Aladdin And The Wonderful Lamp (Part 2) Magical Sleep Story

Welcome to Drift Off,

The podcast that helps you relax and unwind with soothing bedtime stories.

I'm your host Joanne,

And tonight I'll be reading Part 2 of Aladdin,

A tale filled with wonder,

Adventure,

And a touch of magic.

If you haven't heard Part 1 yet,

You're welcome to listen to that first.

But don't worry,

This story has a timeless dreamlike quality that makes it easy to settle into no matter where you begin.

Now let's take a few moments to relax before we begin.

Find a comfortable position and allow your body to settle in for the night.

Gently close your eyes,

Letting the weight of the day melt away.

Take a slow deep breath in,

And as you exhale,

Feel your body soften into your bed.

Now let's take another deep breath in,

Feel your chest rise,

And now exhale,

Letting go of any lingering thoughts.

Now imagine yourself in a quiet,

Moonlit palace,

Where the air is warm and scented with jasmine.

The gentle flicker of lanterns casts soft golden light,

And in the distance,

You can hear the soothing trickle of a fountain.

Here in this peaceful place,

You are safe,

Relaxed,

And at ease.

And so my friend,

When you're ready,

Let's begin our story.

Far away in Africa,

The magician remembered Aladdin,

And by his magic arts discovered that Aladdin,

Instead of perishing miserably in the cave,

Had escaped,

And had married a princess,

With whom he was living in great honor and wealth.

He knew that the poor tailor's son could only have accomplished this by means of the lamp,

And traveled night and day till he reached the capital of China,

Bent on Aladdin's rune.

As he passed through the town,

He heard people talking everywhere about a marvelous palace.

Forgive my ignorance,

He asked.

What is this palace you speak of?

Have you not heard of Prince Aladdin's palace,

Was the reply?

The greatest wonder in the world?

I will direct you if you have a mind to see it.

The magician thanked him who spoke,

And having seen the palace,

Knew that it had been raised by the genie of the lamp,

And became half mad with rage.

He determined to get a hold of the lamp,

And again plunge Aladdin into the deepest poverty.

Unluckily,

Aladdin had gone hunting for eight days,

Which gave the magician plenty of time.

He bought a dozen lamps,

Put them into a basket,

And went to the palace crying.

New lamps for old,

Followed by a jeering crowd.

The princess,

Sitting in the hall of four and twenty windows,

Sent a slave to find out what the noise was about,

Who came back laughing,

So that the princess scolded her.

Madam,

Replied the slave,

Who can help laughing to see an old fool offering to exchange fine new lamps for old ones?

Another slave,

Hearing this,

Said,

There is an old one on the cornice there which he can have.

Now this was the magic lamp which Aladdin had left there,

As he could not take it out hunting with him.

The princess,

Not knowing its value,

Laughingly bade the slave take it and make the exchange.

She went and said to the magician,

Give me a new lamp for this.

He snatched it and bade the slave take her choice amid the jeers of the crowd.

Little he cared,

But left off crying his lamps and went out of the city gates to a lonely place where he remained till nightfall when he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it.

The genie appeared and at the magician's command carried him together with the palace and the princess in it to a lonely place in Africa.

Next morning,

The sultan looked out of the window towards Aladdin's palace and rubbed his eyes,

For it was gone.

He sent for the vizier and asked what had become of the palace.

The vizier looked out too,

And was lost in astonishment.

He again put it down to enchantment,

And this time the sultan believed him and sent thirty men on horseback to fetch Aladdin back in chains.

They met him riding home,

Bound him and forced him to go with them on foot.

The people,

However,

Who loved him,

Followed,

Armed,

To see that he came to no harm.

He was carried before the sultan,

Who ordered the executioner to cut off his head.

The executioner made Aladdin kneel down,

Bandaged his eyes,

And raised his scimitar to strike.

At that instant,

The vizier,

Who saw that the crowd had forced their way into the courtyard and were scaling the walls to rescue Aladdin,

Called to the executioner to stay his hand.

