Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/295

 and lo! the ruby flew up to the roof and away whilst they looked at it. And they ceased not from their poverty and their piety, till they went to the presence of Allah, to whom be Honour and Glory! And they also tell a tale of AL-HAJJAJ AND THE PIOUS MAN.

Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf al-Sakafi had been long in pursuit of a certain man of the notables, and when at last he was brought before him, he said, "O enemy of Allah, He hath delivered thee over to me;" and cried, "Hale him to prison and lay him by the heels in heavy fetters and build a closet over him, that he may not come forth of it nor any go into him." So they bore him to jail and summoned the blacksmith with the irons; and every time the smith gave a stroke with his hammer, the prisoner raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Is not the whole Creation and the Empire thereof His?" [FN#480] Then the gaolers built the cage [FN#481] over him and left him therein, lorn and lone, whereupon longing and consternation entered into him and the tongue of his case recited in extempore verse,

"O, Wish of wistful men, for Thee I yearn; * My heart seeks grace of one no heart shall spurn. Unhidden from thy sight is this my case; * And for one glance of thee I pine and burn. They jailed and tortured me with sorest pains: * Alas for lone one can no aid discern!