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

Circulate it in the large cup, and in the small ; and receive it from

the hand of the shining moon ;*
And drink not without merry sounds ; for I have observed that

horses drink to the sound of whistling.

When the Khalifeh witnessed this conduct of the sheykh
Ibrahim, the vein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he
descended, and said, O Ja'far, I have never seen anything of
the miraculous performances of the just such as I have be-
held this night: ascend, therefore, thyself also, into this tree,
and look, lest the blessings of the just escape thee. — On
hearing the words of the Prince of the Faithful, Ja'far was
perplexed at his situation ; and he climbed up into the tree,
and looked, and saw Nur-ed-Din and the sheykh Ibrahim and
the damsel, and the sheykh Ibrahim had the cup in his hand.
As soon as He beheld this, he made sure of destruction ; and
he descended, and stood before the Prince of the Faithful,
and the Khalifeh said, O Ja'far, praise be to God who hath
made us to be of the number of those who follow the ex-
ternal ordinances of the holy law, and averted from us the
sin of disguising ourselves by the practice of hypocrisy !
But Ja'far was unable to reply, from his excessive confusion.
The Khalifeh then looked towards him, and said, \\'ho can
have brought these persons hither, and admitted them into
my palace? But the like of this young man and this damsel,
in beauty and loveliness and symmetry of form, mine eye
hath never beheld. — Ja'far, now conceiving a hope that the
Khalifeh might be propitiated, replied. Thou hast spoken
truly, O Prince of the Faithful. And the Khalifeh said, O
Ja'far, climb up with us upon this branch which is opposite
them, that we may amuse ourselves by observing them. So
they both climbed up into the tree, and. looking at them,
heard the sheykh Ibrahim say, O my mistress, I have re-
linquished decorum by the drinking of wine ; but the pleasure
of this is not complete without the melodious sounds of
stringed instruments. — O sheykh Ibrahim, replied Enis-el-
Jelis, by Allah, if we had any musical instrument, our happi-
ness were perfect. And when the sheykh Ibrahim heard her
words, he rose upon his feet. — The Khali f eh said to Ja'far,
What may he be going to do? Ja'far replied, I know not. —
And the sheykh Ibrahim went away, and returned with a lute ;
and the Khali f eh, looking attentively at it, saw that it was
the lute of Ishak the cup-companion ; and said, By Allah, if
this damsel sing not well, I will crucify you all ; but if she
sing well, I will pardon them, and crucify thee. So Ja'far
said, O Allah, let her not sing well! — Why? asked the Kha-
lifeh. — That thou mayest crucify all of us, answered Ja'far;
and then we shall cheer one another by conversation. And
the Khalifeh laughed: and the damsel took the lute, and tuned
its strings, and played upon it in a manner that would melt
iron, and inspire an idiot with intellect ; after which she sang
with such sweetness that the Khalifeh exclaimed, O Ja'far,
never in my life have I heard so enchanting a voice as this !
— Perhaps, said Ja'far, the anger of the Khalifeh hath de-
parted from him? — Yea, he answered; it hath departed. He
then descended with Ja'far from the tree, and, looking
towards him, said, I am desirous of going up to them, to
sit with them, and to hear the damsel sing before me. — O
Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja'far, if thou go up to them,
probably they will be troubled by thy presence ; and as to the
sheykh Ibrahim, he will assuredly die of fear. The Khalifeh
therefore said, O Ja'far, thou must acquaint me with some
stratagem by means of which I may learn the truth of the
affair without their knowing that I have discovered them.
And he and Ja'far walked towards the Tigris, reflecting upon
this matter; and lo, a fisherman stood beneath the windows of
the palace, and he threw his net, hoping to catch something
by means of which to obtain his subsistence. — Nov the Kha-
lifeh had, on a former occasion, called to the sheykh Ibra-
him, and said to him, What was that noise that I heard
beneath the windows of the palace? — and he answered, The
voices of the fishermen, who are fishing: — so he said. Go
down and forbid them from coming to this place. They were
therefore forbidden to come thither; but this night there
came a fisherman named Kerim, and, seeing the garden-gate
open, he said within himself, This is a time of inadvertence,
and perhaps I may catch some fish on this occasion: — so he
took his net, and threw it into the river, and then recited
some verses, contrasting the condition of the poor fisherman,
toiling throughout the night, with that of the lord of the
palace, who, awaking from a pleasant slumber, findeth the
fawn in his possession ; and as soon as he had finished his
recitation, lo, the Khalifeh, unattended, stood at his head.
The Khalifeh knew him, and exclaimed, O Kerim! — and the
fisherman, hearing him call him by his name, turned towards
him; and Avhen he beheld the Khalifeh, the muscles of his
side quivered, and he said. By Allah, O Prince of the Faith-
ful, I did not this in mockery of the mandate ; but poverty
and the wants of my family impelled me to the act of which
thou art witness. The Khalifeh replied, Throw thy net for
my luck. And the fisherman advanced, rejoicing exceedingly,
and cast the net, and, having waited until it had attained its
limit and become steady at the bottom, drew it in again, and
there came up in it a variety of fish that could not be
numbered.

