he broke its seal, and scattered its contents, whereupon there fell from
it strung jewels, consisting of all kinds of jacinths and other gems,
together with three hundred oblong emeralds, and three hundred oblong
large jewels, of the size of the eggs of the ostrich, the light of which
was more resplendent than the light of the sun and the moon. And he
said: "O King of the age, these jewels and jacinths are a present from
me unto thee; for we never brought thee a present, because we knew not
the place of Gulnare's abode. So when we saw thee to have become united
to her, and that we all had become one, we brought thee this present;
and after every period of a few days, we will bring thee the like of it.
For these jewels and jacinths with us are more plentiful than the gravel
upon the land, and we know the excellent among them, and the bad, and
the places where they are found, and they are easy of access to
us."--And when the king looked at those jewels, his reason was
confounded and his mind was bewildered, and he said: "By Allah, one of
these jewels is worth my kingdom!" Then the king thanked Saleh of the
Sea for his generosity, and looking toward the Queen Gulnare said to
her: "I am abashed at thy brother; for he hath shewn favour to me, and
presented me with this magnificent present, which the people of the
earth would fail to procure." So Gulnare thanked her brother for that
which he had done; but her brother said: "O King of the age, to thank
thee hath been incumbent on us; for thou hast treated my sister with
beneficence, and we have entered thine abode, and eaten of thy
provision." Then Saleh said: "If we stood serving thee, O King of the
age, a thousand years, regarding nothing else, we could not requite
thee, and our doing so would be but a small thing in comparison with thy
desert." And Saleh remained with the king, he and his mother and the
daughters of his uncle, forty days; after which he arose and kissed the
ground before the king, the husband of his sister. So the king said to
him: "What dost thou desire, O Saleh?" And he answered: "O King of the
age, we desire of thy goodness that thou wouldst give us permission to
depart; for we have become desirous of seeing again our family and our
country and our relations and our homes. We will not, however,
relinquish the service of thee, nor that of my sister nor the son of my
sister; and by Allah, O King of the age, to quit you is not pleasant to
my heart; but how can we act, when we have been reared in the sea, and
the land is not agreeable to us?" So when the king heard his words, he
rose upon his feet, and bade farewell to Saleh of the Sea and his mother
and the daughters of his uncle, and they wept together on account of the
separation. Then they said to the king: "We will never relinquish you,
but after every period of a few days we will visit you." And after this,
they flew toward the sea, and descended into it, and disappeared.
The king treated Gulnare with beneficence, and honoured her exceedingly,
and the little one grew up well; and his maternal uncle, with his
grandmother and the daughters of his uncle, after every period of a few
days used to come to the residence of the king, and to remain with him a
month, and then return to their places. The boy ceased not to increase
in beauty and loveliness until his age became fifteen years; and he was
incomparable in his perfect beauty, and his stature and his justness of
form. He had learned writing and reading, and history and grammar and
philology, and archery; and he learned to play with the spear; and he
also learned horsemanship, and all that the sons of the kings required.
There was not one of the children of the inhabitants of the city, men
and women, that talked not of the charms of that young man; for he was
of surpassing loveliness and perfection; and the king loved him greatly.
Then the king summoned the vizier and the emeers, and the lords of the
empire, and the great men of the kingdom, and made them swear by binding
oaths that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after his father;
so they swore to him by binding oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the
king himself was beneficent to the people, courteous in speech and of
auspicious aspect. And on the following day, the king mounted, together
with the lords of the empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers,
and they ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the vestibule of
the palace; the king's son riding. Thereupon he alighted, and his father
embraced him, he and the emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of
the kingdom, while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him.
