Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/383

355 So we fled from our house in the dead of the night And came to Baghdad for a place of repose. I have nothing of value, nor treasures nor gold, Or I’d handsel thee, fisherman, freely with those! But I give thee, instead, the beloved of my soul, And in her thou hast gotten my heart’s blood, God knows!

When he had finished, the Khalif said to him, ‘O my lord Noureddin, explain to me thy case more fully!’ So he told him the whole story from beginning to end, and the Khalif said to him, ‘Whither dost thou now intend?’ ‘God’s world is wide!’ replied he. Quoth the Khalif, ‘I will write thee a letter to carry to the Sultan Mohammed ben Suleiman ez Zeini, which when he reads, he will do thee no hurt.’ ‘Who ever heard of a fisherman writing to kings?’ said Noureddin. ‘Such a thing can never be.’ ‘True,’ replied the Khalif; ‘but I will tell thee the reason. Know that he and I learnt in the same school, under one master, and that I was his monitor. Since that time, fortune has betided him and he is become a Sultan, whilst God hath abased me and made me a fisherman: yet I never send to him to seek aught, but he does my desire; nay, though I should ask of him a thousand favours a day, he would comply.’ When Noureddin heard this, he said, ‘Good: write that I may see.’ So the Khalif took pen and inkhorn and wrote as follows: ‘In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful! This letter is from Haroun er Reshid son of elEl [sic] Mehdi to His Highness Mohammed ben Suleiman ez Zeini, whom I have compassed about with my favour and made governor for me in certain of my dominions. The bearer of these presents is Noureddin son of FelzFezl [sic] ben Khacan the Vizier. As soon as they come to thy hand, do thou put off thy kingly dignity and invest him therewith, and look thou oppose not my commandment, so peace be on thee.’ Then he gave the letter to Noureddin, who took it and kissed it,