The Story of Nuk-Ed-Din and Enis-El-Jelis - Part II

Rut, lo, the Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi was in the
market, and, seeing 'AH Nur-ed-Din standing there, he said
within himself. What doth he want here, having nothing left
wherewith to purchase female slaves? Then casting his
eyes around, and hearing the broker as he stood crying in
the market with the merchants around him, he said within
himself, I do not imagine anything else than that he hath
become a bankrupt, and come forth with the slave-girl to
sell her; and if this be the case, how pleasant to my heart!
He then called the crier, who approached him, and kissed
the ground before him ; and the Wezir said to him, I desire
this female slave whom thou art crying for sale. The broker,
therefore, being unable to oppose his wish, brought the slave
and placed her before him ; and when he beheld her, and con-
sidered her charms, her elegant figure and her soft speech, he
was delighted with her, and said to the broker. To what has
the bidding for her amounted ? The broker answered. Four
thousand and five hundred pieces of gold. And as soon as
the merchants heard this, not one of them could bid another
piece of silver or of gold ; but all of them drew back, knowing
the tyrannical conduct of that Wezir. El-Mo'in the son of
Sawi then looked towards the broker, and said to him. Why
standest thou still ? Take away the slave-girl for me at the
price of four thousand and five hundred pieces of gold, and
thou wilt have five hundred for thyself. — So the broker went
to 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and said to him, O my master, the slave-
girl is lost to thee without price. — How so? said Nur-ed-Din.
The broker answered, We opened the bidding for her at four
thousand and five hundred pieces of gold; but this tyrant
El-]\Io'in the son of Sawi came into the market, and when he
beheld the damsel she pleased him, and he said to me, Ask
her owner if he will agree for four thousand pieces of gold,
and five hundred for thee : — and I doubt not but he knoweth
that the slave belongeth to thee ; and if he give thee her
price immediately, it will be through the goodness of God;
but I know, from his injustice, that he will write thee an
order upon some of his agents for the money, and then send
to them and desire them to give thee nothing; and every
time that thou shalt go to demand it of them, they will say to
thee, To-morrow we will pay thee : — and they will not cease
to promise thee, and to defer from day to day, notwith-
standing thy pride ; and when they are overcome by thy
importunity they will say. Give us the written order: — and
as soon as they have received the paper from thee they will
tear it in pieces : so thou wilt lose the price of the slave.

When Nur-ed-Din, therefore, heard these words of the
broker, he said to him. What is to be done? The broker
answered, I will give thee a piece of advice, and if thou
receive it from me, thou will have better fortune. — \\'hat is
it? Asked Nur-ed-Din. — That thou come to me immediately,
answered the broker, while I am standing in the midst of the
market, and take the slave-girl from me, and give her a blow
with thy hand, and say to her, Wo to thee ! I have expiated
my oath that I swore, and brought thee to the market, be-
cause I swore to thee that thou shouldst be exposed in the
market, and that the broker should cry thee for sale. — If
thou do this, perhaps the trick will deceive him and the
people, and they will believe that thou tookest her not to the
market but to expiate the oath. — This, replied Nur-ed-Din,
is the right counsel. So the broker returned into the midst
of the market, and, taking hold of the hand of the slave-girl,
made a sign to the Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi, saying, O
my lord, this is her owner who hath just come. Then 'Ali
Nur-ed-Din advanced to the broker, and tore the damsel from
him, and struck her with his hand, saying to her. Wo to thee !
I have brought thee to the market for the sake of expiating
my oath. Go home, and disobey me not again. I want not
thy price, that I should sell thee; and if I sold the furniture
of the house '^nd everything else of the kind over and over
again, their produce would not amount to thy price. — But
when El-Mo'in the son of Sawi, beheld Nur-ed-Din, he said to
him, Wo to thee ! Hast thou anything left to be sold or
bought ? — And he would have laid violent hands upon him.
The merchants then looked towards Nur-ed-Din (and they
all loved him), and he said to them. Here am I before you,
and ye have all known his tyranny. — By Allah, exclaimed
the Wezir, were it not for you, I had killed him ! Then all of
them made signs, one to another, with the eye, and said, Not
one of us will interfere between thee and him. And upon
this, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din went up to the Wezir, the son of
Sawi (and Nur-ed-Din was a man of courage), and he
dragged the Wezir from his saddle, and threw him upon
the ground. There was at that spot a kneading-place for
mud,' and the Wezir fell into the midst of it, and Nur-ed-

