ALAEDDIN and the ENCHANTED LAMP;

Zein Ul Asnam and the King of the Jinn: Two Stories Done into Englishfrom the Recently Discovered Arabic Text

By John Payne

London 1901

 To Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, K. C. M. G. , H. B. M. CONSUL, TRIESTE. 

 My Dear Burton, I give myself the pleasure of placing your name in the forefront of another and final volume of my translation of the Thousand and One Nights, which, if it have brought me no other good, has at least been the means of procuring me your friendship. 

 Believe me, Yours always, John Payne. 

 Twelve years this day, --a day of winter, dreary With drifting snows, when all the world seemed dead To Spring and hope, --it is since, worn and weary Of doubt within and strife without, I fled

 From the mean workday miseries of existence, From spites that slander and from hates that lie, Into the dreamland of the Orient distance Under the splendours of the Syrian sky, And in the enchanted realms of Eastern story, Far from the lovelessness of modern times, Garnered the rainbow-remnants of old glory That linger yet in those ancestral climes;

 And now, the tong task done, the journey over, From that far home of immemorial calms, Where, as a mirage, on the sky-marge hover The desert and its oases of palms, Lingering, I turn me back, with eyes reverted To this stepmother world of daily life, As one by some long pleasant dream deserted, That wakes anew to dull unlovely strife:

 Yet, if non' other weal the quest have wrought me. The long beloved labour now at end, This gift of gifts the untravelled East hath brought me, The knowledge of a new and valued friend. 

5th Feb. 1889. 

INTRODUCTION. 

I. 

The readers of my translation of the Book of the Thousand Nights and OneNight will remember that, in the terminal essay (1884) on the historyand character of the collection, I expressed my conviction that theeleven (so-called) "interpolated" tales, [1] though, in my judgment, genuine Oriental stories, had (with the exception of the SleeperAwakened and Aladdin) no connection with the original work, but had beenprocured by Galland from various (as yet) unidentified sources, for thepurpose of supplying the deficiencies of the imperfect MS. Of the Nightsfrom which he made his version. [2] My opinion as to these talcs hasnow been completely confirmed by the recent discovery (by M. Zotenberg, Keeper of Oriental MSS. In the Bibliotheque Nationale at Paris) of twoArabic MSS. Of the Nights, both containing three of the missing stories, i. E. (1) Zeyn Alasnam, (3) The Sleeper Awakened and (4) Aladdin, andby the publication (also by M. Zotenberg) of certain extracts fromGalland's diary, giving particulars of the circumstances under whichthe "interpolated" tales were incorporated with his translation of theArabian Nights. The Arabic text of the Story of Aladdin, as given by thecompleter and more authentic of the newly-discovered MSS. , has recentlybeen made by M. Zotenberg the subject of a special publication, [3]in the preface to which (an exhaustive bibliographical essay upon thevarious Texts of the Thousand and One Nights, considered in relation toGalland's translation) he gives, in addition to the extracts in questionfrom Galland's Diary, a detailed description of the two MSS. Aforesaid, the more interesting particulars of which I now proceed to abstract forthe benefit of my readers. 

 II. 

The first MS. Commences precisely where the third volume of Galland'sMS. Ends, to wit, (see my Terminal essay, p. 265, note1) with the 281stNight, in the middle of the story of Camaralzaman [4] and contains, (inter alia) besides the continuation of this latter (which endswith Night CCCXXIX), the stories of the Sleeper Awakened (NightsCCCXXX-CCCC), Ganem (Nights CCCCXXVIII-CCCCLXX1V), Zeyn Alasnam (NightsCCCCLXXV-CCCCXCI), Aladdin (Nights CCCCXCII-DLXIX) and three othersnot found in Galland's version. The MS. Ends in the middle of the 631stnight with the well-known Story of King Bekhtzad (Azadbekht) and his sonor the Ten Viziers, (which will be found translated in my "Tales fromthe Arabic, " Vol. I. Pp. 61 et seq. ) and contains, immediately afterNight CCCCXXVII and before the story of Ganem, a note in Arabic, ofwhich the following is a translation:

"The fourth volume of the wonders and marvels of the stories of theThousand Nights and One Night was finished by the hand of the humblestof His' servants in the habit of a minister of religion (Kahin, lit. A diviner, Cohen), the [Christian] priest Dionysius Shawish, a scion(selil) of the College of the Romans (Greeks, Europeans or Franks, erRoum), by name St. Athanasius, in Rome the Greatest [5] (or Greater, utsma, fem. Of aatsem, qu re Constantinople?) on the seven-and-twentieth of themonth Shubat (February) of the year one thousand seven hundred fourscoreand seven, [he being] then teacher of the Arabic tongue in the Libraryof the Sultan, King of France, at Paris the Greatest. "

From this somewhat incoherent note we may assume that the MS. Waswritten in the course of the year 1787 by the notorious Syrianecclesiastic Dom Denis Chavis, the accomplice of Cazotte in theextraordinary literary atrocity shortly afterward perpetrated by thelatter under the name of a sequel or continuation of the Thousand andOne Nights [6] (v. Cabinet des Fees, vols. Xxxviii--xli), [7] and in allprobability (cf. The mention in the above note of the first part, i. E. Nights CCLXXXI-CCCCXXVII, as the fourth volume) to supply the place ofGalland's missing fourth volume for the Bibliotheque Royale; but there. Is nothing, except a general similarity of style and the occurrencein the former of the rest of Camaralzaman and (though not in the sameorder) of four of the tales supposed to have been contained in thelatter, to show that Dom Chavis made his copy from a text identicalwith that used by the French savant. In the notes to his edition of theArabic text of Aladdin, M. Zotenberg gives a number of extracts fromthis MS. , from which it appears that it is written in a very vulgarmodern Syrian style and abounds in grammatical errors, inconsistenciesand incoherences of every description, to say nothing of the fact thatthe Syrian ecclesiastic seems, with the characteristic want of tasteand presumption which might be expected from the joint-author of "LesVeillees Persanes, " to have, to a considerable extent, garbled theoriginal text by the introduction of modern European phrases and turnsof speech a la Galland. For the rest, the MS. Contains no note or otherindication, on which we can found any opinion as to the source fromwhich the transcriber (or arranger) drew his materials; but it canhardly be doubted, from internal evidence, that he had the command ofsome genuine text of the Nights, similar to, if not identical with, that of Galland, which he probably "arranged" to suit his own (and hiscentury's) distorted ideas of literary fitness. The discovery of theinterpolated tales contained in this MS. (which has thus presumably lainunnoticed for a whole century, under, as one may say, the very noses ofthe many students of Arabic literature who would have rejoiced in such afind) has, by a curious freak of fortune, been delayed until our own dayin consequence of a singular mistake made by a former conservator ofthe Paris Bibliotheque, the well-known Orientalist, M. Reinaud, who, indrawing up the Catalogue of the Arabic MSS. In the collection described(or rather misdescribed) it under the following heading:

"Supplement Arabe 1716. Thousand and One Nights, 3rd and 4th parts. Thisvolume begins with Night CCLXXXII and ends with Night DCXXXI. A copy inthe handwriting of Chavis. It is from this copy and in accordance withthe instructions (d'apres la indications) of this Syrian monk thatCazotte composed (redigea) the Sequel to the Thousand and One Nights, Cabinet des Fees, xxxvii et xl (should be tt. Xxxviii-xli). "

It is of course evident that M. Reinaud had never read the MS. Inquestion nor that numbered 1723 in the Supplement Arabe, or he would atonce have recognized that the latter, though not in the handwriting ofthe Syrian ecclesiastic, was that which served for the production of the"Sequel" in question; but, superficial as was the mistake, it sufficedto prevent the examination by students of the MS. No. 1716 and soretarded the discovery of the Arabic originals of Aladdin and itsfellows till the acquisition (some two years ago) by the BibliothequeNationale of another (and complete) MS. Of the Thousand and One Nights, which appears to have belonged to the celebrated Orientalist M. Caussinde Perceval, although the latter could not have been acquainted with itat the time (1806) he published his well-known edition and continuationof Galland's translation, in the eighth and ninth volumes of which, bythe by, he gives a correct version of the tales so fearfully garbled byChavis and Cazotte in their so-called translation as well nigh to defyrecognition and to cause Orientalists in general to deny the possibilityof their having been derived from an Oriental source until the discoveryof the actual Arabic originals so barbarously maltreated [8]

This MS. Is in the handwriting of of Sebbagh, the well-known Syriancollaborator of Silvestre de Sacy, and is supposed to have been copiedby him at Paris between the years 1805 and 1810 for some EuropeanOrientalist (probably de Perceval himself) from a Baghdad MS. Of theearly part of the 18th century, of which it professes to be an exactreproduction, as appears from a terminal note, of which the following isa translation:

"And the finishing of it was in the first tenth (decade) of Jumada theLatter [in the] year one thousand one hundred and fifteen of the Hegira(October, 1703) in the handwriting of the neediest of the faithful [9]unto God [10] the Most High, Ahmed ibn Mohammed et Teradi, in the cityof Baghdad, and he the Shafiy by sect and the Mosuli by birth and theBaghdadi by sojourn, and indeed he wrote it for himself and set upon ithis seal, and God bless and keep our lord Mohammed and his companions!Kebikej [11] (ter). "

This MS. Contains the three "interpolated" tales aforesaid, i. E. The Sleeper Awakened (Nights CCCXXXVII-LXXXVI), Zeyn Alasnam (NightsCCCCXCVII-DXIII) and Aladdin (Nights DXIV-XCI), the last two bearingtraces of a Syrian origin, especially Aladdin, which is written in amuch commoner and looser style than Zeyn Alasnam. The two tales areevidently the work of different authors, Zeyn Alasnam being incomparablysuperior in style and correctness to Aladdin, which is defaced by allkinds of vulgarisms and solecisms and seems, moreover, to have been lesscorrectly copied than the other. Nevertheless, the Sebbagh text is inevery respect preferable to that of Shawish (which appears to aboundin faults and errors of every kind, general and particular, ) and M. Zotenberg has, therefore, exercised a wise discretion in selecting theformer for publication. 

 III. 

Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of M. Zorenberg's long andinteresting introduction is a series of extracts from the (as yetunpublished) MS. Diary regularly kept by Galland, the last four volumes(1708-15) of which are preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale. These extracts effectually settle the question of the origin of theinterpolated tales, as will be seen from the following abstract. 

On the 25th March, 1709, Galland records having that day made theacquaintance of a Maronite scholar, by name Youhenna Diab, [12] whohad been brought from Aleppo to Paris by Paul Lucas, the celebratedtraveller, and with whom he evidently at once broached the questionof the Nights, [13] probably complaining to him of the difficulty (orrather impossibility) of obtaining a perfect copy of the work; whereuponHanna (as he always calls him) appears to have volunteered to help himto fill the lacune by furnishing him with suitable Oriental stories fortranslation in the same style as those already rendered by him and thenand there (says Galland) "told me some very fine Arabian tales, whichhe promised to put into writing for me. " There is no fresh entry on thesubject till May 5 following, when (says Galland) "The Maronite Hannafinished telling me the tale of the Lamp. " [14]

Hanna appears to have remained in Paris till the autumn of the year 1709and during his stay, Galland's Diary records the communication by him tothe French savant of the following stories, afterwards included in theninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth volumes of the latter's translation, (as well as of several others which he probably intended to translate, had he lived, ) [15] i. E. (May 10, 1709) "Babe Abdalla" and "SidiNouman, " (May 13, 1709) "The Enchanted Horse, " (May 22, 1709) "PrinceAhmed and Pari Banou, " (May 25, 1709) "The Two Sisters who envied theiryounger Sister, " (May 27, 1709) "All Baba and the Forty Thieves, " (May29, 1709) "Cogia Hassan Alhabbal" and (May 31, 1709) "Ali Cogia. " TheMaronite seems to have left for the East in October, 1709, (Galland saysunder date October 25, "Received this evening a letter from Hanna, whowrites me from Marseilles, under date the 17th, in Arabic, to the effectthat he had arrived there in good health, ") but not without havingat least in part fulfilled his promise to put in writing the talescommunicated by him to Galland, as appears by the entry of November 3, 1710, "Began yesterday to read the Arabian story of the Lamp, whichhad been written me in Arabic more than a year ago by the Maronite ofDamascus [16] whom M. Lucas brought with him, with a view to putting itinto French. Finished reading it this morning. Here is the title of thistale, 'Story of Aladdin, son of a tailor, and that which befell him withan African Magician on account of (or through) a lamp. '" (The Diaryadds that he began that evening to put his translation into writing andfinished it in the course of the ensuing fortnight. ) And that of January10, 1711, "Finished the translation of the tenth volume of the 1001Nights after the Arabic text which I had from the hand (de la main) ofHanna or Jean Dipi, [17] whom M. Lucas brought to France on his returnfrom his last journey in the Levant. " The only other entry bearing uponthe question is that of August 24, 1711, in which Galland says, "Beingquit of my labours upon the translation etc. Of the Koran, I read a partof the Arabian Tales which the Maronite Hanna had told me and which Ihad summarily reduced to writing, to see which of them I should selectto make up the eleventh volume of the Thousand and One Nights. "

From these entries it appears beyond question that Galland received fromthe Maronite Hanna, in the Spring and Summer of 1709, the Arabic textof the stories of Aladdin, Baba Abdalla, Sidi Nouman and Cogia HassanAlhabbal, i. E. The whole of the tales included in his ninth and tenthvolumes (with the exception of The Sleeper Awakened, of which he doesnot speak) and that he composed the five remaining tales containedin his eleventh and twelfth volumes (i. E. Ali Baba, Ali Cogia, TheEnchanted Horse, Prince Ahmed and Pari Banou and The Two Sisters whoenvied their younger Sister, ) upon the details thereof taken down fromHanna's lips and by the aid of copious summaries made at the time. Theseentries in Galland's diary dispose, therefore, of the question ofthe origin of the "interpolated" tales, with the exception (1) of TheSleeper Awakened (with which we need not, for the present, concernourselves farther) and (2) of Nos. 1 and 2a and b, i. E. Zeyn Alasnam, Codadad and his brothers and The Princess of Deryabar (forming, withGanem, his eighth volume), as to which Galland, as I pointed out in myterminal essay (p. 264), cautions us, in a prefatory note to his ninthvolume, that these two stories form no part of the Thousand andOne Nights and that they had been inserted and printed without thecognizance of the translator, who was unaware of the trick that had beenplayed him till after the actual publication of the volume, addingthat care would be taken to expunge the intrusive tales from the secondedition (which, however, was never done, Galland dying before therepublication and it being probably found that the stranger tales hadtaken too firm a hold upon public favour to be sacrificed, as originallyproposed); and the invaluable Diary supplies the necessary supplementalinformation as to their origin. "M. Petis de la Croix, " says Gallandunder date of January 17, 1710, "Professor and King's Reader of theArabic tongue, who did me the honour to visit me this morning, wasextremely surprised to see two of the Turkish [18] Tales of histranslation printed in the eighth volume of the 1001 Nights, whichI showed him, and that this should have been done without hisparticipation. "

Petis de la Croix, a well-known Orientalist and traveller of the time, published in the course of the same year (1710) the first volume of acollection of Oriental stories, similar in form and character to the1001 Nights, but divided into "Days" instead of "Nights" and called "TheThousand and One Days, Persian Tales, " the preface to which (ascribedto Cazotte) alleges him to have translated the tales from a Persian workcalled Hezar [o] Yek Roz, i. E. "The Thousand and One Days, " the MS. Ofwhich had in 1675 been communicated to the translator by a friendof his, by name Mukhlis, (Cazotte styles him "the celebrated DervishMocles, chief of the Soufis of Ispahan") during his sojourn in thePersian capital. The preface goes on to state that Mukhlis had, in hisyouth, translated into Persian certain Indian plays, which had beentranslated into all the Oriental languages and of which a Turkishversion existed in the Bibliotheque Royale, under the title of AlfaragaBadal-Schidda (i. E. El Ferej bad esh Shiddeh), which signified "Joyafter Affliction"; but that, wishing to give his work an original air, he converted the aforesaid plays into tales. Cazotte's story of theIndian plays savours somewhat of the cock and the bull and it isprobable that the Hezar o Yek Roz (which is not, to my knowledge, extant) was not derived from so recondite a source, but was itselfeither the original of the well-known Turkish collection or (perhaps) atranslation of the latter. At all events, Zeyn Alasnam, Codadad and thePrincess of Deryabar occur in a copy (cited by M. Zotenberg), belongingto the Bibliotheque Nationale, of El Ferej bad esh Shidded (of whichthey form the eighth, ninth and sixth stories respectively) and in apractically identical form, except that in Galland's vol. Viii. The twolatter stories are fused into one. Sir William Ouseley is said to havebrought from Persia a MS. Copy of a portion of the Hezar o Yek Roz whichhe describes as agreeing with the French version, but, in the absenceof documentary proof and in view of the fact that, notwithstanding theunauthorized incorporation of three of the tales of his original withGalland's Vol. Viii, the published version of the Thousand and One Daysis apparently complete and shows no trace of the omission, I am inclinedto suspect Petis de la Croix of having invented the division intoDays, in order to imitate (and profit by the popularity of) his fellowsavant's version of the Thousand and One Nights. Galland's publisher wasdoubtless also that of Petis de la Croix and in the latter capacityhad in hand a portion of the MS. Of the 1001 Days, from which, nodoubt weary of waiting till Galland (who was now come to the end ofhis genuine Arabic MS. Of the 1001 Nights and was accordingly at astandstill, till he met with Hanna, ) should have procured fresh materialto complete the copy for his eighth volume, of which Ganem only was thenready for publication, he seems to have selected (apparently on his ownresponsibility, but, it must be admitted, with considerable taste andjudgment, ) the three tales in question from the MS. Of the 1001 Days, tofill up the lacune. It does not appear whether he found Codadad and thePrincess of Deryabar arranged as one story ready to his hand or himselfperformed (or procured to be performed) the process of fusion, which, inany case, was executed by no unskilful hand. Be this as it may, Gallandwas naturally excessively annoyed at the publisher's unceremoniousproceeding, so much so indeed as for a time to contemplate renouncingthe publication of the rest of the work, to spare himself (as he saysin his Diary, under date of Dec. 12, 1709) similar annoyances(mortifications) to that which the printing of the eighth volume hadcaused him. Indeed, the effect of this incident was to induce him, notonly to change his publisher, but to delay the publication of the nextvolume (which, as we learn from the Diary, was ready for the press atthe end of November or the beginning of December, 1709) for a wholeyear, at the end of which time (Diary, November 21, 1710) he madearrangements with a new (and presumably more trustworthy) publisher, M. Florentin de Laune, for the printing of Vol. Ix. 

 IV. 

Notwithstanding the discovery, as above set out, of three of thedoubtful tales, Zeyn Alasnam, Aladdin and The Sleeper Awakened, in twoMSS. (one at least undoubtedly authentic) of the Thousand Nights andOne Night, I am more than ever of opinion that none of the eleven"interpolated" stories properly belongs to the original work, that is tosay, to the collection as first put into definite form somewhere aboutthe fourteenth century. [19] "The Sleeper Awakened" was identified bythe late Mr. Lane as a historical anecdote given by the historian ElIshaki, who wrote in the first quarter of the seventeenth century, andthe frequent mention of coffee in both MSS. Of Aladdin justifies us inattributing the composition of the story to (at earliest) the sixteenthcentury, whilst the modern vulgarisms in which they abound point to astill later date. Zeyn Alasnam (in the Sebbagh MS. At least) iswritten in a much purer and more scholarly style than Aladdin, butits pre-existence in El Ferej bad esh Shiddeh (even if we treat asapocryphal Petis de la Croix's account of the Hezar o Yek Roz) issufficient, in the absence of contrary evidence, to justify us inrefusing to consider it as belonging to the Thousand Nights and OneNight proper. As shown by Galland's own experience, complete copiesof the genuine work were rarely to be met with, collections of "sillystories" (as the Oriental savant, who inclines to regard nothing in theway of literature save theology, grammar and poetry, would style them), being generally considered by the Arab bibliographer undeserving ofrecord or preservation, and the fragmentary copies which existed weremostly in the hands of professional story-tellers, who were extremelyunwilling to part with them, looking upon them as their stock in trade, and were in the habit of incorporating with the genuine text all kindsof stories and anecdotes from other sources, to fill the place of themissing portions of the original work. This process of additionand incorporation, which has been in progress ever since the firstcollection of the Nights into one distinct work and is doubtless stillgoing on in Oriental countries, (especially such as are least in contactwith European influence, ) may account for the heterogeneous characterof the various modern MSS. Of the Nights and for the immense differencewhich exists between the several texts, as well in actual contents as inthe details and diction of such stories as are common to all. The TunisMS. Of the 1001 Nights (which is preserved in the Breslau UniversityLibrary and which formed the principal foundation of Habicht's Editionof the Arabic text) affords a striking example of this process, which weare here enabled to see in mid-operation, the greater part of the talesof which it consists having not yet been adapted to the framework ofthe Nights. It is dated A. H. 1144 (A. D. 1732) and of the ten volumes ofwhich it consists, i, ii (Nights I--CCL) and x (Nights DCCCLXXXV-MI) arealone divided into Nights, the division of the remaining seven volumes(i. E. Iii--ix, containing, inter alia, the Story of the SleeperAwakened) being the work of the German editor. It is my belief, therefore, that the three "interpolated" tales identified as formingpart of the Baghdad MS. Of 1703 are comparatively modern stories addedto the genuine text by Rawis (story-tellers) or professional writersemployed by them, and I see no reason to doubt that we shall yetdiscover the Arabic text of the remaining eight, either in Hanna'sversion (as written down for Galland) or in some as yet unexamined MS. Of the Nights or other work of like character. 

 V. 

M. Zotenberg has, with great judgment, taken as his standard forpublication the text of Aladdin given by the Sebbagh MS. , inasmuch asthe Shawish MS. (besides being, as appears from the extracts given. [20]far inferior both in style and general correctness, ) is shown by theeditor to be full of modern European phrases and turns of speech andto present so many suspicious peculiarities that it would be difficult, having regard, moreover, to the doubtful character and reputation of theSyrian monkish adventurer who styled himself Dom Denis Chavis, to resistthe conviction that his MS. Was a forgery, i. E. Professedly a copy of agenuine Arabic text, but in reality only a translation or paraphrase inthat language of Galland's version, --were it not that the Baghdad MS. (dated before the commencement, in 1704, of Galland's publicationand transcribed by a man--Mikhail Sebbagh--whose reputation, as acollaborator of Silvestre de Sacy and other distinguished Orientalists, is a sufficient voucher for the authenticity of the copy in theBibliotheque Nationale, ) contains a text essentially identical with thatof Shawish. Moreover, it is evident, from a comparison with Galland'srendering and making allowance for the latter's system of translation, that the Arabic version of Aladdin given him by Hanna must eitherhave been derived from the Baghdad text or from some other practicallyidentical source, and it is therefore probable that Shawish, havingapparently been employed to make up the missing portion of Galland'sArabic text and not having the Hanna MS. At his command, had (withthe execrable taste and want of literary morality which distinguishedCazotte's monkish coadjutor) endeavoured to bring his available textup to what he considered the requisite standard by modernizing andGallicizing its wording and (in particular) introducing numerousEuropean phrases and turns of speech in imitation of the Frenchtranslator. The whole question is, of course, as yet a matter of moreor less probable hypothesis, and so it must remain until furtherdiscoveries and especially until the reappearance of Galland's missingtext, which I am convinced must exist in some shape or other and cannotmuch longer, in the face of the revived interest awakened in the matterand the systematic process of investigation now likely to be employed, elude research. 

M. Zotenberg's publication having been confined to the text of Aladdin, I have to thank my friend Sir R. F. Burton for the loan of his MS. Copyof Zeyn Alasnam, (the Arabic text of which still remains unpublished) astranscribed by M. Houdas from the Sebbagh MS. 

ZEIN UL ASNAM AND THE KING OF THE JINN. 

There [21] was [once] in the city of Bassora a mighty Sultan and he wasexceeding rich, but he had no child who should be his successor [22]after him. For this he grieved sore and fell to bestowing alms galoreupon the poor and the needy and upon the friends [23] of God and thedevout, seeking their intercession with God the Most High, so He to whombelong might and majesty should of His favour vouchsafe him a son. AndGod accepted his prayer, for his fostering of the poor, and answered hispetition; so that one night of the nights he lay with the queen and shewent from him with child. When the Sultan knew this, he rejoiced withan exceeding joy, and as the time of her child-bearing drew nigh, heassembled all the astrologers and those who smote the sand [24] and saidto them, "It is my will that ye enquire concerning the child that shallbe born to me this month, whether it will be male or female, and tell mewhat will betide it of chances and what will proceed from it. " [25] Sothe geomancers smote their [tables of] sand and the astrologers tooktheir altitudes [26] and observed the star of the babe [un]born and saidto the Sultan, "O King of the age and lord of the time and the tide, thechild that shall be born to thee of the queen is a male and it beseemeththat thou name him Zein ul Asnam. " [27] And as for those who smote uponthe sand, they said to him, "Know, O King, that this babe will becomea renowned brave, [28] but he shall happen in his time upon certaintravail and tribulation; yet, an he endure with fortitude against thatwhich shall befall him, he shall become the richest of the kings of theworld. " And the King said to them, "Since the babe shall become valiantas ye avouch, the toil and travail which will befall him are nought, forthat tribulations teach the sons of kings. "

Accordingly, after a few days, the queen gave birth to a male child, extolled be the perfection of Him who created him surpassing in graceand goodliness! His father named him Zein ul Asnam, and he was as say ofhim certain of his praisers [29] in verse: [30]

 He shows and "Now Allah be blessed!" men say: "Extol we his Maker and Fashioner aye! The king of the fair [31] this is, sure, one and all; Ay, his thralls, every one, and his liegemen are they. "

The boy grew and flourished till he came to the age of five [32] years, when his father the Sultan assigned him a governor skilled and versedin all sciences and philosophies, and he proceeded to teach him till heexcelled in all manner of knowledge and became a young man. [33]Then the Sultan bade bring him before himself, and assembling all thegrandees of his realm and the chiefs of his subjects, proceeded toadmonish him before them, saying to him, "O my son Zein ul Asnam, behold, I am grown stricken in years and am presently sick; and belikethis sickness will be the last of my life in this world and thou shaltsit in my stead; [wherefore I desire to admonish thee]. Beware, O myson, lest thou oppress any or turn a deaf ear to the complaining of thepoor; but do thou justify the oppressed after the measure of thy might. And look thou believe not all that shall be said to thee by the greatones of the people, but trust thou still for the most part to the voiceof the common folk; for the great will deceive thee, seeing they seekthat which befitteth themselves, not that which befitteth the subject. "Then, after a few days, the Sultan's sickness redoubled on him and heaccomplished his term and died; and as for his son Zein ul Asnam, hearose and donning the raiment of woe, [mourned] for his father the spaceof six days. On the seventh day he arose and going forth to the Divan, sat down on the throne of the sultanate and held a court, wherein was agreat assemblage of the folk, [34] and the viziers came forward and thegrandees of the realm and condoled with him for his father and calleddown blessings upon him and gave him joy of the kingship and thesultanate, beseeching God to grant him continuance of glory andprosperity without end. 

When [35] Zein ul Asnam saw himself in this great might and wealth, andhe young in years, he inclined unto prodigality and to the converseof springalds like himself and fell to squandering vast sums upon hispleasures and left governance and concern for his subjects. The queenhis mother proceeded to admonish him and to forbid him from his illfashions, bidding him leave that manner of life and apply himselfgovernance and administration and the ordinance of the realm, lest thefolk reject him and rise up against him and expel [36] hira; but hewould hear not a word from her and abode in his ignorance and folly. At this the people murmured, for that the grandees of the realm put outtheir hands unto oppression, whenas they saw the king's lack of concernfor his subjects; so they rose up in rebellion against Zein ul Asnamand would have laid violent hands upon him, had not the queen his motherbeen a woman of wit and judgment and address, and the people loved her;so she appeased the folk and promised them good. Then she called her sonZein ul Asnam to her and said to him, "See, O my son; said I not tothee that thou wouldest lose thy kingship and eke thy life, an thoupersistedst in this thine ignorance and folly, in that thou givest theordinance of the sultanate into the hands of raw youths and eschewestthe old and wastest thy substance and that of the realm, squandering itall upon lewdness and the lust of thy soul?"

Zein ul Asnam hearkened to his mother's rede and going out forthright tothe Divan, committed the manage of the realm into the hands of certainold men of understanding and experience; save that he did this onlyafter Bassora had been ruined, inasmuch as he turned not from his follytill he had spent and squandered all the treasures of the sultanate andwas become exceeding poor. Then he betook himself to repentance and tosorrowing over that which he had done, [37] so that he lost the solaceof sleep and eschewed meat and drink, till one night of the nights, --andindeed he had spent it in mourning and lamentation and melancholythought until the last of the night, --his eyes closed for a little andthere appeared to him in his sleep a venerable old man, who said to him, "O Zein ul Asnam, grieve not, for that nought followeth after grief saverelief from stress, and an thou desire to be delivered from thisthine affliction, arise and betake thee to Cairo, where thou wilt findtreasuries of wealth which shall stand thee in stead of that thou hastsquandered, ay, and twofold the sum thereof. " When he awoke from hissleep, he acquainted his mother with all that he had seen in his dream, and she fell to laughing at him; but he said to her, "Laugh not, forneeds must I journey to Cairo. " "O my son, " answered she, "put notthy trust in dreams, for that they are all vain fancies and lyingimaginations. " And he said to her, "Nay, my dream was a true one andthe man whom I saw is of the Friends of God [38] and his speech is verysooth. "

Accordingly, he left the sultanate and going forth a-journeying onenight of the nights, took the road to Egypt [and fared on] days andnights till he came to the city of Cairo. So he entered it and saw it agreat and magnificent city; then, being perished for weariness, he tookshelter in one of its mosques. When he had rested awhile, he went forthand bought him somewhat to eat; and after he had eaten, he fell asleepin the mosque, of the excess of his weariness, nor had he slept but alittle when the old man appeared to him in his sleep and said to him, "OZein ul Assam, [39] thou hast done as I said to thee, and indeed I madeproof of thee, that I might see an thou wert valiant or not; but nowI know thee, inasmuch as thou hast put faith in my rede and hast doneaccording thereto. So now return to thine own city and I will make theea king rich after such a measure that neither before thee nor after theeshall [any] of the kings be like unto thee. " So Zein ul Asnam arosefrom his sleep and said, "In the name of God the Compassionate, theMerciful! What is this old man who hath wearier me, so that I cameto Cairo, [40] and I trusted in him and deemed of him that he was theProphet (whom God bless and keep) or one of the pious Friends of God?But there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, theSupreme. By Allah. I did well in that I acquainted none with my sallyingforth neither related my dream unto any! [41] Indeed. I believed inthis old man and meseemed by that which appeared to me, he was none ofmankind, [42] extolled be His perfection and magnified be He who [alone]knoweth the truth! By Allah, I will leave trusting in this old man[neither will I comply with him] in that which he would have me do!"Accordingly, he lay [the rest of] that night [in the mosque] and atdaybreak he arose and mounting his courser, set out on his return toBassora, [the seat of] his kingship, where, after a few days, he arrivedand went in that same night to his mother, who asked him if aught hadbefallen him of that which the old man had promised him. He acquaintedher with that which he had seen [in his sleep] and she fell to condolingwith him and comforting him, saying, "Grieve not, O my son, for, an Godthe Most High have appointed thee aught of [good] fortune, thou wiltattain thereto without either travail or toil; but I would have theebe understanding and discreet and leave these things which have broughtthee to poverty, O my son, and eschew singing-wenches and the commerceof youths and women; all this is for the baser sort, not for kings' sonslike thee. " And he swore to her that he would never more gainsay hercommandment, but would observe all that she should say to him andwould turn his mind to the governance and the kingship and leave thatwherefrom she forbade him. Then he slept that night and what while hewas on sleep, the old man appeared to him and said to him, "O Zein ulAsnam, O valiant one, whenas thou arisest from thy sleep this day, Iwill accomplish my promise to thee; wherefore take thou a pickaxe andgo to the palace of thy father Such-an-one [43] in such a place and digthere in the earth and thou wilt find that which shall enrich thee. "

When Zein ul Asnam awoke from his sleep, he hastened to his mother, rejoicing, and acquainted her with his dream; whereupon she fell againto laughing at him and said to him, "O my son, indeed this old manlaugheth at thee, nought else; wherefore do thou turn thy thought fromhim. " But he said to her, "Nay, mother mine, indeed he is soothfast andlieth not; for that, in the first of his dealing, he tried me andnow his intent is to accomplish unto me his promise. " "In any case, "rejoined she, "the thing is not toilsome; [44] so do that which thouwilt, even as he said to thee, and make proof of the matter, and Godwilling, thou shalt [45] return to me rejoicing; but methinketh thouwilt return to me and say, 'Thou saidst sooth, O my mother, in thyrede. "' The prince accordingly took a pickaxe and going down to thepalace where his father was buried, fell a-delving in the earth; nor hadhe dug long when, behold, there appeared to him a ring fixed in a slabof marble. He raised the slab and seeing a stair, descended thereby andfound a great vault, all builded with columns of marble and alabaster;then, proceeding innerward, he found within the vault a hall whichravished the wit, and therein eight jars of green jasper; [46] and hesaid, "What be these jars and what is in them?" So [47] he went up anduncovering them, found them all full of old gold; [48] whereupon he tooka little in his hand and going to his mother, gave her thereof and saidto her, "Thou seest, O my mother. " She marvelled at this thing andsaid to him, "Beware, O my son, lest thou squander it, like as thousquanderedst other than this. " And he swore to her, saying, "Be notconcerned, O my mother, and let not thy heart be other than easy on myaccount, for I would fain have thee also content with me. " [49]

Then she arose and went with him, and they descended into the vaultand entered the [underground] hall, [50] where she beheld that whichravished the wit and saw the jars of gold. What while they divertedthemselves with gazing upon these latter, behold, they espied a littlejar of fine jade; so Zein ul Asnam opened it and found in it a goldenkey. Whereupon quoth his mother to him, "O my son, needs must there bea door here which this key will open. " Accordingly they sought in allparts of the vault and the hall, so they might see an there were a dooror what not else to be found there, and presently espied a bolted lock, to which they knew that this must be the key. So Zein ul Asnam wentup and putting the key in the lock, turned it and opened a door whichadmitted them into a second hall, [51] more magnificent than the first;and it was all full of a light which dazzled the sight, yet was thereno flambeau kindled therein, no, nor any window [52] there, whereatthey marvelled and looking farther, saw eight images of jewels, each onepiece, and that of noble jewels, pure and precious. 

Zein ul Asnam was amazed at this and said to his mother, "How came myfather by these things?" And they fell to looking and considering, tillpresently the queen espied a curtain of silk, whereon were these wordswritten: "O my son, marvel not at these great riches, whereto I have wonby dint of sore travail; but know that there existeth also another imagewhose worth is more than that of these [eight] images twenty times told. Wherefore, an thou wouldst come thereby, get thee to Cairo, where thouwilt find a slave of mine, by name Mubarek, who will take thee and bringthee in company [53] with the ninth image. When thou enterest Cairo, thefirst man whom thou encounterest will direct thee to Mubarek's house, for he is known in all Egypt. " [54] When Zein ul Asnam read thisinscription, he said, "O my mother, it is my wish to journey to Cairo, so I may make search for the ninth image. Tell me, how deemest thou ofmy dream? Was it true or was it not? Wilt thou still say [55] to me, 'These be idle tales'? But I, O my mother, needs must I journey toCairo. " "O my son, " answered the queen, "since thou art under thesafeguard of the Apostle of God [56] (whom God bless and keep), go thouin peace, and I [and] thy Vizier, we will govern the realm in thineabsence, against thou shalt return. "

So Zein ul Asnam went forth and equipping himself [for travel, set out]and journeyed till he came to Cairo, where he enquired for Mubarek'shouse and the folk said to him, "O my lord, this is a man than whomthere is none richer in [all Cairo]; no, nor is there a more aboundingthan he in bounty and beneficence, and his house is [still] open to thestranger. " So they directed him thither and he went till he came to thehouse and knocked at the door; whereupon there came out to him one ofMubarek's slaves and [57] opening the door, said to him, "Who art thouand what wiliest thou?" Quoth Zein ul Asnam, "I am a stranger, a manfrom a far country, and I heard tell of your lord, Mubarek, and how heis renowned for hospitality and beneficence; so I came to him, that Imay be a guest with him. " The slave entered and told his lord Mubarek;then returned and said to Zein ul Asnam, "O my lord, blessing hathdescended upon us in thy coming. [58] Enter, for my lord Mubarekawaiteth thee. " So Zein ul Asnam entered into a courtyard, exceedingspacious and all [full] of trees and waters, and the slave brought himinto the pavilion [59] where Mubarek sat. When he entered, the latterarose forthright and coming to meet him, received him with cordialityand said to him, "Blessing hath descended upon us and this night isthe most auspicious of nights in thy coming to us! But who art thou, Oyouth, and whence comest thou and whither art thou bound?" The princeanswered him, saying, "I am Zein ul Asnam and I seek Mubarek, slave tothe Sultan of Bassora, who died a year agone and whose son I am. " "Whatsayst thou?" cried Mubarek. "Art thou the king's son of Bassora?" "Yea, verily, " replied Zein ul Asnam; "I am his son. " Quoth Mubarek, "Nay, mylord the king of Bassora left no son; but what is thine age, O youth?""About twenty years, " replied Zein ul Asnam. "And thou, " added he, "howlong is it since thou wentest out from my father's house?" "I went outeighteen years agone, " answered Mubarek. "But, O my son Zein ul Asnam, by what token canst thou certify me that thou art the son of my lordthe king of Bassora?" Quoth Zein ul Asnam, "Thou knowest that my fatherbuilded under his palace a vault and therein [a hall in which] he setforty [60] jars of fine jade and filled them with ancient gold; [61] andwithin this hall he made a second hall, wherein he placed eight imagesof precious stones, each wroughten of a single jewel and seated upon athrone of virgin gold. [62] Moreover, he wrote upon a curtain of silkthere and I read the writ, whereby I found that he bade me come to thee, saying that thou wouldst acquaint me of the ninth image and where it is, the which, said he, was worth the eight, all of them. "

When Mubarek heard these words, he threw himself at Zein ul Asnam's feetand fell to kissing them and saying, "Pardon me, O my lord! Verily, thouart the son of my lord. " Then said he to the prince, "O my lord, I maketo-day a banquet unto all the chief men of Cairo and I would fain havethy highness honour me [with thy presence] thereat. " And Zein ul Asnamsaid, "With all my heart. " [63] So Mubarek arose and foregoing Zein ulAsnam, brought him into the saloon, which was full of the chief men ofCairo, assembled therein. There he sat down and seating the princein the place of honour, called for the evening-meal. So they laid thetables and Mubarek stood to serve Zein ul Asnam, with his hands claspedbehind him [64] and whiles seated upon his knees [and heels]. [65] Thenotables of Cairo marvelled at this, how Mubarek, the chiefest of them, should serve the youth, and [66] were sore amazed thereat, knowing not[who or] whence he was. But, after they had eaten and drunken and suppedand were of good cheer, Mubarek turned to the company and said tothem, "O folk, marvel not that I serve this youth with all worship andassiduity, for that he is the son of my lord the Sultan of Bassora, whose slave I was, for that he bought me with his money and died withoutsetting me free; wherefore it behoveth me serve my lord, and all that myhand possesseth of monies and gear is his, nor is anywhit thereof mine. "When the notables of Cairo heard this speech, they arose to Zein ulAsnam and did him exceeding great worship and saluted him with allreverence and prayed for him; [67] and he said, "O company, I am beforeyour presence and ye are witnesses [of that which I am about to do. "Then, turning to his host, ] "O Mubarek, [quoth he, ] thou art free andall that is with thee of monies and gear appertaining unto us shallhenceforth be thine and thou art altogether acquitted thereof [68]and of every part thereof. Moreover, do thou ask of me whatsoever thoudesirest by way of boon, [69] for that I will nowise gainsay thee inaught thou mayst seek. " [70] Thereupon Mubarek arose and kissed theprince's hand and thanked him, saying, "O my lord, I will nought of theesave that thou be well; for indeed the wealth that I have is exceedingabundant upon me. "

So Zein ul Asnam abode with Mubarek four days and every day the chiefmen of Cairo came to salute him, whenas it reached them that this wasMubarek's lord, the Sultan of Bassora; then, after he was rested, hesaid to his host, "O Mubarek, indeed the time is long upon me;" [71] andMubarek said to him, "Thou must know, O my lord, that this whereof thouart come in quest is a hard [72] matter, nay, even unto danger of death, and I know not if thy fortitude may suffice thee for the achievementthereof. " [73] "Know, O Mubarek, " rejoined Zein ul Asnam, "that wealth[is gotten] by blood [74] and there betideth a man nought except by thewill and foreordinance of the Creator (to whom belong might and majesty); so do thou take heart and concern not thyself on my account. "Accordingly Mubarek forthright commended his slaves equip them fortravel; so they made all ready and taking horse, journeyed days andnights in the foulest of deserts, [75] witnessing daily things andmatters which confounded their wits, --things such as never in their timehad they seen, --until they drew near the place [of their destination];whereupon they lighted down from their steeds and Mubarek bade theslaves and servants abide there, saying to them, "Keep watch over thebeasts of burden and the horses till we return to you. "

Then the twain set out together afoot and Mubarek said to Zein ul Asnam, "O my lord, now behoveth fortitude, for that thou art in the land of theimage whereof thou comest in quest. " And they gave not over walking tillthey drew near a great lake and a wide, whereupon quoth Mubarek toZein ul Asnam, "Know, O my lord, that there will presently come to us alittle boat, bearing a blue flag and builded all with planks of sandaland Comorin aloes-wood of price; and [thereanent] I have a charge togive thee, which it behoveth thee observe. " "What is this charge?"asked the prince and Mubarek said to him, "In this boat thou wilt see aboatman, [76] but his make is monstrous; [77] wherefore be thou ware andagain, I say, beware lest thou speak aught, for that he will incontinentdrown us; and know that this place appertaineth to the King of the Jinnand that all thou seest is their handiwork. " Then [78] they came tothe lake and behold, a little boat with planks of sandal and Comorinaloes-wood and in it a boatman, whose head was [as] the head of anelephant and the rest of his body [as that of] a wild beast. [79] Whenhe drew near them, he wrapped his trunk about them both and taking themwith him into the boat, rowed out with them to the midst of the lake, then fared on with them [80] till he brought them to the other shore, where they landed and walking on, saw there trees of ambergris [81]and aloes and sandal-wood and cloves and jessamine, [82] full-grownand laden with ripe fruits and flowers [83] whose fragrance dilated thebreast and cheered the spright; and there [they heard] the voices of thebirds twittering their various notes and ravishing the wit with theirwarblings. So Mubarek turned to Zein ul Asnam and said to him, "Howdeemest thou of this place, O my lord?" And the prince answered him, saying, "Methinketh, O Mubarek, this is the paradise which the Prophet(whom God bless and keep) promised us withal. "

Then they fared on till they came to a magnificent palace, builded allwith stones of emerald and rubies, and its doors were of sheer gold. Before it was a bridge, the length whereof was an hundred and fiftycubits and its breadth fifty cubits, and it was [wroughten] of the ribof a fish; whilst at the other end of the bridge were many warriors [84]of the Jinn, gruesome and terrible of aspect, and all of them borein their hands javelins of steel that flashed in the sun like winterlightning. [85] Quoth Zein ul Asnam to Mubarek, "This is a thing thattaketh the wits;" and Mubarek said to him, "It behoveth us abide inour place neither fare forward, lest a mischance betide us. O God, [vouchsafe us] safety!" Therewith he brought out of his pocket fourpieces of yellow silken stuff and girded himself with one thereof; thesecond he laid on his shoulders and gave Zein ul Asnam other two pieces, with which he girded himself [and covered his shoulders] on likewise. Moreover, he spread before each of them a sash of white silkand bringing forth of his pocket precious stones and perfumes, such asambergris and aloes-wood, (set them on the edges thereof) [86] afterwhich they sat down, each on his sash, and Mubarek taught Zein ul Asnamthese words, which he should say to the King of the Jinn, to wit: "O mylord King of the Jinn, we are in thy safeguard. " And Zein ul Asnam saidto him, "And I will instantly conjure him that he accept of us. "

Then said Mubarek, "O my lord, by Allah, I am exceeding fearful. But nowhearken; an he be minded to accept of us without hurt, he will come tous in the semblance of a man accomplished in grace and goodliness;but, an he have no mind to us, he will come to us in a gruesome and afrightful aspect. An thou see him surpassing in beauty, arise forthrightand salute him, but beware lest thou overpass thy sash. " And Zeinul Asnam said to him, "Hearkening and obedience. " "And be this thysalutation to him, " continued Mubarek; "thou shalt say, 'O King of theJinn and lord of the earth, my father, the Sultan of Bassora, the angelof death hath removed, as indeed is not hidden from thee. Now Thy Gracewas still wont to take my father under thy protection, and I cometo thee likewise to put myself under thy safeguard, even as did he. 'Moreover, [87] O my lord Zein ul Asnam, " added he, "an the King of theJinn receive us with a cheerful favour, he will without fail ask theeand say to thee, 'Seek of me that which thou wiliest and thou shaltforthright be given [it]. ' [88] So do thou seek of him and say to him, 'O my lord, I crave of Thy Grace the ninth image, than which there isnot the world a more precious; and indeed Thy Grace promised my fatherthat thou wouldst give it to me. "'

Having thus taught his lord how he should speak with the King of theJinn and seek of him the ninth image and how he should make his speechseemly and pleasant, Mubarek fell to conjuring and fumigating andreciting words that might not be understanded; and no great while passedere the world lightened [89] and rain fell in torrents [90] and itthundered and darkness covered the face of the earth; and after thisthere came a tempestuous wind and a voice like an earthquake of theearthquakes [91] of the Day of Resurrection. When Zein ul Asnam sawthese portents, his joints trembled and he was sore affrighted, forthat he beheld a thing he had never in all his life seen nor heard. But Mubarek laughed at him and said to him, "Fear not, O my lord; thiswhereat thou art affrighted is that which we seek; nay, it is a presageof good to-us. So take heart and be of good cheer. " After this therecame a great clearness and serenity and there breathed pure and fragrantbreezes; then, presently, behold, there appeared the King of the Jinn inthe semblance of a man comely of favour, there was none like unto himin his goodliness, save He who hath no like and to whom belong might andmajesty. He looked on Zein ul Asnam and Mubarek with a cheerful, smilingcountenance; whereupon the prince arose forthright and proffered him hispetition in the words which Mubarek had taught him. 

