A money-changer, bearing a bag of money, once passed by a
company of thieves, and one of the latter said to the others,
'I know how to steal yonder bag of money.' 'How wilt thou do
it?' asked they. 'Look,' answered he and followed the money-
changer, till he entered his house, when he threw the bag on a
shelf and went into the draught-house, to do an occasion,
calling to the slave-girl to bring him an ewer of water. So she
took the jug and followed him to the draught-house, leaving the
door open, whereupon the thief entered and taking the bag of
money, made off with it to his companions, to whom he related
what had passed. 'By Allah,' said they, 'this was a clever
trick! It is not every one could do it: but, presently, the
money-changer will come out of the draught-house and missing
the bag of money, will beat the slave-girl and torture her
grievously. Meseems thou hast at present done nothing worthy of
praise; but, if thou be indeed a sharper, thou wilt return and
save the girl from being beaten.' 'If it be the will of God,'
answered the thief, 'I will save both the girl and the purse.'
Then he went back to the money-changer's house and found him
beating the girl, because of the bag of money; so he knocked at
the door and the man said, 'Who is there? Quoth the thief, 'I
am the servant of thy neighbour in the bazaar.' So he came out
to him and said, 'What is thy business?' 'My master salutes
thee,' replied the thief, 'and says to thee, "Surely, thou art
mad to cast the like of this bag of money down at the door of
thy shop and go away and leave it! Had a stranger chanced on
it, he had made off with it." And except my master had seen it
and taken care of it, it had been lost to thee.' So saying, he
pulled out the purse and showed it to the money-changer, who
said, 'That is indeed my purse,' and put out his hand to take
it; but the thief said, 'By Allah, I will not give it thee,
till thou write me a receipt; for I fear my master will not
believe that thou hast duly received the purse, except I bring
him a writing to that effect, under thy hand and seal.' So the
money-changer went in to write the receipt; but, in the
meantime, the thief made off with the bag of money, having
[thus] saved the slave-girl her beating.
THE CHIEF OF THE COUS POLICE AND THE
SHARPER
It is related that Alaeddin, chief of the police of
Cous[FN#57], was sitting one night in his house, when a man of
comely aspect and dignified port, followed by a servant bearing
a chest upon his head, came to the door and said to one of the
young men, 'Go in and tell the Amir that I would speak with him
privily.' So the servant went in and told his master, who bade
admit the visitor. When he entered the Amir saw him to be a man
of good appearance and carriage; so he received him with
honour, seating him beside himself, and said to him, 'What is
thy business?' 'I am a highwayman,' replied the stranger, 'and
am minded to repent at thy hands and turn to God the Most High
but I would have thee help me to this, for that I am in thy
district and under thine eye. I have here a chest, wherein is
that which is worth nigh forty thousand dinars; and none hath
so good a right to it as thou; so do thou take it and give me
in exchange a thousand dinars of thy money, lawfully gotten,
that I may have a little capital, to aid me in my repentance,
and not be forced to resort to sin for subsistence; and with
God the Most High be thy reward!' So saying he opened the chest
and showed the Amir that it was full of trinkets and jewels and
bullion and pearls, whereat he was amazed and rejoiced greatly.
Then he cried out to his treasurer, to bring him a purse of a
thousand dinars, and gave it to the highwayman, who thanked him
and went his way, under cover of the night.
On the morrow, the Amir sent for the chief of the goldsmiths and
showed him the chest and what was therein; but the goldsmith
found it nothing but pewter and brass and the jewels and pearls
all of glass; at which Alaeddin was sore chagrined and sent in
quest of the highwayman; but none could come at him.
IBRAHIM BEN EL MEHDI AND THE MERCHANT'S
SISTER.
The Khalif El Mamoun once said to [his uncle] Ibrahim ben el
Mehdi, 'Tell us the most remarkable thing that thou hast ever
seen.' 'I hear and obey, O Commander of the Faithful,' answered
he. 'Know that I went out one day, a-pleasuring, and my course
brought me to a place where I smelt the odour of food. My soul
longed for it and I halted, perplexed and unable either to go
on or enter. Presently, I raised my eyes and saw a lattice
window and behind it a hand and wrist, the like of which for
beauty I never saw. The sight turned my brain and I forgot the
smell of the food and began to cast about how I should get
access to the house. After awhile, I espied a tailor hard by
and going up to him, saluted him. He returned my greeting and I
said to him, "Whose house is that?" "It belongs to a merchant
called such an one," answered he, "who consorteth with none but
merchants."
