Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/287

 to Him that never, whilst I lived, would I stir from His House nor swerve from His service; and since then I have never asked of Him aught but He hath given it me.' Now when she had made an end of her story (quoth the Sayyid), I put my hand to my alms-pouch and would have given to her, but she exclaimed, "Away from me, thou idle man! Have I not told thee of His mercies and the graciousness of His dealings and shall I take an alms from other than His hand?" And I could not prevail with her to accept aught of me: so I left her and went away, reciting these couplets

'How many boons conceals the Deity, * Eluding human sight in mystery: How many graces come on heels of stresses, * And fill the burning heart with jubilee: How many a sorrow in the morn appears, * And turns at night-tide into gladdest gree: If things go hard with thee some day, yet trust * Th' Eterne, th' Almighty God of Unity: And pray the Prophet that he intercede; * Through intercession every wish shalt see.'

And she left not the service of her Lord, cleaving unto His House, till death came to her." And a tale is also told by Málik bin Dínár [FN#467] (Allah have mercy on him!) of THE PIOUS BLACK SLAVE.

"We were once afflicted with drought at Bassorah and went forth sundry times to pray for rain, but saw no sign of our prayers being accepted. So I went, I and 'Itaa al-Salamí and Sábit al-Banáni and Naja al-Bakáa and Mohammed bin Wási'a and Ayyúb al-Sukhtiyáni and Habíb al-Farsi and Hassán bin Abi Sinán and 'Otbah al-Ghulám and Sálih al-Muzani, [FN#468] till we reached the oratory, [FN#469] when the boys came out of the schools and we prayed for rain, but saw no sign of acceptance. So about mid-day the people went away and I and Sabit al-Banani tarried in the place of