy friend Munir is left to perish in expectation of thee.”

But again, Hatim devoutly considered, “If God, the Great and Glorious, hath willed that I should return and that my friend should by my means attain the object of his wish, assuredly He will rescue me from this misery.” While occupied with these pious reflections, he saw at a great distance a black speck, which occasionally showed itself on the top of the billows. In a short time it approached nearer, and great was his delight when the object proved to be a boat. It touched the shore at his feet; and Hatim having offered up his gratitude to the Supreme, leaped into the vessel and put out to sea.

In this boat he found, as previously, two barley loaves and a fried fish, which he ate without scruple, while the vessel flew swift as an arrow through the waves of the crimson sea. On the seventh day after, he saw land; and in going ashore he found every object dyed with the same crimson hue as on the other side; while every rock and stone poured forth torrents of blood. Hatim trusted in God, and fearlessly began to penetrate into this new region. At a great distance he observed a brilliant spot in the horizon, to which he directed his course. The nearer he approached the more dazzling grew the light, till at length he could perceive that it was a lofty mountain of the purest silver. Forward he went, fatigued as he was; but by the time he thought himself within a few leagues of the silver mountain, he found that there intervened a wide ocean, whose waves were of the same brilliant hue. He stood upon the beach admiring the beauty of the prospect; and as his thirst was excessive, he dipped his right hand into the silver liquid, in order to taste of its contents, and instantly his hand was turned into silver.

Hatim with horror beheld his right hand converted into a mass of silver, and mourning over his hapless fate, he sat down upon the shore. Suddenly he saw a boat making towards him from the direction of the mountain. He raised his hands towards heaven, and gave praise to that Almighty Providence which had so frequently aided him in his distress. When the boat reached the shore, Hatim joyfully stepped into it, and found it supplied with a variety of the most delicious viands, also pure water wherewith to quench his thirst. Having refreshed his exhausted frame, he trimmed his sails, and steered his course towards the silver mountain. The vessel swiftly ploughed the waves without any aid from a pilot, while Hatim laid himself down and enjoyed a refreshing sleep.

When Hatim had first seen the silver mountain, he imagined that it was at no great distance from him; but this was owing to its extreme brilliancy and immense height, for it required several days and nights of swift sailing to reach its nearer shore. At length Hatim came to land, and began to explore the silver regions; but ever and anon he looked with sorrow at his right hand, now a useless burden to him. Onwards he journeyed for four days more, when he reached the foot of what he conceived to be the silver mountain. He then commenced his ascent; but he no sooner reached the summit of one mountain than another still higher presented itself to his view. For three days he thus toiled upwards: his food consisted of wild fowls, which he caught in the rocks, and sometimes fish of the hue of silver from the mountain streams, together with such fruit as those airy regions produced. On the fourth day, he observed that the rocks and stones which lined his path emitted brilliant rays of light, and were tinged with the colors of the rainbow. He stood admiring this beautiful sight, devoutly acknowledging the transcendent power and wisdom of Him who made the universe. On a more minute examination of these beautiful stones, he found that they were real jewels, such as diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.

Hatim could not resist the temptation of carrying off some of the jewels; he, therefore, filled his skirt with such of them as were most valuable, and thus laden, resumed his ascent. The higher he climbed the larger and more brilliant became the jewels scattered around him, so that he was constantly occupied in throwing away what he had previously gathered, and supplying their place with others more precious. At last he satisfied himself by filling his skirt with the largest jewels he had ever seen, and resolved to carry these back with him to his own country. “The greatest princes on earth,” said he, “possess not such jewels, nor could they buy them with all the wealth of their kingdoms; nay, they cannot have any idea even of their existence.”

For several days longer he persevered in his ascent from peak to peak, without the least appearance of reaching the highest point. Meanwhile, the weight of his load of jewels was so heavy that he was compelled to throw away more than the half, keeping only such as he judged most rare. One day, as he was passing from one mountain to another, he came to a spring of cool water, beside which he sat down to quench his thirst. The moment he dipped his hands in this precious fountain, his right hand became whole and sound as the rest of his body. Hatim thus providentially cured, bowed his head to the dust in gratitude to the Bestower of Benefits; and, having allayed his thirst, he laid himself down to sleep on the cool margin of the fountain.

