Chapter 8, The Tale of Aladdin The Thirty-First Night.
The following night, when Sarazad was in her bed, her sister Denarzad said Please sister, tell us one of your lovely little tales.
The king added, Let it be more amazing than what came before.
Sarazad replied, With the greatest pleasure.
It is said, O King, that there was once a poor tailor who lived in China with a son named Aladdin.
The father worked very hard, while Aladdin was quite lazy and spent his days with other boys in the streets, returning home only for his daily meals.
The father kept working right up until the day he died.
After this, Aladdin's mother sold the shop and started to spin yarn for cloth so the family could have money.
Aladdin was 15 years old then, and he continued in his lazy ways.
One day, a stranger came up to Aladdin.
He told the boy he was his uncle and that he had come to pray at his dead brother's grave.
The stranger returned home with Aladdin for dinner and the man told his story, bringing Aladdin's mother to tears.
The next day, the stranger took Aladdin to the market and bought him new clothing.
The uncle showed Aladdin the better parts of the city and offered to put him to work as a merchant.
Aladdin walked with the man for a long time.
They left the city passing the gardens beyond it and traveling up a high mountain.
Here the stranger built a fire.
When it grew hot, he said a spell over it.
The sky grew dark, and the earth shook, opening up to reveal a great slab of marble.
Aladdin was afraid, but the stranger told him to lift the slab and go down into the earth below.
You will see three rooms with jars full of silver and gold, he said.
But do not stop there.
In the fourth room, there is a garden of fruit trees and a staircase leading up to an altar.
Above this altar, you will find a lamp.
Pour out the oil and bring the lamp back to me.
The stranger gave Aladdin a ring to wear for protection, and the boy went down into the earth.
He did everything the stranger had told him to, but when he returned he could not quite reach the top of the opening without help.
Oh, my son, the stranger told him, give me the lamp so that I can help you climb up.
Aladdin was afraid to give the stranger the lamp and said, No, uncle, the lamp is safe with me.
Give me your hand and help lift me out of this place.
The man asked again for the lamp and Aladdin said no again.
This went on for some time, and the stranger became more and more angry.
Finally, the stranger closed the slab and said another spell, covering the slab with earth and leaving Aladdin trapped in the dark.
But morning drew near Sarazad, and she fell silent.
Then Sarazad said to her sister, Sister, what an amazing story.
Sarazad replied, It is nothing compared with what I will tell you tomorrow if the king lets me live.
The Thirty-Second Night.
The following night, when Sarazad was in bed, her sister Dinarzad said Please sister, tell us more of this amazing tale.
The king said, Tell us more of what happened to Aladdin.
Sarazad replied, With great pleasure.
It is said, O great king, that the stranger was really a great wizard and that he had learned his art in Africa.
There he had heard of a great treasure in China that lay buried in the earth.
It was said that among the riches was a lamp that could make its owner more powerful than a thousand kings.
The wizard had heard that only a certain poor boy of that city could remove the lamp from its resting place, and that the boy's name was Aladdin.
So the wizard had come looking for the boy.
He planned to use him to get the lamp and afterward to kill him.
Now Aladdin was trapped beneath the earth.
He found that all the rooms had been closed.
He cried and rubbed his hands together, calling upon God to deliver him.
He happened to rub the ring the stranger had given him, and when he did so, a genie suddenly appeared before him.
The genie said, Ask for what you wish, for I must obey whoever wears that ring on his finger.
Aladdin was overjoyed and asked the genie to put him back above ground.
Immediately the earth opened and the boy was saved.
Aladdin returned home and his mother wept with happiness for she had not seen him for three days.
Aladdin told her of everything that had happened to him.
Then he went to sleep.
Aladdin slept for three days.
When he woke up, his mother asked him to take some of the fabric she had woven to the market and sell it for food.
The boy suggested selling the lamp instead, and his mother thought that was a good idea.
She took a cloth and started to polish the lamp so that it looked nice for the sale.
But suddenly, a genie appeared before her.
He was easily twice as powerful as the one Aladdin had seen before.
"'Here I am,' the genie said in a voice that shook the earth they stood on.
"'I must obey whoever holds this lamp in their hands.'
The mother fainted when the genie spoke, but Aladdin picked up the lamp and asked the genie for food.
At this, the genie disappeared, returning moments later with three silver trays full of rich meats and bread that was whiter than snow.
Aladdin's mother was very scared.
She told Aladdin to throw the lamp and the ring away, but the boy refused and managed to calm her down.
After they had eaten as much food as they could, Aladdin took one of the silver platters to the market and sold it for a lot of money.
In this way, Aladdin and his mother were never in need of money or food.
Every few days, Aladdin would have the demon conjure more platters and he would take them to sell.
He was on his way to the market one day when he heard the loud sound of trumpets ring.
The king's daughter was near, and the street was being cleared so that she could pass by.
Aladdin hid behind a door as she passed by.
He only saw the girl for a few seconds, but he instantly fell in love.
But morning drew near Sarazad, and she fell silent.
Then Sarazad said to her sister, Sister, what an amazing story!
Sarazad replied, It's nothing compared with what I will tell you tomorrow, if the king lets me live.
The Thirty-Third Night.
The following night, when Sarazad was in bed, her sister Denizad said Please sister, tell us more of this lovely tale.
The king added, Let it be the rest of Aladdin's tale.
Sarazad replied, Certainly.
It is said, O king, that Aladdin was full of love for the king's daughter.
He returned home and begged his mother to ask the king if Aladdin could marry his daughter.
Aladdin's mother thought her son was mad, but Aladdin insisted.