Dm beat him with his fist, and a blow fell upon his teeth,
by which his beard became dyed with his blood. Now there
were with the Wezir ten memluks, and when they saw Nur-
ed-Din treat their master in this manner, they put their hands
upon the hilts of their swords, and would have fallen upon
him and cut him in pieces; but the people said to them, This
is a Wezir, and this is the son of a Wezir, and perhaps they
may make peace with each other, and ye will incur the anger
of both of them; or perhaps a blow may fall upon your
master, and ye will all of you die the most ignominious of
deaths: it is advisable, therefore, that 3^e interfere not be-
tween them. — And when 'Ali Nur-ed-Din had ceased from
beating the Wezir, he took his slave-girl and returned to his
house.

The Wezir, the son of Sawi, then immediately arose, and
his dress, which before was white, was now dyed with three
colours, the colour of mud, and the colour of blood, and the
colour of ashes; and when he beheld himself in this con-
dition, he took a round mat, and hung it to his neck, and
took in his hand two bundles of coarse grass, and went and
stood beneath the palace of the Sultan, and cried out, O
King of the age ! I am oppressed ! — So they brought him
before the King, who looked at him attentively, and saw
that he was his Wezir, El-Mo'in the son of Sawi. He said,
therefore. Who hath done thus unto thee? — and the Wezir
cried and moaned, and repeated these two verses : —

Shall fortune oppress me while thou existest ; and the dogs devour

me when thou art a lion ?
Shall all else who are dry drink freely from thy tanks, and I thirst

in thine asylum when thou art as rain ?

— O my lord, he continued, thus is every one who loveth
thee and serveth thee: these afflictions always befall him. —
And who, said the King again, hath done thus unto thee?
— Know, answered the Wezir, that I went forth to-day to
the market of the female slaves with the idea of buying a
cook-maid, and saw in the market a slave-girl the like of
whom I had never in my life beheld, and the broker said that
she belonged to *Ali Nur-ed-Din. Now our lord the Sultan
had given his father ten thousand pieces of gold to buy for
him with it a beautiful female slave, and he bought that
girl, and she pleased him ; so he gave her to his son ; and
when his father died, the son pursued the path of prodigality,
until he sold all his houses and gardens and utensils; and
when he had become a bankrupt, nothing else remaining in
his possession, he took the slave-girl to the market to sell her,
and delivered her to the broker: so he cried her for sale, and
the merchants continued bidding for her until her price
amounted to four thousand pieces of gold; whereupon I
said to myself, I will buy this for our lord the Sultan; for
her original price was from him. I therefore said, O my
son, receive her price, four thousand pieces of gold. But
when he heard my words, he looked at me and replied. O
ill-omened old man ! I will sell her to the Jews and the
Christians rather than to thee. — I then said to him, I would
not buy her for myself, but for our lord the Sultan, who is
our benefactor. As soon, however, as he had heard these
words from me, he was filled with rage, and dragged me
and threw me down from the horse, notwithstanding my
advanced age, and beat me, and ceased not to do so until
he left me in the state in which thou seest me. Nothing
exposed me to all this ill treatment but my coming to pur-
chase this slave-girl for your majesty. — The Wezir then
threw himself upon the ground, and lay weeping and
trembling.

