Prev | Current Page 691 | Next

Burton, Richard Francis

"The Arabian Nights"

This is his condition, O my
brother-in-law, and, by the life of thee, he cometh not near me save
at mealtimes, and none other. Indeed, I am thinking to lock the
house door, nor ever open to him again, but leave him to go and seek a
livelihood whereby he can live, for that I am now grown a woman in
years and have no longer strength to toil and go about for a
maintenance after this fashion. O Allah, I am compelled to provide him
with daily bread when I require to be provided!"
Hereat the Moorman turned to Aladdin and said: "Why is this, O son
of my brother, thou goest about in such ungraciousness? 'Tis a
disgrace to thee and unsuitable for men like thyself. Thou art a youth
of sense, O my son, and the child of honest folk, so 'tis for thee a
shame that thy mother, a woman in years, should struggle to support
thee. And now that thou hast grown to man's estate, it becometh thee
to devise thee some device whereby thou canst live, O my child. Look
around thee and Alhamdolillah- praise be to Allah- in this our town
are many teachers of all manner of crafts, and nowhere are they more
numerous. So choose thee some calling which may please thee to the end
that I stablish thee therein, and when thou growest up, O my son, thou
shalt have some business whereby to live.


Pages:
679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703