When he awoke from his sleep, he beheld standing by the spring two beings of formidable appearance. Their color was black as the raven, their heads resembled that of man, and their hands and feet were like the paws of the lion. In an instant, Hatim started to his feet: he seized his bow and let fly his well-aimed arrow at one of these strange monsters. The shot took no effect, for the creature seized the arrow in its paw, and in a tone of reproach cried out, “O Hatim, does it become you to slay the innocent, from fear of your own life? Know that we also are servants of the Almighty, and have come hither with no intention of doing you harm.”

On hearing this, Hatim dropped the bow and arrow from his hands, and sat down in deep regret, for his own heart convinced him of having acted wrong. Some time thus passed while he waited their nearer approach, and much he wondered in his own mind what would be the result of an interview with such wonderful beings. At length they stood before him, and said, “To you, Hatim, of all mankind, it is least becoming to set your heart on jewels and worldly wealth. Your name is already famous in the world for everything noble and generous; and your history shall serve as an example to future ages. But if the love of gold and jewels take possession of your heart, farewell your present success and future fame!”--“May I ask,” said Hatim, “whose gold and jewels have I ever coveted?”--“O Hatim,” returned the demons, “see you those jewels which you have carried away from the lower mountain; can you say that they are your own?”--“If they be not mine,” replied Hatim, “they belong to no one else. The gifts of the Creator are without number, and his dominions boundless; if I have taken a few jewels from the mountain, I cannot have thereby wronged you or any living creature.”--“Those jewels,” said the demons, “belong to the race that inhabit these realms.”--“And is not man,” rejoined Hatim, “the noblest of created beings? Is he not sole master of the terrestrial globe and all that it contains? Tell me, then, the name of that race that can have a better right to these precious stones than I have. Besides, I have only carried with me a small number to present to my friends, which can no more be missed from the treasures of these mountains than a drop of water from the ocean.”--“It is not for the value of these baubles,” resumed the demons, “that we so strongly urge you to throw them away, it is solely on your own account; for if it is your wish to return in safety to your own country, you must covet nothing that you see here.” Hatim at length, with great reluctance, threw down the precious stones, saying, “What you advise me, my friends, may be right; yet it is hard that I should have toiled so many days in carrying these treasures, which I must now resign; truly your advice is to me very unacceptable.”

When the demons perceived Hatim’s reluctance, they selected from the stones the largest ruby, the most brilliant diamond, and the finest emerald, and presented the same to him, saying, “Accept, brave Hatim, these three precious stones; they will suffice as a specimen to be shown to your friends: to take more, or to use them in any other manner, would be unworthy of yourself.” Hatim joyfully received the three jewels, and said, “I am a stranger here; you will, therefore, do me the greatest favor by pointing out to me the way to my own country.”

“Generous Hatim,” replied the demons, “you are aware of the immense distance you have travelled since you left Shahabad. God has preserved you in all your perils and hardships; yet, since the creation of the world, only three of your race have been enabled to visit these regions and return with life, whereas, great numbers have perished in the attempt. Your days shall yet be many, for such is the will of God. Proceed, then, till you reach the ocean of gold, which you shall cross, as you have hitherto done. Next, you will come to the sea of fire; and should you be able to find your way to its farther side, you will soon arrive in Yemen. But, above all, beware lest you covet aught of what you see.”

Having thus spoken, the demons vanished from Hatim’s sight, while he sat down to repose for the night by the cool fountain. When the dawn appeared, he rose up, and, after ablutions, proceeded on his journey, trusting to Providence alone as his guide. After three days of fasting and toil, he arrived, hungry and thirsty, at the banks of a river, the channel of which was formed of the largest and most valuable pearls he had ever seen. His heart longed to possess the pearls, notwithstanding the injunctions he had received to the contrary; but, on reflection, he controlled his fatal desire, and satisfied himself by quenching his thirst in the running stream, which was extremely pure and refreshing.

Hatim thence set out, and shortly after, saw before him clouds rising from the horizon with uncommon brilliancy, resembling a canopy of burnished gold. For a whole month he continued to advance in this direction; and at length he saw the summit of the golden mountain, rising with dazzling grandeur among the clouds. Having reached the base of the mountain, he found it covered with trees and shrubs, of which the foliage and fruit were all of golden hue. For three days he ascended towards the summit; and on the fourth day he entered a garden whose beauty equalled that of paradise. The trees were loaded with golden apples, every leaf and every plant in the garden was tinged with the hue of gold.

