Ali Baba and sesame
Aditya Rishi

IN days of yore and in times and tides long gone before, there dwelt in a certain town of Persia two brothers, one named Kasim and the other Ali Baba, who at their father's demise had divided the little wealth he had left to them with equitable division, and had lost no time in wasting and spending it all.

The elder, however, presently took to himself a wife, the daughter of an opulent merchant, so that when his father-in-law fared to the mercy of Almighty Allah, he became owner of a large shop filled with rare goods and costly wares and of a storehouse stocked with precious stuffs. Thus was he known throughout the city as a substantial man.

However, the woman whom Ali Baba had married was poor and needy. They lived, therefore, in a mean hovel, and Ali Baba eked out a scanty livelihood by the sale of fuel which he daily collected in the jungle and carried about the town to the bazaar upon his three asses.

One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, and had just cut wood enough to load his asses, he saw at a distance a great cloud of dust approaching him. He observed it with attention, and distinguished soon after a body of horsemen, whom he suspected to be robbers. He climbed up a large tree planted on a high rock, the branches of which were thick enough to conceal him, and yet enabled him to see all that passed without being discovered.

The troop, to the number of forty, well mounted and armed, came to the foot of the rock on which the tree stood, and there dismounted. Every man unbridled his horse, tied him to some shrub, and hung about his neck a bag of corn which they carried behind them. Then each took off his saddle-bag, which from its weight seemed to Ali Baba to be full of gold and silver. One, whom he took to be their captain, came under the tree in which he was concealed, and making his way through some shrubs, pronounced the words: "Open, sesame!" A door opened in the rock; and after he had made all his troops enter before him, he followed them, when the door shut again of itself.

The robbers stayed some time within the rock, during which Ali Baba, fearful of being caught, remained in the tree. At last the door opened again, and as the captain went in last, so he came out first, and stood to see them all pass by him; when ‘Ali Baba heard him make the door close by pronouncing the words: "Shut, sesame!" When the captain saw them all ready, he put himself at their head and they all returned the way they had come. Ali Baba descended, went among the shrubs, stood before the rock and said, "Open, sesame", whereupon the door instantly flew wide open.

The sight of the riches inside made him suppose that this cave must have been occupied for ages by robbers, who had succeeded one another. He took home as much gold as his asses could carry. At night, the robbers visited their cave and the captain was shocked to discover that the secret words would no longer open the cave door.

At home, as they weighed the gold, Ali Baba passed his wife a note, upon which were written the new magic words, in a secret language: "ab frfnzr, gel zremvan". (It takes an Ali Baba to open sesame. Can you open it? Write at The Tribune or adityarishi99@yahoo.co.in.)