Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 1
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 1
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
replied, “The sum of my wishes is to look upon this pavilion and, if
thou wouldest do me a favour, prithee guide me thereunto, for I am a
foreigner.” The man rejoined, “To hear is to obey;” and, foregoing him,
pointed out Alaeddin’s pavilion whereupon the Maroccan fell to
considering it and at once understood that it was the work of the Lamp.
So he cried, “Ah? Ah! needs must I dig a pit for this Accursed, this son
of a snip, who could not earn for himself even an evening meal: and, if
the Fates abet me, I will assuredly destroy his life and send his mother
back to spinning at her wheel, e’en as she was wont erewhiles to do.” So
saying, he returned to his caravanserai in a sore state of grief and
melancholy and regret bred by his envy and hate of Alaeddin.——And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-fifth 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 when the
Maghrabi, the Magician, reached his caravanserai, he took his
astrological gear[191] and geomantic table to discover where might be
the Lamp; and he found that it was in the pavilion and not upon
Alaeddin’s person. So he rejoiced thereat with joy exceeding and
exclaimed, “Now indeed ’twill be an easy task to take the life of this
Accursed and I see my way to getting the Lamp.” Then he went to a
coppersmith and said to him, “Do thou make me a set of lamps and take
from me their full price and more; only I would have thee hasten to
finish them.” Replied the smith, “Hearing and obeying,” and fell
aworking to keep his word; and when they were ready the Moorman paid him
what price he required; then taking them he carried them to the Khan and
set them in a basket. Presently he began wandering about the highways
and market-streets of the capital crying aloud, “Ho! who will exchange
old lamps for new lamps?”[192] But when the folk heard him cry on this
wise, they derided him and said, “Doubtless this man is Jinn-mad, for
that he goeth about offering new for old;” and a world followed him and
the children of the quarter caught him up from place to place, laughing
at him the while, nor did he forbid them or care for their maltreatment.
And he ceased not strolling about the streets till he came under
Alaeddin’s pavilion,[193] where he shouted with his loudest voice and
the boys screamed at him, “A madman! A madman!” Now Destiny had decreed
that the Lady Badr al-Budur be sitting in her Kiosque whence she heard
one crying like a crier, and the children bawling at him; only she
understood not what was going on; so she gave orders to one of her
slave-girls saying,[194] “Go thou and see who ’tis that crieth and what
be his cry?” The girl fared forth and looked on when she beheld a man
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