# 013 - Six Hundred and Seventy-third Night to Six Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night

An episode of [Arabian Nights Volume 7 - Tales of Adventure and Intrigue](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1858984052), 3 Dec 2025, 12 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/68851054/013_six_hundred_and_seventy_third_night_to_six_hundred_and_seventy_fifth_night.mp3

Dive into the enchanting world of Arabian Nights, a mesmerizing collection of stories that have captivated audiences for centuries. This compilation, woven together through the artful storytelling of Shahrazad, features a rich tapestry of myths and folklore from the Indian subcontinent, Persia, and Arabia. Despite the absence of an original manuscript, this timeless collection is believed to have originated between AD 800-900. Among its many treasures are the iconic tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. This volume is part of the renowned sixteen-volume translation by Richard Francis Burton, showcasing the allure of these age-old narratives. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia) This episode includes AI-generated content.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Section thirteen of the Book of A Thousand Knights and
[0:03] Speaker 1: a Knight, Volume seven. This is a LibriVox recording. All
[0:07] Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
[0:11] Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
[0:16] Speaker 1: Jeff Kluckner. The Book of A Thousand Knights and a Knight,
[0:20] Speaker 1: Volume seven by Anonymous, translated by Richard Francis Burton, Section thirteen.
[0:26] Speaker 1: When it was the six hundred and seventy third night
[0:29] Speaker 1: she pursued it, hath reached me o auspicious king, that
[0:33] Speaker 1: when the ship's crew seized Gharib and bound him fast,
[0:36] Speaker 1: they said, we will not slay him, save in our
[0:39] Speaker 1: own land. Then they sailed on till they came to
[0:42] Speaker 1: the city of Karaj. The builder whereof was an Amalekite,
[0:45] Speaker 1: fierce and furious, and he had set up at each
[0:48] Speaker 1: gate of the city a magical figure of copper, which,
[0:50] Speaker 1: whenever a stranger entered, blew a blast on a trumpet,
[0:54] Speaker 1: that all in the city heard it and fell upon
[0:56] Speaker 1: the stranger and slew him, except they embraced their creed.
[1:00] Speaker 1: When Gharib entered the city, the figure stationed at the
[1:03] Speaker 1: gate blew such a horrible blast that the king was affrighted,
[1:06] Speaker 1: and going into his idol, found fire and smoke issuing
[1:09] Speaker 1: from its mouth, nose, and eyes. Now a satan had
[1:13] Speaker 1: entered the belly of the idol, and speaking as with
[1:15] Speaker 1: its tongue, said, O, King, there is come to thy
[1:19] Speaker 1: city one HIGs Gharib, king of al Irak, who biddeth
[1:23] Speaker 1: the folk quit their belief and worship his lord. Wherefore,
[1:26] Speaker 1: when they bring him before thee look thou spare him not.
[1:30] Speaker 1: So the king went out and sat down on his throne,
[1:32] Speaker 1: and presently the sailors brought in Gharib and set before
[1:35] Speaker 1: the presence, saying, O, King, we found this youth shipwrecked
[1:39] Speaker 1: in the midst of the sea, and he is a kafir,
[1:42] Speaker 1: and believeth not in our gods. Then they told him
[1:45] Speaker 1: all that had passed, and the king said, carry him
[1:48] Speaker 1: to the house of the great Idol, and cut his
[1:49] Speaker 1: throat before him, so haply our god may look lovingly
[1:52] Speaker 1: upon us. But the wazir said, O King, it befitteth
[1:57] Speaker 1: not to slaughter him thus, for he would die in
[1:59] Speaker 1: a moment. Better we imprison him and build a pyre
[2:02] Speaker 1: of fuel and burn him with fire. Thereupon the king
[2:06] Speaker 1: commanded to cast Garib into jail, and caused wood to
[2:09] Speaker 1: be brought, and they made a mighty pyre and set
[2:11] Speaker 1: fire to it, and it burnt till the morning. Then
[2:14] Speaker 1: the king and the people of the city came forth,
[2:16] Speaker 1: and the ruler sent to fetch Gharib, but his lieges
[2:19] Speaker 1: found him not. So they returned and told their king,
[2:22] Speaker 1: who said, and mahou made he his escape? Quoth they
[2:26] Speaker 1: we found the chains and shackles cast down, and the
[2:29] Speaker 1: doors fast locked whereat. The king marveled and asked, hath
[2:33] Speaker 1: this fellow to heaven up flown or into the earth?
