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
only the silver tray whereupon they stood; and, for that it was
large and weighty, Alaeddin 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. Alaeddin 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 Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-eighth 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 the Jinni, the Slave of the Lamp, on appearing to
Alaeddin said, "Ask, O my lord, whatso thou wantest for I am thy
Slave and the thrall of whoso hath the Lamp;" 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[FN#118] of strained wine. Now Alaeddin'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[FN#119] platters
and smelt the savour of the rich meats diffused over the house,
she marvelled 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[FN#120] 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, Alaeddin 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 jeweller, an honest man and a
pious who feared Allah. When the Shaykh 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,[FN#121] 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."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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