Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights Page 7

  The Sultan kissed his daughter and bade her good morning. But the girl looked dejectedly at him and said nothing. He questioned her again and again, and still she made no answer. At last he left her room in anger, and, taking himself off to the Queen, gave her an account of his daughter’s strange behavior.

  ‘Do not be harsh with her,’ said the Queen, wishing to calm him. ‘In a short time she will return to her former ways and talk to people freely. I will go and speak to her myself.’

  The Queen immediately went off to visit her daughter. She approached Badr-al-Budur and, kissing her between the eyes, wished her good morning. But the Princess said nothing.

  ‘Something very odd must have happened to her to upset her so,’ thought the Queen to herself. ‘What grief is this, my daughter?’ she asked. ‘Tell me what has happened. Here I am, wishing you good morning, and you do not even return my greeting.’

  ‘Do not be angry with me, Mother,’ said the Princess, raising her head, ‘but pardon the disrespect I have shown you. Look what a miserable night I passed! Scarcely had we gone to bed, when someone came – we could not see who he was – and carried us away, bed and all, to a damp, dark, and dirty place.’

  Badr-al-Budur told her mother all that had passed during the night: how her husband had been taken away from her and replaced by another young man who lay beside her with a sword between them.

  ‘Then, this morning,’ she continued, ‘the person who took us away returned and brought us back to this very room. As soon as he had set us down and gone, my father entered; but such was my terror at that moment that I had neither heart nor tongue to speak to him. If, for this reason, I have incurred his anger, I beg you to explain to him what has happened, so that he should not blame but pardon me for my offense.’

  ‘Dear child!’ exclaimed the Queen. ‘Take care not to tell this story to anyone else. They will say the Sultan’s daughter has gone mad. You were wise not to tell your father of all this. Say nothing about it to him, I warn you.’

  ‘But, Mother, I am not mad,’ the Princess replied. ‘I have told you nothing but the truth. If you do not believe me, ask my husband.’

  ‘Get up, child,’ said the Queen, ‘and drive this wild fantasy out of your head. Put on your clothes and go and watch the festivities that are being held all over the city in your honor. Listen to the drums and the singing; and look at the decorations, all celebrating your happy marriage.’

  The Queen called her attendants, who dressed the Princess and combed her hair. Then, returning to the Sultan, she told him that Badr-al-Budur had had dreams and nightmares, and begged him not to be angry with her.

  Next she sent in secret for the vizier’s son and questioned him. ‘Your Majesty, I know nothing of what you say,’ he answered; for he was afraid lest he should lose his bride. The Queen was now convinced that the Princess was suffering from a nightmare or some unfortunate illusion.

  The festivities continued all day, with dancers and singers performing in the palace to the accompaniment of all kinds of music. The Queen, the vizier, and the vizier’s son did their best to keep the merriment afoot, to cheer the bride, and to dispel her gloom. But for all their efforts she remained silent and thoughtful, brooding over the happenings of the previous night. True, the vizier’s son had suffered even more than she. But he denied it all, dreading that he might lose the honor that had been given him; especially since everyone envied him his luck in marrying a girl so noble and so fair as the Princess.

  Aladdin went out that day and watched the rejoicings in the city and the palace with laughter in his heart, particularly when he heard the people speak of the distinction that the vizier’s son had gained, and how fortunate he was to have become the Sultan’s son-in-law.

  ‘Poor fools!’ he thought to himself. ‘If only you knew what happened to him last night!’

  In the evening he went into his room and rubbed the lamp. When the jinnee came he ordered him to bring the Sultan’s daughter and her bridegroom, as on the previous night. The slave of the lamp vanished, and returned almost at once with the couple in the royal bed. Then he carried the vizier’s son to the cellar, where he left him petrified with fear. Aladdin placed the sword between himself and the Princess and slept by her side. In the morning the jinnee brought back the husband and returned the bed to the palace. Aladdin was delighted with the progress of his plan.

