Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Aladdin continues to educate himself about the value of what he has gotten from the genie and from the vault. He learns from an honest Muslim goldsmith that the Jew has taken advantage of him.
And he does not tell anybody all he has discovered. Even his mother. Not that he does not think that she will rob I'm, but probably because he thinks that she may tell her friends.
ON THE THIRTEENTH NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
When the provisions of the plate were exhausted, as the first time, Aladdin did not fail to take one of the golden dishes and go to the souk, according to his habit, to sell it to the Jew, as he had already done for the other meals. And as he passed in front of the shop of a venerable Mussulman sheik, a goldsmith highly esteemed for his probity and good faith, he was called by name and stopped. And the venerable goldsmith waved to him and invited him to enter the shop for a moment. And he said to him: “My son, I have already had occasion to see you pass through the souk many times, and I noticed that you always wore something under your robe which you were trying to conceal; and you entered the shop of my neighbor the Jew, then you leave without the object you were hiding. Now, I must warn you, my son, of something that you may not know, because of your young age! Know, indeed, that the Jews are the born enemies of the Muslims; and they consider that our property is lawful to steal by any means possible. And, among all the Jews, this one is precisely the most detestable, the most skillful, the most deceitful, and the most full hatred against us who believe in Allah the Unique! If therefore, o my child, you have something to sell, begin by showing it to me, and, by the truth of Allah Most High! I will estimate it to you at its fair value so that when you sell it you will know exactly what you are doing! Show me then, without fear or distrust, what you hide under your dress! and may Allah curse the deceivers and confuse the Evil One forever!" Hearing these words of the old goldsmith, Aladdin, with confidence, did not hesitate to pull the golden dish from under his robe and show it to him. And the sheik judged at first glance the value of the object and asked Aladdin: "Can you now tell me, my son, how many dishes of this kind you sold to this Jew, and at what price you gave them to him? And Aladdin replied, "By Allah, o uncle, I have already given him twelve dishes like this, at one dinar each!" And the old goldsmith, at these words, was on the verge of indignation and exclaimed: “Ah! the accursed Jew, the son of bitch, the posterity of Eblis!" And, at the same time, he put the dish in the balance, weighed it, and said: "Know, my son, that this dish is of the finest gold and that it is worth, not a dinar, but exactly two hundred dinars! This means that the Jew has robbed you, all by himself, as much as do, in a single day, to the detriment of the Muslims, all the Jews gathered in the souk! Then he added: “Alas! my son, what is past is past, and we cannot, for lack of witnesses, have this accursed Jew impaled! In any case, in the future, you know what to expect! And, if you want, I'll charge you two hundred dinars on the spot for your platter. And even I prefer, before buying it from you, that you go and offer it and have it appraised by other dealers; and if they offer you more, I agree to pay the excess and something else on top of that!" But Aladdin, who had no reason to doubt the well-known honesty of the old goldsmith, was very happy to give him the dish at such a good price. And he took the two hundred dinars. And, subsequently, when selling the eleven other gold platters and the silver platter, he did not fail to contact the same honest Muslim goldsmith.
Now, having become rich in this way, Aladdin and his mother did not abuse the benefits of the Retributor. And they continued to lead a modest life, distributing to the poor and the needy the surplus of their needs. And Aladdin, during this time, missed no opportunity to continue his education and to refine his spirit in contact with the people of the souk, the merchants of distinction, and the people of good taste who frequented the souks. And in this way, in a short time, he adopted the manners of the high society and entered into close contact with the goldsmiths and jewelers of whom he had become an assiduous guest. And he learned in this way, by growing accustomed to the sight of jewels and precious stones, that the fruits of the garden which he had brought back and which he imagined to be balls of colored glass, were priceless marvels which never were unparalleled among the most powerful and richest of kings and sultans! And, as he had become very wise and intelligent, he had the prudence not to speak of it to anyone, not even to his mother. Only, instead of leaving these gemstone fruits lying around behind the sofa cushions and in every corner, he picked them up with great care and hid them in a chest he bought for the purpose. Now he was soon to experience the effects of his wisdom, in the most brilliant and splendid way.
Indeed, one day among days, as he was chatting in front of a shop with some of his friends' merchants...
— At this point in her narration, Scheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
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