Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/137

 THE DEVOTEE PRINCE

The Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, had a son who, from the time he attained the age of sixteen, renounced the world and walked in the way [FN#158] of ascetics and devotees. He was wont to go out to the graveyards and say, Ye once ruled the world, but that saved you not from death, and now are ye come to your sepulchres! Would Heaven I knew what ye said and what is said to you! [FN#159]  and he wept as one weepeth who is troubled with fear and apprehension, and repeated the worlds of the poet,

Affright me funerals at every time; * And wailing women grieve me to the soul!

Now it chanced one day, as he sat among the tombs, according to his custom, his father passed by in all his state, surrounded by his Wazirs and Lords of the realm and the Officers of his household, who seeing the Caliphs son with a gown of woollen stuff on his body and a twist of wool on his head by way of turband, said to one another, Verily this youth dishonoureth the Commander of the Faithful among Kings: but, if he reproved him, he would leave his present way of life.   The Caliph heard these words; so quoth he to his son, O my dear child, of a truth thou disgracest me by thy present way of life.  The young man looked at him and made no reply: then he beckoned to a bird perched on the battlements of the palace, and said to it, O thou bird, I conjure thee by Him who created thee, alight upon my hand.