4. T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
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6. CONTENTS
1 T H E UNHAPPY KING 1
2 T H E GENIE IN THE BOTTLE 6
3 ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP 11
4 ALADDIN AND THE PRINCESS 17
5 ALI BABA 25
6 T H E TALE or SINBAD THE SAILOR 35
7 T H E MAN WITH THREE WIVES 46
QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES 54
7. THE UNHAPPY KING
The King wants a wife
Long ago, there was agreat kingcalled Shahriah. He
was a good king —until he found his wife loved
another man. Then the King was very angry
withhis wife. 'Cut off herhead!' he roared.
The executioner5 took the King's wife away,
and cut her head off.
Every night after that the King lay in his great bed
all alone and very sad. When he slept, he dreamed of
his beautiful, dead wife. When he was awake, he
thought he could see her in the
arms of the other man. He did
not know what to do. At last
he called for the Wazir, the
chief of his servants.
8. 2 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
The sleepy Wazir hurried to the King's room.
'I will not spend another night by myself,' said the
King.
'Oh, you have decided to marry again. I am so
5 glad, dear King,' cried the Wazir, happily.
'Marry again? How can I do that? Women are so
bad. A woman cannot love one man for more than
one day.'
A new wife every day
10 'Any woman would love you for ever, great King,'
said the Wazir.
'You are wrong!' roared King Shahriah. 'A woman's
love is like a leaf in the wind. One minute it goes this
way, the next minute it goes another way. No one
15 ever knows where it will go next.'
'Of course, you are right, O great King,' said the
Wazir quickly. 'Women are just like leaves. But what
can anyone do?'
'I know what I shall do,' said the King. 'And you
20 are going to help me. Bring me a pretty, clever girl
and I will marry her.'
The Wazir looked pleased.
Then the King added, 'And tell the executioner to
come to the wedding. He must cut off the girl's head
25 the next morning, before she can stop loving me.
After that, you must bring me another girl. As long as
you do your job, I shall never be alone at night again.
As long as the executioner does his job, no wife of
mine will live long enough to love another man!'
30 The Wazir went away sadly. He hated to send all
those lovely girls to their deaths. But he had to obey
the King.
9. THE UNHAPPY KING 3
The Wazir's daughter
For three years King Shahriah married a new wife
every day. Every morning the executioner cut off the
head of the King's new wife. More than a thousand
girls died. 5
The Wazir was very unhappy about this, but he was
afraid of the King. He was afraid of the executioner,
too. He often shut himself in his room and cried.
He prayed to God to help him.
One day, someone heard the Wazir crying. That 10
person was the Wazir's daughter. She was beautiful,
clever and good, and her namewas Sheherezade.
The Wazir loved her more than anything in the world.
Sheherezade walked into her father's room.
'Why are you so sad, Father?' she asked. 15
'Dear child,' said the Wazir, 'I am crying for a
thousand lovely young girls. Every day the King
marries a new wife. Every morning his executioner
cuts off her head.'
'But why?' asked Sheherezade. Her father told her 20
the whole sad story. 'It makes me so sad that it will
break my heart,' he finished, 'but I don't know what I
can do.'
Sheherezade's plan 25
Sheherezade was sad, too, when she heard about
the poor young girls. She thought carefully for a few
minutes. Then she said:
'Listen, Father. I think I know how we can stop
the King from killing any more young girls. Let me 30
marry him.'
'You? Oh, my dear daughter, do not throw your
10. 4 T A LE S FROM T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
life away! Do not leave your poor old father alone in
the world!'
'Father, please do as I ask you. I have a plan.'
King Shahriah was very happy when he saw
5 Sheherezade. 'Why didn't you bring this one to me
before, Wazir?' he said.
'She is my own daughter, great King,' said the
Wazir, very sadly.
That night Sheherezade lay beside the King in his
great bed. She began to tell him
a story. Shahriah had
never heard a story
like it before.
The story was about a place
15 far, far away where people
did strange things. Sometimes
the story was funny, and the King laughed. He had
not laughed so much for many years. Sometimes it
was sad, and he could not stop crying. He had not
20 cried so much for many years, either. Always it was
interesting. But before Sheherezade reached the end
of the story, day had come.
11. THE UNHAPP Y KING 5
The wonderful stories
The sun was up in a pink sky, and the birds were
singing their morning song.
'It is day,' said the King. 'I have work to do. Tonight,
Sheherezade, you must come to me again. You can
finish the story then.' 5
The executioner was standing outside the door.
'Not this morning,' the king told him. 'Come again
tomorrow.'
So Sheherezade lived one day longer than all the
other young girls. 10
The next night she finished her story. Then she
started a ne w one. This story, too, was about a
wonderful place far, far away. The King laughed even
louder at the funny parts. He cried even longer at the
sad parts. He was so interested in the story that 15
before he knew it, it was daytime. And of course,
Sheherezade had not finished.
Once again the King sent the executioner away. He
asked Sheherezade to come back the next night to
finish her second story. 20
So it went on, night after night, week after week,
month after month. Sheherezade knew so many
different stories. Each one was new. Each one was
too long to finish before day came.
Here are just a few of the stories that she told the 25
King.
12. T H E G E N I E IN THE BOTTLE
A bottle of dust
There was once a poor, old fisherman. Every day he
went to the sea with his net. Every day he prayed to
God to fill his net with fish. Sometimes God
5 answered his prayers; often He did not.
One morning the fisherman
pulled his net out of the water.
There was nothing in it except
a dirty, old bottle.
10 The fisherman was sad. He
wanted fish, not an old bottle.
'Perhaps I can sell it,' he said to
himself. He washed the mud off the
bottle and looked at it. It was very
15 old, and it was fastened with a strange
seal. The fisherman did not know
much about old things. He did not
know that the seal on the bottle
was the seal of the great King
20 Solomon himself. 'Perhaps
there is somethinguseful
in the bottle,' he said
to himself. He opened
the bottle with
25 his knife.
13. much more horrible way.'
'But what have I done?' repeated the poor fisher-
THE GENIE IN THE BOTTLE 7
He looked inside. The bottle was empty. Then the
fisherman turned it over and shook it. Dust came out,
at first just a little, then more and more. Faster and
faster, dust flew out of the bottle and up into the air
like a dark cloud. The cloud grew and grew. Soon the 5
fisherman saw the shape of a huge man of dust. It
was a magic man, a genie.
An angry genie
Some genies are small and friendly, but this one was
as tall as a mountain and as fierce as a tiger. It did not 10
look at all friendly. It looked angry, and bad.
The fisherman's mouth hung open. His eyes were
as big as plates, and he was very frightened. He knelt
on the sand and prayed to God to save him. When
the genie spoke, the earth shook and the sky grew 15
dark.
'Oh Solomon, great king. I am sorry, and I will
never do it again — ' The genie stopped and looked
at the frightened little fisherman. 'You are not
Solomon!' 20
The fisherman shook his head. He said nothing. He
was too frightened to speak.
'Who let me out of the bottle?' asked the genie.
'I did, sir,' said the fisherman.
'Get ready to die, little man,' roared the genie. 25
'But what have I done to you, Great One?'
'Choose the way you want to die, little man,' said
the genie. 'Make it painful and nasty and very
horrible. If it is not horrible enough I will think of a
30
man. 'How have I made you so angry?'
14. 8 TALES FROM T H E ARABIAN N I G H T S
'Listen, little man, I will tell you my story — but get
ready to die afterwards. Don't think I will forget.'
The genie's tale
'I am a great genie,' said the genie, 'and I fought
5 against King Solomon himself. My army was beaten
and King Solomon made me his prisoner. I knelt
down and begged him for my life. He could see how
sorry I was.
'"Stand up," King Solomon said to me. "Just obey
10
me. Then I shall forgive you, and we can be friends."
'"You forgive me?" I roared. "Me! I am the greatest,
strongest genie in the whole world. You will have
to wait a long time before I will do as you tell me!
And you will wait much, much longer before I will
15
become your friend!"