Now when the Sultan beheld his condition, and had heard
his speech, the vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and
he looked towards the members of his court who were attend-
ing him; whereupon forty swordsmen stood before him.
and he said to them, Descend immediately to the house
of 'AH the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, and plunder
it and demolish it, and bring hither him and the slave-girl
with their hands bound behind them : drag them along upon
their faces, and so bring them before me. They replied,
we hear and obey: — and went forth to repair to the house
of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din. But there was in the court of the Sultan
a chamberlain named 'Alam-ed-in Senior, who had been
one of the memluks of El-Fadl the son of Khakan. the father
of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din; and when he heard the order of the
Sultan, and saw the enemies prepared to slav his master's
son, it was insupportable to him; so he mounted his horse,
and proceeded to the house of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and knocked
at the door. Nur-ed-Din came forth to him, and, when he
saw him, knew him. and would have sahited him ; but he
said, O my master, this is not a time for sahitation, nor for
talking. Nur-ed-Din said, O 'Alam-ed-Din, what is the
news? He replied, Save thyself by flight, thou and the slave-
girl ; for El-Mo'in the son of Sawi hath set up a snare for
you, and if ye fall into his hands he will slay you : the Sultan
hath sent to you forty swordsmen, and it is my advice that
ye fly before the evil fall upon you. Then Senjer stretched
forth his hand to Nur-ed-Din with some pieces of gold, and
he counted them, and found them to be forty pieces; and
he said, O my master, receive these, and if I had with me
more, I would give it thee; but this is not a time for ex-
postulating. And upon this, Nur-ed-Din went in to the
damsel, and acquainted her with the occurrence, and she
was confounded.

The two then went forth immediately from the city, and
God let down the veil of his protection upon them, and they
proceeded to the bank of the river, where they found a
vessel ready to sail : the master was standing in the midst
of it, and saying. He who hath anything to do, whether
leave-taking or procuring provisions, or who hath forgotten
aught, let him do what he desireth and return; for we are
going. And they all replied, We have nothing remaining
to do, O master. So, upon this, the master said to his crew,
Quick! Loose the rope's end, and pull up the stake. — And
Ali Nur-ed-Din exclaimed, Whither, O master? He an-
swered. To the abode of Peace, Baghdad. And Nur-ed-Din
embarked, and the damsel with him, and they set the vessel
afloat, and spread the sails and it shot along like a bird
with its pair of wings, carrying them forward with a favour-
able wind.

Meanwhile, the forty men whom the Sultan had sent
came to the house of 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and broke open the
doors and entered, and searched all the chambers, but with-
out success; so they demolished the house, and returned,
and acquainted the Sultan, who said. Search for them in
every place where they may be: — and they replied, We
hear and obey. The Wezir El-Mo'in the son of Sawi then
descended to his house, after the Sultan had invested him
with a robe of honour, and had said to him, None shall take
vengeance for thee but myself. And he greeted the King
with a prayer for long life, and his heart was set at ease:
and the Sultan gave orders to proclaim throughout the city,
O all ye people ! our lord the Sultan hath commanded that
whoever shall meet with 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and bring him to
the Sultan, shall be invested with a robe of honour, and he
will give him a thousand pieces of gold; and he who shall
conceal him, or know where he is, and not give information
thereof, will merit the exemplary punishment that shall befall
him ! So all the people began to search for him ; but could
not trace him. — Such was the case with these people.

Now as to 'Ali Nur-ed-Din and his slave, they arrived
in safety at Baghdad, and the master of the vessel said to
them, This is Baghdad, and it is a city of security: winter
with its cold hath departed from it, and the spring-quarter
hath come with its roses, and its trees are in blossom, and
its waters are flowing. And upon this, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din
landed with his slave-girl, and gave the master five pieces
of gold. They then walked a little way, and destiny cast
them among the gardens, and they came to a place which
they found swept and sprinkled, with long mastabahs, and
pots suspended filled with water, and over it was a covering
of trellis-work of canes extending along the whole length of
a lane, at the upper end of which was the gate of a garden ;
but this was shut. And Nur-ed-Din said to the damsel. By
Allah, this is a pleasant place ! — and she replied, O my mas-
ter, let us sit down a while upon one of these mastabahs.
So they mounted and seated themselves there, and they
washed their faces and hands, and enjoyed the current of
the zephyr, and slept. — Glory be to Him who sleepeth not !

