Antoine Galland, from the telling of Hannā Diyāb · Complete work
Open Sesame
Open Sesame of 14. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal French
Ali Baba ne descendit pas de l’arbre d’abord; il dit en lui-même: « Ils peuvent avoir oublié quelque chose à les obliger de revenir, et je me trouverois attrapé si cela arrivoit. » Il les conduisit de l’œil jusqu’à ce qu’il les eut perdus de vue, et il ne descendit que long-temps après, pour plus grande sûreté. Comme il avoit retenu les paroles par lesquelles le capitaine des voleurs avoit fait ouvrir et refermer la porte, il eut la curiosité d’éprouver si en les prononçant elles feroient le même effet. Il passa au travers des arbrisseaux, et il aperçut la porte qu’ils cachoient. Il se présenta devant, et dit: Sésame, ouvre-toi, et dans l’instant la porte s’ouvrit toute grande.
Ali Baba s’étoit attendu à voir un lieu de ténèbres et d’obscurité; mais il fut surpris d’en voir un bien éclairé, vaste et spacieux, creusé, de main d’homme, en voûte fort élevée qui recevoit la lumière du haut du rocher, par une ouverture pratiquée de même. Il vit de grandes provisions de bouche, des ballots de riches marchandises en piles, des étoffes de soie et de brocard, des tapis de grand prix, et sur-tout de l’or et de l’argent monnoyé par tas, et dans des sacs ou grandes bourses de cuir les unes sur autres; et à voir toutes ces choses, il lui parut qu’il y avoit non pas de longues années, mais des siècles que cette grotte servoit de retraite à des voleurs qui avoient succédé les uns aux autres.
Ali Baba ne balança pas sur le parti qu’il devoit prendre: il entra dans la grotte, et dès qu’il y fut entré, la porte se referma; mais cela ne l’inquiéta pas: il savoit le secret de la faire ouvrir. Il ne s’attacha pas à l’argent, mais à l’or monnoyé, et particulièrement à celui qui étoit dans des sacs. Il en enleva à plusieurs fois autant qu’il pouvoit en porter et en quantité suffisante pour faire la charge de ses trois ânes. Il rassembla ses ânes qui étoient dispersés; et quand il les eut fait approcher du rocher, il les chargea des sacs; et pour les cacher, il accommoda du bois par-dessus, de manière qu’on ne pouvoit les apercevoir. Quand il eut achevé, il se présenta devant la porte; et il n’eut pas prononcé ces paroles: Sésame, referme-toi, qu’elle se referma; car elle s’étoit fermée d’elle-même chaque fois qu’il y étoit entré, et étoit demeurée ouverte chaque fois qu’il en étoit sorti.
Cela fait, Ali Baba reprit le chemin de la ville; et en arrivant chez lui, il fit entrer ses ânes dans une petite cour, et referma la porte avec grand soin. Il mit bas le peu de bois qui couvrait les sacs, et il porta dans sa maison les sacs qu’il posa et arrangea devant sa femme qui étoit assise sur un sofa.
Sa femme mania les sacs; et comme elle se fut aperçue qu’ils étoient pleins d’argent, elle soupçonna son mari de les avoir volés; de sorte que quand il eut achevé de les apporter tous, elle ne put s’empêcher de lui dire:
« Ali Baba, seriez-vous assez malheureux pour… »
Ali Baba l’interrompit.
« Paix, ma femme, dit-il, ne vous alarmez pas, je ne suis pas voleur, à moins que ce ne soit l’être que de prendre sur les voleurs. Vous cesserez d’avoir cette mauvaise opinion de moi quand je vous aurai raconté ma bonne fortune. »
Il vuida les sacs, qui firent un gros tas d’or dont sa femme fut éblouie; et quand il eut fait, il lui fit le récit de son aventure, depuis le commencement jusqu’à la fin; et en achevant, il lui recommanda sur toute chose de garder le secret.
La femme, revenue et guérie de son épouvante, se réjouit avec son mari du bonheur qui leur étoit arrivé, et elle voulut compter, pièce par pièce, tout l’or qui étoit devant elle.
« Ma femme, lui dit Ali Baba, vous n’êtes pas sage: que prétendez-vous faire? Quand auriez-vous achevé de compter? Je vais creuser une fosse et l’enfouir dedans; nous n’avons pas de temps à perdre. »
« Il est bon, reprit la femme, que nous sachions au moins à-peu-près la quantité qu’il y en a. Je vais chercher une petite mesure dans le voisinage, et je le mesurerai pendant que vous creuserez la fosse. »
« Ma femme, repartit Ali Baba, ce que vous voulez faire, n’est bon à rien; vous vous en abstiendriez si vous vouliez me croire. Faites néanmoins ce qu’il vous plaira; mais souvenez-vous de garder le secret. »
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from Antoine Galland’s French text of “Histoire d’Ali Baba, et de quarante voleurs exterminés par une esclave” (Les Mille et une nuits, Le Normant edition of 1806, volume VI), paragraph for paragraph, and checked against the French before publication.
Ali Baba did not come down from the tree at once. "They may have forgotten something that will make them come back," he said to himself, "and I would be caught if that happened." He followed them with his eyes until he lost sight of them, and for greater safety he did not come down until long afterward. Since he had kept in mind the words by which the robber captain had opened and closed the door, he was curious to see whether they would have the same effect if he spoke them. He went through the bushes and saw the door they concealed. He stood before it and said, "Open, Sesame!" and in that instant the door swung wide open.
