Arabian Nights: 286th Night Ala-ed-Din & the Wonderful Lamp - 2

The following night Shahrazad said: When the supper was ready, Ala-ed-Din's mother told him to go and see his uncle and bring him to the house.

At that moment, a knock came at the door.  Ala-ed-Din opened the door and the Moorish wizard entered the house followed by a eunuch carrying wine and fruits. Ala-ed-Din received the wine and fruits and the eunuch departed.  The Moor saluted the mother, and began to weep and asked "Where is the place my brother used to sit?" She showed him the place where his husband used to sit.

The Moor went to it, prostrated before it and kissed the ground.  "Ah! How small is my satisfaction," he cried, "and how cruel is my fate, since I have lost thee, o my brother, o apple of my eye!" He went on weeping and wailing and he swooned from the violence of the grief. Now Ala-ed-Din's mother was convinced that he was his uncle.  And she raised him up from the ground, and said, "Don't kill yourself.  And she comforted, and seated him.  The Moor said, "O, wife of my brother, it is forty years since I left this city and wandered throughout the countries of India and China and Arabia and came to Egypt, and abode in its capital Cairo, which is one of the wonders of the world.  Then I went to the interior of the west and lived there for thirty years.  One day I was gripped with the thought of my native land and my brother and I longed to see him and it obsessed me and I became restless and I could not concentrate in anything else.  So I decided to go to my native place.  On a Friday, after prayer I left Cairo.

I arrived here, the day before yesterday, and as soon as I roamed about the streets I saw your son Ala-ed-Din, playing with the boys, and by Almighty God, o wife of my brother, hardly had I seen him, when my heart, my troubles and anxieties, as I saw him, could have flown for joy, but he told me of the death of him who is gathered to the mercy of God, the most High, where at I swooned for heavyness of grief and regret.  But Ala-ed-Din had doubtless informed you of my tribulations. I am comforted in part by this child, who had been bequeatheed to us by the departed.

Ala-ed-Din's mother wept at his words. The Moor diverted the situation by asking Ala-ed-Din the following question.  "O my son, what crafts have you learned and what is your trade? Have you learned a craft to support yourself and your mother?"

Ala-ed-Din was ashamed and hung down his head in confusion.  His mother cried, "What then, by Allah, he knows nothing at all, I never saw so heedless a child as this.  All the day he idles about with the boys of street, vagabonds like him, and his father died only of grieving over him.

And I am in woeful plight; I toil, spin day and night to gain a couple of loaves of bread.  This is his state, O brother-in-law, and he comes home only for meals, and never else.  I am an old woman, and I have no strength to work and struggle like this.  By Allah I have to support him with food, when it is I who ought to be supported."

The Moor turned to Ala-ed-Din and said, "O son of my brother, why do you continue in such gracelessness.  It is shame upon you, and not proper on your part.  You are a person of sense, my boy, and the son of decent folk, it is disappointing that your mother, an aged woman, should toil for your maintenance. You have reached manhood. It is time for you to find some way to support yourself and your mother.  Look for a trade in this city, there are plenty of them.  If you do not like you father's trade, choose another that you like.  Tell me, I will help you as best as I can, my son." Ala-ed-Din, did not say a word. The Moor realised that the boy was not willing to learn a trade. So, he said, "O son of my brother, if you do not want to learn a trade, I will open for you a merchant's shop of the richest stuffs, and you shall be known among the people, and take and give and buy and sell and become a man of repute in the city."

Ala-ed-Din was much rejoiced. He knew that merchants are well dressed and well fed.  He smiled at his uncle and inclined his head.

The Moor said, "Since you are satisfied, tomorrow I will take you to the market to begin with, and there I will get you an elegant dress, a merchant's wear, and then a fine  shop for you."  Ala-ed-Din's mother had been in doubt whether the Moor were indeed her brother-in-law. But with this new offer she was sure that the stranger was in fact her husband's brother.  She advised her son to obey his uncle, and stop wasting his time among his friends in the street.  She, then spread the table and served the supper.  While they were eating, the Moor explained him the affairs of the business, so that the boy did not sleep that night, out of ecstasy of becoming a merchant.  At nightfall the Moor bade farewell and went to his abode.

