The Arabian Nights II (23 page)

The king listened to this speech very gently and kindly, without showing any sign of anger or indignation and without jeering at her proposal. But before he gave this good woman any answer, he asked her what she had brought in that wrapping cloth. She immediately took the porcelain dish, which she had set down at the foot of the throne before prostrating herself and, unwrapping it, presented it to the king. One can hardly describe the king's surprise and amazement when he saw so many jewels, so perfect, so brilliant, and of a size the like of which he had never seen before, collected in that dish. He remained for some time motionless with admiration. When he regained his composure, he took the present from 'Ala al-Din's mother's hand, crying out with great delight, “Ah! how beautiful and how rich!” After he had admired and handled virtually all the jewels, one by one, examining each from its most striking angle, he turned to
the grand vizier and, showing him the dish, said, “Look here, and admit that one has never seen anything more rich and more perfect.” The grand vizier was charmed by them. The king continued, “Well, what do you say of such a present? Is it not worthy of the princess, my daughter? And ought I not to give her to the one who demands her at such a price?”

These words put the grand vizier into a strange agitation. The king had some time before told him of his intention to give in marriage the princess, his daughter, to one of the vizier's sons; therefore, he feared, not without foundation, that the king, dazzled by such a rich and extraordinary present, might change his mind. He approached the king and, whispering in his ear, said, “My lord, I cannot but admit that the present is worthy of the princess, but I implore your majesty to grant me three months before you come to a decision. I hope that before that time, my son, on whom the princess looks favorably, as she herself has given me reason to believe, will give her a more valuable present than that of 'Ala al-Din, who is a stranger to your majesty.” Although the king was convinced that it was not possible for his grand vizier to provide his son with so valuable a present for the princess, he listened to him and granted him that favor. So, turning to 'Ala al-Din's mother, he said, “Good woman, go home, and tell your son that I accept the proposal that you have made me on his behalf, but I cannot marry the princess, my daughter, until I have some furniture made for her, which will take three months. At the end of that time, come again.”

'Ala al-Din's mother returned home with a greater joy than she had expected, for she had first considered her access to the king impossible, and besides, she obtained a very favorable response, instead of the rebuff and resulting confusion she had expected. When 'Ala al-Din saw her enter, two things led him to conclude that she brought him good news. The first was that she returned sooner than usual; the second, that her countenance was relaxed and happy. He said to her, “Well, mother, should I entertain any hope, or should I die of despair?” After she pulled off her veil and sat down beside him on the sofa, she said to him, “Son, in order not to keep you in suspense, I will begin by telling you that, instead of thinking of dying, you have every reason to be satisfied.” Then she went on to tell him how she had an audience, before everybody else, a circumstance that enabled her to come home so soon. She told him about the precautions she took, in case the king took offense at the proposal of marriage between him and Princess Badr al-Budur, and about the entirely favorable answer she heard from the king's own mouth. She told him that, as far as she could tell from the king's expression, it was, above all, the powerful effect of the present which induced him to give her that favorable
answer. She added, “I had expected much less, for as he was about to give me an answer, the grand vizier whispered in his ear, and I was afraid that he might dissuade him from his good intentions toward you.”

At hearing this news, 'Ala al-Din considered himself the most happy of men and thanked his mother for all the troubles she had taken in pursuit of this affair, the successful outcome of which was of such great importance for his happiness. Although three months seemed to him an extremely long time in his impatience to enjoy the object of his desire, he nevertheless conditioned himself to wait with patience, relying on the king's word, which he considered to be irrevocable. But he counted not only the hours, days, and weeks, but every moment, while he waited for the time to expire. About two months passed, when, one evening, his mother, going to light the lamp, found that there was no oil in the house. So she went out to buy some, and when she came into the city, she saw public celebrations. The shops, instead of being closed, were open, and they were decorated with boughs and lights, every shop owner striving to outdo the other displays in pomp and magnificence, the better to show his zeal. Indeed, everyone showed signs of happiness and rejoicing. The streets were crowded with officers dressed in ceremonial uniforms and mounted on horses with rich trappings and surrounded by a great number of attendants on foot, milling about. 'Ala al-Din's mother asked the oil merchant what was the meaning of all this activity, and he said to her, “Where did you come from, good woman? Don't you know that the grand vizier's son is to marry Princess Badr al-Budur, the king's daughter, tonight? She will soon return from the baths, and these officers you see are assembled to assist at the procession to the palace, where the ceremony is to take place.”

