Unknown

“ O my son Zein ul Asnam, behold, I am grown stricken in years and am presently sick; and belike this sickness will be the last of my life in this world and thou shalt sit in my stead; [wherefore I desire to admonish thee] . Beware, O my son, lest thou oppress any or turn a deaf ear to the complaining of the poor; 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 great ones of the people, but trust thou still for the most part to the voice of the common folk ”

“ Marry, all this, O my son, is for thy good, for that this is an exceeding great treasure, the kings of the world possess not its like, and it is thine and mine.” So poor Alaeddin forgot fatigue and beating and weeping, of his amazement at the Maugrabin’s speech and joy that he should become rich after such a measure that even the kings would be no wealthier than he, and said to him, “O my uncle, command me all thou wilt, for I will be obedient unto thy commandment.” And the Maugrabin said to him, “O son of my brother, thou art as my very son, nay, dearer, for being my brother’s son. ”

“ But Mubarek laughed at him and said to him, “Fear not, O my lord; this whereat thou art affrighted is that which we seek; nay, it is a presage of good to us. So take heart and be of good cheer.” After this there came a great clearness and serenity and there breathed pure and fragrant breezes; then, presently, behold, there appeared the King of the Jinn in the semblance of a man comely of favour, there was none like unto him in his goodliness, save He who hath no like and to whom belong might and majesty. He looked on Zein ul Asnam and Mubarek with a cheerful, smiling countenance ”

“ An thou see him surpassing in beauty, arise forthright and salute him, but beware lest thou overpass thy sash.” And Zein ul Asnam said to him, “Hearkening and obedience.” “And be this thy salutation to him,” continued Mubarek; “thou shalt say, ‘O King of the Jinn and lord of the earth, my father, the Sultan of Bassora, the angel of death hath removed, as indeed is not hidden from thee. ”

“ Alaeddin, having made an end of the morning-meal, arose and taking leave of the Sultan, mounted with his mamelukes and rode to his palace, so he might prepare for the reception of his bride, the Lady Bedrulbudour. As he passed, all the folk cried out to him with one voice, saying, “God gladden thee! God increase thee in glory! God continue thee!” And so they brought him home in great procession, what while he showered gold on them. When he came to his palace, he alighted and entering, sat down in the Divan, whilst the mamelukes stood before him with clasped hands. ”

“ By this means I am assured that the thing will be easy to thee, 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 for the attainment of my wish of the Lady Bedrulbudour, know that I am a dead man. Be not concerned for the gift, for these be exceeding precious jewels, and know, O my mother, that I have gone many a time to the market of the jewellers and have seen them sell jewels, that had not an hundredth part [200] of the beauty of these of ours, at exceeding high prices such as man’s wit cannot conceive. ”

“ 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 thou woeful?” Quoth the Sultan, “Meseemeth thou knowest not of my affair.” And the Vizier said to him, “By Allah, O my lord, I have no knowledge of aught whatsoever.” “Then,” rejoined the Sultan, “thou hast not looked towards Alaeddin’s palace.” “Nay, O my lord,” replied the Vizier, “it is yet shut.” ”

“ Harkye, I will have thee dress and tire thyself and put away melancholy from thee; and when the accursed Maugrabin cometh to thee, do thou receive him with ‘Welcome and fair welcome’ and go to meet him with a smiling face and bid him come sup with thee and profess to him that thou hast forgotten thy beloved Alaeddin and thy father and that thou lovest him with an exceeding love. Moreover, do thou seek of him wine, and that red, [457] and make him a show of all joy and gladness and drink to his health. ”

“ How is it thou hast heard nought of this nor of the name of Alaeddin, whom Our Lord increase in glory and prosper?” Quoth the Maugrabin, “Marry, it is the utmost of my wish to look upon the palace; so, an thou wouldst do me a kindness, direct me thither, for that I am a stranger.” “Hearkening and obedience,” replied the other and going before him, guided him to Alaeddin’s palace. ”

“ Marry, blood discovered unto me that [18] thou wast the son of my brother, and indeed I knew thee from amongst all the lads; although thy father, when I left him, was not yet married. And [19] now, O my son Alaeddin,” continued he, “I have lost my consolation [20] and my joy in thy father, my brother, whom I had hoped, after my strangerhood, to see ere I died; but separation hath afflicted me in him [21] and there is no fleeing from that which is [22] nor is there any resource against the ordinance of God the Most High.” ”

“ Then he turned to his Vizier and said to him, “How sayst thou, O Vizier? Sawest thou ever in thy life the like of these magnificent jewels?” “Never, O our lord the Sultan,” replied the Vizier, “nor, methinketh, is the least of those which be here found in the treasuries of our lord the King.” Quoth the Sultan, “Doth not he who giveth me these jewels deserve to be bridegroom to my daughter Bedrulbudour? Marry, by what I see, meseemeth none is worthier of her than he.” ”

“ Now Alaeddin used every day to mount and ride through the town, with his mamelukes behind him and before him, strewing gold upon the people, right and left, and the folk, stranger and neighbour, near and far, were fulfilled with the love of him for the excess of his munificence and his bounty. ”

