Aladdin was the son of a poor tailor named Mustapha. When he was ten years old, his father took him into his shop to teach him the trade. But Aladdin did not want to become a tailor. All day long he played in the streets with boys of his own age.
After a time Mustapha died, and his wife supported herself and her child by spinning cotton. They were very poor. Aladdin could not go to school or even learn a trade. He spent all his time away from home, returning only for his meals. In this way he carried on until he was fifteen years of age.
One day he was playing happily in the street as usual. A stranger, who was passing by, stopped and looked at him. This stranger was a foreign magician, who was in need of a helper. He went up to Aladdin, led him away from the other boys and said, “My child, are you not the son of Mustapha, the tailor?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Aladdin, “but my father is dead. He died a long time ago.”
“Alas,” said the magician, “what sad news! I am your uncle, your father’s own brother. I have been away for many years. Now that I have come home, you tell me he is dead!”
Tears ran down the stranger’s cheeks. He pulled out a purse and gave Aladdin two pieces of gold. “Take these, my boy,” he said, “and give them to your mother. Tell her that I will come to have dinner with you this evening. And now, my boy, show me the way to your house.”
“Gladly, sir,” replied Aladdin, and when he had pointed out the road to him, he ran home to his mother with the money.
“Mother,” he cried, “have I an uncle?”
She told him he had not. Then Aladdin gave her the gold and told her that a man who said he was his father’s brother was coming to dine with them that evening. The good woman was much surprised, but still she went to the market and bought all the food she needed. She was preparing the meal when the magician knocked at the door.
He greeted Aladdin’s mother kindly and begged her to show him where her husband used to sit. When the old woman showed him the place, he fell on his knees and kissed the ground, crying out, “Oh, my poor brother, my poor brother!”
As soon as they sat down to supper, the magician began to tell Aladdin’s mother about his travels. He said he had been away for forty years and had travelled to many countries. Then he turned to Aladdin and asked his name.
“I am called Aladdin,” the boy replied.
“Well, Aladdin,” said the magician, “what trade have you learned? How do you support yourself and your mother?”
Aladdin hung his head, and his mother replied: “Aladdin knows nothing at all. His father tried to teach him the tailor’s trade, but he refused to learn. Now I have to work day and night to keep us from starving. Aladdin is an idle fellow. He spends all his time in the streets. I do not think he will ever come to any good.” And the widow burst into tears.
“Are you not ashamed of yourself, Aladdin?” said the magician. “You must try to earn your living. I will do all I can to help you. If you promise to be a good boy, I will open a shop for you. What do you think of the idea?”
This seemed an easy life, and Aladdin smiled at his uncle. “Well, then,” said the magician, “come with me tomorrow. I will buy you some new clothes, and then we will go and look for a shop.”
Now Aladdin’s mother was convinced that the stranger was really her brother-in-law. She thanked him with all her heart and begged her son to obey his uncle in all things. Soon after supper the magician took his leave, and that night Aladdin could hardly sleep for joy.
The stranger came again the next day and took Aladdin with him to the market place. After buying him some clothes he showed Aladdin round the city, and gave him a good dinner in the evening. When Aladdin came home that night, his mother was delighted to see how well he was dressed.
It happened that the following day was a holiday. The stranger came again, saying he would take Aladdin for a walk in the country and show him the fine parks and gardens. He promised to open a shop for Aladdin the day after.
Hand in hand they walked along until they reached the fine parks and tall palaces outside the city. Each building seemed to Aladdin more beautiful than the last. When they had gone a long way into the country, they sat down to rest by the side of a lake. The magician gave Aladdin some cakes and fruit to eat. Then they walked on until they came to a high mountain.
“Where are we going, uncle?” asked Aladdin, who had never walked so far in his life. “Let us go back, I am so tired!”
“Be a man, my boy!” said the magician. “I will show you another garden far more beautiful than any of those you have seen.” Aladdin thought he would like to see it; and the magician told him stories as they walked along, to make the way seem shorter and less tiring.
At last they arrived at a lonely spot in the woods. “We will go no further now,” said the magician. “I am going to show you some strange things. Go and gather some dry sticks to make a fire with.”
Aladdin soon came back with a great heap of dry sticks. The magician made a fire and spoke some strange words. At once the sky grew dark, and the ground opened up near the spot where they were standing. They saw a dark hole just big enough for a boy to get through.
Aladdin was frightened at all this and wanted to run away. But the magician caught hold of him and gave him a heavy blow on the head. Poor Aladdin trembled and with tears in his eyes, cried, “Dear uncle, what have I done? Why did you give me such a blow?”
“I struck you to make a man of you, my child,” said the magician. “I am your uncle, your father’s brother, and you must obey me. Now listen carefully to me. There is a treasure-house underground. Go down into the cave and do as I tell you. We will divide the hidden riches between us.”
By this time Aladdin had dried up his tears. The magician went up to him and kissed him. “Nephew,” he said, “you are dearer to me than a son. Besides you and your mother I have no other relatives in all the world. My dearest wish is to see you a rich man.” And then he gave Aladdin his directions.
“Now be careful, Aladdin,” said the magician. “Do exactly what I tell you and omit nothing. Go down into the cave, and at the bottom of those steps you will see an open door leading into the great halls. In each of these you will see great heaps of gold and silver. As you pass you must take care not to touch them. Be sure not to go near the walls or even to touch them with your clothes. If any part of your dress should touch them, you will at once be changed into a black stone.”
“When you reach the end of the third hall you will find another door, which opens on a beautiful garden full of fruit-trees. Go into the garden and walk on until you come to a staircase of about thirty steps, leading up to the top of a wall. There you will find a shelf on which is a lighted lamp. Take down the lamp, blow it out, and put it in your pocket. On your way back you may pause among the trees and pick any fruit and flowers you like.”
When the magician had finished speaking, he took a ring and put it on one of Aladdin’s fingers. “This ring,” he said, “will protect you from all evil. Now go, my child, and be brave. In a few moments you shall be the richest man on earth.”
Aladdin jumped down into the cave, found all to be as the magician had said, and carefully obeyed his orders. When he had put the lamp into his pocket, he returned to the garden and stopped for the first time to look upon the trees and the birds among their branches. He wondered at the beauty of the fruit. There were many different shapes and colours, and he gathered some of every kind.
Aladdin did not know that all these fruits were really priceless jewels. The white were pearls; the sparkling kind were diamonds. The red were rubies, the green were emeralds. Aladdin took them for coloured glass of little value. But he was so delighted with their beautiful colours that he gathered enough to fill all his pockets. Then he hurried through the three halls and climbed the staircase at the mouth of the cave, where the magician was anxiously waiting.
“Give me your hand, uncle,” he shouted, “and help me to get out.”
“Give me the lamp first,” the magician replied.
“I cannot now,” said Aladdin. “Just give me your hand, and you shall have the lamp as soon as I am up.”
The magician still insisted on having the lamp before he helped Aladdin out of the cave. But the lamp was covered with the fruit from the trees, and the boy could not easily find it until he got out of the cave. The magician thought that Aladdin wished to keep it for himself, and this made him very angry. He spoke a few magic words, and the earth closed over the cave.
Aladdin was terribly frightened. He shouted to his uncle for help. When there was no answer to his cries, he realized that he had been deceived, and that the stranger was no uncle of his. He went down to the bottom of the steps. He thought he would go into the garden, but the door leading to it was now closed. He felt all around him to the right and the left, but could not find any opening. Then he returned to the cave’s mouth and threw himself on the steps. There he sat for three days in darkness, and finally gave up all hope of life. He joined his hands in prayer, and in so doing he rubbed the ring, which the magician had given him. At once a genie of enormous size appeared before him.
“What do you wish?” said he to Aladdin. “I am ready to obey your orders. I am the slave of the man who wears the ring on his finger.”
Aladdin was terrified to see the genie. But when he remembered the magician’s words, his courage came back and he cried, “Slave of the ring, I order you to carry me out of the cave.” And immediately he found himself above ground on the very spot where the magician had left him. He stood up trembling and made his way back to the city. When he reached home he almost fainted.
His mother, who was heartbroken because he had not returned received him joyfully and gave him food and drink. Then he told her all that had happened to him, and showed her the lamp and the coloured fruits and the wonderful ring on his finger. The old woman, however, thought little of the jewels, for she also took them for coloured glass.
When Aladdin woke up the next morning, his first thought was that he was hungry and would like some breakfast.
“My dear boy,” said his mother. “I have not a piece of bread to give you. Yesterday you ate all the food I had. But wait a little, I’ll go and sell some cotton, and buy you something to eat with the money.”
“Leave your cotton, mother,” Aladdin answered, “and give me the lamp I brought. I will go and sell it. It will surely bring more money than your cotton.”
Aladdin’s mother took the lamp from the shelf where she had put it. “Here it is,” she said, “but it is very dirty. If I polish it a little, perhaps it will sell for a better price.”
Then she took some water and a little sand to clean it with. But as soon as she began to rub this lamp, a horrible genie rose out of the ground before her, and cried with a voice as loud as thunder: “What is your wish, mistress? I am your slave and the slave of the person who holds the lamp.”
Aladdin’s mother was too terrified to speak, but Aladdin, who had seen a genie in the cave, took the lamp and answered in a firm voice. “I am hungry. Bring me some food to eat.”
The genie disappeared, and returned in a moment. He carried on his head a silver tray on which were twelve silver dishes filled with the finest food. There were also two silver cups, two bottles of clear old wine, and bread whiter than snow. All these he put down before Aladdin, and disappeared again.
When Aladdin’s mother had recovered from her fright, they both sat down to their breakfast. Never before had they eaten such rich food or seen such fine dishes. They ate until they were satisfied, yet enough was left over for supper and the next day. After that Aladdin sold the silver dishes one by one and bought all the food he needed. When he had spent all the money, he rubbed the lamp again, and again the genie appeared, and brought him another feast and more silver dishes. In this way mother and son lived happily for a number of years.
Aladdin had changed greatly since his return from the cave. Now he was no longer fond of play. He passed all his time in the market place and came to know some of the great merchants. He often visited their shops where jewels were bought and sold. Before long he came to know that the fruits which he had brought back from the underground palace were not coloured glass, but priceless jewels. He examined all the jewels in the market, but found none so beautiful or so large as his own. Thus he went on visiting the shops of the rich merchants, so that he might learn from them the affairs of trade.
Next excerpt：Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (2)