The Wonderful Lamp

One day a kindly-looking old man knocked at

the door of a poor tailor’s house. His small

son opened the door, and the visitor said that

he was his uncle, and gave the lad a coin to

buy himself a meal. Now the tailor, who was out of work,

was away at the time, but later he came home, and was

rather surprised to find his guest calling him his brother.

Still, as he seemed to be rich, he did not feel inclined to

object too strongly. The newcomer spent some time with

the family, spending liberally on their upkeep; but finally

said that he had to leave, and wanted to take the boy,

Cajusse, with him, so that he might learn something and

so become a businessman. Of course the tailor agreed.

As soon as they had left the town, however, the man said,

‘I am not really your uncle at all. I need a strong lad to

perform a task which I am too old to complete. I am a

magician. Now, don’t try to get away – you cannot.’

Cajusse was not particularly alarmed, and asked the

wizard what he had to do. The man took up a stone slab

from the ground and told the boy that he had to go down

into the earth. ‘When you get to the bottom of the cave,

continue along until you come to a beautiful garden,

where you will find a fierce dog, keeping guard. Give him

this bread. Do not, on any account, look back if you hear

any noise behind you. You will see an ancient lamp on a

shelf. Take it down and bring it back to me.’

INTRODUCTION The Wonderful LampWorld Tales~ IDRIES SHAH ~

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Then the wizard gave Cajusse a ring. ‘If anything happens,’ he said,

‘rub the ring and wish to be saved from it.’

Cajusse duly made his way underground, where he found all kinds

of amazing things. Precious jewels hung like fruit from trees, and he

picked many and filled his pockets with them. When he got back to

the entrance of the cave, the old man asked him to hand up the lamp.

‘Not until you have pulled me up,’ said Cajusse, fearful that he might

be left behind on his own.

The magician, to frighten Cajusse, dropped the stone slab back into

the cave’s entrance. But Cajusse simply rubbed his ring, and an

apparition manifested itself. ‘Bring food for supper!’ cried Cajusse.

He also ordered his parents to be brought to him, so they all had a

wonderful meal.

Cajusse returned to his home. Some time later, he heard that the

town was to be illuminated to celebrate the wedding of the Sultan’s

daughter to the son of the Chief Minister. He had an idea. ‘Mother,’ he

said, ‘I want to marry the Princess. Take this basket of priceless jewels

to the Sultan, and say that we ask for his daughter in marriage.’

The old woman did as she was bid, and the Sultan was truly

astonished when he saw that the jewels were more precious than

anything which he had in his own treasury. He promised to give his

answer at the end of a month.

It was so arranged, however, that the Princess and the Minister’s son

were married within the week. Cajusse rubbed the magic lamp and

said, ‘Tonight go and take away the daughter of the Sultan, and place

her on a mattress of straw in our outhouse.’

When the Princess appeared on the palliasse, Cajusse placed a naked

sword between them in token of the purity of his intentions, and lay

beside her, wanting to talk. But the Princess – not unnaturally – was World Tales~ IDRIES SHAH ~

COPYRIGHT © THE ESTATE OF IDRIES SHAH

far too afraid of him to reply.

Cajusse had the Princess carried three times, one night after

another, to his home; and the girl told her mother about it, unable to

understand what was happening.

The Queen told the Sultan, and he was just as puzzled. And

the Minister’s son complained to his father that his bride kept

disappearing when night fell, and returned in some inexplicable way,

at dawn.

Cajusse sent his mother to the Sultan again, this time with three

baskets of priceless gems, asking if he could be allowed to see the

Princess. ‘Very well,’ said the Sultan, ‘he may come to the Palace.’

As soon as he heard that he was to be received by the royal family,

Cajusse rubbed his magical ring and caused magnificent robes of

gold and silver to be brought, together with a beautiful horse and

attendants, who walked ahead of him strewing money and crying:

‘Make way for Signor Cajusse!’

The Princess obtained her liberty from the Minister’s son, and she

and Cajusse were married.

But the wizard, of course, heard about Cajusse’s successes, and he

decided to get hold of the magical lamp. Dressing himself as a pedlar,

he stood outside Cajusse’s house, calling out: ‘Old lamps taken and

new ones given for them!’ Cajusse was not at home, and the Princess

sent out the ancient lamp in the hands of a servant, which the

magician exchanged for a new one. Then he rubbed the lamp and

caused the palace to be borne away by magic to an island somewhere

in the remote seas.

When Cajusse arrived home, he realised what had happened and

rubbed his magical ring, which never left his finger, asking to be

carried by the slave of the ring to where the palace was now located