'Then King Solomon said some magic words, and
I suddenly felt myself getting smaller and smaller. He
put me in this bottle. He closed it up with his own
great seal. Then he told one of his soldiers to throw it
20
into the sea. That's my story,' said the genie.
'But King Solomon died two thousand years ago!'
said the fisherman.
'Two thousand years!' cried the genie. 'So my old
enemy is dead and I cannot kill him! Well, little man,
25
you can take his place. I shall kill you, instead. Get
ready to die.' He took a long, shining knife out of his
belt, and he smiled a big, ugly smile.
The simple fisherman
The genie looked down at the fisherman. He thought
30
the little man would be very frightened. But the
15. THE GENIE IN THE BOTTLE 9
fisherman was looking at the genie with a smile on
his tired, old face.
'Well, now,' said the fisherman, 'you don't think I
am going to believe that, do you?'
'You don't believe me?' roared the genie. He was 5
so angry that the sea and the sky shook. He lifted
the big knife above his head. But the fisherman just
smiled again.
'Now, tell me the truth — where did you come
from? You didn't come out of that little bottle, did 10
you? Iknow 1 am a simple man, but I am not stupid. Ho
w could a great genie get inside such a small
bottle?'
'I am a genie,' said the genie. 'Genies can do
anything!'
15
'Well I am not going to believe that,' said the
fisherman. 'Look — I am a lot smaller than you, and I
can't get into that bottle.' He tried to push his foot
down through the neck of the bottle, and
of course he could not do it. 'You
can't tell me,' the fisherman
continued, 'that you and that big
shining knife got inside this
tiny little bottle. It's just
silly.'
16. 10 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
The genie was so angry. 'Me?' he roared. 'Silly?' he
roared. 'You are the silly one, little man. Can't you
understand? A great genie like me can do anything.
Watch!'
5 Back in the bottle
The body of the genie, tall as a mountain, broke up
into a cloud of many different colours. The cloud
grew smaller and smaller. At last, all that was left was
some dust. The dust went through the neck of the
bottle.
'Oh!' smiled the old fisherman. 'So that's how you
do it! Now I know you are a great genie.' Then he
quickly took the seal and pushed it on top of the
bottle. The bottle was fastened again — and the genie
15 was inside!
'And you can slay there for another two thousand
years!' cried the fisherman. 'I shall tell the people in
my village about you, too! Then, if they find your
bottle, they will know they must not let you out.'
20 He thanked God for His help and he threw the
bottle far away into the sea.
17. ALADDIN AND THE
M A G I C LAMP
The strange uncle
There was once a tailor called Mustapha. Every day, he
worked very hard. He worked from morning to
night, but he was always very poor. His son, Aladdin,
was a lazy boy and did nothing to help him. Then 5
Mustapha died. After that Aladdin was much more
lazy. His poor mother had to work to buy food for
them.
One day, Aladdin was playing in the street when a
stranger came up to him. 'Boy,' said the stranger, 'are 10
you the son of Mustapha the tailor?'
'Yes,' answered Aladdin, 'but my father is dead.'
The stranger looked very sad. He threw his arms
round Aladdin's neck. 'I am your uncle, dear boy,' he
said. 'I have been away for many years. Now I 15
am too late to see my poor,
dear brother!' He took some
money out of his pocket
and gave it to Aladdin.
18. 12 T A L E S F R O M T H E AR A BI A N N I G H T S
'Go to your mother and tell her I have returned.
Tell her I will visit her tomorrow.'
A job for Aladdin
Aladdin ran home and told his story. 'But your father
5 had no brothers!' said his mother. 'You must have
made a mistake. I will tell the kind gentleman when
he comes.'
The next evening the stranger came. He held
Aladdin's mother's hands. 'So I am too late to see my
10 dear brother!' he said. He looked so sad. Aladdin's
mother began to cry.
Now, the stranger was not really Aladdin's uncle.
He was a magician. He wanted Aladdin to help him.
But he did not say anything about that to Aladdin.
15 Instead, he looked at the boy and asked, 'What job
have you chosen to do, nephew?' Aladdin went very
pink. 'Nothing,' he said.
'Then I shall buy you a shop,' said the magician.
'Say goodbye to your mother. You are going to learn
20 all about business. I will do everything I can to help
you. Only the best is good enough for my dear
brother Mustapha's boy.'
Aladdin's mother was now sure the magician was
Aladdin's uncle. She thanked him with all her heart.
25 'Be good, and work hard, Aladdin,' she told her son.
The magic halls
The magician led Aladdin to a place outside the city.
He told Aladdin to collect sticks for a fire. When the
fire was burning, the magician threw some white
30 dust on to the fire. Then he said some magic words.
19. ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP 13
Green smoke rose up. The earth shook, and a large
hole suddenly opened in front of them. At the bottom
of the hole, Aladdin saw a big, flat stone with an iron
ring in the middle.
'Take the ring in your hand and lift the stone,' 5
said the magician. Aladdin was frightened. 'Do as 1
tell you,' the magician said. 'There is a wonderful
treasure down there. Only you can reach it. Your
name is written on the stone.'
Aladdin lifted the stone. It moved quite easily. 10
Under the stone were some steps. They went down
into the ground. Aladdin could see that it was very
dark down there.
'Go down those steps,' said the magician. 'At the
bottom you will come to a large hall. It is full of 15
boxes of gold and silver. Do not touch anything.
Keep walking. You will come to anotherhall. Go
through that one, and you will come to a third hall.
At the end of this hall, there is a door. Open the door.
You will see a garden full of beautiful fruit trees. In 20
a corner of the garden wall there is a shelf. On the
shelf you will see a small lamp. Bring that lamp to
me. You can take some of the treasure when you
come back if you like. But do not forget the lamp.'
Aladdin goes down the steps 25
Aladdin was frightened. He did not want to go down
those dark steps. The magician put a ring on Aladdin's
finger. This is a magic ring, and it will keep you safe,"
he said.
Aladdin thanked him and went down the steps. 30
Everything was just as the magician had said. He
found the lamp and put it in his pocket. On his way
20. 10 Aladdin inside.
'Help me up, Uncle,' called Aladdin.
14 TALES FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
back he looked at the
trees full of beautiful fruit.
When he tried to eat the fruit, it was
hard and cold. Aladdin did not know
5 that the wonderful pears, oranges and
apples were huge jewels. He just thought
they were pretty, and he filled his pockets with them.
The magician was waiting at the top of the steps.
He planned to get the lamp, then shut the door, with
'Give me the lamp first,' said the magician. 'You
will climb up better without it.'
'It's in my pocket.' called Aladdin, 'under some
15 pretty fruit. I'll give it to you when I get out.'
Alone in the dark
The magician was angry.
'Do as I tell you. Give the lamp to me,' he said.
'I can't, Uncle,' said Aladdin. 'Help me get out of
21. 'I brought this lamp,' said Aladdin. 'If you clean it,
perhaps I can sell it in the market.' 25
He began to rub the lamp. A cloud of smoke flew
A I. ADD IN AND THE MAGIC LAMP 15
this hole. When I am out I will take everything out
of my pockets. Then you can have the lamp.'
But the magician did not want to wait. He was
very angry'. He threw some more dust on the fire. He
said some more magic words. This time, red smoke 5
rose up into the air. There was a loud,frightening
noise. The big stone slid back, and the earth closed
over the hole. Aladdin was a prisoner inthe earth! The
angry magician went away.
Aladdin cried for help, but no one heard him. After 10
a while he was tired and stopped shouting. His hands
began to feel cold, so he rubbed them together.
Suddenly a small genie appeared.
'I am the Genie of the Ring,' it said. 'What can I do
for you?' Aladdin was too surprised to be frightened. 15
'Please get me out of here!' he answered. At once
he found himself silting on the grass outside.
The Genie of the Lamp
He ran home to his mother and showed her the
pretty fruit. 20
'Why didn't you bring some of the gold and silver?'
said his mother. 'You are a stupid boy! There is no
food in the house, and we can't eat your glass fruit.'
out and a large genie appeared.
'I am the Genie of the Lamp,' it said. What can I do
for you?'