The King of the Jinn turned to him, smiling, and said to him, "O Zeinul Asnam, indeed I loved thy father the Sultan of Bassora, and I used, whenassoever he came to me, to give him an image of those which thouhast seen, each wroughten of a single jewel, and thou also shalt standin thy father's stead with me and shalt find favour in mine eyes, evenas did he, ay, and more. Before he died, I caused him write the writwhich thou sawest on the curtain of silk and promised him that I wouldtake thee under my protection, even as himself, and would give thee theninth image, which is more of worth than those which thou hast seen. Nowit is my intent to perform the promise which I made to thy father, thatI would take thee under my protection, and [92] [know that] I was theold man whom thou sawest in thy sleep and it was I bade thee dig inthe palace for the vault wherein thou foundest the jars of gold and theimages of jewels. I know also wherefore thou art come hither; nay, Iam he that was the cause of thy coming, and I will give thee that whichthou seekest, albeit I had not given it to thy father; but on conditionthat thou swear to me a solemn oath and abide me constant thereto, towit, that thou wilt return and bring me a girl of the age of fifteenyears, with whom there shall be none to match in loveliness, and shemust be a clean maid, who shall never have lusted after man, nor shallman have lusted after her. Moreover, thou must swear to me that thouwilt keep faith with her, coming, and beware lest thou play me falsewith her by the way. "

So Zein ul Asnam swore a solemn oath to him of this and said to him, "Omy lord, indeed, thou honourest me with this service; but methinketh itwill be hard to find a girl like this. Nay, supposing I find a damselfifteen years of age and beautiful exceedingly, according to Thy Grace'srequirement, how shall I know that she hath never in her time lustedafter man nor hath man lusted after her?" "O Zein ul Asnam, " repliedthe King of the Jinn, "thou art in the right and certain it is that thisknowledge is a thing unto which the sons of man may not avail; but Iwill give thee a mirror of my fashion, and when thou seest a girl andher beauty pleaseth thee and her grace, do thou open this mirror thatI shall give thee, and if thou find her image therein clear and bright, thou shalt know forthright that she is pure without default and that allgood qualities are in her; so do thou take her for me. If thou findher image in the mirror other than this, to wit, an it be troubled andclothed with uncleanness, know that the girl is sullied and beware ofher; but, an thou find one such as she whose qualities I have set outto thee, bring her to me and watch over her [by the way;] yet beware andagain I say, beware of treason and bethink thee that, an thou keep notfaith with me, thou wilt assuredly lose thy life. "

So Zein ul Asnam made with him a stable and abiding covenant, thecovenant of the sons of kings, that he would keep the plighted faithand never play him false, but [93] would bring him the damsel with allcontinence. Then the King of the Jinn delivered him the mirror and saidto him, "O my son, take this mirror whereof I bespoke thee, and nowdepart. " Accordingly Zein ul Asnam and Mubarek arose and calling downblessings upon the King, returned upon their steps till they came tothe lake, where they sat a little and behold, up came the boat which hadbrought them and the genie rowing therein, whose head was as [94] thehead of an elephant. Now this was by the commandment of the King of theJinn; so they embarked with the genie and crossed with him to the othershore; after which they returned to Cairo and entering Mubarek'shouse, abode there awhile till they were rested from the fatigue of thejourney. 

Then Zein ul Asnam turned to Mubarek and said to him, "Come, let us goto the city of Baghdad, so we may seek for a girl who shall be accordingto the requirement of the King of the Jinn. " And Mubarek said to him, "O my lord, we are in Cairo, the city of cities and the wonder of theworld. [95] I shall without fail find a girl here and it needeth notthat we go to a far city. " "Thou sayst sooth, O Mubarek, " rejoined theprince; "but how shall we set about the matter and how shall we do tocome by [96] a girl like this and who shall go seeking her for us?" "Omy lord, " replied Mubarek, "concern not thyself [97] for that, for Ihave with me here an old woman (upon her, [to speak] figuratively, [98]be the malediction [of God] [99]) who is a mistress of wiles and craftand guile and not to be baulked by any hindrance, however great. " Thenhe sent to fetch the old woman and telling her that he wanted a damselfifteen years old and fair exceedingly, so he might marry her to theson of his lord, promised her largesse galore, an she did her utmostendeavour in the matter; whereupon, "O my lord, " answered she, "be easy;I will accomplish unto thee thy desire beyond thy wish; for that undermy hand are damsels unpeered in grace and goodliness and all of themdaughters of men of condition. " But, O King of the time, [100] the oldwoman had no knowledge of the affair of the mirror. 

Then she arose and went out to go round about in the city and to runalong its ways, [101] seeking [102] the girl for Prince Zein ul Asnam, and whenassoever she saw a fair damsel, accomplished in beauty, sheproceeded to bring her to Mubarek; but, when he looked at her in themirror, he would see her image troubled exceedingly and would leave her;so that the old woman brought him all the damsels of Cairo, but therewas not found among them one whose image in the mirror was clear;wherefore he bethought him to go to Baghdad, since he found not one inCairo who pleased him [or] who was a clean maid, like as the King of theJinn had enjoined him. So he arose and equipping himself, [set out and]journeyed, he and Zein ul Asnam, till they came to the city of Baghdad, where they hired them a magnificent palace amiddleward the city and tookup their abode therein. There the chief men of the city used to cometo them every day and sat at their table, even to the comer and goer bynight and by day. [103] Moreover, when there remained aught from theirtable, they distributed it to the poor and the afflicted and all thestrangers in the mosques [104] would come and eat with them. So thereport was noised abroad in the land of their generosity and bounty andthey became in high repute and fair fame throughout all Baghdad, nor didany talk but of Zein ul Asnam and his bounty and wealth. 

Now it chanced that in one of the mosques was an Imam, [105] corrupt, envious and despiteful in the extreme, and his lodging was near thepalace wherein Mubatek and Zein ul Asnam had taken up their abode. Whenhe heard of their bounty and generosity and of the goodliness of theirrepute, envy get hold upon him and jealousy of them, and he fell tobethinking himself how he should do, so he might bring some calamityupon them and despoil them of that their fair fortune, for it is of thewont of envy that it falleth not but upon the rich. So, one day of thedays, as he stood in the mosque, after the mid-afternoon prayer, he cameforward into the midst of the folk and said, "O my brethren, O ye of theTrue Faith, ye who ascribe unity to God, know that in this our quarterthere be two men dwelling, strangers, and most like you are acquaintedwith them. Now these twain spend and squander wealth galore, passingall measure, and in my belief they are none other than thieves andhighwaymen and are come hither with that which they stole from their owncountry, so they may squander it. " Then [106] "O people of Mohammed, "added he, "I rede you for God's sake keep yourselves from thesetricksters, [107] lest belike the Khalif come presently to know of thesetwo men and ye also fall with them into calamity. Now I have warnedyou and I wash my hands of your affair, for that I have forewarned andawakened you; so do that which you deem well. " And they said to him, allwho were present, with one voice, "We will do whatsoever thou wiliest, O Aboubekr!" When the Imam heard this from them, he arose and takinginkhorn and pen and paper, fell to writing a letter to the Commander ofthe Faithful, setting forth to him [the case] against Zein ul Asnam andMubarek. 

Now, as destiny willed it, the latter chanced to be in the mosque amongthe folk and heard the accursed Imam's discourse and that which he didby way of writing the letter to the Khalif; whereupon he tarried not, but, returning home forthwith, took an hundred diners and made hima parcel of price, all of silken clothes, [108] wherewith he betookhimself in haste to Aboubekr's house and knocked at the door. The Imamcame out to him and opened the door; and when he saw him, he asked himsurlily who he was and what he would; whereupon quoth the other, "O mylord the Imam Aboubekr, I am thy slave Mubarek and I come to thee on thepart of my lord the Amir Zein ul Asnam. He hath heard of thy learningand of the excellence of thy repute in the city and would fain becomeacquainted with thee and do that which behoveth unto thee; whereforehe hath presently sent me with these things and this money for thineexpenses and hopeth of thee that thou wilt not blame him, inasmuch asthis is little for thy worth, but hereafter, God willing, he will notfail of that which is due unto thee. " Aboubekr looked at [the coins and]at their impress and yellowness [109] and at the parcel of clothes andsaid to Mubarek, "O my lord, [I crave] pardon of thy lord the Amir, forthat I am presently abashed before him [110] and it irketh me sore thatI have not done my duty towards him; [111] but I hope of thee that thouwilt intercede with him on my behalf, so he may of his favour pardonme my default; and (the Creator willing) I will to-morrow do that whichbehoveth me and will go do my service to him [112] and proffer him therespect which is due from me to him. " "O my lord Aboubekr, " repliedMubarek, "the extreme of my lord's desire is to look upon thy worship, so he may be honoured by thy presence and get of thee a blessing. " Sosaying, he kissed the Imam's hand and returned to his lodging. 

On the morrow, whilst Aboubekr was [engaged] in the Friday prayers atdawn, he stood up amongst the folk, in the midst of the mosque, andsaid, "O our brethren of the Muslims and people of Mohammed, all of you, verily envy falleth not save upon the rich and the noble and passethby the poor and those of low estate. Know that of the two stranger menagainst whom I spoke yesterday one is an Amir, a man of great rankand noble birth, and the case is not as certain of the envious [113]informed me concerning him, to wit, that he was a thief and a robber;for I have enquired into the matter and find that the report lieth. Sobeware lest any of you missay of the Amir or speak aught of evil againsthim, such as that which I heard yesterday, or you will cause me andyourselves fall into the gravest of calamities with the Commander of theFaithful; for that a man of high degree like this cannot sojourn in thecity of Baghdad without the Khalif's knowledge. " On [114] this wise, then, the Imam Aboubekr did away from the minds of the folk the illthought [115] which he had planted [there] by his speech concerning Zeinul Asnam. 

Moreover, when he had made an end of the prayers, he returned to hisown house and donned his gabardine; then, weightening his skirts andlengthening his sleeves, [116] he went forth and took his way to theprince's house. When he came in to Zein ul Asnam, the latter rose tohim and received him with the utmost reverence. Now he was by naturereligious, [117] for all he was a youth of tender age; so he profferedthe Imam all manner of honour and seating him by his side on a highdivan, let bring him coffee with ambergris. Then the servants spread thetable for breakfast and they took their sufficiency of meat and drink, and when they had finished, they fell to talking and making merrytogether. Presently the Imam asked the prince and said to him, "O mylord Zein ul Asnam, doth your highness purpose to sojourn long here inBaghdad?" "Yea, verily, O our Lord the Imam, " answered Zein ul Asnam;"my intent is to sojourn here awhile, till such time as my requirementbe accomplished. " "And what, " asked Aboubekr, "is the requirement of mylord the Amir? Belike, an I know it, I may avail to further him to hiswish, though I sacrifice my life for him. " [118] And the prince said tohim, "I seek a damsel fifteen years of age and fair exceedingly, that Imay marry her; but she must be pure and chaste and a clean maid, whomno man hath anywise defiled nor in all her life hath she thought upon aman; [119] and she must be unique in grace and goodliness. "

"O my lord, " rejoined the Imam, "this is a thing exceeding hard to find;but I know a damsel unique in her loveliness and her age is fifteenyears. Her father was a Vizier, who resigned office of his own motion, and he abideth presently at home in his palace and is exceeding jealousover his daughter and her bringing up. [120] Methinketh this damsel willsuit your Highness's mind, and she will rejoice in an Amir like yourHighness, as also will her parents. " Quoth Zein ul Asnam, "God willing, this damsel whereof thou speakest will answer my requirement and theaccomplishment of our desire shall be at thy hands; [121] but, O ourlord the Imam, before all things my wish is to see her, so I may knowan she be chaste or not. As for her beauty, I am assured of [122] yourworship's sufficiency and am content to trust to your word concerningher loveliness, to wit, that she is surpassing; but, for her chastity, you cannot avail to testify with certitude of her case. " "And how, "asked the Imam, "can it be possible unto you, O my lord the Amir, toknow from her face that she is pure? An this be so, your highness isskilled in physiognomy. However, an your highness will vouchsafe toaccompany me, I will carry you to her father's palace and make you knownto the latter, and he shall bring her before you. "

Accordingly, [123] the Imam Aboubekr took Zein ul Asnam and carried himto the Vizier's house; and when they went in to him, the Vizier roseand welcomed the prince, especially when he knew that he was an Amir andunderstood from the Imam that he wished to marry his daughter. So he letbring the damsel before him, and when she came, he bade her raise theveil from her face. Accordingly she unveiled herself and Zein ul Asnam, looking upon her, was amazed at her grace and goodliness, for that neverhad he seen one to match with her in beauty; and he said in himself, "Iwonder if I shall [124] happen upon one like this damsel, since it isforbidden that she should be mine!" Then he brought out the mirrorfrom his pocket and looked thereon; when, behold, its crystal was clearexceedingly, as it were virgin silver; and he observed her image inthe mirror and saw it like a white dove. So he forthright concluded thematch and sent for the Cadi and the witnesses, who wrote the writ[125] and enthroned the bride; [126] after which Zein ul Asnam tookthe Vizier, the bride's father, home with him to his house and sent theyoung lady jewels of great price. Then they celebrated the wedding andheld high festival, never was the like thereof, whilst Zein ul Asnamproceeded to entertain the folk and made them banquets for the space ofeight days. Moreover, he honoured Aboubekr the Imam and gave him giftsgalore and brought the Vizier, the bride's father, presents and greatrarities. 

Then, the wedding festivities being ended, Mubarek said to Zein ulAsnam, "Come, O my lord, let us set out on our way, lest we waste thetime in sloth, now we have found that whereof we were in search. " Andthe prince answered him, saying, "Thou art in the right. " So Mubarekarose and fell to equipping them for the journey; moreover, he let makethe young lady a camel-litter [127] with a travelling couch, [128] andthey set out. But Mubarek knew that Zein ul Asnam was sunken deep inlove of the damsel; so he took him and said to him, "O my lord Zein ulAsnam, I would fain remind thee to watch over thyself; nay, again I say, have a care and keep the faith which thou plightedst to the King of theJinn. " "O Mubarek, " answered the prince, "an thou knewest the transportwhich possesseth me for the love of this young lady [129] and how Istill think of nothing but of taking her to Bassora and going in [toher]!" And Mubarek said to him, "Nay, O my lord; keep thy troth and playnot the traitor to thine oath, lest there befall thee a sore calamityand thou lose thy life and the young lady lose hers also. Bethink theeof the oath which thou sworest and let not lust get the mastery overthine understanding, lest thou lose guerdan [130] and honour and life. ""O Mubarek, " rejoined Zein ul Asnam, "keep thou watch over her thyselfand let me not see her. " So [131] Mubarek fell to keeping watch and wardover the bride in the prince's stead and guarded the latter also, lesthe should look on her; and so they journeyed on past the road leadingunto Egypt and fared on their way to the Island of the Jinn. 

When the bride beheld the journey (and indeed it was long upon her) andsaw not her husband in all this time since the night of the bridal, sheturned to Mubarek and said to him, "God upon thee, O Mubarek, tell me, I conjure thee by the life of thy lord the Amir, are we yet far from thedominions [132] of my bridegroom, the Amir Zein ul Asnam?" And he saidto her, "Alack, O my lady, it irketh me for thee and I will discover tothee that which is hidden. To wit, thou deemest that Zein ul Asnam, King of Bassora, is thy bridegroom. Far be it! [133] He is not thybridegroom. The writing of the writ of his marriage with thee [134] wasbut a pretext before thy parents and the folk; and now thou art goingfor a bride to the King of the Jinn, who sought thee from the Amir Zeinul Asnam. " When the young lady heard these words, she fell a-weeping andZein ul Asnam heard her and fell a-weeping also, a sore weeping, of theexcess of his love for her. And she said to them, "Is there no pityin you and no clemency and have you no fear of God, that I, a strangermaid, you cast me into a calamity like this? What answer will you giveunto God [135] concerning this treason that you have wroughten with me?"

But her weeping and her words availed her nothing, and they ceased notto fare on with her till they came to the King of the Jinn, to whom theystraightway presented her. When he beheld her, she pleased him and heturned to Zein ul Asnam and said to him. "Verily, the girl whom thouhast brought me is exceeding in beauty and surpassing in loveliness; butthe goodliness of thy loyalty and shine overmastering of thyself for mysake is fairer than she in mine eyes. So return now to thy place andthe ninth image that thou seekest of me thou shalt find, on thy return, beside the other images; for I will send it to thee by one of my slavesof the Jinn. " Accordingly, Zein ul Asnam kissed the King's hand andreturned with Mubarek to Cairo; but, when they came thither, he chosenot to abide with Mubarek longer than a resting-while, of the excess ofhis longing and his yearning to see the ninth image. Withal he ceasednot from mourning, bethinking him of the young lady and her grace andgoodliness; and he fell to lamenting and saying, "Alas for the loss ofmy delights that were because of thee, O pearl of beauty and loveliness, thou whom I took from thy parents and presented to the King of the Jinn!Alack, the pity of it!" And [136] he chid himself for the deceit and theperfidy which he had practised upon the young lady's parents and how hehad brought her to the King of the Jinn. 

Then he set out and gave not over journeying till he came to Bassoraand entering his palace, saluted his mother and told her all that hadbefallen him; whereupon quoth she to him, "Arise, O my son, so thoumayst [137] see this ninth image, for that I am exceeding rejoiced atits presence with us. " So they both descended into the underground hall, wherein were the eight images, and found there a great marvel; to wit, instead of the ninth image, they beheld the young lady, resembling thesun in her loveliness. The prince knew her, when he saw her, and shesaid to him, "Marvel not to find me here in place of that which thousoughtest; methinketh thou wilt not repent thee an thou take me in thestead of the ninth image. " "No, by Allah, oh my beloved!" replied Zeinul Asnam, "For that thou art the end of my seeking and I would notexchange thee for all the jewels in the world. Didst thou but know thegrief which possessed me for thy separation, thou whom I took from thyparents by fraud and brought thee to the King of the Jinn!" [138]

Scarce had the prince made an end of his speech when they heard a noiseof thunder rending the mountains and shaking the earth and fear get holdupon the queen, the mother of Zein ul Asnam, yea, and sore trembling;but, after a little, the King of the Jinn appeared and said to her, "Olady, fear not, it is I who am thy son's protector and I love him withan exceeding love for the love his father bore me. Nay, I am hewho appeared to him in his sleep and in this I purposed to try hisfortitude, whether or not he might avail to subdue himself for loyalty'ssake. Indeed the beauty of this young lady beguiled him and he could notavail to keep his covenant with me so strictly but [139] that he desiredher for his bride. However, I know the frailty of human nature andwithal I think greatly of him that he guarded her and kept her unsulliedand withdrew himself from her; [140] wherefore I accept this hisconstancy and bestow her on him as a bride. She is the ninth image, which I promised him should be with him, and certes she is fairer thanall these images of jewels, inasmuch as her like is rarely found in theworld. " Then the King of the Jinn turned to Zein ul Asnam and said tohim, "O Prince Zein ul Asnam, this is thy bride; take her and go into her, on condition that thou love her and take not unto her asecond [wife]; and I warrant thee of the goodliness of her fidelityto-thee-ward. " Therewithal he vanished from them and Zein ul Asnam wentout, glad and rejoicing in the young lady; [141] and of [the excessof] his love for her he went in to her that night and let celebrate thebridal and hold high festival in all the kingdom. Then he abode upon thethrone of his kingship, judging and commanding and forbidding, whilsthis bride became queen of Bassora; and after a little his mother died. So he made her funeral obsequies [142] and mourned for her; after whichhe lived with his bride in all content till there came to them theDestroyer of Delights and the Sunderer of Societies. 

ALAEDDIN AND THE ENCHANTED LAMP. [143]

There [144] was [once] in a city of the cities of China a man, a tailorand poor, and he had a son by name Alaeddin, who was perverse andgraceless from his earliest childhood. When he came to ten years of age, his father would fain have taught him his own craft, for that, becausehe was poor, he could not spend money upon him to have him taught[another] trade or art [145] or the like; [146] so he carried him to hisshop, that he might teach him his craft of tailoring; but, forasmuchas the lad was perverse and wont still to play with the boys of thequarter, [147] he would not sit one day in the shop; nay, he would watchhis father till such time as he went forth the place to meet a customer[147] or on some other occasion, when he would flee forth incontinentand go out to the gardens with the good-for-nothing lads like himself. This, then, was his case, [148] and he would not obey his parents, norwould he learn a craft. His father sickened of his grief and chagrin forhis son's perversity and died, whilst Alaeddin abode on that his wise. When his mother saw that her husband had departed this life [149] andthat her son was a scapegrace and a good-for-nought, she sold theshop and all she found therein and fell to spinning cotton and feedingherself and her graceless son Alaeddin with her toil. The latter, seeing himself quit of his father's danger, [150] redoubled in hisgracelessness and his perversity and would not abide in their house saveeating-whiles; and his poor wretched mother supported him [151] by thespinning of her hands till he came to fifteen years of age. 

One [152] day of the days, as he sat in the street, playing with thevagabond boys, behold, a Maugrabin [153] dervish came up and stoppingto look at the lads, singled out Alaeddin from his comrades and fell togazing upon him and straitly considering his favour. Now this dervishwas from the land of Hither Barbary [154] and he was an enchanter whowould cast mountain upon mountain with his sorcery and was skilled toboot in physiognomy. [155] When he had well considered Alaeddin, he saidin himself, "Certes, this boy is he whom I seek and he it is in quest ofwhom I came forth from my country. " So he took one of the lads apart andasked him of Alaeddin, whose son he was, and questioned him of all hisaffairs; after which he went up to Alaeddin and taking him aside, saidto him, "Harkye, boy, art thou not the son of such an one the tailor?"And he answered him, saying "Yes, O my lord; but my father died awhileagone. " When the Maugrabin magician heard this, he threw himself uponAlaeddin and embracing him, fell to kissing him and weeping, that histears ran down upon his cheek. 

Alaeddin was astonished at the Maugrabin's behaviour; so he asked himand said to him, "What is the cause of thy weeping, O my lord, andwhence knewest thou my father?" The Maugrabin answered him, in amournful, broken voice, [156] saying, "How, O my son, canst thou ask methis question, after telling me that thy father, my brother, is dead, for thy father was [indeed] my brother [157] and I am newly come from mycountry and was rejoicing exceedingly, after this my strangerhood, of myexpectation that I should see him and solace myself with him; [158] andnow thou tellest me that he is dead! Marry, blood discovered unto methat [159] thou wast the son of my brother, and indeed I knew thee fromamongst all the lads; although thy father, when I left him, was not yetmarried. And [160] now, O my son Alaeddin, " continued he, "I have lostmy consolation [161] and my joy in thy father, my brother, whom I hadhoped, after my strangerhood, to see ere I died; but separation hathafflicted me in him [162] and there is no fleeing from that which is[163] nor is there any resource against the ordinance of God the MostHigh. "

Then he took Alaeddin and said to him, "O my son, I have no comfort[163] but in thee [164] and thou art [to me] in the stead of thy father, since thou art his successor and whoso leaveth [a successor] is notdead, O my son. " With this he put his hand [to his pocket] and bringingout ten diners, gave them to Alaeddin, saying, "O my son, where is yourhouse and where is thy mother, my brother's wife?" So Alaeddin took himand showed him the way to their house; and the magician said to him, "Omy son, take these monies and give them to thy mother and salute heron my behalf and tell her that thine uncle is come back from hisstrangerhood; and God willing, to-morrow I will come visit you, so Imay salute her and look upon the house wherein my brother dwelt and seewhere his tomb is. " [165] Alaeddin kissed his hand and hastened home, running in his joy, to his mother and entered, contrary to his wont, forthat he was not used to go in to her save at eating-times. So he went into her, rejoicing, and said to her, "O my mother, I bring thee glad newsof my uncle, in that he is come back from his absence, and he saluteththee. " "O my son, " quoth she, "meseemeth thou makest mock of me. Who isthine uncle and whence hast thou an uncle on life?" And he said to her, "O my mother, why didst thou tell me that I had no uncles and nokinsfolk on life? Indeed, this man is my uncle and he embraced me andkissed me, weeping, and bade me tell thee of this. " And she answeredhim, saying, "Yes, O my son, I knew thou hadst an uncle, but he is deadand I know not that thou hast a second uncle. "

As [166] for the Maugrabin enchanter, he went forth at dawn and fell tosearching for [167] Alaeddin, for that he might not brook parting fromhim; [168] and as he went about in the thoroughfares of the city, hecame upon the lad, who was playing with the vagabonds, as of his wont. So he went up to him and taking him by the hand, embraced him and kissedhim; then he brought out of his purse two diners and said to Alaeddin, "Go to thy mother and give her these two diners and say to her, 'Myuncle would fain sup with us; so take these two diners and make a goodsupper. ' But first show me once more the way to your house. " "On my headand eyes, O my uncle, " answered Alaeddin and foregoing him, showed himthe way to the house. Then the Maugrabin left him and went his way, whilst Alaeddin returned home and telling his mother [what had passed], gave her the two diners and said to her, "My uncle would fain sup withus. " So she arose forthright and went out to the market, where shebought all that was needful and returning home, borrowed of herneighbours that which she required of platters and the like andproceeded to make ready for supper. 

When the time of the evening-meal came, she said to Alaeddin, "O my son, the supper [169] is ready and maybe shine uncle knoweth not the way tothe house. Go thou and meet him. " And he answered her with "Hearkeningand obedience. " But, whilst they were in talk, behold, there came aknocking at the door; whereupon Alaeddin went out and opening, found theMaugrabin enchanter, and with him a slave bearing wine and fruits. So hebrought them in and the slave went his way, whilst the Maugrabin enteredand saluted Alaeddin's mother; then he fell a-weeping and said to her, "Where is the place in which my brother was wont to sit?" She pointedhim to her husband's sitting-place, whereupon he went thither andprostrating himself, fell to kissing the earth and saying, "Alas, howscant is my delight and how sorry my fortune, since I have lost thee, O my brother and apple [170] of mine eye!" And the abode on this wise, weeping and lamenting, till Alaeddin's mother was certified that he wasin earnest and that he was like to swoon of the excess of his wailingand his lamentation. So she came to him and raised him from the ground, saying, "What profiteth it that thou shouldst kill thyself?" And [171]she proceeded to comfort him and made him sit down. 

Then, before she laid the table, the Maugrabin fell to relating to her[his history] and said to her, "O wife of my brother, let it not amazethee that in all thy days thou never sawest me neither knewest of mein my late brother's lifetime, for that I left this country forty yearsagone and became an exile from my native land. I journeyed to the landsof Hind and Sind and all the country of the Arabs and coming presentlyinto Egypt, sojourned awhile in the magnificent city [of Cairo], whichis the wonder of the world. [172] Ultimately I betook myself to the landof Hither Barbary [173] and sojourned there thirty years' space, [174]till one day of the days, as I sat, [175] O wife of my brother, Ibethought me of my country and my native place and of my late brotherand longing waxed on me to see him and I fell a-weeping and lamentingover my strangerhood and distance from him. In fine, my yearning for himimportuned me till I resolved to journey to this country, the which wasthe falling-place of my head [176] and my native land, that I might seemy brother. And I said in myself, "O man, how long wilt thou be an exile[177] from thy country and thy native place, whenas thou hast an onlybrother and no more? Arise and journey and look upon him ere thou die. Who knoweth the calamities of fate and the vicissitudes of the days?Sore pity 'twere that thou shouldst die and not see thy brother. Moreover, Allah (praised be He) hath given thee abundant wealth and itmay be thy brother is in poor case and straitened, and thou wilt helphim, an [178] thou see him. " So I arose forthright and equipped myselffor travel; then, reciting the Fatiheh [179], I took horse, after theFriday prayer, and came, after many hardships and fatigues, --which Isuffered, till the Lord (to whom belong might and majesty) protected[me], --to this city. I entered it and as I went about its thoroughfaresthe day before yesterday, I saw my brother's son Alaeddin playing withthe boys; and by Allah the Great, O wife of my brother, when I saw him, my heart crave to him, for that blood yearneth unto blood, and my soulforeboded me he was my brother's son. At his sight I forgot all my toilsand troubles and was like to fly for joy; then, when he told me that mylate brother had departed to the mercy of God the Most High, I swoonedaway for stress of grief and chagrin; and most like he hath told theeof that which overcame me. [180] But I comforted myself somewhat withAlaeddin, who standeth in stead of [181] the departed, for that whosoleaveth [a successor] [182] dieth not. "

Then, [183] when he saw her weeping at this speech, he turned toAlaeddin, by way of making her forget the mention of her husband andfeigning to comfort her, so he might the better accomplish his deviceupon her, and said to him, "O my son Alaeddin, what hast thou learned ofcrafts and what is thy business? Hast thou learned thee a trade wherebythou mayst live, thou and thy mother?" At this Alaeddin was confoundedand abashed and hung down his head, bowing it to the ground, whilst hismother said to the Maugrabin, "How? By Allah, he knoweth nought at all!So graceless a lad I never saw. All day long he goeth about with thevagabond boys of the quarter like himself; nay, his father, woe is me, died not but of his chagrin concerning him; and now, as for me, my caseis woeful. I spin cotton and toil night and day, to earn two cakes ofbread, that we may eat them together. This, then, is his condition, Omy brother-in-law, and by thy life, he cometh not in to me save ateating-times, and I am thinking to bolt the door of my house and notopen to him and let him go seek his living for himself, for that I amgrown an old woman and have no strength left to toil and provide forthe maintenance of a fellow like this. [184] By Allah, I get mine ownlivelihood, I that need one who shall maintain me. " [185]

Therewithal the Maugrabin turned to Alaeddin and said to him, "How isthis, O son of my brother? It is a disgrace to thee to go vagabondingabout in this abjection. This befitteth not men like thee. Thou artgifted with understanding, O my son, and the child of [reputable] folk;[186] I and it is a shame upon thee that thy mother, who is an oldwoman, should toil for thy maintenance, now thou art grown a man. Nay, it behoveth thee get thee some means whereby thou mayst maintainthyself, O my son. See, by God's grace, (praised be He) here in our citybe masters of crafts, nowhere is there a place more abounding in them:choose, then, the craft which pleaseth thee and I will establish theetherein, so that, when thou growest up, O my son, thou mayst find theethy craft whereby thou shalt live. Belike thou hast no mind to thyfather's trade; so choose other than it. Tell me the craft whichpleaseth thee and I will help thee in all that is possible, O son ofmy brother. " Then, seeing that Alaeddin was silent and answered himnothing, he knew that he had no mind to any craft at all and recked ofnothing but vagabondage and said to him, "O son of my brother, be notabashed at me; [187] if so be withal [188] thou caress not to learn atrade, I will open thee a merchant's shop of the costliest stuffs andthou shalt make thyself acquainted with [189] the folk [190] and shaltgive and take and sell and buy and become known in the city. "

When Alaeddin heard these words of his uncle the Maugrabin, to wit, that it was his intent to make him a merchant, [191] a trader, [192] herejoiced exceedingly, well knowing that all merchants' apparel is neatand elegant; [193] so he looked at the Maugrabin and smiled and bowedhis head, as who should say, "I am content. " The [194] magician, seeinghim smile, knew that he was content to be a merchant and said to him, "Since thou art content that I should make thee a merchant and open theea shop, be a man, O son of my brother, and to-morrow, God willing, Iwill take thee first to the market and let cut thee an elegant suit ofclothes such as merchants wear; and after that I will look thee out ashop and perform my promise to thee. " Now Alaeddin's mother was in somelittle doubt as to the Maugrabin; but, when she heard his promise to herson that he would open him a shop as a merchant with stuffs andcapital and what not else, she concluded that he was in very deed herbrother-in-law, inasmuch as a stranger would not do thus with herson. So she fell to admonishing her son and exhorting him to put awayignorance and folly from his head and be a man, and bade him still yieldobedience to his uncle, as he were his father, and apply himself to makeup the time which he had wasted in idleness [with] those who were likehim, after which she arose and laying the table, spread the evening-mealand they all sat down and fell to eating and drinking, whilst theMaugrabin talked with Alaeddin upon matters of merchandry and the like. Then, when he saw that the night was far spent, [195] he arose and wentto his lodging, promising to return in the morning and take Alaeddin, sohe might let cut him a merchant's suit. 

Alaeddin slept not that night for joy and when it was morning, behold, the Maugrabin knocked at the door. The lad's mother arose and openedto him; however, he would not enter, but sought Alaeddin, that he mighttake him with him to the market. So Alaeddin went out to him and gavehim good-morning and kissed his hand; whereupon the Maugrabin took himby the hand and going with him to the market, entered the shop of aseller of all manner of clothes and demanded a suit of costly stuffs. The merchant brought him what he sought, all sewn and ready, and theMaugrabin said to Alaeddin, "Choose that which pleaseth thee, O my son. "Alaeddin rejoiced exceedingly, when he saw that his uncle gave himhis choice, and chose clothes to his mind, such as pleased him. TheMaugrabin at once paid the merchant their price and going out, carriedAlaeddin to the bath, where they bathed and came forth and drank wine. [196] Then Alaeddin arose and donned the new suit; whereat he rejoicedand was glad and coming up to his uncle, kissed his hand and thankedhim for his bounties. After [197] this the Maugrabin carried him to thebazaar of the merchants and showed him the market and the selling andbuying and said to him, "O my son, it behoveth thee consort withthe folk, especially with the merchants, so thou mayst learn of themmerchandry, since this is become thy craft. "

Then he took him again and showed him the city and the mosques and allthe sights of the place; after which he carried him to a cook's shop, where the morning-meal was set before them in silver platters. So theyate and drank till they had enough and going forth, fared on, whilst theMaugrabin proceeded to show Alaeddin the pleasaunces and fine buildings, [198] going in with him to the Sultan's palace and showing him all thefair and fine quarters [199] [of the city]; after which he carried himto the Khan of the stranger merchants, where he himself lodged. Andinvited certain of the merchants who were in the Khan. Accordingly theycame and sat down to supper, and he informed them that this was hisbrother's son and that his name was Alaeddin. Then, after they had eatenand drunken, the night being now come, the Maugrabin arose and takingAlaeddin, carried him back to his mother. 

When she saw her son as he were one of the merchants, her wit fled [andshe waxed] sorrowful for gladness and fell to extolling the Maugrabin'sbounty and saying to him, "O my brother-in-law, I might not suffice [tothy deserts, ] though I thanked thee all my life long and praised theefor the good thou hast done with my son. " "O wife of my brother, "answered he, "this is no manner of kindness in me, [200] for thatthis is my son and it behoveth me stand in the stead of my brother hisfather; so be thou easy. " Quoth she, "I pray God, by the glory of theancients [201] and the moderns, that He let thee [live] and continuethee, O my brother-in-law, and prolong me thy life, so thou mayst be[as] a wing [202] to this orphan boy; and he shall still be under thineobedience and thy commandment and shall do nought but that which thoubiddest him. " "O wife of my brother, " rejoined the Maugrabin, "Alaeddinis a man of understanding and [the son of] decent folk, and my hope isin God that he will follow in his father's footsteps and be the solaceof shine eyes; [203] but it irketh me that, to-morrow being Friday, Icannot open him a shop. It being congregation day, all the merchantswill go out after prayers to the gardens and pleasaunces; but, Godwilling, on Saturday, an it please the Creator, we will do our business. Tomorrow I will come to you and take Alaeddin, that I may show him thegardens and pleasaunces without the city, --it may be he hath notyet seen them, --and he shall see the merchant-folk and the notablesa-pleasuring there, so he may become acquainted with them and they withhim. " [204]

The [205] Maugrabin lay the night in his lodging; and on the morrow hecame to the tailor's house and knocked at the door. Alaeddin--of theexcess of his joy in the clothes he had donned and of the pleasures hehad enjoyed on the past day, what with the bath and eating and drinkingand viewing the folk and the thought that his uncle was coming in themorning to take him and show him the gardens--slept not that nightneither closed an eye and thought the day would never break. [206] So, when he heard a knocking at the door, he went out at once in haste, likea spark of fire, and opening, found his uncle the Maugrabin. The latterembraced him and kissed him and took him by the hand, saying, "O son ofmy brother, to-day I will show thee a thing such as thou never sawest inthy life. " Then they went off together and the Maugrabin fell to makingmerry with [207] Alaeddin and amusing him with familiar talk. They wentforth the gate of the city and the Maugrabin proceeded to walk with himamong the gardens and to show him the fine pleasaunces and marvelloushigh-builded palaces; and whenassoever they looked upon a garden or apalace [208] or a pavilion, [209] he would stand and say to Alaeddin, "Doth this please thee, O my son Alaeddin?"

