Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Poor Aladdin's mother! She has to spend the whole day in an environment that she is not accustomed to: the court of justice, presided by the sultan accompanied by his viziers and his emirs. But she is very courageous and does it.
Of course, Aladdin is disappointed that she was not able to present her request. But there is still hope that she will do it the next day.
ON THE SIXTEENTH NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
Aladdin said to his mother: "You have only to bring me from the kitchen a porcelain dish large enough to contain the balls of jewels, and you will then see the marvelous effect."
And Aladdin's mother, although very surprised by everything she heard, went to the kitchen to get a large, clean white porcelain dish and gave it to her son. And Aladdin, who had already brought the fruits in question, began to arrange them with great art in the porcelain, taking into account their different colors, shapes, and varieties. And when he had finished, he put them in front of his mother, who was absolutely dazzled by them, because of their brilliance and their beauty. And she could not help, even though she was hardly accustomed to the sight of precious stones, from exclaiming: “Ya Allah! how marvelous! And she was even obliged, after a while, to close her eyes in amazement. And she ended by saying: "I see clearly now, my son, that the present can be approved by the sultan! It's true! But the difficulty is no longer there! It is in the step that I will have to take; for I feel that I will hardly be able to bear the majesty of the sultan's presence and that I will remain motionless, with my tongue tied, or perhaps even faint from emotion and confusion! But even supposing that doing violence to myself to satisfy your soul full of this desire, I can succeed in presenting your request to the sultan concerning his daughter Badrou'l-Budour, what will happen? Yes, what will happen? Well, my son, either they will think that I am mad and they will drive me out of the palace, or the sultan, irritated by such a request, will terribly punish us both! If you think the opposite, and the sultan follows up on your request, he will still question me about your status and your condition. And he will say to me: “Yes! this gift is very beautiful, O woman! But who are you? And who is your son Aladdin? And what is he doing? And who is his father? And what is his gain? And such and such, and such and such? And then, I will be obliged to tell him that you have no trade and that your father was only a poor tailor from among the tailors of the souk!" But Aladdin replied, “O mother, be still! It is impossible for the sultan to ask you such questions when he has seen the marvelous gems arranged like fruits in the porcelain dish! So have no fear, and do not worry about what will not happen. On the contrary, just get up and go offer him the dish with its contents, and ask him for me, in marriage, his daughter Badrou'l-Boudour! And don't begin to weigh your thoughts on so easy and simple a matter! Do not forget if you still have doubts about success, that I have in my possession a lamp that will make up for me in all trades and all gains!"
And he continued to speak to his mother with such warmth and assurance that he finally convinced her completely. And he urged her to put on her best clothes; and he handed her the porcelain dish, which she hastened to wrap in a handkerchief, binding it at the four corners, to carry it in her hand. And she left the house and went towards the sultan's palace. And she entered the audience hall, with the crowd of petitioners. And she placed herself in the first row, but with a very humble attitude amid the assistants who stood with their arms crossed and their eyes lowered with the deepest respect. And the sitting of the diwan opened when the sultan had entered, followed by his viziers, his emirs, and his bodyguards. And the chief of the sultan's scribes began to call, one after another, the petitioners, according to the order of the requests. And the cases were judged, on the spot. And the plaintiffs went away, some happy with the winning of their case, others well elongated as to their noses, and others not having been called for lack of time. And Aladdin's mother was precisely one of the latter.
Also, when she saw that the session was over and that the sultan had retired, followed by his viziers, she understood that she too had only to go. And she left the palace and returned home. And Aladdin, who, in his impatience, was waiting for her at the door, saw her come in still holding the porcelain dish in her hand; and he was very moved and very perplexed and, fearing some misfortune that had occurred or some sinister news, he did not want to ask him any questions in the street and hastened to drag her into the house, where, very yellow in complexion, he asked with gesture and eyes, since he couldn't open his mouth with emotion. And the poor woman told him what had happened, adding: “You must excuse your mother for this time, my son; for I am not accustomed to palaces; and the sight of the sultan disturbed me so much that I could not move forward to express my request. But tomorrow, Allah willing, I will return to the palace and I will have more courage than this time!" And Aladdin, for all his impatience, was still glad to learn that there was no more serious reason for the return of the porcelain dish in his mother's hands. And he was even very satisfied that the most difficult step had been taken without difficulty and bad consequences for his mother and him. And he consoled himself with the thought that the delay would soon be repaired.
In fact, the next day the mother went to the palace, holding by the four corners the scarf which contained the jewels as a present to the sultan…
— At this point in her narration, Scheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
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