The people,

Indeed,

Looked so threatening that the sultan gave way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound and pardoned him in the sight of the crowd.

Aladdin now begged to know what he had done.

False wretch,

Said the sultan,

Come hither and show him from the window the place where his palace had stood.

Aladdin was so amazed he could not say a word.

Where is your palace and my daughter,

Demanded the sultan.

For the first time I am not so deeply concerned,

But my daughter I must have,

And you must find her or lose your head.

Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find her,

Promising if he failed to return to suffer death at the sultan's pleasure.

His prayer was granted and he went forth sadly from the sultan's presence.

For three days he wandered about like a madman,

Asking everyone what had become of his palace,

But they only laughed and pitied him.

He came to the banks of a river and knelt down to say his prayers before throwing himself in.

In doing so,

He rubbed the ring he still wore.

The genie he had seen in the cave appeared and asked his will.

Save my life,

Genie,

Said Aladdin,

And bring my palace back.

That is not in my power,

Said the genie.

I am only the slave of the ring.

You must ask him of the lamp.

Even so,

Said Aladdin,

But thou canst take me to the palace and set me down under my dear wife's window.

He at once found himself in Africa,

Under the window of the princess,

And fell asleep out of sheer weariness.

He was awakened by the singing of the birds and his heart was lighter.

He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owning to the loss of the lamp and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.

That morning,

The princess rose earlier than she had done since she had been carried into Africa by the magician,

Whose company she was forced to endure once a day.

She,

However,

Treated him so harshly that he dared not live there altogether.

As she was dressing,

One of her women looked out and saw Aladdin.

The princess ran and opened the window and at the noise she made,

Aladdin looked up.

She called to him to come to her and great was the joy of these lovers at seeing each other again.

After he had kissed her,

Aladdin said,

I beg you,

Princess,

In God's name,

Before we speak of anything else,

For your own sake and mine,

Tell me,

What has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice in the hall of four and twenty windows when I went a-hunting?

Alas,

She said,

I am the innocent cause of our sorrows,

And hold him of the exchange of the lamp.

Now I know,

Cried Aladdin,

That we have to thank the African magician for this.

Where is the lamp?

He carries it about with him,

Said the princess.

I know,

For he pulled it out of his breast to show me.

He wishes me to break my faith with you and marry him,

Saying that you were beheaded by my father's command.

He is forever speaking ill of you,

And I only reply by my tears.

If I persist,

I doubt not,

But he will use violence.

Aladdin comforted her,

And left her for a while.

He changed clothes with the first person he met in the town,

And having bought a certain powder,

Returned to the princess,

Who let him in by a little side door.

Put on your most beautiful dress,

He said to her,

And received the magician with smiles,

Leading him to believe that you have forgotten me.

Invite him to sup with you,

And say you wish to taste the wine of his country.

He will go for some,

And while he is gone I will tell you what to do.

She listened carefully to Aladdin,

And when he left her,

Arrayed herself gaily for the first time since she left China.

She put on a girdle and a headdress of diamonds,

And seeing in a glass that she was more beautiful than ever,

Received the magician,

Saying to his great amazement,

I have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead,

And that all my tears will not bring him back to me,

So I am resolved to mourn no more,

And have therefore invited you to sup with me,

But I am tired of the wines of China,

And would fain taste those of Africa.

The magician flew to his cellar,

And the princess put the powder Aladdin had given her in her cup.

When he returned,

She asked him to drink her health in the wine of Africa,

Handing him her cup in exchange for his,

As a sign she was reconciled to him.

Before drinking,

The magician made her a speech in praise of her beauty,

But the princess cut him short,

Saying,

Let us drink first,

And you shall say what you will afterwards.

She set her cup to her lips and kept it there,

While the magician drained his to the dregs and fell back lifeless.

The princess then opened the door to Aladdin and flung her arms around his neck,

But Aladdin went to the dead magician,

Took the lamp out of his vest,

And bade the genie carry the palace and all in it back to China.

This was done,

And the princess in her chamber felt only two little shocks,

And little thought she was home again.

