Arabian Nights

by Richard Burton

  “My lord,” Aladdin responded, “it is my desire to build a pavilion for the Lady Badar al-Budur suitable for her status and high rank. Until I do this, I cannot visit her. But, Allah willing, the building will be finished within the shortest amount of time, for your slave will do his utmost in regard for your highness. Although I long very much to be with the princess and to enjoy her company, it is incumbent upon me first to show my respect for her and to complete this task.”

  “Look around you, my son,” replied the sultan, “and choose whatever ground you deem suitable for your plans. I’ll leave it up to you. But I think the best place would be to build your pavilion on that broad ground over there facing my palace.”

  “I could wish for nothing better than to be near to your highness,” said Aladdin.

  After saying this, Aladdin bade farewell to the king, mounted his horse, and rode from the palace with his mamelukes following him. Along the way, crowds of people shouted their blessings until he reached his home. Once there, he entered his room, took the lamp, and rubbed it. Immediately the slave appeared and said, “Ask whatever you want, my lord.”

  “I have an important and urgent task for you,” Aladdin replied. “I want you to build me a pavilion in front of the sultan’s palace right away. It must be marvelous and furnished royally with every possible comfort.”

  “As you command,” said the jinnee and vanished.

  Before daybreak, the jinnee returned to Aladdin and said, “My lord, the pavilion is finished as you desired. If you would like to inspect it, please get up and come with me.”

  So Aladdin arose, and the slave carried him in a split second to the pavilion, which impressed him a great deal. The building was made out of jasper, alabaster, marble, and mosaics. The treasury was full of gold, silver, and costly gems, worth more than can be imagined. From there, the jinnee led him to another place where Aladdin saw tables, plates, dishes, spoons, ladles, basins, covers, cups, and saucers, all made out of precious metal. Next they went to the kitchen, where they found the cooks provided with all the utensils they needed, made out of gold and silver. After that they visited a warehouse filled with chests packed with royal garments, incredibly beautiful stuffs such as gold-lined brocades from India and China and velvet and silk materials. Then the jinnee led Aladdin on a tour of the numerous apartments, which contained marvelous things beyond description. When they went outside to the stables, Aladdin saw that they contained magnificent steeds that could not be found anywhere on the earth, even in the stables of kings, and even the harness rooms were hung with costly trappings, saddles, and bridles studded with pearls and precious stones. And all of this was the work of one night.

  Aladdin was wonder-struck and astounded by the magnificent display of wealth, which not even the wealthiest monarch on earth could produce. He was even more astonished to see his pavilion fully provided with eunuchs and slave girls whose beauty could seduce a saint. Yet, the major attraction of the pavilion was the upper dome of twenty-four windows all made of emeralds, rubies, and other gems. And one window remained unfinished, at Aladdin’s request, so that he could prevail upon the sultan to complete it.

  After Aladdin had inspected the entire edifice, he was exceedingly happy and pleased. Then turning to the slave, he said, “I still need one thing more, which I forgot to ask.”

  “Ask whatever you want, my lord,” the jinnee said.

  “I want a carpet made of the finest brocade and woven with gold,” he said. “When it is unrolled, I want it to extend to the sultan’s palace so that the Lady Badar al-Budur can walk upon it without treading on common ground.”

  The slave departed momentarily, and upon his return, he said, “My lord, I’ve brought you what you wanted.”

  Then the jinnee took him and showed him a carpet which completely overwhelmed him by its splendor and extended from the pavilion to the palace. After this, the jinnee lifted Aladdin and transported him back to his home.

  As the sun began to shine, the sultan rose from his sleep and went to his window, from which he saw a new grandiose pavilion opposite his palace. At first he could not believe his eyes and rubbed them to make sure that he was not dreaming. However, soon he was certain that the building was real, and he was amazed by its grandeur and by the carpet that was spread between his palace and the pavilion. The royal doorkeepers and all the members of his household were also astonished by the spectacle. Meanwhile, the vizier entered the palace, and when he caught sight of the newly built pavilion and the carpet, he was stupefied as well. He and the king began talking about this marvelous sight, and they finally agreed that no king in the universe could ever build such a pavilion. Addressing the minister, the sultan asked, “Do you agree now that Aladdin is worthy enough to be the husband of my daughter? You realize, of course, that no ordinary man could have built such an opulent and magnificent pavilion as this.”