'Bring some food,' said Aladdin. The genie dis- 30
appeared. In a few seconds it came back with a big,
silver dish full of wonderful food.
22. 16 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
This must be a magic lamp, Mother,' said Aladdin.
'Now I know why my uncle wanted it so much! He
must be a magician.'
Every day after that, the Genie of the Lamp brought
5 them food on a silver dish, and every day Aladdin sold
the silver dish in the market. He did not know the
price of silver, so the shopkeepers gave
him very little money. But
Aladdin and his mother were
10 poor, simple people, and
they were happy with
what they had.
23. ALADDIN AND THE PRINCESS
Princess Badroulbadour
One day, Aladdin went to the market as usual, to
sell the genie's silver dish. This time, he went to a
different shopkeeper. He gave Aladdin a lot of money
for the dish. Aladdin showed him some of the fruit 5
from the magic trees.
'I'm sure that you won't want these,' he said. But
aren't they beautiful?'
'They are wonderful jewels,' said the shopkeeper.
'Take care of them, my boy. They are great treasures.' 10
Suddenly there was a lot of noise in the street.
'What is happening?' asked Aladdin.
'Princess Badroulbadouris coming this way,' said
the shopkeeper. 'She is the King's daughter. She
comes past here on her way to the baths. 15
The King will not let anyone see her
face, so everyone has to go inside.'
Aladdin wanted to see her. He
hid behind a wall near the baths.
Soon Princess Badroulbadour 20
appeared with her servants.
24. 18 TA LE S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
When she came near the door of the baths, she
took off her veil. Aladdin saw her lovely face and
fell in love with her at once. He went home to his
mother. He was quiet all evening.
5 At last he told his mother. 'I love Princess
Badroulbadour. I want to marry her,' he said. 'Please
go to the King and tell him.'
'You silly boy — do you think the King will let
a poor tailor's son marry his daughter?' his mother
10 replied.
'I love her, Mother. I must try to win her. A shop-
keeper told me these fruits are wonderful treasures.
Put them in one of the silver dishes, and take them
to the King. I am sure he will listen to you.'
15 A present for the King
The next day Aladdin's mother took the beautiful
silver dish, full of magic fruits, to the King's palace.
She put a clean cloth over the dish and waited
outside. Soon the King came out and Aladdin's
20 mother called to him.
The King saw the old lady in her poor, thin clothes.
He spoke to his Wazir, the chief of his servants. 'Bring
that woman here. Perhaps she has a home-made cake
for me under that cloth.'
25 Aladdin's mother knelt at the King's feet. 'Forgive
me, Great King,' she begged. And then she told
him how her son Aladdin loved the Princess
Badroulbadour. 'My son sends you these,' she said.
She lifted the cloth and the King saw the wonderful
30 jewels. His eyes shone. 'Look, Wazir! Have you ever
seen jewels like these? Of course this young man
must marry my daughter!'
25. A L A D D I N AND THE P R I N C E S S 19
The Wazir was unhappy. He wanted his son
to marry Princess Badroulbadour. 'Give me three
months, Great King,' he begged. In that time my
son will be able to give you a much richer present
than this!' 5
The King liked his Wazir, so he agreed. He said
to Aladdin's mother, 'Tell your son that I thank him
for this wonderful present. Perhaps 1 will let him
marry the Princess Badroulbadour. But he must wait
for three months. Then I will decide.' 10
The genie helps Aladdin
Time went by very slowly for Aladdin. Two months
passed, then Aladdin heard some horrible news.
Princess Badroulbadour was going to marry the
Wazir's son that night! Aladdin was hurt and angry. 15
He rubbed the magic lamp and the genie appeared.
'The King has given his daughter to another man,'
said Aladdin. 'Bring Princess Badroulbadour and the
Wazir's son to me tonight!' The genie disappeared,
and returned with Princess Badroulbadour in one 20
hand and the Wazir's son in the other. 'Put him in a
safe place,' said Aladdin to the genie. He looked at
Badroulbadour.
'Do not be afraid,' he said. 'You are quite safe here.
The King said I could marry you, and now he has 25
given you to another man. I had to stop the wedding.
Sleep now, and in the morning I will take you back
to your father.'
When Badroulbadour saw Aladdin, she fell in
love with him. She did not like the Wazir's son. She 30
thought Aladdin would be a much better husband
for her.
26. 20 TALES PROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
In the morning the genie took Badroulbadour back
to her room in the King's palace. He took the Wazir's
son back to his father's house.
The frightened young man went to the King at
5 once. He told him all about the genie. He told him
how the genie had carried him away in one hand,
and the Princess in the other. He thought the Princess
had told the genie what to do. He thought she was a
witch.
10 'I cannot marry your daughter after all,' said the
Wazir's son.
Badroulbadour said nothing at all. She was
thinking about Aladdin.
The King did not believe the young man's story. He
15 thought he was mad. He was glad that the Wazir's son
was not going to marry his daughter.
A month later he told his servants to bring
Aladdin's mother to him. Your son may marry my
daughter,' he said. But first he must bring me forty
20 gold dishes full of those fruit-jewels.'
Forty dishes full of jewels
'This will teach Aladdin not to be so silly,' the old lady
said to herself. But to her surprise, Aladdin was quite
happy. He went to his room and rubbed the lamp.
25 The genie appeared at once, and Aladdin told him
what he wanted.
In a very short time the genie came back with forty
servants. Each carried a very large, gold dish. Each
dish was full of the wonderful fruit-jewels from the
30 magic garden. Aladdin called his mother. 'Go with
these to the King,' he said, 'and tell him I love his
daughter more than all the jewels in the world.'
27. A L A D D I N A N D THE P RIN C E S S 21
At first the King was too surprised to speak. He
looked at the gold, the jewels and the servants, and
his eyes grew large and round.At last he said, 'Tell
Aladdin to come at once,
welcome him as my son.'
and I will
Aladdin went to his wedding
like a King. His clothes were covered with
jewels and fifty servants followed him. He rode a
beautiful black horse, and the servants threw gold
coins to all the people. The people shouted and 10
cheered, and the King was very glad. When Aladdin
saw the King he asked for some land near the palace.
'I shall build a house for myself and my new wife,' he
said. When the king woke up next morning, he
looked out of his window. He saw a wonderful 15
palace. It shone with gold and jewels, and all around
it were gardens full of beautiful flowers. Of course,
this was the work of the Genie of the Lamp, but the
King did not know that.
28. 22 TA LE S FROM THK AR A BI A N N I G H T S
New lamps for old
The wedding was a wonderful day for everyone,
except the Wazir. At last the feast was over and
Aladdin and Badroulbadour were alone together. He
5 took her in his arms. 'I am the luckiest man in the
world.' he said.
The news of Aladdin, his wonderful palace and
his lovely wife, reached the magician. He was very
angry. He realized that Aladdin was not dead after
10 all. 'So he escaped,' said the magician. 'I must get
that lamp.'
He put on his oldest clothes and bought a lot of
cheap new lamps. Then he went through the streets
calling. 'New lamps for old! Bring me your old lamp,
15 and I will give you a new one!' Many people did this,
and at last the news reached Princess Badroulbadour.
Aladdin was not at home, and she wanted to
surprise him. She thought he would like to have a
nice new lamp. She sent a servant with Aladdin's
20 old lamp. 'He will be so pleased,' she said to herself.
The magician was very pleased. As soon as the
servant gave him the old lamp, he rubbed it. The
genie appeared. 'Take Aladdin's palace and everyone
in it, and put it down in the middle of Africa.' the
25 magician said. The genie picked the palace up in his
hands and flew away.
The Genie of the Ring
When Aladdin came home he rubbed his eyes. Where
was his beautiful palace? The King looked out of his
30 window and rubbed his eves too. Where was his
beautiful daughter?
29. A L A D D I N AND T H E P R I N C E S S 2 3
The Wazir came up to him. 'I told you not to let
your daughter marry that stranger,' he said. 'Now you
know all about him. He is a magician, and he has
taken your daughter away for ever.'
