READING-LITERATURE: Third Reader by Harriette Taylor Treadwell
Aladdin and His Lamp
Aladdin lived with his mother in a large city of Persia. His father had been a tailor
and had left them very poor.
One day when the lad was playing in the street a stranger passed by. This
stranger was a magician from Africa. When he saw Aladdin he thought, "This boy
will serve me." He asked the boy's companions about him and his father. Then,
taking the boy
aside, the stranger said, "Are you not the son of Mus-ta-pha the
tailor?"
"I am, sir," said Aladdin, "but my father has been dead many years."
The stranger threw his arms around the lad and kissed him many times. "I am
your uncle," he said. "Your father was my own brother. I have been out of the
country and did not know of his death." He then gave Aladdin a handful of money
and sent him home.
Aladdin ran home to his mother and, when he told her about it, she said,
"Your father had a brother but he is dead."
The next day the magician found Aladdin again. This time he put two pieces of
gold into his hand and said, "Carry this to your mother and tell her that I will
come to see her to-night."
That night during supper the magician talked much of his brother and told
Aladdin that he would take a shop for him. Then the widow believed that he was
her husband's brother.
Next day the magician bought Aladdin a fine suit of clothes and took him all
over the city. Then they went a long way into the country. At last they came to
the mountains. The magician said, "Gather some sticks and I will kindle a fire
and show you something wonderful."
Aladdin did as he was bid. Then the magician took some powder from his
girdle, threw it on the fire, and said some magic words. The earth trembled and
opened before them. And there lay a flat stone with a brass ring in the
middle.
"Beneath this stone lies a treasure which is to be yours," said the magician,
"but you must do just as I tell you."
Aladdin grasped the ring and, saying the names of his father and grandfather
as he was told, he lifted the stone.
"At the bottom of these steps you will find a door," said the magician. "It
will lead you into a place divided into three halls. In each of these halls you
will see four large brass cisterns filled with gold
and silver. But do not
meddle with them. Above all things do not touch the walls with your clothes or
you will die instantly. These halls lead into a garden of fine fruit. Walk on
until you come to a lighted lamp set in a niche. Take the lamp down and bring it
to me."
The magician then drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin. "It is
a charm to guard against all evil," said he, "so long as you obey me."
Aladdin found everything just as the magician had said. He put the lamp in
his waistband and started back. Going through the garden he noticed that on the
trees were fruits of all colors. Some were white, some clear as crystal, some
red, some green, some blue, some purple, and others yellow. The white were
pearls, the crystal were diamonds, the red were rubies, the green were emeralds,
the blue were turquoises, the purple were amethysts, and the yellow were ambers.
Aladdin loaded himself with all these riches and returned to the mouth of the
cave. As soon as he saw the magician he cried out, "Pray, uncle, lend me your
hand to help me out."
"Give me the lamp first," said the magician.
"I can not give it to you now," answered Aladdin, "but I will as soon as I am
up."
The magician, who thought only of the lamp, said, "You must give me the lamp
first."
And Aladdin, whose arms were full of the fruit, answered, "I can not give it
to you unless you help me out first."
At this the magician flew into a passion. He threw some powder on the fire,
said some magic words, and the stone rolled back into its place. When he saw he
could not get the lamp, he left Persia and returned to Africa.
Aladdin remained in the cave without food or drink two days, crying and
wondering what to do. At last he clasped his hands in prayer. In so doing, he
rubbed the ring which the magician had given him. A great
genie rose out of the
earth saying, "What would'st thou have? I am the slave of the ring and will obey
thee in all things."
"Deliver me from this cave," cried Aladdin. Immediately the earth opened and
Aladdin found himself outside. He went home to his mother, showed her the lamp
and the colored fruit, and told her all that had happened. He was faint from
hunger, but the widow had no money to buy food.
"I will go and sell the lamp and the money will buy us food for breakfast and
dinner," said Aladdin.
His mother said, "The lamp is very dirty. If I clean it you can get more for
it."
But no sooner had she begun to rub it than the genie of the lamp appeared and
said, "What would'st thou have?"
"Bring us something to eat," said Aladdin boldly.
The genie disappeared and immediately returned with a silver plate full of
rich meats, two silver cups, and two bottles of wine.
Thus Aladdin and his mother lived for many years.
One day the Sultan ordered that every one was to stay at home and close his
shutters while the princess passed by.
Aladdin was seized with a desire to see her face. So he peeped through the
shutters. As the princess went by she lifted her veil, and Aladdin saw her face.
Then he went and told his mother that he loved the princess, and that he
could not live without her. He begged her to go to the emperor and ask for his
daughter in marriage. So, to please her son, the mother took some jewels for the
emperor and set out, trusting in the lamp. She went every day for a week and
stood in the same place before the emperor. The sixth day he called her to him
and asked what she wanted. She knelt before the throne and told him of her son's
love for the princess. Then she gave him the jewels.