  However, the vizier was still envious and replied, “Great king, I don’t care how rich or adroit he may be. He must have used magic to build such a splendid pavilion in one night.”

  “I’m surprised to see that you continue to have a bad opinion of Aladdin,” said the sultan. “I attribute it to your envy and jealousy. You were present when I gave him the ground to build a pavilion for my daughter. However that may be, I ask you, why would it be impossible for the man who gave me such remarkable gems for my daughter’s dowry to build such an edifice as this?”

  When the vizier heard the sultan speaking about Aladdin that way, he knew that his lord loved Aladdin a great deal, and thus his envy increased. It was only due to the fact that he could do nothing against the young man that he refrained from saying anything.

  In the meantime it was broad daylight and the appointed time had arrived for Aladdin’s return to the palace, where his wedding was being celebrated, and the emirs, viziers, and grandees had assembled to be present at the ceremony. So Aladdin arose and rubbed the lamp. Immediately the jinnee appeared and said, “Ask whatever you want, my lord. I am at your service.”

  “I want to go to the palace right away,” Aladdin said. “Today is my wedding, and I want you to bring me ten thousand dinars.”

  The slave vanished, and in the twinkle of an eye he returned with the money. After Aladdin mounted with his mamelukes behind and in front of him, he headed for the palace, scattering gold pieces along the way, and the people praised him and held him in high esteem. When he drew near the palace, the emirs, officials, and officers, who were waiting for him, noticed his approach, and they hastened right away to inform the king. Thereupon the sultan rose and met his son-in-law. After embracing and kissing him, he led him into his own apartment, where he sat down and seated Aladdin on his right. The city was all decorated, and music rang throughout the palace. The singers sang, until the king commanded that the noon meal be served. Then the eunuchs and mamelukes spread the tables and trays fit for kings, and the sultan and Aladdin were joined by the lords of the realm, who took their seats and ate and drank until they were satisfied.

  The wedding festivities in the palace and the city were glorious, and both nobles and commoners rejoiced and were glad, while the governors of the provinces and the nabobs of various districts flocked from far away to witness Aladdin’s marriage with all its processions and festivities. Moreover, when the sultan looked at Aladdin’s mother, he was astounded by the change that had come over her, for he recalled how she used to visit him as a poor woman even though Aladdin had such immense wealth.

  When the spectators, who crowded the royal palace to enjoy the wedding festivities, gazed upon Aladdin’s pavilion and saw how beautiful it was, they were tremendously surprised that such a vast edifice as that could have been built in a single night. Therefore, they blessed Aladdin and cried out, “May Allah reward him and bless him with prosperity and long life!”

  When dinner was over, Aladdin rose and said farewell to the sultan. He mounted his horse and rode with his mamelukes to his pavilion so that he could make the preparations to recei
ve his bride there. And as he passed, the people shouted their good wishes and blessings, and immense crowds conducted him to his new home while he showered gold on them along the way. When he reached his pavilion, he dismounted, entered, and sat down on the divan, while his mamelukes stood before him with arms folded. After a short while they brought him sherbets, and when he had drunk them, he ordered his slave girls, eunuchs, and mamelukes to get everything ready for the Lady Badar al-Budur.

  As soon as noon arrived and the great heat of the sun had abated, the sultan ordered his officers, emirs, and viziers to go down to the parade ground, where he joined them on horse. And Aladdin also assembled his mamelukes and mounted a stallion who surpassed all the steeds of Arabia to ride to the parade ground. There he displayed what an expert horseman he was by excelling in the various games that were played. Badar al-Badur watched him from her balcony and was so impressed by his good looks and equestrian skills that she fell head over heels in love with him and was ecstatic with joy. After the games were finished, the sultan and his nobles returned to the palace, and Aladdin went back to his pavilion with his mamelukes.