The King sent his soldiers to getAladdin. They 5
threw him into prison. The King sent for his
executioner. 'Cut off his head!' said the Wazir. That
will not bring my daughter back,' said the king
sadly.
Aladdin began to understand. The magician came 10
to the palace while I was out,' he said to himself. 'He
found the lamp. That is the only answer.'
Suddenly he remembered the magic ring. He
nibbed it and the small genie appeared. 'Genie,' he
said, 'go and find my palace and my wife. Bring them 15
back to me at once.'
The genie looked sad. 'I am very sorry, sir,' it said.
'I am not strong enough for that. The Genie of the
Lamp is much stronger than I am; you will have to
ask him.'
20
In Aladdin's palace
Aladdin thought for a minute. Then he asked, 'Can
you carry me to my palace?' The genie smiled. 'I am
sure I can do that, sir,' it said. And it did.
Soon Aladdin was in his own bedroom at the 25
palace. He took the Princess in his arms.
Tve done something wrong,' said Badroulbadour.
She told Aladdin about the old man and the lamps.
'He gave me this new one,' she said, 'and he put the
old one in his pocket. Then the whole palace flew 30
through the air — I can't understand it.'
'Where is the old man now?' asked Aladdin.
30. 24 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
'He is downstairs,' said Badroulbadour. 'He wants
to many me. He says I must decide today.'
'Send for him,' said Aladdin. Tell him you agree.
But give him some medicine to make him sleep.
5 While he is sleeping, we can take the lamp.' Then
Aladdin hid himself in the cupboard in the bedroom.
The story ends happily
Badroulbadour made a lovely cool drink for the
magician. Then she sent a servant to invite him to her
10 room. There she took off her veil and showed him
her beautiful face. 'Sit down,' she invited him, 'and
drink.' The magician drank. Soon he was asleep.
Quickly Badroulbadour took the lamp. Aladdin
came out of the cupboard. He took the lamp to his
15 own room, and rubbed it.
'I am glad to see you again, sir,' said the genie.
'What can I do for you?'
A few seconds later, the King looked out of his
window and saw Aladdin's palace again, with its
20 lovely gardens. 'I was dreaming,' the King said to
himself. Then he remembered Aladdin and the
executioner. 'I hope it is not too late!' he said.
Just then Aladdin came into the room with
Badroulbadour by his side. The King took them both
25 in his arms. The Wazir stole a horse and quietly rode
away from the King's palace.
And so Aladdin and his beautiful wife enjoyed a
long and happy life. The bad old magician was left
alone in Africa; perhaps he is still there today!
31. horses and carried them into the cave. The bags were
full of gold, silver and jewels.
A L I BABA
The magic cave
Once, a long time ago, there were two brothers.
Kassim was rich and greedy. His brother, Ali Baba,
was a kind man. Heworked very hard, but he was
poor. 5
Every day Ali Baba went to the forest with his
donkeys. There he cut wood which he sold in the
market.
One day Ali Baba was cutting wood when he saw
a big cloud of dust in front of him. It came closer 10
to where he was. Then he heard the noise of many
horses. Some people were coming.
Ali Baba was a little frightened. He hid his donkeys
behind a big rock. Then he climbed up into a tree.
The tree had big leaves, and no one could see him 15
there.
Ali Baba looked through the leaves. He saw forty
men on black horses. They stopped just under the
tree, but they did not look up. They looked at a big
wall of rock a few yards away. 20
'Open Sesame!' called the leader of the men. The
wall of rock opened wide and Ali Baba saw a large,
dark cave. The men took some heavy bags off their
25
'These men are thieves,' said Ali Baba to himself.
'They are hiding the things they have stolen in this
magic cave.' He saw the robbers come out again.
32. 26 TALES FROM THE ARABIAN MIGHTS
They climbed on their horses. The chief shouted
Close Sesame!' and the door of the cave shut. Then
they all rode away.
Ali Baba is rich
When the air was still and quiet again, Ali Baba
climbed down from his tree. He stood
in front of the wall of rock and
shouted, 'Open Sesame.' At once
the cave door opened and Ali
Baba went inside.
The cave was full of
treasure. Ali Baba took a
small bag of gold. It was almost
too heavy for him to move, but he
15 got it outside
said, and the
at last. 'Close Sesame!' he
cave doors closed. Then he
put his treasure on the back of one of his donkeys.
He put some wood on top, then he went home.
His wife was very excited and she began to count
the gold. There was so much! She got as far as a
hundred pieces, then she forgot, and had to start
33. ALI B A B A 27
again. 'I can't count all this gold,' she said to her
husband.
'There is enough to make us rich,' said Ali Baba.
Why do you want to count it?'
But his wife was unhappy. She wanted to know 5
just how rich she was. She went to Kassim's wife
and asked her for her scales.
Kassim's wife said to herself,
'Why does Ali Baba's wife want
my scales?' She always wanted
to know all about everything.
Before she gave the scales
to Ali Baba's wife, she
rubbed a little fat on them.
Ali Baba's wife ran home and
weighed the goldcoins.
Then she gave the scales back
to Kassim's wife. She did not notice that one small
gold coin was stuck to the bottom of the scales.
A greedy man 20
Kassim's wife showed the coin to her husband. 'I
thought your brother was a poor man!' she cried.
But now his wife has so much gold that she has to
weigh it!' Kassim was angry. He went to Ali Baba's
house to talk to him. 25
'Where did you get your gold, brother?' he asked
Ali Baba. Ali Baba had to tell him the story of the
thieves and the cave.
Kassim wanted all the treasure for himself. For
days he followed Ali Baba into the forest. At last Ali 30
Baba went to the cave to get another small bag
of gold. Kassim hid behind a rock and watched.
34. 2 8 T H A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
'Open Sesame,' said Aii Baba, and the door of the
cave opened. 'I must remember those words,' said
Kassim to himself.
Next day Kassim went to the wall of rock and said.
5 'Open says-a-me.' The cave door opened and Kassim
ran inside. 'Close says-a-me!' he called. He did not
want to leave the door open. He wanted to be in
the cave a long time. He wanted to look at all the
wonderful gold and silver and jewels.
10 He picked up a large bag and slowly filled it with
lovely things. At last, when the bag was full, he went
back to the cave door.
'Open says me!' he shouted. Nothing happened.
'Open me says!' said Kassim. Still nothing happened.
15 Poor Kassim had forgotten the magic word. He could
not get out. For hours and hours he tried again and
again.
Kassim's body
Then the door opened, but not because of Kassim. The
20 thieves had come. They had opened the cave door
from the outside. They were bringing more treasure.
When the robbers came into the cave, they saw
Kassim. They were cruel men. They took out their
knives and killed him. They cut his body into small
25 pieces. Then they went away again.
Night came, and Kassim did not come home for
dinner. His wife went to Ali Baba. She told him that
Kassim had gone to the magic cave.
Ali Baba thought that his brother was in danger. He
30 hurried to the cave. There he found the pieces of
Kassim's body on the floor. Sadly, he collected them
together and took them home.
35. A L I B A B A 2 9
Ali Baba had a good, clever servant girl. Her name
was Morgiana and she helped Ali Baba's wife in the
house.
When Ali Baba came home he showed her the little
pieces of Kassim's body. 'What can we do?' he asked.
'When we bury Kassim everyone will see his body
is in pieces. They will all start talking. Then the
thieves will hear about it and they will know the man
in the cave was Kassim. They will learn that I am his
brother. They will come here and kill us all.' 10
'Leave it to me,' said Morgiana.
The torn coat
Morgiana knew a clever tailor. She covered his
eyes and she led him at night to Ali Baba's house.
There, in a dark room, the tailor sewed the body 15
together.
'No one will know that Kassim was the person in
the cave.' said Ali Baba to himself. 'Kassim had an
accident in the forest,' he told Kassim's wife.
They buried the body next morning. No one asked JO
them any questions.
When the thieves went back to the cave, the body
was gone!
'Someone came into the cave while we were away,'
said the chief of the thieves. 'That means someone 25
knows the magic words. We must find him and kill
him.'
