Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights
Sham S. Misri

Hundreds of years ago professional story tellers in India and the Middle East made up the stories now known as Arabian nights. Later on, groups of these stories were put together. One group was translated from Arabic to French by Antonie Galland in early 1700’s. His, ‘A Thousand and One Nights, introduced these Oriental tales to the Western world.

All the collections have one thing in common. A heroine, Scheherazade, tells different stories. She recites the tales for a very good reason: She must save her life.

The heroine was married to Sultan Shahriyar, who had killed his first wife when she was unfaithful to him and then all his later wives in revenge against women. Scheherazade did not want to suffer the same fate. On her wedding night she began to tell her husband a story and stopped just before she reached the end. The Sultan allowed her to live another day in order to hear the end of her tale. The next night she finished the story and began another one even more fascinating than the first. Again she stopped before the ending, gaining another day of life.

And so it went, for a thousand and one nights. Finally the Sultan realized that Scheherazade was a good and faithful wife, and the couple lived happily ever after.
One story from Arabian Nights is :

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Sham S. Misri

Once a magician poses as a long lost uncle to the innocent Aladdin. The two leave the city and arrive at a secret place, where the magician burns a fire, throws power on it, and says some magic words. The earth trembles, and opens, revealing a flat stone with a brass ring over it. With the help of more magic words, the stone is moved and steps appear.

“Go down” said the magician. “At the foot of the steps you will find an open door leading into three large halls. Fold up your gown and go through them without touchkng anything, or you would die instantaneously. The halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to a place in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains and bring it to me.”

The magician drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding him prosper.

Aladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruits of the trees and, having got the lamp,  arrived at the mouth of the cave.

The magician cried out in great hurry, “Make hurry and give me the lamp.” This Aladdin refused to do until he was out of the cave. The magician flew into a terrible passion, and throwing some more powder on the fire, he said something, and the stone rolled back into the place.

The magician left Persia for ever, which simply showed that he was no uncle of Aladdin, but a cunning wizard who had read in his magic books about a wonderful lamp which would make him the most powerful man in the world.

Though the wizard alone knew where to find it, he could only receive it from the hand of another. The wizard had picked out the foolish Aladdin for this purpose, planning to get the lamp and kill him afterwards.

For two days Aaladdin remained in the dark, crying, nostalgic and lamenting. Atlast he clapped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring, which the magician had forgotten to take from him. Instantly an enormous and frightful genii rose out of the earth, saying, “what do you want from me?  I am the slave of the ring and would obey you in all things.

Aladdin fearlessly replied, “Carry me out  from this place.” There upon the earth opened and he found himself outside. As soon as his eyes could tolerate the light he went home, but fainted on the treshhold. When he came home he told his mother what had passed, and showed her the lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the garden. The fruits that he had gathered were in reality precious stones.

He then asked his mother for some food.

“ Alas, child,” she said, “I have nothing in the house but I have spun a little cotton, go and sell it.”

Aladdin was upset. He told his mother to keep her cotton, for he would sell the lamp instead.

As the lamp was very dirty she began to rub it, so that it might fetch a good price. As she rubbed the lamp a genie appeared. Aladdin's mother was afraid, but the genie said, “Order me and I will get anything for you.”

She fainted away, but Aladdin quickly snatched the lamp and said boldly, “Fetch me something to eat!”

Immediately the genie returned with a golden bowl, and six silver plates containing rich yummy and delicious dishes. Aladdin and his mother relished. There after the genie was their slave. Aladdin then ordered to make beautiful house and that way they became very rich.