A long time ago, there lived in the city of Baghdad a merchant whose name was Sinbad. He had a lot of goods and money, and his ships sailed on all seas. Ship captains, returning from travel, told Sinbad amazing stories about their adventures and about the distant countries they visited.
Sinbad listened to their stories, and he wanted more and more to see with his own eyes the wonders and wonders of foreign countries.
And so he decided to go on a long journey.
He bought a lot of goods, chose the fastest and strongest ship and set off. Other merchants went with him with their goods.
Their ship sailed for a long time from sea to sea and from land to land, and, landing on land, they sold and bartered their goods.
And then one day, when they had not seen land for many days and nights, the sailor on the mast shouted:
- Shore! Shore!
The captain steered the ship towards the shore and dropped anchor off a large green island. Wonderful, unprecedented flowers grew there, and colorful birds sang on the branches of shady trees.
The travelers came down to the ground to take a break from the rocking. Some of them lit a fire and began to cook food, others washed clothes in wooden troughs, and some walked around the island. Sinbad also went for a walk and, unnoticed by himself, moved away from the shore. Suddenly the ground began to move under his feet, and he heard the captain’s loud cry:
- Save yourself! Run to the ship! This is not an island, but a huge fish!
And in fact, it was a fish. It was covered with sand, trees grew on it, and it became like an island. But when the travelers lit a fire, the fish became hot and began to move.
- Hurry! Hurry! - shouted the captain. - Now she will dive to the bottom!
The merchants abandoned their boilers and troughs and rushed to the ship in horror. But only those who were close to the shore managed to escape. The island fish sank into the depths of the sea, and everyone who was late went to the bottom. Roaring waves closed over them.
Sinbad also did not have time to reach the ship. The waves crashed against him, but he swam well and surfaced to the surface of the sea. A large trough floated past him, in which the merchants had just washed their clothes. Sinbad sat astride the trough and tried to row with his feet. But the waves threw the trough left and right, and Sinbad could not control it.
The captain of the ship ordered the sails to be raised and sailed away from this place, without even looking at the drowning man.
Sinbad looked after the ship for a long time, and when the ship disappeared into the distance, he began to cry with grief and despair. Now he had nowhere to wait for salvation.
The waves beat the trough and threw it from side to side all day and all night. And in the morning, Sinbad suddenly saw that he was washed up on a high bank. Sinbad grabbed the tree branches that hung over the water, and, gathering his last strength, climbed onto the shore. As soon as Sinbad felt himself on solid ground, he fell onto the grass and lay as if dead all day and all night.
In the morning he decided to look for some food. He reached a large green lawn covered with colorful flowers, and suddenly saw in front of him a horse, the most beautiful in the world. The horse's legs were tangled, and he was nibbling the grass on the lawn.
Sinbad stopped, admiring this horse, and after a little time he saw in the distance a man running, waving his arms and shouting something. He ran up to Sinbad and asked him:
- Who are you? Where are you from and how did you come to our country?
“Oh, sir,” answered Sinbad, “I am a foreigner.” I was sailing on a ship on the sea, and my ship sank, and I managed to grab onto the trough in which they wash clothes. The waves carried me across the sea until they brought me to your shores. Tell me, whose horse is this, so beautiful, and why is he grazing here alone?
“Know,” the man answered, “that I am the groom of King al-Mihrjan.” There are many of us, and each of us follows only one horse. In the evening we bring them to graze in this meadow, and in the morning we take them back to the stable. Our king loves foreigners very much. Let's go to him - he will greet you warmly and show you mercy.
“Thank you, sir, for your kindness,” said Sinbad.
The groom put a silver bridle on the horse, removed the fetters and led him into the city. Sinbad followed the groom.
Soon they arrived at the palace, and Sinbad was led into the hall where King al-Mihrjan was sitting on a high throne. The king treated Sinbad kindly and began to question him, and Sinbad told him about everything that had happened to him. Al-Mihrjan showed him mercy and appointed him commander of the harbour.
From morning to evening, Sinbad stood on the pier and recorded the ships that came into the harbor. He lived for a long time in the country of King al-Mihrjan, and every time a ship approached the pier, Sinbad asked the merchants and sailors which way the city of Baghdad was. But none of them had heard anything about Baghdad, and Sinbad almost gave up hope that he would see his hometown.
And King al-Mihrjan loved Sinbad very much and
made him his confidant. He often talked with him about his country and, when he traveled around his possessions, he always took Sinbad with him.
Sinbad had to see many miracles and wonders in the land of King al-Mihrjan, but he did not forget his homeland and only thought about how to return to Baghdad.
One day Sinbad stood, as always, on the seashore, sad and sorrowful. At this time, a large ship approached the pier, on which there were many merchants and sailors. All the residents of the city ran ashore to meet the ship. The sailors began to unload goods, and Sinbad stood and wrote down. In the evening, Sinbad asked the captain:
— How many goods are still left on your ship?
“There are several more bales in the hold,” answered the captain, “but their owner drowned.” We want to sell these goods and take the money for them to his relatives in Baghdad.
“What is the name of the owner of these goods?” asked Sinbad.
“His name is Sinbad,” answered the captain. Hearing this, Sinbad screamed loudly and said:
- I'm Sinbad! I got off your ship when it landed on the fish island, and you left and left me when I was drowning in the sea. These products are my products.
“You want to deceive me!” cried the captain. “I told you that I have goods on my ship, the owner of which drowned, and you want to take them for yourself!” We saw Sinbad drown and many merchants drowned with him. How can you say that the goods are yours? You have neither honor nor conscience!
“Listen to me, and you will know that I am telling the truth,” said Sinbad. “Don’t you remember how I hired your ship in Basra, and a scribe named Suleiman Lop-Ear brought me together with you?”
And he told the captain everything that had happened on his ship since the day they all sailed from Basra. And then the captain and the merchants recognized Sinbad and were glad that he was saved. They gave Sinbad his goods, and Sinbad sold them for a large profit. He took leave of King al-Mihrjan, loaded the ship with other goods that were not in Baghdad, and sailed on his ship to Basra.
His ship sailed for many days and nights and finally dropped anchor in the harbor of Basra, and from there Sinbad went to the City of Peace, as the Arabs called Baghdad at that time.
In Baghdad, Sinbad distributed some of his goods to friends and acquaintances, and sold the rest.
He suffered so many troubles and misfortunes on the way that he decided never to leave Baghdad again.
Thus ended the first voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru