The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 802 pages of information about The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13.

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 802 pages of information about The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13.
the Princess when this strange case was told to her.  Now Alaeddin had carelessly left the Lamp in his pavilion without hiding it and locking it up in his strong box;[FN#193] and one of the slave-girls who had seen it said, “O my lady, I think to have noticed, in the apartment of my lord Alaeddin, an old lamp:  so let us give it in change for a new lamp to this man, and see if his cry be truth or lie.”—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

     When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,

Quoth Dunyazad, “O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do tell us some of thy pleasant tales,” whereupon Shahrazad replied, ’With love and good will.”—­It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that hereupon the Princess said to the slave-girl, ’Bring the old lamp which thou saidst to have seen in thy lord’s apartment.”  Now the Lady Badr al-Budur knew naught of the Lamp and of the specialties thereof which had raised Alaeddin her spouse to such high degree and grandeur; and her only end and aim was to understand by experiment the mind of a man who would give in exchange the new for the old.  So the handmaid fared forth and went up to Alaeddin’s apartment and returned with the Lamp to her lady who, like all the others, knew nothing of the Maghrabi’s cunning tricks and his crafty device.  Then the Princess bade an Agha of the eunuchry go down and barter the old Lamp for a new lamp.  So he obeyed her bidding and, after taking a new lamp from the man, he returned and laid it before his lady who looking at it and seeing that it was brand-new, fell to laughing at the Moorman’s wits.  But the Maroccan, when he held the article in hand and recognised it for the Lamp of the Enchanted Treasury,[FN#194] at once placed it in his breast-pocket and left all the other lamps to the folk who were bartering of him.  Then he went forth running till he was clear of the city, when he walked leisurely over the level grounds and he took patience until night fell on him in desert ground where was none other but himself.  There he brought out the Lamp when suddenly appeared to him the Marid who said, “Adsum! thy slave between thy hands is come:  ask of me whatso thou wantest.” " ’tis my desire,” the Moorman replied, “that thou upraise from its present place Alaeddin’s pavilion with its inmates and all that be therein, not forgetting myself, and set it down upon my own land, Africa.  Thou knowest my town and I want the building placed in the gardens hard by it.”  The Marid-slave replied, “Hearkening and obedience:  close thine eyes and open thine eyes whenas thou shalt find thyself together with the pavilion in thine own country.”  This was done; and, in an eye-twinkling, the Maroccan and the pavilion with all therein were transported to the African land.  Such then was the work of the Maghrabi, the Magician; but now let us return to the Sultan and his son-in-law.  It was the custom of the King, because of his attachment to and his affection for his daughter, every morning when he had shaken off sleep, to open the latticed casement and look out therefrom that he might catch sight of her abode.  So that day he arose and did as he was wont.—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 13 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.