Alaeddin was like to fly for joy, inasmuch as he saw that which he hadnever in his life seen, and they gave not over walking and gazing tillthey were weary, when they entered a fine garden there, that cheeredthe heart and brightened the eye with its springs [210] welling up amongflowers and its waters issuing from the mouths of lions of brass likeunto gold, and sitting down by a lake, rested awhile. As for Alaeddin, he rejoiced and was exceeding glad and fell a-jesting with the Mangrabinand making merry with him, as he were his uncle in very deed. Then thelatter arose and loosing his girdle, brought out therefrom a bag fullof victual and fruit and the like and said to Alaeddin, "O son ofmy brother, thou art maybe anhungred; come, eat what thou wilt. " SoAlaeddin proceeded to eat and the Maugrabin with him and they weregladdened and refreshed and their souls were cheered. Then said theMaugrabin, "Rise, O my son, an thou be rested, so we may walk a littleand fare onward. " [211] So Alaeddin arose and the Maugrabin walked onwith him from garden to garden till they had passed them all and came toa high mountain. [212]

Now Alaeddin had never gone forth the gate of the city nor in all hislife had he walked the like of that walk; so he said to the Maugrabin, "O my uncle, whither are we going? See, we have left all the gardensbehind us and are come to the foot of a mountain. [213] If the way be[yet] far, I have no strength left me for walking, for that I am wornout with fatigue and there remain no more gardens before us; so let usturn back and return to the city. " "O my son, " replied the Maugrabin, "this is the way and the gardens are not yet at an end, for we are going[214] to view a garden, whose like is not with the kings and comparedwith which all these which thou hast seen are as nothing. So gird up thyloins [215] for walking; praised be God, thou art a man. " And he fellto amusing him with fair words and telling him rare stories, true andfalse, till they reached the place at which this Maugrabin enchanteraimed and in quest whereof he was come from Barbary [216] to the land ofChina; whereupon, "O son of my brother, " quoth he to Alaeddin, "sit andrest thee; this is the place for which we were making; and now, pleaseGod, I will show thee marvellous things, the like whereof no one in theworld hath seen, nor hath any looked upon that which thou art about tobehold. But [217] do thou, after thou art rested, arise and seek sticksand grass and reeds and such like matters as are small and dry, so wemay kindle a fire, and I will cause thee look, O son of my brother, upona thing which passeth understanding. " [218]

When Alaeddin heard this, he yearned to see what his uncle was about todo; so he forgot his fatigue and rising forthright, fell to gatheringbrushwood and dry sticks and gathered till the Maugrabin said to him, "Enough, O son of my brother. " Then he brought out of his pocket acasket, from which he took what he needed of perfumes, and proceededto make fumigations and conjurations, speaking words that might not beunderstanded; and straightway it darkened and thundered and the earthquaked and opened. At this Alaeddin was sore affrighted and would havefled; which when the Maugrabin enchanter saw, he was exceeding, incensedat him, for that without Alaeddin his labour was of none avail, sincethe treasure whereat he sought to come might not be opened save bymeans of the lad. So, when he saw him offer to flee, he rose to him andlifting his hand, smote him on his head, that he came nigh to knock outhis teeth; whereupon Alaeddin swooned away and fell upon the earth;but, after a little, he recovered his senses, by the virtue of theMaugrabin's enchantments, and falling a-weeping, said to him, "O myuncle, what have I done to deserve from thee this blow?" The Maugrabinproceeded to soothe him and said to him, "O my son, it is my desire tomake thee a man; so cross me not, for that I am thine uncle and as itwere thy father; wherefore do thou obey me in that which I shall say tothee, and after a little thou shalt forget all this travail and annoy, whenas thou lookest upon things marvellous. "

Now, when the earth clove in sunder before the enchanter, there appearedto him an alabaster slab and in it a ring of molten brass; [219] so heturned to Alaeddin and said to him, "An thou do that which I shall tellthee, thou shalt become richer than all the kings; and on this account, O my son, I beat thee, for that here is a treasure and it is in thyname, and thou, thou wouldst fain have passed it by and fled. Butnow collect thy wits [220] and see how I have opened the earth by myconjurations and incantations. Under [221] yonder stone, wherein is thering, is the treasure whereof I have told thee; so do thou put thy handto the ring and lift the slab, for that none of mankind can open it butthou and none but thou can set his foot within this treasure, since itis guarded for thee. But needs must thou hearken from me that which Ishall teach thee and lose not [222] a syllable of my speech. Marry, allthis, O my son, is for thy good, for that this is an exceeding greattreasure, the kings of the world possess not its like, and it is thineand mine. " So poor Alaeddin forgot fatigue and beating and weeping, ofhis amazement at the Maugrabin's speech and joy that he should becomerich after such a measure that even the kings would be no wealthier thanhe, and said to him, "O my uncle, command me all thou wilt, for I willbe obedient unto thy commandment. " And the Maugrabin said to him, "Oson of my brother, thou art as my very son, nay, dearer, for being mybrother's son. I have no kindred other than thyself and thou art mynatural heir and successor, O my son. "

Therewith he came up to Alaeddin and kissed him saying, "All these mytoils, whom do they concern? [223] They are all for thy sake, O my son, that I may make [224] thee a man rich and great [225] exceedingly; sogainsay me not in aught that I shall tell thee; but go up to yonder ringand raise it, as I bade thee. " "O my uncle, " quoth Alaeddin, "this stoneis heavy; I cannot raise it of myself, [226] so come thou also and helpme raise it, for I am little of years. " "O son of my brother, " repliedthe Maugrabin, "it will not be possible for us to do aught, an I helpthee, and our toil will be wasted in vain; but do thou put thy hand tothe ring and raise it and it will immediately come up with thee; for, asI said to thee, none may handle it but thou. But, when thou raisestit, name thine own name and those of thy father and mother and it willstraightway rise with thee, nor shalt thou feel its weight. "

Accordingly, Alaeddin took courage and summoning his resolution, didas the Maugrabin bade him and raised the slab with all ease, whenas hepronounced his own name and those of his father and his mother. So thestone came up and he threw it aside; whereupon [227] there appeared tohim an underground place and its door, whereas one entered by a stair ofsome dozen steps, and the Maugrabin said to him, "O Alaeddin, give heed[228] and do punctually that which I shall tell thee, neither fail ofaught thereof. Go down with all circumspection into yonder vault tillthou come to the bottom thereof and thou wilt find there a place dividedinto four chambers, [229] in each of which thou wilt see four jars ofgold and others of native ore and silver. Beware lest thou handle themor take aught therefrom, but pass them by till thou come to the fourthchamber, and let not thy clothes or thy skirts touch the jars, no, northe walls, and stay not one moment; for, an thou do contrary to this, thou wilt forthright be transformed and wilt become a black stone. Whenthou comest to the fourth chamber, thou wilt find there a door; openit and speak the names which thou spokest over the slab; then enter andthou wilt find thyself in a garden, all adorned with trees and fruits. Thence do thou fare on some fifty cubits in the path thou wilt findbefore thee and thou wilt come to a dais, [230] with [231] a stair ofsome thirty steps. Above the dais thou [232] wilt find a lamp hung up;take it and pour out the oil that is therein and put it in thy sleeve;[233] and fear not for thy clothes therefrom, for that it [234] is notoil. And as thou returnest, thou mayst pluck from the trees what thouwilt, for that it is thine, what while the lamp abideth in thy hand. "

When the Maugrabin had made an end of his speech, he drew from hisfinger a ring and putting it on Alaeddin's finger, said to him, "Andthis ring, O, my son, shall deliver thee from all hurt and all fear thatmay betide thee, provided thou observe all that I have said to thee. Sonow arise and go down; gird thy loins and summon up thy resolution andfear not, for that thou art a man and not a child; and after this, Omy son, thou shalt in a little time become the richest of mankind. "So Alaeddin arose and going down into the underground, found the fourchambers and in each four jars of gold. He passed them by with all careand precaution, even as the Maugrabin had bidden him, and entering thegarden, fared on there through till he came to the dais and mounting thestair, entered [235] and found the lamp. So he quenched it and pouringout the oil that was therein, put it in his sleeve; then, going downinto the garden, he fell to gazing upon its trees, whereon were birdsextolling with their songs [236] the perfection of the Great Creator, and he had not seen them as he entered. Now the fruits of these treeswere all precious stones, each tree bearing fruit of one colour andkind of jewel, and these fruits were of all colours, green and white andyellow and red and what not else of colours. Their glitterance outshonethe rays of the sun in its forenoon splendour and the bigness of eachjewel overpassed description; suffice it that not one of them might befound with the greatest of the kings of the world, [237] no, nor a gemhalf the bigness of the smallest that was there. 

Alaeddin [238] entered among the trees and proceeded to gaze upon themand upon these things which amazed the sight and ravished the senseand observing them, saw that, instead of fruits, they bore magnificentjewels from the mines, emeralds and diamonds and rubies and pearls andtopazes [239] and the like of precious stones, such as confounded thewit. Now, for that this was a thing Alaeddin had never in his life seen, neither was he of ripe age, so he should know the value of these jewels, by reason of his being yet a young lad, he thought that they were allglass or crystal; so he gathered of them what filled his sleeves [240]and fell to looking an they were grapes or figs and the like of fruitsthat might be eaten or not; but, finding them like glass, he proceededto gather in his sleeve [241] of every kind that was upon the trees, albeit he knew not jewels nor their worth, saying in himself, since hehad been baulked in his intent of eating, "I will gather of these fruitsof glass and will play with them at home. " Accordingly he proceeded topluck and put in his pockets [242] and his sleeves [243] till he filledthem; after which he filled his girdle with the fruits and girt himselfwithal; in fine, he carried off as much as he might, purposing to laythem up with him in the house by way of ornament, for that he thoughtthem glass, as I have said. Then he quickened his pace, of his fear ofhis uncle the Maugrabin, and hastened through the four chambers and the[outer] vault nor looked, as he returned, at the jars of gold, albeit hemight now have taken of them. [244]

When he came to the stair [245] and ascended it and there remained tohim but a small matter, to wit, the last step, which was much higherthan the others, he could not avail to mount it of himself, havingregard to that which he was carrying; so he said to the Maugrabin, "Omy uncle, give me thy hand and help me up. " Quoth he, "O my son, giveme the lamp and lighten thyself; maybe it is that which hindereth thee. ""Nay, O my uncle, " answered Alaeddin, "the lamp hindereth me nought; butdo thou give me thy hand and when I am up, I will give thee the lamp. "The enchanter, who wanted the lamp and that only, fell to urgingAlaeddin to give it him; but the latter, having wrapped it within hisclothes, with purses [246] of jewel-fruits atop of it, [247] couldnot reach it with his hand, so he might give it him. [248] The [249]Maugrabin was instant with him to give him the lamp and was like to losehis wits for rage, seeing he attained not his object, albeit Alaeddinstill promised him that he would give it him as soon as he was forth ofthe vault, [and that] without lying thought or ill intent. Then, when hesaw that Alaeddin would not give it him, he was angry with an exceedinganger and abandoning all hope of the lamp, conjured and enchanted andcast perfumes into the midst of the fire; whereupon the slab immediatelyturned over [250] and shut [251] of itself by the might of hisenchantments; the earth covered it like as it was before and Alaeddinabode under the ground, unable to come forth. 

Thus the enchanter--forasmuch as he was a stranger and no uncle ofAlaeddin, as he said, but had counterfeited himself and avouchedleasing, so he might get the lamp by means of the lad, unto whom thattreasure was fortuned by the stars-shut up [252] the earth upon him andleft him to die of hunger. Now this accursed Maugrabin wizard was fromthe city of Africa [253] in Hither Barbary and had from his childhoodbeen addicted to magic and all the occult arts, for which the city inquestion is renowned. He ceased not from his tenderest years to studyand learn in his native land Africa till he became versed in allsciences, and of the much skill and proficiency which he acquired, by dint of study and application for the space of forty years, in thematter of incantations and conjurations, it was discovered to him, [254]one day of the days, that among the uttermost of the cities of Chinawas a city called El Kelaas and in this city a vast treasure, the likewhereof no king of the kings of the world ever possessed; but the rarest[was] that in this treasure [was] [255] a wonderful lamp, [256] whereatif one should come, there might no man be found on earth richer than he, whether in might or in wealth, nor might the greatest king in theworld avail unto aught of the riches of this lamp and its puissance andvirtue. Moreover [257] he saw that this treasure was to be achievedby means of a lad of mean birth, by name Alaeddin, who was of the cityaforesaid, and that it was eath to take and unarduous: so he tarriednot, but equipped himself forthright for the voyage to China, as we havesaid, and did that which he did with Alaeddin, thinking to come by thelamp. But his endeavour was baffled and his expectation baulked and histoil wasted in vain; whereupon he sought to kill Alaeddin and closed upthe earth upon him by his sorcery, so he might die (and the live hathno slayer [258]); moreover, he purposed by this that Alaeddin shouldnot come forth and that the lamp should not be brought up from under theearth. Then he went his ways and returned to his country Africa, woefuland despairing of his hope. 

So much for the enchanter and as for what came of Alaeddin, after theearth closed over him, he fell to calling upon the Maugrabin, whom hethought his uncle, to give him his hand, so he might come forth theunderground to the surface of the earth; but, when he found that nonereturned him an answer, he was ware of the cheat which the Maugrabin hadput upon him and knew that he was none of his uncle, but a liar and asorcerer. Therewith he despaired of his life and knew, to his woe, thatthere was no more going forth for him upon the face of the earth; so hefell to weeping and lamenting over that which had befallen him. Then, after a little, he arose and went down, that he might see if God theMost High had vouchsafed him a door whereby he might go forth; and hewent seeking right and left, but saw nought save darkness and four wallsshut upon him; for that the Maugrabin sorcerer had by his enchantmentslocked all the doors and had even shut up the garden, so he might leavehim no door whereby he should come forth upon the face of the earthand so hasten his death upon him. Alaeddin's weeping redoubled and hislamentation waxed when he saw all the doors shut and eke the garden, forthat he thought to solace himself with them [259] a little; but he foundthem locked, so he fell to crying out and weeping, as he whose hope iscut off, and returning, sat down upon the steps of the stair whereby hehad entered the vault, weeping [260] and wailing; and indeed he had losthope. 

But it is a small matter for God (extolled be His perfection and exaltedbe He) whenas He willeth a thing, to say to it "Be, " and it is; for thatHe createth relief out of the midst of stress; by token that, when theMaugrabin enchanter sent Alaeddin down into the vault, he gave him aring and put it on his finger, saying, "This ring will deliver thee fromall stress, an thou be in calamities or vicissitudes, and will removefrom thee troubles; yea, it will be thy helper whereassoever thou art;"and this was by the foreordinance of God the Most High, so it might bethe means of Alaeddin's deliverance. So, as he sat weeping and bewailinghis case and indeed his hope was cut off of life and despair was heavyupon him, he fell, of the excess of his anguish, to wringing [261] hishands, after the wont of the woeful; then, raising them [to heaven], hemade supplication to God, saying, "I testify that there is no God butThou alone, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Conquering, the Giver of Lifeand Death, [262] Creator and Accomplisher [263] of necessities, Resolverof difficulties and perplexities and Dispeller thereof, [264] Thoumy sufficiency, Thou the most excellent Guardian, and I testify thatMohammed is Thy servant and Thine apostle. O my God, I conjure Thee, byhis [265] glory with Thee, deliver me from my extremity. "

Whilst he was thus supplicating God and wringing his hands in theexcess of his affliction for that which had befallen him of calamity, he chanced to rub upon the ring, and immediately, behold, a genie [266]rose up before him and said to him, "Here am I; thy slave is beforethee. Seek whatsoever thou wilt, for that I am his slave who hath thering in hand, the ring of my lord. " [267] Alaeddin looked and saw aMarid, [268] as he were of the Jinn of our lord Solomon, standing beforehim, and shuddered at his frightful aspect; but, when he heard the geniesay to him, "Seek whatsoever thou wilt, for that I am thy slave, sincethe ring of my lord is on thy hand, " he took heart and bethought himof the Maugrabin's speech to him, whenas he gave him the ring. So herejoiced exceedingly and took courage and said to him, "O slave of thelord of the ring, I will of thee that thou bring me out upon the face ofthe earth. " Hardly had he made an end of that his speech when, behold, the earth opened and he found himself without, at the door of thetreasure, to wit, upon the surface of the earth. 

Now, he had been three days under the earth, sitting in the treasure inthe dark; so, when the light of day smote on his face and the rays ofthe sun, he might not unclose his eyes, but took to opening them littleby little and shutting them again till they became stronger and grewused to the light and were cleared of the darkness. Then, [269] seeinghimself upon the surface of the earth, he rejoiced exceedingly, butmarvelled to find himself overagainst the entrance of the treasure, whereby he went down, whenas the Maugrabin enchanter opened it; and nowthe stone was shut down and the earth levelled, nor was there any signtherein of a door. So he redoubled in wonderment and thought himselfotherwhere; nor was he assured that he was in the very place, tillhe saw whereas they had kindled the fire of sticks and brushwoodand whereas the Maugrabin enchanter had made his fumigations andconjurations. Then he turned right and left and saw the gardens afar offand looked at the way and knew it for that by which they had come. So hegave thanks to God the Most High, who had brought him out on the earth'sface and had delivered him from death, after he had given up hope oflife. Then he arose and fared homeward, by the way which he knew, tillhe came to the city and entering, betook himself to their house andwent in to his mother. When he saw her, he fell down before her, ofthe greatness of the joy which possessed him for his deliverance, andswooned away for the affright and the weariness which he had suffered, more by token that he was weak with hunger. 

Now his mother had been woebegone since he left her and sat wailing andweeping for him; so, when she saw him come in to her, she rejoiced inhim with an exceeding joy, but grief overwhelmed her, whenas she sawhim fall aswoon upon the earth. However, she wasted no time in vainlamentation, but hastened to sprinkle water on his face and sought ofher neighbours somewhat of perfumes, to which she made him smell. Whenhe was a little recovered, he prayed her bring him somewhat to eat, saying to her, "O my mother, these three days past I have eatennothing. " So she arose and setting before him that which she had ready, said to him, "Rise, O my son, eat and restore thyself; and when thouart rested, tell me what hath happened to thee and what calamity hathbefallen thee. I will not question thee now, because thou art weary. "So, [270] when he had eaten and drunken and had refreshed himself andwas rested and restored, he said to her, "Alack, mother mine, I have asore grief against thee in that thou leftest me to yonder accursed man, who strove for my destruction. Indeed, he sought to kill me; nay, I sawdeath face to face from that accursed wretch, whom thou deemedst mineuncle, and but for God the Most High, who delivered me from him, [I hadperished]. Marry, both I and thou, O my mother, suffered ourselves to bedeluded by him after the measure of that which the accursed promisedto do with me of good and of the love which he professed for me. Know, then, O my mother, that this man is an accursed Maugrabin enchanter, a liar, a deceiver, an impostor and a hypocrite; methinketh the devilsthat be under the earth are not his match, may God put him to shame inevery book! [271] Hear, O my mother, what this accursed did; nay, allI shall tell thee is truth and soothfastness. Do but see the villain'sduplicity; bethink thee of the promises he made me that he would do meall manner of good [272] and the love he professed to me, and how he didall this that he might accomplish his purpose; nay, his intent was tokill me, and praised be God for my deliverance! Hearken, O my mother, and learn what this accursed one did. "

Then he told her all that had befallen him from the time of his leavingher, weeping the while for excess of joy; how the Maugrabin broughthim to the hill, wherein was the treasure, and how he conjured andfumigated. "And indeed. O my mother, " said he, "there overcame meexceeding fear, whenas the hill clove in sunder and the earth openedbefore me by his enchantments; and I quaked with terror at the voice ofthe thunder which I heard and the darkness which befell of his spellsand fumigations, and of my dismay at these portents, I would have fled. When he saw me offer to flee, he reviled me and smote me, dealing mea buffet which caused me swoon for pain [273] but, inasmuch as thetreasure was opened and he could not go down into it himself, seeing hehad opened it by my means and that it was in name and not for him, heknew, being a foul sorcerer, that it might [only] be achieved through meand that this adventure was [reserved] for me. [274] Accordingly [275]he applied himself to make his peace with me, that he might send me downinto the treasure, now it was opened, and attain his object by my means;and when he sent me down, he gave me a ring, which he had on his hand, and put it on my finger. So I descended into the treasure and found fourchambers, all full of gold and silver and the like; but this all wasnothing and the accursed one charged me take nought thereof. Thence Ientered a magnificent garden, [276] all full of high trees, whosefruits ravished the wits, O my mother, for that they were all ofvarious-coloured crystal, [277] and I fared on till I came to thepavilion [278] wherein was this lamp; whereupon I took it forthright andquenching it, poured out that which was therein. "

[So saying, ] he pulled out the lamp from his sleeve and showed it to hismother. Moreover, he showed her the jewels which he had brought fromthe garden. Now there were two great purses [279] full of these jewels, whereof not one was to be found with the kings of mankind; and Alaeddinknew not their value, but thought that they were glass or crystal. "Then, O my mother, " continued he, "after I had fetched the lamp and hadgone forth [the garden] and came to the door of the treasure, I criedout to the accursed Maugrabin, who feigned himself my uncle, to give mehis hand and pull me up, for I was laden with things which weighed medown, so that it was not possible for me to mount alone. However, hewould not give me his hand, but said to me, 'Reach me the lamp thatis with thee, and after I will give thee my hand and pull thee up. 'I, seeing that I had put the lamp within my sleeve and the purses atop[280] of it, could not reach it to give it to him and said to him, 'Omy-uncle, I cannot give thee the lamp. When I come up, I will give itto thee. ' But he would not help me up; nay, he would e'en have the lamp, and his intent was to take it from me and turn back the earth over meand destroy me, even as he did with me in the end. This, then, O mymother, was what befell me from that foul wizard. " And he told her allthat had passed between them from first to last and fell to revilingthe Maugrabin with all rancour and heat of heart, saying, "Out on thisaccursed one, this foul sorcerer, this hard-hearted oppressor, thisinhuman, perfidious, hypocritical villain, lacking [281] all mercy andruth!"

When [282] Alaeddin's mother heard her son's speech and that which theaccursed Maugrabin did with him, she said to him, "Yea, verily, O myson, he is a misbeliever and a hypocrite, who destroyeth folk with hissorcery; but glory [283] to God the Most High, who hath delivered theefrom the perfidy and guile of this accursed sorcerer, of whom I thoughtthat he was in very deed thine uncle. " Now, Alaeddin had passed threedays without sleep and found himself drowsy; so he [withdrew to hischamber and] slept. His mother did likewise and Alaeddin ceased not tosleep till next day, [284] near noontide, when he awoke and immediatelysought somewhat to eat, for that he was anhungred; and his mother saidto him, "O my son, I have nought to give thee to eat, for that all I hadby me thou atest yesterday. But wait awhile; I have here a little yarnby me and I am going down to the market, so I may sell it and buy theewithal somewhat thou mayst eat. " "O my mother, " rejoined Alaeddin, "keepthe yarn and sell it not; but give me the lamp which I brought home, so I may arise and sell it and with its price buy somewhat we may eat. Methinketh it will fetch more than the yarn. " So she arose and fetchedthe lamp; but, finding it exceeding dirty, she said to him, "O my son, this lamp is dirty, and if we wash it and furbish it, it will sell fora better price. " Accordingly she took a little sand and fell to scouringthe lamp withal; but scarce had she begun to rub it when there appearedto her one of the Jinn, foul of favour and monstrous of make as he wereof the giants, and said to her, "Say what thou wilt of me. Here am I, thy slave and the slave of whoso hath in his hand the lamp; and not Ialone, but all the slaves of the wonderful lamp that is in thy hand. "When she saw his frightful aspect, she trembled and fear get hold uponher and her tongue was tied, nor could she return an answer, for thatshe was not used to look upon apparitions like unto this; so [285] shefell down aswoon of her terror. 

Now Alaeddin her son was standing afar off and he had seen the slaveof the ring which he had rubbed in the treasure; so, when he heard thegenie's speech to his mother, he hastened to take the lamp from her handand said to him, "O slave of the lamp, I am hungry; my will is thatthou bring me somewhat I may eat, and be it somewhat good past conceit. "[286] The genie was absent the twinkling of an eye and [returning, ]brought him a great costly tray of sheer silver, whereon were twelveplatters of various kinds and colours [287] of rich meats and two silvercups and two flagons [288] of clarified old wine and bread whiter thansnow; all which he set before him and disappeared. So Alaeddin arose andsprinkled rosewater on his mother's face and made her smell to strong[289] perfumes; whereupon she revived and he said to her, "Rise, Omy mother, so we may eat of this food that God the Most High hathvouchsafed us. " [290] When she saw the great silver tray, she marvelledand said to Alaeddin, "O my son, who is the generous, the bountiful onethat hath sought out our hunger [291] and our poverty? Indeed, we arebeholden to him. [292] Apparently the Sultan hath heard of our case andour wretchedness and hath sent us this tray. " "O my mother, " answeredAlaeddin, "this is no time for questioning; rise, so we may eat, for weare anhungred. "

So they arose and sitting down to the tray, proceeded to eat, whilstAlaeddin's mother tasted food such as she had never in all her lifeeaten. And they ate diligently [293] with all appetite, for stress ofhunger, more by token that the food [was such as] is given to kings, nor knew they if the tray were precious or not, for that never in theirlives had they seen the like of these things. When they had made an endof eating and were full (and there was left them, over and above whatsufficed them, [enough] for the evening-meal and for the next dayalso), they arose and washing their hands, sat down to talk; whereuponAlaeddin's mother turned to her son and said to him, "O my son, tell mewhat befell of [294] the genie, now that, praised be God, we have eatenof His bounty and are satisfied and thou hast no pretext for sayingto me, 'I am anhungred. '" So he told her all that had passed betweenhimself and the genie, whenas she fell down aswoon of her affright;whereat exceeding wonderment took her and she said to him, "It is true, then, [295] that the Jinn appear to the sons of Adam, though I, O myson, in all my days, I have never seen them, and methinketh this ishe who delivered thee, whenas thou west in the treasure. " "Nay, O mymother, " answered he, "this was not he; he who appeared to thee is theslave of the lamp. " "How so, [296] O my son?" asked she; and he said, "This slave is other of make than that. That was the servant of the ringand this thou sawest is the slave of the lamp which was in thy hand. "When [297] his mother heard this, "Well, well!" cried she. "Then theaccursed who appeared to me and came nigh to kill me for affright isof the lamp?" "Ay is he, " answered Alaeddin; and she said to him, "Iconjure thee, O my son, by the milk thou suckedst of me, that thou castaway from thee both lamp and ring, for that they will be to us a causeof exceeding fear and I could not endure to see them [298] a secondtime; nay, their commerce is forbidden unto us, for that the prophet(whom God bless and keep) warneth us against them. " [299] "O my mother, "answered Alaeddin, "thy speech is on my head and eyes; [300] but, as forthis that thou sayest, it may not be that I should cast away either thelamp or the ring; nay, thou seest that which it [301] did with us ofgood, whenas we were anhungred, and know, O my mother, that the lyingMaugrabin enchanter, what time I went down into the treasure, soughtnought of gold nor of silver, whereof the four places were full, butcharged me bring him the lamp and that only, for that he knew thegreatness of its virtues; [302] and except he knew it to be exceeding ofmight, he had not toiled and travailed and come from his land to this inquest of it, nor had he shut the treasure on me, whenas he failed of thelamp, seeing I gave it him not. Wherefore, O my mother, it behoveth uskeep this lamp and guard it with all care, for that this is our supportand this it is shall enrich us; and it behoveth us show it not unto any. On like wise, as for the ring, it may not be that I should put it offfrom my finger, forasmuch as, but for this ring, thou hadst not seen meagain on life; nay, I had died under the earth within the treasure; sohow can I put it off from my hand and who knoweth what may happen tome in time to come of error or calamity or shift of the shifts ofmischance, from which the ring might deliver me? However, of regard forthy wish, I will lay up the lamp and let thee not see it henceforth. "When his mother heard his words and pondered them, she saw them to bejust and true and said to him, "O my son, do what thou wilt. For mypart, I wish never to see them nor ever again to behold that loathsomeaspect [303] which I saw [but now]. "

Alaeddin [304] and his mother abode two days eating of the food whichthe genie had brought, and when it was finished and he knew that therewas left them nothing to eat, he arose and taking a platter of thosewhich the slave had brought on the tray (now they were of fine gold, but Alaeddin knew it not) went with it to the market, where a Jew, aman viler than devils themselves, accosted [305] him and he gave him theplatter. When the Jew saw it, he took Alaeddin aside, so none might seehim, and examining the platter, found it of fine gold, [306] but knewnot if Alaeddin was ware of its worth or if he was ignorant thereof; sohe said to him, "How much, O my lord, for this platter?" And Alaeddinanswered him, saying, "Thou knowest how much it is worth. " The Jew wasperplexed how much he should give Alaeddin for the platter, by reason ofhis having made him an adroit answer, and bethought himself to give himlittle, but feared lest he should be aware of its value and debated withhimself if he should give him much. Then said he in himself, "Most likehe knoweth not its value;" so he brought out of his pocket a gold dinerand gave it to him. When Alaeddin saw the diner in his hand, he took itand went off in haste, whereby the Jew knew that the lad was unawareof the value of the plate and repented him sore that he had given him agold diner and not a carat of three-score: [307]

Meanwhile Alaeddin tarried not, but went forthright to the baker andbought of him bread and changed the diner; then, returning to hismother, he gave her the bread and the rest of the money and said to her, "O my mother, go and buy us what we need. " So she arose and going to themarket, bought all that they needed and they ate and were cheered. Then, whenassoever the price of a platter was spent, Alaeddin would takeanother and carry it to the Jew; on which wise the accursed Jew boughtthem all of him for a small matter and would fain also have reduced theprice; but, since he had given him a diner the first time, he feared tooffer him less, lest the lad should go and sell to another [308] and helose that excessive profit. Accordingly, Alaeddin ceased not to sell himplatter after platter till he had sold them all and there was lefthim only the tray whereon they had been; then, for that it was big andheavy, he went and fetched the Jew to the house and brought out to himthe tray. When he saw it and noted its bigness, he gave Alaeddin tendiners, which he took, and the Jew went his way. 

Alaeddin and his mother lived upon the ten diners till they came to anend; then he arose and bringing out the lamp, rubbed it, whereupon theslave of the lamp, to wit, the genie whom he had seen before, appearedto him and [309] said to him, "Seek what thou wilt, O my lord, for thatI am thy slave and the slave of whoso hath with him the lamp. " QuothAlaeddin, "It is my will that thou bring me a tray of food like untothat which thou broughtest me erewhen, for that I am hungry;" and theslave brought him, in the twinkling of an eye, a tray like unto thatwhich he had brought him before, and on it twelve magnificent plattersfull of rich meats, together with flagons [310] of clarified wine andbread of the finest. Now Alaeddin's mother, when she knew that her sonwas minded to rub the lamp, had gone out, so she might not see the genieagain; but, after a little, she came in to him and seeing the tray fullof silver platters, whilst the whole house reeked with the fragrance ofthe rich meats, marvelled and rejoiced; and Alaeddin said to her, "Omy mother, thou badest me throw away the lamp. See now its uses. " "O myson, " answered she, "may God prosper him; [311] but fain would I not seehim. " Then they sat down to the tray and ate and drank till they weresatisfied, laying up that which remained with them against the morrow. 

Then, when that which was with them of food was finished, Alaeddin aroseand taking one of the platters under his clothes, went in quest of theJew, so he might sell it to him; but, as chance willed it, he passed bythe shop of a goldsmith, an honest, pious man, who feared God. When thelatter saw Alaeddin, he accosted him and said to him, "O my son, whatwilt thou? This many a time have I seen thee pass hereby and betakethyself to such an one, a Jew, and I have seen thee give him certainthings. Nay, methinketh even now thou hast somewhat with thee and artseeking him, so thou mayst sell it to him. But thou knowest not, O myson, that the good of the Muslims, believers in the unity of God theMost High, is lawful spoil in the eyes of Jews; nay, they still cheatthe Muslims and especially this accursed one with whom thou dealest andinto whose hands thou hast fallen. Wherefore, O my son, an thou havewith thee aught thou wouldst sell, show it to me and fear nothing, forthat, by the truth of God the Most High, I will give thee its price. "Accordingly, Alaeddin brought out the platter to the old man, who tookit and weighing it in his scales, said to him, "Was it the like of thisthou usest to sell to the Jew?" "Ay, " replied Alaeddin, "its like andits brother. " "And how much, " asked the goldsmith, "useth he to givethee to its price?" And Alaeddin said, "He useth to give me a diner. "

When [312] the goldsmith heard this, "Out on this accursed one, " criedhe, "who fleeceth the servants of God the Most High!" Then he lookedat Alaeddin and said to him, "O my son, this Jew is a cheat, who hathcheated thee and laughed at thee, for that the silver of this thyplatter is pure and fine; and I have weighed it and find its worththreescore diners and ten; so, an it please thee take its price, take[it]. " Accordingly, he counted out to him seventy diners and he tookthem and thanked him for his kindness, in that he had shown him theJew's trickery. Thenceforward, whenassoever the price of one platter wasspent, he would carry another to the old goldsmith, and on this wise heand his mother increased in substance; but they ceased not to live attheir sufficiency, [313] midwise [betwixt rich and poor], [314] withoutexcessive spending [315] or squandering. As for Alaeddin, he leftidleness and the commerce of striplings and took to consorting withgrown men; [316] nay, he would go every day to the market of themerchants and sit with the great and the small of them and questionof the ways and fashions of commerce and the prices of articles ofmerchandise [317] and otherwhat. He used also to go to the market of thegoldsmiths and the market of the jewellers, and there he would sit andlook upon the different kinds of jewels and see them bought and sold;whereby he became aware that the fruits of the trees, wherewith he hadfilled the purses, [318] whenas he was in the treasure, were neitherglass nor crystal, but jewels, and knew that he had happened upon greatwealth, such as kings might nowise compass. Moreover, he noted allthe jewels that were in the jewellers' market, but saw not [among] thebiggest [of them] one to match with the smallest of those he had athome. 

He ceased not to go daily to the market of the jewellers and to clapup acquaintance with the folk, making friends with them and questioningthem of buying and selling and giving and taking and dear and cheap, till, one day of the days, he arose in the morning and donning hisclothes, went forth, intending, as of wont, for the jewellers' market;but, as he went, he heard the crier proclaiming aloud on this wise, "Bycommandment of the Lord of Beneficence, the king of the age and monarchof the time and the tide, let all the folk shut their shops and storesand enter their houses, for that the Lady Bedrulbudour, daughter ofthe Sultan, purposeth to go to the bath, and whoso transgresseth thecommandment, his punishment shall be death and his blood be on his ownhead. " [319] When Alaeddin heard this proclamation, he longed to lookupon the Sultan's daughter and said in himself, "All the folk talk ofher grace and goodliness, and the uttermost of my desire is to see her. "So [320] he cast about for a device how he might contrive to see theLady Bedrulbudour and him-seemed he were best stand behind the door ofthe bath, that he might see her face, as she entered. Accordingly hebetook himself to the bath, awhile in advance, and posted himself behindthe door, whereas none of the folk might see him. 

Presently, the Sultan's daughter came forth and went round about thecity and its thoroughfares and diverted herself by viewing it; thenshe repaired to the bath and when she came thither, she lifted herface-veil, as she entered; whereupon her face shone out, as it were theresplendent sun or a precious pearl, and she was as saith of her one ofher describers:

 Who sprinkled the kohl of enchantment upon her eyes And gathered the bloom of the rose from her cheeks, fruit-wise? And who was it let down the curtained night of her hair And eke through its glooms made the light of her forehead rise?

When she raised the veil from her face and Alaeddin saw her, he said, "Verily, her fashion glorifieth the Great Creator and extolled be theperfection of Him who made her and graced her with this beauty andgoodliness!" And his back was cloven in sunder, [321] when he saw her;his thought was confounded and his understanding [322] dazed andthe love of her gat hold upon his whole heart; so he turned back andreturning home, went in to his mother, like one distraught. She bespokehim and he answered her neither yea nor nay; then she brought him themorning-meal, as he abode on this wise, and said to him, "O my son, whathath betided thee? Doth there ail thee aught? Tell me what hath befallenthee, for that, against thy wont, I bespeak thee and thou answerest menot. "

Now Alaeddin had been used to think that women were all like his motherand he had heard of the beauty of the Lady Bedrulbudour, daughter of theSultan, but had not known what beauty and grace were; so he turned tohis mother and said to her, "Leave me;" but she was instant with himto come and eat. Accordingly, he came forward and ate a little; then, rising, he threw himself on his bed and lay musing till break of morn;and on this wise he abode all next day. His mother was perplexed at hiscase, unknowing what had befallen him, and bethought herself that belikehe was sick; so she came up to him and questioned him, saying, "O myson, an thou feel aught of pain or otherwhat, tell me, that I may gofetch thee a physician, more by token there is presently in the city aphysician from the land of the Arabs, whom the Sultan hath sent to bringhither, and report saith of him that he is exceeding skilful; so [tellme] if thou art sick, that I may go and call him to thee. "

When [323] Alaeddin heard his mother offer to fetch him the physician, he said to her, "O my mother, I am well and not sick, but I had thoughtthat women were all like unto thee. However, yesterday, I saw the LadyBedrulbudour, the Sultan's daughter, as she went to the bath;" andhe told her all that had happened to him, adding, "And most like thouheardest the crier proclaiming that none should open his shop nor standin the road, so the Lady Bedrulbudour might pass to the bath; but I sawher even as she is, for that, when she came to the door of the bath, shelifted her veil, and when I noted her favour and viewed that noble formof hers, there befell me, O my mother, a passion of yearning for love ofher and desire of her [324] usurped mine every part; nor can I ever morehave ease, except I get her, and I purpose, therefore, to demand her ofthe Sultan her father in the way of law and righteousness. "

When Alaeddin's mother heard her son's speech, she thought little ofhis wit and said to him, "O my son, the name of God encompass thee!Meseemeth thou hast lost thy wit; return to thy senses, [325] O my son, and be not like the madmen!" "Nay, O my mother, " replied he, "I havenot lost my wits nor am I mad; and this thy speech shall not change thatwhich is in my mind, nor is rest possible to me except I get the darlingof my heart, the lovely Lady Bedrulbudour. And my intent is to demandher of her father the Sultan. " So she said to him, "O my son, my lifeupon thee, speak not thus, lest one hear thee and say of thee that thouart mad. Put away from thee this extravagance: [326] who shall undertakean affair like this and demand it of the Sultan? Meknoweth not how thouwilt do to make this request of the Sultan, and if thou speak sooth, [327] by whom wilt thou make it?" "O my mother, " rejoined Alaeddin, "bywhom [should I make] a request like this, when thou art at hand, andwhom have I trustier [328] than thyself? Wherefore my intent is thatthou shalt make this request for me. " "O my son, " quoth she, "Goddeliver me from this! What, have I lost my wits like thee? Put away thisthought from thy mind and bethink thee who thou art, O my son, --the sonof a tailor, the poorest and least of the tailors in this city, and Ialso am thy mother and my folk are exceeding poor; so how wilt thou dareto demand the Sultan's daughter, whom her father would not vouchsafeto marry with kings' sons and Sultans, except they were his peers inpuissance and rank and noblesse; nay, were they one degree less than he, he would not give them his daughter. "

Alaeddin [329] waited till his mother had made an end of her speech andsaid to her, "O my mother, all that thou thinkest I know; marry, I knowfull well that I am the son of poor folk, nor may all this thy talkanywise avail to move me from my purpose; but I beseech thee, an I bethy very son and thou love me, do me this kindness; else wilt thou loseme, for death hasteneth upon me, an I attain not my wish of the belovedof my heart. In any case, O my mother, I am thy son. " When his motherheard his speech, she wept of her concern for him and said to him, "Yes, O my son, I am thy mother and thou art my son and the darling of myheart; [330] I have none other than thee and the extreme of my desire isto rejoice in thee and marry thee. So, an thou wilt, I will seek thee abride of our own rank. But suppose [I do this], they [331] [will] ask atonce an thou have craft or land or trade or garden, so thou mayst live, and what shall I answer them. And if I cannot answer poor folk likeourselves, how, O my son, shall I dare to seek the King's daughter ofChina, who hath none before him and none after him? Wherefore do thouponder this matter in thine understanding. And who seeketh her? The sonof a tailor. [332] Indeed, I know that, an I speak of this, it will butbe for the increase of our ill luck, for that this affair will bring usin great danger with the Sultan and belike there will be death thereinfor thee and for me. As for me, how can I adventure upon this danger andthis effrontery? Moreover, O my son, on what wise shall I demand theehis daughter of the Sultan and how shall I avail to go in to him? Nay, if they question me, what shall I answer them? Most like they will deemme a madwoman. And suppose I gain admission to the presence, what shallI take by way of offering to the Sultan's highness? It [333] is true, Omy son, that the Sultan is clement and rejecteth none that cometh to himfor protection or craveth a boon of him, for that he is bountiful andbeneficent unto all, great and small; [334] but he bestoweth his favoursupon those who are deserving thereof or who have done some feat of armsbefore him or have wrought for the service or defence of the realm; andthou, O my son, tell me, what hast thou done for [335] the Sultan or therealm, that thou shouldst merit of him this boon? Again, this that thoucravest is beyond thy condition; [336] so it cannot be that the kingwill grant thee that which thou seekest. Moreover, whoso presentethhimself before the Sultan and craveth favours of him, it behoveth himtake in his hand somewhat that sorteth with the royal dignity; and asI said to thee, how canst thou presume to present thyself before theSultan and seek of him his daughter, without aught thou mayst profferhim of that which sorteth with his rank?"

