How
then durst thou ask to wife the daughter of the Sultan, whose sire
would not deign marry her with the sons of the kings and the
sovereigns, except they were his peers in honor and grandeur and
majesty, and were they but one degree lower, he would refuse his
daughter to them." Aladdin took patience until his parent had said her
say, when quoth he: "O my mother, everything thou hast called to
mind is known to me. Moreover, 'tis thoroughly well known to me that I
am the child of pauper parents, withal do not these words of thee
divert me from my design at all, at all. Nor the less do I hope of
thee, an I be thy son and thou truly love me, that thou grant me
this favor. Otherwise thou wilt destroy me, and present death hovereth
over my head except I win my will of heart's dearling. And I, O my
mother, am in every case thy child."
Hearing these words, his parent wept of her sorrow for him and said:
"O my child! Yes, in very deed I am thy mother, nor have I any son
or life's blood of my liver except thyself, and the end of my wishes
is to give thee a wife and rejoice in thee. But suppose that I would
seek a bride of our likes and equals, her people will at once ask an
thou have any land or garden, merchandise or handicraft, wherewith
thou canst support her, and what is the reply I can return? Then, if I
cannot possibly answer the poor like ourselves, how shall I be bold
enough, O my son, to ask for the daughter of the Sultan of China land,
who hath no peer or behind or before him? Therefore do thou weigh this
matter in thy mind.
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