forswearer the wrongdoer, the forswearer, the lost to all humanity,
the arch
traitor, the hyprocrite, the annihilator of ruth and mercy."
When Aladdin's mother heard his words and what had
befallen him from
the Maghrabi, the
magician, she said: "Yea,
verily, O my son, he is
a miscreant, a
hypocrite who murthereth the folk by his magic. But
'twas the grace of Allah Al
mighty, O my child, that saved thee from
the tricks and the
treachery of this
accursed sorcerer whom I deemed
to be truly thine uncle."
Then, as the lad had not slept a wink for three days and found
himself nodding, he sought his natural rest, his mother doing on
like wise, nor did he awake till about noon on the second day. As soon
as he shook off
slumber he called for somewhat of food, being sore
a-
hungered, but said his mother: "O my son, I have no
victual for
thee,
inasmuch as
yesterday thou atest all that was in the house.
But wait
patiently a while. I have spun a
trifle of yarn which I will
carry to the market street and sell it and buy with what it may be
worth some
victual for thee." "O my mother," said he, "keep your
yarn and sell it not, but fetch me the lamp I brought
hither that I
may go vend it, and with its price purchase provaunt, for that I
deem 'twill bring more money than the spinnings." So Aladdin's
mother arose and fetched the lamp for her son, but while so doing
she saw that it was dirty
exceedingly, so that said: "O my son, here
is the lamp, but 'tis very foul. After we shall have washed it and
polished it 'twill sell better." Then,
taking a
handful of sand, she
began to rub
therewith, but she had only begun when appeared to her
one of the Jann, whose favor was
frightful and whose bulk was horrible
big, and he was
gigantic as one of the Jababirah. And forthright he
cried to her: "Say whatso thou wantest of me. Here am I, thy slave and
slave to whoso holdeth the lamp, and not I alone, but all the Slaves
of the Wonderful Lamp which thou hendest in hand."
She quaked and
terror was sore upon her when she looked at that
frightful form, and her tongue being tied, she could not return
aught reply, never having been accustomed to espy similar
semblances. Now her son was
standing afar off, and he had already seen
the Jinni of the ring which he had rubbed within the treasury, so when
he heard the slave
speaking to his parent, he hastened forward, and
snatching the lamp from her hand, said: "O Slave of the Lamp, I am
a-
hungered, and 'tis my desire that thou fetch me somewhat to eat, and
let it be something toothsome beyond our means." The Jinni disappeared
for an eye
twinkle and returned with a
mighty fine tray and precious
of price, for that 'twas all in virginal silver, and upon it stood
twelve golden platters of meats
manifold and dainties
delicate, with
bread snowier than snow; also two silvern cups and as many black jacks
full of wine clear-strained and long-stored. And after
setting all
these before Aladdin, he vanished from vision.
Thereupon the lad went and
sprinkled rose-water upon his mother's
face and caused her snuff up perfumes pure and pungent, and said to
her when she revived: "Rise, O mother mine, and let us eat of these
meats
wherewith Al
mighty Allah hath eased our poverty." But when she
saw that
mighty fine silvern tray she fell to marveling at the matter,
and quoth she: "O my son, who be this
generous, this beneficent one
who hath abated our
hunger pains and our penury? We are indeed under
obligation to him, and meseemeth 'tis the Sultan who,
hearing of our
mean condition and our
misery, hath sent us this food tray." Quoth he:
"O my mother, this be no time for questioning. Arouse thee and let
us eat, for we are both a-famished." Accordingly they sat down to
the tray and fell to feeding, when Aladdin's mother tasted meats whose
like in all her time she had never touched. So they devoured them with
sharpened appetites and all the
capacity engendered by
stress of
hunger. And
secondly, the food was such that marked the tables of
the kings. But neither of them knew whether the tray was or was not
valuable, for never in their born days had they looked upon aught like
it.
As soon as they had finished the meal (
withal leaving
victual enough
for supper and eke for the next day), they arose and washed their
hands and sat at chat, when the mother turned to her son and said:
"Tell me, O my child, what
befell thee from the slave, the Jinni,
now that Alhamdolillah- laud to the Lord!- we have eaten our full of