Arabian Nights: 290th Night: Ala-ed-Din & The Wonder Lamp - 6

The following night Shahrazad said: Ala-ed-Din found a new buyer in the Jeweller. He was an honest trader, who gave him 70 dinars for the plate. 

Ala-ed-Din was a changed person after his deal with the Jeweller. He found that he knows nothing about life or business. He abandoned his vagabond friends. Every day he went to the market, visited the jeweller and through him other jewellers and other businessmen. He got accustomed to precious jewels studied their character, and gradually he came to understand that the jewels and diamonds in his custody are real, and not crystal glass; and that he has in his possession a collection of unique jewels which the market is deficient of. Visiting market every morning became his habit. 

One day, as he was dressing, to go to market, he heard the proclamation by the herald [1], "By command of gracious patron, King of the Time, Lord of the Age and the Season: "Now let all the people close their shops and stores and enter into their houses, because Bedr - el - Budur, the daughter of Sultan intends to visit the bath, and whosoever disobeys the order, death is the penalty and his blood be on his own head."

On hearing this proclamation, Ala-ed-Din was curious to look upon the Sultan's daughter, and said within himself, "all the people talk of her beauty and loveliness, and I would like to see her." Ala-ed-Din thought himself a way to get a glimpse of the daughter of the Sultan, Lady Bedr el- Budur; and it seemed best to stand behind the door of Hammam [2], so as to see her face when she came in.

Without any delay he went to the bath and stood behind the door. No one could see him in the hide out. He listened to the sounds and noise outside: rustling of gown and the fall of footsteps.  After going about the city and its quarters, the princess drew near to the bath, and on entering lifted her veil, and her face was revealed to Ala-ed-Din; like a radiant sun, a precious jewel. The eyeliner added a magic touch to her glance; garden roses added to her scarlet cheeks and her tresses had the shade of dark night illumined by the round brow.

When she moved her veil, Ala-ed-Din's eyes fell on her face, and he exclaimed, "O Mighty God! She is blessed with all the beauty and charm of the world!" His thoughts became worried and upset. His vigour drained out at the sight of her.

Love of her got hold of his whole soul. He went home in a dream. Mother talked to him, set before him the breakfast.  He was silent. She was worried. "What happened to you, my son?" she asked. "Mother, please let me alone." Ala-ed-Din continued in this state for the next day. He ate very little, that too when his mother compelled. He talked nothing. He was thinking, and thinking always. The mother was bewildered, and she advised him to see the physician.

Ala-ed-Din opened his heart. "Mother, I thought that all women were like you. Yesterday I saw the daughter of Sultan, Bedr-el- Budur."

"Where did you see her? The entire market was closed for her rounds."

"All  people talked of her beauty," said Ala-ed-Din. "When I heard the proclamation that she would visit the bath, I decided to see her."

"And how did you see her?"

"I went to the bath and hid behind its door."

"O my God, you risked your life to see her?. Don't say it to anybody."

He continued, "Mother, I have not lost my reason, nor I am mad, but peace is impossible for me till I win the beloved of my heart. And I am determined to demand her of her father," said Ala-ed-Din.

"Son, are you mad? Put away this folly. You are the son of a tailor. The poorest and meanest of all tailors to be found in the city. And I, your mother too come of a very poor folk. How do you ask in marriage the daughter of the Sultan? I do not know through whom you will work out this plan."

"O mother! When I have you, who else shall I want to work out this plan?"

"O my son! God save me from this. Have I lost my reason like you? Cast away this thought from your mind." Ala-ed-Din waited patiently for his mother to finish. And then he said, "Mother, I know I am poor. And she is a princess. You are my mother and you love me. If you do not work out my plan, you are leaving me to death."

"I want you to wed a wife of equal status. If I ask for a wife among peers and equals, they would ask whether you have any trade or calling or estate to live upon. What can I answer them? If I cannot answer them, how can I venture to answer, and get access to the Sultan. Suppose I get access to the Sultan what shall I offer him as a present?

And she went on, "Son, Sultan is a clement, and never rejects  him who approaches him to ask of equity, mercy, or protection. Ask him for a gift, he grants it. But he grants favour to those who have done any service to the city or people. As for you, what have you done worthy of the city or the people? It is not usual that our rank receive any kingly grant. You have nothing with you to offer to the king according to his rank."

At these words Ala-ed-Din replied, "O my mother, you think right and well. But the love of Sultan's daughter, the Lady Bedr-el-Budur has pierced into the core of my heart. And I have lost my peace. O mother, I have a gift to present, the equal of which does not exist among the kings anywhere. I have a collection of unique jewels and diamonds. In the house is a China bowl. Go and fetch it, so that I may fill it with these jewels, and we will see how they look in it."

His mother went for the China, thinking, "Let me see the jewels and see if they are true or false." 

She returned with the China and set it before his son. He drew from his pockets the bags of jewels, and began to arrange them in the bowl. When it was full his mother looked into it, and her eyes were dazzled  by the sheen of the jewels and their radiance flashed in her eyes. She thought that her son may be true, but she could not ascertain their true value.  Ala-ed-Din said to his mother, "this is splendid, and I am certain that it will procure you great favour. So my mother, you have no excuse now. Collect your faculties and go to the palace. The king will receive you with honour."