This garden was called the Garden of Delight, and in it
was a palace called the Palace of Diversion, and it belonged
to the Khalifeh Harun Er-Rashid, who, when his heart was
contracted, used to come to this garden, and enter the palace
above mentioned, and there sit. The palace had eighty lat-
ticed windows, and eighty lamps were suspended in it. and
in the midst of it was a great candlestick of gold : and when
the Khalifeh entered it, he commanded the female slaves to
open the windows, and ordered Ishak, the cup-companion, to
sing with them : so his heart became dilated, and his anxiety
ceased. There was a superintendent to the garden, an old
man. named the sheykh Ibrahim ; and it happened that he
went forth once to transact some business, and found there
persons diverting themselves with women of suspicious
character, whereupon he was violently enraged, and having
waited until the Khalifeh came thither some days after, he
acquainted him with this occurrence, and the Khalifeh said,
Whomsoever thou shalt find at the gate of the garden, do
with him what thou wilt. Now on this day the sheykh
Ibrahim went out to transact an affair of business, and found
the two sleeping at the garden-gate, covered with a single
izar; and he said. Do not these two persons know that the
Khalifeh hath given me permission to kill every one whom
I find here? But I will only give these two a slight beat-
ing, that no one may again approach the gate of the garden.
He then cut a green palm-stick, and went forth to them,
and raised his hand until the whiteness of his arm-pit ap-
peared, and was about to beat them; but he reflected in
his mind, and said, O Ibrahim, how shouldst thou beat
them when thou knowest not their case? They may be two
strangers, or of the children of the road,* whom destiny
hath cast here. I will therefore uncover their faces, and
look at them. — So he lifted up the izar from their faces and
said. These are two handsome persons, and it is not proper
that I should beat them. And he covered their faces again,
and, approaching the foot of 'AH Xur-ed-Din, began to rub
it gently ; whereupon Nur-ed-Din opened his eyes, and saw
that he was an old man; and he blushed, and drew in his
feet, and, sitting up, took the hand of the sheykh Ibrahim
and kissed it ; and the sheykh said to him, O my son, whence
are ye? — O my master, he answered, we are strangers. —
And a tear gushed from his eye. The sheykh Ibrahim then said
to him, O my son, know that the Prophet (God bless and
save him!) hath enjoined generosity to the stranger. Wilt
thou not arise, O my son, and enter the garden, and divert
thyself in it, that thy heart may be dilated? — O my master,
said Nur-ed-Din, to whom doth this garden belong? The
sheykh answered, O my son, this garden I inherited from
my family. And his design in saying this was only that
they might feel themselves at ease, and enter the garden.
And when Nur-ed-Din heard his words, he thanked him,
and arose, together with his slave, and, the sheykh Ibrahim
preceding them, they entered the garden.

The gate was arched, and over it were vines with grapes
of different colours; the red, like rubies; and the black,
like ebony. They entered a bower, and found within it
fruits growing in clusters and singly, and the birds were
warbling their various notes upon the branches: the night-
ingale was pouring forth its melodious sounds; and the
turtle-dove filled the place with its cooing; and the black-
bird, in its singing, resembled a human being; and the
ring-dove, a person exhilarated by wine. The fruits upon
the trees, comprising every description that was good to eat,
had ripened; and there were two of each kind: there were
the camphor-apricot, and the almond-apricot, and the apricot
of Khurasan ; the plum of a colour like the complexion of
beauties ; the cherry delighting the sense of every man ; the
red, the white, and the green fig, of the most beautiful
colours ; and flowers like pearls and coral ; the rose, whose
redness put to shame the cheeks of the lovely ; the violet,
like sulphur in contact with fire ; the myrtle, the gilliflower,
the lavender, and the anemone; and their leaves were be-
spangled with the tears of the clouds ; the chamomile smiled,
displaying its teeth, and the narcissus looked at the rose
with its negroes' eyes; the citrons resembled round cups;
the limes were like bullets of gold; the ground was carpeted
with flowers of every colour, and the place beamed witli the
charms of spring; the river murmured by while the birds
sang, and the wind whistled among the trees ; the season
was temperate, and the zephyr was languishing.

