Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/178

 The lust after worldly goods, and the ordinance of Allah (extolled exalted be He!)." Rejoined Khálid, "Be thy mother bereaved of thee! Hadst thou not, in thy fair face and sound sense and good breeding, what should restrain thee from thieving?" Answered the young man, "O Emir, leave this talk and proceed to what Almighty Allah hath ordained; this is what my hands have earned, and, 'God is not unjust towards mankind.'" So Khálid was silent awhile considering the matter then he bade the young man draw near him and said, "Verily, thy confession before witnesses perplexeth me, for I cannot believe thee to be a thief: haply thou hast some story that is other than one of theft; and if so tell it me." Replied the youth "O Emir, imagine naught other than what I have confessed to in thy presence; for I have no tale to tell save that verily I entered these folks' house and stole what I could lay hands on and they caught me and took the stuff from me and carried me before thee." Then Khalid bade clap him in gaol and commended a crier to cry throughout Bassorah, "O yes! O yes! Whoso be minded to look upon the punishment of such an one, the thief, and the cutting-off of his hand, let him be present to- morrow morning at such a place!" Now when the young man found himself in prison, with irons on his feet, he sighed heavily and with tears streaming from his eyes extemporized these couplets,

"When Khálid menaced off to strike my hand * If I refuse to tell     him of her case; Quoth I, 'Far, far fro' me that I should tell * A love, which     ever shall my heart engrace; Loss of my hand for sin I have confessed * To me were easier than     to shame her face.'"

The warders heard him and went and told Khálid