  Toward evening the viziers and nobles took the bridegroom and escorted him to the royal Hammam, where he was bathed and sprayed with perfume. As soon as he came out, he donned a suit more magnificent than his previous one and rode with the emirs and officers in a grand cortege surrounded by the viziers with their swords drawn. All the people and troops marched before him in a throng carrying wax candles and kettledrums, pipes, and other musical instruments, and they led him to his pavilion. Here he dismounted, and after entering, he sat down and offered seats to the viziers and emirs who had escorted him. Meanwhile the mamelukes brought sherbets that they also passed around to the people who had followed in the procession. There was a huge crowd outside, impossible to count, and Aladdin ordered his mamelukes to go out and shower them with gold coins.

  In the meantime, when the sultan returned from the parade ground, he ordered his household to form a cavalcade for his daughter according to ceremony and to take the Lady Badar al-Budur to her bridegroom’s pavilion. So the nobles and officers, who had followed and escorted the bridegroom, now mounted at once, and the slave girls and eunuchs went out with wax candles and made a splendid procession for the Lady Badar al-Budur. They marched in front of her, and Aladdin’s mother was by her side, until they entered the pavilion. There were also the wives of the viziers, emirs, grandees, and nobles in front of the princess, and she was also attended by the forty-eight slave girls whom Aladdin had given to her as a present. Each one of them held a huge torch of camphor and amber set in a gold candlestick studded with gems. Upon reaching Aladdin’s pavilion, they led the princess to her chamber on the upper floor, changed her robes, and displayed her. Then they accompanied her to Aladdin’s apartment, and soon he paid her his first visit.

  Now his mother was with the bride, and when Aladdin came up to the princess and took off her veil, the old woman was greatly taken by Badar al-Budur’s beauty and loveliness. Moreover, she looked around the pavilion entirely illuminated by gold and gems with a gold chandelier studded with precious gems like emeralds and jacinths. Awed by what she saw, she said to herself, “Once upon a time I thought the sultan’s palace was splendid, but this pavilion surpasses everything. I don’t think a single king of the Chosroës ever accomplished anything like this. I’m even positive that nobody in the world could build something like it.”

  Then the tables were spread, and they all ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves. At the end of the meal, forty damsels came before them, each holding a musical instrument in her hand, and they deftly moved their fingers, touched the strings, and broke into song. Their tunes were very melodic and also melancholy and captivated all the listeners. The princess was particularly enchanted by the music and said to herself, “Never in my life have I heard such songs as these.” Indeed, she was so enraptured that she refrained from eating in order to pay closer attention to the music. At last, Aladdin poured out wine for her and gave it to her with his own hand. In sum, it was a magnificent night, and not even Alexander the Great had ever enjoyed a feast like this one. When they had finished eating and drinking, and the tables were removed, Aladdin stood up and took his bride to his apartment, where he enjoyed her.

  The next morning, Aladdin arose, and his servant brought him sumptuous garments and helped him get dressed. After drinking coffee flavored with amber, he ordered the horses to be saddled. Then he mounted with his mamelukes behind and in front of him and rode to his father-in-law’s palace. When the sultan’s eunuchs saw him approaching, they went in and reported his coming to their lord.

  And Scheherazade noticed that dawn was approaching and stopped telling her story. When the next night arrived, however, she received the king’s permission to continue her tale and said,

  Informed that Aladdin was approaching, the sultan got up to receive him, and he embraced and kissed him as though he were his own son. After seating him on his right side, he blessed him and prayed for him, as did the viziers, emirs, and grandees of the realm. Soon the king commanded the attendants to serve the morning meal, and all the nobles at the court broke their fast together. After they had eaten and drunk to their satisfaction and the tables were removed, Aladdin turned to the sultan and said, “My lord, would your highness deign to honor me at dinner in the house of Lady Badar al-Budur, your beloved daughter, and bring with him all the ministers and grandees of the realm?”