'Ala al-Din's mother did not wish to hear any more. She hurried back, so fast, that when she entered, she was out of breath. When she saw her son, who little expected the sad news she brought him, she cried out, “Son, you have lost everything; you have relied on the fine promises of the king, but they will come to nothing.” 'Ala al-Din, who was alarmed at these words, asked, “Mother, in what way did the king break his promise to me, and how do you know?” She replied, “Tonight, the grand vizier's son is to marry Princess Badr al-Budur, in the palace.” Then she related to him how she had found out and the circumstances that left no doubt about it. At this news, 'Ala al-Din remained motionless, as if struck by lightning. Any other man would have been completely overwhelmed, but a deep jealousy aroused him, and he soon thought of the lamp, which had till then served him well, and without venting his anger in empty words against the king, the grand vizier, or his son, he only said, “Mother, perhaps the grand
vizier's son may not be as happy tonight as he expects. While I go into my room for a moment, prepare us some supper.”

'Ala al-Din's mother guessed that her son was going to make use of the lamp to prevent, if possible, the consummation of the marriage between the grand vizier's son and the princess, and she was not wrong. For when 'Ala al-Din entered his room, he took the magic lamp, which he had hidden from his mother after the appearance of the demon had caused her such great terror. He rubbed it in the same spot as before, and immediately the demon appeared and said to him, “What do you wish? Here I am, ready to obey you, as your slave and the slave of all those who have the lamp in their hands, I and the other slaves of the lamp?” 'Ala al-Din replied, “Listen, you have till now brought me whatever food I needed, but now I have a business of the greatest importance. I have asked the king for his daughter Princess Badr al-Budur in marriage. He promised her to me, but he asked for a three months' delay; however, instead of keeping his promise, he is marrying her tonight to the grand vizier's son, before the expiration of the time. I have just heard this, and I have no doubt about it. What I demand of you is that, as soon as the bride and bridegroom are in bed, you carry them and bring them both here in their bed.” The demon replied, “Master, I will obey you. Do you have any other command?” 'Ala al-Din replied, “None at present,” and the demon disappeared immediately.

'Ala al-Din went back to his mother and had supper with her, with his usual calm. After supper, he talked with her for some time about the princess's marriage, as if it was an affair that no longer troubled him. Then he returned to his room, while his mother went to bed; however, he himself did not sleep but waited for the return of the demon and the execution of his order.

Meanwhile, everything in the king's palace was magnificently prepared to celebrate the princess's wedding, and the evening was spent with ceremonies and festivities till midnight, when the grand vizier's son, at a signal given him by the chief of the princess's eunuchs, retired forthwith and was taken by that officer into the princess's apartment and led to the room where the wedding bed was prepared. He lay in bed first, and in a little while, the queen, accompanied by her women and those of the princess, her daughter, brought in the bride, who, as is usual with brides, made great resistance. The queen helped to undress her, put her into bed, as if by force, and, after kissing her and bidding her good night, departed with all the women, and the last woman to leave shut the door.

No sooner was the door shut than the demon, as faithful slave of the lamp and punctual in executing the commands of those who had it in their hands, without giving the bridegroom any time to make the
slightest caress to his bride, lifted the bed with the bride and bridegroom, to their great amazement, and transported it in an instant to 'Ala al-Din's room, where he set it down. 'Ala al-Din, who was waiting impatiently for this moment, could not bear to see the grand vizier's son stay long in bed with the princess. He said to the demon, “Take this bridegroom, and lock him up in the toilet, and come back tomorrow morning, a little after daybreak.” The demon immediately lifted the grand vizier's son out of the bed and carried him in his shirt to the place where 'Ala al-Din bid him take him, and after blowing a breath on him, which he felt from head to toe and which prevented him from moving, the demon left him there.