After Hatim had enjoyed the charms of this beautiful scene, and appeased his thirst from fountains of pure water which issued from rocks of gold studded with the most precious gems, he sat down to repose for the night. Meanwhile a troop of fairies surrounded him; and when Hatim saw them, his heart rejoiced, for the fairest of the band greatly resembled Zarinposh. He said to them, “Heavenly creatures, tell me who are you?”--“We are,” replied one of them, “the devoted subjects of the fairy queen, who now walks in this garden, and who will very soon pass this way.”

Shortly after the queen approached, and the moment Hatim beheld her lovely countenance, his senses entirely forsook him, and he fell lifeless upon the ground. The queen quickly ordered her attendants to bring rose-water, which she sprinkled over his face and body. After this, Hatim recovered, when the queen raised him from the ground and seated him on a golden chair close by a throne, which she herself occupied. She then addressed him in the sweetest tones, and said, “Tell me, noble stranger, who are you, and how came you hither?” Hatim related his eventful history; and in return, asked the fairy, “To whom belong these celestial abodes?”--“These regions,” she replied, “are called Achīn, which signifies _pleasant_, and the sovereignty thereof belongs to the king, Shahyal, to whom I owe allegiance. It is part of my duty to keep watch in this paradise for a fixed period. My time expires in the course of a week; after which, I return to the royal presence. This mountain, too, is part of Kaf, which forms the boundaries of the earth.”

The fairies hospitably entertained Hatim for four days. On the fifth day, the queen advised him to depart, on which he took leave, and once more resumed his journey. In two days after, he found himself in a boundless plain beyond the confines of the golden mountain. Forward he marched, night and day; and on the evening of the sixteenth day, he reached the yellow shore of the golden sea. The sand on which he trod was of the finest gold; the waves, too, which rose like mountains towards the skies, were deeply tinged with the same color. While Hatim sat musing on the beach, he saw, as formerly, a vessel steering towards land; and at length it came close to where he stood. Hatim stepped into the boat, where he found a basket filled with delicious food; and as he was very hungry, he ate and refreshed his exhausted frame. At the same time his thirst was excessive, and he felt a strong inclination for dipping his hand into the sea in order to drink. He recollected, however, the disaster that had previously befallen him, when his hand was changed into silver; and lest it might this time be converted into gold, he took a goblet, and having filled the same, drank, and steered his bark from land.

For forty days and nights he sailed onwards without seeing any object but the golden waves and the illumined clouds. At length he reached the shore, and began to traverse the newly discovered regions. Seven days after, he came to a desert of burning sand, hot as the ashes of a newly quenched furnace. He made an effort to advance, but soon found himself unable to stand. He sunk exhausted to the earth; his lips were parched of their moisture, and the whole of his body scorched beyond endurance. In vain did he apply the muhra of the bear’s daughter; it produced no effect.

In this condition, Hatim, unable either to remain or return, tossing from side to side on the fiery sand, was about to bid adieu to life, when the two mysterious beings that had presented him with the precious stones, stood beside him, and having administered to him a draught of cool and refreshing water, recalled his departing soul. When Hatim recovered his senses, and saw the two demons before him, he said, “To you my debt of gratitude is indeed heavy, for verily your aid has been opportune.”--“Brave Hatim,” they rejoined, “it is part of our duty to direct the stranger on his way. You must, therefore, advance through this desert till you reach the fiery ocean, which you must cross, as you have lately crossed the other seas; and should it please the Great Creator, you will, thereafter, soon arrive in your own country. Meanwhile, accept this talisman, and when you feel the heat oppressive, take the talisman in your mouth, and the fire shall have no power over you. When arrived on the farther side, cast the talisman into the fiery ocean, and proceed on your journey.”

Hatim took the talisman in his mouth, and advanced for three days amidst the burning sand, when at last the flames so increased that it appeared as if the heavens and the earth were mingled in one blaze. He stood still for some minutes on the brink of the fiery ocean. Here his courage failed, for he saw not the possibility of surmounting this last barrier. At length a boat was seen to emerge from the flaming billows, but even then Hatim hesitated whether to enter; for, said he, “How can I, with my eyes open, entrust myself to a frail bark on a sea of liquid fire?” Again he reflected, “After all, this is my only way of escape; and if I wish to succeed in my enterprise, I must brave this danger; if it is the will of the Creator to spare my life, he is able to protect me in the midst of the flames.”

