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
platters were sold, there remained 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.
Now 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[120] 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[121] 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[122]
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,[123] 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
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