Aladdin and The Wonderful Lamp
From The Arabian Night's Entertainment
Vocabulary
brass：黃銅
rub：摩擦、搓揉
grant：（通常指官方）同意，准予，授予
bathhouse：澡堂
bride：（準）新娘
bridegroom：（準）新郎
servant：（尤指舊時的）傭人，僕人/公務員、公僕
Chapter 1
The Evil Magician
A long time ago, there lived a lazy boy named Aladdin.
He would play with his friends all day long.
Aladdin's mother was upset about her son.
She would cry and pray.
She wanted her son to change his behavior.
However, Aladdin never changed.
One day, a man came to Aladdin and asked,
"Are you Mustapha's son?"
"I am," answered Aladdin.
"But he died long ago."
The stranger kissed Aladdin when he heard this.
He said, "I am your uncle. I thought you might look like my brother.
Go home, and tell your mother that I am coming."
Aladdin ran home and told his mother.
"Yes, your father had a brother," his mother said.
"But I thought he was dead."
She prepared some food.
His uncle came to their house.
He spoke to Aladdin's mother,
"Please don't be surprised. You don't know me.
I was living in another country for forty years."
Aladdin took him all around the city.
They looked at all of the sights together.
His uncle bought Aladdin some beautiful clothes.
"Aladdin, I have something to tell you," said the uncle.
"I am your uncle. But I am also a magician."
Aladdin was excited to hear this.
The next day, the magician took Aladdin to a valley between two big mountains.
"I will show you something fantastic," said the uncle.
The magician said the magic word "Abracadabra,"
The earth shook in front of them.
Magically, a brass ring appeared.
"Under the brass ring is a treasure. It will be yours.
But you must do exactly what I tell you."
When Aladdin heard the word "treasure", he was no longer afraid.
"Pick up the ring," said the magician.
Now say the name of your father.
Aladdin did as he was told.
The ring opened a door.
Some steps appeared.
"Go down into the cave," said the magician.
"There you will see a lamp. Pick it up, and bring it to me."
Aladdin went down into the cave.
He found a lamp in a garden.
He picked it up and took it to the entrance of the cave.
"Hurry! Give me the lamp," shouted the magician.
"I will give it to you when I am out of the cave," replied Aladdin.
The magician became very angry.
He said some magic words.
The door closed.
The man wasn't really Aladdin's uncle.
He was an evil magician.
He picked Aladdin to use him.
He planned to kill Aladdin after he got the lamp.
Aladdin stayed in the dark cave for two days.
He rubbed his hands together to pray.
While rubbing, he also rubbed the brass ring.
A big genie appeared.
"I'm the genie of the ring.
I will grant all your wishes," said the genie.
"Please, get me out of this cave," said Aladdin.
The earth opened, and magically Aladdin was outside.
Aladdin was so happy to be outside.
He ran home as fast as he could.
He told his mother what happened.
Aladdin showed her the lamp.
Now he was very hungry, but there was no food.
"I will sell this lamp and buy some food," he said.
The lamp was very dirty.
Aladdin's mother began to clean it.
She rubbed the dirt off, and another genie appeared out of the lamp.
"What would you like ?" said the genie.
Aladdin's mother was so surprised that she fainted.
Aladdin grabbed the lamp.
"Bring me something to eat," he demanded.
The genie returned with twelve silver plates filled with meat.
"Please sell the lamp," his mother begged.
"This genie is a devil!"
"No, I can't," said Aladdin.
"We should keep this lamp. We will need it."
Chapter 2
The Beautiful Princess
One day, the king talked to the people.
"Everyone should stay home.
Keep your doors and windows closed.
My daughter will travel to and from the bathhouse," ordered the king.
Aladdin was very curious.
He wanted to see the princess' face.
Aladdin hid behind the door of the bathhouse.
He saw the princess as she entered the bathhouse.
She was so beautiful, and he immediately fell in love with her.
He went home and told his mother.
"I am so in love with the princess," he said.
"Please, mother, go to the king,
and tell him I want to marry the princess," begged Aladdin.
The genie of the lamp gave them jewels.
Aladdin's mother packed the jewels in a napkin.
She went to the palace.
The king and his chief advisor were in a big hall.
She entered and stood at the door.
"I see a woman standing in front of the door," said the king.
"Call her so I can find out what she wants."
Aladdin's mother bowed to the king.
"Stand up, good woman.
What do you want from me?" asked the king.
"My son, Aladdin, is in love with the princess," she said.
"He said he would die if he couldn't marry the princess."
"What do you have in the napkin?" asked the king.
"These were jewels for the king."
She said as she opened the napkin.
The king was surprised.
The jewels were very valuable.
He turned to his chief advisor.
"What do you think?
Isn't this enough money to allow the princess and Aladdin to marry?"
The chief advisor wanted his son to marry the princess.
