Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/178

     Whene'er a wise man spies me, straight he chides * Love, that misleads me thus in ways unwise: O Lord, I lack the power this dole to bear: * Come sudden Death or joy in bestest guise!"

When he had ended, Ali bin Hisham sprang up and kissing his feet, said, "O my lord, Allah hearing thy secret hath answered thy prayer and consenteth to thy taking her with all she hath of things rare and fair, so the Commander of the Faithful have no mind to her." Quoth Al Maamun, "Had we a mind to her, we would prefer Abu Isa before ourselves and help him to his desire." So saying, he rose and embarking, went away, whilst Abu Isa tarried for Kurrat al-Ayn, whom he took and carried to his own house, his breast swelling with joy. See then the generosity of Ali son of Hisham! And they tell a tale of AL-AMIN SON OF AL-RASHID AND HIS UNCLE IBRAHIM BIN AL-MAHDI.

Al-Amin, [FN#224] brother of al-Maamun, once entered the house of his uncle Ibrahim bin al-Mahdi, where he saw a slave girl playing upon the lute; and, she being one of the fairest of women, his heart inclined to her. Ibrahim, seeing how it was with him, sent the girl to him, with rich raiment and precious ornaments. When he saw her, he thought that his uncle had lain with her; so he was loath to have to do with her, because of that, and accepting what came with her sent her back to Ibrahim. His uncle learnt the cause of this from one of al-Amin's eunuchs; so he took a shift of watered silk and worked upon its skirt, in letters of gold, these two couplets,

"No! I declare by Him to whom all bow, *         Of nothing 'neath her petticoat I trow:    Nor meddle with her mouth; nor aught did I *         But see and hear her, and it was enow!"

Then he clad her in the shift and, giving her a lute, sent her back again to his nephew. When she came into al-Amin's presence,