The Arabian Nights Entertainments
marble, set with jasper, agate, and other precious stones. In the
middle you shall build me a large hall with a dome, its four walls of
massy gold and silver, each side having six windows, whose lattices,
all except one, which is to be left unfinished, must be set with
diamonds and rubies. There must be stables and horses and grooms and
slaves; go and see about it!"
The palace was finished by next day, and the genie carried him there
and showed him all his orders faithfully carried out, even to the
laying of a velvet carpet from Aladdin's palace to the Sultan's.
Aladdin's mother then dressed herself carefully, and walked to the
palace with her slaves, while he followed her on horseback. The Sultan
sent musicians with trumpets and cymbals to meet them, so that the air
resounded with music and cheers. She was taken to the princess, who
saluted her and treated her with great honour. At night the princess
said good-bye to her father, and set out on the carpet for Aladdin's
palace, with his mother at her side, and followed by the hundred
slaves. She was charmed at the sight of Aladdin, who ran to receive
her.
"Princess," he said, "blame your beauty for my boldness if I have
displeased you."
She told him that, having seen him, she willingly obeyed her father in
this matter. After the wedding had taken place Aladdin led her into
the hall, where a feast was spread, and she supped with him, after
which they danced till midnight.
Next day Aladdin invited the Sultan to see the palace. On entering the
hall with the four-and-twenty windows, with their rubies, diamonds, and
emeralds, he cried:
"It is a world's wonder! There is only one thing that surprises me.
Was it by accident that one window was left unfinished?"
"No, sir, by design," returned Aladdin. "I wished your Majesty to have
the glory of finishing this palace."
The Sultan was pleased, and sent for the best jewelers in the city. He
showed them the unfinished window, and bade them fit it up like the
others.
"Sir," replied their spokesman, "we cannot find jewels enough."
The Sultan had his own fetched, which they soon used, but to no
purpose, for in a month's time the work was not half done. Aladdin,
knowing that their task was vain, bade them undo their work and carry
the jewels back, and the genie finished the window at his command. The
Sultan was surprised to receive his jewels again and visited Aladdin,
who showed him the window finished. The Sultan embraced him, the
envious vizir meanwhile hinting that it was the work of enchantment.
Aladdin had won the hearts of the people by his gentle bearing. He was
made captain of the Sultan's armies, and won several battles for him,
but remained modest and courteous as before, and lived thus in peace
and content for several years.
But far away in Africa the magician remembered Aladdin, and by his
magic arts discovered that Aladdin, instead of perishing miserably in
the cave, had escaped, and had married a princess, with whom he was
living in great honour and wealth. He knew that the poor tailor's son
could only have accomplished this by means of the lamp, and travelled
night and day till he reached the capital of China, bent on Aladdin's
ruin. As he passed through the town he heard people talking everywhere
about a marvellous palace.
"Forgive my ignorance," he asked, "what is this palace you speak of?"
"Have you not heard of Prince Aladdin's palace," was the reply, "the
greatest wonder of the world? I will direct you if you have a mind to
see it."
The magician thanked him who spoke, and having seen the palace knew
that it had been raised by the genie of the lamp, and became half mad
with rage. He determined to get hold of the lamp, and again plunge
Aladdin into the deepest poverty.
Unluckily, Aladdin had gone a-hunting for eight days, which gave the
magician plenty of time. He bought a dozen copper lamps, put them into
a basket, and went to the palace, crying: "New lamps for old!"
followed by a jeering crowd.
The princess, sitting in the hall of four-and-twenty windows, sent a
slave to find out what the noise was about, who came back laughing, so
that the princess scolded her.
"Madam," replied the slave, "who can help laughing to see an old fool
offering to exchange fine new lamps for old ones?"
Another slave, hearing this, said: "There is an old one on the cornice
there which he can have."
Now this was the magic lamp, which Aladdin had left there, as he could
not take it out hunting with him. The princess, not knowing its value,
laughingly bade the slave take it and make the exchange.
She went and said to the magician: "Give me a new lamp for this."
He snatched it and bade the slave take her choice, amid the jeers of
the crowd. Little he cared, but left off crying his lamps, and went
out of the city gates to a lonely place, where he remained till
nightfall, when he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it. The genie
appeared, and at the magician's command carried him, together with the
palace and the princess in it, to a lonely place in Africa.
Next morning the Sultan looked out of the window towards Aladdin's
palace and rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. He sent for the vizir,
and asked what had become of the palace. The vizir looked out too, and
was lost in astonishment. He again put it down to enchantment, and
this time the Sultan believed him, and sent thirty men on horseback to
fetch Aladdin in chains. They met him riding home, bound him, and
forced him to go with them on foot. The people, however, who loved
him, followed, armed, to see that he came to no harm. He was carried
before the Sultan, who ordered the executioner to cut off his head.
