The Fisherman and the Jinnee

“The Fisherman and the Jinnee”

Once upon a time, in a land far away
There lived a fisherman who cast his net four times a day.
On one certain day, no different than any other,
He cast his net far out from the shore
And waited for all the fish to come his way.

The net became so heavy, and he pulled it with all his might
But he could not pull that net in, without a fierce fight.
That first cast he pulled in, was a strange dead donkey
The second time, was an earthen vessel with mud and sand
The third time, only bones and broken glass worsened his plight.

Lifting his eyes to Allah, the fisherman did cry,
“Surely He will not fail me, this last time I try!”
With determination, he hurled his net,
To his delight, he found a bottle of yellow copper
Planning to sell it at the market, he thanked the sky

Opening the bottle to see what was inside
A big and terrible jinnee appeared, making the poor fisherman terrified.
Thinking the fisherman was a prophet or Solomon,
The jinnee begged for his life
The fisherman informed him that Solomon had died.

Hearing the news, the jinnee said the fisherman must die
“What crime have I committed?” He asked with a cry
And so the jinnee told the story
Of how he mutinied against Solomon
Imprisoned in the bottle, left in the ocean, to say goodbye.
First, the Jinnee said, “I will bestow eternal riches on him who sets me free!
But one hundred years passed, and no one saved me”
Then, he said he would open up all the treasures of the earth
After no luck, he vowed he would kill the man him who freed him
Only allowing him to choose his way of decease.

The fisherman said, “Kill me and Allah will destroy you!”
And with great cunning, he thought of an idea to do
“How did you get in that tiny bottle?” He asked the jinnee
The arrogance of the Jinnee made him prove his pride
And just like that, he was trapped back inside, without even saying adieu.

The fisherman threatened to throw him back into the sea