The mother said, "These are exceedingly precious, and it seems none possesses its equal. But who would dare to ask of the Sultan his daughter? I have not the courage to ask him. Suppose I pluck up the courage and say to him, 'It is my desire to become related to you by your daughter Bedr-el-Budur and my son Ala-ed-Din' and they will conclude that I am possessed, and throw me out in shame and disgrace. In spite of all these I must go. You are my son. But what is your trade and how much is your income? The king will necessarily ask me these questions. What shall I say?"

"Mother," Ala-ed-Din replied, "It is impossible for him to ask you irrelevant questions when his eyes fall upon those precious jewels. Mother, do not raise obstacles. You already know the worth of my Lamp. It is enough for our maintenance. I am sure I shall be able to answer him with the help of this Lamp."

Throughout the night the mother and son had been talking about the visit to the king of the city, and by morning the mother was prepared to visit the king. The son warned his mother against loose talk to anybody and against revealing the secret of the Lamp.

When the mother reached the palace, there was not much crowd. The ministers, lords and the princes had been entering the court. The mother covered her China with a kerchief so as to conceal it from the public.

The Sultan entered. All the persons in the audience stood and bowed him. Ala-ed-Din's mother simply imitated the ritual. The Sultan seated himself on the throne and the audience stood before him with crossed arms awaiting his command to be seated.

He ordered them to sit, and every one obeyed. The petitioners came forward and presented themselves before the Sultan. The Sultan looked into the petitions one by one and resolved and disposed of them; and after that he went into the palace. After the Sultan, the audience disappeared. Ala-ed-Din's mother also returned home with her China. Though Ala-ed-Din was able to understand that nothing happened in his regard, he did not question his mother. The mother found that she failed in her mission, though she found a space among the audience she could not move to the presence of the Sultan. But she was sure now that she would meet the Sultan tomorrow.

So the next day with the China bowl full of precious stones she went to the palace. But the palace was not opened. So she asked the bystanders and came to understand that Sultan does not hold the audience everyday, but thrice a week.

With determination she went everyday, got a space in the audience when the Sultan held the audience, but could not say a word and returned. This ritual continued for a whole month. The Sultan observed her, an old woman carrying something under her cloak and standing among the audience looking at him. And one day at the close of the audience, while returning to the palace, he turned to his Vizier and said, "O Vizier, six or seven days at each audience I have seen that old woman presenting herself here; and I see she always carries something under her cloak, you take care of her business here."

The Vizier's answer was casual, "Perhaps she may have some complaint against her husband or one of her neighbours." But the Sultan was not satisfied, and said to him, "See, if she comes here tomorrow, bring her to me." 

In spite of her weariness and old age it had become a habit of the old mother to be present among the audience in the court of the Sultan, and one day Sultan ordered the Vizier, "This is the woman I spoke of, bring her instantly before me."

Straightway, the Vizier came to the mother, and took her to the presence of the Sultan.  When she found herself in the presence of the Sultan, she paid obeisance and invoked glory upon him, and wished him long life and prosperity; and she kissed the ground before him.  The Sultan said to her, "O woman, for some days I have been seeing you, but you have not said a word to me; tell me what you want, and I may grant it." 

Ala-ed-Din's mother kissed the ground again, and invoked blessings upon the Sultan, and said, "By the life of Almighty, O the king of Age, indeed I have a suit.  But, first of all grant me immunity, if I can present my suit to the hearing of our lord, the Sultan, for your eloquence may find my petition strange."

The Sultan was curious to know her strange petition, so he cleared all others from his presence, except he, the Vizier and the mother of Ala-ed-Din. And further granted the old woman the immunity she sought.

Then he turned to her and said, "Explain your petition, and the protection of the God be on you "

She replied, "O our lord, the Sultan, I have a son, whose name is Ala-ed-Din.  One day he heard the herald proclaiming that none should open his shop or appear in the streets of the city, because Lady Bedr-el-Budur, the daughter of our lord the Sultan was going to bath.  When my son has heard that, he longed to see her, and hid himself in a place where he would be able to look upon her closely, and that was behind the door of the Hammam, the bath. When she drew near, he looked upon her and gazed full upon her as much as he liked; and from the moment he saw her, O the king of the Age, to this instant, life had been intolerable to him, and he had desired me to ask her of your eloquence that he may wed her. I have not been able to banish this fancy from his mind, for the love of her has taken possession of his heart, so that he told me: 'Be assured,  O my mother, that if I do not obtain my desire, without doubt I shall die' so I trust clemency and pardon from your eloquence for this hardihood of mine and my son's, and punish us not for it."

The king heard her story, and laughed, and asked her, "What is in the bundle you are carrying?" 

The old woman in her frenzy had lost the thought of the China bowl and the jewels in it. She removed the cloak on it and held the China in front of the king. When the cloak was removed, the hall was lighted up as if chandeliers were lighted up. He was dazed and amazed at their sparkling, and wondered at their size and splendour and beauty. He said, "To this day have I never seen the like of these in beauty, size and shape. Nor do I think that in my treasury a single one equal to them." He turned to his Vizier and said, "What you say, O Vizier, have you ever seen like of these?" 

The morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.

 

Notes:-

1. Herald: An official who makes king's proclamation to the public. 

2. Hammam: Means bath, bathroom, bath house, swimming pool. It was common in Muslim world, inherited from Roman "Thermae"