The Khalifeh was delighted at this, and said, O Kerim,
strip off thy clothes: — and he did so. He was clad in a
jubbeh^ in which were a hundred patches of coarse woollen
stuff, containing vermin of the most abominable kind, and
among them fleas in such numbers that he might almost have
been transported by their means over the face of the earth ;
and he took from his head a turban which for three years
he had never unwound; but when he happened to find a
piece of rag he twisted it around it : and when he had taken
off the jubbeh and the turban, the Khalifeh pulled off from his
own person two vests of silk of Alexandria and Baibekk, and
a melwatah" and a farajiyeh, and said to the fisherman, Take
these, and put them on. The Khalifeh then put on himself
the fisherman's jubbeh and turban, and, having drawn a
litham^ over his face, said to the fisherman. Go about thy
business; — and he kissed the feet of the Khalifeh, and
thanked him, reciting these two verses: —

Thou hast granted me favours beyond my power to acknowledge,

and completely satisfied all my wants.
I will thank thee, therefore, as long as I live, and when I die my

bones will thank thee in their grave.

But scarcely had he finished his verses, when the vermin over-
ran the person of the KhaHfeh, and he began to seize them
with his right hand and his left from his neck, and to throw
them down ; and he exclaimed, O fisherman, wo to thee !
What are these abundant vermin in this jubbeh? — O my lord,
he answered, at present they torment thee ; but when a week
shall have passed over thee, thou wilt not feel them, nor think
of them. The Khalifeh laughed, and said to him, How can
I suffer this jubbeh to remain upon me? The fisherman re-
plied, I wish to tell thee something; but I am ashamed,
through my awe of the Khalifeh. — Impart, said the Khalifeh,
what thou hast to tell me. So he said to him. It hath oc-
curred to my mind, O Prince of the Faithful, that thou de-
sirest to learn the art of fishing, in order that thou mayest
be master of a trade that may profit thee; and if such be
thy desire, this jubbeh is suitable to thee. And the Khalifeh
laughed at his words.

