Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

During the discussion at dinner, Aladdin's mother expresses her big disappointment in her son, who so far has not started to get some job to sustain them, when she will no longer be able to work.

And from what the sorcerer (the Maghrebi) says to Aladdin, we learn that he does not want to work with his hands, but being a merchant would suit him very well.

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ON THE FOURTH NIGHT

Sheherazade said:

The Maghrebi, speaking to Aladdin and his mother, continued: “And, at the same time, I forgot my fatigues and my worries, and I almost flew away with joy. But, unfortunately, why did I soon have to learn from the mouth of this child that my brother had passed away at the mercy of Allah Most High? Ah! the terrible news that nearly knocked me over with shock and pain! But, O wife of my brother, the child must have probably told you how he succeeded, by his sight and his resemblance to the deceased, in consoling me a little, thus reminding me of the proverb which says: The man who leaves a posterity does not die! »

Thus spoke the North African. And he noticed that Aladdin's mother, at these evoked memories of her husband, wept bitterly. And, to make her forget her sadness and change her dark thoughts, he turned to Aladdin and asked him: "My son Aladdin, what have you learned in terms of trade, and what work do you do to come to the assistance of your mother, this poor one, and to subsist together? »

Hearing this, Aladdin, overcome with shame for the first time in his life, lowered his head, looking down. And as he didn't say a word, his mother answered in his place: "A trade, O brother of my husband! a job for Aladdin? And how? By Allah, he knows nothing at all! Ah! a child like that, it's all wrong, I have never seen one like him! All day long he is running around with the children of the neighborhood, vagabonds, rascals, and scoundrels like him! And that instead of following the example of nice children who stay in the shop with their father! Ah! his father is dead, O bitter regrets, only because of him! And besides, now I am also reduced to a sad state of health! And I can hardly see, with my eyes worn out by tears and the night working tirelessly and spending my days and nights spinning cotton to manage to have enough to buy two pancakes of corn, just enough to feed us both. And such is my condition! And I swear to you by your own life, O brother of my husband, that he only comes home just at mealtimes! And then that's all! Also, sometimes, when he abandons me in this way, me, his mother, I think of closing the door of the house and not opening it to him again, to force him to go and find some job that will support him! And then I don't have the strength to do it, because the mother's heart is pitiful and merciful! But age comes, and I am becoming a very old woman, O brother of my husband! And my shoulders no longer support fatigue as they used to! And it's barely now that my fingers consent to turn the spindle! And I do not know if I will be able to continue such a task for long, without being betrayed by life as I am abandoned by my son, this Aladdin who is there, in front of you, O brother of my husband!"

And she began to sob.

Then the Maghrebi turned to Aladdin and said to him: “Ah! O son of my brother, in truth I did not know all this about you! Why do you walk this wandering path? What a shame on you, Aladdin! This is hardly becoming for men like you! You are gifted with reason, my child, and you are a son of a good family! Isn't it a dishonor for you to let your poor mother, an old woman, take care of supporting you when you are a man of an age to create for yourself an occupation capable of supporting you both? And then, oh my child, you should thank Allah that there is nothing more numerous in our city than the masters of trades! You will therefore only have to choose the job that you like best, and I will take it upon myself to place you there! And in this way, when you will have grown up, my son, you will have in your hands a sure profession that will protect you against the blows of fate! So speak! And if your late father's job, needlework, isn't to your liking, look for something else, and let me know! And I will help you as much as I can, O my child!"

But Aladdin, instead of answering, continued to keep his head bowed and to keep silent, to mark in this way that he wanted no other profession than that of a vagabond. And the Maghrebi understood his repugnance for manual trades and tried to take it differently. So he said to him: “O son of my brother, let my insistence not offend you or cause you pain! Let me only add that, if trades put you off, I am ready, if you want to become an honest man, to open a fine shop for you as a silk merchant in the great souk! And I'll fill that shop for you with the most expensive fabrics and the finest quality brocades. And in this way, you will make good connections in the world of the big merchants! And you will get into the habit of selling and buying, taking and giving. And your reputation will be excellent in the city. And you will honor thus the memory of your late father! What do you think of that, O Aladdin, my son? »

When Aladdin heard this proposal from his uncle and understood that he was going to become a great merchant in the souk, a man of importance, dressed in beautiful clothes, with a silk turban and a pretty belt of different colors, he extremely rejoiced. And he looked at the North African, smiling and tilting his head to the side, which, in his language, clearly meant: "I accept!"

— At this point in her narration, Scheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.

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