"O my mother, " replied Alaeddin, "thou speakest justly and deemest thatwhich is true, [337] and it behoveth me consider all that whereof thoumindest me; but, O my mother, the love of the Sultan's daughter, theLady Bedrulbudour, hath entered into the innermost of my heart; andthere can be no rest for me, except I obtain her. Moreover, thou mindestme of somewhat I had forgotten, and that a thing which emboldeneth me toseek of him his daughter by thee. Thou sayst, O my mother, that I haveno gift to present to the Sultan, according to the wont of the folk, whilst in fact I have by me a gift and an offering, the like whereofmethinketh no king ever possessed, no, nor aught to match therewith; for[338] thou must know, O my mother, that the fruits, which I brought inthe purses [339] from the treasure and which I deemed glass or crystal, are very jewels, methinketh all the kings of the world may not compassthe least of them, and I, of my companying with the jewellers, know thatthey are precious stones. Wherefore, an thou please, have the goodnessto rise and bring me such a China dish which we have by us, [340] thatI may fill it with these jewels, and thou shalt take it as a present tothe Sultan. By this means I am assured that the thing will be easy tothee, and do thou stand before the Sultan and seek of him my desire;but, O my mother, an thou refuse to further me with thine endeavour forthe attainment of my wish of the Lady Bedrulbudour, know that I am adead man. Be not concerned for the gift, for these be exceeding preciousjewels, and know, O my mother, that I have gone many a time to themarket of the jewellers and have seen them sell jewels, that had not anhundredth part [341] of the beauty of these of ours, at exceeding highprices such as man's wit cannot conceive. When, therefore, I saw this, I said [in myself], 'Verily, the jewels that are with us are exceedingprecious. ' So now, O my mother, arise, as I bade thee, and fetch me theChina dish whereof I bespoke thee, that we may range of these jewelstherein and see how they show. "

Accordingly, she arose and brought the China dish, saying in herself, "Let us see if my son's speech be true concerning these jewels or not. "So she set the dish before Alaeddin and he brought out jewels of allkinds from the purses and proceeded to range them in the dish till hefilled it. When it was full, his mother looked at the dish, but couldnot gaze fixedly thereon, for the radiance of the jewels and theirlustre and the excess of their flashing; so she shut her eyes and herwit was confounded at them; yet was she not certified that their valuewas in very deed so great as her son had said, but bethought her thathis speech might be true in that their like was not found with kings. Then Alaeddin turned to her and said, "See, O my mother, this is amagnificent present for the Sultan and I am assured that thou wiltget of him exceeding honour and that he will receive thee with allconsideration. And now, O my mother, there remaineth to thee no excuse;so be good enough [342] to take this dish and go with it to the palace. "

"O my son, " replied she, "true it is that the present is exceedinglycostly and precious and as thou sayest, none hath the like thereof;but who shall dare to come forward and seek of the Sultan his daughterBedrulbudour? Nay, I dare not adventure myself and say to him, 'I wantthy daughter, ' whenas he asketh me, 'What wouldst thou?' Marry, O myson, , my tongue will be tied. And grant that Allah make [the thing]possible and I take courage and say to him, 'I desire to ally myselfto thee by [marrying] thy daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour with my sonAlaeddin, ' they will straightway deem me mad and will put me out withignominy and reproach; nay, I need not tell thee that by this I shallfall into danger of death, and not I only, but thou also. Withal, O myson, of regard for thy wish, needs must I take courage and go; but, O myson, if the King receive me and honour me for the gift's sake and I seekof him that which thou wilt in [343] the matter of marrying his daughterand he ask me, after the wont of the folk, what are thy possessions andthy revenues, what shall I say to him? And most like, O my son, he willask me of this ere he ask me of thyself. " And Alaeddin said to her, "Nay, it cannot be that the Sultan will ask this, whenas he seeth thejewels and their magnificence, and it booteth not to think of a thingthat will not happen. Do thou but rise and seek me his daughter of himand proffer him these jewels and sit not magnifying the affair in thythought beforehand. Moreover, O my mother, thou knowest of the lampwhich is with me and which presently provideth for our livelihood; [344]nay, all that I seek of it it will bring me, and I trust by its means Ishall know how to answer the Sultan, an he ask me of this. "

They abode in talk of the matter all that night and when the morningmorrowed, Alaeddin's mother arose and fortified her heart, more by tokenthat her son expounded to her somewhat of the properties of the lamp andits uses, in that it would bring them all they sought. But, when he sawthat she heartened herself for that which he set forth to her of itsvirtues, he feared lest she should talk of this to the folk, so he saidto her, "O my mother, beware lest thou bespeak any of the lamp and itsuses, for that this is our fortune; be careful [345] and exceed not inspeech thereof to any one, lest we lose it and lose this our presentprosperity, for that it is from it. " [346] "Have no fear for that, O myson, " answered she and rising, took the dish wherein were the jewelsand wrapping it in a fine handkerchief, went forth betimes, so she mightreach the Divan and enter, ere it became crowded. When she came to thepalace, the Divan was not yet assembled [347] and she saw the Vizier andcertain of the chiefs of the state entering the presence-chamber. Aftera while, the Divan being complete with the Viziers and the chiefs of thestate and officers and Amirs and grandees, the Sultan appeared and theViziers and other the officials and notables ranged themselves beforehim, whilst he sat down on the throne of his kingship and all who werepresent in the Divan stood before him, with hands clasped behind them, [348] awaiting his commandment to sit. So he bade them be seated andthey all sat down, each in his several room; then the petitioners [349]presented themselves before the Sultan and each affair was decided inits course, [350] till the Divan came to an end, when the King rose andentered the palace and each went his way. 

As [351] for Alaeddin's mother, having come before all, she found roomto enter, but withal none bespoke her, so he should bring her in beforethe Sultan; wherefore she ceased not standing till the Divan broke upand the Sultan rose and entered the palace and all went their ways. Whenshe saw the Sultan rise from his throne and enter the harem, shetook her way homeward and returning on her steps, entered her house. Alaeddin, seeing her with the dish in her hand, knew that most likesome mischance had betided her, but cared not to question her till sheentered and setting down the dish, told him what had passed and finallysaid to him, "God be praised, O my son, I mustered courage to findmyself a place in the Divan, albeit I could not win to speak with theSultan to day; but to-morrow, an it please God the Most High, I willbespeak him. To-day there were many other folk, like myself, unableto get speech of the Sultan; but be easy, O my son; to-morrow I willwithout fail bespeak him on thy behalf, and what happened not shallhappen. " When Alaeddin heard his mother's words, he rejoiced with anexceeding joy, albeit, of the excess of his love and longing for theLady Bedrulbudour, he had looked for the matter to be accomplished thenand there; nevertheless, he used patience. 

They slept that night and on the morrow Alaeddin's mother arose and wentwith the dish to the Sultan's Divan, but found it closed; so she askedthe folk and they said to her, "The Sultan holdeth a Divan but thricea week;" wherefore she was compelled [352] to return home. Then sheproceeded to go every day, and whenas she found the Divan open, shewould stand before the door, [353] till it broke up, when she wouldreturn home; and whiles she went and found the Divan closed. [354] Onthis wise she abode a week's space [355] and the Sultan saw her ateach Divan; so, when she went on the last day [of the week] and stood, according to her wont, before the Divan, till it was ended, but couldnot muster courage to enter [356] or say aught, the Sultan arose andentering the harem, turned to his chief Vizier, who was with him, andsaid to him, "O Vizier, these six or seven days [357] past I have seenyonder old woman come hither at every Divan and I note that she stillcarrieth somewhat under her veil. [358] Hast thou any knowledge of her, O Vizier, and knowest thou what is her want?" "O our lord the Sultan, "replied the Vizier, "verily women are little of wit; and most like thiswoman cometh to complain to thee of her husband or one of her folk, "The Sultan was not content with the Vizier's reply, but bade him, anshe came again to the Divan, bring her before him forthright; [359]whereupon the Vizier laid his hand on his head and answered, "Hearkeningand obedience, O our lord the Sultan. "

Meanwhile, [360] Alaeddin's mother, albeit she was grown exceeding wearyand dejected, yet made light of all weariness, for her son's sake, andcontinued, as of her wont, to go every court-day and stand in the Divanbefore the Sultan. [361] Accordingly, one day of the days, she went tothe Divan, as of her wont, and stood before the Sultan; and when he sawher, he called his Vizier and said to him, "Yonder is the woman of whomI bespoke thee yesterday; bring her now before me, so I may see whather suit is and accomplish unto her her occasion. " So the Vizier aroseforthright and let bring Alaeddin's mother in before the Sultan. Whenshe came into the latter's presence, she made her obeisance to him anddid him reverence, wishing him glory and continuance and eternity ofprosperity and kissing the ground before him. Then said he to her, "Owoman, I see thee come every day to the Divan and thou speakest not ofaught. Tell me an thou have a want, that I may accomplish it unto thee;"whereupon she kissed the earth a second time and called down blessingsupon him, then answered, "Ay, O King of the Age, as thy head liveth, I have indeed a want; but before all things do thou give me thineassurance, [362] so I may make bold to prefer my suit to the hearing ofour lord the Sultan, for that belike Thy Grace will find it a strangeone. "

The Sultan, that he might learn what her suit was and for that he was ofhis nature exceeding clement, gave her his assurance and bidding allwho were with him go out forthright, abode alone [with her], he and theGrand Vizier. Then he turned to her and said, "Tell me thy suit, and theassurance [363] of God the Most High be upon thee. " Quoth she, "O Kingof the Age, I wish thy pardon also. " And he said to her, "God pardonthee!" [364] Then said she to him, "O our lord the Sultan, I have ason, whose name is Alaeddin, and one day of the days he heard thecrier proclaim that none should open his shop nor show himself in thethoroughfares of the city, [365] for that the Lady Bedrulbudour, thedaughter of our lord the Sultan, was going to the bath. When my sonheard this, he wished to see her; so he hid himself in a place, whence he might see her well, and this was behind the door of the bath. Accordingly, when she came up, he saw her and viewed her well, beyondhis wish; and from that time till now, O King of the Age, life hathnot been pleasant to him [366] and he will e'en have me seek her of ThyGrace, [367] so thou mayst marry her with him, and I cannot do away thisconceit from his wit, for that the love of her hath gotten possession ofhis vitals, so that he saith to me, 'Know, O mother mine, that, exceptI attain my desire, assuredly I am a dead man. ' Wherefore I crave ThyGrace's clemency and hope that thou wilt pardon me and my son thiseffrontery neither be wroth with us therefor. "

When the King heard her story, he fell a-laughing, of his clemency, [368] and asked her, "What is that thou hast with thee and what is thatbundle?" [369] Whereupon she, seeing that he was not angered at herwords, but laughed, opened the handkerchief forthright and proffered himthe dish of jewels. When the Sultan saw the jewels (and indeed, whenasshe raised the handkerchief from them, the Divan became as it wereall illumined with lamp-clusters and candlesticks), he was amazed andconfounded at their radiance and fell a-marvelling at their lustre andbigness and beauty; and [370] he said, "Never saw I the like of thesejewels for beauty and bigness and perfection, nor methinketh is one ofthem found in my treasuries. " Then he turned to his Vizier and said tohim, "How sayst thou, O Vizier? Sawest thou ever in thy life the like ofthese magnificent jewels?" "Never, O our lord the Sultan, " replied theVizier, "nor, methinketh, is the least of those which be here found inthe treasuries of our lord the King. " Quoth the Sultan, "Doth not hewho giveth me these jewels deserve to be bridegroom to my daughterBedrulbudour? Marry, by what I see, meseemeth none is worthier of herthan he. "

When the Vizier heard the Sultan's words, his tongue was tied fordespite and he was overcome with exceeding chagrin, forasmuch as theKing had promised him that he would marry his daughter to his son;so, after a little, he said to him, "O King of the age, Thy Gracecondescended to promise me [371] that the Lady Bedrulbudour should be myson's; wherefore it behoveth thine exalted highness appoint a delay ofthree months, [372] and God willing, my son's present shall be greaterthan this. " The King, for all he knew that this was a thing whereto theVizier might not avail, no, nor the greatest King, [373] neverthelessexercised his clemency [374] and granted him the delay he sought; then, turning to the old woman, he said to her, "Go to thy son and tell himI give him [my] word that my daughter shall be in his name; [375] butneeds must I take order for her equipment; [376] wherefore it behovethhim grant us a delay of three months. "

Alaeddin's mother took the answer and thanked the Sultan and prayed forhim, then went forth and fared homeward in haste, flying of her joy, till she came to the house and entered. Her son saw her laughing-facedand foreboded good news; more by token that she returned forthrightand tarried not, as on each day past, neither brought back the dish. Accordingly he asked her and said to her, "God willing, O my mother, thou bringest me good news; the jewels and their value have wroughttheir work and thou wilt have found acceptance with the Sultan; yea, hewill have shown thee favour and given ear unto thy suit. " So she toldhim all that had passed and how the Sultan had received her and hadmarvelled, both he and his Vizier, at the size and beauty of the jewels, and how he had promised her that [quoth she] "his daughter shall be inthy name. But, O my son, ere he promised me, the Vizier whispered [377]him somewhat, whereupon he appointed me for three months hence; and Iam fearful lest the Vizier be a man of evil disposition, [378] who willchange the King's mind. "

When [379] Alaeddin heard his mother's words and how the Sultan hadappointed her for [380] three months [thence], his heart was lightenedand he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and said, "Since the Sultan hathpromised for [381] three months [hence], true, it [382] is long, but inany case my joy is great. " Then he thanked her for her kindness and thepains she had taken [383] and said to her, "By Allah, O my mother, itis as I were in a tomb and now thou hast raised me up therefrom; andI praise God the Most High, for I am presently certified that there isnone richer or happier than I in the world. " Then he waited till twoof the three months were past, when his mother went out one day of thedays, at sundown, to buy oil, and saw the markets closed and the cityall decorated and the folk setting candles and flowers in their windowsand saw troops, horse and foot, and mounted eunuchs drawn up in state, with cressets and lustres burning. At this wonder took her; [384]he wentto an oilman's shop there open and buying oil of him, said to him, "[Iconjure thee] by thy life, O uncle, tell me what is toward to-day inthis city, that the folk are making this decoration and the markets[are shut] and the houses all adorned and the troops drawn up in state?"Quoth he, "O woman, methinketh thou art a stranger and art not of thiscity. " "Nay, " answered she, "but I am of this city;" and he said to her, "Thou art of this city and knowest not that this is the night ofthe going in of the Grand Vizier's son to the Lady Bedrulbudour, theSultan's daughter? Nay, he is presently in the bath and yonder Amirsand troops are drawn up awaiting him, against he come forth, so they maycarry him in procession to the palace of the Sultan's daughter. "

When Alaeddin's mother heard this, she was troubled and perplexed inher wit how she should do to acquaint her son with this woeful news, forthat the poor wretch was counting the hours till the three months shouldbe ended. So she returned home forthright and going in to Alaeddin, saidto him, "O my son, I have news to tell thee, but it irketh me for thychagrin therefrom. " Quoth he, "Speak; what is the news?" And she said tohim, "The Sultan hath gone from his promise to thee in the matter of hisdaughter, the Lady Bedrulbudour, for that this very night the Vizier'sson goeth in to her; and indeed methought at the time, [385] O my son, the Vizier would change the Sultan's mind, even as I told thee that hebespoke him privily before me. " "How knewest thou this, " asked Alaeddin, "that the Vizier's son goeth in this night to the Lady Bedrulbudour?" Soshe told him all she had seen of the decorations in the city, whenas shewent to buy the oil, and how the eunuchs and chiefs of the state weredrawn up awaiting the Vizier's son, against he should come forth of thebath, for that this was the night of his going in. When Alaeddin heardthis, he fell into a fever of chagrin; [386] but presently he bethoughthim of the lamp and rejoiced and said to his mother, "By thy life, O mymother, methinketh the Vizier's son shall not rejoice in her, asthou deemest. But now leave us be with this talk and go lay us theevening-meal, so we may sup; then, when I shall have passed a while inmy chamber, all shall yet be well. "

Accordingly, [387] after he had supped, he went into his chamber andlocking the door on himself, fetched the lamp and rubbed it; whereuponthe genie at once appeared to him and said, "Seek what thou wilt, for Iam thy slave and the slave of whoso hath in his hand the lamp, I and allthe slaves of the lamp. " And Alaeddin said to him, "Harkye, I sought ofthe Sultan to marry his daughter, and he appointed me for [388] threemonths' time; however, he abode not by his promise, but gave her to theVizier's son, and the latter purposeth to go in [to her] this night. Wherefore I do presently command thee, as thou art a loyal servant ofthe lamp, that this night, whenas thou seest the bride and bridegroomabed together, thou take them up in their bed [and bring them] hither. This is what I seek of thee. " "Hearkening and obedience, " answered thegenie, "and if thou have a service [to require of me] other than this, command me whatsoever thou seekest. " And Alaeddin said to him, "I haveno present requirement save that whereof I have bespoken thee. " So theslave disappeared and Alaeddin returned to finish his supper [389] withhis mother. 

When he deemed it time for the genie's coming, he arose and entered hischamber; and after a little, the Marid appeared with the bridal pair intheir bed; whereat Alaeddin rejoiced with exceeding great joy and saidto the slave, "Bear this gallowsbird hence and couch him in the house ofeasance. " [390] The genie accordingly took up the bridegroom and couchedhim in the draught-house; moreover, ere he left him, he blew on him ablast wherewith he dried him up, and the Vizier's son abode in woefulcase. Then he returned to Alaeddin and said to him, "An thou needotherwhat, tell me. " And Alaeddin said to him, "Return in the morning, so thou mayst take them [back] to their place. " "Hearkening andobedience, " answered the genie and was gone; whereupon Alaeddinarose, --and indeed he had scarce believed that the thing should succeedwith him, --and when he saw the Lady Bedrulbudour in his house, heentreated her with respect, albeit he had long burned for love of her, and said to her, "O princess of the fair, think not that I have broughtthee hither to soil shine honour. God forbid! Nay, it was that I mightnot let others [391] enjoy thee, for that thy father the Sultan gave mehis word upon thee; so be thou in peace and assurance. " As [392] forthe princess, when she found herself in that mean dark; house and heardAlaeddin's words, fear and trembling get hold upon her and she wasconfounded and could return him no answer. Then he arose and putting offhis clothes, placed a sword between himself and her and lay down by herside in the bed, without treason; [393] it sufficed him to prevent [theconsummation of] her marriage with the Vizier's son. Nevertheless, theLady Bedrulbudour passed the sorriest of nights, never in her life hadshe known a worse; whilst the Vizier's son lay in the draught-house anddared not stir for fear of the genie. 

When it was morning, the genie presented himself before Alaeddin, without his rubbing the lamp, and said to him, "O my lord, an thouwish aught, command me withal, so I may do it on my head and eyes. " AndAlaeddin bade him go carry the bride and bridegroom to their own place. The genie did his bidding in the twinkling of an eye and laying theVizier's son with the Lady Bedrulbudour, took them up and set them downin their place in the palace, without their seeing any one; but theywere like to die of fright, when they felt themselves carried fromplace to place. Hardly had the genie set them down and gone out when theSultan came to visit his daughter; and when the Vizier's son heard thedoor open, he straightway sprang out of bed, knowing that none mightenter but the Sultan, and donned his clothes, [394] albeit this irkedhim sore, for that he would fain have warmed himself a little, havinghad no time [to do so] since he left the draught-house. The [395] Sultancame in to his daughter and kissing her between the eyes, gave hergood-morrow and asked her of her bridegroom and if she was content withhim; but she returned him no answer and looked at him with a dejectedair. [396] He bespoke her several times, but she was silent and answeredhim not a word; so he went out from her and going in to the Queen, toldher what had passed between himself and the Lady Bedrulbudour. 

The Queen, so she might not leave the Sultan angry with the LadyBedrulbudour, said to him, "O King of the Age, this is the wont ofmost brides, on their wedding-day, to be shamefast and show somewhat ofcoyness. So be not vexed with her and after a day or two she will returnto herself and proceed to speak with the folk; but now, O King of theAge, shame hindereth her from speaking. However, I purpose to go to herand see her. " Accordingly she arose and donning her clothes, repairedto her daughter's apartment. Then, going up to her, she gave hergood-morrow and kissed her between the eyes; but the Lady Bedrulbudourreturned her no manner of answer and the Queen said in herself, "Needsmust some strange thing have befallen her, to trouble her thus. " Soshe asked her, saying, "O my daughter, what is the cause of this thybehaviour? Tell me what aileth thee, that I come to thee and give theegood-morrow and thou returnest me no answer. "

The Lady Bedrulbudour raised her head and said to her, "Blame me not, O my mother; indeed, it behoved me receive thee with all reverence andworship, since thou honourest me by coming to me; but I beseech theehear the cause of this my case and see how this night I have passedhath been for me the sorriest of nights. Hardly had we lain down, Omy mother, when one, whose fashion I know not, took up the bed andtransported us to a place dark, foul [397] and mean. " Then she told hermother the queen all that had betided her that night and how they hadtaken her bridegroom, leaving her alone, and how after a little therecame another youth and lay down in the place of her bridegroom, puttinga sword between himself and her; "and in the morning" [quoth she] "hewho had brought us thither returned and taking us up, carried us back toour place here: and hardly had he brought us hither and left us when myfather the Sultan entered and I had neither heart nor tongue to answerhim for stress of fright and trembling which possessed me. And belike myfather is vexed with me; wherefore I prithee, O my mother, tell himthe cause of this my case, so he be not wroth with me for my failure toanswer him neither blame me, but excuse me. "

When [398] the queen heard the princess's story, she said to her, "O mydaughter, beware of [399] telling this tale before any, lest they [400]say, 'Verily the Sultan's daughter hath lost her wits. ' Marry, thoudiddest well in that thou acquaintedst not thy father with this;and beware, yea [again I say, ] beware, O my daughter, of telling himthereof. " "O my mother, " rejoined the Lady Bedrulbudour, "indeed, Ibespoke thee in sober earnest and have not lost my wits; nay, thisis what happened to me, and an thou believe it not from me, ask mybridegroom. " Quoth the queen, "Rise, O my daughter, and put away theseillusions from thy thought; nay, don thy clothes and see the rejoicingthat is toward in the town on thine account and the festivities thatthey celebrate in the kingdom for thy sake and hear the drums and thesinging and look upon the decorations, all in honour of thy nuptials, Omy daughter. " Accordingly, she summoned the tirewomen, who dressed theLady Bedrulbudour and busked her; whilst the Queen went in to the Sultanand told him that there had that night betided the princess a dreamand illusions, saying, "BIame her not for her failure to answer thee. "Moreover, she sent for the Vizier's son privily and questioned him ofthe affair, whether the Lady Bedrulbudour's speech was true or not; buthe, of his fear to lose his bride, lest she should go from his hand, said to her, "O my lady, I know nothing of that which thou sayest;"wherefore the queen was certified that there had betided her daughterillusions and a dream. 

The wedding rejoicings continued all that day, with dancing-women andsinging-women, and all the instruments of mirth and minstrelsy weresmitten, whilst the queen and the Vizier and his son were exceedingassiduous in keeping up the festivities, so the Lady Bedrulbudour shouldrejoice and her chagrin be dispelled; nay, they left nought that dayof that which exciteth unto liesse but they did it before her, so sheshould leave what was in her mind and be cheered. But all this had noeffect on her and she was silent and thoughtful and confounded at thatwhich had befallen her that night. True, the Vizier's son had faredworse than she, for that he was couched in the draught-house; but hebelied [401] the matter and put away that tribulation from his thought, of his fear lest he should lose his bride and his rank, [402] more bytoken that all the folk envied him his lot, for the much increase ofhonour it brought him, as also for the exceeding beauty and lovelinessof the Lady Bedrulbudour. 

As for Alaeddin, he went out that day and saw the rejoicings toward inthe city and the palace and fell a-laughing, especially when he heardthe folk speak of the honour which had betided the Vizier's son andthe greatness of his good luck, in that he was become the Sultan'sson-in-law, and the exceeding pomp used in his marriage and bridalfestivities; and he said in himself, "Ye know not, good simple folk thatye are, [403] what befell him last night, that ye envy him. " Then, whenthe night came in and it was the season of sleep, Alaeddin arose andentering his chamber, rubbed the lamp, whereupon the genie appearedto him forthright and [404] he bade him bring the princess and herbridegroom, as on the past night, ere the Vizier's son should take hermaidenhead. The genie delayed not, but was absent a little while; andwhen it was the appointed time, he returned with the bed and therein theLady Bedrulbudour and the Vizier's son. With the latter he did as hehad done the past night, to wit, he took him and couched him in thedraught-house, where he deft him parched for excess of fright anddismay; whilst Alaeddin arose and placing the sword between himself andthe Lady Bedrulbudour, lay down and slept till the morning, when thegenie appeared and restored the twain to their place, leaving Alaeddinfull of joy at [the discomfiture of] the Vizier's son. 

When the Sultan arose in the morning, he bethought himself to visit hisdaughter Bedrulbudour and see an she should do with him as she had doneon the past day; so, as soon as he awoke from his sleep, he rose anddonning his clothes, went to his daughter's chamber and opened the door. Whereupon the Vizier's son arose forthright and coming down from thebed, fell to donning his clothes, with ribs cracking for cold; forthat, when the Sultan entered, it was no great while since the geniehad brought them back. The Sultan went up to his daughter, the LadyBedrulbudour, as she lay abed, and raising the curtain, gave her goodmorning and kissed her between the eyes and asked her how she did. Shefrowned and returned him no answer, but looked at him sullenly, as shewere in sorry case. He was wroth with her, for that she made him noanswer, and thought that something had betided her; so he drew the swordand said to her, "What hath befallen thee? Either thou shalt tell mewhat aileth thee or I will do away thy life this very moment. Is thisthe respect that is due to my rank and the honour in which thou holdestme, that I bespeak thee and thou answerest me not a word?"

When the Lady Bedrulbudour knew that her father was angry and saw thenaked sword in his hand, she was like to swoon for fear; [405] so sheraised her head and said to him, "Dear [406] my father, be not wrothwith me, neither be thou hasty in thine anger, for that I am excusablein that which thou hast seen from me. [407] Do but hearken what hathbetided me and I am well assured that, whenas thou hearest my story ofthat which hath happened to me these two nights past, thou wilt excuseme and Thy Grace will be moved to compassion upon me, as I know from thylove for me. " [408] Then she acquainted him with all that had befallenher and said to him, "O my father, an thou believe me not, ask mybridegroom and he will resolve Thy Grace of everything, albeit I knownot what they did with him, when they took him from my side, nor wherethey set him. " When [409] the Sultan heard his daughter's story, hewas sore concerned and his eyes brimmed with tears; then, sheathingthe sword and coming up to her, he kissed her and said to her, "O mydaughter, why didst thou not tell me yesterday, so I might have wardedoff from thee the torment and affright which have befallen thee thisnight? But no matter; arise and put away from thee this thought, andto-night I will set over thee those who shall guard thee, so there shallnot again befall thee that which befell yesternight. " Then he returnedto his pavilion and sent at once for the Vizier, who came and stoodbefore him, awaiting his commands; and the Sultan said to him, "OVizier, how deemest thou of this affair? Most like thy son hath toldthee what happened to him and to my daughter. " "O King of the Age, "answered the Vizier, "I have not seen my son or yesterday or to-day. "Whereupon the Sultan acquainted him with all that his daughter the LadyBedrulbudour had told him and said to him, "It is now my will that thouenquire of thy son the truth of the case, for it may be my daughterknoweth not for fright what happened to her, though methinketh her taleis all true. " So the Vizier arose and sending for his son, asked him ofall that the Sultan had told him, if it were true or not. Whereupon, "O my father the Vizier, " replied the youth, "[God] preserve the LadyBedrulbudour from leasing! [410] Indeed, all she saith is true and thesetwo nights past have been for us the sorriest of nights, instead ofbeing nights of pleasance and delight. Marry, that which befell me wasyet worse, for that, instead of sleeping with my bride in bed, I layin the draught-house, a place dark and frightful, noisome of smell andaccursed, and my ribs were straitened [411] with cold. " Brief, he toldthe Vizier all that had befallen him and ultimately said to him; "Dear[412] my father, I beseech thee speak with the Sultan that he release mefrom this marriage. True, it is great honour for me to be the Sultan'sson-in-law, more by token that the love of the Lady Bedrulbudour hathgotten possession of my vitals, but I cannot avail to endure one morenight like the two that are past. "

When [413] the Vizier heard his son's words, he grieved and wasexceeding chagrined, for that he had thought to greaten his son andadvance him by making him the King's son-in-law; so he bethought himselfand was perplexed anent the matter and what was to do therein; [414] andindeed it irked him sore that the marriage should be dissolved, for thathe had long besought [415] the Ten [416] that he might compass the likeof that affair; [417] so he said to his son, "Have patience, O my son, so we may see [how it will be] to-night, and we will set over you guardsto guard you; but do not thou let slip this great honour, for thatit hath fallen to none other than thyself. " Therewith he left him andreturning to the Sultan, told him that the Lady Bedrulbudour's story wastrue; whereupon quoth the Sultan, "Since the case is thus, we needno wedding-festivities. " [418] And he bade forthright break off therejoicings and the marriage was dissolved. The folk and the people ofthe city marvelled at this strange thing, especially when they saw theVizier and his son go forth the palace in a pitiable plight for stressof chagrin and despite, and they fell to asking, "What hath happenedand why is the marriage avoided and the rejoicings broken off?" But noneknew what was to do save Alaeddin, the suitor, [419] who laughed in hissleeve. So the marriage was annulled; but the Sultan had forgotten hispromise to Alaeddin's mother and never again bethought him thereof, neither he nor the Vizier; nor knew they whence came that which hadhappened. 

Alaeddin waited till the three months had elapsed, after which theSultan had promised that he would marry him to his daughter, the LadyBedrulbudour, then despatched his mother to the Sultan to require him ofthe performance of his promise. So she repaired to the palace andwhen the Sultan came to the Divan and saw her standing before him, heremembered his promise to her, that after three months he would marryhis daughter to her son, and turning to the Vizier, said to him, "OVizier, yonder is the woman who presented us with the jewels and we gaveher our word that after three months [we would marry our daughter to herson]. Bring her before me forthright. " So the Vizier went and broughtAlaeddin's mother before the Sultan; and when she came into thepresence, she made her obeisance to him and prayed God to vouchsafe himglory and endurance of prosperity. The Sultan asked her if she had aneed, and she said to him, "O King of the Age, the three months areended, after which thou didst promise me thou wouldst marry my sonAlaeddin to thy daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour. " The Sultan wasperplexed at this her claim, more by token that he saw her in poor case, as she were the meanest of the folk; but the present which she had madehim was exceeding magnificent [and indeed] beyond price; [420] so heturned to the Vizier and said to him, "How deemest thou? What shall wedo? [421] It is true I gave her my word, but meseemeth they are poorfolk and not of the chiefs of the people. "

The [422] Vizier, who was like to die of envy and chagrin for that whichhad befallen his son, said in himself, "How shall one like this marrythe Sultan's daughter and my son lose this honour?" So he said to theSultan, [423] "O my lord, it is an easy matter to rid ourselves of [424]this vagabond, [425] for that it would not beseem Thy Grace to give thydaughter to a man like this, of whom it is not known what he is. " Quoththe Sultan, "On what wise shall we rid ourselves of this man, seeingI have given him my word and a King's word is his bond?" "O my lord, "answered the Vizier, "my counsel is that thou require of him fortydishes of pure virgin gold, full of jewels, such as she [426] broughtthee the other day, [427] and forty slave-girls to bear the dishes andforty black slaves. " "By Allah, O Vizier, " rejoined the Sultan, "'thouspeakest rightly; for that this is a thing to which he may not availand so we shall be rid of him by [fair] means. " [428] So he said toAlaeddin's mother, "Go and tell thy son that I abide by the promisewhich I made him, but an if he avail unto my daughter's dowry; to wit, I require of him forty dishes of pure gold, which must all be fullof jewels [such as] thou broughtest me [erst], together with fortyslave-girls to carry them and forty male slaves to escort and attendthem. If, then; thy son avail unto this, I will marry him to mydaughter. "

Alaeddin's mother returned home, shaking her head and saying, "Whenceshall my poor son get these dishes of jewels? Supposing, for the jewelsand the dishes, that he return to the treasure and gather the whole fromthe trees, --and withal methinketh not it is possible to him; but saythat he fetch them, --whence [shall he get] the slaves and slave-girls?"And she gave not over talking to herself till she reached the house, where Alaeddin awaited her, and when she came in to him, she said tohim, "O my son, said I not to thee, 'Think not to attain to the LadyBedrulbudour'? Indeed, this is a thing that is not possible unto folklike ourselves. " Quoth he, "Tell me what is the news. " And she said tohim, "O my son, the Sultan received me with all courtesy, according tohis wont, and meseemeth he meant fairly by us, but [for] thine accursedenemy the Vizier; for that, after I had bespoken the Sultan in thy name, even as thou badest me, reminding him that the term for which he hadappointed us was past and saying to him, 'If Thy Grace would vouchsafeto give commandment for the marriage of thy daughter the LadyBedrulbudour with my son Alaeddin, '--he turned to the Vizier and spoketo him. The Vizier replied to him in a whisper and after that the Sultanreturned me an answer. " Then she told him what the Sultan required ofhim and added, "O my son, he would fain have present answer of thee; butmethinketh we have no answer to give him. "

When [429] Alaeddin heard his mother's speech, he laughed and said, "Omy mother, thou sayest we have no answer to make him and deemest thething exceeding hard; but now be good enough to rise [430] and fetch ussomewhat to eat, and after we have dined, thou shalt (an it please theCompassionate) see the answer. The Sultan like thyself, thinketh he hathsought of me an extraordinary matter, so he may divert me from the LadyBedrulbudour; but the fact is that he seeketh a thing less than I hadlooked for. But go now and buy us somewhat we may eat and leave me tofetch thee the answer. " Accordingly, she arose and went out to buy herneed from the market, so she might make ready the morning-meal; whilstAlaeddin entered his chamber and taking the lamp, rubbed it. The genieimmediately appeared to him and said, "Seek what thou wilt, O my lord;"whereupon quoth Alaeddin, "I seek the Sultan's daughter in marriage andhe requireth of me forty dishes of pure gold, each ten pounds in weightand full of the jewels which be in the garden of the treasure, theforty dishes to be borne by forty slave girls and each slave-girl to beaccompanied by a male slave; wherefore I will have thee bring me this, all of it. " "Hearkening and obedience, O my lord, " replied the genieand disappearing, was absent awhile, then returned with the fortyslave-girls, each attended by a male slave and bearing on her head adish of pure gold, full of precious jewels. So he brought them beforeAlaeddin and said to him, "Here is that which thou soughtest. Tell mean thou need thing or service other than this. " Quoth Alaeddin, "I neednothing [more]; if I need aught, I will summon thee and tell thee. "

Accordingly, the genie vanished and after a little, Alaeddin's motherreturned and entering the house, saw the slaves and slave-girls; whereatshe marvelled and said, "All this is of the Lamp; God continue it untomy son!" Then, before she put off her veil, Alaeddin said to her, "O mymother, this is thy time, ere the Sultan enter his palace [and withdraw]to his harem. Take him what he seeketh, and that forthright, so he mayknow that I can avail unto that which he requireth, ay, and more, andthat he was deluded by the Vizier; albeit he thought to baffle me, heand his Vizier. " Then he arose and opening the house-door, let out thedamsels and the slaves, pair by pair, each damsel with a slave by herside, so that they filled the street. His mother forewent them and thepeople of the quarter, when they saw that rare and magnificentsight, stood looking and marvelling and gazing upon the faces of theslave-girls and their grace and goodliness [and their apparel], for thatthey were clad in clothes all inwoven with gold and studded with jewels;nay, the least one's clothes of them were worth thousands. Moreover theylooked at the dishes [431] and saw flashing therefrom a radiance thatoutshone the light of the sun, albeit each dish was covered with apiece of brocade, gold-inwrought and studded eke with precious jewels. Alaeddin's [432] mother fared on and the damsels and slaves followedafter her, in all fair ordinance and disposition, whilst the folk stoodto gaze on the beauty of the slave-girls and extolled the perfection ofthe Almighty Creator, till she reached the palace and entered it withthem. 

When the eunuchs and chamberlains and captains of the guard saw them, wonder took them and they were breathless for amaze at this sight, thelike whereof they had never in their lives seen, and especially at theslave girls, each one of whom would ravish the wit of an anchorite. Withal, the chamberlains and captains of the Sultan's guards were allof them sons of grandees and Amirs; and they marvelled yet more at thedamsels' costly raiment and the dishes which they bore on their headsand on which they might not open their eyes, [433] for the excess oftheir flashing and radiance. Then the guards [434] entered and told theSultan, who bade bring them before him forthright into the Divan. So Alaeddin's mother entered with them and when they came before theSultan, they all did obeisance to him with the utmost courtliness andgravity and invoked on him glory and prosperity; then, raising thedishes from their heads, they set them down before him and stood withtheir hands clasped behind them, after they had removed the covers. 

The Sultan wondered with an exceeding wonderment and was confoundedat the beauty of the girls and their loveliness, which overpasseddescription; his wit was bewildered, when he saw the golden dishes, fullof jewels that dazzled the sight, and he was amazed at this marvel, sothat he became as one dumb, unable to speak aught, of the excess of hiswonderment; nay, his wit was the more perplexed, forasmuch as thishad all been accomplished in an hour's time. Then he bade carry theslave-girls and their burdens to the pavilion of the Lady Bedrulbudour;so the damsels took up the dishes and entered; whereupon Alaeddin'smother came forward and said to the Sultan, "O my lord, this is no greatmatter for the Lady Bedrulbudour's exalted rank; nay, she deservethmanifold this. " So the Sultan turned to the Vizier and said to him, "Howsayst thou, O Vizier? He that can in so short a time avail unto richeslike these, is he not worthy to be the Sultan's son-in-law and to havehis daughter to bride?" Now the Vizier marvelled at the greatness ofthese riches yet more than the Sultan, but envy was killing him andwaxed on him more and more, when he saw that the Sultan was content withthe bride-gift [435] and the dowry; withal he could not gainstand the[manifest] truth and say to the Sultan, "He is not worthy;" so he castabout to work upon him by practice, that he might hinder him from givinghis daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour to Alaeddin, and accordingly said tohim, [436] "O my lord, all the treasures of the world were not wortha paring of thy daughter Bedrulbudour's nails; indeed, Thy Highnessoverrateth this upon her. " [437]

When [438] the Sultan heard the Vizier's words, he knew that this hisspeech arose from the excess of his envy; so he turned to Alaeddin'smother and said to her, "O woman, go to thy son and tell him that Iaccept of him the marriage-gift and abide by my promise to him and thatmy daughter is his bride and he my son-in-law; so bid him come hither, that I may make acquaintance with him. There shall betide him from menought but all honour and consideration and this night shall be thebeginning of the bridal festivities. But, as I said to thee, let himcome hither to me without delay. " So she returned home swiftlier thanthe wind, [439] of her haste to bring her son the good news; and shewas like to fly for joy at the thought that her son was to become theSultan's son-in-law. As soon as she had taken her leave, the Sultanbade break up the Divan and entering the Lady Bedrulbudour's pavilion, commanded to bring the damsels and the dishes before his daughter andhimself, so she should see them. So they brought them and when the LadyBedrulbudour saw the jewels, she was amazed and said, "Methinketh thereis not one of these jewels found in the treasuries of the world. " Thenshe looked at the damsels and marvelled at their beauty and grace andknew that this was all from her new bridegroom and that he had profferedit to her service. So she rejoiced, albeit she had been sad and sorryfor her [whilom] bridegroom the Vizier's son, --she rejoiced, [I say], with an exceeding joy, when she saw the jewels and the beauty of thedamsels, and was cheered; whilst her father rejoiced exceedingly in herjoy, in that he saw her put off chagrin and dejection. Then he saidto her, "O my daughter Bedrulbudour, doth this please thee? Indeed, methinketh this thy bridegroom is goodlier [440] than the Vizier's son, and God willing, O my daughter, thou shalt rejoice with him abundantly. "[441]

So much for the Sultan and as for Alaeddin, when his mother came to thehouse and entered and he saw her laughing of the excess of her joy, he foreboded good news and said, "To God Everlasting [442] be praise!Accomplished is that which I sought. " And she said to him, "Gladtidings, O my son! Let thy heart rejoice and thine eye be solaced in theattainment of thy desire, for that the Sultan accepteth thine offering, to wit, the bride gift and the dowry of the Lady Bedrulbudour, and sheis thy bride and this, O my son, is the night of your [443] bridal andthy going in to the Lady Bedrulbudour. Nay, the Sultan, that he mightcertify me of his word, proclaimed thee his son-in-law before the folkand declared that this should be the wedding-night; but he said to me, 'Let thy son come hither to me, so I may make acquaintance with him, andI will receive him with all honour and worship. ' And now, O my son, myoffice [444] is ended, whatsoever remaineth is a matter for thee. " [445]

Alaeddin kissed his mother's hand and thanked her amain for herkindness; [446] then he arose and entering his chamber, took the lampand rubbed it; whereupon the genie presented himself and said to him, "Here am I; seek what thou wilt. " Quoth Alaeddin, "My will is that thoutake me to a bath, whose like is not in the world, and fetch me a suitof royal raiment and exceeding costly, such as no king can boast. ""Hearkening and obedience, " replied the Marid and taking him up, broughthim intro a bath, never saw King nor Kisra [447] its like, for it wasof alabaster and agate and full of marvellous limnings that ravished thesight, and therein was a saloon all embossed with precious jewels. Nonewas there; but, when Alaeddin entered, there came in to him one of theJinn in human semblance and washed him and bathed him to the utmost ofthe wish: after [448] which he went forth the bath to the outer saloon, where he found his clothes taken away and in their stead a suit of therichest royal apparel. Then sherbets were brought him and coffee withambergris and he drank and arose; whereupon there came to him a troopof slaves and clad him in those [449] sumptuous clothes [450] and hedressed and perfumed himself with essences and sweet-scented smoke. [451] Now thou knowest [452] that Alaeddin was the son of a poor man, a tailor: yet now none had thought it, [453] but had said, "This is thechiefest of the sons of the kings, " extolled be the perfection of Himwho changeth and is not changed!