The emperor was surprised to see so many large and beautiful jewels. He
looked at them a long time. Then he exclaimed, "Is not this present worthy of
the princess? Shall I not give her to the one who sends it?" Turning to the poor
widow, he said, "Good woman, go home and tell your son that I can not marry the
princess to any one for three months. At that time come again."
When the three months were over Aladdin again sent his mother to the
emperor.
He said, "Your son must first send me forty basins of gold brimful of jewels,
carried by forty black slaves, led by forty white ones, all richly dressed."
"I would do more than that for the princess," answered her son when his
mother told him the emperor's demand.
He called the genie and in a few moments forty black slaves and forty white
ones set out for the palace, followed by Aladdin's mother. Entering the palace,
they knelt before the emperor.
"Good morning," said the emperor, "return and tell your son I wait for him
with open arms."
When the mother told Aladdin, he called his genie and said, "I want a fine
robe, a white horse harnessed in gold and jewels, and twenty slaves to attend
me. Beside this I want six white slaves to attend my mother, and ten thousand
pieces of gold for the people along the streets."
It was no sooner said than done. When the emperor saw Aladdin, he came down
from his throne to meet him. He then led him into the hall, where a wedding
feast was spread. The emperor intended to marry him to the princess that very
day.
But Aladdin said, "I must first build a palace for the princess." He called
his genie again and said, "Build me a palace of the finest marble set with
jasper and agate and precious stones. In the center build me a great hall with a
dome, whose walls must be of silver and gold. Each side must have six windows
set with diamonds and
rubies. There must be stables, and horses, and slaves, and
a treasure house filled with gold and silver."
The next day the palace was finished. The princess said good-bye to her
father and set out for Aladdin's palace. She was followed by a hundred slaves
and a band of musicians. Four hundred pages with torchlights led the procession.
Aladdin met her and took her by the hand and led her into the great hall. The
princess was charmed with him. After the wedding there was much feasting,
singing and dancing.
Aladdin was always loving to his bride and generous to the people. Every time
he went out he took two slaves to throw handfuls of money among them. He was
made general of the army and won several battles. Thus he lived happily for
several years.
By that time the magician in Africa had learned of the escape of Aladdin with
the magic lamp. Immediately he set out for
Persia. When he reached the city he
found that Aladdin had gone hunting for eight days. This gave him plenty of
time. He bought a dozen copper lamps, put them into a basket and went to the
palace crying, "New lamps for old ones."
The princess sent a slave to learn what the man was calling. Then she said,
"There is an old lamp here which he may have."
Now this was Aladdin's magic lamp and the magician knew it was the one he
wanted, because all the others were gold and silver. He took it eagerly and
hurried out of the city.
When it became dark he drew the lamp from his breast and rubbed it. The genie
appeared and the magician said, "I command thee to take me and the palace with
all its people to Africa."
The next day the emperor looked out of the window toward the palace, and
rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. Then he knew that all had been done by magic,
and he flew into a great passion. He sent thirty
men to bring Aladdin to him in
chains. They met Aladdin riding home, bound him and carried him back to the
emperor, who commanded him to be put into prison. At that the people, who loved
Aladdin, raised a great cry and demanded that his life be spared.
Aladdin then begged for forty days in which to find the princess, and he
said, "If in that time I do not find her, I will return for my punishment."
Aladdin's wish was granted and he went forth to find his bride. After three
days of search he knelt down to pray. In doing so he rubbed the magic ring, and
immediately the genie of the ring appeared. "What would'st thou have?" asked the
genie.
"Save my life and bring my palace back," replied Aladdin.
"That is not in my power," said the genie. "I am only the slave of the ring.
You must ask the slave of the lamp."
"Then," said Aladdin, "take me to the
palace and set me down under the window
of the palace of the princess."
He at once found himself in Africa. The princess heard his call, she opened
the window and Aladdin entered.
After shedding tears of joy, Aladdin asked about the old lamp. The princess
told him that she had changed it for a new one, and that the next thing she knew
she
was in Africa. "The man who has the lamp is here," she said, "and wishes me
to marry him. He said my father had beheaded you."
Aladdin then told her to order supper as soon as the man returned. Then he
gave her a powder and told her to put it into the magician's cup. The princess
did just as Aladdin had told her. The magician drank from the cup and fell from
his chair. Then Aladdin rushed in, took the lamp from the magician's bosom and
rubbed it. The genie appeared.
"I command you to get the palace back to Persia," said Aladdin.
The next morning the emperor looked out of the window. He rubbed his eyes in
wonder, for there stood the palace as before.
After this Aladdin and the princess lived in peace. When the emperor died,
Aladdin and the princess ruled together for many years.
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