Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 3.djvu/345

Rh is no Majesty save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily, we are Allah's and unto Him we are returning." And As'ad embraced his brother, sobbing and repeating these couplets:—

Now when Amjad heard his brother's weeping he wept also and pressing him to his bosom repeated these two couplets:—

Then said Amjad to the treasurer, "I conjure thee by the One, Omnipotent, the Lord of Mercy, the Beneficent! slay me before my brother As'ad, so haply shall the fire be quencht in my heart's core and in this life burn no more." But As'ad wept and exclaimed, "Not so: I will die first;" whereupon quoth Amjad, "It were best that I embrace thee and thou embrace me, so the sword may fall upon us and slay us both at a single stroke." Thereupon they embraced, face to face and clung to each other straitly, whilst the treasurer tied up the twain and bound them fast with cords, weeping the while. Then he drew his blade and said to them, "By Allah, O my lords, it is indeed hard to me to slay you! But have ye no last wishes that I may fulfil or charges which I may carry out, or message which I may deliver?" Replied Amjad, "We have no wish; and my only charge to thee is that thou set my brother below and me above him, that the blow may fall on me first, and when thou hast killed us and returnest to the King and he asketh thee:—What heardest thou from them before their death?; do thou