Hatim entered the vessel, which began forthwith to cleave its way through the flaming waves. Dreadful was his situation; and though the fire hurt him not, still he durst not open his eyes from fear of the glare of light that surrounded him. Three weeks after the commencement of this perilous voyage, he felt his bark tossed round with amazing rapidity in the midst of a whirlpool. Hatim now felt assured that his last hour was arrived. He still sat with his eyes closed, recommending his soul to the protection of heaven, when the vessel sunk from beneath him, and he found himself floating swiftly along the current. Hatim in this helpless state resigned himself to fate. Over his eyes were drawn the curtains of despair, and his head touched the knee of anguish. For three days and nights he was thus tossed along the billows of the fiery ocean, till at length the waves cast him almost lifeless on solid ground.

Hatim ventured to open his eyes, thinking that he was still on the sea-shore, but no trace could he see of the flaming billows, nor of the dazzling light that lately enveloped him. He stood up, and threw away the talisman given him by the two genii, after which he began to explore the surrounding country. He soon discovered, to his great joy, that he was in his native land of Yemen; and seeing a peasant standing beside a field of corn, he went up to him and said, “Tell me, my good man, what is the name of this country, and who is its sovereign?” The peasant, instead of replying, stood motionless with his eyes fixed on the countenance of him who bore such resemblance to his beloved prince. “Are you deaf, my friend?” resumed Hatim, “or are you unwilling to answer a plain question?”--“Forgive me, noble sir,” said the peasant, “but you look so like the brave and generous Hatim, that the joy of once more beholding my prince has deprived my tongue of utterance.”

Hatim, without discovering himself, continued his conversation with the peasant, and said, “Who is this Hatim you speak of, and what do you know of him?”--“He is,” replied the peasant, “my true and beloved prince; for you must know, stranger, that this is the kingdom of Yemen, of which Taï is sovereign. The heir-apparent to the throne is the noble Hatim, who seven years ago left his paternal domains to travel through strange countries. Once only in that long period hath he gladdened our hearts with tidings of his welfare, by letters brought to his father by the youthful queen Zarinposh.”

Having thus spoken the peasant was about to depart, when Hatim addressed him, saying, “Stay, my good subject, I am indeed Hatim, the son of Taï; and if you wish to do me a favor, go to my father’s hall and assure himself and my mother of my welfare, and my unimpaired affection towards them. But first of all, tell me where I may quench my thirst, for I am wearied with travelling.” The peasant quickly ran to his cottage, and having brought the best food and drink he could procure, presented them to his prince. After Hatim had refreshed himself, he stood for some minutes intently looking towards his father’s capital, which was situated close by. At length he turned, and addressing the peasant, who stood at a respectful distance awaiting his further commands, said, “Good friend, accept my thanks for your hospitality. Remember my request, and say to my father that my time is pressing, for I am journeying to Shahabad. I trust I shall soon be able to return to my native country, no more to wander.”

Shortly after, Hatim arrived safely in the city of Shahabad. When the people of Husn Banu saw him, they conveyed him with the highest respect to the gate of their fair sovereign. Husn Banu, informed of Hatim’s arrival, hastily threw on her veil, and gave orders for his admission into the palace. After mutual salutations, Husn Banu asked of Hatim the account of his long journey, the events of which he minutely detailed from beginning to end. After he had finished his narrative, the fair queen said to him, “Brave prince of Yemen, I am satisfied that what you have stated is strictly true; but have you nothing to show in confirmation?” Hatim produced the ruby, the diamond, and the emerald which the two genii had permitted him to bring from Nida, and presented the same to Husn Banu, saying, “These are ample proofs of what I have related; and I may add, that when my right hand was transformed into a mass of silver, and when, on washing in the fountain, it was again restored to its original form, my nails still retained the hue of silver, as you now behold. On drinking from the golden sea, four of my teeth were transformed into pure gold, and, as you see, still continue so.”

Husn Banu expressed her admiration of Hatim’s bravery and constancy, and with her own hands gave him food and drink. Hatim tasted slightly of her bounty, and said that he longed to see his friend the Assyrian prince. He therefore hastened to the Mihmanseraï[b5.03], where he found Munir. He gave his friend every consolation in his power, saying, “Be of good cheer, for now there are only two questions to solve, and God will grant success.” Three days thus passed, after which Hatim presented himself before Husn Banu, and said, “Tell me, fair lady, what is your sixth question?”--“I have a pearl here,” replied Husn Banu, “as large as a duck’s egg: bring another equal to it.” Hatim requested to see the pearl; and having got an exact model of it made of silver, he deposited the same in his turban. Taking leave of Husn Banu and the Assyrian prince Munir, he then set out on his sixth journey.