Next day the Moor came and took Ala-ed-Din to the market to get him the merchant's dress. They visited the shops. Here the Moor left the selection to the choice of Ala-ed-Din.  He said, "Choose what will please you. These are all merchant's style." 

Ala-ed-Din was very happy at the freedom his uncle had given him, and he picked out the dress he preferred.

The Moor paid the price. Then he took Ala-ed-Din to Hammam [1]. They had a bath, and then they had sherbet. Ala-ed-Din put on his new dress, rejoiced at his tidy dress, approached his uncle, and thanked him, and kissed his hand, and acknowledged his kindness.

Now the Moor took him to the market, delighted him with the sights of selling and buying or buying and selling. "It is your duty to get acquainted with people, above all with the merchants, in order to learn their business, and it is now your profession," said the Moor to Ala-ed-Din, and he showed him the city and the mosques, and all the sights of the place. Then they visited a cook shop, where they dined in silver dishes. Then they went to see the pleasure grounds, and great buildings, and they entered the palace of the Sultan, saw the spacious rooms therein. Then the Moor the Khan of foreign merchants and he introduced him with merchants. The Moor had his lodgings there, and he invited some of the merchants to supper.  At nightfall they returned to his mother. She was extremely happy to see her son in merchant's dress and she could not find suitable words to explain her gratitude to her brother-in-law. 

Next day being Friday shops were not opened, and the Moor slept at his lodgings.

Saturday, the Moor came and took Ala-ed-Din to visit garden, mansions and palaces. They were in a garden, whose brooks trickled among flowers, and its fountains gushed water from the mouths of lions. As they went along the Moor said, "Today I will show you a sight that you have never seen all your life." They went out of the gates of the city, and took a winding course among the gardens.  The Moor pointed out splendid pleasure grounds and wonderful tall palaces. Every time the Moor stopped before a palace or a pleasure ground to ask Ala-ed-din, and asked, "O son, does this astonish you?" Ala-ed-Din flew with delight at seeing things he had never imagined in his life.  They sat down by a lake and took rest for a while. Ala-ed-Din was full of happiness and began to make merry and jest with his uncle.  The Moor rose and loosening his girdle, took forth a wallet of food and fruit and said, "O son, you are hungry, come and eat your share." 

After food and rest, the Moor said,  "Let us walk and finish our stroll." They continued to stroll among the gardens and came to the foot of a lofty hill.  Ala-ed-Din, who never left the gates of the city asked, "Uncle, where are we going to? I have no strength to walk further." The Moor said, "No son, this is not the end. This is only a road.  We are going to see a garden not to be seen among king's garden. Thus they journeyed from the lands of west to the countries of China. The Moor had in his mind the place he was looking for. When they reached his  destination, he said, "this is the place we are seeking. Now you take rest for some time. After you wake up, take up some faggots of wood and thin dry sticks to make a fire. Then I will show you a thing beyond description." Ala-ed-Din was curious to see what his uncle would do. He straightway began to collect faggots and sticks. When the Moor found that the boy had collected enough for his purpose, he said, "Enough." Then he drew a small box from his pocket, took some incense, burned it. Suddenly darkness fell, followed by murk and quake and thunder and the earth opened,  Ala-ed-Din frightened and would have fled, but the Moor hit hard on his head, and he swooned and fell down on the ground. After a while he came to himself by the spell of the Moor.

The morning overtook the night and Shahrazad stopped the story.

Notes:-

1. Hammam is of Arabic origin derived from root H - M- M, which means heat or heating. From Arabic it went to Persian and Turkish. The word means bath, bathroom or bath house. It entered English in early 1600s.