the good things
wherewith He hath favored us and thou hast no pretext
for
saying to me, 'I am a-hungered."' So Aladdin
related to her all
that took place between him and the slave what while she had sunk upon
the ground a-swoon for sore
terror, and at this she, being seized with
mighty great surprise, said: "'Tis true, for the Jinns do present
themselves before the sons of Adam, but I, O my son, never saw them in
all my life, and meseemeth that this be the same who saved thee when
thou wast within the enchanted hoard." "This is not he, O my mother.
This who appeared before thee is the Slave of the Lamp!" "Who may this
be, O my son?" "This be a slave of sort and shape other than he.
That was the familiar of the ring, and this his fellow thou sawest was
the Slave of the Lamp thou hendest in hand." And when his parent heard
these words she cried: "There! there! So this
accursed, who showed
himself to me and went nigh unto killing me with
affright, is attached
to the lamp." "Yes," he replied, and she rejoined: "Now I conjure
thee, O my son, by the milk
wherewith I suckled thee, to throw away
from thee this lamp and this ring, because they can cause us only
extreme
terror, and I especially can never a-bear a second glance at
them. Moreover, all
intercourse with them is un
lawful, for that the
Prophet (whom Allah save and assain!) warned us against them with
threats."
He replied: "Thy commands, O my mother, be upon my head and mine
eyes, but as regards this
saying thou saidest, 'tis impossible that
I part or with lamp or with ring. Thou thyself hast seen what good the
slave
wrought us whenas we were famishing, and know, O my mother, that
the Maghrabi, the liar, the
magician, when sending me down into the
hoard, sought nor the silver nor the gold
wherewith the four halls
were fulfilled, but charged me to bring him only the lamp (
naughtelse), because in very deed he had
learned its
priceless value. And
had he not been certified of it, he had never endured such toil and
trouble, nor had he
traveled from his own land to our land in search
thereof, neither had he shut me up in the treasury when he despaired
of the lamp which I would not hand to him. Therefore it besitteth
us, O my mother, to keep this lamp and take all care thereof, nor
disclose its mysteries to any, for this is now our means of livelihood
and this it is shall
enrich us. And
likewise as regards the ring, I
will never
withdraw it from my finger,
inasmuch as but for this thou
hadst nevermore seen me on life- nay, I should have died within the
hoard
underground. How then can I possibly remove it from my finger?
And who wotteth that which may betide me by the lapse of time, what
trippings or calamities or
injurious mishaps wherefrom this ring may
deliver me? However, for regard to thy feelings I will stow away the
lamp, nor ever suffer it to be seen of thee hereafter." Now when his
mother heard his words and pondered them, she knew they were true
and said to him: "Do, O my son, whatso thou willest. For my part, I
wish never to see them nor ever sight that
frightfulspectacle I
erst saw."
Aladdin and his mother continued eating of the meats brought them by
the Jinni for two full told days till they were finished. But when
he
learned that nothing of food remained for them, he arose and took a
platter of the
platters which the slave had brought upon the tray. Now
they were all of the finest gold, but the lad knew
naught thereof,
so he bore it to the bazaar and there,
seeing a man which was a Jew, a
viler than the Satans, offered it to him for sale. When the Jew espied
it, he took the lad aside that none might see him, and he looked at
the
platter and considered it till he was certified that it was of
gold
refined. But he knew not whether Aladdin was acquainted with
its value or he was in such matters a raw laddie, so he asked him,
"For how much, O my lord, this
platter?" and the other answered, "Thou
wottest what be its worth." The Jew debated with himself as to how
much he should offer, because Aladdin had returned him a craftsmanlike
reply, and he thought of the smallest
valuation. At the same time he
feared lest the lad, haply
knowing its worth, should expect a
considerable sum. So he said in his mind, "Belike the fellow is an
ignoramus in such matters, nor is ware of the price of the
platter."
Whereupon he pulled out of his pocket a dinar, and Aladdin eyed the
gold piece lying in his palm and,
hastilytaking it, went his way,
w
hereby the Jew was certified of his customer's
innocence of all
such knowledge, and repented with entire
repentance that he had
given him a golden dinar in lieu of a
copper carat, a
bright-polished groat.
However, Aladdin made no delay, but went at once to the baker's,
where he bought him bread and changed the ducat. Then, going to his
mother, he gave her the scones and the remaining small coin and
said, "O my mother, hie thee and buy thee all we require." So she
arose and walked to the bazaar and laid in the necessary stock,
after which they ate and were cheered. And
whenever the price of the
platter was expended, Aladdin would take another and carry it to the
accursed Jew, who brought each and every at a
pitiful price; and
even this he would have minished but,
seeing how he had paid a dinar
for the first, he feared to offer a
lesser sum, lest the lad go and
sell to some rival in trade and thus he lose his usurious gains. Now
when all the golden
platters were sold, there remained only the silver
tray
whereupon they stood, and for that it was large and weighty,
Aladdin brought the Jew to his house and produced the article when the
buyer,
seeing its size, gave him ten dinars, and these being accepted,
went his ways.
Aladdin and his mother lived upon the sequins until they were spent,
then he brought out the lamp and rubbed it, and
straightway appeared
the slave who had shown himself aforetime. And said the lad: "I desire
that thou bring me a tray of food like unto that thou broughtest me
erewhiles, for indeed I am famisht." Accordingly, in the glance of
an eye the slave produced a similar tray supporting twelve
platters of
the most
sumptuous, furnished with
requisite cates, and thereon
stood clean bread and
sundry glass bottles of strained wine. Now
Aladdin's mother had gone out when she knew he was about to rub the
lamp, that she might not again look upon the Jinni; but after a
while she returned, and when she sighted the tray covered with
silvern
platters and smelt the savor of the rich meats diffused over
the house, she marveled and rejoiced. Thereupon quoth he: "Look, O
my mother! Thou badest me throw away the lamp. See now its virtues,"
and quoth she, "O my son, Allah increase his weal, but I would not
look upon him." Then the lad sat down with his parent to the tray
and they ate and drank until they were satisfied, after which they
removed what remained for use on the morrow.
As soon as the meats had been consumed, Aladdin arose and stowed
away under his clothes a
platter of the
platters and went forth to
find the Jew, purposing to sell it to him, but by fiat of Fate he
passed by the shop of an ancient
jeweler, an honest man and a pious
who feared Allah. When the Sheikh saw the lad, he asked him,
saying:
"O my son, what dost thou want? For that times
manifold have I seen
thee passing
hereby and having dealings with a Jewish man, and I
have espied thee handing over to him
sundry articles. Now also I fancy
thou hast somewhat for sale and thou seekest him as a buyer thereof.
But thou wottest not, O my child, that the Jews ever hold
lawful to
them the good of Moslems, the confessors of Allah Almighty's unity,
and always defraud them, especially this
accursed Jew with whom thou
hast relations and into whose hands thou hast fallen. If then, O my
son, thou have aught thou wouldest sell, show the same to me and never
fear, for I will give thee its full price, by the truth of Almighty
Allah."
Thereupon Aladdin brought out the
platter, which when the ancient
goldsmith saw, he took and weighed it in his scales and asked the lad,
saying, "Was it the fellow of this thou soldest to the Jew?" "Yes, its
fellow and its brother," he answered, and quoth the old man, "What
price did he pay thee?" Quoth the lad, "One dinar." The ancient
goldsmith,
hearing from Aladdin how the Jew used to give only one
dinar as the price of the
platter, cried, "Ah! I take
refuge from this