Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Source
The old holy woman, Fatmah, came to the palace and told Princess Badrou'l-Boudour that she needs an egg from the roc bird. The roc is a mythological bird that appears in several other 1,001 nigh tales.
Will Aladdin be able to give his wife an egg of roc?
ON THE FORTIETH NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
Princess Badrou'l-Boudour told Aladdin: "I come to beg you to allow me to bring to the palace a holy old woman named Fatmah, who arrived a few days ago in our city, and whom everyone venerates for the marvelous cures that she does and the fertility she gives to sterile women, just by the laying on of her hands!" And Aladdin, who did not want to upset his wife Badrou'l-Budour, made no difficulty in getting her what asked, and ordered four eunuchs to find the old saint and bring her to the palace. And the eunuchs carried out the order and soon returned with the holy old woman, her face veiled with a veil. very thick and her neck surrounded by an immense rosary with three turns which descended to her lower chest, and she held in her hand a large stick on which she leaned piety. And as soon as the princess saw her, she went quickly to meet her, kissed her hand fervently, and asked for her blessing. And the holy old woman, with a deeply penetrating accent, called upon her the blessings of Allah and his graces, and made for her a long prayer in order to ask Allah to continue and increase her prosperity and happiness and to satisfy his every wish. And Badrou'l-Budour begged her to sit in the place of honor on the divan, and said to her: "O saint of Allah, I thank you for your good wishes and your prayers! And as I know that Allah will not refuse you anything you ask of him, I hope that I will obtain from his goodness, through your intercession, what is the dearest wish of my soul!" And the saint answered: “I am the humblest of Allah’s creatures! but He is the Omnipotent, the Excellent! do not be afraid, O my mistress Badrou'l-Boudour, to formulate your soul's desires!“ And Badrou’l-Budour became very red in complexion and lowered his voice, and with a very ardent accent, said: “O saint of Allah, I wish to have a child from the bounty of Allah! Tell me what I must do for it, and what blessings and what good deeds I must perform to deserve such favor! Speak! I am ready to do anything to obtain this property which is dearer to me than my own life! And I, in return, to show you my gratitude, I will give you all that you may wish or desire, not for you who, I know, O mother of all, are safe from the needs of weak creatures, but for the relief of the unfortunate and poor of Allah!"
At these words of Princess Badrou'l-Boudour, the saint's eyes, which until then had remained lowered, opened and lighted up under the veil with a flash of extraordinary brilliance, and her face radiated as if from a fire within, and all her features expressed the feeling of ecstasy and jubilation. And she looked at the princess for a moment, without uttering a word; then she stretched out her arms towards her, and laid her hands on her head, moving her lips in an as if interior prayer, and ended by saying to her: "O my daughter, o my mistress Badrou'l-Budour, the saints of Allah have just dictated to me the infallible means that you must employ to see fruitfulness living in your entrails! But, oh my daughter, I believe that this means is very difficult, if not impossible to employ because superhuman power is needed to achieve what it requires in terms of strength and valor! And the Princess Badrou'l-Boudour, on hearing these words, could no longer restrain her emotion, and threw herself at the saint's knees, encircling them with her arms, and said to her: "Please, O our mother, tell me this means whatever it is! because nothing is impossible to achieve for my beloved husband, emir Aladdin! Ah! speak, or I'll die at your feet of suppressed desire!" Then the saint raised a finger in the air and said: "My daughter, in order for fecundity to penetrate you, you must have, suspended from the crystal vault of this room, an egg of the roc bird, who dwells on the highest peak of Mount Caucasus. And the sight of this egg, which you will look at as long as you can, during the day, will modify your intimate nature and stir the inert depths of your motherhood! And that is what I had to tell you, my daughter!" And Badrou'l-Budour exclaimed: "By my life! O our mother, I do not know what the roc bird is, and I have never seen its eggs, but I do not doubt that Aladdin can, in an instant, procure me one of its fertilizing eggs, even if it is in its nest at the highest peak of Mount Caucasus!" Then she wanted to hold back the saint, who was already getting up to go away; but she said to her: “No, my daughter, let me now go and relieve other misfortunes and pains still greater than yours. But tomorrow, inshallah, I will come myself to visit you and hear from you, which is precious to me!" And, despite all the efforts and prayers of Badrou'l-Budour full of gratitude, who wanted to donate several necklaces and jewels of inestimable value, she did not want to stop a moment longer at the palace, and went away, as she had come, refusing all gifts.
Now, a few moments after the departure of the saint, Aladdin returned to his wife and kissed her tenderly, as he did each time he was absent, even if only for a moment; but it seemed to him that she looked very distracted and preoccupied; and he asked her the cause of it, with much anxiety…
— At this point in her narration, Scheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
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