The Adventures of Sindbad the Seafarer, by Boleslaw Lesmian, translated from Polish into English by Mary Besemeres, excerpt from 'The First Adventure'

'The Adventures of Sindbad The Seafarer” is one of the most beloved Polish books for children. Published in 1913 by one of the greatest Polish poets of the century, Boleslaw Lesmian, the book is loosely based on the stories of Sinbad the Sailor from the classic Arabian collection One Thousand and One Nights. However, Leśmian developed this material very differently, introducing completely new episodes and characters, like Sindbad’s poetry-writing uncle Tarabuk and his cunning but sympathetic nemesis the Sea Devil. In the following excerpt from the book’s First Adventure, we find Sindbad in one of Leśmian’s newly-invented episodes. Our story begins as Sindbad is leaving the palace of King Miraz, to whose daughter he is now engaged, in order to visit the mysterious island of Kassel – the home of the evil sorcerer Degyal. Perhaps the only thing that makes Sindbad a bit uneasy is the king and princess’s strange habit of mispronouncing his name as ‘Hindbad’. But, for now, this does not seem all that important...