The sheykh Ibrahim conducted them into the elevated
saloon, and they were charmed with its beauty and the
extraordinary elegances which it displayed, and seated
themselves in one of the windows ; and Nur-ed-Din, reflect-
ing upon his past entertainments, exclaimed. By Allah, this
place is most delightful ! It hath reminded me of past
events, and quenched in me an anguish like the fire of the
ghada. — The sheykh Ibrahim then brought to them some
food, and they ate to satisfaction, and washed their hands,
and Nur-ed-Din, seating himself again in one of the windows,
called to his slave, and she came to him; and they sat
gazing at the trees laden with all kinds of fruits ; after which,
Nur-ed-Din looked towards the sheykh, and said to him, O
sheykh Ibrahim, hast thou not any beverage? For people
drink after eating. — So the sheykh brought him some sweet
and cold water : but Nur-ed-Din said. This is not the beverage
I desire. — Dost thou want wine? asked the sheykh. — Yes,
answered Nur-ed-Din. The sheykh exclaimed, I seek refuge
with Allah from it ! Verily, for thirteen years I have done
nothing of that kind; for the Prophet (God bless and save
him!) cursed its drinker and its presser and its carrier. —
Hear from me two words, said Nur-ed-Din. The sheykh
replied. Say what thou wilt. So he said. If thou be neither
the presser of the wine, nor its drinker, nor its carrier, will
aught of the curse fall upon thee? The sheykh answered.
No. — Then take this piece of gold, rejoined Nur-ed-Din,
and these two pieces of silver, and mount the ass, and halt
at a distance from the place, and whatsoever man thou
findest to buy it, call to him, and say to him, take these two
pieces of silver, and with this piece of gold buy some wine,
and place it upon the ass : — so, in this case, thou wilt be
neither the carrier nor the presser, nor the buyer; and
nothing will befall thee of that which befalleth the rest.

The sheykh Ibrahim, after laughing at his words, replied.
By Allah, I have never seen one more witty than thou, nor
heard speech more sweet. And Nur-ed-Din said to him,
We have become dependent upon thee, and thou hast
nothing to do but to comply with our wishes : bring us,
therefore, all that we require. — O my son, said the sheykh,
my buttery here is before thee (and it was the store-room
furnished for the Prince of the Faithful) : enter it then, and
take from it what thou wilt; for it containeth more than
thou desirest. So Nur-ed-Din entered the store-room, and
beheld in it vessels of gold and silver and crystal, adorned
with a variety of jewels; and he took out such of them as
he desired, and poured the wine into the vessels of earthen-
ware and bottles of glass ; and he and the damsel began
to drink, astonished at the beauty of the things which they
beheld. The sheykh Ibrahim then brought to them sweet-
scented flowers, and seated himself at a distance from them;
and they continued drinking, in a state of the utmost de-
light, until the wine took effect upon them, and their cheeks
reddened, and their eyes wantoned like those of the gazelle,
and their hair hung down : whereupon the sheykh Ibrahim
said, What ailcth me that I am sitting at a distance from
them? Why should I not sit by them? And when shall I
be in the company of such as these two, who are like two
moons? — He then advanced, and seated hmself at the edge
of the raised portion of the floor; and Nur-ed-Din said to
him, O my master, by my life I conjure thee to approach
and join us. So he went to them; and Nur-ed-Din filled
a cup, and, looking at the sheykh, said to him. Drink, that
thou mayest know how delicious is its flavour. But the
sheykh Ibrahim exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah !
Verily, for thirteen years I have done nothing of that kind.
— And Nur-ed-Din, feigning to pay no attention to him,
drank the cup, and threw himself upon the ground, pretend-
ing that intoxication had overcome him.