The thieves asked a lot of questions in the town.
'Did anyone bury a body that was cut into pieces?'
they asked. No one knew anything. .10
Then one day the chief tore his coat.
a tailor and asked him to mend it. He
He took it to
watched the
36. 3 0 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
tailor doing his work. He was using only a very small,
weak lamp.
'How can you sew with so little light?' asked the
chief.
'I don't need much light/ explained the tailor. 'I use
my fingers, not my eyes. I can sew with my eyes shut.
Last week I sewed a man's body
together in the dark!' He told
the chief all about the
body in Ali Baba's house.
'Lead me there,' said the
chief. He gave the
tailor a gold coin
and covered his eyes
with a cloth. The
tailor led him to
Ali Baba's house.
The chief took a
piece of white
chalk out of his
pocket and marked a
large cross on the door.
'Tomorrow,' said the chief to his men, 'we will burn
down that house — and we will kill our enemy too.'
25 Morgiana saves everyone
Early next morning Morgiana went outside to do
some work. She saw the white chalk cross. She did
not know what it meant, but she did not like it. She
got another piece of chalk. She marked a large white
30 cross on every door in the street.
When the thieves arrived, they did not know what
to do. Their chief went back to the tailor. Again he
37. ALI BABA 31
paid the tailor to lead him to Ali Baba's house. This
time he was sure.
'Listen to my plan,' he told his men. I shall pretend
that I am selling oil. We'll get twenty donkeys and
forty oil jars. Each of you must hide in one of the jars. 5
When it is time, I will lift up the lids. Then you must
jump out and kill everyone.'
The forty oil jars
The thirty-nine thieves hid in the oil jars. Their chief
filled the fortieth jar with oil. That evening he 10
knocked at Ali Baba's door.
'Good friend,' he said, my twenty donkeys and
I have nowhere to stay. If I give you this jar of oil, will
you let us sleep in your yard?'
'Keep your oil, my friend,' said Ali Baba. 'You are 15
welcome. Give water to your donkeys, then come
and eat with us.'
Morgiana was cooking the dinner. She needed
more oil and the shops were already shut. There are
forty jars of oil in the yard,' she said to herself. 'No 20
one will know if I take a tittle.'
She took a jug and went into the yard. She opened
the nearest jar. Is it time?' said a man's voice.
Morgiana was very surprised. At first she thought
it was a genie. But she was brave as well as clever. 25
'No,' she said to the robber in the jar. She went to the
next jar, and the next. The same thing happened. At
last she found the one jar that contained oil.
Morgiana took her jug of oil into the kitchen.
'Good men do not hide in oil jars,' she said to herself. 30
'They are going to do something bad. And I am going
to do something to stop them!'
38. 32 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
She took her biggest pot from the kitchen and
filled it with oil from the jar in the yard. She put the
pot of oil on the kitchen fire until the oil was boiling.
Carefully she carried it out into the yard. Carefully she
5 opened every jar, and poured very hot oil in. Then
she went back to the kitchen and finished cooking
the dinner.
The thieves are dead
When everyone was in bed the chief went out into
10 the yard. He lifted the lid of the first jar. 'It is time,' he
said. There was no answer. The same thing happened
the next time, and the time after that. All his
thirty-nine men were dead.
The next morning Ali
15 Baba's guest was gone.
He seemed to be in a
great hurry. He did
not thank Ali Baba
for his kind welcome
20 and good dinner. He just
rode away with his
twenty donkeys and his
forty jars. Ali Baba and his
wife felt hurt and sad. Only
25 Morgiana understood.
Later she told Ali Baba
her story. 'You have saved our
lives,' said Ali Baba. 'You are not my
servant any more. From today you are my dear
30 daughter.' Ali Baba's wife was very pleased, and so
was his son. Morgiana was pretty as well as clever,
and the young man fell in love with her.
39. ALI B A B A 33
For a whole year they all lived together in peace.
But one day the chief came back. This time he wore
the clothes and jewels of a rich man. He pretended lo be
ill outside Ali Baba's house. Of course, Ali Baba
invited himin.
5
That night Morgiana cooked a wonderful dinner.
The stranger saw her pretty face and ate her good
food. At once he told Ali Baba that he would pay a
good price for her.
'I cannot sell Morgiana,' said Ali Baba. 'Morgiana is 10
like a daughter to me.'
'Then let her be my wife,' said the stranger. Ali
Baba's son gave him a black, angry look. Ali Baba
was very unhappy. No one likes to say 'No' to a guest.
Morgiana's dance of death 15
Would you like to marry me, my little sugar-cake?'
said the stranger. Morgiana
pretended she was pleased,
but her eyes were hard and
cold. The stranger tried to
take her in his arms. As he
did so, his coat opened.
Morgiana's quick eyes saw
a long knife in his belt.
'Let me dance for you,'
she said to the stranger. She
went to herroom and put
on abeautiful dress and a
veil of many colours. She
carried a little silver drum
in one hand and a small
knife in the other.
40. 34 T A L E S F R O M THE. AR A BI A N N I G H T S
Morgiana danced like a leaf in the wind. As she
danced she beat the drum and waved the knife above
her head. She danced round and round, faster and
faster. The rich stranger tried to catch her; he wanted
.5 to hold her beautiful body in his arms.
Suddenly Morgiana threw herself at the stranger.
She buried the knife in his heart.
'What have you done?' cried Ali Baba.
'It is the chief of those thieves, Father,' said
10 Morgiana. She opened the dead man's coat and
showed Ali Baba the knife.
Safe at last
'Now we can live in peace at last!' said Ali Baba. 'And
Morgiana saved us all.' Soon Morgiana married Ali
15 Baba's son; it was a happy wedding. For a long time
they lived together in peace.
After a year Ali Baba felt brave enough to go
back to the magic cave. Long grass and tall plants
covered the wall of rock. But when Ali Baba said
20 'Open Sesame' the cave opened as easily as before.
All that treasure was Ali Baba's.
Ali Baba became the richest man in the city. No
one was unhappy with him because he was never
greedy. He built a lovely house for his wife and
himself. He bought a farm for his son and Morgiana.
He also gave a lot of money to the poor people. Every
night he knelt down beside his bed and thanked God
for his good luck.
41. T H E TALE OF SINBAD
THE SAILOR
We sail away
When I was still quite young, my father died and left
me all his money. I bought a ship. I paid a captain
and some sailors to work for me. I was sure I was
going to make a lot of money. 5
We sailed far away across the
sea. At last we saw a small island.
It wasn't very big: just ayellow
beach and a few small plants.
Some ofus decidedto go on 10
land. The captain was asleep.
We did not wake him. Two of
our sailors took a big wooden
barrel full of dirty clothes.
'Perhaps there is fresh water 15
on this island,' they said. 'It will
be good to wash our clothes in fresh water again!'
We lit a fire on the beach. Suddenly we saw some
water shooting up into the air. It flew up, higher than
the tallest tree, then it dropped down again. I closed 20
my eyes and rubbed them. When I opened them
again I could not believe what I saw.
The island comes to life
Suddenly we heard the voice of the captain. He was
awake now, and he could see what was happening. 25
42. 36 TA LE S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
'Come back to the ship!' he shouted. 'You are in
horrible danger!'
'The island is moving!' the sailor shouted. We ran
to our little boat. The ship was sailing away from us,
and the island was going down. Already the yellow
beach was smaller.
'We are on a huge fish!' one of the sailors cried.
'Our fire has woken it!'
He was right. That was no island. It was the
sleeping body of a huge fish, the largest fish in the
world. For years and years it slept; now it was awake,
and it was also in pain. Its huge tail flew up into the
air and fell on our little boat. The boat broke into a
thousand pieces. I was frightened. I thought I was
15 going to die.
Do you know what saved my life? It was that stupid
barrel of dirty clothes! 1 saw it beside me in the water,
and I held on to it and climbed in. The sailors went
down with the huge fish to the bottom of the sea.
20 The strange church
The ship was far away. I was alone in the wide, empty
sea. I do not know how long I was in my barrel, but
at last I woke up on a wide white beach. Where am
I?' I thought. If I climb a tree, perhaps I can see
25 something.'
