Prev | Current Page 826 | Next

Burton, Richard Francis

"The Arabian Nights"

Then Aladdin passed through it and was met by
his wife, when they embraced and exchanged kisses with all delight
until they wept for overjoy.
After this they sat down, and Aladdin said to her: "O my lady,
before all things 'tis my desire to ask thee a question. 'Twas my wont
to place an old copper lamp in such a part of my pavilion. What became
of that same?" When the Princess heard these words, she sighed and
cried, "O my dearling, 'twas that very lamp which garred us fall
into this calamity!" Aladdin asked her, "How befell the affair?" and
she answered by recounting to him all that passed, first and last,
especially how they had given in exchange an old lamp for a new
lamp, adding: "And next day we hardly saw one another at dawn before
we found ourselves in this land, and he who deceived us and took the
lamp by way of barter informed me that he had done the deed by might
of his magic and by means of the lamp; that he is a Moorman from
Africa; and that we are now in his native country."
When the Lady Badr al-Budur ceased speaking, Aladdin resumed:
"Tell me the intent of this accursed in thy respect, also what he
sayeth to thee and what he his will of thee.


Pages:
814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838