Ali Baba had expected a place of gloom and darkness, but he was astonished to find a bright, vast, spacious hall, hollowed out by human hands into a lofty vault that took its light from the top of the rock through an opening cut in the same way. He saw great stores of food, bales of rich merchandise piled high, silks and brocades, costly carpets, and above all gold and silver coin in heaps, and in sacks or great leather purses stacked one on another. Seeing all this, it seemed to him that this cave had served as a hideout for robbers, one band succeeding another, not for many years but for centuries.
Ali Baba did not hesitate over what to do. He went into the cave, and as soon as he was inside, the door closed behind him. That did not trouble him; he knew the secret for opening it. He left the silver alone and went for the gold coin, above all the gold that was in sacks. In several trips he carried off as much as he could manage, enough to load his three donkeys. He gathered his donkeys, which had scattered, and when he had brought them up to the rock, he loaded the sacks onto them and hid them by arranging wood on top so that no one could see them. When he had finished, he stood before the door, and no sooner had he said the words "Close, Sesame!" than it closed. For it had shut by itself each time he went in and had stayed open each time he came out.
This done, Ali Baba took the road back to the city. When he reached home he drove his donkeys into a small courtyard and shut the gate with great care. He threw off the little wood that covered the sacks, carried the sacks into the house, and set them down in a row before his wife, who was sitting on a sofa.
His wife felt the sacks, and when she found that they were full of money, she suspected her husband of having stolen them. So when he had finished bringing them all in, she could not help saying to him:
"Ali Baba, can you have sunk so low as to…"
Ali Baba cut her short.
"Hush, wife," he said, "don't be alarmed. I am no thief, unless it is thieving to take from thieves. You will stop thinking so badly of me once I have told you of my good fortune."
He emptied the sacks, and they made a great heap of gold that dazzled his wife. When he had done, he told her his adventure from beginning to end, and as he finished he urged her above all else to keep it secret.
His wife, recovered and cured of her fright, rejoiced with her husband at the luck that had come to them, and she wanted to count all the gold before her, piece by piece.
"Wife," Ali Baba said to her, "you are not being sensible. What do you mean to do? When would you ever finish counting? I am going to dig a pit and bury it; we have no time to lose."
"It is good," his wife replied, "that we should know at least roughly how much there is. I will go and borrow a small measure from the neighbors, and I will measure it while you dig the pit."
"Wife," Ali Baba answered, "what you want to do is good for nothing; you would leave it alone if you would take my advice. Still, do as you please, but remember to keep the secret."
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same French text of Galland’s 1806 Le Normant edition, paragraph for paragraph.
Ali Baba didn't climb down right away. He thought, "They might have forgotten something and have to come back. If that happens, they'll catch me." He watched them until they were out of sight. To be extra safe, he waited a long while before he came down. He still remembered the words the leader had used to open and shut the door. He wanted to see if they would work for him too. He went through the bushes and found the door they hid. He stood in front of it and said, "Open, Sesame!" Right away the door opened all the way.
Ali Baba thought he would find a dark, gloomy hole. Instead, to his surprise, he found a big, bright, roomy space. People had dug it out of the rock and given it a high, curved roof. Light came in from a hole cut through the top of the rock. He saw large supplies of food and piles of bundles of expensive goods. There was silk and brocade cloth, and valuable carpets. Most of all, there were gold and silver coins, lying in heaps, and in sacks and big leather purses stacked on top of each other. Looking at all of it, he thought robbers must have been using this cave as a hiding place for centuries, not just for years, one gang after another.
Ali Baba didn't have to think twice. He went into the cave. As soon as he was inside, the door shut. That didn't worry him, because he knew the secret to open it. He didn't bother with the silver. He went for the gold coins, especially the ones in sacks. He made several trips and carried out as much as he could, enough for his three donkeys to carry. He rounded up his donkeys, which had wandered off, and brought them close to the rock. He loaded the sacks onto them and piled wood over the top so nobody could see the sacks. When he was finished, he stood in front of the door and said, "Close, Sesame!" As soon as he said it, the door shut. It had shut by itself every time he went in, and it had stayed open every time he came out.
Then Ali Baba went back to town. When he got home, he led his donkeys into a small yard and locked the gate carefully. He took off the bit of wood that was hiding the sacks. He carried the sacks into the house and laid them out in front of his wife, who was sitting on a couch.
His wife felt the sacks and realized they were full of money. She thought her husband had stolen them. When he finished bringing them all in, she couldn't stop herself from saying:
"Ali Baba, have you really fallen so far that you…"
Ali Baba stopped her.
"Quiet, wife," he said. "Don't panic. I'm not a thief. Unless taking things from thieves makes you a thief. Once I tell you about my good luck, you'll stop thinking badly of me."
He emptied the sacks. They made a big pile of gold, and his wife couldn't take her eyes off it. When he was done, he told her the whole story from start to finish. At the end, he told her that, more than anything, she must keep it a secret.
Once his wife got over her fright, she was as happy as he was about their good luck. She wanted to count all the gold in front of her, one coin at a time.
"Wife," Ali Baba said, "that's not a smart idea. What are you trying to do? When would you ever finish counting it? I'm going to dig a hole and bury it. We don't have time to waste."
"It's a good idea," his wife said, "for us to know at least about how much there is. I'll go borrow a small measuring bowl from someone nearby. I'll measure it while you dig the hole."
"Wife," Ali Baba answered, "what you want to do is useless. If you listened to me, you wouldn't do it. But do what you like. Just remember to keep it secret."