Then Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested
the just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when he rose
from the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother, Gulnare of
the Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resembling the moon. So
when his mother saw him, and the king before him, she rose to him and
kissed him, and congratulated him on his elevation to the dignity of
sultan; and she offered up a prayer in favour of him and his father for
length of life, and victory over their enemies. He then sat with his
mother and rested; and when the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he
rode with the emeers before him until he came to the horse-course, where
he played with arms till the time of nightfall, together with his
father and the lords of his empire; after which he returned to the
palace, with all the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the
horse-course; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and
administered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He ceased not
to do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to ride to the
chase, and go about through the cities and provinces that were under his
rule making proclamation of safety and security, and doing as do the
kings; and he was incomparable among the people of his age in glory and
courage, and in justice to the people.
Now it came to pass that the old king, the father of Bedr Basim, fell
sick one day, whereupon his heart throbbed, and he felt that he was
about to be removed to the mansion of eternity. Then his malady
increased so that he was at the point of death. He therefore summoned
his son, and charged him to take care of his subjects and his mother and
all the lords of his empire and all the dependants. He also made them
swear, and covenanted with them a second time, that they would obey his
son; and he confided in their oaths. And after this he remained a few
days, and was admitted to the mercy of God, whose name be exalted! His
son Bedr Basim, and his wife Gulnare and the emeers and viziers and the
lords of the empire, mourned over him; and they made for him a tomb, and
buried him in it, and continued the ceremonies of mourning for him a
whole month. Saleh, the brother of Gulnare, and her mother, and the
daughters of her uncle, also came, and consoled them for the loss of the
king; and they said: "O Gulnare, if the king hath died, he hath left
this ingenuous youth, and he who hath left such as he is hath not died.
This is he who hath not an equal, the crushing lion, and the splendid
moon." Then the lords of the empire, and the grandees, went in to the
King Bedr Basim, and said to him: "O King, there is no harm in mourning
for the king; but mourning becometh not any save women; therefore
trouble not thy heart and ours by mourning for thy father; for he hath
died and left thee, and he who hath left such as thou art hath not
died." They proceeded to address him with soft words, and to console
him, and after that they conducted him into the bath; and when he came
forth from the bath, he put on a magnificent suit woven of gold, adorned
with jewels and jacinths, and he put the royal crown upon his head,
seated himself upon the throne of his kingdom, and performed the affairs
of the people, deciding equitably between the strong and the weak, and
exacting for the poor man his due from the emeer; wherefore the people
loved him exceedingly. Thus he continued to do for the space of a whole
year; and after every short period, his family of the sea visited him;
so his life was pleasant, and his eye was cheerful: and he ceased not to
live in this state until he was visited by the terminator of delights
and the separator of companions. This is the end of their story. The
mercy of God be on them all!
THE STORY OF ALADDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP
In the capital of one of the large and rich provinces of the kingdom of
China there lived a tailor, named Mustapha, who was so poor that he
could hardly, by his daily labour, maintain himself and his family,
which consisted of a wife and son.
His son, who was called Aladdin, had been brought up in a very careless
and idle manner, and by that means had contracted many vicious habits.
He was obstinate, and disobedient to his father and mother, who, when he
grew up, could not keep him within doors. He was in the habit of going
out early in the morning, and would stay out all day, playing in the
streets with idle children of his own age.
When he was old enough to learn a trade, his father, not being able to
put him out to any other, took him into his own shop, and taught him how
to use his needle: but neither fair words nor the fear of chastisement
were capable of fixing his lively genius. All his father's endeavours to
keep him to his work were in vain; for no sooner was his back turned,
than he was gone for that day. Mustapha chastised him, but Aladdin was
incorrigible, and his father, to his great grief, was forced to abandon
him to his idleness: and was so much troubled at not being able to
reclaim him, that it threw him into a fit of sickness, of which he died
in a few months.
The mother, finding that her son would not follow his father's business,
shut up the shop, sold off the implements of trade, and with the money
she received for them, and what she could get by spinning cotton,
thought to maintain herself and her son.
