Arabian Nights: 287th Night: Ala-ed-Din & the Wonderful Lamp -3

The following Night Shahrazad said:

When the Moor burned the incense, the night fell immediately, followed by murk and quake and thunder, and the frightened Ala-ed-Din would have fled the scene; but the Moor sensing his mood hit him hard on his head, and he fell down. When he came to himself he asked the Moor, "Uncle, what have I done to you to receive such a blow?" The Moor replied to mollify him, "It is my intention to make you a man. If you do what I tell you, you will become richer than all the kings in the world. And now pull your wits together, and see how I have cloven the earth by spell and incantation. Under the stone with the ring is the treasur. Catch that ring and lift that stone. No one can lift it except you. No one can hinder you set foot in this treasury. It has been reserved for you alone.  Therefore listen to me and not refuse me.  All the treasure are for you and me only."

In spite of his tiredness and tears, those words dazzled Ala-ed-Din. He rejoiced to think that kings would not be wealthier than he. He said, "Uncle, command me what I shall do." 

The Moor said, "O my son, go to that ring and lift it as I instruct you."

To Ala-ed-Din, the stone under the ring seemed very heavy. So he replied, "Uncle, this ring and the stone attached to it is too heavy for me; I cannot lift it alone, come and help me."

The Moor said, "See my son, if I put my hand on it our effort would be futile. So, put your hand on the ring and lift it, and the stone will come up immediately. Say your name, the name of your father, and the mother while you pull, and it will come up at once, and you will not feel its weight."

Ala-ed-Din summoned his courage and strength, set to work according to the advice of his uncle.  He pronounced his name, then his father's name, and then his mother's name. The slab came in his hands, and he put it aside. Before him lay a passage of twelve steps descending.

The Moor said, "Ala-ed-Din, put your wits together, and act as exactly as I am going to say." And then the Moor took out a signet ring from his pocket, and put it on his nephew's finger.

Ala-ed-Din went down the steps, and entered a passage, waliking along it he reached an open hall from which he entered into a chamber. It was the first chamber. And there were four chambers.  There were four golden jars and unrefined gold and silver. He took care not to touch any of these, and the dress he wore was tight fit to his body, and he felt the ease of walk among many articles of curiosity. "If touch anything, I would be a black stone," thought Ala-ed-Din. He crossed the fourth chamber and entered the garden, and went through it and found the alcove, and climbing the ladder, he took the lamp and poured out the oil, and put it in his bosom, and went down again to the garden, and he marveled at the trees with birds on their branches singing beautiful notes of praises of their Creator.  All the trees bear, instead of fruits, precious stones; and each tree was of a different kind, and had different jewels of all colours, green, white, yellow, red and other colours and the brilliance of these jewels paled the Sun's rays at noontide. The size of the jewels were immense.  Jewels, emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and pearls hanging down from the twigs of the trees.  The sight dazzled and bewildered Ala-ed-Din. He had never witnessed such a sight and he had no idea as to their value.  He was not matured or exposed to these things and their flow in trade; his associates were vagabond boys of the street. He thought these jewels as crystal glass and had a boyish fancy towards it. So he gathered them, and began to examine them. "It is of no use. If they were real fruits I could have satisfy my hunger. Anyway I will keep them to show my friends and play with them," he said to himself.

Ala-ed-Din began his return journey. First he came to the fourth chamber, then third, second and the first. Here he was to climb twelve steps. Climbing eleven steps was easy. But the twelfth found to be difficult. It was the first step in descending. How did he come down. "I sat on the step and simply slided down," he thought, "hold on to some thing I could have swung up." Finding this difficult situation he called his uncle and asked, "Oh my uncle, give me your hand and help me to get up."

The Moor replied, "Son, give me your lamp, so that I can see you. Perhaps, the weight of the lamp is pulling you down."

Ala-ed-Din: It is not the lamp, give me your hand.  When I am up, I will give you the lamp." The Moor was interested only in the lamp, and he repeated his request for the lamp. But the lamp was at the bottom of his dress. From his bosom it had slided down. Now, the precious stones in his pockets bulged over the lamp. Ala-ed-Din could not get at it.  The Moor could not get a picture of what was happening in the cavern.  He was very furious and persisted with his demand for the lamp.  The Moor was not interested in the welfare of the boy, he was not the uncle of the boy. He knew the secret the treasure and was making use of Ala-ed-Din, to take possession of it. He was from the inner Westland of Africa, and he knew and practised sorcery.  He had forty years experience in sorcery and magic and in the course of his profession he discovered that there is a remote city of China called El kala's [1] where a huge treasure was buried. The wonderful lamp, one among these treasures, had a special quality, that whoever possess it will acquire wealth, estate and fame. He was trying to take possession of it through Ala-ed-Din. His dream was shattered, the frustrated Moor decided to finish the boy, and threw earth on him.

Morning overtook and Shahrazad said, "We will hear no more of the Moor. Tomorrow night we will see what had become of Ala-ed-Din.

Notes:-

1. This has no connection with Al Kala, Algeria. The geographical settings in these tales served a narrative and symbolic purpose, rather than a precise cartographical one. In One Thousand One Nights or Arabian Nights places like China and Indo China often designated an exotic, far-off and somewhat mythical land rather than specific, geographically accurate territory.