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
In this order the princess walked on the carpet, which was spread from
the sultan’s palace to Aladdin’s, preceded by bands of musicians, who,
as they advanced, joining with those on the terraces of Aladdin’s
palace, formed a concert, which extraordinary and confused as it
appeared, increased the joy not only of the crowd assembled in the great
square, but of all that were in the two palaces, the town, and a great
way round about it.
At length the princess arrived at the new palace. Aladdin ran with all
imaginable joy to receive her at the entrance of the apartment appointed
for him. His mother had taken care to point him out to the princess, in
the midst of the officers that surrounded him, and she was charmed with
his person as soon as she saw him. “Adorable princess,” said Aladdin to
her, accosting her and saluting her respectfully, “if I have the
misfortune to have displeased you by my boldness in aspiring to the
possession of so lovely a princess, and my sultan’s daughter, I must
tell you, that you ought to blame your bright eyes and charms, not
me.”—“Prince, as I may now call you,” answered the princess, “I am
obedient to the will of my father: and it is enough for me to have seen
you, to tell you that I obey without reluctance.”
Aladdin, charmed with so agreeable and satisfactory an answer, would not
keep the princess standing after she had walked so far, which was more
than she was used to do; but took her by the hand, which he kissed with
the greatest demonstrations of joy, and led her into a large hall,
illuminated with an infinite number of wax candles, where, by the care
of the genie, a noble feast was served up. The plates were of massy
gold, and contained the most delicate meats. The vases, basins, and
goblets, with which the beaufet was furnished, were gold also, and of
exquisite workmanship, and all the other ornaments and embellishments of
the hall were answerable to this great wealth. The princess, dazzled to
see so much riches collected in one place, said to Aladdin, “I thought,
prince, that nothing in the world was so beautiful as the sultan my
father’s palace; but the sight of this hall alone is sufficient to shew
I was deceived.”
Then Aladdin led the princess to the place appointed for her, and as
soon as she and his mother were sat down, a band of the most harmonious
instruments, accompanied with the voices of beautiful ladies, began a
concert, which lasted without intermission to the end of the repast. The
princess was so charmed, that she declared she never heard anything like
it in the sultan her father’s court; but she knew not that the musicians
were fairies chosen by the genie, slave of the lamp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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