Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6)
Science
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
said, " 'tis true; for the Jinns do present themselves before the
Sons of Adam[FN#112] but I, O my son, never saw them in all my
life and meseemeth that this be the same who saved thee when thou
west 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 hentest in hand."--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do
tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad replied,
"With love and good will."--It hath reached me, O King of the
Age, that Alaeddin said, "Verily, O my mother, the Jinni who
appeared to thee was the Slave of the Lamp." And when his parent
heard these words she cried, "There! there![FN#113] 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 abear a second glance at them. Moreover all
intercourse with them is unlawful, 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[FN#114] 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 (naught else), 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 travelled 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
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