第92章 ALAEDDIN ABOU ESH SHAMAT.(2)

When the days of her pregnancy were accomplished，the pangs of labour took her and they raised cries of joy. The midwife delivered her with difficulty [of a son]，then，taking the new-born child，she pronounced over him the names of Mohammed and Ali and said，God is Most Great！' Moreover，she called in his ear the call to prayer；then swathed him and gave him to his mother，who took him and put him to her breast；and he sucked his full and slept. The midwife abode with them three days，till they had made the mothering-cakes and sweetmeats；and they distributed them on the seventh day. Then they sprinkled salt[87] and the merchant，going in to his wife，gave her joy of her safe delivery and said，Where is the gift of God？So they brought him a babe of surpassing beauty，the handiwork of the Ever-present Orderer of all things，whoever saw him would have deemed him a yearling child，though he was but seven days old. Shemseddin looked on his face and seeing it like a shining full moon，with moles on both cheeks，said to his wife，What hast thou named him？If it were a girl，'answered she，I had named her；but it is a boy，so none shall name him but thou.' Now the people of that time used to name their children by omens；and whilst the merchant and his wife were taking counsel of the name，they heard one say to his friend，Harkye，my lord Alaeddin！' So the merchant said，We will call him Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat.'[88] Then he committed the child to the nurses，and he drank milk two years，after which they weaned him and he grew up and throve and walked upon the earth. When he came to seven years old，they put him in a chamber under the earth，for fear of the evil eye，and his father said，He shall not come out，till his beard grows.' And he gave him in charge to a slave-girl and a black slave；the former dressed him his meals and the latter carried them to him. Then his father circumcised him and made him a great feast；after which he brought him a doctor of the law，who taught him to write and repeat the Koran and other parts of knowledge，till he became an accomplished scholar. One day，the slave，after bringing him the tray of food，went away and forgot to shut the trap-door after him： so Alaeddin came forth and went in to his mother，with whom was a company of women of rank. As they sat talking，in came he upon them，as he were a drunken white slave，[89] for the excess of his beauty；and when they saw him，they veiled their faces and said to his mother，God requite thee，O such an one！

How canst thou let this strange slave in upon us？Knowest thou not that modesty is a point of the Faith？Pronounce the name of God，[90] answered she. This is my son，the darling of my heart and the son of the Provost Shemseddin.' Quoth they，We never knew that thou hadst a son： and she，His father feared the evil eye for him and shut him up in a chamber under the earth，nor did we mean that he should come out，before his beard was grown；but it would seem as if the slave had unawares left the door open，and he hath come out.' The women gave her joy of him，and he went out from them into the courtyard，where he seated himself in the verandah.[91] Presently，in came the slaves with his fathers mule，and he said to them，Whence comes this mule？Quoth they，Thy father rode her to the shop，and we have brought her back.' And what is my fathers trade？asked he. And they replied，He is Provost of the merchants of Cairo and Sultan of the Sons of the Arabs.' Then he went in to his mother and said to her，O my mother，what is my fathers trade？

Said she，He is a merchant and Provost of the merchants of Cairo and Sultan of the Sons of the Arabs. His slaves consult him not in selling aught whose price is less than a thousand dinars，but sell it at their own discretion；nor doth any merchandise，little or much，enter or leave Cairo，without passing through his hands；

for，O my son，God the Most Great hath given thy father wealth past count.' Praised be God，'exclaimed he，that I am son of the Sultan of the Sons of the Arabs and that my father is Provost of the merchants！But why，O my mother，did you put me in the underground chamber and leave me prisoner there？O my son，

answered she，we did this for fear of （mens） eyes，for it is true that the evil eye hath power to harm and the most part of the sojourners in the tombs are of its victims.'