Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/132

 as to the manner of my death. Then said he to his Wazir Ahmad bin al-Khálid, 'And what sayest thou, O Ahmad?' He answered, 'O Commander of the Faithful, an thou slay him, we find the like of thee who hath slain the like of him; but an thou pardon him, we find not the like of thee that hath pardoned the like of him.'"— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Al Maamun, Prince of the Faithful, heard the words of Ahmad bin al-Khálid, he bowed his head and began repeating,

"My tribe have slain that brother mine, Umaym, * Yet would shoot     back what shafts at them I aim: If I deal-pardon, noble pardon 'tis; * And if I shoot, my bones     'twill only maim."

And he also recited,

"Be mild to brother mingling * What is wrong with what is right:

Kindness to him continue * Whether good or graceless wight: Abstain from all reproaching, * An he joy or vex thy sprite: Seest not that what thou lovest * And what hatest go unite? That joys of longer life-tide * Ever fade with hair turned white? That thorns on branches growing * For the plucks fruit catch thy sight? Who never hath done evil,* Doing good for sole delight? When tried the sons of worldli-* ness they mostly work upright."

Quoth Ibrahim, "Now when I heard these couplets, I withdrew my woman's veil from my head and cried out, with my loudest voice, 'Allah is Most Great! By Allah, the Commander of the Faithful pardoneth me!' Quoth he, 'No harm shall come to thee, O uncle;' and I rejoined, 'O Commander of the Faithful, my sin is too sore for me to excuse it and thy mercy is too much for me to speak thanks for it.' And I chanted these couplets to a lively motive,