Scheherazade continued telling the tale of the previous night.
Continuation of the story of the third night
I have come to know, oh lucky king!
When the fisherman told the efrit that he would not believe him unless he saw it with his own eyes, the efrit began to stir; turning again into smoke that rose to the firmament. Then, he condensed and began to enter the vase, little by little, until the end. Then, the fisherman quickly took the lead lid, with the seal of Sulaiman, and obstructed the mouth of the vase.
Then, calling the efrit, he said to him:
"Choose and think about the kind of death that suits you best…"
"If not, I will throw you into the sea, I will make a house for myself by the shore and I will prevent everyone from fishing, saying: 'There is an efrit, and if you free him, he wants to kill those who free him.' "
Then, he listed all the varieties of deaths to make it easy to choose.
Hearing him, the efrit tried to get out, but could not, and saw that he was imprisoned and had Sulaiman's seal on him, convincing himself that the fisherman had locked him in a dungeon, which neither the weak nor the strongest of the efrits can defeat. And realizing that the fisherman would take him to the sea, he pleaded:
"Don´t take me!"
"Don´t take me!"
And the fisherman said:
"There is no remedy."
Then, sweetening his language, the efrit exclaimed:
"Oh fisherman!"
"What are you going to do with me?"
The other said:
"Throw you into the sea, because if you have been in it for more than eight hundred years, you will not come out this time until the Judgment Day."
"Didn´t I beg you to leave me alive so that Allah would preserve your live, and not kill me so that Allah would not kill you?"
"Acting infamously, you rejected my prayer."
"Therefore, Allah has put you in my hands, and I am not sorry for having deceived you."
Then, the efrit said:
"Open the vase for me and I will fill you with riches."
The fisherman replied:
"You are lying!"
"Oh damn one!"
"Between you and me…"
"This is exactly what happened between the vizier of king Yunan and the doctor Ruyan."
And the efrit asked:
"Who were king Yunan's vizier and Ruyan, the doctor?"
"What story is that?"
The fisherman said:
"You will know, oh efrit!"
Story of king Yunan's vizier and Dr. Ruyan
In the ancient times and in the past of the ages, there was in the city in Fars, in the country of the Ruman, with a king named Yunan. He was rich and powerful, lord of armies, owner of considerable forces and allies of all species of men. But, his body suffered from a leprosy that made doctors and wise men desperate. Neither drugs nor pills, nor ointments had any effect on him, and no wise man could find an effective remedy for the dreadful ailment. But, one day a renowned old doctor named Ruyan arrived at king Yunan's capital. He had studied the Greek, Persian, Roman, Arabic and Syrian books, as well as medicine and astronomy, whose principles and rules he was not ignorant of, as well as their good and bad effects. He knew the virtues of oily and dry plants and also their good and bad effects. Lastly, he had deepened philosophy and all the medical sciences and many others besides.
When this doctor arrived to the city and stayed there for a few days, he learned the story of the king and the leprosy that tormented him by the will of Allah, learning of the absolute failure of all doctors and sages. Upon hearing of this, he spent the night very worried. But, as soon as he woke up in the morning (as the daylight shines and the sun greets the world, magnificent decoration of the Optimum), he put on his best suit and went to see king Yunan. He kissed the earth between the king's hands, and made vows for the eternal duration of his. power and graces for Allah and all the best things. Later, he revealed who he was, and told him:
"I have discovered the disease that torments your body and I have learned that a large number of doctors have not been able to find a way to cure it."
"I am… Oh king!"
"Ready to apply my treatment to you, without making you drink medicine or smear yourself with ointments."
Hearing it, the king Yunan was very amazed and said:
"By Allah!"
"If you heal me, I will enrich even the children of your sons."
"I will grant you all your wishes and you will be my companion and friend."
Then, the king gave him beautiful suit and other gifts, adding:
"Is it true that you will cure me of this disease without medicine or ointment?"
And the other replied:
"Yes!"
"Certainly!"
"I will heal you without fatigue or pain for your body."
More and more astonished, the king told him:
"Oh great doctor!"
"What day and what moment will I see what you have just promised me to come true?"
"Make haste to do it, my son."
And the doctor replied:
"I listen and I obey."
So, he left the palace and rented a house, where he installed his books, his remedies and his aromatic plants. Afterwards, he made extracts of his medicaments and recipes, and with these extracts, he constructed a short and crooked mallet. He pierced its handle and also made a ball, using the best of his ability.
Completely finishing his work, on the second day, he went to the palace, entering the king's chamber and kissing the ground between his hands. Then, he ordered him to go on horseback to the Meidan and play with the ball and the mallet.
The king was accompanied by his emirs, his chamberlains, his viziers and the heads of the kingdom. As soon as he had arrived at Meidan, the doctor approached him and handed the mallet, saying:
"Wind it like this and hit the ball with all your might."
"And do it in such a way that you break a sweat."
"In that way, the remedy will penetrate the palm of your hand and circulate throughout your body."
"When you perspire and the remedy has had time to work, return to your palace, go immediately to bathe in the hamman, and you will be cured."
"Now, the peace will be with you!"
The king Yunan took the mallet from the doctor, gripping it tightly. The intrepid horsemen mounted their horses and threw the ball at him. Then, he began to gallop after it to reach and hit this, always with the mallet in his hand. And he didn´t stop beating it, until he perspired well through the palm of his hand and throughout his body, allowing the medicine to act on his organism.