The fisherman then went his way, and the Khalifeh took
the basket of fish, and, having put upon it a little grass, went
with it to Ja'far, and stood before him; and Ja'far, thinking
that he was Kerim the fisherman, feared for him, and said,
O Kerim, what brought thee hither? Save thyself by flight;
for the Khalifeh is here this night. — And when the Khalifeh
heard the words of Ja'far, he laughed until he fell down
upon his back. So Ja'far said. Perhaps thou art our lord the
Prince of the Faithful? — Yes, O Ja'far, answered the Kha-
lifeh, and thou art my Wezir, and I came with thee hither,
and thou knowest me not. How then should the sheykh
Ibrahim know me when he is drunk? Remain where thou art
until I return to thee. — Ja'far replied, I hear and obey: — and
the Khalifeh advanced to the door of the palace, and knocked.
The sheykh Ibrahim arose, therefore, and said, Who is at the
door? He answered, I, O sheykh Ibrahim. The sheykh said.
Who art thou? — and the Khalifeh answered, I am Kerim the-
fisherman : I heard that there were guests with thee, and have
therefore hrought thee some fish ; for it is excellent. — Xow
Nur-ed-Din and the damsel were both fond of fish, and when
they heard the mention of it they rejoiced exceedingly, and
said, O my master, open to him, and let him come in to us
with the fish which he hath brought. So the sheykh Ibrahim
opened the door, and the Khalifeh, in his fisherman's disguise,
entered, and began by salutation ; and the sheykh Ibrahim
said to him. Welcome to the robber, the thief, the gambler !
Come hither, and shew us the fish which thou hast brought.
— He therefore shewed it to them ; and lo, it was alive, and
moving; and the damsel exclaimed, By Allah, O my master,
this fish is excellent ! I wish it were fried ! — By Allah, said
the sheykh Ibrahim, thou hast spoken truth. Then, address-
ing the Khalifeh, he said, O fisherman, I wish thou hadst
brought this fish fried. Arise, and fry it for us, and bring
it, — On the head be thy commands, replied the Khalifeh : I
will fry it, and bring it. — Be quick, said they, in doing it.

The Khalifeh therefore arose and ran back to Ja'far, and
said, O Ja'far, they want the fish fried. — O Prince of the
Faithful, replied he, give it me, and I will fry it. But the
Khalifeh said, By the tombs of my ancestors, none shall fry
it but myself : with my own hand will I do it ! He then
repaired to the hut of the superintendent, and, searching
there, found in it everything that he required, the frying-
pan, and even the salt, and wild marjoram, and other things.
So he approached the fire-place, and put on the frying-pan,
and fried it nicely ; and when it was done, he put it upon a
banana-leaf, and, having taken from the garden some limes,
he went up with the fish, and placed it before them. The
young man, therefore, and the damsel and the sheykh Ibra-
him advanced and ate; and when they had finished, they
washed their hands, and Nur-ed-Din said. By Allah, O fisher-
man, thou hast done us a kindness this night. Then putting
his hand into his pocket, he took forth for him three pieces
of gold, of those which Senjer had presented to him when
he was setting forth on his journey, and said, O fisherman,
excuse me; for, by Allah, if I had known thee before the
events that have lately happened to me. I would have ex-
tracted the bitterness of poverty from thy heart ; but take
this as accordant with my present circumstances. So saying,
he threw the pieces of gold to the Khali f eh, who took them,
and kissed them, and put them in his pocket. The object of the
Khalifeh in doing this was only that he might hear the damsel
sing : so he said to him, Thou hast treated me with benefi-
cence, and abundantly recompensed me; but I beg of thy un-
bounded indulgence that this damsel may sing an air, that I
may hear her. Nur-ed-Din therefore said, O Enis-el-Jelis !
She replied, Yes. — By my life, said he, sing to us something
for the gratification of this fisherman; for he desireth to
hear thee. And when she had heard what her master said,
she took the lute, and tried it with her fingers, after she had
twisted its pegs, and sang to it these two verses : —

The fingers of many a fawn-like damsel have played upon the lute,
and the soul hath been ravished by the touch.

She hath made the deaf to hear her songs ; and the dumb hath
exclaimed, Thou hast excelled in thy singing !

Then she played again, in an extraordinary manner, so as
to charm the minds of her hearers, and sang the following
couplet : —

We are honoured by your visiting our abode, and your splendour
hath dispelled the darkness of the moonless night :

It is therefore incumbent upon me to perfume my dwelling with
musk and rosewater and camphor.

Upon this, the Khalifeh was affected with violent emotion,
and overcome by ecstasy, so that he was no longer master
of himself from excessive delight ; and he began to exclaim,
Allah approve thee ! Allah approve thee ! Allah approve
thee ! So Nur-ed-Din said to him, O fisherman, have the
damsel and her art in striking the chords pleased thee? —
Yea, by Allah ! exclaimed the Khalifeh. And Nur-ed-Din
immediately said, She is bestowed upon thee as a present
from me, the present of a generous man who will not revoke
his gift. And he rose upon his feet, and took a melwatah,
and threw it upon the Khalifeh in the fisherman's disguise,
ordering him to depart with the damsel. But she looked
towards him, and said, O my master, wilt thou part from
me without bidding me farewell? If we must be separated.
pause while I take leave of thee. — And she recited the fol-
lowing couplet : —

If you depart from me, still your abode will be in my heart, in the

recess of my bosom.
I implore the Compassionate to grant our reunion ; and a boon such

as this, God will grant to whom He ijleascth.

