Aladdin and the Magic Lamp - part 2
(A Tale from the Arabian Nights)
One day Aladdin walked to the market he saw sultan’s daughter passing by on her elephant. Her name was jasmine. The princess was so lovely. She had long hair as black as the night. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were red. The princess looked so beautiful and Aladdin fell in love with her at first sight. He vowed to make her his bride. When Aladdin reached home he told his mother about princess Jasmine. He told her mother, he loved the princess so deeply that he could not live without her, and wanted to merry the princess. On hearing this, Aladdin’s mother burst out laughing, but Aladdin at last prevailed upon her to go before the Sultan and carry his request. Aladdin’s mother wrapped the jewels; Aladdin had brought from the cave, in a silk cloth to gift to the sultan.
The grand-vizier (minister) and the lords of council had just gone in as she entered the hall and placed herself in front of the Sultan. He, however, took no notice of her. She went every day for a week, and stood in the same place. When the council broke up on the sixth day the Sultan asked to his vizier about the woman and told him to call the lady next day.
Next day, at a sign from the vizier, she was in sultan’s presence. She knelt on the floor and pleaded, “Forgive me your Majesty! Aladdin, my son has fallen in love with your daughter, princess Jasmine. I have tried hard to tell him to forget her but in vain. So, now I have come to request your daughter’s hand of my son.”
The vizier wanted the princess for his own son. He begged the Sultan to withhold her for three months, in the course of which he hoped his son would arrange to make him a richer present. The Sultan granted this, and told Aladdin's mother that, though he consented to the marriage, she must not appear before him again for three months.
Then The Sultan asked her kindly what she had in the napkin. Then she unfolded the jewels and presented to the sultan. The glittering gems captivated the sultan. He agreed to the marriage.
Aladdin waited for nearly three months. One day his mother was going into the city to buy oil, found everyone rejoicing and gossiping. She was interested to know what happened.
A man told her, "Do you not know, the son of the grand-vizier is to marry the Sultan's daughter to-night?"
Aladdin replied, "The Sultan has broken his promise to my mother and the vizier's son is to have the princess. My command is that to-night you bring hither the bride and bridegroom."
Aladdin then waited for them, at midnight the genie transported the bed containing the vizier's son and the princess. When genie came, Aladdin told to the genie, "Take this new-married man and put him outside in the cold, and return at early in the morning."
Aladdin said to jasmine, "Fear nothing, you are my wife, promised to me by your unjust father and no harm shall come to you."
The princess was too frightened to speak. Aladdin lay down beside her and slept soundly. At the appointed hour the genie fetched in the shivering son of vizier, laid him in his place, and transported the bed back to the palace.
In the morning the Sultan came to wish his daughter “good-morning”. The unhappy vizier's son jumped up and hid himself, while the princess would not say a word, and was very sorrowful.
The Sultan sent her mother to her. The princess sighed deeply, and at last told her mother how, during the night, the bed had been carried into some strange house and about a young boy, named Aladdin. Her mother did not believe her in the least, but bade her rise and consider it as a nightmare.
The following night exactly the same thing happened, Aladdin and Jasmine took a magnificent ride on the magic carpet. In the next morning, on the princess's refusing to speak, the Sultan threatened to cut off her head. In this time the princess felt in love with Aladdin. She then confessed all, request him ask the vizier's son if it were not so. The Sultan told the vizier to ask his son. The vizier’s son explained every thing and wished to be separated from her.
When the three months were over, Aladdin sent his mother to remind the Sultan of his promise. On seeing her poverty the Sultan felt less inclined than ever to keep his word, and asked the vizier's advice, who advised him to set so high a value on the princess that no man living could come up to it.
The Sultan then turned to Aladdin's mother and said,"A Sultan must remember his promises, and I will remember mine, but your son must first send me forty basins of gold overfilled of jewels, carried by forty black slaves, very well dressed."
Aladdin’s mother returned home and told the good news to Aladdin. He decided to prepare grandly for the wedding. Aladdin called the genie of the lamp and asked him to bring rich clothes and gifts.
Then he had the genie build him a marble palace studded with gems with a lovely garden. Soon three months passed and Aladdin went to marry princess Jasmine in a grand procession of horses and elephants.They returned to his marble palace and Jasmine was pleased at her new home. Aladdin had now become prince Aladdin.
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