[2:35] Speaker 1: Gone down? And they answered, we know not. Then said
[2:39] Speaker 1: the king, I will go and question my God, and
[2:42] Speaker 1: he will inform me whither he is gone. So he
[2:45] Speaker 1: rose and went in to prostrate himself to his idol,
[2:48] Speaker 1: but found it not, and began to rub his eyes
[2:50] Speaker 1: and say, am I in sleep or on wake? Then
[2:54] Speaker 1: he turned to his wazir and said to him, where
[2:56] Speaker 1: is my God? And where is my prisoner? By my faith,
[3:00] Speaker 1: O dog of wazirs, haddest thou not counseled me to
[3:02] Speaker 1: burn him? I had slaughtered him, for it is he
[3:05] Speaker 1: who hath stolen my God and fled, And there is
[3:07] Speaker 1: no help but I take brood wreak of him. Then
[3:11] Speaker 1: he drew his sword and struck off the Wazir's head.
[3:13] Speaker 1: Now there was far Gharib's escape with the idol a
[3:16] Speaker 1: strange cause. And it was on this wise, when they
[3:19] Speaker 1: had shut him up in a cell adjoining the doomed
[3:21] Speaker 1: shrine under which stood the idol, he rose to pray,
[3:24] Speaker 1: calling upon the name of Almighty Allah, and seeking deliverance
[3:27] Speaker 1: of him to whom be honor and glory. The Marid,
[3:31] Speaker 1: who had charge of the idol and spoken its name,
[3:34] Speaker 1: heard him, and fear got hold upon his heart, and
[3:36] Speaker 1: he said, O, shame upon me? Who is this? Seeth me?
[3:39] Speaker 1: While I see him not? So he went in to Gharib, and,
[3:43] Speaker 1: throwing himself at his feet, said to him, O, my Lord,
[3:46] Speaker 1: what must I say that I may become of thy
[3:48] Speaker 1: company and enter thy religion? Replied Gharib, say, there is
[3:53] Speaker 1: no God but thee God, and Abraham is the friend
[3:55] Speaker 1: of God. So the Marid pronounced the profession of faith
[3:59] Speaker 1: and was enrolled among the people of Felicity. Now his
[4:02] Speaker 1: name was Zaozal son of al Muzazil, one of the
[4:06] Speaker 1: chiefs of the kings of the Jinn. Then he an
[4:09] Speaker 1: bund Gharib, and taking him in the Idol made for
[4:12] Speaker 1: the higher air. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
[4:16] Speaker 1: and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was
[4:19] Speaker 1: the six hundred and seventy fourth night, she said it
[4:22] Speaker 1: hath reached me o auspicious king, that the marid took
[4:25] Speaker 1: up Gharib and the Idol and made for the higher air.
[4:29] Speaker 1: Such was his case. But as regards the king, when
[4:32] Speaker 1: his soldiers saw what had befallen and the slaughter of
[4:34] Speaker 1: the Wazir, they renounced the worship of the Idol, and,
[4:37] Speaker 1: drawing their swords, slew the king, after which they fell
[4:40] Speaker 1: on one another, and the sword went round amongst them
[4:43] Speaker 1: three days till their abode alive, but two men, one
[4:46] Speaker 1: of whom prevailed over the other and killed him. Then
[4:49] Speaker 1: the boys attacked the survivor and slew him, and fell
[4:52] Speaker 1: to fighting amongst themselves till they were all killed, and
[4:55] Speaker 1: the women and girls fled to the hamlets and forted villages.
[4:58] Speaker 1: Wherefore the city became deser and none dwelt therein but
[5:01] Speaker 1: the owl Meanwhile, the marid Zalzal flew with Gharib towards
[5:05] Speaker 1: his own country, the island of Camphor and the castle
[5:08] Speaker 1: of Cristel, and the land of the enchanted Calf, so
[5:12] Speaker 1: called because its king al Murzalzil had a pied calf,
[5:15] Speaker 1: which he had clad and housings brocaded with red gold,
[5:18] Speaker 1: and worshiped as a god. One day, the king and
[5:21] Speaker 1: his people went into the calf and found him trembling.
[5:24] Speaker 1: So the king said, O, my God, what hath troubled thee?
