Aladdin’s lamp - Волшебная лампа Аладдина
The phrase Aladdin’s lamp denotes a talisman that
brings good fortune and success. It comes from the tale
of Aladdin and his wonderful lamp.
An African magician came to China to get a wonderful lamp from an underground palace, but the passage leading to the palace being very narrow, he had to
employ a little boy called Aladdin to go down and
fetch the lamp. But when the boy did not hand him the
lamp at once, the wicked magician closed up the opening in the earth and went home to Africa leaving
Aladdin underground. Aladdin, however, managed to
get home, making use of the magician’s ring. He told
his mother all about the adventure and, being very
poor, she suggested they should sell the lamp, but first
it ought to be cleaned. Hardly had the lamp been
' rubbed that a jinn appeared and asked for Aladdin’s
commands. Aladdin told him to bring some food, and
immediately a delightful dinner was set before him.
Later Aladdin rubbed the lamp again and asked the jinn
for a beautiful palace, immense riches, and a charming
princess for his wife. By artifice the magician got possession of the lamp and transported the palace with its
contents to Africa. But Aladdin destroyed his enemy
the magician, recovered the lamp, brought the palace
back and lived in it happily ever after.
The story is told in the Arabian Nights also called
Thousand and One Nights, a collection of fairy stories
and fantastic romances, that originated in India and
through Persia found their way to the Arabian Peninsula. Princess Scheherazade, sentenced to death by a
cruel sultan, told him wonderful tales for a thousand
and one nights until the sultan had quite forgotten he
was going to execute her.
1. Выражение волшебная лампа Аладдина употребляется в значении: талисман, выполняющий все
желания своего владельца. 2. Выражение заимствовано из сказки «Аладдин и волшебная лампа» в сборнике арабских сказок «Тысяча и одна ночь». 3. Стоило
герою сказки Аладдину слегка потереть свою волшебную лампу, как к нему являлся джинн, который исполнял все его желания. 4. Арабские сказки родились
в Индии, затем проникли сначала в Персию, а оттуда
на Аравийский полуостров.