Then the slave of the lamp came to him and taking him up, set him downin his house and said to him, "O my lord, dost thou need aught?" "Yes, "answered Alaeddin; "I will have thee bring me eight-and-forty mamelukes, [454] four-and-twenty to walk before me and four-and-twenty to walkbehind me, with their horses and clothes and arms, and let all that isupon them and their horses be of stuffs costly and precious exceedingly, such as are not found in kings' treasuries. Then bring me a stallionfit for the riding of the Chosroes and be his trappings all of gold, embossed with noble jewels; and bring me eight-and-forty thousanddiners, in each mameluke's hand a thousand, for that I purpose presentlyto visit the Sultan; wherefore delay thou not on me, since I cannot gothither without all that whereof I have bespoken thee. Bring me alsotwelve slave-girls, who must be unique in loveliness and clad in therichest of raiment, so they may attend my mother to the Sultan's palace, and let each slave-girl have with her a suit of apparel fit for thewearing of kings' wives. " [455]

"Hearkening and obedience, " replied the genie and disappearing, broughthim in the twinkling of an eye all that he had commanded him withal, whilst in his hand he held a stallion, whose like is not among thehorses of the Arabs of the Arabs, [456] with housings of the richeststuffs brocaded with gold; whereupon Alaeddin called his motherforthright and delivered her the twelve slave-girls and gave her the[twelve] suits, [457] so she might dress herself [458] and go with themto the Sultan's palace. Then he despatched one of the mamelukes thither, to see an the Sultan were come forth of the harem or not; so he went andreturning, swiftlier than lightning, said to him, "O my lord, the Sultanawaiteth thee. " Accordingly he arose and mounting, [set forth], whilstthe mamelukes rode before him and after him, (extolled be the perfectionof the Lord who created them with [459] that which clothed them ofbeauty and grace!), strewing gold upon the folk before their lordAlaeddin, who overpassed them all of his grace and goodliness, and askthou not of kings' sons, [460] extolled be the perfection of the Giver, the Eternal! Now all this was of the virtue of the wonderful lamp, [461]which gifted whoso possessed it with goodliness and grace and wealth andwisdom. 

The folk marvelled at Alaeddin's bounty and at the excess of hismunificence and were amazed when they saw that which graced him ofbeauty and goodliness and his courtliness and dignity; yea, theyextolled the perfection of the Compassionate One for this His noblecreature and all of them great and small [462] called down blessingson him, albeit they knew him for the son of such an one the tailor; yetnone envied him, but all said, "He is deserving. " So [463] he fared onhis way, with the mamelukes before him and behind him, scattering goldupon the folk, till he came to the palace. 

Now the Sultan had summoned to his presence the chiefs of his stateand telling them that he had passed his word for the marriage of hisdaughter to Alaeddin, bade them await the latter, commanding them that, when he came, they should all go out to meet him; moreover, he assembledthe amirs and viziers and chamberlains and guards and captains of thetroops and they were all awaiting Alaeddin at the door of the palace. When he arrived, he would have dismounted at the door, but there came upto him one of the Amirs, whom the Sultan had deputed to that office, andsaid to him, "O my lord, the commandment is that thou enter, riding onthy charger, so thou mayst alight at the door of the Divan. " So theyall forewent him and he entered till they brought him to the door of theDivan. There sundry of them came forward and held his stirrup, whilstsome supported him on both sides and other some took him by the hand, and so they dismounted him. Then the Amirs and officers of stateforewent him and brought him into the Divan, till he drew near theSultan's throne; whereupon the latter came down forthright from his seatand embracing him, hindered him from kissing the carpet and seated himbeside himself on his right hand. Alaeddin did that which behoveth andbefitteth unto kings of obeisance and invocation and said to him, "O ourlord the Sultan, thy Grace's munificence hath vouchsafed [464] to accordme the Lady Bedrulbudour thy daughter, albeit I am unworthy of thisgreat favour, for that I am of the lowliest of thy slaves; wherefore Ibeseech God that He keep and continue thee. Indeed, O King, my tonguefaileth to thank thee [as were behoving] for the greatness of this boon, overpassing its competence, [465] wherewith thou hast favoured me, andI beseech Thy Grace to vouchsafe me ground, such as is meet, so I maybuild thereon a palace that shall be fit for the Lady Bedrulbudour. "

The Sultan was amazed when he saw Alaeddin in this regal array andbeheld his grace and goodliness and the mamelukes standing in attendanceupon him in all their comeliness and fair favour; yea, and hiswonderment redoubled when Alaeddin's mother came up attired in rich andcostly raiment, as she were a queen, and he saw twelve slave-girls inher service, preceding her, their hands clasped behind their backs, withall worship and observance. Moreover, he noted Alaeddin's eloquence andthe elegance of his speech and was amazed thereat, he and all who werepresent with him in the Divan, whilst fire was kindled in the Vizier'sheart for envy of Alaeddin, so that he was like to die. Then, after theSultan had heard Alaeddin's compliment and had seen the greatness of hisquality and his modesty and eloquence, he strained him to his bosom andkissed him, saying, "It irketh me, O my son, that I have not known thee[466] before to-day. " So, [467] when he saw Alaeddin on this fashion, herejoiced in him with an exceeding joy and at once bade the music [468]and the drums [469] strike up; then, rising, he took him by the hand andcarried him into the palace, where the evening-meal had been made readyand the servants set the tables. There he sat down and seated Alaeddinon his right hand; whereupon the viziers and chiefs of the state andthe grandees of the realm sat also, each in his several room, whilst thedrums beat and they held high festival in the palace. [470]

The Sultan proceeded to make familiar with Alaeddin and to talk withhim, and Alaeddin answered him with all courtliness and fluency, as hehad been bred in kings' palaces or as he were their constant associate;[471] and the more the talk was prolonged between them, the moregladness and joy redoubled on the Sultan for that which he heard of thegoodliness of Alaeddin's answers and the sweetness of his speech. Then, when they had eaten and drunken and the tables were removed, the Sultanbade fetch the Cadis and the witnesses; so they came and knotted theknot and wrote the writ [of marriage] between Alaeddin and the LadyBedrulbudour. Therewith Alaeddin arose and would have taken leave; butthe Sultan laid hold on him and said to him, "Whither away, O my son?The bride-feast is toward and the bride present; the knot is knottedand the writ written. " "O my lord the king, " answered Alaeddin, "Iwould fain build the Lady Bedrulbudour a palace, besorting her rank andstation, and it may not be that I should go in to her without this; but, God willing, the building shall, by the diligent endeavour of thy slaveand by Thy Grace's auspice, [472] be right speedily despatched. Indeed, I long for present enjoyment of the Lady Bedrulbudour; but it behovethme [first] apply myself to that which is incumbent on me for herservice. " [473] Quoth the Sultan, "O my son, look thyself out the groundwhich thou deemest apt to thine end and take it. All is in thy hand;[474], but here before my palace is a spacious piece of ground, whichmeseemeth were best; so, if it please thee, build thou the palacethereon. " And Alaeddin answered him, saying, "Indeed, it is my utmostdesire to be near Thy Grace. "

Then he took leave of the Sultan and going forth, mounted and rode, withhis mamelukes before him and behind him, whilst the folk all prayed forhim and said, "By Allah, he is deserving!" till he came to his house andalighting from his stallion, entered his chamber and rubbed the lamp;whereupon the genie stood before him and said to him, "Seek what thouwilt, O my lord" Quoth Alaeddin, "I desire of thee an important service, to wit, that thou build me with all speed a palace before that of theSultan, which shall be marvellous in its building, never saw kingsits like, and be it complete with all its requisites of kingly andmagnificent furniture and so forth. " "Hearkening and obedience, " repliedthe genie and [475] disappeared; but, before the dawn broke, he cameto Alaeddin and said to him, "O my lord, the palace is finished to theutmost of the wish; wherefore, an thou wouldst see it, arise forthrightand look on it. " So Alaeddin arose and the genie carried him, in thetwinkling of an eye, to the palace, which when he saw, he was amazedat its building, for that all its stones were of jade and alabaster andporphyry and mosaic. The genie carried him into a treasury full of allmanner of gold and silver and precious jewels past count or reckoning, price or estimation; then he brought him into another place, where hesaw all the requisites of the table, platters and spoons and ewers andbasins and cups, of gold and silver, and thence to the kitchen, wherehe found cooks, [476] with their cooking-gear and utensils, all on likewise of gold and silver. Moreover, he brought him into a place, which hefound full of coffers overflowing with royal raiment, such as ravishedthe wit, gold-inwoven stuffs, Indian and Chinese, and brocades, andhe showed him also many other places, all full of that which beggarethdescription, till at last he brought him into a stable, whereinwere horses whose like is not found with the kings of the world; andtherewithin he showed him a storehouse, full of housings and saddles ofprice, all broidered with pearls and precious stones and so forth. 

Alaeddin was amazed and bewildered at the greatness of these riches, whereunto the mightiest king in the world might not avail, and all thework of one night; more by token that the palace was full of slaves andslave girls such as would bewitch a saint with their loveliness. But themost marvellous of all was that he saw in the palace an upper hall [477]and [478] a belvedere [479] with four-and-twenty oriels, all wroughtenof emeralds and rubies and other jewels, and of one of these orielsthe lattice-work was by his desire left unfinished, [480] so the Sultanshould fail of its completion. When he had viewed the palace, all of it, he rejoiced and was exceeding glad; then he turned to the genie and saidto him, "I desire of thee one thing which is lacking and whereof I hadforgotten to bespeak thee. " Quoth the slave, "Seek what thou wilt, O mylord;" and Alaeddin said to him, "I will have thee bring me a carpetOf fine brocade, all inwoven with gold, and spread it from my palace tothat of the Sultan, so the Lady Bedrulbudour, whenas she cometh hither, may walk thereon and not upon the earth. " So the genie was absenta little and returning, said to him, "O my lord, that which thousoughtest of me is here. " Therewithal he took him and showed him thecarpet, which ravished the wit, and it was spread from the Sultan'spalace to that of Alaeddin; then taking him up, he set him down in hisown house. 

It [481] was now grown high day; so the Sultan arose from sleep andopening a window of his pavilion, looked forth and saw buildings [482]before his palace; whereupon he fell to rubbing his eyes and openingthem wide and looking farther, saw a magnificent palace, that bewilderedthe wits, and a carpet spread therefrom to his own palace; as on likewise did the doorkeepers and all who were in the palace, and their witswere bewildered at the sight. At this juncture the Vizier presentedhimself and as he entered, he espied the new palace and the carpet andmarvelled also; so, when he came in to the Sultan, the twain fell totalking of this strange matter and marvelling, for that they saw a thingwhich amazed the beholder and dilated the heart; and they said, "Verily, methinketh kings may not avail unto the building of the like of thispalace. " Then the Sultan turned to the Vizier and said to him, "How now?Deemest thou Alaeddin worthy to be bridegroom to my daughter the LadyBedrulbudour? Hast thou seen and considered this royal building and allthese riches which man's wit cannot comprehend?" The Vizier, of hisenvy of Alaeddin, answered him, saying, "O King of the Age, indeed thispalace and its building and all these riches may not be but by means ofenchantment, for that no man among men, no, not the mightiest of them indominion or the greatest in wealth, might avail to upraise and stablish[the like of] this building in one night. " Quoth the Sultan, "I marvelat thee how thou still deemest evil of Alaeddin; but methinketh itariseth from thine envy of him, for that thou wast present when hesought of me a place whereon to build a palace for my daughter and Iaccorded him, before thee, [leave to build] a palace on this ground;and he who brought me, to my daughter's dower, jewels such that nokings possess one thereof, shall he lack ableness to build a palace likethis?" When [483] the Vizier heard the Sultan's speech and understoodthat he loved Alaeddin greatly, his envy of him increased; withal heavailed not to do aught against him, so he was dumb and could make theSultan no answer. 

Meanwhile Alaeddin--seeing that it was high day and that the time wascome when he should go to the palace, for that his wedding-festivitieswere toward and the Amirs and Viziers and chiefs of the state wereall with the Sultan, so they might be present at the bridal--arose andrubbed the lamp; whereupon the genie presented himself and said tohim, "O my lord, seek what thou wilt, for that I am before thee, at thyservice. " Quoth Alaeddin, "I purpose presently to go to the Sultan'spalace, and to-day is the wedding; wherefore I have occasion for tenthousand diners, which I will have thee bring me. " The slave was absentthe twinkling of an eye and returned to him with the money; whereuponAlaeddin arose and taking horse, with his mamelukes behind him andbefore him, rode to the palace, scattering gold upon the folk, ashe passed, so that they were fulfilled with the love of him and thegreatness of his munificence. [484] When he came to the palace and theAmirs and eunuchs and soldiers, who were standing awaiting him, saw him, they hastened forthright to the Sultan and told him; whereupon he aroseand coming to meet him, embraced him and kissed him; then he took him bythe hand and carried him into the palace where he sat down and seatedhim on his right hand. 

Now the city was all adorned and the instruments [of music] were smitingin the palace and the singing-women singing. Then the Sultan trade servethe morning-meal; so the slaves and mamelukes hastened to spread thetable and it was such as kings might take example by. [485] The Sultansat with Alaeddin and the officers of state and the chiefs of the realmand they ate and drank till they were satisfied; and great was therejoicing in the palace and the city. Glad were all the chiefs of thestate and the folk rejoiced in all the realm, whilst there came from farregions the notables of the provinces and the governors of the cities, so they might see Alaeddin's wedding and his bride-feast. The Sultanstill marvelled in himself at Alaeddin's mother, how she had come to himin poor clothes, whilst her son had command of this exceeding wealth;and as for the folk, who came to the Sultan's palace, to gaze upon thewedding-festivities, when they saw Alaeddin's palace and the goodlinessof its building, there took them great wonderment how so magnificent abuilding had been upreared in one night and they fell all to praying forAlaeddin and saying, "God prosper him! By Allah, he is deserving. God'sblessing on his days!"

Meanwhile [486] Alaeddin, having made an end of the morning-meal, aroseand taking leave of the Sultan, mounted with his mamelukes and rode tohis palace, so he might prepare for the reception of his bride, theLady Bedrulbudour. As he passed, all the folk cried out to him withone voice, saying, "God gladden thee! God increase thee in glory! Godcontinue thee!" And so they brought him home in great procession, whatwhile he showered gold on them. When he came to his palace, he alightedand entering, sat down in the Divan, whilst the mamelukes stood beforehim with clasped hands. After a little they brought him sherbets and hegave commandment to his mamelukes and slave-girls and eunuchs and allwho were in his palace that they should make ready to receive the LadyBedrulbudour, his bride. Then, when it was the time of the midafternoonprayer [487] and the air grew cool and the heat of the sun abated, [488]the Sultan bade the troops and the Amirs and the Viziers go down tothe horse-course. So they all repaired thither and with them the Sultanhimself; whereupon Alaeddin also arose and mounting with his mamelukes, went down into the plain and showed his horsemanship; then he fellto playing [489] in the tilting-ground and there was none could standbefore him. Now he was riding a stallion whose like is not amongthe horses of the Arabs of the Arabs [490] and his bride the LadyBedrulbudour was looking upon him from the window of her pavilion, andwhen she saw his grace and goodliness and knightly prowess, she wasovercome with his love and was like to fly for joy in him. Then, afterthey had played [some] bouts [491] in the plain and each had shown whatwas in him of horsemanship, (but Alaeddin overpassed them all, ) theSultan went to his palace and Alaeddin on like wise returned home. 

When it was eventide, the chiefs of the state and the Viziers wentand taking Alaeddin, carried him in procession to the Royal Bath, theRenowned; [492] so he entered and bathed and perfumed himself, then, coming forth, he donned a suit yet richer than the first and mounted, whilst the troops rode before him and the Amirs and Viziers. So theyfared on with him in great state, with four of the Viziers for hissword-bearers, whilst all the troops and people of the city, bothtownsfolk and strangers, walked in procession before him, carryingflambeaux and drums and flutes and instruments of mirth and music, tillthey brought him to his palace, when he alighted and entering, sat down, as did also the Viziers and Amirs who were in his company, whilst themamelukes brought sherbets and sweetmeats [493] and gave all who werewith him in the procession to drink, albeit they were a multitude offolk whose number might not be told. Moreover, he gave commandment untohis mamelukes, and they went out to the door of the palace and fell toshowering gold upon the folk. 

Meanwhile, [494] when the Sultan returned from the horse-course andentered his palace, he bade forthright carry his daughter the LadyBedrulbudour in procession to the palace of her bridegroom Alaeddin. Sothe troops forthright mounted with the officers of state, who had beenin Alaeddin's procession, and the slave-girls and eunuchs went outwith flambeaux and carried the Lady Bedrulhudour in great state to herbridegroom's palace, Alaeddin's mother by her side and before her thewomen of the Viziers and Amirs and grandees and notables. Moreover, shehad with her eight and-forty slave-girls, whom Alaeddin had presented toher, in each one's hand a great candle of camphor and ambergris, set ina candlestick of gold, studded with jewels; and all the men and women inthe palace went out with her and fared on before her, till they broughther to her bridegroom's palace and carrying her up to her pavilion, [495] attired her in various robes [496] and displayed her. Then, afterthey had made an end of displaying her, they carried her to the pavilionof her groom Alaeddin and he went in to her. Now his mother was with theLady Bedrulbudour, and when he came up and did off her veil, she fell togazing upon the bride's beauty and grace and looked at the pavilion, thewhich was all wroughten [497] of gold and jewels and therein were goldenlustres, all embossed with emeralds and rubies; and she said in herself, "Methought the Sultan's palace was magnificent; but, for this pavilion[498] alone, I doubt me the greatest of the Chosroes and the kings neverowned its match; nor, methinketh, might all mankind avail to makethe like thereof. " And the Lady Bedrulbudour also fell to looking andmarvelling at the palace [499] and its magnificence. Then the table waslaid and they ate and drank and made merry; and presently there appearedbefore them fourscore slave-girls, each with an instrument in her handof the instruments of mirth and music. So they plied their finger-tipsand touching their strings, struck up with plaintive airs, tillthey clove in sunder the hearts of the listeners, whilst the LadyBedrulbudour redoubled in wonderment and said in herself, "Never in mylife heard I the like of these songs;" so that she forgot to eat andfell to listening. As for Alaeddin, he proceeded to pour to her the wineand give her to drink with his own hand, and mirth and good cheer anddelight went round among them and it was a rare night, such as Iskenderof the Horns [500] never in his time spent. Then, after they had made anend of eating and drinking, the tables were removed from before them andAlaeddin arose and went in to his bride. 

When it was the morning, Alaeddin arose and his treasurer brought hima costly suit of the richest of kings' raiment; so he donned it andsat down; whereupon coffee was brought him with ambergris and he drankthereof and called for the horses. Accordingly, they were saddled and hemounted and rode, with his mamelukes behind him and before him, to theSultan's palace. When he reached it and entered, the eunuchs went in andacquainted the Sultan with his presence; which [501] when he heard, hearose forthwith and coming to meet Alaeddin, embraced him and kissinghim, as he were his son, seated him on his right hand. Moreover theViziers and Amirs and officers of state and grandees of the realminvoked blessings on him and the Sultan gave him joy [502] and prayedGod prosper him. Then he bade lay breakfast; [503] so they laid [it] andthey all broke their fast; and after they had eaten and drunken theirsufficiency and had finished and the servants had removed the tablesfrom before them, Alaeddin turned to the Sultan and said to him, "O mylord, [belike] Thy Grace will vouchsafe to honour me this day at themorning-meal [503] with the Lady Bedrulbudour, thy precious daughter, and be Thy Grace's company all thy viziers and the chief officers ofthy state. " Quoth the Sultan, (and indeed he rejoiced in him), "Gladly, [504] O my son, " and bidding the Viziers and officers of state andgrandees attend him, arose forthright and mounted; whereupon Alaeddinand the others mounted also and they all rode till they came toAlaeddin's palace. 

When the Sultan entered the palace and viewed its building and ordinanceand saw its stones, which were of jade and agate, he was amazed[505] and his wit was bewildered at that affluence and wealth andmagnificence; so he turned to the Vizier and said to him, "How saystthou, O Vizier? Hast thou in all thy days seen aught like this? Arethere found with the greatest of the kings of the world riches and goldand jewels such as these we see in this palace?" "O my lord the King, "answered the Vizier, "this is a thing beyond the competence of a king ofthe sons of Adam, nor might all the people of the earth together availto build a palace like this; nay, there are no craftsmen living ableto do work like this, except it be, as I said to Thy Grace, by might ofmagic. " [506] The Sultan knew that the Vizier, in seeking to convince him thatthis was not by might of men, but all of it enchantment, still spoke notbut of his envy of Alaeddin; so he said to him, "Enough, O Vizier; letus have no more of thy talk. I know the cause which maketh thee speak onthis wise. "

Then Alaeddin forewent the Sultan till he brought him to the highpavilion [507] and he looked at the belvedere [508] and its oriols[509] and lattices, [510] all wroughten of emeralds and rubies and otherprecious stones, and was amazed and astonied; his wit was bewildered andhe abode perplexed in his thought. Then he fell to going round aboutthe pavilion and viewing these things that ravished the sight, tillpresently he espied the casement [511] which Alaeddin had purposely leftwanting and unfinished. When the Sultan examined it and saw that it wasunfinished, he said, "Woe is me for thee, O casement, that thou art notperfect!" Then, turning to the Vizier, he said to him, "Knowest thou thereason of the lack of completion of this casement and its lattices?" "O[512] my lord, " answered the Vizier, "methinketh it is because Thy Gracehastened upon Alaeddin with the wedding and he had no time to completeit. " Now Alaeddin had meanwhile gone in to his bride, the LadyBedrulbudour, to acquaint her with the coming of her father the Sultan;and when he returned, the Sultan said to him, "O my son Alaeddin, whatis the reason that the lattice[-work] of yonder oriel [513] is notcompleted?" "O King of the Age, " replied Alaeddin, "by reason of thehaste made with the bridal, the craftsmen might not avail to [514]finish it. " Quoth the Sultan to him, "It is my wish to finish itmyself. " And Alaeddin answered, saying, "God prolong thy glory, O King;so shall there remain unto thee a remembrance [515] in thy daughter'spalace. "

Accordingly the Sultan bade straightway fetch jewellers and goldsmithsand commanded to give them from the treasury all that they needed ofgold and jewels and [precious] metals; so they came and he bade them dothat which was wanting of the lattice-work of the [unfinished] oriel. [516] Meanwhile, the Lady Bedrulbudour came out to receive her fatherthe Sultan, and when she came up to him and he saw her smiling-faced heembraced her and kissed her and taking her [by the hand], went in withher to her pavilion. So they entered all, for that it was the appointedtime of the morning-meal and they had set one table for the Sultan andthe Lady Bedrulbudour and Alaeddin and another for the Vizier andthe officers of state and grandees of the realm and captains andchamberlains and deputies. The Sultan sat between his daughter, the LadyBedrulbudour, and his son-in-law Alaeddin, and when he put his hand tothe food and tasted it, wonder took him at the richness of the meats andthe exquisiteness of their seasonings. [517] Now there stood before themfourscore damsels, each as it were she said to the full moon, "Rise, so I may sit in thy place;" and in each one's hand was an instrumentof mirth and music. So they tuned their instruments and touched theirstrings and struck up with plaintive [518] airs that dilated themourning heart. [519] The Sultan was cheered and the time was pleasantto him and he rejoiced and said, "Verily, Kings and Kaisers would failof [520] this thing. "

Then they fell to eating and drinking and the cup went round among themtill they had taken their sufficiency, when there came sweetmeats [521]and various kinds of fruits and so forth; and these were laid in anothersaloon. So they removed thither and took their fill of those dainties;after which the Sultan arose, that he might see if the work of thejewellers and goldsmiths likened that of the palace. So he went up tothem and viewed their work and how they wrought and saw that they werefar from availing to do work like that [of the rest] of Alaeddin'spalace. [522] Moreover [523] they told him that all they found in histreasury they had brought and it sufficed not; whereupon he bade openthe Great Treasury and give them what they needed and that, if itsufficed not, they should take that which Alaeddin had given him. Sothey took all the jewels assigned them by the Sultan and wrought withthem, but found that these also sufficed them not, nor might theycomplete withal the half of that which lacked of the lattice work of theoriel; [524] whereupon the Sultan bade take all the jewels which shouldbe found with the Viziers and chiefs of the state; and accordingly theytook them all and wrought therewith; but this also sufficed not. 

When it was morning, Alaeddin went up to view the jewelers' work and sawthat they had not completed half the lacking lattice-work; whereuponhe bade them incontinent undo all that they had wrought and restore thejewels to their owners. Accordingly, they undid it all and sent to theSultan that which was his and to the Viziers [and others] that whichwas theirs. Then they went to the Sultan and told him that Alaeddin hadcommanded them of this; whereupon he asked them, "What said he to youand why would he not have the lattice-work finished and why undid hethat which you had done?" And they said to him, "O my lord, we knownothing, save that he bade us undo all that we had done. " Whereupon theSultan immediately called for the horses and arising, mounted and rodeto Alaeddin's palace. 

Meanwhile Alaeddin, after dismissing the goldsmiths and the jewellers, entered his closet and rubbed the lamp; whereupon the genie forthwithappeared and said to him, "Seek what thou wilt; thy slave is beforethee. " And Alaeddin said to him, "It is my will that thou complete thelacking lattice-work of the oriel. " [525] "On my head and eyes [be it], "replied the slave and disappearing, returned after a little and said tohim, "O my lord, that whereof thou commandedst me I have performed. " SoAlaeddin went up to the belvedere [526] and found all its lattices [527]perfect; and whilst he was viewing them, behold the [chief] eunuch [528]came in to him and said to him, "O my lord, the Sultan cometh to visitthee and is at the palace-door. " So he came down forthright and went tomeet the Sultan, who [529] said to him, when he saw him, "Wherefore, Omy son, hast thou done thus, and why sufferedst thou not the jewellerscomplete the lattice-work of the oriel, [530] so there might not remaina place in thy palace [531] defective?" "O King of the Age, " answeredAlaeddin, "I left it not imperfect but of my free will, nor did I lackof ableness to complete it. However, I could not brook that Thy Graceshould honour me [with thy presence] in a palace [532] wherein there wassomewhat lacking; wherefore, so thou mayst know that it was not for lackof ableness that I left it uncomplete, [533] let Thy Grace go up and seethe lattice-work of the kiosk, [534] an there be aught lacking thereto. "

The Sultan accordingly went up to the pavilion [535] and entering thekiosk, [536] viewed it right and left and saw no manner defect in itslattices, but found them all perfect; whereat he was astounded andembracing Alaeddin, fell a-kissing him and saying, "O my son, what isthis extraordinary thing? In one night thou dost a work wherefrom thejewellers would fail in months! By Allah, methinketh thou hast not thyfellow [537] in the world!" Quoth Alaeddin, "God prolong thy life andperpetuate thy continuance! Thy slave is not worthy of this praise. " "ByAllah, O my son, " rejoined the Sultan, "thou deservest all praise, inthat thou hast done a thing wherefrom [all the] craftsmen of theworld would fail. " Then he went down and entering the pavilion of hisdaughter, the Lady Bedrulbudour, found her rejoicing exceedingly overthis great magnificence wherein she was; and after he had rested withher awhile, he returned to his palace. 

Now Alaeddin used every day to mount and ride through the town, withhis mamelukes behind him and before him, strewing gold upon the people, right and left, and the folk, stranger and neighbour, near and far, werefulfilled with the love of him for the excess of his munificence and hisbounty. Moreover he exceeded in benefaction of the poor and the indigent[538] and used himself to distribute his alms to them with his own hand. After this fashion he won himself great renown in all the realm and themost of the chiefs of the state and the Amirs used to eat at his tableand swore not but by his precious life. Moreover, he fell to goingeverywhile [539] to the chase and the horse course and to practicinghorsemanship and archery [540] before the Sultan, whilst the LadyBedrulbudour redoubled in love of him, whenassoever she saw himdisporting himself a horseback, and thought in herself that God hadwrought exceeding graciously by her in that there had befallen herwhat befell with the Vizier's son, so He might keep her for her truebridegroom Alaeddin. So [541] he went daily waxing in goodliness ofrepute and in praise and the love of him redoubled in the hearts of thecommon folk and he was magnified in men's eyes. 

Now in those days certain of the Sultan's enemies took horse againsthim; so he levied troops to repel them and made Alaeddin chief thereof. Alaeddin set out with his host and fared on till he drew near the enemy, whose troops were exceeding many; where upon he drew his sword and fellupon them and there befell battle and slaughter and sore was the stressof the mellay; but Alaeddin broke them and routed them and slew the mostpart of them. Moreover, he plundered their goods and possessions and gathim spoil beyond count or reckoning, wherewith he returned in triumph, [having gained] a great victory, and entered the city, which had adorneditself for him of its joy in him. The Sultan came out to meet himand give him joy and embraced him and kissed him, and there was highfestival holden in the kingdom and great rejoicing. Then the Sultan andAlaeddin betook themselves to the latter's palace; [542] whereupon hisbride, the Lady Bedrulbudour, came out to meet him, rejoicing inhim, and kissed him between the eyes, and he went in with her to herpavilion; [543] whither after a little came the Sultan and they sat downand the slave-girls brought sherbets. [544] So they drank and the Sultancommanded that all the realm should be decorated for Alaeddin's victoryover the enemy; whilst it became [a saying] with the commons and thetroops and the folk, all of them, "Allah in heaven and Alaeddin onearth. " and they loved him yet more, having regard not only to theexcess of his bounty and munificence, but to his knightly prowess, inthat he had done battle for the kingdom and had routed the enemy. 

So much for Alaeddin, and now to return to the Mangrabin enchanter. Whenhe returned to his country, he abode all this time, bewailing that whichhe had endured of toil and stress, so he might compass the lamp, yet hadhis travail all been wasted and the morsel had escaped from his hand, after it had reached his mouth; and he still thought upon all this, bemoaning himself and reviling Alaeddin of the excess of his angeragainst him; and whiles he said in himself, "Since yonder whoreson isdead under the earth, I am content withal and I have hopes of the lamp, that I may yet achieve it, inasmuch as it is still safeguarded. " Then, one day of the days, he smote the sand and extracting the figures, setthem down after the most approved fashion [545] and adjusted [546] them, so he might see and certify himself of the death of Alaeddin and thesafe keeping of the lamp under the earth; and he looked well into [547]the figures, both mothers and daughters, [548] but saw not the lamp, whereupon rage overrode him and he smote the sand a second time, thathe might certify himself of Alaeddin's death, but saw him not in thetreasure; whereat he redoubled in wrath, and yet more when it wascertified to him that the lad was alive upon the surface of the earthand he knew that he had come forth from under the ground and had gottenthe lamp, on account whereof he himself had suffered toil and tormentsuch as passeth man's power to endure. So he said in himself, "I havesuffered many hardships for the sake of the lamp and have enduredfatigues such as none but I might brook, [549] and now yonder accursedone taketh it without stress and it is evident [550] [that], an he havelearned the use thereof, there will be none in the world richer thanhe. "

Then, [551] when he saw and was certified that Alaeddin had come forthfrom under the earth and had happened upon the good of the Lamp, [552]he said in himself, "Needs must I go about to kill him. " So he smote thesand once more and examining its figures, saw that Alaeddin had gottenhim exceeding wealth and had married the Sultan's daughter; whereat hewas all afire for rage and envy and arising then and there, equippedhimself for travel and set out for the land of China. When he came tothe city of the sultanate, [553] wherein was Alaeddin, he entered andalighting at one of the khans, heard the folk talking of nought but themagnificence of Alaeddin's palace; then, after he was rested from hisjourney, he changed [554] his clothes and went down to go round aboutin the thoroughfares of the city. He passed no folk but they weredescanting upon the palace and its magnificence and talking ofAlaeddin's grace and comeliness and his bounty and munificence and thegoodliness of his manners and disposition; so [555] he went up to oneof those who were extolling Alaeddin on this wise and said to him, "Prithee, fair youth, who is this whom you describe and praise?" "O man, "replied the other, "meseemeth thou art a stranger and comest from afar;but, granting thou art from a far country, hast thou not heard of theAmir Alaeddin, whose repute, methought, filled the earth, and of hispalace, a wonder of the world, whereof both far and near have heard? Howis it thou hast heard nought of this nor of the name of Alaeddin, whomOur Lord increase in glory and prosper?" Quoth the Maugrabin, "Marry, itis the utmost of my wish to look upon the palace; so, an thou wouldst dome a kindness, direct me thither, for that I am a stranger. " "Hearkeningand obedience, " replied the other and going before him, guided him toAlaeddin's palace. 

The Maugrabin fell to examining it and knew that this all of it was thework of the Lamp; so he said, "Alack! Alack! Needs must I dig a pit forthis accursed one, this tailor's son, who could not come by a night'ssupper; but, an destiny enable me, I will send his mother back to spinat her wheel, like as she did erst, and as for him, it shall cost him[556] his life. " Then he returned to the khan in a woeful state ofchagrin and colour and despite, for envy of Alaeddin, and [557] takinghis geomantic instruments, [558] smote his [tablet of] sand, so he mightlearn where the lamp was, and found that it was in the palace and notwith Alaeddin; [559] whereat he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and said, "Now it will be an easy matter for me to bereave this accursed of hislife and I have a way to come at the lamp. " Accordingly he went to acoppersmith and said to him, "Make me so many [560] lamps [561] andtake of me their worth in full; [562] but I will have thee despatch themquickly. " "Hearkening and obedience, " replied the smith and falling towork on them, speedily despatched them for him. When they were finished, the Maugrabin paid him their price, even that which he sought, andtaking the lamps, carried them to the khan, where he laid them in abasket and fell to going round about in the markets and thoroughfaresof the city and crying out, "Ho! who will barter an old lamp for a newlamp?" When the folk heard him crying this, they laughed at him andsaid, "Certes, this man is mad, since he goeth about, bartering newlamps for old. " Moreover, people [563] followed him and the street-boyscaught him up from place to place [564] and laughed at him. However, hefended not himself neither took heed of this, but ceased not to go roundabout the city till he came under Alaeddin's palace, where he fellto crying his loudest, whilst the children called after him, "Madman!Madman!"

Now as fate willed it, the Lady Bedrulbudour was in the kiosk andhearing one crying out and the boys calling after him and understandingnot what was toward, bade one of the slave-girls "Go see what is thisman who crieth out and what he crieth. " So the girl went and looking, saw one crying out, "Ho, who will barter an old lamp for a new lamp?"with the boys after him, laughing at him; so she returned and told hermistress, saying, "O my lady, this man crieth, 'Ho! who will barter anold lamp for a new lamp?' and the boys are following him and laughingat him;" and the Lady Bedrulbudour laughed also at this marvel. NowAlaeddin had forgotten the lamp in his pavilion, [565] without lockingit up in his treasury [as was his wont], and one of the girls had seenit; so she said to the princess, "O my lady, methinketh I have seen anold lamp in my lord Alaeddin's pavilion; let us barter it with thisman for a new one, so we may see an his speech be true or leasing. " And[566] the princess said to her, "fetch the lamp whereof thou speakest. "Now the Lady Bedrulbudour had no knowledge of the lamp and itsproperties, neither knew she that this it was which had brought Alaeddinher husband to that great estate, and it was the utmost of her desire toprove and see the wit of this man who bartered new for old, nor wasany one aware of the Maugrabin enchanter's craft and trickery. So theslave-girl went up into Alaeddin's pavilion and returned with the lampto the Lady Bedrulbudour, who bade the Aga of the eunuchs [567] go downand exchange it for a new one; so he took it and going down, gave it tothe Maugrabin and took of him a new lamp, with which he returned to theprincess, who examined it and finding it new and real, fell to laughingat the Maugrabin's [lack of] wit. Meanwhile, when the enchanter hadgotten the lamp and knew it for that of the Treasure, he thrust itforthwith into his sleeve [568] and leaving the rest of the lamps tothe folk who were in act to barter of him, set off running, till he camewithout the city, and walked about the waste places, awaiting the comingof the night. Then, when he saw himself alone in the open country, hebrought out the lamp from his sleeve and rubbed it; whereupon the Maridimmediately appeared to him and said, "Here am I; thy slave [is] beforethee. Seek of me what thou wilt. " Quoth the Maugrabin, "My will is thatthou take up Alaeddin's palace from its place, with its inhabitants andall that [569] is therein and myself also, and set it down in my countryof Africa. [570] Thou knowest my town and I will have this palace bethereby among the gardens. " "Hearkening and obedience, " replied theMarid. "Shut [thine] eye and open [thine] eye, and thou wilt findthyself in thine own country with the palace. " And immediately thisbefell in the twinkling of an eye and the Maugrabin was transported, with Alaeddin's palace and all that was therein, to the land of Africa. 

So much for the enchanter, and now let us return to the Sultan andAlaeddin. The Sultan, of his love and affection for his daughter theLady Bedrulbudour, was wont, every day, when he awoke from his sleep, to open the window and look at her therefrom; so he arose on the morrow, according to his wont, and opened his chamber-window, so he mightsee his daughter; but [571] when he put out his head and looked forAlaeddin's palace, he beheld nothing but a place swept [and level], like as it was aforetime, and saw neither palace nor inhabitants; [572]whereat amazement clad him and his wit was bewildered and he fellto rubbing his eyes, so haply they were bleared or dimmed. Then heproceeded to look closely till at last he was certified that there wasneither trace nor sign left of the palace and knew not what was come ofit; whereupon he redoubled in perplexity and smote hand upon handand his tears ran down upon his beard, for that he knew not what hadbefallen his daughter. So he sent forthright to fetch the Vizier, who came in to him and seeing him in that woeful state, said to him, "Pardon, O King of the Age (God keep thee from harm!) why art thouwoeful?" Quoth the Sultan, "Meseemeth thou knowest not of my affair. "And the Vizier said to him, "By Allah, O my lord, I have no knowledgeof aught whatsoever. " "Then, " rejoined the Sultan, "thou hast not lookedtowards Alaeddin's palace. " "Nay, O my lord, " replied the Vizier, "itis yet shut. " And the Sultan said to him, "Since thou hast no news ofaught, rise and look at it from the window and see where it is, thispalace of Alaeddin's, whereof thou sayest that it is yet shut. " TheVizier arose and looked from the window towards Alaeddin's palace, but could see nothing, neither palace nor aught else; so his wit wasbewildered and he was amazed and returned to the Sultan, who said tohim, "Now knowest thou the cause of my distress and seest Alaeddin hispalace, whereof thou saddest that it was shut. " "O King of the Age, "rejoined the Vizier, "I told Thy Grace aforetime that this palace andthese affairs were all of them [the work of] enchantment. "

At this the Sultan was fired with wrath and said to him, "Where isAlaeddin?" And he answered, "He is at the chase. " Whereupon the Sultanbade sundry of his eunuchs and officers go straightway fetch him boundand shackled. So they went till they came to Alaeddin and said to him, "O our lord Alaeddin, blame us not, for that the Sultan hath biddenus carry thee to him, bound and shackled; wherefore we beseech theeof excusement, for that we are under a royal commandment and may notgainsay it. " When Alaeddin heard their speech, wonderment took him andhis tongue was tied, for that he knew not the cause; then he turned tothe eunuchs and officers and said, "Prithee, sirs, [573] have you noknowledge of the cause of this commandment of the Sultan? I know myselfguiltless, forasmuch as I have done no sin against the Sultan noragainst his realm. " And they said to him, "O our lord, we have no mannerof knowledge thereof. " So Alaeddin lighted down from his stallion andsaid to them, "Do with me that which the Sultan biddeth you, for thathis commandment is upon the head and eyes. " Accordingly [574] theofficers shackled him and pinioning him, haled him along in irons andentered the city with him. 

The folk, seeing Alaeddin pinioned and shackled with iron, knew thatthe Sultan was minded to cut off his head, and forasmuch as he wasextraordinarily beloved of them, they all gathered together and takingup arms, came forth their houses and followed the troops, so they mightsee what was to do. When the officers came with Alaeddin to the palace, they entered and told the Sultan, who immediately bade the headsman goand cut off his head. But the commons, hearing of this his commandment, shut the gates of the palace and sent to say to the Sultan, "This verymoment we will overthrow the palace upon thee and all who are therein, an the least harm happen to Alaeddin. " So the Vizier went and told theSultan and said to him, "O King of the Age, all will be over with usforthright; [575] wherefore thou wert best pardon Alaeddin, lest somecalamity befall us, for that the commons love him more than us. " Now theheadsman had spread the carpet of blood and seating Alaeddin thereon, had bound his eyes and gone round him three times, [576] awaiting theKing's final commandment. The Sultan looked at his subjects and seeingthem swarming upon him and climbing up to the palace, that they mightoverthrow it, commanded the headsman to hold his hand from Alaeddin andbade the crier go forth among the people and proclaim that he pardonedAlaeddin and took him [again] into favour. 