And when she had finished, Nur-ed-Din thus replied to
her: —

She bade me farewell on the day of separation, saying, while she

wept from the pain that it occasioned.
What wilt thou do after my departure ? — Say this, I replied, unto

him who will survive it.

The Khali f eh, when he heard this, was distressed at the
thought of separating them, and, looking towards the young
man, he said to him, O my master, art thou in fear on account
of any crime, or art thou in debt to any one? Nur-ed-Din
answered, By Allah, O fisherman, a wonderful event, and an
extraordinary adventure, happened to me and this damsel:
if it were engraved on the understanding, it would be a lesson
to him who would be admonished, — Wilt thou not, rejoined
the Khali f eh, relate to us thy story, and acquaint us with thy
case? Perhaps thy doing so may be productive of relief; for
the relief of God is near. — So Nur-ed-Din said. Wilt thou
hear our story in poetry or in prose? — Prose, answered the
Khalifeh, is mere talk; and verse, words put together like
pearls. And Nur-ed-Din hung down his head towards the
ground, and then related his story in a series of verses ; but
when he had finished, the Khalifeh begged him to explain his
case more fully. He therefore acquainted him with the whole
of his circumstances from beginning to end ; and when the
Khalifeh understood the affair, he said to him, Whither
wouldst thou now repair? He answered, God's earth is wide.
The Khalifeh then said to him, I will write for thee a letter
which thou shalt convey to the Sultan Mohammad the son
of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni, and when he shall have read it, he
will do thee no injury. — Is there in the world, said Nur-ed-
Din, a fisherman who corrcspondeth with Kings? \'crily this
is a thing that can never be. — Thou hast spoken truly, re-
joined the Khalifeh ; but I will acquaint thee with the cause.
Know that I read in the same school with him, under a
master, and I was his monitor ; and after that, prosperity
was his lot, and he became a Sultan, while God made me to
be a fisherman : yet I have never sent to request anything of
him, but he hath performed my wish ; and if I sent to him
every day to request a thousand things of him, he would do
what I asked. When Nur-ed-Din, therefore, heard his words,
he said to him. Write, that I may see. And he took an ink-
horn and a pen, and wrote (after the phrase, In the name of
God, the Compassionate, the Merciful). — To proceed. — This
letter is from Harun Er-Rashid the son of El-Mahdi, to his
highness Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni, who hath
been encompassed by my beneficence, and whom I constituted
my viceroy of a portion of my dominions. I acquaint thee
that the bearer of this letter is Nur-ed-Din the son of El-Fadl
the son of Khakan the Wezir, and on his arrival in thy pres-
ence thou shalt divest thyself of the regal authority, and seat
him in thy place; for I have appointed him to the office to
which I formerly appointed thee : so disobey not my com-
mands: and peace be on thee. — He then gave the letter to
'Ali Nur-ed-Din, who took it and kissed it and put it in his
turban, and immediately set forth on his journey.

The sheykh Ibrahim now looked towards the Khalifeh in
his fisherman's disguise, and said to him, O most contemptible
of fishermen, thou hast brought us two fish worth twenty
half-dirhems, and received three pieces of gold, and desirest
to take the slave also. But when the Khalifeh heard these
words, he cried out at him, and made a sign to Mesrur, who
immediately discovered himself, and rushed in upon him.
Ja'far, meanwhile, had sent one of the attendants of the
garden to the porter of the palace to demand a suit of clothing
of him for the Prince of the Faithful; and the man went,
and brought the dress, and kissed the ground before the Kha-
lifeh, who took off and gave to him that with which he was
then clad, and put on this suit. The sheykh Ibrahim was
sitting on a chair: the Khalifeh paused to see the result:
and the sheykh was astounded, and began to bite the ends
of his fingers through his confusion, saying. Am I asleep or
awake? The Khalifeh then looked at him, and said, O sheykh
Ibrahim, what is this predicament in which thou art placed?
And upon this, the sheykh recovered from his intoxication,
and, throwing himself upon the ground, implored forgiveness:
and the Khalifeh pardoned him; after which he gave orders
that the damsel should be conveyed to the palace where he
resided; and when she had arrived there, he appropriated to
her a separate lodging, and appointed persons to wait upon
her, and said to her, Know that I have sent thy master as
Sultan of El-Basrah, and, if God please, I will despatch to
him a dress of honour, and send thee also to him with it.

