Arabs -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Arab countries; Folklore -- Arab countries; Tales -- Arab countries
This entertainment lasted till night, when Aladdin would have taken
leave of his uncle to go home, but the magician would not let him go by
himself, but conducted him to his mother, who, as soon as she saw him so
well dressed, was transported with joy, and bestowed a thousand
blessings upon the magician, for being at so great an expense for her
child. "Generous relation!" said she, "I know not how to thank you for
your liberality! I wish you may live long enough to witness my son's
gratitude, which he cannot better shew than by regulating his conduct by
your good advice."
"Aladdin," replied the magician, "is a good boy, and I believe we shall
do very well; but I am sorry for one thing, which is, that I cannot
perform to-morrow what I promised, because, as it is Friday, the shops
will be shut up, and therefore we cannot hire or furnish one till
Saturday. I will, however, call on him to-morrow and take him to walk in
the gardens, where people of the best fashion generally resort. Perhaps
he has never seen these amusements, he has only hitherto been among
children; but now he must see men." The African magician then took his
leave of the mother and the son, and retired.
Aladdin rose early the next morning, dressed himself to be ready, and
after he had waited some time began to be impatient and stood watching
at the door; but as soon as he perceived his uncle coming, he told his
mother, took his leave of her, and ran to meet him.
The magician caressed Aladdin, and said: "Come, my dear child, and I
will shew you fine things." He then led him out at one of the gates of
the city, to some magnificent palaces, to each of which belonged
beautiful gardens, into which anybody might enter. At every building he
came to, he asked Aladdin if he did not think it fine; and the youth was
ready to answer when any one presented itself, crying out: "Here is a
finer house, uncle, than any we have seen yet." By this artifice, the
cunning magician led Aladdin some way into the country; and as he meant
to carry him farther, pretending to be tired, he took an opportunity to
sit down in one of the gardens on the brink of a fountain of clear
water, which discharged itself by a lion's mouth of bronze into a basin:
"Come, nephew," said he, "you must be weary as well as I; let us rest
ourselves, and we shall be better able to pursue our walk."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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