He rubbed the lamp to summon the genie and had him produce a gold bowl full of jewels.
Aladdin then told his mother to bring these to the king as a gift.
With the jewels and a silk bag, Aladdin's mother went to the gates of the king's palace.
She was kept there for a week before the king noticed her and asked his vizier to bring her before him.
The old woman told the king about her son's love for his daughter and his wish to marry her.
The king laughed loudly at this and asked the old woman what she had brought him.
When he saw what she held, however, the king was very much amazed.
The bright and heavy gems dazzled him and he said I swear there is no one more worthy of my daughter than he who has given these jewels.
The king promised Aladdin's mother that his daughter would marry her son in three months.
When those three months were up, Aladdin arrived at the palace at the head of a grand parade, with tall soldiers on black horses and beautiful girls carrying dishes of pure gold heaped with jewels.
The king welcomed the boy and seated him at his right side.
There were long tables piled high with food.
Everyone ate merrily.
The wedding ceremony was performed, and the king's daughter became Aladdin's wife.
Back in Africa, the wizard heard of Aladdin's escape and the amazing things he had done.
He returned to China and saw the palace Aladdin had built for his bride, with beautiful tiled walls and carpets woven with gold.
The wizard knew that all this good fortune was because of the lamp.
He swore that he would find it.
The wizard went to the market and had some lamps made.
He took them and went through the streets of the town, crying, "'Lamps, lamps, who will trade me an old lamp for one of these new ones?'
The people of the town thought the man was crazy and many rushed to trade one of their old lamps for one of his new ones.
The wizard made sure to pass by Aladdin's palace and call out loudly, Lamps!
Lamps!
Who will trade me an old lamp for a new one?
One of the servants in the palace heard him and remembered seeing an old lamp that Aladdin kept on a shelf in his bedroom.
She went to get it and traded it with the stranger thinking to herself how wise she was and how foolish the old man was.
When the wizard saw that he had the lamp, he was delighted.
He ran from the city and out into the desert beyond, making sure that no one had followed him.
Then he rubbed the lamp. the great genie appeared, saying, Here I am.
I must obey whoever holds the lamp in his hands.
The wizard was very happy and he told the genie to take the palace away from Aladdin and set it down in Africa.
Shut your eyes, roared the genie's voice, and you will find it all, just as you say.
But morning drew near Sarazad, and she fell silent.
Denarzad said to her sister, Sister, what an amazing story.
Sarazad replied, It is nothing compared with what I will tell you tomorrow if the king lets me live.
The Thirty-Fourth Night.
The following night, when Sarazot was in her bed, her sister Denizad said Please sister, tell us more of this lovely tale.
The king added, Let it be the end of the story of Aladdin.
Sarazot replied, With great pleasure.
It is told, O king, that everything was done just as the wizard asked.
In the morning, when the king looked out his window, he saw that Aladdin's palace was gone, and he found that his daughter had disappeared also.
The king was angry and demanded that Aladdin be brought before him.
The boy was put into chains and the king ordered him to be locked up.
The people were quite sad at this.
Aladdin fell to his knees and begged for the king's mercy.
He said Oh, great king, give me forty days to bring your daughter back and make it all as it was before.
If forty days pass and I cannot do this, then lock me up and do what you will with me.
The king agreed, and Aladdin set out.
He searched the city, then the desert, but found no trace of his palace or his wife.
Aladdin was miserable.
He threw himself to the ground, praying for God to help him.
While he prayed, Aladdin happened to rub one of his fingers against the wizard's ring.
The genie appeared again before him.
Oh, genie, said Aladdin when he saw what had happened, bring me back my wife and my palace.
The genie replied, that I cannot do.
It is the work of the genie of the lamp.
His power is stronger than mine.
Aladdin thought for a while and said, then put me down beside my palace.
The genie replied, it will be done.
Aladdin closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he was in Africa, outside his very own palace.
He said his prayers, thanking God for saving him from his misery.
Aladdin went to his wife's room and stood outside her window, hoping she would see him.
One of her servants was there, and she led him into the palace through a secret door.
The princess was happy to see her husband.
They hugged each other and cried with joy.
The princess told Aladdin how the wizard had taken the lamp and moved the palace with all its people and riches.
She told him that the wizard tried to win her love, offering jewels and gold.
Aladdin listened to all that she said and thought carefully until he had come up with a plan.
Then he kissed his wife and told her what he would do.
Aladdin sneaked carefully out of the palace and traveled toward the towns.
He met an old woman and paid her to trade her clothes for his.
In this costume, Aladdin went to a shop in town and bought a powerful poison.
Then he returned to the palace.
The wizard arrived, hoping to convince the princess to love him.
That one time, she did not turn him away.
Instead, she smiled at him, inviting him to dine with her.
He sat with the princess while her servants laid the food on the table, so happy that he ate and drank without noticing that the princess did not take anything.
Aladdin had secretly filled the wizard's cup with the poison.
Instantly, he fell over.
Aladdin came out from the spot where he had been hiding.
He searched the wizard and found the lamp hidden in his sleeve.
He rubbed the lamp until the genie appeared, and then he asked that the palace be returned to its original home.
The king was delighted when he saw that his daughter was safe and welcomed Aladdin back with open arms.
They all lived long and happily after that day, and when the king died, Aladdin took his place.
The people were happy, for they loved him greatly, and Aladdin lived happily with the princess until the end of their days on earth.
But morning drew near Sarazad, and she fell silent.
Denarzad said to her sister, Sister, what an amazing story.
Sarazad replied It is nothing compared with what I will tell you tomorrow, if the king lets me live.