Although 'Ala al-Din's love for Princess Badr al-Budur was great, he did not say much to her when he found himself alone with her, but only said passionately, “Fear nothing, adorable princess; you are safe here, for ardent as my love is for your beauty and charm, it shall never go beyond the bounds of the profound respect I owe you.” He added, “If I have been forced to this drastic measure, it was not with the intention of offending you, but to prevent an unjust rival from possessing you, contrary to the promise of the king, your father, in my favor.” The princess, who knew nothing of these particulars, paid very little attention to what 'Ala al-Din said, and she was in no condition to respond. For the fright and amazement of such an unexpected adventure had put her in such a state that 'Ala al-Din could not get one word out of her. He therefore did not persist, but undressed and lay in the place of the grand vizier's son, with his back turned toward the princess, after he took the precaution of putting a sword between him and her, to indicate that he deserved to be punished if he attempted anything against her honor. 'Ala al-Din, satisfied to have thus deprived his rival of the happiness he had flattered himself to enjoy that night, slept very quietly, while Princess Badr al-Budur, on the contrary, never spent a night so bad and so disagreeable in all her life. And if one considers the place and condition in which the demon had left the grand vizier's son, one may conclude that the bridegroom spent it in a much worse way.

The following day, 'Ala al-Din did not have to rub the lamp to call the demon. He came by himself at the appointed hour, just when 'Ala al-Din had finished dressing himself, and said to him, “Here I am; what are your commands?” 'Ala al-Din replied, “Go, and bring the grand vizier's son from the place where you put him, and put him in this bed again, and carry it back to the king's palace, from where you brought it.” The demon went to fetch the grand vizier's son, and when he returned, 'Ala al-Din took up his sword, and the demon laid the bridegroom by the princess and in an instant carried the wedding bed back to the same room in the king's palace, from where he had
brought it. It should be observed that all this time, the demon was seen neither by the princess nor the grand vizier's son. His hideous form would have made them die of fear. They did not even hear the talk between him and 'Ala al-Din. They only perceived the shaking of the bed and their transportation from one place to another, which, one may well imagine, was enough to frighten them.

No sooner had the demon set down the wedding bed in its place, than the king, curious to know how the princess, his daughter, had spent her wedding night, entered her room to wish her good morning. The grand vizier's son, who had almost died of the cold he suffered all night and who had not yet had time to warm himself, no sooner heard the door open, than he got out of bed and ran into the closet where he had undressed himself the previous night. The king approached the bed, kissed the princess between the eyes, according to custom, wished her good morning, and asked her with a smile how she had spent the night. But lifting up her head and looking at her more closely, he was extremely surprised to see that she was in a deep melancholy and that neither by a blush nor any other sign could she satisfy his expectation. She only cast at him a most sorrowful look that expressed great affliction or great dissatisfaction. He said a few words to her, but, finding that he could not get her to speak, thought that she was silent out of modesty and departed. Nevertheless, he remained worried that there was something extraordinary in her silence. So he went immediately to the queen's apartment and told her in what a state he had found the princess and how she had received him. The queen said to him, “My lord, this should not surprise your majesty. There is no bride who does not show the same reserve on the morning after her wedding. This will change in two or three days, and then she will receive the king, her father, as she ought to.” She added, “I will go and see her, and I am very mistaken if she receives me in the same manner.”

As soon as the queen was dressed, she went to the apartment of the princess, who was still in bed. She approached the bed, wished her good morning, and kissed her. But she was extremely surprised, not only because the princess made no reply, but also, because in looking at her, the queen saw that she was in a state of deep dejection, which led her to conclude that something she did not understand must have happened to her. The queen asked her, “Daughter, why do you respond so poorly to my caresses? Ought you to treat your mother in this manner, and do you think that I do not know what happens to someone in your situation? I believe that this is not what is bothering you and that something else must have happened to you. Tell me frankly, and do not keep me any longer in painful suspense.”