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Excerpt ​

Excerpt from The Arabian Nights Entertainments, by Andrew Lang

Though objects of rare workmanship lay heaped around me, I paid them
scant attention, so much was I struck by a great black horse which
stood in one corner, the handsomest and best-shaped animal I had ever
seen. His saddle and bridle were of massive gold, curiously wrought;
one side of his trough was filled with clean barley and sesame, and the
other with rose water. I led the animal into the open air, and then
jumped on his back, shaking the reins as I did so, but as he never
stirred, I touched him lightly with a switch I had picked up in his
stable. No sooner did he feel the stroke, than he spread his wings
(which I had not perceived before), and flew up with me straight into
the sky. When he had reached a prodigious height, he next darted back
to earth, and alighted on the terrace belonging to a castle, shaking me
violently out of the saddle as he did so, and giving me such a blow
with his tail, that he knocked out my right eye.

Half-stunned as I was with all that had happened to me, I rose to my
feet, thinking as I did so of what had befallen the ten young men, and
watching the horse which was soaring into the clouds. I left the
terrace and wandered on till I came to a hall, which I knew to have
been the one from which the roc had taken me, by the ten blue sofas
against the wall.

The ten young men were not present when I first entered, but came in
soon after, accompanied by the old man. They greeted me kindly, and
bewailed my misfortune, though, indeed, they had expected nothing less.
"All that has happened to you," they said, "we also have undergone, and
we should be enjoying the same happiness still, had we not opened the
Golden Door while the princesses were absent. You have been no wiser
than we, and have suffered the same punishment. We would gladly
receive you among us, to perform such penance as we do, but we have
already told you that this is impossible. Depart, therefore, from
hence and go to the Court of Bagdad, where you shall meet with him that
can decide your destiny." They told me the way I was to travel, and I
left them.

Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Arabian Nights Entertainments ​

This passage is from The Arabian Nights (also known as One Thousand and One Nights), a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian folktales compiled over centuries and later translated and adapted by Western scholars like Andrew Lang in the 19th century. The stories are framed by the narrative of Scheherazade, a clever queen who tells her husband, the Sultan, a new story each night to delay her execution, weaving tales of magic, adventure, and moral lessons.

This particular excerpt appears to be from "The Story of the Ten Young Men and the Enchanted Horse" (or a similar tale involving a magical horse and a cursed castle). The passage follows an unnamed protagonist who, like the ten young men before him, falls victim to a supernatural punishment after disobeying a warning.

Summary of the Excerpt ​

The narrator (likely a young man) enters a mysterious place filled with treasures but is immediately drawn to a magnificent black horse with golden saddle and bridle. Unaware that the horse is enchanted, he mounts it, and the horse suddenly grows wings and flies into the sky, then violently throws him off, blinding him in one eye.

Dazed, he wanders into a castle and recognizes it as the same place where ten young men had previously suffered a similar fate. They welcome him sympathetically, explaining that they, too, were once happy but were cursed for opening a forbidden "Golden Door" while the princesses (likely enchanted beings) were away. They tell him that his fate is now sealed—he must leave and seek redemption in Baghdad, where someone will decide his destiny.

Key Themes ​

  1. The Consequences of Curiosity and Disobedience

    • The protagonist, like the ten young men, suffers because he ignores warnings (implied by the men’s regret over opening the Golden Door).
    • This echoes biblical and mythological themes (e.g., Pandora’s Box, Adam and Eve in Eden) where forbidden knowledge or actions lead to punishment.
    • The enchanted horse acts as a trap—its beauty distracts him from the danger, much like the Golden Door tempted the others.

  2. Fate and Predestination

    • The young men tell the protagonist that his suffering was inevitable ("we had expected nothing less"), suggesting a deterministic worldview common in folktales.
    • His only hope is to seek a higher authority in Baghdad, reinforcing the idea that some forces (fate, magic, divine will) are beyond human control.

  3. The Supernatural and the Uncanny

    • The winged horse is a classic magical creature in Arabian Nights, blending realism with fantasy.
    • The blinding (losing an eye) is a symbolic punishment—perhaps for his lack of insight or for seeing what he shouldn’t have (like the Golden Door).
    • The roc (a giant bird mentioned earlier in the tale) and the enchanted castle reinforce the otherworldly setting, where normal rules don’t apply.

  4. Brotherhood and Shared Suffering

    • The ten young men empathize with the protagonist, showing that his fate is not unique.
    • Their penance (implied but not described) suggests a moral or spiritual trial, possibly a test of endurance before redemption.