Aladdin, who was now no longer restrained by the fear of a father, and
who cared so little for his mother that whenever she chid him he would
abuse her, gave himself entirely over to his idle habits, and was never
out of the streets from his companions. This course he followed till he
was fifteen years old, without giving his mind to any useful pursuit, or
the least reflection on what would become of him. In this situation, as
he was one day playing with his vagabond associates, a stranger passing
by stood to observe him.
This stranger was a sorcerer, called the African magician; as he was a
native of Africa, and had been but two days arrived from thence.
The African magician, who was a good physiognomist, observing in
Aladdin's countenance something absolutely necessary for the execution
of the design he was engaged in, inquired artfully about his family, who
he was, and what were his inclinations; and when he had learned all he
desired to know, went up to him, and taking him aside from his comrades,
said: "Child, was not your father called Mustapha, the tailor?" "Yes,
sir," answered the boy; "but he has been dead a long time."
At these words, the African magician threw his arms about Aladdin's
neck, and kissed him several times with tears in his eyes. Aladdin, who
observed his tears, asked him what made him weep. "Alas! my son," cried
the African magician with a sigh, "how can I forbear? I am your uncle;
your worthy father was my own brother. I have been many years abroad,
and now I am come home with the hopes of seeing him, you tell me he is
dead. But it is some relief to my affliction, that I knew you at first
sight, you are so like him." Then he asked Aladdin, putting his hand
into his purse, where his mother lived, and as soon as he had informed
him, gave him a handful of small money, saying: "Go, my son, to your
mother, give my love to her, and tell her that I will visit her
to-morrow, that I may have the satisfaction of seeing where my good
brother lived so long."
As soon as the African magician left his newly-adopted nephew, Aladdin
ran to his mother, overjoyed at the money his uncle had given him.
"Mother," said he, "have I an uncle?" "No, child," replied his mother,
"you have no uncle by your father's side, or mine." "I am just now
come," said Aladdin, "from a man who says he is my uncle on my father's
side. He cried and kissed me when I told him my father was dead; and to
show you that what I tell you is truth," added he, pulling out the
money, "see what he has given me; he charged me to give his love to you,
and to tell you that to-morrow he will come and pay you a visit, that he
may see the house my father lived and died in." "Indeed, child," replied
the mother, "your father had a brother, but he has been dead a long
time, and I never heard of another."
The mother and son talked no more then of the African magician; but the
next day Aladdin's uncle found him playing in another part of the town
with other youths, and embracing him as before, put two pieces of gold
into his hand, and said to him: "Carry this, child, to your mother, tell
her that I will come and see her to-night, and bid her get us something
for supper; but first show me the house where you live."
After Aladdin had showed the African magician the house, he carried the
two pieces of gold to his mother, and when he had told her of his
uncle's intention, she went out and bought provisions. She spent the
whole day in preparing the supper; and at night, when it was ready, said
to her son: "Perhaps your uncle knows not how to find our house; go and
bring him if you meet with him."
Though Aladdin had showed the magician the house, he was ready to go,
when somebody knocked at the door, which he immediately opened; and the
magician came in loaded with wine, and all sorts of fruits, which he
brought for a dessert.
After the African magician had given what he brought into Aladdin's
hands, he saluted his mother, and desired her to shew him the place
where his brother Mustapha used to sit on the sofa; and when she had so
done, he fell down and kissed it several times, crying out with tears in
his eyes: "My poor brother! how unhappy am I, not to have come soon
enough to give you one last embrace." Aladdin's mother desired him to
sit down in the same place, but he declined. "No," said he, "but give me
leave to sit opposite, that although I am deprived of the satisfaction
of seeing one so dear to me, I may at least have the pleasure of
beholding the place where he used to sit."