I climbed a tree and looked around. Far away I saw
a huge, shining white dome. 'There must be a church
over there!' I cried. I walked very fast on my poor,
tired legs, towards the dome.
30 When I arrived, I found no doors or windows. The
whole dome was as white and smooth as an egg. I
did not understand it.
43. THE TALE OF SINBAD THE SAILOR 37
Suddenly the sky grew dark. Was it a
rain cloud? I looked up and saw
a huge bird, larger than the
biggest cloud you have ever
seen. It was a great giant of a 5
bird: the largest bird in all
the world. Then I knew
something else — the
church was a bird's egg!
Before I could run away, the
bird flew down and sat on its egg. I was a
prisoner under its great, hot body.
My turban fell off my head.
That made me think of a plan. I
tied myself to the bird's foot with the 15
cloth of my turban. I prayed to God
to help me, and then I went to sleep.
Snakes and diamonds
When I woke, the wind was blowing past my ears.
I was hanging under the bird's foot. There was 20
nothing except empty air between me and the
44. 38 TALES FROM T H E ARABIAN N I G H TS
ground! Every beat of the bird's great wings was
carrying me higher. I looked down and saw the egg.
It looked as small as a toy. I shut my eyes again and
began to pray.
5 Up and up we went. The air grew thin and cold.
When I opened my eyes, the bird was flying slowly,
very close to the ground. I untied my turban from
its foot and jumped down.
I fell into a strange, lonely place. There were black
10 rocks everywhere: no trees, no grass, no water. I cried
to God. 'Oh, Father, why did you save me from the
sea? Was that death too gentle for me?'
I looked round. There were great walls of rock all
around me. They were very high and there was
15 nowhere to climb up. I was sure I could never get out.
Suddenly something moved beside a rock. It was
a snake. I saw many more snakes asleep on the hot
rocks. One of them woke and began to move towards
me. 1 picked up a stone to throw at it. Then I looked
2O at the stone, and my mouth fell open with surprise.
It was a huge, beautiful diamond: bigger than the
biggest diamond you have ever seen! Everywhere
I looked the ground was covered with diamonds
and other jewels. 'What a place!' I said to myself.
25 'Snakes — and diamonds!'
Just then a large bird flew down and caught one
of the snakes. The others moved away. They were
frightened of birds.
Saved by a piece of meat
30 Just then something heavy fell down on the ground
beside me. At first I thought it was one of the big
birds, then I realized it was a piece of meat.
45. The bird dropped the meat and flew away. A face
looked at me over the edge of the nest.
T H E T A L E OF S I N B A D THE S AI L O R 39
Later I understood what was happening. The
people who live in that place want the diamonds, but
they are afraid of the snakes. They throw large pieces
of meat down. Some of the diamonds stick to the
meat. When the large birds come, they carry the meat 5
and the diamonds out of that horrible place.
I saw a way to escape. I filled my pockets with
diamonds, then I took the piece of meat in both
hands, and held it up. One of the birds flew down to
get the meat. It lifted the piece of meat — and me — 10
off the ground and flew towards its nest. Its baby was
waiting (that baby was as big as a sheep). The bird
began to tear up the meat to give to its baby. I thought
it would tear me up and give me to the baby, too.
A new friend 15
Suddenly I heard shouts. Stones flew into the nest.
Now you know how the people get the diamonds.
Brave (or greedy) men climb up to the birds' nests. 20
They frighten the birds away and take the jewels.
Some people will do anything for money!
'There are no diamonds in this nest, my friend,' I
said to the man. He was too surprised to answer.
'Forgive me,' I went on. 'I do not want to frighten 25
you. Just help me to get out of here! I have many
beautiful diamonds in my pockets. I shall be glad to
give you half of them.'
That man was a true friend to me. He helped me
down from the bird's nest. He gave me clean clothes 30
and good food. He helped me to sell my jewels. I had
enough money to buy six beautiful ships.
46. 40 TALES FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
I wanted to sail to Baghdad, but we were a long
way from home. No one knew of such a place. 1
found captains for my ships and filled them with
treasure. I sent them to all the four corners of the
5
world to look for Baghdad. I was sure that, one day,
they must hear news of my home. I myself got into
the biggest treasure ship of all. We sailed with the
wind. 'God makes the wind blow,' I said, 'I hope He
will send me home.'
10 Monkey-sailors
One morning we saw an island. 'Fresh water at last,' I
said. The captain shook his head. 'I don't think I like
this place,' he said.
Suddenly a small ship came towards us at top
15 speed. Its sailors were as small as monkeys. There
were hundreds of them and they came onto our ship
and fought with us.
Soon we were all prisoners on our own ship. The
little monkey-men sailed our ship to the island. Its
20 name was Zugb — an ugly name for an ugly place.
They picked us up — five of them could carry one of
our sailors easily — and took us to
the beach. There they left us.
Then they got into my
lovely ship and
sailed away.
47. T H E T A L E OF S IN BAD THE SAILOR 41
'Well,' I said to the captain, 'we have lost our ship
and our treasure, but we still have our lives.' The
captain did not answer. He was praying.
I looked round. Behind the beach was a very large
house with a very high wall all round it. The great 5
iron gate was open, so we went inside.
We looked for somewhere to sleep. We saw no
one, but there were white bones on the ground. 'Are
they for the dogs?' I said. The captain went very white
and said nothing. 10
The hungry giant
Soon we heard a noise like thunder. A huge, ugly man
came through the gates. He was bigger than an
elephant, and much uglier. He was a great giant:the
tallest, fattest, ugliest, hungriest giant in the world! He 15
locked the gates behind him with alarge key.
The giant lit a fire in the yard outside his house. He
sat down beside it, and looked at
us. He was not surprised to see us.
Suddenly I realized: the 'monkeys'
often brought poor sailors
to him. Now I knew where
the bones came from.
48. 42 TALES FROM T H E ARABI AN N I G H T S
He picked me up in one hand and felt
my arms and legs.
'Too thin,' he shouted. He picked up
our fattest sailor. That poor man was our
5 cook. The giant cooked him. He put him
on a long metal stick and held him over
the fire. Then he ate the poor man.
After his meal the giant fell asleep.
This went on for many days. The
10 giant gave us food and water; he wanted
us to be fat. Every morning he went out
and locked his gates behind him. Every
evening he ate one of us for supper.
A plan of escape
15 I thought of a plan. 'We must make a
ladder,' I said, 'and escape over the wall.'
We used benches from the giant's
kitchen. 'Later, if we are lucky,' I said,
'we can use them as a boat.' The benches
20 made a good, long ladder.
That night the giant fell asleep after his supper, and
I began the other half of my plan. I got two long
metal sticks. (You will remember, the giant cooked
his food on them). We put them in the fire until they
25 were white-hot. Then two of us ran with the white-
hot sticks and pushed them into the giant's eyes.
He roared with pain and jumped up. Of course, he
was blind, but he could still hear us. 'Quick!' I called.
'Over the wall!' We climbed the ladder. Then we
30 pulled it over the wall and threw it into the sea. This
was our boat. It was not very good but it was better
than nothing.
49. THE TALE OF SINRAD THE SAILOR 43
We sailed all night. At last the moon went down
and the sky in the east grew brighter. I saw something
in front of us; it looked like land.
The horrible sea snake
'Wake up!' I called to the sailors. 'I can see land. The
sea near the land is quite calm;
In some parts of the world there are islands like
rings of rock around a calm lake. This island looked
like that. We sailed towards it. But suddenly the
'island' came to life. No, it was not another fish. It was 10
a huge snake. It was the largest snake in the world.
Its great head rose out of the water. Its eyes were
hard and cold. It saw us. It opened its mouth, and its
great teeth closed down on six poor sailors. The
captain fell into the water and I never saw him again.
I was alone with this horrible sea snake.
'Well,' I said to myself, if I am going to die, I will use
these benches to make a coffin.' (In Baghdad,
everyone wants to be buried in a wooden coffin.) I
untied the benches and made them into a long box 2O
with a lid. It looked just like a coffin. I lay in my new
coffin and prayed for a quick, easy death.