  5. The Journey as Redemption

    • The command to go to Baghdad (a center of wisdom and power in Arabian Nights) implies that salvation lies in seeking help from a higher authority (a wise man, a sultan, or a magical figure).
    • This reflects the hero’s journey structure—after failure, the protagonist must embark on a quest for restoration.

Literary Devices ​

  1. Foreshadowing

    • The ten young men’s fate is mentioned before the protagonist’s fall, hinting that he will suffer similarly.
    • The old man’s presence (a common wise figure in folktales) suggests that guidance exists, but it comes too late.

  2. Imagery & Sensory Details

    • Visual: The black horse with golden trappings, the winged flight, the blinding tail strike—all create vivid, almost cinematic scenes.
    • Tactile: The shake from the saddle, the blow to the eye—these make the punishment feel physical and immediate.
    • Olfactory/Gustatory: The rose water and barley in the trough add richness, contrasting with the violence that follows.

  3. Symbolism

    • The Horse:
      • Represents temptation (its beauty hides danger).
      • Its wings symbolize false freedom—flight leads not to escape but to punishment.
      • The golden saddle may symbolize material wealth as a trap.
    • The Golden Door:
      • A classic forbidden threshold, like the doors in Bluebeard or Beauty and the Beast.
      • Opening it represents overstepping boundaries, leading to loss.
    • The Blindness:
      • Literal (loss of an eye) and metaphorical (lack of wisdom, ignorance of consequences).

  4. Irony

    • The protagonist expects a reward (a magnificent horse) but gets punishment.
    • The young men welcome him kindly but can’t help him—their sympathy is useless, emphasizing his isolation.

  5. Repetition & Parallelism

    • The protagonist’s fate mirrors the ten young men’s, reinforcing the cyclical nature of folktales (lessons must be learned anew by each generation).
    • The command to go to Baghdad is a recurring motif in Arabian Nights—many stories involve a journey to a great city for resolution.

Significance in the Broader Context of The Arabian Nights ​

  1. Moral Lesson

    • The tale warns against greed, curiosity, and disobedience, common themes in Arabian Nights.
    • It reinforces that happiness is fragile and can be lost through reckless actions.

  2. Frame Narrative Structure

    • Like many stories in The Arabian Nights, this excerpt is nested—it’s part of a larger tale (possibly told by Scheherazade to the Sultan).
    • The unresolved ending (the protagonist must go to Baghdad) keeps the audience engaged, a key strategy in the collection.

  3. Cultural and Historical Reflections

    • The enchanted horse may reflect pre-Islamic Arabian mythology (e.g., the Buraq, a winged steed in Islamic tradition).
    • The punishment for opening a door could symbolize social or religious taboos—violating sacred or private spaces leads to consequences.

  4. Psychological Depth

    • The protagonist’s blinding can be read as a Freudian punishment—his "eye" (desire, curiosity) is destroyed for seeing what he shouldn’t.
    • The shared fate of the young men suggests a collective unconscious—generations repeat the same mistakes.

Close Reading of Key Passages ​

  1. "I paid them scant attention, so much was I struck by a great black horse..."

    • The neglect of treasures for the horse shows obsession overriding reason—a common folktale trope (e.g., The Fisherman and the Jinni).
    • The horse’s black color often symbolizes mystery or danger in literature.

  2. "No sooner did he feel the stroke, than he spread his wings..."

    • The sudden transformation is a moment of magical realism—the ordinary becomes extraordinary in an instant.
    • The violence of the flight ("shaking me violently") contrasts with the initial beauty of the horse, emphasizing betrayal.

  3. "You have been no wiser than we, and have suffered the same punishment."

    • The young men’s resignation suggests a tragic inevitability—wisdom comes too late.
    • Their penance (implied but not described) adds mystery—what must they do to atone?

  4. "Depart, therefore, from hence and go to the Court of Bagdad..."

    • Baghdad is the ultimate arbiter of fate in Arabian Nights—a place of justice, magic, and resolution.
    • The open-ended directive keeps the story moving, a hallmark of the collection’s cliffhanger style.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters ​

This passage encapsulates many of The Arabian Nights' core elements:

  • Magic and punishment intertwined with human folly.
  • A moral warning disguised as an entertaining adventure.
  • A journey toward redemption, leaving the audience eager for the next part.

The protagonist’s blinding is both literal and symbolic—he fails to "see" the consequences of his actions until it’s too late. Yet, the possibility of restoration in Baghdad keeps hope alive, reinforcing the Nights' central theme: stories themselves are a path to survival and wisdom.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as comparisons to other Arabian Nights tales or psychological interpretations?