As to Nur-ed-Din, he continued his journey until he entered
El-Basrah, and went up to the palace of the Sultan, when he
uttered a loud cry, whereupon the Sultan desired him to ap-
proach ; and when he came into the presence of the King,
he kissed the ground before him, and produced the letter, and
handed it to him. And as soon as the Sultan saw the super-
scription in the handwriting of the Prince of the Faithful, he
rose upon his feet, and, having kissed it three times, said, I
hear and pay obedience to God (whose name be exalted !) and
to the Prince of the Faithful. He then summoned before him
the four Kadis,** and the Emirs, and was about to divest him-
self of the regal office: but, lo, the Wezir El-Mo'in the son of
Sawi was before him, and the Sultan gave him the letter of
the Prince of the Faithful, and when he saw it, he rent it in
pieces, and put it into his mouth, and chewed it, and threw it
down. The Sultan, enraged, cried, Wo to thee ! What hath
induced thee to act thus? — He answered, This man hath had
no interview with the Khalifeh nor with his Wezir; but is a
young wretch, an artful devil, who, having met with a paper
containing the handwriting of the Khalifeh. hath counter-
feited it, and written what he desired: wherefore then
shouldst thou abdicate the sovereignty, when the Khalifeh
hath not sent to thee an envoy with a royal autographical
mandate; for if this affair were true, he had sent with him a
Chamberlain or a Wezir; but he came alone. — What then is
to be done? said the Sultan. The Wezir answered, Send away
this young man with me, and I will take charge of him. and
despatch him in company with a Chamberlain to the city of
Baghdad; and if his words be true, he will bring us a royal
autographical mandate and diploma of investiture; and if
not true, they will send him back to us with the Chamber-
lain, and I will take my revenge upon my offender.

When the Sultan heard what the Wezir said, it pleased
him; and the Wezir took him away, and cried out to the
pages, who threw down Nur-ed-Din, and beat him until he
became insensible. He then ordered to put a chain upon his
feet, and called to the jailer; and when he came, he kissed
the ground before him. This jailer was named Kuteyt; and
the Wezir said to him, O Kuteyt, I desire that thou take this
person, and cast him into one of the subterranean cells which
are in thy prison, and torture him night and day. The jailer
replied, I hear and obey: — and he put Nur-ed-Din into the
prison, and locked the door upon him ; but after having done
this, he gave orders to sweep a mastabah within the door, and
furnished it with a prayer-carpet and a pillow, and seated
Xur-ed-Din upon it, and loosed his chain, and treated him
with kindness. The Wezir every day sent to him, command-
ing him to beat him; and the jailer pretended that he tortured
him, while, on the contrary, he treated him with benignity.

Thus he continued to do for forty days ; and on the forty-
first day, there came a present from the Khalifeh, and when
the Sultan saw it, it pleased him, and he conferred with the
Wezirs upon the subject; but one said, Perhaps this present
was designed for the new Sultan. Upon this, the Wezir
El-Mo'in the son of Sawi remarked, It were proper to have
slain him on his arrival : — and the Sultan exclaimed. Now
thou hast reminded me of him, go down and bring him, and
I will strike off his head. The Wezir replied, I hear and
obey : — and arose, saying, I desire to proclaim throughout the
city, He who wisheth to witness the decapitation of Nur-ed-
Din 'Ali the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan, let him come
to the palace : — so that all the people may come to behold it,
and I may gratify my heart, and mortify my cnviers. The
Sultan said. Do what thou wilt. So the Wezir descended,
full of joy and happiness, and went to the Wali, and ordered
him to make this proclamation ; and when the people heard
the crier, they all grieved and wept, even the boys in the
schools, and the tradesmen in their shops; and numbers of
the people strove together to take for themselves places where
they might behold the spectacle, while others repaired to the
prison, to accompany him thence. The Wezir then went
forth, attended by ten memluks, to the prison : and Kuteyt
the jailer said to him, What dost thou desire, O our lord the
Wezir? — Bring forth to me, said the Wezir, this young
wretch. The jailer replied. He is in a most miserable state
from the excessive beating that I have inflicted upon him.
And he entered, and found him reciting some verses, com-
mencing thus : —