The executioner made Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised
his scimitar to strike.
At that instant the vizir, who saw that the crowd had forced their way
into the courtyard and were scaling the walls to rescue Aladdin, called
to the executioner to stay his hand. The people, indeed, looked so
threatening that the Sultan gave way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound,
and pardoned him in the sight of the crowd.
Aladdin now begged to know what he had done.
"False wretch!" said the Sultan, "come hither," and showed him from the
window the place where his palace had stood.
Aladdin was so amazed that he could not say a word.
"Where is my palace and my daughter?" demanded the Sultan. "For the
first I am not so deeply concerned, but my daughter I must have, and
you must find her or lose your head."
Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find her, promising if he
failed to return and suffer death at the Sultan's pleasure. His prayer
was granted, and he went forth sadly from the Sultan's presence. For
three days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone what had
become of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him. He came to
the banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers before throwing
himself in. In so doing he rubbed the magic ring he still wore.
The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and asked his will.
"Save my life, genie," said Aladdin, "and bring my palace back."
"That is not in my power," said the genie; "I am only the slave of the
ring; you must ask the slave of the lamp."
"Even so," said Aladdin "but thou canst take me to the palace, and set
me down under my dear wife's window." He at once found himself in
Africa, under the window of the princess, and fell asleep out of sheer
weariness.
He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.
He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owing to the loss of the
lamp, and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.
That morning the princess rose earlier than she had done since she had
been carried into Africa by the magician, whose company she was forced
to endure once a day. She, however, treated him so harshly that he
dared not live there altogether. As she was dressing, one of her women
looked out and saw Aladdin. The princess ran and opened the window,
and at the noise she made Aladdin looked up. She called to him to come
to her, and great was the joy of these lovers at seeing each other
again.
After he had kissed her Aladdin said: "I beg of you, Princess, in
God's name, before we speak of anything else, for your own sake and
mine, tell me what has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice in
the hall of four-and-twenty windows, when I went a-hunting."
"Alas!" she said "I am the innocent cause of our sorrows," and told him
of the exchange of the lamp.
"Now I know," cried Aladdin, "that we have to thank the African
magician for this! Where is the lamp?"
"He carries it about with him," said the princess, "I know, for he
pulled it out of his breast to show me. He wishes me to break my faith
with you and marry him, saying that you were beheaded by my father's
command. He is forever speaking ill of you, but I only reply by my
tears. If I persist, I doubt not that he will use violence."
Aladdin comforted her, and left her for a while. He changed clothes
with the first person he met in the town, and having bought a certain
powder returned to the princess, who let him in by a little side door.
"Put on your most beautiful dress," he said to her, "and receive the
magician with smiles, leading him to believe that you have forgotten
me. Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish to taste the wine of
his country. He will go for some, and while he is gone I will tell you
what to do."
She listened carefully to Aladdin, and when he left her arrayed herself
gaily for the first time since she left China. She put on a girdle and
head-dress of diamonds, and seeing in a glass that she looked more
beautiful than ever, received the magician, saying to his great
amazement: "I have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead, and that all
my tears will not bring him back to me, so I am resolved to mourn no
more, and have therefore invited you to sup with me; but I am tired of
the wines of China, and would fain taste those of Africa."
The magician flew to his cellar, and the princess put the powder
Aladdin had given her in her cup. When he returned she asked him to
drink her health in the wine of Africa, handing him her cup in exchange
for his as a sign she was reconciled to him.
Before drinking the magician made her a speech in praise of her beauty,
but the princess cut him short saying:
"Let me drink first, and you shall say what you will afterwards." She
set her cup to her lips and kept it there, while the magician drained
his to the dregs and fell back lifeless.
The princess then opened the door to Aladdin, and flung her arms round
his neck, but Aladdin put her away, bidding her to leave him, as he had
more to do. He then went to the dead magician, took the lamp out of
his vest, and bade the genie carry the palace and all in it back to
China. This was done, and the princess in her chamber only felt two
little shocks, and little thought she was at home again.
The Sultan, who was sitting in his closet, mourning for his lost
daughter, happened to look up, and rubbed his eyes, for there stood the
palace as before! He hastened thither, and Aladdin received him in the
hall of the four-and-twenty windows, with the princess at his side.
Aladdin told him what had happened, and showed him the dead body of the
magician, that he might believe. A ten days' feast was proclaimed, and
it seemed as if Aladdin might now live the rest of his life in peace;
but it was not to be.
The African magician had a younger brother, who was, if possible, more
wicked and more cunning than himself. He travelled to China to avenge
his brother's death, and went to visit a pious woman called Fatima,