The sea snake swam round and round my coffin. It
tried to get inside and eat me,
but it could not. At
last it swam
away.
50. 44 TA LE S PROM T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
Saved again
I do not know how long I spent in my coffin. I was
alone on the wide, dangerous sea. At last a ship
came past.
5 'Look,' one of the sailors called to his friends.
There's a box in the water. Shall we see what's
inside?'
They sent a boat to collect the coffin. They were
very surprised when they found a man inside! I was
10 more dead than alive. The sailors gave me food and
water, then they let me rest. They were good, kind
men who asked no questions. For a few days I ate,
slept and tried to forget that horrible sea snake.
At last 1 fell able to talk a little. The sailors were
15 very surprised to hear my story.
'So you are from Baghdad?' they said. 'Our captain
is from Baghdad too. He is a strange man. Do you
know, he has so much treasure, but he won't spend
any of it. He says it belongs to the owner of his ship.'
20 'Who is that?' I asked.
'A man called Sinbad.'
Back in Baghdad
The sailors told me about Sinbad. 'He disappeared
seven years ago,' they said, 'but the captain is still
25 waiting for him. Poor Sinbad! A huge fish ate him. But
the captain has never stopped hoping and praying.'
I begged the sailors to take me to their captain.
We knew each other at once. He was the very first
captain of my very first ship. 'So you kept my treasure
30 safe for me,' I said. 'You must have half of it, and
when we get back to Baghdad we will have a feast.'
51. THE TALE OF SINBAD THE SAILOR 45
We had a surprise when we arrived in Baghdad.
I found all my ships waiting for me there. You will
remember that I sent treasure ships to look for
Baghdad? Well, every one arrived there with the
treasure. I was as rich as a king.
The captain bought himself a beautiful ship and
went to sea again. I stayed in Baghdad for a time,
then I went to sea again. Many more interesting
tilings happened to me ... but that is enough for one
story!
52. T H E M AN WITH T H R E E W I V E S
The first wife
Sidi Ahmad was a lucky man. He had a nice home, a
pretty wife and a pleasant job. He had a donkey too.
Every day he cut wood in the forest and sold it in the
5 market. He was very happy. Only one thing in his life
was wrong. Sidi Ahmad's wife never stopped talking.
'Why don't you come home earlier? You never talk
to me! You never tell me I'm pretty! I don't know if
you love me. Perhaps you don't. You spend all your
10 time in the forest. Do you love the trees more than
me?' She went on and on. Sidi Ahmad loved her, but
he was always very glad to get into the forest. It was
quiet and peaceful there.
But one morning, his wife got on the donkey's
15 back. 'I'm coming with you,' she said. 'I want to make
sure you work hard. We never have much money. I'm
sure you spend half the day dreaming.'
Sidi Ahmad said nothing. But he thought of a
clever plan.
20 When they had gone a little way towards the forest,
he stopped the donkey. 'My dear,' he said, 'I wasn't
going to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise. But
tliere is a wonderful treasure down there.'
'Down where? Down in that old well?' said Sidi
25 Ahmad's wife. 'Don't just stand there talking. Take me
to the well and let me look!'
'It isn't safe, dear. You wait here. I'll go down and
get the treasure.'
53. T H E M A N WIT H T H R E E W I V E S 47
'No,' said Sidi Ahmad's wife. 'You will go down and
stay there all day long. I will look for the treasure for
myself.' She made Sidi Ahmad help her get into the
bucket. Then he slowly let her down into the deep,
dark well. 5
The quiet genie
Sidi Ahmad smiled quietly. He climbed on the
donkey's back and rode away. 'Mywife will be very
angry,' he said to himself. 'But I don't care; it's so 10
lovely and quiet without her! I'll come back and
help her up later.' He spent a happy, busy day in the
forest.
When it was getting dark he went back to the well.
He pulled up the bucket, and got ready to hear the 15
angry voice of his wife.
'Saved at last!' said a deep, soft voice. 'Oh, my
friend, you have saved me from that horrible woman!
How can I thank you, my dear, kind friend?'
Sidi Ahmad was very surprised. He almost let go 20
of the bucket. He had not pulled his wife out of the
well, but a large, ugly-looking genie.
'I'm a very quiet person,' said the genie. 'I hate
noise. I don't like people talking and laughing all
the time. I want to be calm and peaceful. Peaceful 25
and calm. That's what I like to be.'
He looked at Sidi Ahmad with large, sad eyes. I've
lived at the bottom of this well for hundreds of
years, you know. No one has ever disturbed me
before. Then suddenly this horrible woman appeared. 30
Talking, talking, talking, talking. I have never heard
anyone talk so much. But now you have saved me!
What a good, kind friend you are!' Then the genie
54. 4 8 T A L E S F R O M T H E A R A B I A N N I G H T S
picked up Sidi Ahmad and the donkey and flew away
with them.
'Where are we going?' asked Sidi Ahmad.
'Away from that horrible woman, of course,' said
5 the genie. 'Now tell me, what can I give you? Do you
want gold? Jewels? A king's daughter for your wife?'
'I don't want another wife, thank you — one is
quite enough!' laughed Sidi Ahmad.
The king's daughter
10 'Not all women are like that,' said the genie. 'Look at
this one; and if you want her, she's yours.'
He put Sidi Ahmad carefully down on the roof of
a beautiful palace. This palace belongs to the King
of China,' said the genie. 'His daughter is down there,
15 in the garden.'
Sidi Ahmad looked down at the beautiful young
girl. 'Oh, yes. I would like to marry her,' he said. Help
me, Genie, please!'
'Very well,' said the genie. 'Listen ...' He spoke a
20 few words in Sidi Ahmad's ear.
One minute the King's daughter was picking
flowers. The next minute she was lying on the
ground. She looked dead. The servants ran to her;
her eyes were shut and her face was as white as
25 milk. They called the King's doctor, but he could
do nothing.
'I will give anything — anything — to the man who
makes her well!' promised the King.
Sidi Ahmad walked into the room. I hear that vour
30 daughter is ill. Great King,' he said. They led him to
her. 'I see,' he said. 'A bad genie has got into your
daughter, Great King. This sometimes happens in my
55. T H E MAN WITH THREE WI V E S 49
country. I must try to make the genie go, but it will
not be easy.' He spoke to the white, still girl. 'Come
out off there, genie. Can't you see the girl's father is
frightened?'
The second wife 5
'It's nice in here!' a deep soft voice said. 'Nice and
peaceful!' The voice seemed to come from the lovely
lips of the King's beautiful daughter. The King fell
down on his knees. 'Please help her!' he cried.
'Get out!' said Sidi Ahmad again.
'Oh, all right!' said the deep voice.
The girl's body shook like a leaf
and the genie Hew out of her
mouth in a cloud of smoke.
'Oh, I've had such a strange
dream,' the girl said in her
own sweet voice. She sat up
and rubbed her eyes. Her
father ran to her and took
her in his arms.
Soon Sidi Ahmad
married the King's
daughter.
56. 50 T A L E S FROM THE AR A BI A N N I G H T S
They had a beautiful wedding and were very happy.
Sidi Ahmad forgot about his other wife. The one he
left in the well.
One day some servants arrived from the King of
5 India. 'Great King,' they said, 'we hear that you
have a wonderful doctor who can make genies obey
him. Our King's daughter is very ill, and the palace
magician can do nothing. He says that a genie is
inside her, and the genie is too strong for him.'
10 'Of course my son-in-law will help,' said the King
of China. 'He took a genie out of my daughter when
she was close to death. Sidi Ahmad, go at once and
help these good people.'
The third wife
15 Sidi Ahmad did not want to go. He was very happy
with his new wife, but he had to obey the King.
The King of India was very glad to see Sidi Ahmad.
'Sir,' he said, 'I will give you anything — anything —
if you can help my daughter.'