When Alaeddin found himself released and saw the Sultan sitting, he wentup to him and said to him, "O my lord, since Thy Grace hath bountifullyvouchsafed me my life, [577] favour me [yet farther] and tell me themanner of my offence. " "O traitor, " replied the Sultan, "till [but] nowI knew not thine offence;" then, turning to the Vizier, he said tohim, "Take him, that he may see from the windows where his palace is. "Accordingly the Vizier took him and Alaeddin looked from the windows inthe direction of his palace and finding the place swept and clear, likeas it was before he built the palace thereon, neither seeing anytrace of the latter, he was amazed and bewildered, unknowing what hadhappened. When he returned, the King said to him, "What hast thou seen?Where is thy palace and where is my daughter, my heart's darling andmine only one, than whom I have none other?" And Alaeddin answered him, saying, "O King of the Age, I have no knowledge thereof, neither know Iwhat hath befallen. " And the Sultan said to him, "Know, O Alaeddin, thatI have pardoned thee, so thou mayst go and look into this affair andmake me search for my daughter; and do not thou present thyself but withher; nay, an thou bring her not back to me, as my head liveth, I willcut off thine. " "Hearkening and obedience, O King of the Age, " repliedAlaeddin. "Grant me but forty days' grace, and an I bring her not afterthat time, cut off my head and do what thou wilt. " Quoth [578] theSultan to him, "I grant thee, according to thy request, the space offorty days; but think not to flee from my hand, for that I will fetchthee back, though thou wert above the clouds, not to say upon the faceof the earth. " "O my lord the Sultan, " rejoined Alaeddin, "as I saidto Thy Grace, an I bring her not to thee in this space of time, I willpresent myself before thee, that thou mayst cut off my head. "

Now the commons and the folk, one and all, when they saw Alaeddin, rejoiced in him with an exceeding joy and were glad for his deliverance;but the ignominy which had befallen him and shame and the exultation ofthe envious had bowed down his head; so he went forth and fell to goinground about the city, perplexed anent his case and unknowing how allthis had happened. He abode in the city two days in the woefullestof case, knowing not how he should do to find his palace and the LadyBedrulbudour, his bride, what while certain of the folk used to come tohim privily with meat and drink. Then he went forth, wandering in thedeserts and knowing not whitherward he should aim, and ceased not goingtill he came to a river; whereupon, his hope being cut off for stress ofchagrin that possessed him, he thought to cast himself into the stream;but, for that he was a pious Muslim, professing the unity of God, hefeared God in himself and stood on the bank; of the stream to performthe ablution. [579] So he took of the water in his hands and proceededto rub between his fingers; and in doing this, his rubbing chanced uponthe ring, whereupon a Marid appeared to him and said to him, "Here am I;thy slave is before thee. Seek what thou wilt. "

When Alaeddin saw the Marid, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and saidto him, "O slave, I will have thee bring me my palace, with my bride, the Lady Bedrulbudour, and all that is therein. " "O my lord, " repliedthe Marid, "it irketh me sore that what thou seekest of me is a thingunto which I cannot avail, for that it pertaineth unto the slaves ofthe Lamp and I may not adventure upon it. " "Then, " said Alaeddin, "since this is not possible unto thee, take me and set me down besidemy palace, in what land soever it is. " "Hearkening and obedience, Omy lord, " replied the Marid and taking him up, set him down, in thetwinkling of an eye, beside his palace in the land of Africa and beforehis wife's pavilion. By this time, the night was come; so he lookedat his palace and his cares and sorrows were dispelled from him and hetrusted in God, after he had forsworn hope, that he should see his brideonce again. Then he fell to thinking upon the hidden mercies of God(glorified be His might!) and how He had vouchsafed [580] him the ringand how his hope had been cut off, except God had provided him with theslave of the Ring. So he rejoiced and all chagrin ceased from him; then, for that he had been four days without sleeping, of the stress of hischagrin and his trouble and his grief and the excess of his melancholy, he went to the side of the palace and lay down under a tree; for that, as I have said, the palace was among the gardens of Africa without thecity. [581] He [582] lay that night under the tree in all ease; buthe whose head is in the headsman's hand sleepeth not anights. [583]However, fatigue and lack of sleep for four days past caused slumberget the mastery over him; [584] so he slept till break of morn, when heawoke at the chirp [585] of the sparrows. He arose and going to a streamthere which flowed into the city, washed his hands and face; then, making the ablution, he prayed the morning-prayer and after returned andsat under the windows of the Lady Bedrulbudour's pavilion. 

Now the princess, of the excess of her grief for her separation from herhusband and the Sultan her father and of her sore distress at that whichhad betided her with the accursed Maugrabin enchanter, used every day toarise, at the first peep of dawn, [586] and sit weeping; nay, she sleptnot anights and forswore meat and drink. Her handmaid used to go in toher at the time of the Salutation, [587] so she might dress her, andthat morning, by the decree of destiny, the damsel opened the window atthat time, thinking to solace her mistress with the sight of the treesand streams. So she looked out and seeing her lord Alaeddin sittingunder the windows of the pavilion, said to the princess, "O my lady, mylady, here is my lord Alaeddin sitting under the pavilion!" Whereuponthe Lady Bedrulbudour arose in haste and looking from the window, sawAlaeddin, and he raised his head and saw her; so she saluted him and heher and they were both like to fly for joy. Then said she to him, "Ariseand come in to me by the privy door, for that the accursed one [588] isnot now here;" and she bade her handmaid go down and open the door. So the damsel went down and opened to Alaeddin, who arose and enteredthereby. His wife, [589] the Lady Bedrulbudour, met him at the door andthey embraced and kissed each other with all joyance, till they fella-weeping of the excess of their gladness. 

Then they sat down and Alaeddin said to her, "O Lady Bedrulbudour, thereis somewhat whereof I would ask thee, before all things. I used to layan old copper lamp in such a place in my pavilion. .. " When the princessheard this, she sighed and answered him, saying, "O my beloved, it wasthat which was the cause of our falling into this calamity. " [590] Quothhe, "How came this about?" So she acquainted him with the whole matterfrom first to last, telling him how they had bartered the old lamp fora new one; "and next morning, " added she, "we found ourselves in thiscountry and he who had cozened me and changed the lamp told me that hehad wroughten these tricks upon us of the might of his magic, by meansof the lamp and that he is a Maugrabin from Africa [591] and that we arenow in his native land. " When [592] she had made an end of her story, Alaeddin said to her, "Tell me, what does this accursed one purpose withthee; what saith he to thee and of what doth he bespeak thee and what ishis will of thee?" "Every day, " answered the princess, "he cometh to meonce and no more and seeketh to draw me to his love, willing me takehim in thy stead and forget and renounce thee; nay, he told me that myfather the Sultan had cut off thy head. Moreover, he useth to say to meof thee that thou art the son of poor folk and that he was the cause ofthine enrichment and seeketh to cajole me with talk, but never hath heseen of me aught but tears and weeping or heard from me one softword. " [593] Quoth Alaeddin, "Tell me where he layeth the lamp, an thouknowest. " And she said, "He still carrieth it [about him] nor will partwith it a moment; nay, when he acquainted me with that whereof I havetold thee, he brought out the lamp from his sleeve and showed it to me"

When Alaeddin heard this, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and said toher, "Harkye, Lady Bedrulbudour; it is my present intent to go out andreturn in disguise. [594] Marvel thou not at this and let one of thyslave-girls abide await at the privy door, to open to me forthright, when she seeth me coming; and I will cast about for a device whereby Imay slay this accursed one. " Then he rose and going forth the [privy]door of his palace, walked on till he encountered a peasant by the wayand said to him, "Harkye, sirrah, take my clothes and give me thine. "The man demurred, but Alaeddin enforced him and taking his clothes fromhim, donned them and gave him his own costly apparel. Then he fared onin the high road till he came to the city and entering, betook himselfto the drug-market, where for two diners he bought of [one of] thedruggists two drachms of rare strong henbane, the son of its minute, [595] and retracing his steps, returned to the palace. When the damselsaw him, she opened him the privy door and he went in to the LadyBedrulbudour [596] and said to her, "Harkye, I will have thee dress andtire thyself and put away melancholy from thee; and when the accursedMaugrabin cometh to thee, do thou receive him with 'Welcome and fairwelcome' and go to meet him with a smiling face and bid him come supwith thee and profess to him that thou hast forgotten thy belovedAlaeddin and thy father and that thou lovest him with an exceeding love. Moreover, do thou seek of him wine, and that red, [597] and make him ashow of all joy and gladness and drink to his health. [598] Then, whenthou hast filled him two or three cups of wine, [599] [watch] till thoutake him off his guard; then put him this powder [600] in the cup andfill it up with wine, and an he drink it, he will straightway turnover on his back, like a dead man. " When the Lady Bedrulbudour heardAlaeddin's words, she said! to him, "This is a thing exceeding hard onme to do; but it is lawful to slay this accursed, so we may be deliveredfrom his uncleanness who hath made me rue thy separation and that of myfather. " Then Alaeddin ate and drank with his wife that which stayedhis hunger and rising at once, went forth the palace; whereupon the LadyBedrulbudour summoned her tirewoman, who busked her and adorned her, andshe rose and donned fine clothes and perfumed herself. Whilst she wasthus engaged, the accursed Maugrabin presented himself and was exceedingrejoiced to see her on this wise, more by token that she receivedhim with a smiling face, contrary to her wont; so he redoubled indistraction for her love and longing for her. Then she took him andseating him by her side, said to him, "O my beloved, an thou wilt, comehither to me this night and we will sup together. Enough of mourning;for that, an I sat grieving a thousand years, what were the profit?Alaeddin cannot return from the tomb and I have considered and believe[601] that which thou saidst to me yesterday, to wit, that most likemy father the Sultan hath slain him, in the excess of his grief for myloss. Nay, marvel not at me to-day, that I am changed since yesterday, for that I have bethought me to take thee to beloved and companionin Alaeddin's stead, seeing there is left me no man other than thou. Wherefore it is my hope that thou wilt come to-night, so we may suptogether and drink somewhat of wine with each other, and I will havethee let me taste of the wine of thy country Africa, for that belike itis better [than ours]. Wine, indeed, I have by me; but it is that of ourcountry, and I desire exceedingly to taste the wine of your country. "

When [602] the Maugrabin saw the love which the Lady Bedrulbudourprofessed to him and that she was changed from her whilom plight ofgrief, he thought that she had given up her hope of Alaeddin; so herejoiced greatly and said to her, "O my soul, hearkening and obedienceunto all that which thou wiliest and biddest me withal. I have withme in my house a jar of the wine of our country, the which I have keptstored these eight years under the earth; so I go now to fill from itour sufficiency and will return to thee forthright. " Therewithal theLady Bedrulbudour, that she might beguile him more and more, said tohim, "O my beloved, do not thou go thyself and leave me. Send one of thyservants to fill us from the jar and abide thou sitting with me, that Imay take comfort in thee. " "O my lady, " answered he, "none knoweth theplace of the jar save myself; but I will not keep thee waiting. "[603] So saying, he went out and returned after a little with theirsufficiency of wine; and the Lady Bedrulbudour said to him, "Thou hastbeen at pains [604] [for me], and I have put thee to unease, [605] Omy beloved. " "Nay, " answered he, "O [thou that art dear to me as] mineeyes, I am honoured by thy service. " Then she sat down with him at tableand they both fell to eating. Presently, the princess called for drinkand the handmaid immediately filled her the cup; then she filled for theMaugrabin and the Lady Bedrulbudour proceeded to drink to his life andhealth, [606] and he also drank to her life and she fell to carousing[607] with him. Now she was unique in eloquence and sweetness of speechand she proceeded to beguile him and bespeak him with words significant[608] and sweet, so she might entangle him yet straitlier in the toilsof her love. The Maugrabin thought that all this was true [609] and knewnot that the love she professed to him was a snare set for him to slayhim. So he redoubled in desire for her and was like to die for loveof her, when he saw from her that which she showed him of sweetnessof speech and coquetry; [610] his head swam with ecstasy [611] and theworld became changed [612] in his eyes. 

When they came to the last of the supper and the princess knew that thewine had gotten the mastery in his head, she said to him, "We have inour country a custom, meknoweth not if you in this country use it ornot. " "And what is this custom?" asked the Maugrabin. "It is, " answeredshe, "that, at the end of supper, each lover taketh the other's cup anddrinketh it. " So saying, she took his cup and filling it for herselfwith wine, bade the handmaid give him her cup, wherein was wine mingledwith henbane, even as she had taught her how she should do, for that allthe slaves and slave-girls in the palace wished his death and were atone against him with the Lady Bedrulbudour. So the damsel gave him thecup, and he, hearing the princess's words and seeing her drink in hiscup and give him to drink in hers, deemed himself Iskender of the Horns, whenas he saw from her all this love. Then she bent towards him, swayinggracefully from side to side, and laying her hand on his, said, "O mylife, here is thy cup with me and mine is with thee; thus do loversdrink one from other's cup. " Then she kissed [613] his cup and drinkingit off, set it down and came up to him and kissed him on the cheek;[614] whereat he was like to fly for joy and purposing to do even asshe had done, raised the cup to his mouth and drank it all off, withoutlooking if there were aught therein or not; but no sooner had he donethis than he turned over on his back, like a dead man, and the cup fellfrom his hand. 

The Lady Bedrulbudour rejoiced at this and the damsels ran, vying witheach other in their haste, [615] and opened the palace-door [616] toAlaeddin, their lord; whereupon he entered and [617] going up to hiswife's pavilion, [618] found her sitting at the table and the Maugrabinbefore her, as one slain. So he went up to the princess and kissedher and thanked her for this [that she had done] and rejoiced withan exceeding joy. Then said he to her, "Get thee now into thine innerchamber, thou and thy damsels, and leave me alone, so I may considerof that which I have to do. " Accordingly, the Lady Bedrulbudour tarriednot, but entered the inner pavilion, she and her women; whereuponAlaeddin arose and locked the door on them and going up to theMaugrabin, put his hand to his sleeve and pulled out the lamp; afterwhich he drew his sword and cut off the sorcerer's head. Then he rubbedthe lamp and the Marid, its slave, appeared to him and said, "Here am I, O my lord; what wiliest thou?" Quoth Alaeddin, "I will of thee that thoutake up this palace from this country and carry it to the land of Chinaand set it in the place where it was erst, before the Sultan'spalace. " "Hearkening and obedience, O my lord, " replied the Marid [anddisappeared], whilst Alaeddin went in and sat with the Lady Bedrulbudourhis bride and embraced her and kissed her and she him; and they sattalking and making merry, what while the Marid took up the palace with[619] them and set it down in its place before the Sultan's palace. 

Presently Alaeddin called for food; so the slave-girls set the traybefore him and he sat, he and the Lady Bedrulbudour his wife, and ateand drank in all joy and gladness till they had taken their sufficiency. Then they removed to the chamber of wine and carousel, where they satdrinking and making merry and kissing one another with all eagerness, for that it was long since they had had easance together; and theyceased not from this till the sun of wine rose in their heads and sleeptook them; whereupon they arose and lay down on their bed in allrest and delight. In the morning Alaeddin arose and aroused his wife, whereupon her women came to her and dressed her and busked her andadorned her; whilst he, on his part, donned the richest of raiment, [620] and both were like to fly for joy at their reunion with eachother, after their separation, whilst the Lady Bedrulbudour wasespecially glad, for that she looked to see her father that day. 

So much for Alaeddin and the Lady Bedrulbudour; and as for the Sultan, after he had released Alaeddin, he ceased not to mourn for the loss ofhis daughter and to sit and weep for her, like a woman, at every timeand tide; for that she was his only one and he had none other than her. And every day, whenas he arose from his sleep in the morning, he wouldgo hastily to the window and opening it, look towards the place whereAlaeddin's palace was erst and weep till his eyes were dried up andtheir lids ulcered. He arose that day at dawn, according to his wont, and opening the window, looked out and saw before him a building; so hefell to rubbing his eyes and looking closelier, was certified that itwas Alaeddin's palace; whereupon he immediately called for the horses. Accordingly, they saddled them and he went down and mounting, rode toAlaeddin's palace. When the latter saw him coming, he went down andmeeting him half-way, took him by the hand and carried him up to thepavilion of the Lady Bedrulbudour, his daughter. Now she also longedsore for her father; so she came down and met him at the stair-footdoor, over against the lower hall; whereupon he embraced her and fellto kissing her and weeping and on this wise did she also. Then Alaeddinbrought them up to the upper pavilion, [621] where they sat down and theSultan proceeded to question the princess of her case and of that whichhad befallen her, whilst [622] she acquainted him with all that hadhappened to her and said to him, "O my father, I breathed not tillyesterday, when I saw my husband, and he it is who delivered me from thebondage of a Maugrabin, an accursed sorcerer, methinketh there is nota filthier than he on the face of the earth; and but for my belovedAlaeddin, I had not won free of him and thou hadst not seen me all thylife. Indeed, O my father, there possessed me grief and sore chagrin, not only for my severance from thee, but also for the loss of myhusband, to whom I shall be beholden all the days of my life, seeing hedelivered me from that accursed enchanter. "

Then she went on to acquaint her father with all that had befallen herand to tell him of the Maugrabin's dealings and what he did with herand how he feigned himself a lampseller, who bartered new for old. "Andwhen, " [quoth she]; "I saw this [seeming] lack of wit in him, I fell tolaughing at him, unknowing his perfidy and his intent; so I took an oldlamp that was in my husband's pavilion and sent it by the eunuch, whoexchanged it with him for a new lamp; and next day, O my father, atdaybreak, we found ourselves in Africa, with the palace and all thatwas therein; and I knew not the properties of the lamp which I hadexchanged, till my husband Alaeddin came to us and contrived againstthe Maugrabin a device whereby he delivered us from him. Now, except myhusband had won to us, it was the accursed one's intent to go in to meperforce; but Alaeddin, my husband gave me a powder, the which I putfor him in a cup of wine and gave it him to drink. So he drank it andfell-back as one dead; whereupon my husband Alaeddin came in to me andmeknoweth not how he wrought, so that he transported us back from theland of Africa to our place here. " And Alaeddin said to the Sultan, "O my lord, when I came up and saw him cast down like one slain andsleeping for the henbane, I said to the Lady Bedrulbudour, 'Go in, thouand thy women, to the inner pavilion. ' So she arose and went in, she andher damsels, from that loathsome sight; whilst I went up to the accursedMaugrabin and putting my hand to his sleeve, pulled out the lamp, forthat the Lady Bedrulbudour had told me he still carried it there. Then, when I had gotten it, I drew my sword and cut [off] the accursed's[head] and making use of the lamp, bade its servants take us up, withthe palace and all that was therein, and set us down here in our place. And if Thy Grace be in doubt of my words, do thou come with me and seethe accursed Maugrabin. "

So the King arose and going in with Alaeddin to the pavilion, saw theMaugrabin [Iying ]: whereupon he bade forthright take the carcase andburn it and scatter its ashes [to the winds]. Then he embraced Alaeddinand fell to kissing him and said to him, "Excuse me, O my son, for thatI was going [623] to bereave thee of thy life, through the wickedness ofyonder accursed sorcerer who cast thee into this pit; and indeed, O myson, I was excusable in that which I did with thee, inasmuch as I sawmyself bereft of my daughter and mine only one, who is dearer to methan my kingdom, and thou knowest how fathers' hearts yearn upon theirchildren, more by token that I have but the Lady Bedrulbudour. " And hewent on to excuse himself to him and kiss him; and [624] Alaeddin saidto him, "O Lord of the Age, thou didst with me nothing contrary to thelaw and I also was guiltless of offence; but the thing came all of thatvile Maugrabin enchanter. " Then the Sultan bade decorate the city andhold festival and rejoicings and commanded the crier to cry in thecity that that day was a great festival, wherefore rejoicings should beholden in all the realm during the space of a month, [to wit, ] thirtydays' time, for the return of the Lady Bedrulbudour his daughter and herhusband Alaeddin. 

This, then, is what befell Alaeddin with the Maugrabin; but Alaeddin, for all this, was not altogether [625] quit of the accursed enchanter, withal his body had been burned and given to the winds; for that theaccursed one had a brother viler than he [and yet more skilled] in magicand geomancy and astrology; [nay, they were even] as saith the proverb, "A bean and it was cloven in twain;" [626] and each dwelt in one quarterof the world, so they might fill it [627] with their sorcery and craftand guile. It chanced one day that the Maugrabin's brother was minded toknow how it was with his brother; so he fetched his sand-board and smoteit and extracted its figures; then he considered them and examining themthroughly, found his brother in the house of the tomb; [628] whereathe mourned and was certified that he was indeed dead. Then he smote thesand a second time, so he might learn how and where he died, and foundthat he had died in the land of China and by the foulest of deaths andknew that he who slew him was a youth by name Alaeddin. So he rose atonce and equipping himself for travel, set out and traversed plains anddeserts and mountains months and months, till he came to the land ofChina [and entering] the city of the sultanate, wherein was Alaeddin, repaired to the Strangers' Khan, where he hired him a lodging and restedthere a little. 

Then he arose to go round about the thoroughfares of the city, that hemight spy him out a means of compassing his fell purpose, the whichwas to take vengeance of his brother on Alaeddin. So he entered acoffee-house in the market, a mighty fine place whither there resortedgreat plenty of folk, some to play tables, [629] some draughts [630] andother some chess and what not else. There he sat down and heard thosewho sat beside him talk of an old woman, an anchoress, by name Fatimeh, who still abode in her place without the city, serving [God], and camenot down into the town but two days in the month, avouching her to bepossessed of divine gifts galore. [631] When the Maugrabin enchanterheard this, he said in himself, "Now have I found that which I sought. An it please God the Most High, I shall achieve my quest by means ofthis woman. " So [632] he went up to the folk who were speaking of thedevout old woman's supernatural powers and said to one of them, "Ouncle, I hear you talk of the divine gifts of one she-saint, [633] byname Fatimeh. Who [634] is she and where is her place?" "Wonderful!"cried the man. "What, thou art in our city and hast not heard of thedivine gifts of my Lady [635] Fatimeh? Apparently, good man, [636] thouart a stranger, since thou hast never chanced to hear of the fasts ofthis holy woman and her abhorrence of the world and the goodlinessof her piety. " "Ay, my lord, " replied the Maugrabin, "I am indeed astranger and arrived but yesternight in this your town; wherefore Ibeseech thee tell me of the divine gifts of this holy woman and whereher place is, for that I have fallen into a calamity and would fain goto her and crave her of prayer, so haply God (to whom belong might andmajesty) may deliver me from my stress, by means of her intercession. "The man accordingly told him of the divine gifts of the holy womanFatimeh and her piety and the excellence of her devotion; then, takinghim by the hand, he carried him without the city and showed him the wayto her abiding-place, which was in a cavern on the top of a little hill;whereupon the Maugrabin thanked him amain for his kindness [636] andreturned to his place in the Khan. 

Now, by the decree of destiny, Fatimeh came down on the morrow to thecity and the enchanter, going forth the Khan in the morning, saw thefolk crowding together; so he went up, to see what was toward, and foundFatimeh standing, whilst every one who had a pain or an ache came toher, seeking her blessing and soliciting her prayers, and whenas shestroked him, he was made whole of his ailment. The Maugrabin followedher, till she returned to her cavern, and waited till nightfall, when hearose and entering a sherbet-sellers [637] shop, drank a cup of liquor, [638] then went forth the city, intending for the cavern of Fatimeh therecluse. When he came thither, he entered and saw her sleeping on herback on a piece of matting; so he went up to her and sitting down [639]on her breast, [640] drew his dagger and cried out at her; whereupon sheawoke and opening her eyes, saw a man, a Maugrabin, with a drawn dagger, sitting on her breast [641] and offering to kill her. So she feared andtrembled and he said to her, "Harkye, an thou say aught or cry out, Iwill kill thee on the spot. Arise now and do all that I shall bid thee. "And he swore an oath to her that, if she did for him that which heshould bid her, he would not kill her. 

Then he rose from her and she rose also, and he said to her, "Give methy clothes and take mine. " So she gave him her clothes and head-bandsand her kerchief and veil; and he said to her, "Now must thou anointme, to boot, with somewhat, so my face may become like unto shine incolour. " Accordingly Fatimeh went within the cavern and bringing out avial of ointment, took thereof in her palm and anointed his face withal, whereupon it became like unto hers in colour. Then she gave him herstaff and taught him how he should walk and how he should do, whenas hewent down into the city; moreover, she put her rosary on his neck andfinally giving him the mirror, said to him, "Look now; thou differestnot from me in aught. " So he looked and saw himself as he were Fatimehherself. [642] Then, when he had gotten his desire, he broke his oathand sought of her a rope; so she brought him a rope and he took her andstrangled her therewith in the cavern. When she was dead, he dragged herforth and cast her into a pit therewithout; then, [643] returning to hercavern, he slept there till the day broke, when he arose and going downinto the city, came under Alaeddin's pavilion. [644]

The folk gathered about him, believing him to be Fatimeh the Recluse, and he proceeded to do like as she had been used to do, laying hands onthose in pain and reciting for this one the Fatiheh [645] and for thata[nother] chapter of the Koran and praying for a third. Then, forthe much crowding upon him and the clamour of the folk, the LadyBedrulbudour heard and said to her women, "See what is to do and what isthe cause of this noise. " So the Ada of the eunuchs went to see what wastoward and returning, said to her, "O my lady, this clamour is becauseof the Lady Fatimeh. An it please thee bid me fetch her to thee, so thoumayst ask a blessing of her. .. . " And the Lady Bedrulbudour said to him, "Go and bring her to me; marry, this long while past I have still heardof her gifts and excellences and have yearned to see her, so I may ask ablessing of her, for that the folk are beyond measure abundant [intalk] of her [646] virtues. " So the Aga went and brought the enchanter, disguised as Fatimeh, before the Lady Bedrulbudour; whereupon theMaugrabin offered up abundance of prayers for her, and none misdoubtedof him but that he was Fatimeh the recluse. The princess rose andsaluting him, seated him by her side and said to him, "O my LadyFatimeh, I will have thee with me alway, that I may be blessed in theeand eke that I may learn of thee the ways of God-service and piety andmodel myself on thee. "

Now this was what the accursed sorcerer aimed at; however, the better toaccomplish his perfidious intent, [647] he [dissembled and] said to her, "O my lady, I am a poor woman sitting in the desert and it beseemethnot that the like of me should abide in kings' palaces. " Quoth the LadyBedrulbudour, "Have no manner of care, O my lady Fatimeh; I will givethee a place in my house, where thou shalt do thy devotions, and noneshall ever go in to thee; nay, here shalt thou serve God better than inthy cavern. " And the Maugrabin said to her, "Hearkening and obedience, O my lady; I will not gainsay thy commandment, for that the speech ofprinces may not be crossed neither disputed; but I beg of thee that myeating and drinking and sitting may be in my closet alone [and] thatnone may come in upon me. Moreover, I need no rich viands, but everyday do thou favour me and send me by thy handmaid a piece of bread anda draught of water to my closet; and when I am minded to eat, I will eatin my closet alone. " (Now this the accursed did, of his fear lest hischin veil should be raised, when he ate, and so his case be exposedand they know him for a man by his beard and moustaches. ) "O my ladyFatimeh, " rejoined the princess, "be easy; nothing shall betide savethat which thou wiliest; so rise now [and come] with me, that I may showthee the pavilion [648] which I purpose to order for thine inhabitancewith us. " So [649] saying, she arose and carrying the sorcerer to theplace which she had appointed him wherein to abide, said to him, "O mylady Fatimeh, here shalt thou dwell; this pavilion is in thy name andthou shalt abide therein in all quiet and ease of privacy. " And theMaugrabin thanked her for her bounty and prayed for her. 

Then the Lady Bedrulbudour took him and showed him the belvedere [650]and the kiosk of jewels, with the four-and-twenty oriels, [651] andsaid to him, "How deemest thou, O my Lady Fatimeh, of this wonderfulpavilion?" [652] "By Allah, O my daughter, " replied he, "it is indeedmarvellous in the extreme, [653] nor methinketh is its like found in theworld; nay, it is magnificent exceedingly; but oh, for one thing whichwould far increase it in beauty and adornment!" And the princess saidto him, "O my Lady Fatimeh, what is lacking to it and what is thisthing which would adorn it? Tell me of it; I had thought that it wasaltogether perfect. " "O my lady, " answered the sorcerer, "that whichlacketh to it is the egg of the bird Roc, which being hung in its dome, there were no like unto this pavilion in all the world. " "What is thisbird. " asked the princess, "and where shall we find its egg?" And theMoor said to her, "O my lady, this is a great bird that taketh up camelsand elephants in its talons and flieth with them, of its bignessand greatness; it is mostly to be found in the mountain Caf and thecraftsman who builded this palace [654] is able to bring its egg. " Thenthey left that talk and it was the time of the morning-meal. So theslave-girls laid the table and the Lady Bedrulbudour sat down and soughtof the accursed sorcerer that he should eat with her; but he refusedand rising, entered the pavilion which she had given him, whither theslave-girls carried him the morning-meal. 

When it was eventide and Alaeddin returned from the chase, the LadyBedrulbudour met him and saluted him: whereupon he embraced her andkissed her and looking in her face, saw that she was somewhat troubledand smiled not, against her wont. So he said to her, "What aileth thee, O my beloved? Tell me, hath there befallen thee aught to trouble thee?"And she answered him, saying, "There aileth me nothing; but, O mybeloved, I had thought that our palace [655] lacked of nought; however, O my eyes [656] Alaeddin, were there hung in the dome of the upperpavilion [657] an egg of the bird Roc, there were not its like in theworld. " "And wast thou concerned anent this?" rejoined Alaeddin. "Thisis to me the easiest of all things; so be easy, for it is enough thatthou tell me of that which thou wishest and I will fetch it thee fromthe abysses of the world on the speediest wise. " Then [658] after he hadcomforted the princess and promised her all she sought, he went straightto his closet and taking the lamp rubbed it; whereupon the Marid at onceappeared and said to him, "Seek what thou wilt;" and Alaeddin, "I willhave thee bring me a Roc's egg and hang it in the dome of the [upper]pavilion. " [659]

When the Marid heard Alaeddin's words, his face frowned and he waswroth and cried out with a terrible great voice, saying, "O denier ofbenefits, doth it not suffice thee that I and all the slaves of the Lampare at thy service and wouldst thou eke have me bring thee our liegelady, for thy pleasure, and hang her in the dome of thy pavilion, todivert thee and thy wife? By Allah, ye deserve that I should forthrightreduce you both to ashes and scatter you to the winds! But, inasmuch asye are ignorant, thou and she, concerning this matter and know not itsinward from its outward, [660] I excuse you, for that ye are innocent. As for the guilt, it lieth with the accursed one, the surviving [661]brother of the Maugrabin enchanter, who feigneth himself to be Fatimehthe Recluse; for lo, he hath slain Fatimeh in her cavern and hath donnedher dress and disguised himself after her favour and fashion and is comehither, seeking thy destruction, so he may take vengeance on thee forhis brother; and he it is who taught thy wife to seek this of thee. "[662] Therewith he disappeared, and as for Alaeddin, when he heard this, his wit fled from his head and his joints trembled at the cry wherewiththe Marid cried out at him; but he took heart and leaving his closet, went in straightway to his wife and feigned to her that his head irkedhim, of his knowledge that Fatimeh was renowned for the secret ofhealing [663] all aches and pains. When the Lady Bedrulbudour saw himput his hand to his head and complain of its aching, [664] she asked himwhat was the cause and he said, "I know not, except that my head irkethme sore. " Accordingly she sent forthwith to fetch Fatimeh, so shemight lay her hand on his head; whereupon quoth Alaeddin, "Who is thisFatimeh?" And the princess told him how she had lodged Fatimeh therecluse with her in the palace. [665]

Meanwhile the slave-girls went and fetched the accursed Maugrabin, andAlaeddin arose to him, feigning ignorance of his case, and salutedhim, as he had been the true Fatimeh. Moreover he kissed the hem of hissleeve and welcomed him, [666] saying, "O my Lady Fatimeh, I beseechthee do me a kindness, since I know thy usances in the matter of thehealing of pains, for that there hath betided me a sore pain in myhead. " The Maugrabin could scarce believe his ears of this speech, [667]for that this was what he sought; so he went up to Alaeddin, as he wouldlay his hand on his head, after the fashion of Fatimeh the recluse, andheal him of his pain. When he drew near-him, he laid one hand on hishead and putting the other under his clothes, drew a dagger, so [668] hemight slay him withal. But Alaeddin was watching him and waited till hehad all to-drawn the dagger, when he gripped him by the hand and takingthe knife from him, planted [669] it in his heart. 

When the Lady Bedrulbudour saw this, she cried out and said to him, "What hath this holy anchoress done, that thou burthenest thyself withthe sore burden of her blood? Hast thou no fear of God, that thou dostthis and hast slain Fatimeh, who was a holy woman and whose divine giftswere renowned?" Quoth he to her, "I have not slain Fatimeh; nay, I haveslain him who slew her; for that this is the brother of the accursedMaugrabin enchanter, who took thee and by his sorcery transported thepalace with thee to the land of Africa. Yea, this accursed one washis brother and came to this country and wrought these frauds, slayingFatimeh and donning her clothes and coming hither, so he might takevengeance on me for his brother. Moreover, it was he who taught thee toseek of me a Roc's egg, so my destruction should ensue thereof; and ifthou misdoubt of my word, come and see whom I have slain. " So saying, hedid off the Maugrabin's chin veil and the Lady Bedrulbudour looked andsaw a man whose beard covered his face; whereupon she at once knew thetruth and said to Alaeddin, "O my beloved, twice have I cast thee intodanger of death;" and he said to her, "O Lady Bedrulbudour, thanks tothine eyes, [670] no harm [hath betided me thereof; nay, ] I accept withall joy everything that cometh to me through thee. " When the princessheard this, she hastened to embrace him and kissed him, saying, "O mybeloved, all this was of my love for thee and I knew not what I did;[671] nor indeed am I negligent of thy love. " [672] Whereupon Alaeddinkissed her and strained her to his breast and love redoubled betweenthem. 

Presently, in came the Sultan; so they told him of all that had passedwith the Maugrabin enchanter's brother and showed him the latter, as helay dead; whereupon he bade burn him and scatter his ashes to the winds. Thenceforward Alaeddin abode with his wife the Lady Bedrulbudour inall peace and pleasure and was delivered from all perils. Then, aftera while, the Sultan died and Alaeddin sat down on the throne of thekingdom and ruled and did justice among the people; and all the folkloved him and he lived with his wife, the Lady Bedrulbudour, in allcheer and solace and contentment till there came to them the Destroyerof Delights and the Sunderer of Societies. 

FOOTNOTES

[Footnote 1: i. E. (1) Zeyn Alasnam, (2) Codadad. (3) The SleeperAwakened. (4) Aladdin. (5) Baba Abdallah. (6) Sidi Nouman. (7) CogiaHassan Alhabbah (8) Ali Baba. (9) Ali Cogia. (10) Prince Ahmed andPari-Banou. (11) The Sisters who envied their younger Sister. ]

[Footnote 2: "M. Galland was aware of the imperfection of the MS. Usedby him and (unable to obtain a more perfect copy) he seems to haveendeavoured to supply the place of the missing portions by incorporatingin his translation a number of Persian, Turkish and Arabic Tales, which had no connection with his original and for which it is generallysupposed that he probably had recourse to Oriental MSS. (as yetunidentified) contained in the Royal Libraries of Paris. " Vol. IX. P. 263. "Of these the Story of the Sleeper Awakened is the only one whichhas been traced to an Arabic original and is found in the Breslauedition of the complete work, printed by Dr. Habicht from a MS. OfTunisian origin, apparently of much later date than the other knowncopies. .. .. Galland himself cautions us that the Stories of Zeyn Alasnamand Codadad do not belong to the Thousand and One Nights and werepublished (how he does not explain) without his authority. " p. 264. "Itis possible that an exhaustive examination of the various MS. Copies ofthe Thousand and One Nights known to exist in the public libraries ofEurope Might yet cast some light upon the origin of the interpolatedtales; but, in view of the strong presumption afforded by internalevidence that they are of modern composition and form no part of theauthentic text, it can hardly be expected, where the result and thevalue of that result are alike so doubtful, that any competent personwill be found to undertake so heavy a task, except as incidental to somemore general enquiry. The only one of the eleven which seems to me tobear any trace of possible connection with the Book of the ThousandNights and One Night is Aladdin, and it may be that an examination ofthe MS. Copies of the original work within my reach will yet enable meto trace the origin of that favourite story. " pp. 268-9. ]

[Footnote 3: Histoire d' 'Ala Al-Din ou la Lampe Merveilleuse. TexteArabe, Publie avec une notice de quelques Manuscrits des Mille et UneNuits et la traduction de Galland. Par H. Zotenberg. Paris, ImprimerieNationale, 1888. ]

[Footnote 4: For the sake of uniformity and convenience of reference, Iuse, throughout this Introduction, Galland's spelling of the names whichoccur in his translation, returning to my own system of transliterationin my rendering of the stories themselves. ]

[Footnote 5: i. E. God's. ]

[Footnote 6: "La suite des Mille et une Nuits, Contes Arabes trafluitspar Dom Chavis et M. Cazotte. Paris 1788. " The Edinburgh Review (July, 1886) gives the date of the first edition as 1785; but this is an error, probably founded upon the antedating of a copy of the Cabinet des Fees, certain sets of which (though not actually completed till 1793) aredated, for some publisher's reason, 1785. See also following note. ]

[Footnote 7: These four (supplemental) vols. Of the Cabinet des Fees(printed in 1793, though antedated 1788 and 1789) do not form the firstedition of Chavis and Cazotte's so-called Sequel, which was in 1793added, by way of supplement, to the Cabinet des Fees, having beenfirst published in 1788 (two years after the completion-in thirty-sevenvolumes-of that great storehouse of supernatural fiction) under thetitle of "Les Veillees Persanes" or "Les Veillees du Sultan Schahriaravec la Sultane Scheherazade, histoires incroyables, amusantes etmorales, traduites par M. Cazotte et D. Chavis, faisant suite aux Milleet Une Nuits. "]

[Footnote 8: I cannot agree with my friend Sir R. F. Burton in hisestimate of these tales, which seem to me, even in Caussin de Perceval'scorrector rendering and in his own brilliant and masterly version, veryinferior, in style, conduct and diction, to those of "the old ArabianNights, " whilst I think "Chavis and Cazotte's Continuation" utterlyunworthy of republication, whether in part or "in its entirety. " Indeed, I confess the latter version seems to me so curiously and perversely andunutterably bad that I cannot conceive how Cazotte can have perpetratedit and can only regard it as a bad joke on his part. As Caussin dePerceval remarks, it is evident that Shawish (whether from ignorance orcarelessness) must, in many instances, have utterly misled his Frenchcoadjutor (who had no knowledge of Arabic) as to the meaning of theoriginal, whilst it is much to be regretted that a writer of exquisitegenius and one of the first stylists of the 18th century, such as theauthor of the Diable Amoureux, (a masterpiece to be ranked with ManonLescaut and Le Neveu de Rameau, ) should have stooped to the commissionof the flagrant offences against good taste and artistic morality whichdisfigure well nigh every line of the so-called "Sequel to the 1001Nights. " "Far be it" (as the Arabs say) that we should do so cruel awrong to so well and justly beloved a memory as that of Jacques Cazotteas to attempt to perpetuate the remembrance of a literary crime whichone can hardly believe him to have committed in sober earnest! Ratherlet us seek to bury in oblivion this his one offence and suffer kindLethe with its beneficent waters to wash this "adulterous blot" from hiselse unsullied name. ]

[Footnote 9: Lit. "Servants" (ibad) i. E. Of God. ]

[Footnote 10: i. E. He who most stands in need of God's mercy. ]

[Footnote 11: Kebikej is the name of the genie set over the insectkingdom. Scribes occasionally invoke him to preserve their manuscriptsfrom worms. -Note by M. Zotenberg. ]

[Footnote 12: Galland calls him "Hanna, c'est. .. Dire Jean Baptiste, "the Arabic Christian equivalent of which is Youhenna and the MuslimYehya, "surnomme Diab. " Diary, October 25, 1709. ]

[Footnote 13: At this date Galland had already published the first six(of twelve) volumes of his translation (1704-5) and as far as I canascertain, in the absence of a reference copy (the British Museumpossessing no copy of the original edition), the 7th and 8th volumeswere either published or in the press. Vol. Viii. Was certainlypublished before the end of the year 1709, by which time the whole ofvol. Ix. Was ready for printing. ]

[Footnote 14: i. E. Aladdin. ]

[Footnote 15: Galland died in 1715, leaving the last two volumes of histranslation (which appear by the Diary to have been ready for the prepon the 8th June, 1713) to be published in 1717. ]

[Footnote 16: Aleppo. ]

[Footnote 17: i. E. Yonhenna Diab. ]

[Footnote 18: For "Persian. " Galland evidently supposed, in error, thatPetis de la Croix's forthcoming work was a continuation of his "ContesTurcs" published in 1707, a partial translation (never completed) of theTurkish version of "The Forty Viziers, " otherwise "The Malice ofWomen, " for which see Le Cabinet des Fees, vol. Xvi. Where the workis, curiously enough, attributed (by the Table of Contents) to Gallandhimself. ]

[Footnote 19: See my terminal essay. My conclusions there stated asto the probable date of the original work have since been completelyconfirmed by the fact that experts assign Galland's original (imperfect)copy of the Arabic text to the latter part of the fourteenth century, onthe evidence of the handwriting, etc. ]