“ I have none other than thee and the extreme of my desire is to rejoice in thee and marry thee. So, an thou wilt, I will seek thee a bride of our own rank. But suppose [I do this] , they [190] [will] ask at once 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 like ourselves, how, O my son, shall I dare to seek the King’s daughter of China, who hath none before him and none after him? Wherefore do thou ponder this matter in thine understanding. ”

“ When she saw the great silver tray, she marvelled and said to Alaeddin, “O my son, who is the generous, the bountiful one that hath sought out our hunger [150] and our poverty? Indeed, we are beholden to him. [151] Apparently the Sultan hath heard of our case and our wretchedness and hath sent us this tray.” “O my mother,” answered Alaeddin, “this is no time for questioning; rise, so we may eat, for we are anhungred.”
So they arose and sitting down to the tray, proceeded to eat, whilst Alaeddin’s mother tasted food such as she had never in all her life eaten. ”

“ Now the fruits of these trees were all precious stones, each tree bearing fruit of one colour and kind of jewel, and these fruits were of all colours, green and white and yellow and red and what not else of colours. Their glitterance outshone the rays of the sun in its forenoon splendour and the bigness of each jewel overpassed description; suffice it that not one of them might be found with the greatest of the kings of the world, [96] no, nor a gem half the bigness of the smallest that was there. ”

“ And as thou returnest, thou mayst pluck from the trees what thou wilt, 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 his finger a ring and putting it on Alaeddin’s finger, said to him, “And this ring, O, my son, shall deliver thee from all hurt and all fear that may betide thee, provided thou observe all that I have said to thee. So now arise and go down; gird thy loins and summon up thy resolution and fear not, for that thou art a man and not a child ”

“ The Maugrabin proceeded to soothe him and said to him, “O my son, it is my desire to make thee a man; so cross me not, for that I am thine uncle and as it were thy father; wherefore do thou obey me in that which I shall say to thee, 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 appeared to him an alabaster slab and in it a ring of molten brass ”

“ Accordingly, she arose and went out to buy her need from the market, so she might make ready the morning-meal; whilst Alaeddin entered his chamber and taking the lamp, rubbed it. The genie immediately appeared to him and said, “Seek what thou wilt, O my lord;” whereupon quoth Alaeddin, “I seek the Sultan’s daughter in marriage and he requireth of me forty dishes of pure gold, each ten pounds in weight and full of the jewels which be in the garden of the treasure, the forty dishes to be borne by forty slave-girls and each slave-girl to be accompanied by a male slave ”

“ The Sultan still marvelled in himself at Alaeddin’s mother, how she had come to him in 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 the wedding-festivities, when they saw Alaeddin’s palace and the goodliness of its building, there took them great wonderment how so magnificent a building had been upreared in one night and they fell all to praying for Alaeddin and saying, “God prosper him! By Allah, he is deserving. ”

“ When they were finished, the Maugrabin paid him their price, even that which he sought, and taking the lamps, carried them to the khan, where he laid them in a basket and fell to going round about in the markets and thoroughfares of the city and crying out, “Ho! who will barter an old lamp for a new lamp?” When the folk heard him crying this, they laughed at him and said, “Certes, this man is mad, since he goeth about, bartering new lamps for old.” ”

“ Wilt thou still say [35] to me, ‘These be idle tales’? But I, O my mother, needs must I journey to Cairo.” “O my son,” answered the queen, “since thou art under the safeguard of the Apostle of God [36] (whom God bless and keep) , go thou in peace, and I [and] thy Vizier, we will govern the realm in thine absence, 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’s house and the folk said to him, “O my lord, this is a man than whom there is none richer in [all Cairo] ”

“ At this the people murmured, for that the grandees of the realm put out their hands unto oppression, whenas they saw the king’s lack of concern for his subjects; so they rose up in rebellion against Zein ul Asnam and would have laid violent hands upon him, had not the queen his mother been a woman of wit and judgment and address, and the people loved her; so she appeased the folk and promised them good. ”

“ An it please thee bid me fetch her to thee, so thou mayst 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 heard of her gifts and excellences and have yearned to see her, so I may ask a blessing of her, for that the folk are beyond measure abundant [in talk] of her [507] virtues.” So the Aga went and brought the enchanter, disguised as Fatimeh, before the Lady Bedrulbudour; whereupon the Maugrabin offered up abundance of prayers for her, and none misdoubted of him but that he was Fatimeh the recluse. ”

“ The folk marvelled at Alaeddin’s bounty and at the excess of his munificence and were amazed when they saw that which graced him of beauty and goodliness and his courtliness and dignity; yea, they extolled the perfection of the Compassionate One for this His noble creature and all of them great and small [322] called down blessings on him, albeit they knew him for the son of such an one the tailor; yet none envied him, but all said, “He is deserving.” So [323] he fared on his way, with the mamelukes before him and behind him, scattering gold upon the folk, till he came to the palace. ”

“ Hast thou seen and considered this royal building and all these riches which man’s wit cannot comprehend?” The Vizier, of his envy of Alaeddin, answered him, saying, “O King of the Age, indeed this palace and its building and all these riches may not be but by means of enchantment, for that no man among men, no, not the mightiest of them in dominion or the greatest in wealth, might avail to upraise and stablish [the like of] this building in one night.” Quoth the Sultan, “I marvel at thee how thou still deemest evil of Alaeddin ”