The Seven Voyages of Sinbad - The First Voyage

On one especially hot day in Baghdad; Iraq, a poor labourer named Hinbad was tasked with transporting a shipment from one city to another.

Halfway along his journey, he was so exhausted that he just needed to take a break. He found a palace that was tall enough to provide shade on the especially hot day.

After a while of sitting in this shade, he noticed music and song coming from the palace’s windows. He could also smell dishes of the finest cuisine coming from the palace as well. He thought to himself that those in the palace must have been having the time of their lives – a party with a feast and beautiful music, while he had to endure many more miles of work.

He realized that he had never been on this street before, so a sense of curiosity overcame him. He wanted to know who exactly owned this palace!

He went up to the servants that were outside of the palace door and asked them just that.

Both servants gave him a confused look, before one of them asked him, “how can you be from Baghdad yet not know of Sinbad the Sailor?”

The other servant continued, “he is a famous traveller that has sailed upon all seas known to mankind!”

Hinbad realized that yes, he did hear of Sinbad. He did not hear a lot about Sinbad as an individual, but he did hear a lot about Sinbad’s massive fortune.

Hinbad was jealous of Sinbad and his wealth, especially since Hinbad felt like he was working so hard on a day-to-day basis just to make a fraction of what Sinbad had.

In a state of jealousy and sadness, Hinbad looked up to the sky and began to pray: “Oh Lord, everyday I work so hard and travel so many miles just so I can provide I and my family enough to live off of! Meanwhile, Sinbad spends his wealth on excess and pleasures, probably enough money for my family and I to live off for years! What has Sinbad done for him to experience such fortune, while I suffer daily to make the bare minimum?”

Suddenly, another servant came out of Sinbad’s palace and approached Hinbad. “Sir, my master Sinbad asked if he could speak to you.”

Hinbad began to worry, as his words of envy towards Sinbad might have angered the wealthy sailor. He tried to convince the servant that he could not abandon his shipment, but the servant pressured him enough so Hinbad could not help but follow along.

The servant led Hinbad to a massive room in the palace, where many guests surrounded a table full of exquisite dishes.

At the head of the table there was a tall man, with a glorious long white beard. There were crowds of people behind this tall man’s chair, prepared to abide to any of his demands. This must be Sinbad the Sailor himself!

Sinbad gestured towards Hinbad, asking him to come forward. Sinbad had Hinbad sit beside him, and then heaped upon his plate plenty of servings of food.

Towards the end of the party; as people began to stream out of the doors, Sinbad began to talk to Hinbad.

“I’m glad you could come,” said Sinbad, “but, I heard you say something when you were outside on the street. Could you tell me what you said?”

With his head down in shame; Hinbad replied, “I’m sorry; Sir, but due to exhaustion I began to speak out of jealousy towards you and your life of comfort. Forgive me.”

“No need to feel sorry,” Sinbad responded, “considering the situation you are in, I can understand your frustration. You must assume that I have made my wealth without lifting a finger, but I’ve gone through great efforts to amass this fortune.”

“What type of efforts?” asked Hinbad.

“Well; many dangers and near-death situations out on my seven voyages through the seas, and how they’ve led me to my current fame and fortune.”

Sinbad ordered his servants to carry Hinbad’s shipment to its destined location, while Hinbad stayed behind to listen to Sinbad’s story.

SINBAD’S FIRST VOYAGE

To be fair, Sinbad did inherit some sort of wealth from his family. However; once he got his hands on it, he began to spend it carelessly.

Realizing that there was a limit to this wealth he’s inherited, he began to sell all the items he had bought with his wealth and then began to seek work. He joined a group of merchants that traded throughout sea travel.

His first few trips out into the sea, he would do simple trades alongside his fellow merchants on various islands. However; on one bright and sunny day, Sinbad and his crew found what they believed to be a beautiful island, covered in green.

The captain of the ship stated that whoever desired to land on the island for a brief break from travel could do so. Sinbad was one of the men that decided to get off the ship.

As soon as Sinbad and the other sailors settled upon the island, the men that decided to stay on the ship began to scream and shout in worry.

The island was beginning to shake and tremble violently.

“That is not an island!” cried out one of the sailors on the ship, “it’s the back of a sleeping whale!”

The sailors on the back of the whale became frantic; some jumped back into the ship if they were close enough, while others jumped right into the sea.

Before Sinbad could do anything, the whale went deep down into the water! Sinbad was left behind, clinging to a piece of wood he found in the water to stay afloat.

Suddenly, it started to get windy. The men on the boat frantically tried to get away as not only were they just confronted with a whale, but now potentially a storm. In their state of confusion, they accidentally left Sinbad behind.

After spending the night swimming in the water with the piece of wood, Sinbad eventually found another island by morning. Upon landing, he decided to do some exploring.

In a mostly empty plain, he found a single horse munching on some grass. Suddenly, he began to hear voices around him. A man emerged from the surrounding forest and approached Sinbad.

“Hello, how did you get here?” asked the man. Sinbad explained that he was just an adventuring sailor, and he had been accidentally abandoned by his crew.

“And, who are you?” asked Sinbad.

“I am one of the servants of the king of this island; King Mirage, and right now I’ve been tasked with feeding his horses in the plains,” the mysterious man answered.

The man took Sinbad to the capital of the island to see the King Mirage.

Sinbad told Mirage of his adventures as a merchant by sea, apparently with enough charisma that Mirage told his servants to provide Sinbad with anything that he could have possibly needed on his future voyages.

Sinbad asked for foreign merchants, in hopes of finding someone else from Baghdad that could help him get home.

After finally making his way back to Baghdad, Sinbad saw a ship land on Baghdad’s shores to drop off some cargo.

He noticed that one of the boxes in the cargo had Sinbad on it, his name. This must have been what he had brought onto the ship that took him out to the sea in the first place! Sinbad found the captain of this ship, who was also the captain that he first set sail with as a merchant out of Baghdad. Sinbad declared his identity to him.

“Don’t try to fool me,” said the captain, “the Sinbad I know drowned that day on the back of a whale! It went into the water and never came back up!”

Sinbad convinced the captain of his identity by detailing exactly what happened that day with the whale. He also told him of the mysterious island and its King Mirage, and how the king helped him get back to Baghdad.

The captain was quite captivated by the story, and it was enough for him to believe Sinbad.

“Thank God you’ve returned home safe and well, Sinbad! Take your stuff and head home,” the captain said.

Sinbad was sent generous gifts by King Mirage that he later traded in other voyages as a merchant by sea.

Soon he began to amass a great fortune, in which he used to buy land and a great big house.