The sultan,

Who was sitting in his closet,

Mourning for his lost daughter,

Happened to look up and rubbed his eyes,

For there stood the palace as before.

He hastened thither,

And Aladdin received him in the hall of the four-and-twenty windows,

With the princess at his side.

Aladdin told him what had happened,

And showed him the dead body of the magician that he might believe.

A ten-days feast was proclaimed,

And it seemed as if Aladdin might now live the rest of his life in peace,

But it was not meant to be.

The African magician had a younger brother who was,

If possible,

More wicked and more cunning than himself.

He travelled to China to avenge his brother's death,

And went to visit a pious woman called Fatima,

Thinking she might be of use to him.

He entered her cell,

And clapped a dagger to her breast,

Telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain of death.

He changed clothes with her,

Coloured his face like hers,

Put on her veil,

And was taken away never to return that she might tell no tales.

Then he went towards the palace of Aladdin,

And all the people,

Thinking he was the holy woman,

Gathered round him,

Kissing his hands and begging his blessing.

When he got to the palace,

There was such a noise going on round him,

That the princess bade her slave look out the window,

And ask what was the matter.

The slave said it was the holy woman,

Curing people by her touch of their ailments,

Whereupon the princess,

Who had long desired to see Fatima,

Sent for her.

On coming to the princess,

The magician offered up a prayer for her health and prosperity.

When he had done,

The princess made him sit by her,

And begged him to stay with her always.

The false Fatima,

Who wished for nothing better,

Consented,

But kept his veil down for fear of discovery.

The princess showed him the hall,

And asked him what he thought of it.

It is truly beautiful,

Said the false Fatima.

In my mind,

It wants but one thing.

And what is that?

Said the princess.

If only a rock's egg,

Replied he,

Were hung up in the middle of the stone,

It would be the wonder of the world.

After this,

The princess could think of nothing but the rock's egg,

And when Aladdin returned from hunting,

He found her in a very ill humor.

He begged to know what was amiss,

And she told him that all her pleasure in the hall was spoiled for want of a rock's egg hanging from the dome.

If that is all,

Replied Aladdin,

You shall soon be happy.

He left her,

And robbed the lamp,

And when the genie appeared,

Commanded him to bring a rock's egg.

The genie gave such a loud and terrible shriek that the hall shook.

Wretch!

He cried.

It is not enough that I have done everything for you,

But you must command me to bring my master and hang him up in the midst of this dome?

You and your wife and your palace deserve to be burned to ashes,

But that this request does not come from you,

But from the brother of the African magician whom you destroyed.

He is now in your palace,

Disguised as the holy woman whom he sent away.

He it was who put that wish into your wife's head.

Take care of yourself,

For he means to kill you.

So saying,

The genie disappeared.

Aladdin went back to the princess,

Saying his head ached,

And requesting that the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands on it.

But when the magician came near,

Aladdin,

Seizing his dagger,

Pierced him to the heart.

What have you done?

Cried the princess.

You have killed the holy woman.

Not so,

Replied Aladdin,

But a wicked magician,

And told her of how she had been deceived.

After this,

Aladdin and his wife lived in peace.

He succeeded the sultan when he died,

And reigned for many years,

Leaving behind him a long line of kings.

And that brings us to the end of tonight's story.

I hope you enjoyed this magical tale,

And that it has brought you a sense of calm and comfort as you drift off to sleep.

If you're still awake,

Let's take a few moments to relax before you drift off.

Continue to breathe slowly and deeply,

And as you exhale,

Feel any remaining tension melt away.

Let your body sink even deeper into comfort,

Your muscles soft and heavy completely at ease.

Now,

Imagine yourself in a quiet,

Peaceful place,

A cozy palace garden at night,

With soft lanterns glowing,

And a warm breeze gently carrying you into rest.

There is nothing you need to do,

Nowhere you need to be,

Just float here in this calm and quiet space,

Safe and at peace.

And so my friend,

Rest well.

Sweet dreams.