  The king was delighted by the invitation and replied, “You are most generous, my son!”

  Then the sultan gave orders to his nobles, and, with Aladdin at his side, they all rode over to the pavilion. As the king entered it and gazed at its construction, architecture, and masonry, all jasper and carnelian, he was bedazzled by the grandeur and opulence. Turning to his grand vizier, he asked, “What do you say now? Have you ever seen anything in your entire life, even among the mightiest of the earth’s monarchs, that can compare to such wealth of gold and jewels?”

  “As I told your majesty before,” the vizier said, “this feat could not have been accomplished by mortals, whether they be kings or commoners. No builders in the universe could have constructed a pavilion like this. All this could only have been produced by sorcery!”

  “That’s enough,” replied the sultan. “Don’t say another word. I know exactly what’s prompted you to say what you’ve said.”

  Aladdin preceded the sultan and conducted him to the upper dome, where he saw its skylights, windows, and lattices, which were made of emeralds, rubies, and other gems. Once more, the sultan was stunned and astonished by all that his eyes encountered. He strolled around the dome and enjoyed himself by looking at the various sights until he came to the window that Aladdin had purposely left undone. When the sultan noticed that it was not finished, he cried out, “It’s a shame, poor window, that you’ve been left unfinished!” Then, turning to his minister, he asked, “Why do you think that this window was left incomplete?”

  “I imagine,” said the vizier, “that Aladdin felt rushed by you and was in such a hurry to get married that he was unable to finish it.”

  Meanwhile, Aladdin had gone to his bride and informed the princess of her father’s presence. When he returned to the dome, the king asked him, “My son, why was this window here left unfinished?”

  “Great king,” responded Aladdin, “the wedding was so sudden that I failed to find the artists who could finish it on time.”

  “I have a mind to complete it myself,” said the sultan.

  “May Allah grant your majesty perpetual glory!” exclaimed Aladdin. “This way your memory will endure forever in your daughter’s pavilion.”

  At once the sultan ordered that jewelers and goldsmiths be summoned, and he commanded that they should be provided with everything they might need, such as gold and gems from his treasury. When the craftsmen were all assembled, he told them how he wanted the work to be completed in the dome window. Meanwhile the princess came forth t
o meet her father, who noticed her smiling face as she approached. So he embraced and kissed her, and then led her down into the pavilion.

  By this time it was noon, and one table had been spread for the sultan, his daughter, and Aladdin, and a second one for the viziers, lords, chief officers, chamberlains, and nabobs. The king took his seat between the princess and her husband, and when he reached out his hand and tasted the food, he was struck with surprise by the savory flavor of the dishes and the sumptuous cooking. Moreover, there were eighty damsels who stood before him, and they were all so beautiful and radiant that each and every one of them could have said to the moon, “Move on so that I may take your place!” They all held musical instruments, which they played with great expertise, and they sang melodic songs that touched the heart of everyone who listened. The sultan had a wonderful time, and at one point he exclaimed, “Truly, all this is beyond the compass of either king or emperor!”

  Everyone partook in the delicious meal, and the wine flowed until they had drunk enough. Then the sweetmeats and other desserts were served in another room, and they all moved there and enjoyed their fill. Soon the sultan arose so that he could inspect the work of his jewelers and goldsmiths. However, he noted a great difference, for his men were incapable of making anything like the windows in Aladdin’s pavilion. They informed him how all the gems stored in his minor treasury had been brought to them, and they had used them to the best of their ability. However, since they were insufficient, the sultan now ordered that the gems from his major treasury be delivered to them, but they only sufficed to finish half the window. Therefore, the king ordered that all the precious stones owned by the viziers and grandees of the realm be brought to them. Yet, even here, they fell far short of the supply the craftsmen needed.