Who is there to aid me in my affliction? For my pain hath become
intense, and my remedy is scarce procurable !

And the jailer pulled off from him his clean clothes, and,
having clad him in two dirty garments, brought him out to
the Wezir. Nur-ed-Din then looked at him, and saw that
he was his enemy who had incessantly desired his destruc-
tion; and when he beheld him, he wept, and said to him,
Art thou secure from misfortune? Hast thou not heard the
saying of the poet? —

They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically ; and soon
it became as though it never had existed.

O Wezir, know that God (whose perfection be extolled, and
whose name be exalted!) is the doer of whatsoever He
willeth. — O 'Ali, replied the Wezir, wouldst thou frighten
me by these words? I am now going to strike off thy head,
in spite of the people of El-Basrah : and I will pay no regard
to thy counsel; but I will rather attend to the saying of the
poet : —

Let fortune do whatever it willeth, and bear with cheerful mind
the effects of fate.

How excellent also is the saying of another poet: —

He who liveth after his enemy a single day, hath attained his
desire.

The Wezir then ordered his pages to convey him on the
back of a mule; whereupon they said to him (being distressed
to obey), Suffer us to stone him and cut him in pieces,
though our lives should be sacrificed in consequence. But
he replied, Never do it. Have ye not heard what the poet
hath said: —

A decreed term is my inevitable lot ; and as soon as its days have

expired, I die.
If the lions dragged me into their forest, they could not close it

while aught of it remained.

So they proceeded to proclaim before Nur-ed-Din, This is
the smallest recompense of him who forgeth a letter from
the Khalifeh to the Sultan. And they continued to parade
him throughout El-Basrah until they stationed him beneath
the window of the palace, and in the place of blood, when the
executioner approached him, and said to him, I am a slave
imder command; and if thou hast any want, acquaint me with
it, that I may perform it for thee; for there remaineth not
of thy life any more than the period until the Sultan shall
put forth his face from the window. And upon this, Nur-ed-
Din looked to the right and left, and recited these verses: —

Is there among you a merciful friend, who will aid me? I conjure

you by Allah to answer me !
My life hath passed, and my death is at hand ! Is there any who

will pity me, to obtain my recompense.
And consider my state, and relieve my anguish, by a draught of

water that my torment may be lightened?

And the people were excited to tears for him ; and the execu-
tioner took some water to hand it to him ; but the Wezir
arose from, his place, and struck the kulleh' of water with
his hand, and broke it, and called to the executioner, com-
manding him to strike off his head; whereupon he bound
Nur-ed-Din's eyes. The people, however, called out against
the Wezir, and raised a tumultuous cry against him, and
many words passed between them ; and while they were in
this state, lo, a dust rose, and filled the sky and the open
tracts ; and when the Sultan beheld it, as he sat in the palace,
he said to his attendants, See what is the news. The Wezir
said, After thou shalt first have beheaded this man. But the
Sultan replied. Wait thou until we see what is the news.
Now this dust was the dust of Ja'far, the Wezir of the
Khalifeh, and of his attendants; and the cause of their
coming was this: — The KhaUfeh had passed thirty days with-
out remembering the affair of 'AH the son of EI-Fadl the
son of Khakan, and no one mentioned it to him, until he
came one night to the private apartment of Enis-el-Jelis,
and heard her lamenting, as she recited, with a soft voice,
the saying of the poet: —

Thine image [is before me] whether distant or near, and my tongue
never ceaseth to mention thee.