[Footnote 20: In M. Zotenberg's notes to Aladdin. ]

[Footnote 21: Night CCCCXCVII. ]

[Footnote 22: Khelifeh. ]

[Footnote 23: Or "favourites" (auliya), i. E. Holy men, devotees, saints. ]

[Footnote 24: i. E. The geomancers. For a detailed description of thismagical process, (which is known as "sand-tracing, " Kharu 'r reml, ) seeposl, p. 199, note 2. {see FN#548}]

[Footnote 25: i. E. "What it will do in the course of its life"]

[Footnote 26: Or "ascendants" (tewali). ]

[Footnote 27: i. E. "Adornment of the Images. " This is an evident mistake(due to some ignorant copyist or reciter of the story) of the samekind as that to be found at the commencement of the story of Ghanim benEyoub, (see my Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol I. P. 363et seq. ), where the hero is absurdly stated to have been surnamed atbirth the "Slave of Love, " a sobriquet which could only have attacheditself to him in after-life and as a consequence of his passion forFitoeh. Sir R. F. Burton suggests, with great probability, that thename, as it stands in the text, is a contraction, by a common ellipticalprocess, of the more acceptable, form Zein-ud-din ul Asnam, i. E. Zein-ud-din (Adornment of the Faith) [he] of the Images, Zein(adornment) not being a name used by the Arabic-speaking races, unlesswith some such addition as ud-Din ("of the Faith"), and the affixul Asnam ( "[He] of the Images") being a sobriquet arising fromthe circumstances of the hero's after-life, unless its addition, as recommended by the astrologers, is meant as an indication of thelatter's fore-knowledge of what was to befall him thereafter. Thisnoted, I leave the name as I find it in the Arabic MS. ]

[Footnote 28: Sheji nebih. Burton, "Valiant and intelligent. "]

[Footnote 29: Syn. "his describers" (wasifihi). ]

[Footnote 30: Wa huwa hema caiou fihi bads wasifihi shiran. Burton(apparently from a different text), "and presently he became even as thepoets sang of one of his fellows in semblance. "]

[Footnote 31: Milah, plural of melih, a fair one. ]

[Footnote 32: Khemseh senin. Burton, "fifteen. "]

[Footnote 33: Shabb, adult, man between sixteen and thirty. ]

[Footnote 34: Femu ghefir min el aalem. Burton, "All the defenders ofthe realm. "]

[Footnote 35: Night CCCCXCVIII. ]

[Footnote 36: Syn. "depose. "]

[Footnote 37: Lit. "that which proceeded from him. "]

[Footnote 38: See ante, p. 3, note. {see FN#23}]

[Footnote 39: Night CCCCXCIX. ]

[Footnote 40: i. E. Imposed on me the toil, caused me undertake theweariness, of coming to Cairo for nothing. ]

[Footnote 41: Forgetting his mother. ]

[Footnote 42: i. E. No mortal. ]

[Footnote 43: Keszr abouka 'l fulani (vulg. For abika'l fulan). Burton, "Such a palace of thy sire. "]

[Footnote 44: i. E. It is not like the journey to Cairo and back. ]

[Footnote 45: i. E. In God grant thou mayst. ]

[Footnote 46: Or "jade" (yeshm). ]

[Footnote 47: Night D. ]

[Footnote 48: "Edh dheheb el atic. " Burton, "antique golden pieces"; butthere is nothing to show that the gold was coined. ]

[Footnote 49: The "also" in this clause seems to refer to the old man ofthe dream. ]

[Footnote 50: Keszr, lit. Palace, but commonly meaning, in modern Arabic, an upper story or detached corps de logis (pavilion in the French sense, an evident misnomer in the present case). ]

[Footnote 51: Lit. "put the key in the lock and opened it and behold, the door of a palace (hall) opened. "]

[Footnote 52: Takeli, sing. Form of tac, a window. Burton, "recess forlamps. "]

[Footnote 53: Lit. "till he join thee with. "]

[Footnote 54: Or "Cairo, " the name Misr being common to the country andits capital. ]

[Footnote 55: Badki tecouli[na]. Badki (lit. After thee) is here used inthe modern sense of "still" or "yet. " The interrogative prefix A appearsto have dropped out, as is not uncommon in manuscripts of this kind. Burton, "After thou assuredst me, saying, &c. "]

[Footnote 56: Here she adopts her son's previous idea that the old manof the dream was the Prophet in person. ]

[Footnote 57: Night DI. ]

[Footnote 58: Cudoum. The common form of welcome to a guest. ]

[Footnote 59: Or "upper room" (keszr). ]

[Footnote 60: Eight; see ante, p. 14. {see FN#46}]

[Footnote 61: Edh dheheb el kedim. ]

[Footnote 62: Edh dhelieb er yemli, lit. Sand. (i. E. Alluvial) gold, gold in its native state, needing no smelting to extract it. This, by the way, is the first mention of the thrones or pedestals of theimages. ]

[Footnote 63: Lit. "[With] love and honour" (hubban wa kerametan). Afamilar phrase implying complete assent to any request. It is by somelexicologists supposed to have arisen from the circumstance of a mananswering another, who begged of him a wine-jar (hubb), with the words, "Ay, I will give thee a jar and a cover (kerameh) also, " and to havethus become a tropical expression of ready compliance with a petition, as who should say, "I will give thee what thou askest and more. "]

[Footnote 64: The slave's attitude before his master. ]

[Footnote 65: The like. ]

[Footnote 66: Night DII. ]

[Footnote 67: i. E. Invoked blessings upon him in the manner familiar toreaders of the Nights. ]

[Footnote 68: Lit. Thou [art] indulged therein (ent musamih fiha). ]

[Footnote 69: Mehmy (vulg. For mehma, whatsoever) telebtaha minni min enmiam. Burton, "whatso of importance thou wouldst have of me. "]

[Footnote 70: Lit. "in a seeking (request) ever or at all" (fi tilbetiabdan). Burton, "in thy requiring it. "]

[Footnote 71: "Tal aleyya" wect, i. E. I am weary of waiting. Burton, "Mytarrying with thee hath been long. "]

[Footnote 72: Or "difficult" (aziz); Burton, "singular-fare. "]

[Footnote 73: Lit. "If the achievement thereof (or attainment thereunto)will be possible unto thee [by or by dint of] fortitude, "]

[Footnote 74: Lit. "Wealth [is] in (or by) blood. "]

[Footnote 75: El berr el atfer. Burton translates, "the wildest ofwolds, " apparently supposing atfer to be a mistranscription for aefer, which is very possible. ]

[Footnote 76: Kewaribji, a word formed by adding the Turkish affix jito the Arabic kewarib, plural of carib, a small boat. The common formof the word is caribji. Burton reads it, "Kewariji, one who uses thepaddle. "]

[Footnote 77: Lit "inverted" (mecloubeh). Burton, "the reverse ofman's. "]

[Footnote 78: Night DIII. ]

[Footnote 79: Wehsh. Burton, "a lion. "]

[Footnote 80: Lit. "then they passed on till" (thumma fatou ila [an]). ]

[Footnote 81: Sic (ashjar anber); though what the Arabic author meantby "trees of ambergris" is more than I can say. The word anber (pro. Pounced amber) signifies also "saffron"; but the obbligato juxtapositionof aloes and sandal-wood tends to show that what is meant is thewell-known product of the sperm-whale. It is possible that the mentionof this latter may be an interpolation by some ignorant copyist, who, seeing two only of the three favourite Oriental scents named, took uponhimself to complete the odoriferous trinity, so dear to Arab writers, bythe addition of ambergris. ]

[Footnote 82: Yas, Persian form of yasm, yasmin or yasimin. Sir R. F. Burton reads yamin and supposes it to be a copyist's error for yasmin, but this is a mistake; the word in the text is clearly yas, thoughthe final s, being somewhat carelessly written in the Arabic MS, mighteasily be mistaken for mn with an undotted noun. ]

[Footnote 83: Lit. "perfect or complete (kamil) of fruits and flowers. "]

[Footnote 84: Lit. "many armies" (asakir, pl. Of asker, an army), butasker is constantly used in post-classical Arabic (and notably in theNights) for "a single soldier, " and still more generally the plural(asakir), as here, for "soldiers. "]

[Footnote 85: Syn. "the gleaming of a brasier" (berc kanoun). Kanounis the Syrian name of two winter months, December (Kanoun el awwal orfirst) and January (Kanoun eth thani or second). ]

[Footnote 86: So as to form a magic barrier against the Jinn, after thefashion of the mystical circles used by European necromancers. ]

[Footnote 87: Night DIV. ]

[Footnote 88: Fe-halan tuata, the time-honoured "Ask and it shall begiven unto thee. "]

[Footnote 89: Sic (berec ed dunya); but dunya (the world) is perhapsmeant to be taken here by synecdoche m the sense of "sky. "]

[Footnote 90: Syn. "darkness was let down like a curtain. "]

[Footnote 91: Lit. "like an earthquake like the earthquakes"; but thesecond "like" (mithl) is certainly a mistranscription for "of" (min). ]

[Footnote 92: Night DV. ]

[Footnote 93: Night DVI. ]

[Footnote 94: Here we have the word mithl (as or like) which I suppliedupon conjecture in the former description of the genie; see ante, p. 24, note. ]

[Footnote 95: Medinetu 'l meda'n wa ujoubetu 'l aalem. It is well known(see the Nights passim) that the Egyptians considered Cairo the city ofcities and the wonder of the world. ]

[Footnote 96: Lit. "How [is] the contrivance and the way the which weshall attain by (or with) it to. .. . "]

[Footnote 97: I. A tehtenim; but the text may also be read la tehettemand this latter reading is adopted by Burton, who translates, "Be notbeaten and broken down. "]

[Footnote 98: Or "in brief" (bi-tejewwuz). Burton translates, "whomaketh marriages, " apparently reading bi-tejewwuz as a mistranscriptionfor tetejewwez, a vulgar Syrian corruption of tetezewwej. ]

[Footnote 99: Said in a quasi-complimentary sense, as we say, "Confoundhim, what a clever rascal he is!" See the Nights passim for numerousinstances of this. ]

[Footnote 100: Quoth Shehrzad to Shehriyar. ]

[Footnote 101: Syn. "to work upon her traces or course" (tesaa alamenakibiha). ]

[Footnote 102: Night DVII. ]

[Footnote 103: Lit. "the thirsty one (es szadi) and the goer-forthby day or in the morning" (el ghadi); but this is most probably amistranscription for the common phrase es sari (the goer by night) wa 'lghadi, often used in the sense of "comers and goers" simply. This wouldbe quite in character with the style of our present manuscript, whichconstantly substitutes sz (sad) for s (sin), e. G. Szerai for serai(palace), szufreh, for sufreh (meal-tray), for hheresza for hheresa(heguarded), etc. , etc. , whilst no one acquainted with the Arabic writtencharacter need be reminded how easy it is to mistake a carelesslywritten-r (ra) for d (dal) or vice-versa]

[Footnote 104: The mosque being the caravanserai of the pennilessstranger. ]

[Footnote 105: The person specially appointed to lead the prayers of thecongregation and paid out of the endowed revenues of the mosque to whichhe is attached. ]

[Footnote 106: Night DVIII. ]

[Footnote 107: Burton translates, "these accurseds, " reading melaa'n(pl. Of melaoun, accursed); but the word in the text is plainlymulaa'bein (objective dual of mulaa'b, a trickster, malicious joker, hence, by analogy, sharper). ]

[Footnote 108: Eth thiyab el heririyeh. Burton "silver-wrought. "]

[Footnote 109: Netser ila necshetihim (lit. Their image, cf. Scriptural"image and presentment") wa szufretihim, i. E. He satisfied himself bythe impress and the colour that they were diners, i. E. Gold. ]

[Footnote 110: Lit. I am now become in confusion of or at him (liannenialan szirtu fi khejaleh (properly khejleh) minhu). Burton, "for that Ihave been ashamed of waiting upon him. "]

[Footnote 111: Lit. "That which was incumbent on me to him. "]

[Footnote 112: Lit. "go to (or for) his service, " or, as we should say, "attend him. "]

[Footnote 113: Burton, "one of the envious;" but the verb is in theplural. ]

[Footnote 114: Night DIX. ]

[Footnote 115: Et tsenn er redi. Burton, "the evil. "]

[Footnote 116: So that they might hang down and hide his feet and hands, it being a point of Arab etiquette for an inferior scrupulously to avoidshowing either of these members in presenting himself (especially forthe first time) before his superior. ]

[Footnote 117: Lit. , "religiousness or devoutness (diyaneh) was bynature in him, " i. E. He was naturally inclined to respect religion andhonour its professors. Burton, "He was by nature conscientious, " whichdoes not quite express the meaning of the text; conscientiousness beinghardly an Oriental virtue. ]

[Footnote 118: Lit, "I may (or shall) ransom him with m' life till I (orso that I may) unite him therewith. "]

[Footnote 119: Iftekeret fi rejul. ]

[Footnote 120: Terbiyeh. This word is not sufficiently rendered by"education, " which modern use has practically restricted to scholasticteaching, though the good old English phrase "to bring up" is of coursea literal translation of the Latin educare. ]

[Footnote 121: i. E. "I shall owe it to thee. "]

[Footnote 122: Lit. "It is certain to me, " Constat mihi, fe-meikeni(vulg. For fe-yekin) indi. ]

[Footnote 123: Night DX. ]

[Footnote 124: Or perhaps "Would I might. "]

[Footnote 125: i. E. The contract of marriage. ]

[Footnote 126: See my "Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night"passim, especially Vol. I pp. 190 et seq. ]

[Footnote 127: Miheffeh, a kind of howdah with a flat roof or top. ]

[Footnote 128: Tekht-rewan, a sort of palanquin drawn or carried bymules or camels wherein she could recline at length. Burton rendersMiheffeh bi-tekhtrewan "a covered litter to be carried by camels. "]

[Footnote 129: Burton adds here, "Thou wouldst feel ruth for me. "]

[Footnote 130: Lit. Profit, gain (meksib), i. E. The ninth image, which he was to receive as a reward for the faithful execution of hiscommission. ]

[Footnote 131: Night DXI. ]

[Footnote 132: [A] nehnu bedna baud an hukm. The word hukm, whichcommonly signifies the exercise of government or judicial power, is hereused metonymically in the sense of the place of dominion, the seat ofgovernment. Burton, "Have we fared this far distance by commandment ofmy bridegroom?"]

[Footnote 133: Or "God forbid!" (Hhasha), a common interjection, implying unconditional denial. ]

[Footnote 134: Lit. "The writing of (or he wrote) his writ upon thee"(ketb kitabiki aleiki). ]

[Footnote 135: i. E. . At the Last Day, when men will be questioned oftheir actions. ]

[Footnote 136: Night DXII. ]

[Footnote 137: Sic (tentsur), but this is probably a copyist's error for"we may see" (nentsur), the difference being only a question of one ortwo diacritical points over the initial letter. ]

[Footnote 138: Here Burton adds, "Indeed I had well nigh determinedto forfeit all my profit of the Ninth Statue and to bear thee away toBassorah as my own bride, when my comrade and councillor dissuaded mefrom so doing, lest I should bring about my death. "]

[Footnote 139: Night DXIII. ]

[Footnote 140: Or (vulg. ) "I thank him, etc. " (istekthertu aleihielladhi hefitsaha wa sanaha wa hejeba rouhaku anha). Burton, "AlbeitI repeatedly enjoined him to defend and protect her until he concealedfrom her his face. "]

[Footnote 141: Or we may read "went out, glad and rejoicing, with (bi)the young lady;" but the reading in the test is more consonant with thegeneral style of the Nights. ]

[Footnote 142: Azaa, strictly the formal sitting in state to receivevisits of condolence for the death of a relation, but in modern parlancecommonly applied, by extension, to the funeral ceremonies themselves. ]

[Footnote 143: El kendil el meshhour. The lamp is however more than oncementioned in the course of the tale by the name of "wonderful" (ajib, see post, p. 88, note 4) so familiar to the readers of the old version. ]

[Footnote 144: Night DXIV. ]

[Footnote 145: Khilafahu, lit. "the contrary thereof;" but theexpression is constantly used (instead of the more correct gheirahu) inthe sense of "other than it, " "the take, " etc. ]

[Footnote 146: Or "street-boys" (auladu 'l hhareh). ]

[Footnote 147: Zeboun. ]

[Footnote 148: Burton adds here, "Counsel and castigation were of noavail. "]

[Footnote 149: Lit. "had been recalled" (tuwouffia), i. E. By God toHimself. ]

[Footnote 150: This old English and Shakspearean expression is the exactequivalent of the Arabic phrase Khelesza min sherr walidihi. Burton, "freed from [bearing] the severities of his sire. "]

[Footnote 151: Kanet wayyishuhu. Burton, "lived only by. "]

[Footnote 152: Night DXV. ]

[Footnote 153: I prefer this old English form of the Arabic wordMeghrebiy (a native of El Meghreb or North-Western Africa) to "Moor, "as the latter conveys a false impression to the modern reader, who wouldnaturally suppose him to be a native of Morocco, whereas the enchantercame, as will presently appear, from biladu 'l gherbi 'l jewwaniy, otherwise Ifrikiyeh, i. E. "the land of the Inner West" or Africa proper, comprising Tunis, Tripoli and part of A]geria. ]

[Footnote 154: Min biladi 'l gherbi 'l jewwaniy. The Muslim provinces ofNorth-Western Africa, extending from the north-western boundary of Egyptto Cape Nun on the Mogador Coast, were known under the general name ofEl Meghreb (modern Barbary) and were divided into three parts, to wit(1) El Meghreb el Jewwaniy, Inner, i. E. Hither or Nearer (to Egypt)Barbary or Ifrikiyeh, comprising Tripoli, Tunis and Constantine (part ofAlgeria), (2) El Meghreb el Aouset, Central Barbary. Comprising therest of Algeria, and (3) El Meghreb el Acszaa, Farther or Outer Barbary, comprising the modern empire of Morocco. ]

[Footnote 155: El hieh. Burton translates, "astrology, " and astrology(or astronomy); is the classical meaning of the word; but the commonmeaning in modern Arabic is "the science of physiognomy, " cf. The Nightspassim. See especially ante, p. 42. ]

[Footnote 156: Bi-szaut hezin meksour. Burton, "in a soft voice saddenedby emotion. "]

[Footnote 157: Burton, "brother-german. "]

[Footnote 158: Or "comfort myself in him" (ateazza bihi). Burton"condole with him [over the past]. "]

[Footnote 159: Lit. "hid not unto me that" (ma ekhfa aleyya an). ]

[Footnote 160: Night DXVI. ]

[Footnote 161: Teaziyeti. Burton, "I have now railed in the mourningceremonies. "]

[Footnote 162: El bein ked efjaani fihi, i e. "I have been stricken withseparation from him. " Burton, "Far distance wrought me this trouble. "]

[Footnote 163: Lit. "the being (el ka'n, i. E. That which is, theaccomplished fact) there is not from it a refuge or place of fleeing"(mehreb). Burton, "nor hath the creature aught of asylum from theCreator. "]

[Footnote 164: Or "consolation" (azaa). ]

[Footnote 165: Burton, "I have none to condole with now save thyself"]

[Footnote 166: Night DXVII. ]

[Footnote 167: Burton, "finding out. "]

[Footnote 168: Lit. "He had no longer a heart to part with him, " i. E. . He could not bear him out of his sight, Alaeddin being necessary for theachievement of the adventure of the lamp. See post. ]

[Footnote 169: El asha. Burton, "the meat. "]

[Footnote 170: Lit. "vein" (irc). ]

[Footnote 171: Night DXVIII. ]

[Footnote 172: Ujoubetu 'l aalem. See ante, p. 32, note. {see FN#95}]

[Footnote 173: Ila biladi 'l gherbi 'l jewwaniy. ]

[Footnote 174: Burton, "to the regions of the Setting Sun and abodefor a space of thirty years in the Moroccan interior. " See ante, p. 57, notes. {see FN#154}]

[Footnote 175: Burton adds, "Alone at home. "]

[Footnote 176: i. E. Birthplace, a child being bow head-foremost. ]

[Footnote 177: Burton, "wander like a wild Arab. "]

[Footnote 178: Lit. "and "; but this is the error of some copyist, who, by leaving out an initial l, has turned lau (if) into wa (and). ]

[Footnote 179: The first chapter of the Koran; a common usage inanticipation of travel or indeed before commencing any enterprise ofmoment. ]

[Footnote 180: Istehhweda (vulg. For istehhwedha) aleyya. Burton, "ofthe pains which prevailed upon me. "]

[Footnote 181: Or "succeedeth" (yekklufu). Burton, "the legacybequeathed to us by. "]

[Footnote 182: Khellefa. ]

[Footnote 183: Night DXIX. ]

[Footnote 184: Lit. "abide in the subsistence of the like of this one"(acoumu fi ma"sh mithl hadha). Burton, "go about for a maintenance afterthis fashion. "]

[Footnote 185: Uhheszszilu ana ma"ski ana buddi men yuayyishani. Burton, "I am compelled to provide him with daily bread when I require to beprovided. "]

[Footnote 186: Ibn nas generally signifies "a man of good family" (Fr. Fils de famille), but here the sense seems to be as in the text. ]

[Footnote 187: Or "constrain not thyself for me, " in do not be ashamedto say what thou wishes", lit. "let it not be hard or grievous upon theefrom or on account of me" (la yesubu aleika minni). Burton, "Let not mywords seem hard and harsh to thee. "]

[Footnote 188: Fe-in kana keman (vulg. For kema anna). Burton, "ifdespite all I say. "]

[Footnote 189: Fi, lit. "in, " but here used, as is common in Syria, instead of bi "with. "]

[Footnote 190: Burton, "Shalt become famous among the folk. "]

[Footnote 191: Khwaja (Persian). ]

[Footnote 192: Tajir (Arabic equivalent of khwaja). ]

[Footnote 193: Burton, "that such folk dress handsomely and faredelicately. "]

[Footnote 194: Night DXX. ]

[Footnote 195: Lit. "was past" (fata). Burton, "the dark hours werepassing by and the wine was drunken. "]

[Footnote 196: Sherab. Burton, "sherbets. "]

[Footnote 197: Night DXXI. ]

[Footnote 198: Or "places" (amakin). ]

[Footnote 199: Or "streets" (mehellat). Burton, "apartments. "]

[Footnote 200: i. E. "It is no merit in me that I do what I have done. "]

[Footnote 201: Bi-jahi 'l awwelin. Burton, "by the honour of theHallows. "]

[Footnote 202: i. E. . "a protection. "]

[Footnote 203: Lit. "that thine eye will be cooled with (or by) him. "]

[Footnote 204: Likai yetearrefa fihim wa yetearrefou fihi. This passageconfirms my reading of a former one; see ante, p. 68, note 3. {seeFN#189}]

[Footnote 205: Nighs DXXII. ]

[Footnote 206: Lit. "believed not what time (ayyumetn) the day broke;"but ayyumeta (of which ayyumeta is a vulgar corruption) supposesthe future and should be used with the aorist. The phrase, as I havetranslated common in the Nights. ]

[Footnote 207: Or, "laughing at" (yudsahiku). . Burton, "he began to makethe lad laugh. "]

[Footnote 208: Szeraya (for seraya). ]

[Footnote 209: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 210: Newafir, an evident mistranscription, probably for somesuch word as fewawir, irregular form of fewwarat, pl. Of fewwareh, aspring or jet of water. ]

[Footnote 211: Burton adds, "and reach the end of our walk. "]

[Footnote 212: Jebel aali. Burton, "the base of a high and naked hill. "]

[Footnote 213: Lit. "before or in front of a mountain. " Burton, "we havereached the barren hill-country. "]

[Footnote 214: Ra'hhin, a vulgarism of frequent occurrence in thisstory. ]

[Footnote 215: Shudd heilek. ]

[Footnote 216: Lit. The land of the West (biladu 'l gherb); see ante, p. 57, notes. {see FN#153}]

[Footnote 217: Night DXXIII. ]

[Footnote 218: Lit. "without aught" (bilash), i e. Without [visible]cause or reason. Burton, "beyond the range of matter. "]

[Footnote 219: Nuhhas szebb (for szebeb min er) reml, lit. "brass poured[forth from] sand, " i. E. Cast in a mould of sand. Cf. 1 Kings, vii 16, "two chapiters of molten brass. "]

[Footnote 220: Dir balek, lit. "turn thy thought (i. E. Be attentive)[Footnote to that which I shall say to thee]. "]

[Footnote 221: Night DXXIV. ]

[Footnote 222: Lit. "pass not by" (la tuferwwit). Burton, "norgainsay. "]

[Footnote 223: Yani li-min (vulg. For tani li-men), i. E. On whose behalfdo I undertake all these my toils?]

[Footnote 224: Lit. "leave"; but the verb khella (II. Of khela isconstantly used in the present text in the sense of "he made. "]

[Footnote 225: There is some mistake here in the text. The word whichI translate "great" is akabir (pl. Of akber, most great), apparentlyinserted by mistake for kebir, great. But that akabir is followed byjiddan (exceedingly), I should be inclined to read the phrase [kebiru'l] akabir, greatest of the great. ]

[Footnote 226: Wehdi, lit. "my lone, " a Scotch expression, which mightbe usefully acclimatized in English prose and verse. ]

[Footnote 227: Night DXXV. ]

[Footnote 228: Or "pay attention, " dir (vulg. For adir) balek. See ante, p. 78, note. {see FN#220}]

[Footnote 229: Lit. "a place divided into four places" I take thevariant aweds, chambers. From Chavis's copy of the MS. , as quoted by M. Zotenberg. ]

[Footnote 230: Liwan, i. E. An estrade or recessed room, raised above thelevel of the ground and open in front. ]

[Footnote 231: Lit. "in it" (fihi); but the meaning is as in the text, i. E. Connected with it or leading thereto. This reading is confirmed bythe terms in which the stair is afterwards mentioned, q. V. Post, p. 83, and note. {see FN#235}]

[Footnote 232: Night DXXVI. ]

[Footnote 233: Ubb. Burton, "breast-pocket, " the usual word for whichis jeib. Ubb is occasionally used in this sense; but it is evident fromwhat follows (see post, p. 85. {see FN#243} "Alaeddin proceeded to pluckand put in his pockets (ajyab, pl. Of jeib), and his sleeves" (ibab), and note) that ubb is here used in the common sense of "sleeve. "]

[Footnote 234: i. E. "that which is in the lamp. "]

[Footnote 235: Burton transposes, "where he entered the saloon andmounted the ladder;" but the context shows that the stair was a flightof steps leading up to the dais and not a ladder in it. The word fihi inthe magician's instructions might indeed be taken in this latter sense, but may just as well be read "thereto" or "pertaining thereto" as"therein. " See also below, where Alaeddin is made to descend from thedais into the garden. ]

[Footnote 236: Lit. Voices (aswat). Burton, "fond voices"]

[Footnote 237: Burton, "Furthermore the size of each stone so farsurpassed description that no king of the kings of the world owned asingle gem of the larger sort. "]

[Footnote 238: Night DXXVII. ]

[Footnote 239: Toubasi. I insert this from the Chavis MS. Burton adds, "spinels and balasses. "]

[Footnote 240: Ibab. ]

[Footnote 241: Ubb. ]

[Footnote 242: Ajyab, pl. Of jeib, the bosom of a shirt, hence a breastor other pocket. ]

[Footnote 243: Ibab. Burton, "pokes and breast-pockets. "]

[Footnote 244: The possession of the lamp rendering him superior to thespells by which they were enchanted. ]

[Footnote 245: Burton says here, "The text creates some confusion byapplying sullem to staircase and ladder; hence probably the latter isnot mentioned by Galland and Co. , who speak only of an 'escalier decinquante marches. '" As far as I can see, Galland was quite right, astaircase (and not a ladder) being, in my judgment, meant in each case, and Sir Richard Burton's translation of sullem min thelathin derejeh as"a ladder of thirty rungs" (see ante p. 82, note {see FN#231}) seems tome founded on a misconception, he being misled by the word "fihi" (seemy note ante, p. 83 {see FN#235}). He adds, "sullem in modern Egyptianis used for a flight of steps;" but it signifies both "ladder" and"flight of steps" in the classic tongue; see Lane, p. 1416, colt 2, "sullem, a ladder or a series of stairs or steps, either of wood orclay, etc. " His remark would apply better to derej (class. "a way, " butin modern parlance "a ladder" or "staircase" which the story-teller usesinterchangeably with sullem, in speaking of the stair leading downinto the underground, thus showing that he considered the two wordssynonymous. ]

[Footnote 246: Akyas. This is the first mention of purses. ]

[Footnote 247: Lit. "without" (kharijan). ]

[Footnote 248: Burton, "Forasmuch as he had placed it at the bottomof his breast-pocket and his other pockets being full of gems bulgedoutwards. "]

[Footnote 249: Night DXXVIII. ]

[Footnote 250: Lit. "was locked, " inkefelet, but I take this to be amistranscription of inkelebet, "was turned over. "]

[Footnote 251: Lit. "was covered over, shut like a lid" (intebeket). ]

[Footnote 252: Tebbeca, i. E. Caused (by his enchantments) to becomecovered or closed up like a lid. ]

[Footnote 253: Ifrikiyeh, see ante, p. 57, note 1. {see FN#153} Here thestory-teller takes the province for a city. ]

[Footnote 254: Burton adds, "by devilish inspiration. "]

[Footnote 255: Wa [kan] el aghreb an fi hadha 'l kenz [kana]. Burton"the most marvellous article in this treasure was, etc. "]

[Footnote 256: Kendil ajib. ]

[Footnote 257: Night DXXIX. ]

[Footnote 258: A proverbial expression, meaning that, as he did notabsolutely kill Alaeddin, though doing what was (barring a miracle)certain to cause his death, he could not be said to be his slayer; apiece of casuistry not peculiar to the East, cf. The hypocritical showof tenderness with which the Spanish Inquisition was wont, when handingover a victim to the secular power for execution by burning alive, torecommend that there should be "no effusion of blood. " It is possible, however, that the proverb is to be read in the sense of "He who isdestined to live cannot be slain. "]

[Footnote 259: i. E. With the contents of the chambers and the garden. ]

[Footnote 260: Night DXXX. ]

[Footnote 261: Lit. Rubbing in or upon. ]

[Footnote 262: Lit. "The Quickener, the Deadener" (el muhheyyi, elmumit), two of the ninety-nine names of God. ]

[Footnote 263: Or "Judge" (cadsi). ]

[Footnote 264: Farijuha. Burton, "Bringer of joy not of annoy. "]

[Footnote 265: i. E. Mohammed's. ]

[Footnote 266: Lit. A servant or slave, i. E. That of the ring. Burton, "its Familiar. "]

[Footnote 267: i. E. Solomon. ]

[Footnote 268: See my Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol. 1. P 33, note. {see Payne's Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol. 1 FN#16}]

[Footnote 269: Night DXXXI. ]

[Footnote 270: Night DXXXII. ]

[Footnote 271: i. E. . In all the registers of men's actions fabled to bekept in heaven. ]

[Footnote 272: Lit. "see the accursed his duplicity and his promisesthat he promised me withal in that he would do all good with me. "Burton, "see how the dammed villain broke every promise he made, certifying that he would soon work all good with me. "]

[Footnote 273: Lit. "on account of my pain therefrom when I was absentfrom the world. "]

[Footnote 274: Hatha 'l metleb li, lit. "this quest (or object of quest)[was] mine (or for me). " Metleb is often used in the special technicalsense of "buried treasure. "]

[Footnote 275: Night DXXXIII. ]

[Footnote 276: Bustan. ]

[Footnote 277: Bilaur. ]

[Footnote 278: Keszr, instead of liwan (dais), as in previousdescription. ]

[Footnote 279: Keisan. Burton, "bag-pockets. "]

[Footnote 280: Lit. "without" (kharij). ]

[Footnote 281: Aadim, present participle of adima, he lacked. ]

[Footnote 282: Night DXXXIV. ]

[Footnote 283: Lit. The pre-eminence (el fedsl). ]

[Footnote 284: Thani youm, Burton, "the second day, " which, thoughliteral, conveys a false impression. ]

[Footnote 285: Night DXXXV. ]

[Footnote 286: Or "beyond desire" (fauca 'l khatir), i. E. Inconceivablygood. Burton, "beyond our means. "]

[Footnote 287: It is a favourite device with Oriental cooks to colourdishes (especially those which contain rice) in various ways, so as toplease the eye as well as the palate. ]

[Footnote 288: Lit. "black bottles" (museunvedetein). Burton, "blackjacks. "]

[Footnote 289: Zekiyyeh (pure) for dhekiyyeh (strong, sharp, pungent), acommon vulgar corruption. ]

[Footnote 290: Burton, "wherewith Allah Almighty hath eased ourpoverty. "]

[Footnote 291: Elladhi iftekeda juana. Burton, "who hath abated ourhunger pains. "]

[Footnote 292: Lit. "we are under his benefit. "]

[Footnote 293: Hhizana for hhezzaza?]

[Footnote 294: Lit. "whet proceeded from. "]

[Footnote 295: Lit. "but" (lakin for Iekan, "then"). ]

[Footnote 296: Keif dhalik. Lit. "How this?" Burton, "Who may this be?"]

[Footnote 297: Night DXXXVI. ]

[Footnote 298: i. E. The Jinn of the lamp and the ring. ]

[Footnote 299: Apparently referring to chap. Xxiii, verses 99, l00, of the Koran, "Say, 'Lord, I take refuge in Thee from the suggestionsof the devils, and I take refuge in thee, Lord, that (i. E. Iest) theyappear!'" Mohammed is fabled by Muslim theologians to have made acompact with the Jinn that they should not enter the houses of thefaithful unless expressly summoned. . ]

[Footnote 300: i. E. "I am, in general, ready to obey all thycommandments"]

[Footnote 301: i. E. The lamp. ]

[Footnote 302: Lit. "uses, " "advantages" (menafi). ]

[Footnote 303: Referring, of course, to the slave of the lamp. ]

[Footnote 304: Night DXXXVII. ]

[Footnote 305: Lit. "saw. "]

[Footnote 306: Afterwards "silver"; see pp. 108 and l10. ]

[Footnote 307: A carat is generally a twenty-fourth part of a diner, i. E. About 5d. ; but here it appears to be a sixtieth part or about 2d. Burton, "A copper carat, a bright polished groat. "]

[Footnote 308: Lit. "to the contrary of him" (ila khilafihi). See ante, p. 55, note 4. {see FN#145}]

[Footnote 309: Night DXXXVIII. ]

[Footnote 310: Kenani, pl. Of kinnineh, a bottle or phial. ]

[Footnote 311: i. E. The genie. ]

[Footnote 312: Night DXXXIX. ]

[Footnote 313: Ala kedhum. Burton, "after their olden fashion. "]

[Footnote 314: Lit. "[in] middling case" (halet[an] mustewessitet[an]). Burton translates, "as middle-class folk, " adding in a note, "a phrasethat has a European touch. "]

[Footnote 315: Burton adds, "on diet. "]

[Footnote 316: "Er rijal el kamiloun, " lit. "complete men. " Burton, "goodmen and true. "]

[Footnote 317: Bedsa'a. Burton, "investments, "]

[Footnote 318: Keisein. Burton, "his pockets. "]

[Footnote 319: Lit. "neck. " The Muslims fable that all will appear atthe Day of Resurrection with their good and evil actions in visible formfastened about their necks. "And each man, we constrain him to carry hisactions (ta'r, lit. Bird, i. E. Fortune as told by augury from the flightof birds, according to the method so much in favour with the ancients, but interpreted by the scholiasts as 'actions, ' each man's actionsbeing, according to them, the cause of his good and evil fortune, happiness or misery), on (or about, . Fi) his neck. "--Koran, xvii, 14. ]

[Footnote 320: Night DXL]

[Footnote 321: An idiomatic expression, equivalent to our vulgar Englishphrase, "He was struck all of a heap. "]

[Footnote 322: Beszireh, mental (as opposed to bodily) vision. ]

[Footnote 323: Night DXLI. ]

[Footnote 324: Gheramuha. ]

[Footnote 325: Lit. "be rightly guided, " "return to the right way. "]

[Footnote 326: Heds, Syrian for hheds. ]

[Footnote 327: i. E. . If thou be in earnest. ]

[Footnote 328: Aamin. Burton, "fonder and more faithful. "]

[Footnote 329: Night DXLII. ]

[Footnote 330: Lit. "blood of my liver. "]

[Footnote 331: i. E. The bride's parents. ]

[Footnote 332: Burton, "Also who shall ask her to wife for the son of asnip?"]