When the magician had sat down, he began to enter into discourse with
Aladdin's mother: "My good sister," said he, "do not be surprised at
your never having seen me all the time you were married to my brother
Mustapha. I have been forty years absent from this country, which is my
native place, as well as my late brother's; and during that time have
travelled into the Indies, Persia, Arabia, Syria, and Egypt; have
resided in the finest towns of those countries; and afterward crossed
over into Africa, where I made a longer stay. At last, as it is natural
for a man to remember his native country, I was desirous to see mine
again, and to embrace my dear brother; and finding I had strength enough
to undertake so long a journey, I immediately made the necessary
preparations, and set out. I will not tell you the length of time it
took me, all the obstacles I met with, and what fatigues I have endured
to come hither; but nothing ever afflicted me so much, as hearing of my
brother's death. I observed his features in the face of my nephew, your
son, and distinguished him among a number of lads with whom he was at
play; he can tell you how I received the most melancholy news that ever
reached my ears. But God be praised for all things! it is a comfort for
me to find, as it were, my brother in a son, who has his most remarkable
features."
The African magician, perceiving that the widow began to weep at the
remembrance of her husband, changed the conversation, and turning toward
her son, asked him his name. "I am called Aladdin," said he. "Well,
Aladdin," replied the magician, "what business do you follow? Are you of
any trade?"
At this question the youth hung down his head, and was not a little
abashed when his mother answered: "Aladdin is an idle fellow; his
father, when alive, strove all he could to teach him his trade, but
could not succeed; and since his death he does nothing but idle away his
time in the streets, as you saw him, without considering he is no longer
a child; and if you do not make him ashamed of it, I despair of his ever
coming to any good. He knows that his father left him no fortune, and
sees me endeavour to get bread by spinning cotton; for my part, I am
resolved one of these days to turn him out of doors, and let him provide
for himself."
After these words, Aladdin's mother burst into tears; and the magician
said: "This is not well, nephew; you must think of getting your
livelihood. There are many sorts of trades, consider if you have not an
inclination to some of them; perhaps you did not like your father's and
would prefer another; come, do not disguise your sentiments from me; I
will endeavour to help you." But finding that Aladdin returned no
answer, "If you have no mind," continued he, "to learn any handicraft, I
will take a shop for you, furnish it with all sorts of fine stuffs and
linens; and with the money you make of them lay in fresh goods, and then
you will live in an honourable way. Consult your inclination, and tell
me freely what you think of my proposal."
This plan greatly flattered Aladdin, who hated work but had sense enough
to know that such shops were much frequented and the owners respected.
He told the magician he had a greater inclination to that business than
to any other, and that he should be much obliged to him for his
kindness. "Since this profession is agreeable to you," said the African
magician, "I will carry you with me to-morrow, clothe you as handsomely
as the best merchants in the city, and afterward we will think of
opening a shop as I mentioned."
The widow, who never till then could believe that the magician was her
husband's brother, no longer doubted after his promises of kindness to
her son. She thanked him for his good intentions; and after having
exhorted Aladdin to render himself worthy of his uncle's favour by good
behaviour, served up supper, at which they talked of several indifferent
matters; and then the magician, who saw that the night was pretty far
advanced, took his leave, and retired.
He came again the next day, as he had promised, and took Aladdin with
him to a merchant, who sold all sorts of clothes for different ages and
ranks ready made, and a variety of fine stuffs. He asked to see some
that suited Aladdin in size; and Aladdin, charmed with the liberality of
his new uncle, made choice of one, and the magician immediately paid for
it.
When the boy found himself so handsomely equipped, he returned his uncle
thanks; who promised never to forsake him, but always to take him along
with him; which he did to the most frequented places in the city, and
particularly where the principal merchants kept their shops. When he
brought him into the street where they sold the richest stuffs and
finest linens, he said to Aladdin: "As you are soon to be a merchant, it
is proper you should frequent these shops, and be acquainted with them."
He then showed him the largest and finest mosques, carried him to the
khans or inns where the merchants and travellers lodged, and afterward
to the sultan's palace, where he had free access; and at last brought
him to his own khan, where, meeting with some merchants he had become
acquainted with since his arrival, he gave them a treat, to bring them
and his pretended nephew acquainted.