Upon this, Enis-el-Jelis looked towards the sheykh, and
said to him, O sheykh Ibrahim, see how this man hath
treated me. — O my mistress, said he, what aileth him? She
rejoined. Always doth he treat me thus : he drinketh a
while, and then sleepeth, and I remain alone, and find no
one to keep me company over my cup. If I drink, who
will serve me? And if I sing, who will hear me? — The
sheykh, moved with tenderness and affection for her by her
words, replied. It is not proper that a cup-companion be
thus. The damsel then filled a cup, and. looking at the
sheykh Ibrahim, said to him, I conjure thee by my life
that thou take it and, drink it; reject it not. but accept it,
and refresh my heart. So he stretched forth his hand, and
took the cup, and drank it ; and she filled for him a second
time, and handed it to him, saying, O my master, this
remaineth for thee. He replied. By Allah, I cannot drink
it : that which I have drunk is enough for me. But she
said. By Allah, it is indispensable: — and he took the cup,
and drank it. She then gave him the third ; and he took
it. and was about to drink it. when lo, Nur-ed-Din. raised
himself, and said to him, O sheykh Ibrahim, what is this?
Did I not conjure thee a while ago, and thou refusedst, and
saidst. Verily, for thirteen years I have not done it? — The
sheykh Ibrahim, touched with shame, replied, By Allah, I am
not in fault; for she pressed me. And Nur-ed-Din laughed,
and they resumed their carousal, and the damsel, turning
her eyes towards her master, said to him, O my master,
drink thou, and do not urge the sheykh Ibrahim; that I
may divert thee with the sight of him. So she began to fill
and to hand to her master, and her master filled and gave
to her, and thus they continued to do, time after time; till
at length the sheykh Ibrahim looked towards them and
said. What meaneth this? And what sort of carousal is
this? Wherefore do ye not give me to drink, since I have
become your cup-companion? — At this they both laughed
until they became almost senseless ; and then drank, and
gave him to drink; and they continued thus until the ex-
piration of a third of the night, when the damsel said, O
sheykh Ibrahim, with thy permission shall I rise and light
one of the candles which are arranged here? — Rise, he
answered; but light not more than one candle. But she
sprang upon her feet, and, beginning with the first candle,
proceeded until she had lighted eighty. She then sat down
again; and presently Nur-ed-Din said, O sheykh Ibrahim,
in what favour am I held with thee? Wilt thou not allow
me to light one of these lamps? — The sheykh answered,
Arise, and light one lamp, and be not thou also trouble-
some. So he arose, and, beginning with the first lamp,
lighted all the eighty; and the saloon seemed to dance.
And after this, the sheykh Ibrahim, overcome by intoxica-
tion, said to them. Ye are more frolicsome than I : — and
he sprang upon his feet, and opened all the windows, and
sat down again with them, and they continued carousing
and reciting verses; and the place rang with their
merriment.