  When the Sultan woke up, his first thought was to go to his daughter to see if she would act as on the day before. He dressed at once and went off to Badr-al-Budur’s room. On hearing the door open, the vizier’s son hurriedly dressed himself, his ribs almost cracking with the cold, for the slave of the lamp had just brought them back to the palace. The Sultan went up to his daughter’s bed, lifted the curtains, and, kissing her on the cheek, wished her good morning. He asked how she was, but instead of answering she frowned and stared sullenly at him; for she was now desperately bewildered and upset. Her silence once again provoked the Sultan, who immediately sensed that she was hiding something from him.

  ‘What has come over you, my girl?’ he cried, drawing his sword. ‘Tell me the truth, or I will cut off your head. Is this the respect you owe me? I speak to you, and you do not answer a single word.’

  The Princess was terrified to see her father brandishing his sword over her.

  ‘Do not be angry with me, I beg you,’ she replied, lifting her head from the pillow. ‘When you have heard what I have suffered these last two nights, you will excuse and pity me; for I have always known you as a most loving father.’

  She then told the Sultan all that had happened.

  ‘And now, Father,’ she added, ‘if you wish to confirm what I have said, ask my husband. He will tell you everything. I do not know what they did to him when they took him away, or where they put him.’

  Moved by his daughter’s words, the Sultan sheathed his sword and kissed her tenderly.

  ‘My child,’ he said, ‘why did you not tell me of all this, so that I could have protected you from those terrors last night? But have no fear; get up, and dismiss these unpleasant thoughts. Tonight I will post guards around your room, and you shall be safe from all dangers.’

  He returned to his room and at once sent for the vizier.

  ‘What do you think of this business?’ he cried, as soon as the vizier presented himself. ‘Perhaps your son has told you what happened to him and my daughter?’

  ‘Your Majesty, I have not seen my son these two days,’ the vizier answered.

  The Sultan told him the Princess’ story.

  ‘Now go to your son,’ he added, ‘and find out the whole truth from him. My daughter may be so frightened that she does not really know what has happened; though, for my part, I am inclined to believe her.’

  The vizier called his son and asked him if what the Sultan had said was true or not.

  ‘Heaven forbid that the Princess should tell a lie,’ the young man answered. ‘All that she says is true. These last two nights have been a nightmare for us both. What happened to me was even worse. I was locked up all night in a dark, frightful cellar, where I almost perished with cold.’

  And he told him the story in all its details.

  ‘I now beg you, Father,’ he concluded, ‘to speak to the Sultan and ask him to release me from this marriage. I know it is a great honor to be the Sultan’s son-in-law, especially as I am so deeply in love with the Princess. But I cannot endure again what I went through these last two nights.’

  The vizier was profoundly shocked to hear this, for his fondest wish had been to marry his son to the Sultan’s daughter and thus make a prince of him.

  ‘Be patient a little, my son,’ he said. ‘Let us see what happens tonight. We will post guards around your chamber. Do not so rashly cast away this great honor; no one else has attained it.’

  The vizier left his son and, returning to the Sultan, informed him that the Princess’ story was true.

  ‘Then here and now,’ rejoined the Sultan, ‘I declare t
he marriage null and void.’ And he gave orders that the rejoicings should cease and the marriage be dissolved.

  The people of the city were amazed at the sudden change, especially when they saw the vizier and his son come out of the palace with forlorn and angry looks. They began to ask what had happened and why the marriage had been broken off. But nobody knew the secret except Aladdin, who was full of glee at the strange proceedings.

  Now, the Sultan had forgotten the promise he had given Aladdin’s mother. When the three months elapsed, Aladdin sent her to demand fulfillment. She went off to the palace, and as soon as she entered the audience hall the Sultan recognized her.

  ‘Here comes the woman who presented me with the jewels,’ said the Sultan, and after she had kissed the ground and wished him everlasting glory he asked her what she wanted.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ she said, ‘the three months after which you promised to wed your daughter, the Princess, to my son, Aladdin, are up.’

  The Sultan was at a loss what to answer, for it was plain that the woman was among the humblest of his subjects. Yet the present she had brought him was indeed beyond price.

