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

So poor Aladdin said, “O my uncle, command me and I will obey you.”

And the wizard said to him, “You are like my own child! Go to that ring and lift it. And repeat your name and the names of your father and mother.”

So Aladdin said the names of his parents and lifted the stone. Before him lay^[11] twelve steps.

The wizard said to him, “Aladdin, descend carefully there. You will find a place divided into three large halls. In each hall you will see four golden jars. Don’t touch anything, or you will die. Leave them and go on to the fourth hall. You will find a door. Open the door, enter, and you will see a garden full of fruit trees. Then you will see a ladder of about fifty steps. Come to a niche in a terrace. There stands a lighted lamp. Bring it to me.”

He gave a ring to Aladdin, and said, “My son, this ring will guard you. You will become the richest man in the world!”

So Aladdin went down into the cave. He found the halls and the golden jars. Then he came to the garden and went through it till he found the ladder. He climbed the ladder, took the Lamp, and went down into the garden.

The trees were all covered with precious stones instead of fruit. Each tree was of a different kind and had different jewels, of all colours, green and white and yellow and red and other colours. Aladdin gathered pockets full of them and said, “I will gather these glass fruits and play with them at home.”

When he came to the steps, he was unable to climb them by himself, without help. And he called to the magician, “O my uncle, give me your hand and help me to get up.” The wizard replied, “Give me the Lamp, it is very heavy.”

But Aladdin answered, “No, the Lamp is not heavy at all. Give me only your hand, and when I am up^[12] I will give you the Lamp.” But the wizard wanted only the Lamp, and became very angry. The wizard cried, “You silly boy! You will stay here for ever!^[13]”

He said magical words and threw the stick into the fire. Immediately the earth closed again. Aladdin remained under the ground. The magician was just a stranger and no uncle of Aladdin. He read in his magic books about a wonderful Lamp. This Lamp could make him the most powerful man in the world. He heaped the earth over Aladdin. Then he went away.

But as for^[14] Aladdin, he began to call his uncle. He shouted, and no one answered him. Then he understood, that the stranger was no uncle at all.^[15] So Aladdin began to weep.

Then he began to look for^[16] an exit. The doors were shut. But he noticed the ring! The false uncle gave him a ring and said, “This ring will guard you from all danger.”

So Aladdin rubbed the ring. Immediately the Jinn appeared before him and cried, “Here I am, your slave, between your hands. Ask what you want, because I see the ring of my master.”

When Aladdin saw a Jinn, he was very afraid. But the Jinn said, “Ask what you want, I am your servant, because the ring is on your hand.”