When the doctor Ruyan saw that the remedy had circulated sufficiently, he ordered the king to return to the palace, in order to bathe in the hammam.
And the king left at once and arranged for the hammam to be prepared for him. He was dressed with great haste, and the slaves also hurried to arrange his clothes.
Then, the king entered the hammam and took a bath, dressed again and left the hammam to ride his horse, returned to the palace and go to sleep.
As for the doctor Ruyan, he returned to his house, went to bed, and when he woke up in the morning, went to the palace, asked the king for permission to enter, which he granted, entered, kissed the ground between his hands and began by declaiming seriously some stanzas:
"If eloquence chose you as a father, it would flourish!"
"And I wouldn´t know how to choose anyone else but you!"
"Oh radiant face, whose clarity would erase the flame of a burning brand!"
"May that glorious countenance continue with the light of his freshness and I can see how the wrinkles cross the face of time!"
"You have covered me with the benefits of your generosity, as the benevolent cloud covers the hill!"
"Your high deeds have made you reach the heights of glory and you are the beloved of the Destiny, which can no longer deny you anything!"
Recited the verses, the king stood up and he cordially extended his arms to the doctor. Then, he sat him down next to him, and gave to the doctor magnificent robes of honor. Because, effectively, when leaving the hammam, the king had looked at his body, finding no trace of leprosy, and he saw his skin as pure as virgin silver. Then, he expanded his chest with great joy.
And the next day, when the king got up in the morning, he entered the divan, sat on the throne and the chamberlains and greats of the kingdom appeared, as well as the doctor Ruyan.
Therefore, seeing him, the king got up hurriedly and made the doctor sit down next to him. They served delicacies and drinks throughout the day.
And in the evening, the king gave the doctor two thousand dinars, without counting the robes of honor and magnificent presents, and made him mount his own steed. Then the doctor said goodbye and returned to his house.
The king did not stop admiring the doctor's art by saying:
"He has healed me on the outside of my body without smearing me with ointments."
"Oh Allah!"
"What sublime science!"
"Strength is showering this man with benefits and having him forever as an affectionate companion and friend."
Afterwards, the king Yunan went to bed, very happy to see his body healthy and free of his illness.
When he got up the next day, the king sat on the throne, the heads of the nation stood up, and the emirs and viziers sat to his right and to his left. Then, he sent for the doctor Ruyan, who came and kissed the ground between his hands. The king arose in his honor, made the doctor sit beside him, ate in his company, wished him long life, and gave to the doctor magnificent cloths and other gifts, continuing to converse with him until evening. In addition, he ordered that five suits of honor and one thousand dinars must be given to him as remuneration. And so the doctor returned to his house, making vows for the king.
On rising in the morning, the king went out and entered the divan, where he was surrounded by the emirs, the viziers and the chamberlains. And among the viziers, there was one with a sinister, repulsive and terrible face, who was sordidly miserly, envious and saturated with jealousy and hatred. When this vizier saw that the king placed the doctor Ruyan at his side and granted him with so many benefits, he was envious of the doctor and resolved to secretly destroy him.
The Proverb says so:
"The envious attack everyone."
"In the heart of the envious person is ambushed persecution and he develops it if he has strength at his disposal or keeps weakness latent."
The vizier approached king Yunan, kissed the ground between his hands, and said:
"Oh king of the century and of time, who wraps men in your benefits!"
"I have some very important advice for you, which I could not hide from you without being a bad son."
"If you command me to reveal it, I will reveal it to you."
The king, then disturbed by the words of the vizier, said to him:
"What is your advice?"
The other replied:
"Oh glorious king!"
"The ancients have said: 'Whoever does not see the end and the consequences will not have the Fortune as a friend.' "
"Precisely, I had just seen the king act with little judgment, granting his kindness to his enemy, to the one who wishes the annihilation of his kingdom, showering him with favors, overwhelming him with generosities. And I, for this reason, feel great fears for the king."
Hearing this, the king was extremely disturbed, changed of color, and expressed:
"Who is he that you suppose to be my enemy and showered by me with favors?"
And the vizier replied:
"Oh king!"
"If you are asleep, wake up, because I am referring to the doctor Ruyan."
The king said:
"That is a good friend of mine!"
"And for me, he is the dearest of men, because he has cured me with a thing that I have held in my hand and has freed me from my illness, which had made the doctors desperate."
"Certainly, there is no other like him in this century, in the whole world, in the West as well as in the East."
"How dare you talk to me like that about him?"
"From now on, I will give you a salary of one thousand dinars a month."
"And even if I gave him half of my kingdom, it would be little for what he deserves."
"I think you tell me all that for envy, as it is told in the story that I have known, that of king Sindbad."
At that moment the dawn surprised Scheherazade, who interrupted her narration.
Then, Dunyazad said to Scheherazade:
"Ah, my sister!"
"How sweet, how pure, how delicious are your words!"
And Scheherazade expressed:
"What is that compared to what I will tell you next night, if I am still alive and the king sees fit to keep me?"
Then the king said to himself:
"By Allah!"
"I will not kill her without hearing the continuation of her story, which is truly wonderful."
And the king went to the divan, judged, granted jobs, dismissed and dispatched pending matters until the end of the day. Then the divan was raised and the king entered his palace.
To be continued during the fifth night…