Now God, the All-seeing and All-knowing, who hath ap-
pointed a cause to every event, had decreed that the Khalifeh
should be sitting that night at one of the windows looking
towards the Tigris, by moonlight ; and he looked in that
direction, and saw the light of lamps and candles reflected in
the river, and, turning his eyes up towards the palace in the
garden, he beheld it beaming with those candles and lamps,
and exclaimed, Bring hither to me Ja'far El-Barmeki ! In
the twinkling of an eye, Ja'far stood before the Prince of
the Faithful ; and the Khalifeh said to him, O dog of Wezirs,
dost thou serve me and not acquaint me with what hap-
peneth in the city of Baghdad? — What, asked Ja'far, is the
occasion of these words? The Khalifeh answered, If the
city of Baghdad were not taken from me, the Palace of
Diversion were not enlivened with the light of the lamps
and candles, and its windows were not opened. Wo to thee !
Who could do these things unless the office of Khalifeh were
taken from me? — Who, said Ja'far (the muscles of his side
quivering from fear), informed thee that the lamps and
candles were lighted in the Palace of Diversion, and that
its windows were opened? The Khalifeh replied, Advance
hither to me, and look. So Ja'far approached the Khalifeh,
and, looking towards the garden, beheld the palace as it were
a flame of fire, its light surpassing that of the moon. He de-
sired, therefore, to make an excuse for the sheykh Ibrahim,
the superintendent, thinking, from what he beheld, that the
event might have occurred through his permission: and ac-
cordingly he said, O Prince of the Faithful, the sheykh
Ibrahim last week said to me, O my master Ja'far, I am de-
sirous of entertaining my children during my life and the
life of the Prince of the Faithful. — And what, said I, is thy
design in saying this? He answered, It is my wish that thou
wouldst obtain for me permission from the Khalifeh that I
may celebrate the circumcision of my sons in the palace. So
I said. Do what thou wilt with respect to the entertainment
of thy sons, and, if God will, I shall have an interview with
the Khalifeh, and will acquaint him with it. And he left me
thus; and I forgot to acquaint thee. — O Ja'far, said the
Khalifeh, thou wast guilty of one oflfence against me, and
then thine offence became two: for thou hast erred in two
points: the first, thy not acquainting me with this affair;
and the second, thy not accomplishing the desire of the
sheykli Ibrahim; for he did not come to thee and address
thee with these words but to hint a request for some money
by the aid of which to effect his design, and thou neither
gavest him anything nor acquaintedst me that I might give
him. — O Prince of the Faithful, repHed Ja'far, I forgot.

The Khali f eh then said, By my forefathers, I will not
pass the remainder of my night but with him, for he is a
just man, who frequenteth the sheykhs, and attendeth to the
poor, and favoureth the indigent; and I imagine all his ac-
quaintances are with him this night: so I must repair to
him: perhaps one of them may offer up for us a prayer
productive of good to us in this world and the next; and
probably some advantage may accrue to him from my
presence, and he will receive pleasure from this, together
with his friends. — O Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja'far,
the greater part of the night hath passed, and they are now
about to disperse. But the Khalifeh said, We must go to
them. And Ja'far was silent, and was perplexed in his mind,
not knowing what to do. So the Khalifeh rose upon his
feet, and Ja'far rose and preceded him, and Mesrur the
eunuch went with them. The three walked on reflecting,
and, departing from the palace, proceeded through the
streets, in the attire of merchants, until they arrived at the
gate of the garden above mentioned ; and the Khalifeh, ap-
proaching it, found it open ; and he was surprised, and said.
See, O Ja'far, how the sheykh Ibrahim hath left the gate
open until this hour, which is not his usual custom. They
then entered, and came to the end of the garden, where they
stopped beneath the palace; and the Khalifeh said, O Ja'far,
I desire to take a view of them secretly before I go up to
them, that I may see how the sheykhs are occupied in the
dispensing of their blessings and the employment of their
miraculous powers; for they have qualities which distinguish
them both in their private retirements and in their public
exercises ; and now we hear not their voices, nor discover
any indication of their presence. Having thus said, he
looked around, and, seeing a tall walnut-tree, he said, O
Ja'far, I would climb this tree (for its branches are near
to the windows) and look at them. And accordingly he
ascended the tree, and climbed from branch to branch until
he came to that which was opposite to one of the windows,
and there he sat, and, looking in through this window of
the palace, beheld a damsel and a young man, like two moons
(extolled be the perfection of Him who created them !) ; and
he saw the sheykh Ibrahim sitting with a cup in his hand,
and saying, O mistress of beauties, drinking unaccompanied
by merry sounds is not pleasant. Hast thou not heard the
saying of the poet?