"Please, wait three months before you agree to this marriage," he begged.
He hoped his son could prepare a bigger present to give to the king.
The king agreed.
The chief advisor had to hide his plan from Aladdin's mother.
He said to her, "Your son can marry the princess.
So please come again in three months."
Aladdin waited patiently for two months.
Then one day, his mother went to the city to buy food.
There was a big party.
"What is everyone celebrating?" she asked.
"You don't know?" was the answer.
"The chief advisor's son will marry the princess tonight."
She ran and told Aladdin.
He was really upset at first.
Then he thought about the lamp.
He rubbed it, and the genie appeared.
"What would you like?" said the genie.
"I want you to bring the bride and the bridegroom to me tonight." replied Aladdin.
"As you wish," said the genie.
Aladdin then went to his room.
In it were the princess and her new husband.
"Take this man," said Aladdin to the genie.
"And put him outside in the cold.
You can return him in the morning."
The genie took the chief advisor's son.
Aladdin was alone with the princess.
"Don't be afraid," Aladdin said to her.
"You are my wife.
Your father promised me. I will not hurt you."
The next morning, the princess told her father everything.
The king talked to the chief advisor's son.
"It's true," the son said.
"I love the princess.
But I would rather die than have another night like that.
I want to leave her."
The king granted his wish.
After the three months were over, Aladdin's mother went to the palace.
The king said, "Good woman, tell your son that he is welcome to marry my daughter."
She immediately went home and told Aladdin.
"Hurry. the king is waiting for you."
Aladdin called the genie.
"Build me the finest palace."
The palace was finished in the next day.
Aladdin and the princess got married.
After the wedding, Aladdin took her to his palace.
Aladdin became the captain of the king's army.
He won several battles for the king.
He lived in peace and happiness for many years.
CHAPTER 3
The Return of The Evil Magician
The evil magician was living far away in Africa.
He found out that Aladdin had escaped from the cave and that he had married the princess.
"He is using the genie's help," the magician said to himself.
"I will get that lamp. and I will make Aladdin poor again!"
The magician bought a dozen lamps.
He went to the palace.
"New lamps for old ones!" he cried.
Unluckily, Aladdin was hunting.
The princess grabbed Aladdin's magic lamp when she heard this.
"Please take this, and trade it with the old man,"
she ordered servant.
The servant gave the lamp to the magician.
"Please take your choice of lamps," he told her.
He then carried the lamp out of the city.
He pulled out the lamp and rubbed it.
The genie appeared.
"Genie, take Aladdin's palace, the princess, and me to a quiet place in Africa." the magician ordered.
The next morning, the king looked out his window.
"Aladdin's palace is gone!" he screamed.
The king was angry.
"Bring Aladdin back," he ordered.
The soldiers found Aladdin and tied him up.
They carried him to the king.
"You're a cheat," said the king.
He then showed Aladdin the place where his palace was.
Aladdin was so surprised he couldn't say a word.
"Where are your palace and my daughter?" demanded the king.
"You must find her, or you will lose your head."
"Please, give me forty days," asked Aladdin.
"I will find her."
The king agreed to Aladdin's wish.
Aladdin rubbed the brass ring on his finger.
The genie appeared.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Bring back my wife and the palace," begged Aladdin.
"I can't do this," said the genie.
"You must ask the genie of the lamp."
"Then take me to the palace," asked Aladdin.
Magically, Aladdin appeared under his wife's window in Africa.
The princess saw him and opened the window quickly.
"Aladdin," she cried, "I missed you so much."
"princess," said Aladdin.
"The lamp is magic. Please tell me what happened to it."
She told him that she had exchanged the lamp.
"Where is the lamp now?" said Aladdin.
"The evil man always carries it with him," answered the princess.
"He wants me to forget about you and marry him.
If he sees you, he will try to hurt you."
"Don't worry," said Aladdin.
"Everything will be okay."
Then he went into town.
He bought some powder and returned to the princess.
"Please do as I say," Aladdin said to the princess.
She listened to Aladdin carefully.
When the magician came, the princess greeted him warmly.
"Now I know that Aladdin is dead. I can no longer cry for him.
Therefore, I would like to have dinner with you.
Could you please bring me some wine?"
The magician ran to get some wine.
The princess quickly put the powder in her cup.
When the magician returned, she asked.
"Please drink from my glass. And we can live happily ever after."
She then exchanged glasses with him.
The magician drank all of his wine and fell dead on the floor.
The princess then opened the door for Aladdin.
She hugged his neck.
Aladdin went immediately to the dead magician.
He took out the lamp.
He ordered the genie to return the palace.
In an instant, they were back home.
The king was crying over the loss of his daughter.
He then looked up and rubbed his eyes.
The palace had returned!
Aladdin and his wife lived happily together.
He later became King when the princess' father died.
Comments
Post a Comment