20 'I will do my best,' said Sidi Ahmad. He lifted the
girl's veil — and fell in love. She was tall and dark,
with red lips and hair like a black cloud around her
lovely face. 'Dear lady,' he said, 'I am so sorry I can't
help you.'
25 To his surprise a deep, soft voice answered, 'Oh!
So they asked you to come!' It was the genie from
the well.
'Come out!' cried Sidi Ahmad in a loud voice.
Quietly he whispered, 'If you don't come out, they
30 will cut off my head!'
'But I like it here,' said the deep voice. 'It is so
calm, so peaceful.'
57. THE MAN WITH THREE WIVES 51
'Please!' begged Sidi Ahmad. 'I saved you once.'
That was a long time ago,' said the genie. 'I'm very
happy here. I'm going to stay.'
Then Sidi Ahmad remembered something. He
looked behind him. 5
'Genie,' he said. 'I have brought someone with me.
She wants to talk to you.'
'Who?' said the deep voice.
'That nice woman from the well,' replied Sidi
Ahmad. 'She says she could not find the treasure at 10
the bottom of the well. She thinks you know where it
is. Shall I tell her you're here?'
'Oh, no!' said the deep, soft voice. 'Not that talking
woman. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Oh, no! Don't tell
her I am here. Tell her I have gone away, and you 15
don't know where I am.'
Then the girl's body began to shake like a leaf. The
genie flew out of her mouth like a cloud of black
smoke. The girl sat up and nibbed her beautiful dark
eyes. 20
'Good day, dear lady,' said Sidi Ahmad. 'Will you
marry me?' Of course, she agreed.
The end of the story
And so Sidi Ahmad became the husband of three
wives. One was the daughter of the King of China. 25
One was the daughter of the King of India. Both were
sweet and pretty and kind, but Sidi Ahmad loved his
first wife best. She always took great care of him, and
she never said a word.
You see, when Sidi Ahmad was in India, talking 30
to the genie, he remembered his poor first wife. He
went straight back to the well and pulled her up.
58. 52 T A L E S FROM THE ARABI AN N I G H T S
The cold well had hurt
her throat. She had lost her
voice and could not say anything
to him. Before she could get her
5 voice back, Sidi Ahmad told his servants to make
wells everywhere. Each well had a bucket of gold,
with his wife's name on it.
'How sweet,' people said. Sidi Ahmad loves his
first wife so much!' His wife understood, too. She
10 knew that Sidi Ahmad loved her. When her voice got
better, she stayed quiet. She did not want to be a
prisoner in the well again! Yes, Sidi Ahmad was a
very lucky man.
59. T H E M A N W I TH T H R E E W I V E S 5 3
For a thousand and one nights, Sheherezade told
the King her stories. She told one wonderful story
after another. Every morning she stopped in the
middle of a new story. Every morning the King sent
his executioner away. He had to hear the rest of the 5
story, and then the next one, and then the one after
that.
One day he forgot to tell the executioner to come
back again. No more lovely young girls died because
of King Shahriah after that. 10
60. QUESTIO N S AND ACTIVITIES
CHAPT E R 1
Put the beginning of each sentence with the right ending.
1 The King's wife loved another man ...
a ... because she wanted to slop him killing any more girls.
2 The King was lonely ...
b ... because he did not want to be left alone in the world.
3 The Wazir was happy ...
c ... because he wanted to hear I he end of the story.
4 Sheherezade said she would marry the king ...
d ... so the King told the executioner to cut her head off.
5 The Wazir did not want his daughter to marry the king ...
e ... because he thought the king would be married again.
6 The King told the executioner to come back the next day ...
f ... so he told the Wazir to bring him a pretty girl.
CHAPT E R 2
Choose the right words to say what this part of the story is
about.
The Genie said his army (1) won a war against/was beaten
by King Solomon. The King made him his (2) friend/prisoner.
The Genie begged for (3) his life/some gold. King Solomon
could see how (4) happy/sorry he was.
Then the King told the Genie to (5) stand up/sit down. He told
the Genie to (6) obey/fight him. He said if the genie did that
they would be (7) friends/enemies. The Genie said he was the
(8) smallest/greatest genie in the world. He did not want to be
(9) friends with/a servant of the King.
61. QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES 55
Then the King said some (10) magic/funny words. The Genie
got (11) fatter/smaller. The King put him in the bottle and
closed it with (12) his seal/some glue. He threw the bottle into
the (13) river/sea.
CHAPTER 3
Put the words in each sentence in the right order to say what
the story is about.
1 Aladdin found the lamp
and ...
2 He put some fruit in his
pocket,
3 The magician wanted
Aladdin ...
4 He planned to shut the door
and ...
5 Aladdin asked the
magician ...
6 The magician was angry,
and he ...
7 He threw some dust on the
fire and ...
8 The big stone slid back and
the ...
[pocket] [put] [his] [in] [it].
[on] [lamp] [of] [top] [the].
[give] [to] [lamp] [him] [the].
[inside] [leave] [hole] [the|
[Aladdin].
[help] [up] [first] [to] [him].
[not] [to] [did] [wait] [want].
[more] [some] [said] [words]
[magic].
[over] learthl [hole] [closedl
[the].
CHAPTER 4
Use each of these words once to say what the story is about:
magician, middle, lamp, genie, rubbed, surprise, clothes,
servant, old.
The magician wanted to get the (1) . He put on his oldest
(2) , and bought some cheap new lamps. He told people he
would give them a new lamp for their (3) lamps.
Princess Badroulbadour wanted to (4) Aladdin. She thought
he would like a nice new lamp. She sent a (5) with
Aladdin's old lamp to the (6) .
62. 56 QUESTION S AND ACTIVITIES
The magician (7) the lamp. He told the (8) to take
Aladdin's palace, and everyone in it, to the (9) of Africa.
CHAPTER 5
Put the answers in the right places. In the centre of the puzzle
you will see the two words that Kassim forgot. Use these words:
wonderful, treasure, gold, magic, closed , pieces , jewels .
coin, silver, cave The first one has been done for you.
Kassim's wife showed Kassim the gold (1) . Later, Ali Baba
told Kassim about the thieves and the (2) . Kassim wanted
all the (3) for himself. When Ali Baba went to the cave to
get a small bag of (4) , Kassim followed him.
The next day Kassim went into the cave by himself. He (5)
the door behind him. He wanted to look at all the (6) gold
and (7) and (8) . But when he wanted to get out he
could not remember the (9) words. The robbers found him
in the cave. They killed him and cut his body into small
(10), .
1
10
1 C O 1 N
5
6
3
2
9
8
63. QUESTION S AND ACTIVITIES 57
CHAPTER 6
The underlined sentences are all in the wrong paragraph.
Which paragraph should they go in? Write them out in the
right place.
1 A huge, ugly man came through the gales. He was blind, but
he guild still hear us. He locked the gates and then lit a fire
in the yard outside his house.
2 The giant picked up our fattest sailor. He was bigger than an
elephant. The giant held him over the fire, and then ate the
poor man.
3 The giant gave us food and water. He was our cook. Every
evening he came home and ate one of us for supper.
4 One night we pushed white-hot slicks into the giant's eyes.
He wanted us to be fat. We climbed up the benches, over the
wall, and escaped.
CHAPTER 7
The letters in these words are all mixed up. What should they
he? (The first one is 'talking'.)
Sidi Ahmad's wife never stopped (1) ganklit. Sidi Ahmad loved
her, but he was always glad to get away into the (2) strofe,
where it was quiet and (3) upcelafe. One morning his wife said
she was going with him. She wante d to make sure he
(4) droke w hard and didn't spend half the day (5) inmegard.
Sidi Ahmad thought of a (6) velcre plan. He told his wife that
there was a wonderful (7) estaurer down in an old well in the
forest. Sidi Ahmad's wife made him let her down into the well.
Then Sidi Ahmed got on his (8) yenko d and rode away.
Later, when it was getting dark, Sidi Ahmad went back and
pulled up the (9) kubect. He thought he would hear the angry
(10) ocive of his wife, but he was very (11) durripess. Instead
of his wife, he pulled up an ugly-looking (12) inege.