[Footnote 333: Night DXLIII. ]

[Footnote 334: Lit. "near and far, " the great being near to the king'sdignity, and the small far from it. ]

[Footnote 335: Lit. "before" (cuddam). ]

[Footnote 336: Lit. "thou art not of its measure or proportion" (kedd). ]

[Footnote 337: Ijreker ti bi 'l hhecc. Burton. "thou hast reminded mearight. "]

[Footnote 338: Night DXLIV. ]

[Footnote 339: Kiyas, a mistake for akyas, pl. Of keis, a purse. ]

[Footnote 340: Lit. "So, an thou wilt, burden thy mind (i. E. Givethyself the trouble, kellifi khatiraki, ) and with us [is] a China dish;rise and come to me with it. " Kellifi (fem. ) khatiraki is an idiomaticexpression equivalent to the French, "donnez-vous (or prenez) la peine"and must be taken in connection with what follows, i. E. Give yourselfthe trouble to rise and bring me, etc. (prenez la peine de vous leveret de m'apporter, etc. ). Burton, "Whereupon, an-thou please, compose thymind. We have in our house a bowl of china porcelain: so arise thou andfetch it. "]

[Footnote 341: Lit. "were not equal to one quarter of a carat, " i. E. Aninety-sixth part, "carat" being here used in its technical sense of atwenty-fourth part of anything. ]

[Footnote 342: Kellifi khatiraki (prenez la peine) as before. Burton, "Compose thy thoughts. "]

[Footnote 343: Night DXLV. ]

[Footnote 344: Elladhi hu alan ca'm bi maashina. Burton, "Ere this thouhast learned, O mother mine, that the Lamp which we possess hath becometo us a stable income. "]

[Footnote 345: Or "pay attention" (diri balek); see ante, pp. 78 and 81. {see FN#220 and FN#228}]

[Footnote 346: Minhu. Burton translates, "for that 'tis of him, " andsays, in a note, "Here the MS. Text is defective, the allusion is, Isuppose, to the Slave of the Lamp. " I confess I do not see the defect ofwhich he speaks. Alaeddin of course refers to the lamp and reminds hismother that the prosperity they enjoy "is (i. E. Arises) from it. "]

[Footnote 347: Lit. "completed, " "fully constituted. "]

[Footnote 348: The attitude implied in the word mutekettif andobligatory in presence of a superior, i. E. That of a schoolboy inclass. ]

[Footnote 349: Or "complainants, " "claimants. "]

[Footnote 350: Fi teriketihi, apparently meaning "in its turn. " Burton, "Who (i. E. The Sultan) delivered sentence after his wonted way. "]

[Footnote 351: Night DXLVI. ]

[Footnote 352: Illezemet. Burton, "she determined. "]

[Footnote 353: Lit. "the Divan;" but the door of the presence-chamber ismeant, as appears by the sequel. ]

[Footnote 354: Burton, "and when it was shut, she would go to make surethereof. "]

[Footnote 355: Muddeh jumah. Burton, "the whole month. "]

[Footnote 356: Burton, "come forward. "]

[Footnote 357: Burton, "levee days"]

[Footnote 358: Izar. Burton, "mantilla. "]

[Footnote 359: Here the copyist, by the mistaken addition of fe (so), transfers the "forthright" to the Vizier's action of submission to theSultan's order. ]

[Footnote 360: Night DXLVII. ]

[Footnote 361: I have arranged this passage a little, to make it readintelligibly. In the original it runs thus, "Alaeddin's mother, whenasshe took a wont and became every Divan-day going and standing inthe Divan before the Sultan, withal that she was dejected, wearyingexceedingly, but for Alaeddin's sake, her son, she used to make light ofall weariness. "]

[Footnote 361: Aman; i. E. Promise or assurance of indemnity, permissionto speak freely, without fear of consequences. ]

[Footnote 362: Aman in secondary sense of "protection" or "safeguard. "]

[Footnote 363: i. E. I pardon thee, under God, ("then I" beingunderstood). The right of pardon residing with God, the pious Muslim canonly say, "God pardon thee first and then I pardon thee. "]

[Footnote 364: Burton, "shun the streets. "]

[Footnote 365: Arad. Burton, "felt an uncontrollable longing. "]

[Footnote 366: Or "food (aish, bread) hath not been pleasant (or had anysavour) for him. "]

[Footnote 367: Seadetuk, lit. "thy felicity;" this and jenabuk (lit. "thy side"), "thine excellence" or "thy highness, " and hhedsretuk "thyhighness, " (lit. "thy presence") are the titles commonly given to kingsin Arabic-speaking countries, although hhedsretuk is strictly applicableonly to the Prophet and other high spiritual dignitaries. They areoften, but erroneously, rendered "thy majesty"; a title which does notexist in the East and which is, as is well known to students of history, of comparatively recent use in Europe. ]

[Footnote 368: Lit, "having regard to his clemency, he took to laughingand asked her. " Burton, "He regarded her with kindness, and laughingcloud, asked her. "]

[Footnote 369: Surreh, lit. Purse and by extension, as here, anythingtied up in bag-shape. ]

[Footnote 370: Night DXLVIII. ]

[Footnote 371: Lit. "Be clement unto me, Thy Grace promised me. "]

[Footnote 372: Lit. "Forbearance (hhilm, clemency, longanimity, delayin requiting an evil-doer) is incumbent from thine exalted highness unto(ila) three months. "]

[Footnote 373: Aatsem melik, an ungrammatical construction of commonoccurrence in the present MS. , properly aatsemu 'l mulouk. ]

[Footnote 374: Syn. "his clemency required. "]

[Footnote 375: i. E. Shall be reserved for him alone. ]

[Footnote 376: i. E. The marriage trousseau. ]

[Footnote 377: Lit. "Except that, O my son, the Vizier bespoke him aprivy word (kelam sirriyy) ere he promised me; then, after the Vizierbespoke him a word privily (sirran), he promised me to (ila) threemonths. "]

[Footnote 378: Lit. An ill presence (mehhdser sau). This expressionhas occurred before in the Nights, where I have, in deference tothe authority of the late M. Dozy (the greatest Arabic scholar sinceSilvestre de Sacy) translated it "a compend of ill, " reading the secondword as pointed with dsemmeh (i. E. Sou, evil, sub. ) instead of withfetheh (i. E. Sau, evil, adj. ), although in such a case the strict rulesof Arabic grammar require sou to be preceded by the definite article(i. E. Mehhdseru's sou). However, the context and the construction of thephrase, in which the present example of the expression occurs, seem toshow that it is not here used in this sense. ]

[Footnote 379: Night DXLIX. ]

[Footnote 380: Lit. (as before) "promised her to" (ila). ]

[Footnote 381: Lit. "to" (ila), as before. ]

[Footnote 382: i. E. The delay. ]

[Footnote 383: Lit. "he thanked his mother and thought (or made) muchof her goodness (istekthera bi-kheiriha, a common modern expression, signifying simply 'he thanked her') for her toil. " Burton, "Then hethanked his parent, showing her how her good work had exceeded her toiland travail "]

[Footnote 384: Lit. "Wonder took her at this wonder and the decoration. "Burton amplifies, "She wondered at the marvellous sight and the glamourof the scene. " Me judice, to put it in the vernacular, she simplywondered what the dickens it was all about. ]

[Footnote 385: Min wectiha. Burton, "And for some time, O my son, I havesuspected. " See ante, p. 134. {see FN#378}]

[Footnote 386: Lit. "fever seized him of his chagrin. "]

[Footnote 387: Night DL. ]

[Footnote 388: Lit. "promised me to" (ila), as before. ]

[Footnote 389: Eshaa; or, if we take the word as pointed with kesreh(i. E. Ishaa), we may read, with Burton, "to pass the rest of theevening, " though this expression seems to me hardly in character withthe general tone of the MS. ]

[Footnote 390: Musterah. ]

[Footnote 391: Sic (el gheir). ]

[Footnote 392: Night DLI. ]

[Footnote 393: Min doun khiyaneh i. E. Without offering her any affront. Burton, "and he did no villain deed. "]

[Footnote 394: Galland adds, "et passe dans une garde-robe o--il s'etoitdeshabille le soir. " Something of the kind appears to have dropped outof the present MS. ]

[Footnote 395: Night DLII. ]

[Footnote 396: Lit. "with the eye of anger. " Ghedseb (anger) and itssynonym ghaits are frequently used in the Nights in this sense; seeespecially Vol. II. Of my translation, p. 234, "she smiled a sad smile, "lit. A "smile of anger, " (twice) and p. 258, "my anguish redoubled, "lit. "I redoubled in anger. "]

[Footnote 397: Wesikh. Burton, "fulsome. "]

[Footnote 398: Night DLIII. ]

[Footnote 399: Diri balek an [la]. Burton, "compose thy thoughts. If, etc. " See ante, passim. ]

[Footnote 400: Sic. ]

[Footnote 401: Kedhebaka. ]

[Footnote 402: i. E. That which he derived from such an alliance. ]

[Footnote 403: Lit. "Wretches" (mesakin). ]

[Footnote 404: Night DLIV. ]

[Footnote 405: Inketaet (lit. "she was cut or broken") min el khauf. Burton, "She was freed from her fear of the past. "]

[Footnote 406: Or "honoured" (azlz)]

[Footnote 407: i. E. "in my behaviour to thee. "]

[Footnote 408: Kema akedu min mehebbetika li. Burton, "even as I claimof thee affection for thy child. "]

[Footnote 409: Night DLV. ]

[Footnote 410: Hhashaha min el kidhb; lit. "Except her from lying!"Hhasha (which commonly signifies, "Far be it, " "God forbid!") is hereused in a somewhat unusual manner. The sense seems to be, "God forbidthat the Lady Bedrulbudour should be suspected of lying! "]

[Footnote 411: Or "shrunken" (kusziret). Burton, "bursten. "]

[Footnote 412: Or "honoured" (aziz). ]

[Footnote 413: Night DLVI. ]

[Footnote 414: Lit. "how [was] the device therein;" i. E how he shoulddo for an expedient thereanent. Burton, "the device whereby he shouldmanage it. "]

[Footnote 415: Or "called upon" (nedeh). ]

[Footnote 416: El ashreh [mubeshshereh understood], "the ten [who wererejoiced with glad tidings], " i. E. Ten of Mohammed's companions(Abou Bekr, Omar, Othman, Ali, Telheh, Zubeir, Saad ibn Abi Weccas, Abdurrehman ibn Auf, Abou Ubeideh ibnu'l Jerrah and Said ibn Zeid), towhom (and to whom alone) he is said to have promised certain entranceinto Paradise. They are accordingly considered to have pre-eminence overthe Prophet's other disciples and are consequently often invoked by theless orthodox Muslims as intercessors with him, much after the fashionof the Quatuordecim Adjutores, the Fourteen Helpers [in time of need], (i. E. Saints Catherine, Margaret, Barbara, Pantaleon, Vitus, Eustace, Blase, Gregory, Nicholas, Erasmus, Giles, George, Leonard andChristopher) of Romish hagiology. ]

[Footnote 417: i. E the marriage of his son to the Sultan's daughter. Burton, "it having been a rare enjoyment to him that he had fallen uponsuch high good fortune. "]

[Footnote 418: Lit. "marriage, " i. E. "wedding festivities are out ofplace. " The word (zijeh) here used is a dialectic (Syrian) variant ofzewaj, marriage. Burton, "we require no delay, "]

[Footnote 419: Lit. "the lord (i. E. He) of the suit or claim" (sahibu 'ddewat). ]

[Footnote 420: Or "inestimable, " lit. "might not be measured by (orappraised at) a price or value. " Burton, "far beyond his power to paythe price. "]

[Footnote 421: Lit. "How is the management or contrivance (tedbir) withthee?" i. E. "canst thou suggest to us any expedient?"]

[Footnote 422: Night DLVII. ]

[Footnote 423: Burton adds, "speaking privily. "]

[Footnote 424: Or perhaps, "we may with impunity rebut, " etc. ]

[Footnote 425: Gherib, lit. A stranger, an exile, but vulg. Byextension, a poor, homeless wretch. ]

[Footnote 426: i. E Alaeddin's mother. ]

[Footnote 427: Lit. "that day. "]

[Footnote 428: Fr. ". .. L'aimable. " Lit. "by a way or means"(bi-terikeh). It may be we should read bi [hatheti'll] terikeh, "by[this] means;" but the rendering in the text seems the more probableone, the Sultan meaning that he would thus get rid of Alaeddin'simportunity by practice, without open breach of faith or violence. ]

[Footnote 429: Night DLVIII. ]

[Footnote 430: Lit. "Burden thyself (prenez la peine) and rise", (kellifi khatiraki, etc. , as before). ]

[Footnote 431: Here szewani (trays) instead of, as before, szuhoun(dishes). ]

[Footnote 432: Night DLIX. ]

[Footnote 433: i. E. "look with open eyes"]

[Footnote 434: En nuwwab, i. E. Those whose turn it was to be on guard. ]

[Footnote 435: Need (lit. Coin), a vulgar Syrian corruption of neket, customary gift of money or otherwhat to a bride on the marriage-day. ]

[Footnote 436: The whole of the foregoing passage is so confused that Ithink it well to add here (l) a literal translation, as I read it: "Sothe Vizier, yea, indeed, he marvelled at the greatness of that wealthmore than the Sultan, but envy was killing him and waxed on him more andmore when he saw the Sultan that he was satisfied with (or accepted of)the bride-gift and the dowry; however, it was not possible to him thathe should gainsay the truth and should say to the Sultan, 'He is notworthy;' only, he practised with a device upon the Sultan so he shouldnot let him give his daughter the Lady Bedrulbudour to Alaeddin, andthis [Footnote was] that he said to him, etc, "--and also (2) theversion given by Sir K. F. Burton, who takes a different view of thepassage: "Then the Minister (although he marvelled at these richeseven more than did the Sultan), whose envy was killing him and growinggreater hour by hour, seeing his liege lord satisfied with the moneysand the dower and yet being unable to fight against fact, made answer, 'Tis not worthy of her. ' Withal he fell to devising a device against theKing, that he might withhold the Lady Badr-al-Budur from Alaeddin, andaccordingly he continued, etc. "]

[Footnote 437: Or "in comparison with her" (ent hhedsretuk istatsemethatha aleiha). This is an ambiguous passage and should perhaps be read, "Thou magnifiest this (i. E. The gift) over her. "]

[Footnote 438: Night DLX. ]

[Footnote 439: Lit. "swiftly, the winds overtook her not. "]

[Footnote 440: Aksen. Burton, "more suitable to thee. "]

[Footnote 441: Kethir[an]. Burton, "And right soon (Inshallah!) O mydaughter, thou shalt have fuller joy with him. "]

[Footnote 442: Muebbed. Burton, "alone. "]

[Footnote 443: Sic (kum), ]

[Footnote 444: Or "commission" (mishwar). ]

[Footnote 445: Bekia ma bekia hatha shey aleik, lit. "remaineth what remaineththis is a thing upon (or for) thee. " Burton, "Happen whatso may happen;the rest is upon thy shoulders. " The first bekia is perhaps used in thecommon colloquial sense of "then. "]

[Footnote 446: Shekeraha wa istekthera bi-kheiriha. See ante, p. 155, note 3. Burton, "enhancing her kindly service. "]

[Footnote 447: Surname of the ancient Kings of Persia, vulg. Chosroes. ]

[Footnote 448: Night DLXI. ]

[Footnote 449: Lit. "the. "]

[Footnote 450: Burton, "the costliest of clothes. "]

[Footnote 451: Generally that of aloes-wood. ]

[Footnote 452: Quoth Shehrzad to Shehriyar. ]

[Footnote 453: Yetsunnuhu; quare a clerical error for yentsuruku ("hadseen him" )?]

[Footnote 454: i. E. Male white slaves (memlouk, whence our "mameluke, "sing. For plural memalik). ]

[Footnote 455: Lit. "and let there be with each slave-girl a suit, etc. "Burton "And let every handmaid be robed in raiment that befitteth queenswearing. " The twelve suits of clothes to be brought by the slave-girlswere of course intended for the wearing of Alaeddin's mother; see post, p. 167. {see FN#457 in text}]

[Footnote 456: i. E. The genuine Arabs of the unmixed blood. ]

[Footnote 457: See ante, p. 166, note 2. {see FN#455}]

[Footnote 458: Likai telbesa (tetelebbesa?) hiya. Burton, "she shouldwear. "]

[Footnote 459: Sic, the meaning seeming to be that kings' sons were outof comparison with Alaeddin, as who should say (in Cockney parlance)"Don't talk to me about kings' sons. "]

[Footnote 460: Lit. "upon. "]

[Footnote 461: El kendil el ajib. ]

[Footnote 462: Syn. "old and young. "]

[Footnote 463: Night DLXII. ]

[Footnote 464: Ictedsa an tesmuha li bi, lit. "decided (or demanded)that thou be bountiful to (or grace) me with;" but icledsa is here usedin the colloquial sense of "willed, vouchsafed. "]

[Footnote 465: i. E. That of his tongue, lit. "its bounds or reach"(kheddahu). Burton, "passing all measure. "]

[Footnote 466: Lit. "acquired, gotten, come by thee" (khetsitu bika). ]

[Footnote 467: Night DLXIII. ]

[Footnote 468: Nuweb (properly naubat). ]

[Footnote 469: Musica. ]

[Footnote 470: Acamou el fereh el atsim. Burton, "a mighty finemarriage-feast was dispread in the palace. "]

[Footnote 471: Muashir. ]

[Footnote 472: Netser. ]

[Footnote 473: Lit. "but the behoving on me for her service engageth (orenforceth) me to apply myself hereunto. "]

[Footnote 474: i. E. At thy disposition. ]

[Footnote 475: Night DLXIV. ]

[Footnote 476: Tebakhin. Burton, "kitcheners. "]

[Footnote 477: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 478: Wa, but quaere au ("or")?]

[Footnote 479: Kushk. ]

[Footnote 480: The description of the famous upper hall with thefour-and-twenty windows is one of the most contused and incoherent partsof the Nights and well-nigh defies the efforts of the translator todefine the exact nature of the building described by the various andcontradictory passages which refer to it. The following is a literalrendering of the above passage: "An upper chamber (keszr) and (or?) akiosk (kushk, a word explained by a modern Syrian dictionary as meaning'[a building] like a balcony projecting from the level of the rest ofthe house, ' but by others as an isolated building or pavilion erectedon the top of a house, i. E. A keszr, in its classical meaning of 'upperchamber, ' in which sense Lane indeed gives it as synonymous with theTurkish koushk, variant kushk, ) with four-and-twenty estrades (liwan, araised recess, generally a square-shaped room, large or small, open onthe side facing the main saloon), all of it of emeralds and rubies andother jewels, and one estrade its kiosk was not finished. " Later on, when the Sultan visits the enchanted palace for the first time, Alaeddin"brought him to the high kiosk and he looked at the belvedere (teyyareh, a square or round erection on the top of a house, either open at thesides or pierced with windows, =our architectural term 'lantern') andits casements (shebabik, pl. Of shubbak, a window formed of grating orlattice-work) and their lattices (she"ri for she"rir, pl. Of sheriyyeh, a lattice), all wroughten of emeralds and rubies and other than it ofprecious jewels. " The Sultan "goes round in the kiosk" and seeing "thecasement (shubbak), which Alaeddin had purposely left defective, withoutcompletion, " said to the Vizier, "Knowest thou the reason (or cause) ofthe lack of completion of this casement and its lattices?" (shearihi, orquaere, "[this] lattice, " the copyist having probably omitted by mistakethe diacritical points over the final ha). Then he asked Alaeddin, "Whatis the cause that the lattice of yonder kiosk (kushk) is not complete?"The defective part is soon after referred to, no less than four times, as "the lattice of the kiosk" (sheriyyetu 'l kushk), thus showing that, in the writer's mind, kushk, liwan and shubbak were synonymous terms forthe common Arab projecting square-sided window, made of latticework, and I have therefore rendered the three words, when they occur in thissense, by our English "oriel, " to whose modern meaning (a window thatjuts out, so as to form a small apartment), they exactly correspond. Again, in the episode of the Maugrabin's brother, the princess shows thelatter (disguised as Fatimeh) "the belvedere (teyyarrh) and the kiosk(kushk) of jewels, the which [was] with (i. E. Had) the four-and-twentyportals" (mejouz, apparently a Syrian variant of mejaz, lit. A place ofpassage, but by extension a porch, a gallery, an opening, here (and hereonly) used by synecdoche for the oriel itself), and the famous roe'segg is proposed to be suspended from "the dome (cubbeh) of the upperchamber" (el keszr el faucaniyy), thus showing that the latter wascrowned with a dome or cupola. It is difficult to extricate the author'sexact meaning from the above tangle of confused references; but, as faras can be gathered. In the face of the carelessness with which the texttreats kushk as synonymous now with keszr or teyyareh and now with liwanor shubbak, it would seem that what is intended to be described is alofty hall (or sorer), erected on the roof of the palace, whether roundor square we cannot tell, but crowned with a dome or cupola and havingfour-and-twenty deep projecting windows or oriels, the lattice ortrellis-work of which latter was formed (instead of the usual wood) ofemeralds, rubies and other jewels, strung, we may suppose, upon rods ofgold or other metal I have, at the risk of wearying my reader, treatedthis point at some length, as well because it is an important one as toshow the almost insuperable difficulties that beset the. Conscientioustranslator at well-nigh every page of such works as the "Book of theThousand Nights and One Night. "]

[Footnote 481: Night DLXV. ]

[Footnote 482: The text has imar (an inhabited country), an evidentmistake for emair (buildings). ]

[Footnote 483: Night DLXVI. ]

[Footnote 484: Atsm sekhahu. Burton. "his dignity was enhanced. "]

[Footnote 485: Or "imitate" (yetemathelou bihi). Burton, "which are suchas are served to the kings. "]

[Footnote 486: Night DLXVII. ]

[Footnote 487: Wectu 'l asr, i. E. Midway between noon and nightfall. ]

[Footnote 488: Lit. "was broken" (inkeseret). ]

[Footnote 489: Burton, "with the jerid, " but I find no mention of thisin the text. The word used (le'ba, lit. "he played") applies to allkinds of martial exercises; it may also mean simply, "caracoling. "]

[Footnote 490: See ante, p. 167, note 1. {see FN#456}]

[Footnote 491: Or "turns" (adwar). ]

[Footnote 492: El hemmam a sultaniyy el meshhour. Burton, "the royalHammam (known as the Sult ni). "]

[Footnote 493: Muhliyat. Burton, "sugared drinks. "]

[Footnote 494: Night DLXVIII. ]

[Footnote 495: Keszriha. Burton, "her bower in the upper story. "]

[Footnote 496: Lit. "changed the robes (khila) upon her. " For theceremony of displaying (or unveiling) the bride, see my "Book of theThousand Nights and One Night, " Vol. I. Pp. 192 et seq. , and "Tales fromthe Arabic, " Vol. III. Pp. 189 et seq. ]

[Footnote 497: Meshghoul. ]

[Footnote 498: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 499: Szeraya, properly serayeh. ]

[Footnote 500: i. E. Alexander the Great; see my "Book of the ThousandNights and One Night, " Vol. V. P. 6, note. ]

[Footnote 501: Night DLXIX. ]

[Footnote 502: Henahu. ]

[Footnote 503: Fetour, the slight meal eaten immediately on rising, answering to the French "premier dejeuner, " not the "morning-meal"(gheda), eaten towards noon and answering to the French "dejeuner. .. Lafourchette. "]

[Footnote 504: Gheda. ]

[Footnote 505: Tekerrum (inf. Of V of kerem), lit. "being liberal to anyone. " here an idiomatic form of assent expressing condescension on thepart of a superior. Such at least is the explanation of the late Prof. Dozy; but I should myself incline to read tukremu (second personsing. Aorist passive of IV), i. E. "Thou art accorded [that which thouseekest]. "]

[Footnote 506: Indhehela. ]

[Footnote 507: Or "upper hall, gallery. " Lit. "kiosk. " See ante, p. L75, note 4. {see FN#480}]

[Footnote 508: Teyyareh. See ante, l. C. The etymology of this word isprobably [caah] teyyareh, "a flying [saloon]. "]

[Footnote 509: Shebabik, pl. Of shubbak; see ante, l. C. ]

[Footnote 510: Sheari, see ante, l. C. ]

[Footnote 511: Shubbak. ]

[Footnote 512: Night DLXX. ]

[Footnote 513: Lit. "kiosk" (kushk); see ante, p. 175, note 4. {seeFN#480}]

[Footnote 514: Ma lehiket el muallimin (objective for nom. Muallimoun, as usual in this text) an. ]

[Footnote 515: Yebca lika dhikra. Burton, "So shall thy memory endure. "]

[Footnote 516: Lit. "kiosk. "]

[Footnote 517: ? (teba'kh). ]

[Footnote 518: Or "melodious. "]

[Footnote 519: El kelb el hhezin. ]

[Footnote 520: i. E. "might not avail unto. "]

[Footnote 521: Muhlivat, as before; see ante. P. 183, note 2. {seeFN#493}]

[Footnote 522: Szeraya. ]

[Footnote 523: Night DLXXI. ]

[Footnote 524: Sheriyyetu 'l kushk. ]

[Footnote 525: Lit. "the lattice of the kiosk which (i. E. The lattice)is lacking or imperfect. " The adjective (nakiszeh) is put in thefeminine, to agree with "lattice" (sheriyyeh), which is femminine, kiosk(kushk) being masculine. ]

[Footnote 526: Kushk. ]

[Footnote 527: She"rihi. ]

[Footnote 528: Et tewashiyy, a term here used for the first time in thepresent text, where we generally find the Turkish Aga in this sense. ]

[Footnote 529: Night DLXXII. ]

[Footnote 530: Lit. "kiosk" (kushk). ]

[Footnote 531: Fi szerayyetika. ]

[Footnote 532: Szeraya. ]

[Footnote 533: Lit. "that I was not lacking in ableness to completeit. "]

[Footnote 534: Kushk, here used in sense of "belvedere. "]

[Footnote 535: Or "upper chamber" (keszr). ]

[Footnote 536: Kushk. From this passage it would seem as if thebelvedere actually projected from the side of the upper story or soler(keszr), instead of being built on the roof, lantern-wise, or being (aswould appear from earlier passages) identical with the hall itself, butthe whole description is as before remarked. So full of incoherenceand confusion of terms that it is impossible to reconcile itsinconsistencies. ]

[Footnote 537: Lit. "a brother resembling thee. "]

[Footnote 538: Lit. "he increased (or exceeded) in the salaries (orallowances) of the poor and the indigent" (zada fi jewanicki 'l fukerawa 'l mesakin). Jewamek is an Arabicized Persian word, here signifyingsystematic or regular almsgivings. ]

[Footnote 539: Kull muddeh. ]

[Footnote 540: Labu 'l andab, lit. "arrow-play. "]

[Footnote 541: Night DLXXIII. ]

[Footnote 542: Szerayeh. ]

[Footnote 543: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 544: Burton adds, "and confections. "]

[Footnote 545: Lit. "he set them down the stablest or skilfullest(mustehhkem) setting down. "]

[Footnote 546: Hherrem, i. E. Arranged them, according to the rules ofthe geomantic art. ]

[Footnote 547: Netsera jeyyidan fi. Burton, "He firmly established thesequence of. "]

[Footnote 548: Technical names of the primary and secondary figures. The following account of the geomantic process, as described byArabic writers de re magicf, is mainly derived from the Mukeddimat orProlegomena of Abdurrehman ibn Aboubekr Mohammed (better known as IbnKhaldoun) to his great work of universal history. Those (says he) whoseek to discover hidden things and know the future have invented an artwhich they call tracing or smiting the sand; to wit, they take paperor sand or flour and trace thereon at hazard four rows of points, whichoperation, three times repeated (i. E. Four times performed), givessixteen rows. These points they eliminate two by two, all but the last(if the number of the points of a row be odd) or the last two (if it beeven) of each row, by which means they obtain sixteen points, singleor double. These they divide into four figures, each representing theresidual points of four lines, set one under another, and these fourfigures, which are called the mothers or primaries, they place side byside in one line. From these primaries they extract four fresh figuresby confronting each point with the corresponding point in the nextfigure, and counting for each pair a single or double point, accordingto one of two rules, i. E. (1) setting down a single point for eachsingle point being on the same line with another point, whether singleor double, and a double point for. Each pair of double points in linewith each other, or (2) reckoning a double point for each pair of likepoints (single or double), corresponding one with another on the sameline' and a single point for each, unlike pair. These new figures (aswell as those that follow) are called the daughters or secondaries andare placed beside the primaries, by confrontation with which (i, e, 5with 1, 6 with 2, 7 with 3 and with 4) four fresh figures are obtainedafter the same fashion and placed side by side below the first eight. From this second row a thirteenth and fourteenth figure are obtained inthe same way (confronting 9 with lo and 1 l with 12) and placed beneaththem, as a third row. The two new figures, confronted with each other, in like manner, furnish a fifteenth figure, which, being confrontedwith the first of the primaries, gives a sixteenth and last figure, completing the series. Then (says our author), the geomant proceeds toexamine the sixteen figures thus obtained (each of which has its nameand its mansion, corresponding to one of the twelve signs of the zodiacor the four cardinal points, as well as its signification, good or bad, and indicates also, in a special way, a certain part of the elementalworld) and to note each figure according to its presage of weal or ill;and so, with the aid of an astrological table giving the explanationsof the various signs and combinations, according to the nature ofthe figure, its aspect, influence and temperament (astrologicallyconsidered) and the natural object it indicates, a judgment is formedupon the question for a solution of which the operation was undertaken. I may add that the board or table of sand (tekht reml), so frequentlymentioned in the Nights, is a shallow box filled with fine sand, carefully levelled, on which the points of the geomantic operation aremade with a style of wood or metal. (The name tekht reml is howevernow commonly applied to a mere board or tablet of wood on which thenecessary dots are made with ink or chalk. ) The following scheme ofa geomantic operation will show the application of the above rules. Supposing the first haphazard dotting to produce these sixteen rows ofpoints, 1. .. .. .. .. (9) 5. .. .. (6) 9. .. .. .. .. (9) 13. .. .. . (6) 2. .. .. .. .. (9) 6. .. . (4) 10. .. .. .. . (8) 14. .. . (4) 3. .. .. .. . (8) 7. .. .. .. (7) 11. .. .. .. .. (9) 15. .. .. .. . (8) 4. .. .. .. (7) 8. .. .. (5) 12. .. .. .. (7) 16. .. .. (5)

 By the process of elimination we get the following four primaries:

 Fig. 1 x Fig. 2 x x Fig. 3 x Fig. 4 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

 The process of confrontation of the corresponding points of these four figures (according to rule 2) gives the following four secondaries:

 Fig. 5 x Fig. 6 x Fig. 7 x Fig. 8 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

 By confrontation of the points of each secondary with those of its corresponding primary, the following four fresh figures are obtained:

 Fig. 9 x x Fig. 10 x Fig. 11 x x Fig. 12 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

 Fig. 9, confronted with Fig. 10 gives a thirteenth figure x x x x x x x

 And Fig. 11 confronted with Fig. 12, a fourteenth x x x x x x

 Figures 13 and 14, similarly treated, yield a fifteenth figure

 x x x x x x x

 Which, in its turn, confronted with Fig. 1, gives a sixteenth and last figure, x x x x x x

 Completing the scheme, which shows the result of the operation as follows:

 (1) x (2) x x (3) x (4) x x (5) x (6) x (7) x (8) x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

 (9) x x (10) x (11) x x (12) x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

 (13) x (14) x x x x x x x x x x x x

 (15) x x x x x x x

 (16) x x x x x x]

[Footnote 549: Burton adds here, "in order that other than I may carryit off. "]

[Footnote 550: Min el meloum, lit. "[it is] of the known (i. E. Thatwhich is known). " Burton, "who knoweth an he wot, etc. "]

[Footnote 551: Night DLXXIV. ]

[Footnote 552: Sic, meaning of course that he had discovered itsproperties and availed himself thereof. ]

[Footnote 553: Medinetu 's seltaneh, i e. The seat of government orcapital. ]

[Footnote 554: Lit. "donned" (lebesa). ]

[Footnote 555: Here Galland says, "Il entra dans le lien le plus fameuxet le plus frequente par les personnel de grande distinction, ou l'ons'assembloit pour boire d'une certaine boisson chance qui luy etoitconnue des son premier voyage. Il n'y e-t pas plust"t pris place qu'onlay versa de cette boisson dans une tasse et qu'on la luy presenta. En la prenant, comme il prestoit l'oreille. .. Droite et. .. Gauche, ilentendit qu'on s'entretenoit du palais d'Aladdin. " The Chavis MS. Says, "He entered a coffee-house (kehweh, Syrian for kehawi), and there usedto go in thereto all the notables of the city, and he heard a company, all of them engaged in (ammalin bi, a very vulgar expression) talking ofthe Amir Alaeddin's palace, etc. " This (or a similar text) is evidentlythe original of Galland's translation of this episode and it isprobable, therefore, that the French translator inserted the mention"of a certain warm drink"(tea), out of that mistaken desire for localcolouring at all costs which has led so many French authors (especiallythose of our own immediate day) astray. The circumstance was apparentlyevolved (alla tedesca) from his inner consciousness, as, although Chinais a favourite location with the authors of the Nights, we find nosingle mention of or allusion to tea in the rest of the work. ]

[Footnote 556: Lit. "I will make him lose. "]

[Footnote 557: Night DLXXV. ]

[Footnote 558: Lit. "Instruments of astronomy or astrology" (tenjim);but tenjim is also used in the sense of geomancy, in which operation, as before explained, astrology plays an important part, and the contextshows that the word is here intended to bear this meaning. Again, theimplements of a geomancer of the higher order would include certainastrological instruments, such as an astrolabe, star-table, etc. , necessary, as I have before explained, for the elucidation of the schemeobtained by the sand-smiting proper. ]

[Footnote 559: He had apparently learned (though the Arabic authoromits, with characteristic carelessness, to tell us so) that Alaeddinwas absent a. Hunting. ]

[Footnote 560: Akemm, vulg. For kemm, a quantity. ]

[Footnote 561: Minareh, lit. "alight-stand, " i. E. Either a lamp-stand ora candlestick. ]

[Footnote 562: Bi-ziyadeh, which generally means "in excess, to boot, "but is here used in the sense of "in abundance. "]

[Footnote 563: Aalem. ]

[Footnote 564: After the wont of "the natural enemy of mankind' in allages. ]

[Footnote 565: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 566: Night DLXXVI. ]

[Footnote 567: Aghatu 't tuwashiyeh. ]

[Footnote 568: Ubb. ]

[Footnote 569: Lit. "who" (men), but this is probably a mistake for ma(that which). ]

[Footnote 570: Ifrikiyeh. ]

[Footnote 571: Night DLXXVII. ]

[Footnote 572: Ummar. This may, however, be a mistake (as before, seeante p. 177, note 2 {see FN#482}) for ema'r (buildings). ]

[Footnote 573: Lit. "O company" (ya jema't), a polite formula ofaddress, equivalent to our "Gentlemen. "]

[Footnote 574: Night DLXXVIII. ]

[Footnote 575: Lit. "the affair (or commandment, amr) is going to besealed upon us. "]

[Footnote 576: Sic (dara haulahu thelatheta dauratin); but qu're shouldit not rather be, "gave three sweeps or whirls with his sword round hishead"? See my "Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, " Vol. VI. P. 355. ]

[Footnote 577: Lit. "hath been bountiful unto me;" [the matter of] mylife. ]

[Footnote 578: Night DLXXIX. ]

[Footnote 579: Previous to prayer. ]

[Footnote 580: Lit. Made easy to (yessera li). ]

[Footnote 581: The name of the province is here applied to an imaginarycity. ]

[Footnote 582: Night DLXXX. ]

[Footnote 583: Lit. "who hath a head with the head-seller or dealer inheads, etc. " The word here employed (rewwas) commonly signifies "a manwho cooks and sells sheepsheads, oxheads, etc. " M. Zotenberg makes thefollowing note on this passage in. His edition of Alaeddin; "Rewwas (forraa"s) signifies not only 'he who sells cooked heads, ' but also 'he whomakes a business of cooking heads. ' Consequently whoso entrusteth a headto the rewwas is preoccupied and sleeps not. " M. Zotenberg's note isunintelligible, in consequence of his having neglected to explain thatthe passage in question is a common Egyptian proverb, meaning (saysBurckhardt), "the person whose fortune is entrusted to the hands ofstrangers cannot enjoy repose. " "The poor, " adds he, "at Cairo buysheepsheads and for a trifle have them boiled in the bazaar by personswho are not only cooks, but sellers of sheepsheads, and are thereforecalled raa"s, or in the Egyptian dialect rewwas. " The proverb is inthe present case evidently meant as a play upon the literal meaning("headsman, " hence by implication "executioner") of the word rewwas, although I cannot find an instance of the word being employed in thissense. It is, however, abundantly evident from the general context thatthis is the author's intention in the passage in question, Alaeddin'shead being metaphorically in the hands of (or pledged to) the headsman, inasmuch as he had engaged to return and suffer decapitation in case heshould not succeed in recovering the princess within forty days. ]

[Footnote 584: I suppose the verb which I render "caused [sleep] get themastery, " to be ghelleba, II of gheleba, as the only way of making senseof this passage, though this reading involves some irregularity from agrammatical point of view. This, however, is no novelty in the presenttext. Burton, "But whoso weareth head hard by the headsman may not sleepo'nights save whenas slumber prevail over him. "]

[Footnote 585: Zeczekeh, a word which exactly renders the sparrow'sdawn-cheep. ]

[Footnote 586: Lit. "From (as Fr. Des) the deep or remote dawn" (minel fejri 'l ghemic, Syr. For emic), cf. Matthew Arnold's "Resignation;""The cockoo, loud on some high lawn, Is answered from the depth ofdawn. . "]

[Footnote 587: The terminal formula of the dawn-prayer. ]

[Footnote 588: i. E. The magician]

[Footnote 589: Lit. "bride'' (arouseh). She is always, to the end of thetale, spoken of as Alaeddin's "bride, " never as his "wife, " whilst he, in like manner, is called her "bridegroom" (arous). ]

[Footnote 590: This, at first sight, appears a contradiction, as we aredistinctly told (see ante, p. 207) that the princess was unaware of theproperties of the lamp; but the sequel shows that she had learned them, in the mean time. From the magician himself. See post. ]

[Footnote 591: Ifrikiyeh. ]

[Footnote 592: Night DLXXXI. ]

[Footnote 593: Lit. "a spit (ric) of sweet. " We may also read reic orreyyic, "the first part of anything" (especially "the first drop ofrain"). ]

[Footnote 594: Lit. "having changed the clothes of this my dress. "]

[Footnote 595: i. E. Taking effect the moment of its administration. ]

[Footnote 596: Night DLXXXII. ]

[Footnote 597: Because white wine would have been visibly troubled bythe drug. ]

[Footnote 598: Ishebi bi-surrihi (lit. "drink by his pleasure orgladness;" surr or surour). Burton, "Pledge him to his secret in asignificant draught. "]

[Footnote 599: Kasein thelatheh, lit. Two cups three (unusual way ofputting it). ]

[Footnote 600: Reshoush (for reshash), "anything sprinkled, " i. E. Powderor drops. I translate "powder, " as I find no mention in the Nights ofthe use of this narcotic in a liquid form. ]

[Footnote 601: Takkeltu, lit. "I have conceived in my mind. " Sir R. Burton is apparently inclined to read tallectu by transposition, as hetranslates, "I depend upon thy say. "]

[Footnote 602: Night DLXXXIII. ]

[Footnote 603: Lit. "I will not delay upon thee. "]

[Footnote 604: Lit. "Thou hast burdened or incommoded thyself" (kelleftakhatiraka), see previous note, p. 120, {see FN#340} on this idiomaticexpression. ]

[Footnote 605: Ana atebtu mizajaka, lit. "I have wearied thytemperament. "]

[Footnote 606: Lit. "pleasure" (surr), see ante, p. 223, note 2. {seeFN#598}]

[Footnote 607: Or "playing the boon-companion. "]

[Footnote 608: Syn. "equivocal, a double entente. "]

[Footnote 609: Lit. "proceeded from her in truth. "]

[Footnote 610: Tih, lit. Pride, haughtiness, but, by analogy, "coquetry. "]

[Footnote 611: Lit. "Gaiety, ecstasy or intoxication (keif) whirled(dara) in his head. "]

[Footnote 612: Lit. "not itself exactly with him" (ma hiya bi-eimhiindahu. )]

[Footnote 613: Lit. "turned over" (kelebet, a clerical error forkebbelel). ]

[Footnote 614: Tekeddemet lihi wa basethu fi kheddihi. Burton, "againshe kissed its lip and offered it to him. "]

[Footnote 615: Terakedsou, lit. Raced with one another. ]

[Footnote 616: Babu 'sz szeray. ]

[Footnote 617: Night DLXXXIV. ]

[Footnote 618: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 619: Lit. "in" (fi); but fi is evidently used here in mistakefor bi, the two prepositions being practically interchangeable in modernArabic of the style of our present text. ]

[Footnote 620: Burton, "his costliest raiment. "]

[Footnote 621: Or chamber (keszr). ]

[Footnote 622: Night DLXXXV. ]

[Footnote 623: Sic (raihh), a common vulgarism in this text. ]

[Footnote 624: Night DLXXXVI. ]

[Footnote 625: Lit. "also" (eidsan). ]

[Footnote 626: i. E. The two were as like as two halves of a bean. ]

[Footnote 627: i. E. The world. ]

[Footnote 628: Or death (Saturn), the eighth division of the commonastrological figure. ]

[Footnote 629: Menkeleh. See my Book of the Thousand Nights and OneNight, Vol. I. P. 129, note 1. {see Vol. 1 of Payne's Book of theThousand Nights and One Night, FN#41}]

[Footnote 630: Dsameh. ]

[Footnote 631: Liha keramat kethireh. Kerameh (sing. Of keramat), properly a favour or mark of grace, a supernatural gift bestowed by Godupon His pious servants, by virtue whereof they perform miracles, whichlatter are also by derivation called keramat. Cf. Acts viii. 28:"Thou hast thought that the gift of God, " i. E. The power of performingmiracles, "may be purchased with money. "]

[Footnote 632: Night DLXXXVII. ]

[Footnote 633: Weliyeh. ]

[Footnote 634: Fe-ain (where), probably a mistranscription for fe-men(who). ]

[Footnote 635: Sitti, fem. Of Sidi, "my lord, " the common title of asaint among modern Arabic-speaking peoples. ]

[Footnote 635: Meskin, lit. "poor wretch, " but used as our "goodman" and the French "bonhomme, " in a sense of somewhat contemptuousfamiliarity. ]

[Footnote 636: Lit. "wished the man increase of his good (istektherabi-kheirihi, for which idiomatic expression= "he thanked him, " see ante, p. 135, note 3 {see FN#383}), and thanked his excellence" (favour orkindness, fedsl). ]

[Footnote 637: Sherabati. Burton, "vintner. "]

[Footnote 638: Keniz, a word which I cannot find in any dictionary, but which appears to be the past participle (in the secondary form formecnouz, as ketil, slain, for mertoul, ) of keneza, a lost verb of whichonly the fourth form acneza, he drank from a cup (kinz), survives, andto mean "something drunk from a cup. " Burton, "wine. "]

[Footnote 639: Ca"da. Burton translates "he mounted, " apparently readingszfida for ca"da. ]

[Footnote 640: Lit. "belly" (betn); but that "breast" is meant is shownby the next line, which describes Fatimeh as finding the enchanterseated on her heart. ]

[Footnote 641: Lit. "heart" (kelb). ]

[Footnote 642: The text adds here, "she went not and came not" (la rahetwa la jaet). Burton translates, "as though she had never gone or come"and adds, in a note, by way of gloss, "i. E. As she was in her own home;"but I confess that his explanation seems to me as obscure as the text. ]

[Footnote 643: Night DLXXXVIll. ]

[Footnote 644: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 645: The first or "opening" chapter of the Koran. ]

[Footnote 646: En nas bi 'l ghewali kethir an, lit. "The folk in(things) precious (or dear or high-priced, ghewali, pl. Ofghalin, also of ghaliyeh, a kind of perfume) are abundant anent. " Thisis a hopelessly obscure passage, and I can only guess at its meaning. Bi 'l ghewali may be a clerical error for bi 'l ghalibi, "for the mostpart, in general, " in which case we may read, "Folk in general abound[in talk] anent her virtues;" or bi 'l ghewali may perhaps be used inthe sense (of which use, however, I know no instance) of 'in excessiveestimation, ' in which latter case the passage might be rendered, "Folkabound in setting a high value on (or extolling) her virtues. " Burtonboldly amplifies, "the folk recount her manifestations in many cases ofdifficulty. "]

[Footnote 647: Lit. "That he might complete his deceit the more. "The meaning is that he dissembled his satisfaction at the princess'sproposal and made a show of refusal, so he might hoodwink her the moreeffectually. ]

[Footnote 648: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 649: Night DLXXXIX. ]

[Footnote 650: Teyyareh. ]

[Footnote 651: Lit. "openings for passage" (mejous). See ante, p. 176, note. {see FN#480}]

[Footnote 652: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 653: Lit. "an extreme" (ghayeh). ]

[Footnote 654: Szeraya. ]

[Footnote 655: Szeraya. ]

[Footnote 656: i. E. "O thou that art dear to me as mine eyes. "]

[Footnote 657: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 658: Night DLXC. ]

[Footnote 659: Keszr. ]

[Footnote 660: i. E. Its apparent from its real import. ]

[Footnote 661: Mustekim. ]

[Footnote 662: Minka. Burton, "of me. "]

[Footnote 663: Lit. "for that secret that she healed. " Burton, "for theart and mystery of healing. "]

[Footnote 664: Min wejaihi. ]

[Footnote 665: Szeraya. ]

[Footnote 666: Terehhhheba bihi. ]

[Footnote 667: Lit. "believed not in. "]

[Footnote 668: Night DLXCI. ]

[Footnote 669: Ghereza (i. Q. . Gheresa). ]

[Footnote 670: Lit. "Out of regard to or respect for thine eyes. "(Keramet[an] li-uyouniki), i. E. "Thanks to the favourable influenceof thine eyes. " When "the eye" is spoken of without qualification, the"evil eye" is commonly meant; here, however, it is evident that thereverse is intended. ]

[Footnote 671: Lit. "I had no news or information (ma indi kkeber) [ofthe matter]. "]

[Footnote 672: Lit. "neglectful of the love of thee. " This is adifficult passage to translate, owing to its elliptical form; but themeaning is that the princess wished to assure Alaeddin that what hadhappened was not due to any slackening in the warmth of her affectionfor him. ]