Her lamentation increased, and lo, the Khalifeh opened the
door, and entered the chamber, and saw Enis-el-Jelis weep-
ing. On beholding the Khalifeh, she fell at his feet, and,
having kissed them three times, recited these two verses : —

thou of pure origin, and of excellent birth ; of ripe-fruitful

branch, and of unsullied race !

1 remind thee of the promise thy beneficence granted, and far be it

from thee that thou shouldst forget it.

The Khalifeh said to her. Who art thou ? She answered, I
am the present given to thee by 'Ali the son of El-Fadl the
son of Khakan ; and I request the fulfilment of the promise
which thou gavest me, that thou wouldst send me to him
with the honorary gift; for I have now been here thirty days
and have not tasted sleep. And upon this, the Khalifeh sum-
moned Ja'far EI-Barmeki, and said to him. For thirty days
I have heard no news of 'Ali the son of El-Fadl the son of
Khakan, and I imagine nothing less than that the Sultan hath
killed him: but, by my head! by the tombs of my ancestors!
if any evil event have happened to him, I will destroy him
who hath been the cause of it, though he be the dearest of
men in my estimation ! I desire, therefore, that thou journey
immediately to El-Basrah, and bring me an account of the
conduct of the King Mohammad the son of Suleyman Ez-
Zeyni to 'AH the son of El-Fadl the son of Khakan.

So Ja'far obeyed his commands, and set forth on his
journey, and when he approached, and saw this tumult and
crowd, he said. What is the occasion of this crowd? They
related to him, therefore, the situation in which they were
with regard to Nur-ed-Din ; and when he heard their words,
he hastened to go up to the Sultan, and, having saluted him,
acquainted him with the cause of his coming, and told him,
that if any evil event had happened to 'Ali Xur-ed-Din, the
Khali f eh w^ould destroy him who w^as the cause of it. He
then arrested the Sultan, and the Wezir El-Mo'in the son
of Sawi, and gave orders to liberate 'Ali Nur-ed-Din, and
enthroned him as Sultan in the place of the Sultan Moham-
mad the son of Suleyman Ez-Zeyni ; after which he remained
in El-Basrah three days, the usual period of entertainment;
and on the morning of the fourth day, 'Ali Nur-ed-Din said
to Ja'far, I have a longing desire to see the Prince of the
Faithful. So Ja'far said to the King Mohammad the son of
Suleyman, Prepare thyself for travelling ; for we will perform
the morning-prayers, and depart to Baghdad. He replied, I
hear and obey : — and they performed the morning-prayers,
and mounted all together, with the Wezir El-Mo'in the son
of Sawi, who now repented of what he had done. As to
*Ali Nur-ed-Din. he rode by the side of Ja'far : and they
continued their journey until they arrived at Baghdad, the
Abode of Peace.

They then presented themselves before the Khalifeh and
related to him the case of Nur-ed-Din ; whereupon the Kha-
lifeh addressed him, saying. Take this sword, and strike off
with it the head of thine enemy. And he took it, and ap-
proached El-Mo'in the son of Sawi ; but he looked at him,
and said to him, I did according to my nature, and do thou
according to thine. And Nur-ed-Din threw down the sword
from his hand, and, looking towards the Khalifeh, said, O
Prince of the Faithful, he hath beguiled me. So the Khalifeh
said. Do thou leave him : — and he said to Mesrur, O Mesrur,
advance thou, and strike ofif his head. Mesrur, therefore,
did so: and upon this, the Khalifeh said to 'Ali the son of
El-Fadl the son of Khakan, Request of me what thou wilt.
He replied, O my lord, I have no want of the sovereignty of
El-Basrah, and desire nothing but to have the honour of
serving thee. — Most willingly I assent, said the Khalifeh: —
and he summoned the damsel, and when she had come before
him, he bestowed favours upon them both : he gave to them
one of the palaces of Baghdad, and assigned to them regular
allowances, and made Nur-ed-Din one of his companions at
the table; and he remained with him until death overtook him.