Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/41

23 IBRAHIM AND JEMILEH.

El Khesib, lord of Egypt, had a son named Ibrahim, there was none goodlier than he, and of his fear for him, he suffered him not to go forth, save to the Friday prayers. One day, as he was returning from the mosque, he happened upon an old man, with whom were many books; so he lighted down from his horse and seating himself beside him, fell to turning over the books and examining them. In [one of] them he saw the portrait of a woman, that all but spoke, never was seen on the earth’s face a fairer than she; and this captivated his reason and confounded his wit. So he said to the old man, ‘O elder, sell me this picture.’ And the bookseller kissed the earth before him and said, ‘O my lord, [it is thine,] without price.’ Ibrahim gave him a hundred dinars and taking the book in which was the picture, fell to gazing upon it and weeping night and day, abstaining from meat and drink and sleep.

Then said he in himself, ‘If I ask the bookseller of the painter of the picture, belike he will tell me; and if the original be on life, I will cast about to win to her; but, if it be an imaginary portrait, I will leave doting upon it and torment myself no more for a thing that hath no reality.’ So, on the following Friday, he betook himself to the bookseller, who rose to receive him, and said to him, ‘O uncle, tell me who painted this picture.’ And he answered, saying, ‘O my lord, a man of the people of Baghdad painted it, by name Aboulcasim es Sendelani; [he dwells] in a quarter called El Kerkh; but I know not of whom it is the portrait.’ So Ibrahim left him and