  ‘What do you suggest now?’ he asked the vizier in a whisper. ‘It is perfectly true that I made her such a promise. But they are such humble folk!’

  The vizier, stung with envy, thought to himself, ‘How can such a wretch marry the Princess, and my son be robbed of the honor?’

  ‘Your Majesty,’ he replied, ‘that is no difficult thing. We must rebuff this stranger; for it scarcely befits your station to give away your daughter to an unknown upstart.’

  ‘But how can we get rid of him?’ rejoined the Sultan. ‘I gave him my pledge, and a sultan’s pledge must never be broken.’

  ‘I suggest,’ said the vizier, ‘that you demand of him forty dishes of pure gold filled with jewels like the ones he has already sent you; the dishes to be carried in by forty slave girls, attended by forty slaves.’

  ‘Well spoken, vizier!’ replied the Sultan. ‘That is something he can never do; in this way we shall once and for all be rid of him.’

  The Sultan then turned to Aladdin’s mother.

  ‘Go to your son,’ he said, ‘and tell him that I stand by my promise. The marriage will take place when he has sent a fitting present for my daughter. I will require of him forty dishes of pure gold filled with the same kind of jewels as those you brought me, together with forty slave girls to carry them, and forty slaves. If your son can provide this gift, my daughter shall be his.’

  Aladdin’s mother left the royal presence in silence, and set out for home crestfallen. ‘Where will my poor boy get all those plates and jewels?’ she asked herself. ‘Even if he returns to the treasure house and strips the magic trees of their jewels – not that I really believe that he can do this, but suppose he does – where in heaven’s name are the forty girls and forty slaves to come from?’

  Deep in these reflections, the old woman trudged on until she reached her house, where Aladdin was waiting.

  ‘My child,’ she said, as soon as she entered, ‘did I not tell you to give up all thought of the Princess? Did I not warn you that such a thing was impossible for people like us?’

  ‘Tell me what happened,’ Aladdin demanded.

  ‘The Sultan received me very kindly,’ she replied, ‘and I believe he was well disposed toward you. But your enemy is that odious vizier. When I had spoken to the Sultan and reminded him of his promise, he consulted his vizier, who whispered to him in secret. After that the Sultan gave me his answer.’

  And she told Aladdin of the present that the Sultan had demanded.

  ‘My child,’ she added, ‘the Sultan expects your answer now. But I think there is no answer we can give him.’

  ‘So that is what you think, Mother,’ Aladdin replied, laughing. ‘You think it is impossible. Rise up now and get us something to eat; then you will see the answer for yourself. Like you, the Sultan thought that his demand was beyond my power. In fact it is a trifle. Go, I say, and get the dinner ready. The rest you can leave to me.’

  His mother went off to the market to buy the food she needed. Meanwhile, Aladdin entered his room, took the lamp, and rubbed it; and at once the jinnee appeared.

  ‘Master,’ he said, ‘ask what you will.’

  ‘The Sultan is now willing to give me his daughter,’ Aladdin said. ‘But I must send him forty dishes of pure gold, each ten pounds in weight, filled to the brim with jewels like those in the garden of the treasure house. The dishes must be carried by forty girls, with forty slaves to attend them. Go and bring me these without delay.’

  ‘I hear and obey,’ the jinnee replied.

  The slave of the lamp vanished, and after a while returned with forty girls, each attended by a handsome slave; on their heads the girls bore dishes of pure gold full of priceless gems. The jinnee led them before his master and asked if there was any other service he could render.

  ‘Nothing at present,’ Aladdin answered,

  The jinnee disappeared again. In time Aladdin’s mother returned from the market and was much amazed to see the house crowded with so many slaves.

  ‘Could all this be the work of the lamp?’ she exclaimed. ‘Heaven preserve it for my boy!’

  Before she had time to take off her veil, Aladdin said, ‘Mother, there is not one moment to be lost. Take the Sultan the present he has asked for. Go to him now, so that he may realize I can give him all he wants and more besides.’

