Волшебная лампа Аладдина / The Story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Aladdin said, “Deliver me from this place!” And the earth opened and he found himself outside.^[17]

Aladdin came back home.

He told his mother what happened, and showed her the Lamp and the fruits.

Aladdin said to his mother, “Ah, my mother, that false uncle wanted to kill me! He is a sorcerer, a liar.”

Then Aladdin told his mother everything.

In the morning his mother said to him, “We don’t have anything to eat.”

Aladdin replied, “Mother, give me the Lamp. I think we can sell it.”

She brought the Lamp. But it was very dirty, so she said, “We need to clean and polish it.”

She took a handful of sand, and began to rub the lamp. Instantly a great Jinn appeared. “I am the Slave of the Lamp. What do you want?” The mother was very afraid and could not say a word.

Aladdin said, “O Slave of the Lamp, I am hungry. Bring me something to eat!” The Jinn brought him a magnificent tray, made of pure silver. On the tray there were twelve golden dishes of various delicious foods, and two silver cups of clear water.

So they began to eat. After that Aladdin said, “The false uncle didn’t want gold or silver. He ordered me to bring him the Lamp. He knew its great value. But he tried to kill me and he went away, so now this Lamp is mine. It will make us rich.”

When they ate all the food, Aladdin sold one of the golden plates. Then the Jinn gave him another set of plates. Thus they lived happily for many years.

And he learned that the “fruits” which he gathered in the Treasury were not of glass or crystal. These things were precious stones. And he knew that he was very rich.

One day Aladdin heard an order from the Sultan, “Let all the people close their stores and shops and stay home! The daughter of the Sultan will go to and from the bath.”

When Aladdin heard this order, he said, “All the people talk of her beauty. I want to see her face!” But this was very difficult, because she always went veiled.^[18]

So Aladdin began to think about how to see the face of the daughter of the Sultan. It seemed best to him^[19] to stand behind the door of the bath, so as to see her face when she came in. He went to the bath before her and stood behind the door. When the daughter of the Sultan appeared, she lifted her veil and Aladdin saw her face. It was like a sun or a pearl of great price.

He fell in love with her at first sight.^[20]

He returned to his mother. His mother spoke to him, but he did not reply and did not eat. So she asked, “O my son, what happened to you? Are you sick?”

Then Aladdin turned to his mother and said to her, “O my mother, I am well, and not sick at all. But I saw the daughter of the Sultan. I fell in love with her. I want to marry her!”

When his mother heard his words she feared, “O my son! You are mad. She is the Sultan’s daughter.”

Aladdin answered, “No, I’m not mad. I will win the lovely princess! I cannot live without her. I will marry her.”