Types of Children's Literature: A Collection of the World's Best Literature for Children, For Use in Colleges, Normal Schools and Library Schools
General
Types of Children's Literature: A Collection of the World's Best Literature for Children, For Use in Colleges, Normal Schools and Library Schools
Children's literature
As soon as Aladdin had seen the princess his heart could not withstand
those inclinations so charming an object always inspires. The princess
was the most beautiful brunette in the world; her eyes were large,
lively, and sparkling; her looks sweet and modest; her nose was of a
just proportion and without a fault, her mouth small, her lips of a
vermilion red and charmingly agreeable symmetry; in a word, all the
features of her face were perfectly regular. It is not therefore
surprising that Aladdin, who had never before seen such a blaze of
charms, was dazzled, and his senses ravished by such an assemblage.
With all these perfections the princess had so fine a form, and so
majestic an air, that the sight of her was sufficient to inspire love
and admiration.
After the princess had passed by, and entered the baths, Aladdin
remained some time astonished, and in a kind of ecstasy, retracing and
imprinting the idea of so charming an object deeply in his mind. But at
last, considering that the princess was gone past him, and that when
she returned from the bath her back would be towards him, and then
veiled, he resolved to quit his hiding place and go home. He could not
so far conceal his uneasiness but that his mother perceived it, was
surprised to see him so much more thoughtful and melancholy than usual;
and asked what had happened to make him so, or if he was ill. He
returned her no answer, but sat carelessly down on the sofa, and
remained silent, musing on the image of the charming Buddir al Buddoor.
His mother, who was dressing supper, pressed him no more. When it was
ready, she served it up, and perceiving that he gave no attention to
it, urged him to eat, but had much ado to persuade him to change his
place; which when he did, he ate much less than usual, all the time
cast down his eyes, and observed so profound a silence, that she could
not obtain a word in answer to all the questions she put, in order to
find the reason of so extraordinary an alteration.
After supper, she asked him again why he was so melancholy, but could
get no information, and he determined to go to bed rather than give her
the least satisfaction. Without examining how he passed the night, his
mind full as it was with the charms of the princess, I shall only
observe that as he sat next day on the sofa, opposite his mother, as
she was spinning cotton, he spoke to her in these words: "I perceive,
mother, that my silence yesterday has much troubled you; I was not, nor
am I sick, as I fancy you believed; but I assure you, that what I felt
then, and now endure, is worse than any disease. I cannot explain what
ails me; but doubt not what I am going to relate will inform you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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