This entertainment lasted till night, when Aladdin would have taken
leave of his uncle to go home, but the magician would not let him go by
himself, but conducted him to his mother, who, as soon as she saw him so
well dressed, was transported with joy, and bestowed a thousand
blessings upon the magician, for being at so great an expense for her
child. "Generous relation!" said she, "I know not how to thank you for
your liberality! I wish you may live long enough to witness my son's
gratitude, which he cannot better shew than by regulating his conduct by
your good advice."
"Aladdin," replied the magician, "is a good boy, and I believe we shall
do very well; but I am sorry for one thing, which is, that I cannot
perform to-morrow what I promised, because, as it is Friday, the shops
will be shut up, and therefore we cannot hire or furnish one till
Saturday. I will, however, call on him to-morrow and take him to walk in
the gardens, where people of the best fashion generally resort. Perhaps
he has never seen these amusements, he has only hitherto been among
children; but now he must see men." The African magician then took his
leave of the mother and the son, and retired.
Aladdin rose early the next morning, dressed himself to be ready, and
after he had waited some time began to be impatient and stood watching
at the door; but as soon as he perceived his uncle coming, he told his
mother, took his leave of her, and ran to meet him.
The magician caressed Aladdin, and said: "Come, my dear child, and I
will shew you fine things." He then led him out at one of the gates of
the city, to some magnificent palaces, to each of which belonged
beautiful gardens, into which anybody might enter. At every building he
came to, he asked Aladdin if he did not think it fine; and the youth was
ready to answer when any one presented itself, crying out: "Here is a
finer house, uncle, than any we have seen yet." By this artifice, the
cunning magician led Aladdin some way into the country; and as he meant
to carry him farther, pretending to be tired, he took an opportunity to
sit down in one of the gardens on the brink of a fountain of clear
water, which discharged itself by a lion's mouth of bronze into a basin:
"Come, nephew," said he, "you must be weary as well as I; let us rest
ourselves, and we shall be better able to pursue our walk."
After they had sat down, the magician pulled from his girdle a
handkerchief with cakes and fruit, which he had provided, and laid them
on the edge of the basin. He broke a cake in two, gave one half to
Aladdin and ate the other himself; and in regard to the fruit, left him
at liberty to take which sort he liked best. During this short repast,
he exhorted his nephew to leave off keeping company with vagabonds, and
seek that of wise and prudent men, to improve by their conversation;
"For," said he, "you will soon be at man's estate, and you cannot too
early begin to imitate their example." When they had eaten as much as
they liked, they pursued their walk through gardens separated from one
another only by small ditches, which marked out the limits without
interrupting the communication; so great was the confidence the
inhabitants reposed in each other. By this means, the African magician
drew Aladdin insensibly beyond the gardens, and crossed the country,
till they nearly reached the mountains.
Aladdin, who had never been so far before, began to find himself much
tired, and said to the magician: "Where are we going, uncle? We have
left the gardens a great way behind us, and I see nothing but mountains;
if we go much farther, I do not know whether I shall be able to reach
the town again!" "Never fear, nephew," said the false uncle; "I will
shew you another garden which surpasses all we have yet seen; and when
we come there, you will say that you would have been sorry to have been
so nigh, and not seen it." Aladdin was soon persuaded; and the magician,
to make the way seem shorter and less fatiguing, told him a great many
stories.
At last they arrived between two mountains of moderate height, and equal
size, divided by a narrow valley, which was the place where the magician
intended to execute the design that had brought him from Africa to
China. "We will go no farther now," said he to Aladdin: "I will shew you
here some extraordinary things, which, when you have seen, you will
thank me for: but while I strike a light, gather up all the loose dry
sticks you can see, to kindle a fire with."
Aladdin collected a great heap and the magician presently set them on
fire, and when they were in a blaze, threw in some incense which raised
a cloud of smoke. This he dispersed on each side, by pronouncing several
magical words which the lad did not understand.