[5:28] Speaker 1: Whereupon the satan in the calf's belly cried out and said, O, Muzazil, verily,
[5:33] Speaker 1: thy son hath deserted to the faith of Abraham the
[5:35] Speaker 1: Friend at the hands of Gharib, lord of Ali Rak,
[5:39] Speaker 1: and went on to tell him all that had passed
[5:40] Speaker 1: from first to last. When the king heard the words
[5:43] Speaker 1: of his calf, he was confounded, and, going forth, sat
[5:46] Speaker 1: down upon his throne. Then he summoned his grandees, who
[5:50] Speaker 1: came in a body, and he told them what he
[5:51] Speaker 1: had heard from the idol whereat They marveled and said,
[5:55] Speaker 1: what shall we do, O, king? Quoth he, when my
[5:58] Speaker 1: son cometh and ye see him embrace him, do ye
[6:01] Speaker 1: lay hold of him? And they said hearkening and obedience.
[6:06] Speaker 1: After two days came Zalzal and Gharib with the King's
[6:09] Speaker 1: idol of Karaj. But no sooner had they entered the
[6:12] Speaker 1: palace gate than the jinn seized on them and carried
[6:14] Speaker 1: them before al Muzalzil, who looked at his son with
[6:17] Speaker 1: eyes of ire and said, to him, O, dog of
[6:20] Speaker 1: the jan, hast thou left thy faith and that of
[6:23] Speaker 1: thy fathers and grandfathers, quoth Zalzal, I have embraced the
[6:28] Speaker 1: true faith anon. Like Wise, do thou woe be to
[6:31] Speaker 1: thee seek salvation, and thou shalt be saved from the
[6:34] Speaker 1: wrath of the King Almighty in sway, creator of night
[6:37] Speaker 1: and day. Therewith his father waxed wrath and said, O,
[6:41] Speaker 1: son of adultery, dost confront me with these words? Then
[6:45] Speaker 1: he bade clap him in prison, and turning to Gharib,
[6:48] Speaker 1: said to him, O, wretch of immortal, how hast thou
[6:51] Speaker 1: abused my son's wit and seduced him from his faith?
[6:54] Speaker 1: Quoth Gharib. Indeed, I have brought him out of wrongoutness
[6:58] Speaker 1: into the way of righteousness. Of hell into heaven, and
[7:01] Speaker 1: out of unfaith to the true faith. Whereupon the king
[7:04] Speaker 1: cried out to Amrid called Sayaar, saying, take this dog
[7:08] Speaker 1: and cast him into the wady of fire, that he
[7:11] Speaker 1: may perish. Now this valley was in the waste quarter,
[7:14] Speaker 1: and was thus named from the excess of its heat
[7:16] Speaker 1: and the flaming of its fire, which was so fierce
[7:19] Speaker 1: that none who went down therein could live an hour,
[7:22] Speaker 1: but was destroyed. And it was compassed about by mountains
[7:25] Speaker 1: high and slippery, wherein was no opening. So Sayahar took
[7:29] Speaker 1: up Gharib and flew with him towards the valley of Fire,
[7:32] Speaker 1: till he came within an hour's journey thereof when being weary,
[7:36] Speaker 1: he alighted in a valley full of trees and streams
[7:38] Speaker 1: and fruits, and setting down from his back, Gharib chained
[7:42] Speaker 1: as he was fell asleep for fatigue. When Gharib earned
[7:46] Speaker 1: him snore, he strove with his bonds till he burst them. Then,
[7:49] Speaker 1: taking up a heavy stone, he cast it down on
[7:52] Speaker 1: Amrid's head and crushed his bones, so that he died
[7:54] Speaker 1: on the spot. Then he fared on into the valley,
[7:58] Speaker 1: and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased, saying
[8:01] Speaker 1: her permitted say. When it was the six hundred and
[8:04] Speaker 1: seventy fifth night, she continued it hath reached me o
[8:08] Speaker 1: auspicious king, that Gharib, after killing the Marid, fared on
[8:12] Speaker 1: into the valley and found himself in a great island
[8:14] Speaker 1: in mid ocean, full of all fruits that lips and
[8:17] Speaker 1: tongue could desire. So he abode alone on the island,
[8:21] Speaker 1: drinking of its waters and eating of its fruits and
[8:23] Speaker 1: the fish that he caught. And days and years passed
[8:26] Speaker 1: over him, till he had sojourned there in his solitude
[8:28] Speaker 1: seven years. One day, as he sat behold, there came
[8:32] Speaker 1: down on him from the air two Marids, each carrying
[8:35] Speaker 1: a man, and seeing him, they said, who art thou,
[8:38] Speaker 1: o fellow, and of which of the tribes art thou? Now?
