Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/44

24 O my mother, this is what I saw, and verily it was not a dream!” Then he bethought himself awhile and said, “Assuredly, I am Aboulhusn el Khelia, and this that I saw was only a dream, and [it was in a dream that] I was made Khalif and commanded and forbade.” Then he bethought himself again and said, “Nay, but it was no dream and I am no other than the Khalif, and indeed I gave gifts and bestowed dresses of honour.” Quoth his mother to him, “O my son, thou sportest with thy reason: thou wilt go to the hospital and become a gazing-stock. Indeed, that which thou hast seen is only from the Devil and it was a delusion of dreams, for whiles Satan sporteth with men’s wits in all manner ways.”

Then said she to him, “O my son, was there any one with thee yesternight?” And he bethought himself and said, “Yes; one lay the night with me and I acquainted him with my case and told him my story. Doubtless, he was from the Devil, and I, O my mother, even as thou sayst truly, am Aboulhusn el Khelia.” “O my son,” rejoined she, “rejoice in tidings of all good, for yesterday’s record is that there came the VivierVizier [sic] Jaafer the Barmecide [and his company] and beat the sheikhs of the mosque and the Imam, each four hundred lashes; after which they paraded them about the city, making proclamation before them and saying, ‘This is the reward and the least of the reward of whoso lacketh of goodwill to his neighbours and troubleth on them their lives!’ and banished them from Baghdad. Moreover, the Khalif sent me a hundred dinars and sent to salute me.” Whereupon Aboulhusn cried out and said to her, “O old woman of