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Story LX

of the abundant admonitions of the most illustrious Sheikh Abulfaraj Ben Jûzi to shun musical entertainments and to prefer solitude and retirement, the budding of my youth overcame me, my sensual desires were excited, so that, unable to resist them, I walked some steps contrary to the opinion of my tutor, enjoying myself in musicial amusements and convivial meetings. When the advice of my Sheikh occurred to my mind, I said: "If the Qâzi were sitting with us, he would clap his hands; if the Muhtasib were bibbing wine, he would excuse a drunkard."

[Thus I lived] till I paid one night a visit to an assembly of people, in which I saw a musician. Thou wouldst have said he was tearing up the vital artery with his fiddle-bow; his voice was more unpleasant than the wailing of one who lost his father. The audience now stopped their ears with their fingers, and now put them on their lips to silence him. "We became ecstatic by the sounds of pleasing songs; but thou art such a singer that when thou art silent we are pleased. No one feels pleased by thy performance, except at the time of departure when thou pleasest."

When that harper began to sing, I said to the host: "For God's sake put mercury in my ear, that I may not hear, or open the door that I may go away."

In short, I tried to please my friends, and succeeded, after a considerable struggle [against my repugnance], in spending the whole night there. The Muezzin shouted the call to prayer out of time, not knowing how much of the night had elapsed; ask the length of the night from my eyelids, for sleep did not enter my eyes one moment.

In the morning I took my turban from my head, with one