[8:42] Speaker 1: They took him for a ginny, because his hair was
[8:44] Speaker 1: grown long, and he replied, saying, I am not of
[8:47] Speaker 1: the jan Whereupon they questioned him, and he told them
[8:49] Speaker 1: all that had befallen him. They grieved for him, and
[8:52] Speaker 1: one of the ifrits said, abide thou here till we
[8:56] Speaker 1: bear these two lambs to our king, that he may
[8:58] Speaker 1: break his fast on the one and sup on the other,
[9:01] Speaker 1: and after we will come back and carry thee to
[9:03] Speaker 1: thine own country. He thanked them and said, where be
[9:07] Speaker 1: the lambs? Quoth they these two mortals are the lambs.
[9:11] Speaker 1: And Gharib said, I take refuge with Allah, the God
[9:15] Speaker 1: of Abraham, the Friend, the lord of all creatures, who
[9:18] Speaker 1: hath power over everything. Then the Marids flew away, and
[9:22] Speaker 1: Gharib abode awaiting them two days, when one of them returned,
[9:25] Speaker 1: bringing with him a suit of clothes, wherewith he clad him.
[9:29] Speaker 1: Then he took him up and flew with him sky high,
[9:31] Speaker 1: out of sight of earth, till Gharib heard the angels
[9:34] Speaker 1: glorifying God in heaven, and a flaming shaft issued from
[9:37] Speaker 1: amongst them and made for the Marid, who fled from
[9:39] Speaker 1: it towards the earth. The meteor pursued him till he
[9:43] Speaker 1: came within the spears cast of the ground, when Gharib
[9:46] Speaker 1: leaped from his shoulders, and the fiery shaft overtook the Marid,
[9:49] Speaker 1: who became a heap of ashes. As for Gharib, he
[9:53] Speaker 1: fell into the sea and sank two fathoms deep, after
[9:56] Speaker 1: which he rose to the surface and swam for two
[9:58] Speaker 1: days and two nights till his strength failed him, and
[10:00] Speaker 1: he made certain of death. But on the third day,
[10:04] Speaker 1: as he was despairing, he caught sight of an island
[10:06] Speaker 1: steep and mountainous. So he swam for it, and, landing,
[10:09] Speaker 1: walked on inland, where he rested a day and a night,
[10:12] Speaker 1: feeding on the growth of the ground. Then he climbed
[10:15] Speaker 1: to the mountain top, and, descending the opposite slope, fared
[10:19] Speaker 1: on two days till he came in sight of a
[10:21] Speaker 1: walled and bulwarked city abounding in trees and rills. He
[10:26] Speaker 1: walked up to it, but when he reached the gate,
[10:28] Speaker 1: the warder seized on him and carried him to their queen,
[10:31] Speaker 1: whose name was Jehan Shah. Now she was five hundred
[10:35] Speaker 1: years old, and every man who entered the city they
[10:37] Speaker 1: brought to her, and she made him sleep with her.
[10:39] Speaker 1: And when he had done his work, she slew him.
[10:41] Speaker 1: And so had she slain many men. When she saw Gharib,
[10:45] Speaker 1: he pleased her mightily. So she asked him what be
[10:49] Speaker 1: thy name and faith? And whence comest thou? And he answered,
[10:53] Speaker 1: my name is Gharib, King of Arak, and I Am
[10:56] Speaker 1: a Moslem, said she leave this creed her mine, and
[11:00] Speaker 1: I will marry thee and make THEE king. But he
[11:03] Speaker 1: looked at her with eyes of ire and cried, perish
[11:06] Speaker 1: thou and thy faith, cried she dost thou blaspheme my idol,
[11:11] Speaker 1: which is of red Carnelian, set with pearls and gems.
[11:15] Speaker 1: And she called out to her men, saying, imprison him
[11:17] Speaker 1: in the house of the idol. Haply it will soften
[11:20] Speaker 1: his heart. So they shut him up in the domed shrine,
[11:23] Speaker 1: and locking the doors upon him, went their way, and
[11:27] Speaker 1: Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
[11:30] Speaker 1: her permitted say. End of section thirteen. Recording by Jeff Cluckner, Plymouth,
[11:37] Speaker 1: u k.

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