Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Now we see the sorcerer (the Maghrebi), after bribing Aladdin, seduces Aladdin's mother with his behavior and his words. Of course, this is most improbable, but who cares: this is a good tale.
And, as it happens often in these tales, there is a mistake: Aladdin's mother said before that Aladdin had another uncle, now deceased, but the Maghrebi talks about "the only brother he has". And neither Aladdin nor his mother noticed that.
ON THE THIRD NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
And the Maghrebi left Aladdin and went away. And Aladdin came home, told the thing to his mother, and gave her the two dinars, saying to her: "My uncle is coming to eat with us tonight!" »
Then, Aladdin's mother, seeing the two dinars, said to herself: "Perhaps I don't know all the brothers of the deceased! And she got up and went in haste to the souk where she bought the necessary provisions for a good meal, and came back to start preparing the food at once. But as this poor woman had no cooking utensils, she went to borrow from her neighbors what she needed in terms of pots, plates, and crockery. And she cooked all day; and, in the evening, she said to Aladdin: “My son, here is the ready meal, and perhaps your uncle does not know the way to our house well. So you would do well to meet him or wait for him in the street!" And Aladdin replied, "I listen and I obey!" And, as he was preparing to go out, there was a knock at the door. And he ran to open it. However, it was the Maghrebi. And he was accompanied by a porter who had on his head a load of fruit, pastries, and drinks. And Aladdin let them both enter the house. And the porter, after having deposited his load in the house, was paid and went away. And Aladdin led the Maghrebi to the room where his mother was. And the North African, in a very moved voice, bowed and said: “Peace be upon you, O wife of my brother!" And Aladdin's mother returned the salam. Then the Maghrebi began to cry silently. Then he asked: "Where is the place where the deceased used to sit?" And Aladdin's mother showed him the place in question; and immediately the North African threw himself on the ground and began to kiss this place and to sigh, with tears in his eyes, and to say: “Ah! what luck is mine! Ah! my wretch comes out of having lost you, oh my brother, oh vein of my eye! And he went on crying and lamenting so much, and with such a changed face and such an upheaval of entrails, that he was on the point of fainting, and Aladdin's mother did not doubt for a moment that this was not her late husband's brother. And she approached him, lifted him from the ground, and said to him: “O brother of my husband, you are going to kill yourself for nothing, by crying too much! Alas! what is written is written!" And she continued to console him with kind words until she persuaded him to drink a little water to calm himself and to sit down for the meal.
However, when the tablecloth was stretched, the Maghrebi began to talk to Aladdin's mother. And he told her what he had to tell her, saying to her:
“O wife of my brother, do not find it extraordinary that you have not yet had the opportunity to see me and that you did not know me in the time of my brother, the deceased. Thirty years ago, I left this country and went abroad, renouncing my homeland. And since then I have not ceased to travel in the countries of India and Sindh and to traverse the country of the Arabs and the lands of other nations. And I was also in Egypt and I lived in the magnificent city of Cairo, which is the miracle of the world! And, after staying there for a long time, I left for the central Maghreb country, where I ended up settling for twenty years.
"Meanwhile, O my brother's wife, one day, as I was sitting in my house, I began to think of my native land and my brother. And the desire increased in me to see my blood again, and I began to weep and lament my sojourn in a foreign country. And, in the end, the regrets of my separation and my estrangement from the being who was dear to me became so intense, that I decided to undertake the journey toward the country which had seen the appearance of my newborn head. And I thought in my soul: “O man! how many years have elapsed since the day you left your city and your country and the dwelling of the only brother you have in the world? So get up and go see him again before he dies! For who knows the calamities of fate, the accidents of days, and the revolutions of time? And would it not be supreme misery to die before you have gladdened your eyes with the sight of your brother, especially now that Allah (glorified be He!) has given you wealth and your brother may still be in a condition of narrow poverty! Don't forget that when you leave you will be doing two excellent deeds: seeing your brother again and helping him!"
"Now I, at these thoughts, O my brother's wife, I arose at once and prepared myself to depart. And, after reciting the Friday prayer and the first surah of the Koran, I mounted my horse and headed for my homeland. And, after many perils and the long fatigues of the journey, I finally, with the help of Allah (glorified and honored be He) arrived safely in my city, this one. And I immediately began to walk the streets and neighborhoods looking for my brother's house. And Allah allowed me to meet this child playing with his friends. And, by Allah the Almighty! O wife of my brother, as soon as I saw him that I felt my heart breaking for him with emotion; and, as blood recognizes blood, I did not hesitate to see in him my brother's son. And, at the same time, I forgot my fatigue and my worries, and I almost flew away with joy.
— At this point in her narration, Scheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.