  Aladdin opened the door and the girls and slaves marched out in pairs. When the passers-by saw this wondrous spectacle they stopped and marveled at the beauty of the girls, who were dressed in robes woven of gold and studded with jewels. They gazed at the dishes, too, and saw that they outshone the sun in their sparkling brilliance. Each dish was covered with a kerchief embroidered in gold and sewn with precious pearls.

  Aladdin’s mother led the long procession, and as it passed from street to street the people crowded around, agog with wonder and exclamations. At last the procession came to the palace and wound its way into the courtyard. The commanders and chamberlains marveled greatly at the sight, for never in all their lives had they seen anything like it. They were astounded by the magnificent robes the girls were wearing, and the dishes upon their heads, which glowed with such fiery radiance that they could scarcely open their eyes to look at them.

  The courtiers went and informed the Sultan, who at once ordered the procession to be brought in. Aladdin’s mother led them into his presence, and they all solemnly saluted the Sultan and called down blessings upon him. Then they set down their plates, lifted the covers, and stood upright with their arms crossed over their breasts. The Sultan was filled with wonderment at the rare elegance of the girls, whose beauty beggared description. He was dumbfounded when he saw the golden dishes brimful with dazzling gems, and was even more bewildered that all this could have happened in such a short time.

  ‘What do you say now?’ said the Sultan in a whisper, turning to the vizier. ‘What shall be said of a man who can produce such riches in so short a time? Does he not deserve to be the Sultan’s son-in-law, and take the Sultan’s daughter for his bride?’

  Now, the vizier was even more amazed than the Sultan at this prodigious wealth; but envy got the better of him. ‘Your Majesty,’ he cunningly replied, ‘not all the treasures of the world are equal to the Princess’ fingernail. Surely you overrate this gift in comparison with your daughter.’ But the Sultan ignored the vizier’s remark.

  ‘Go to your son,’ he said to Aladdin’s mother, ‘and tell him that I stand by my promise: my daughter shall be his bride. Tell him to come to the palace, so that I may meet him. He shall be received with the utmost honor and consideration. The wedding shall begin this very night; only, as I told you, let him come here without delay.’

  Scarcely believing her ears, Aladdin’s mother ran home swiftly as the wind to give the news to her son. The Sultan dismissed his court and ordered the slave girls to be brought in with t
he dishes to the Princess’ room. The Princess marveled at the size of the jewels and the beauty of the slave girls, and was delighted to know that all this had been sent to her by her new husband. Her father, too, rejoiced to see her so happy and no longer cast down with gloom.

  ‘Are you pleased with this present, my daughter?’ he asked. ‘I am sure that this young man will prove a better husband than the vizier’s son. I hope you will be happy with him.’

  So much for the Sultan. As for Aladdin, when he saw his mother enter the house beaming with joy, he knew that her mission had been successful.

  ‘Rejoice, my boy,’ she cried. ‘You have gained your wish. The Sultan has accepted your present, and the Princess is to be your bride. Tonight the wedding festivities will begin. The Sultan is proclaiming you before the whole world as his son-in-law, and desires that you should call on him without delay.’

  Aladdin kissed his mother’s hand and thanked her with all his heart. Then he returned to his room, took up the lamp, and rubbed it. At once the jinnee appeared.

  ‘I am here,’ he said. ‘Ask what you will.’

  ‘Slave of the lamp,’ said Aladdin, ‘I order you to take me to a bath more magnificent than any in the world; also to bring me a splendid regal suit such as no king has ever worn.’

  ‘I hear and obey,’ the jinnee replied.

  So saying, he took Aladdin upon his shoulder and in a twinkling brought him to a bath such as neither king nor emperor ever saw. It was made of agate and alabaster, and adorned with wondrous paintings that dazzled the eye. No mortal troubled the peace of that white vault. The slave of the lamp led him into an inner hall, thickly studded with jewels and precious stones, and there he was received and washed by a jinnee in human shape. After his bath, Aladdin was led back into the outer vault, where, instead of his former clothes, he found a magnificent regal suit. Cool drinks were brought to him, and coffee flavored with amber; and when he had refreshed himself, there came into the hall a train of slaves who perfumed him and dressed him in his sumptuous robes.