As we were talking, up came two men of comely and intelligent
aspect, riding on horseback; and the tailor told me their names
and that they were the merchant's most intimate friends. So I
spurred my horse towards them and said to them, "May I be your
ransom! Abou such an one[FN#58] waits for you!" And I rode with
them to the gate, where I entered and they also. When the
master of the house saw me, he doubted not but I was their
friend; so he welcomed me and made me sit down in the highest
room. Then they brought the table of food and I said, "God hath
granted me my desire of the food; and now there remain the hand
and wrist." After awhile, we removed, for carousal, to another
room, which I found full of all manner of rarities; and the
host paid me particular attention, addressing his conversation
to me, for that he deemed me a guest of his guests; whilst the
latter, in like manner, made much of me, taking me for a friend
of the master of the house.
When we had drunk several cups of wine, there came in to us a
damsel of the utmost beauty and elegance, as she were a
willow-wand, who took a lute and playing a lively measure, sang
the following verses:
Is it not passing strange, indeed, one house should hold us
tway And still thou drawst not near to me nor yet a word
dost say,
Except the secrets of the souls and hearts that broken be And
entrails blazing in the fires of love, the eye bewray
With meaning looks and knitted brows and eyelids languishing
And hands that salutation sign and greeting thus convey?
When I heard this, my entrails were stirred and I was moved to
delight, for the excess of her grace and the beauty of the
verses she sang; and I envied her her skill and said, "There
lacketh somewhat to thee, O damsel!" Whereupon she threw the
lute from her hand, in anger, and cried, "Since when do you use
to bring ill-mannered fools into your assemblies?" Then I
repented of what I had done, seeing that the others were vexed
with me, and said in myself, "My hopes are at an end;" and I
saw no way of quitting myself of reproach but to call for a
lute, saying, "I will show you what escaped her in the air she
sang." So they brought me a lute and I tuned it and sang the
following verses:
This is thy lover distraught, absorbed in his passion and pain;
Thy lover, the tears of whose eyes run down on his body
like rain.
One hand to his heart ever pressed, whilst the other the
Merciful One Imploreth, so He of His grace may grant him
his hope to attain.
O thou, that beholdest a youth for passion that's perished,
thine eye And thy hand are the cause of his death and yet
might restore him again.
When the damsel heard this, she sprang up and throwing herself
at my feet, kissed them and said, "It is thine to excuse, O my
lord! By Allah, I knew not thy quality nor heard I ever the
like of this fashion!" And they all extolled me and made much
of me, being beyond measure delighted, and besought me to sing
again. So I sang a lively air, whereupon they all became as
drunken men, and their wits left them. Then the guests departed
to their homes and I abode alone with the host and the girl.
The former drank some cups with me, then said to me, "O my
lord, my life hath been wasted, in that I have not known the
like of thee till now. By Allah, then, tell me who thou art,
that I may know who is the boon-companion whom God hath
bestowed on me this night."
I would not at first tell him my name and returned him evasive
answers; but he conjured me, till I told him who I was;
whereupon he sprang to his feet and said, "Indeed, I wondered
that such excellence should belong to any but the like of thee;
and Fortune hath done me a service for which I cannot avail to
thank her. But, belike, this is a dream; for how could I hope
that the family of the Khalifate should visit me in my own
house and carouse with me this night?" I conjured him to be
seated; so he sat down and began to question me, in the most
courteous terms, as to the cause of my visit. So I told him the
whole matter, concealing nothing, and said to him, "Verily, I
have had my desire of the food, but not of the hand and wrist."
Quoth he, "Thou shalt have thy desire of them also, so God
will." Then said he to the slave-girl, "Bid such an one come
down." And he called his slave-girls down, one by one and
showed them to me; but I saw not my mistress among them, and he
said, "O my lord, there is none left save my mother and sister;
but, by Allah, I must needs have them also down and show them
to thee."
I marvelled at his courtesy and large-heartedness and said,
"May I be thy ransom! Begin with thy sister." "Willingly,"
replied he. So she came down and behold, it was she whose hand
and wrist I had seen. "May God make me thy ransom!" said I.
"This is the damsel whose hand and wrist I saw at the lattice."
Then he sent at once for witnesses and bringing out two myriads
of dinars, said to the witnesses, "This our lord Ibrahim ben el
Mehdi, uncle of the Commander of the Faithful, seeks the hand
of my sister such an one, and I call you to witness that I
marry her to him and that he has endowed her with a dowry of
ten thousand dinars." And he said to me, "I give thee my sister
in marriage, at the dowry aforesaid." "I consent," answered I.
Whereupon he gave one of the bags to her and the other to the
witnesses, and said to me, "O my lord, I desire to array a
chamber for thee; where thou mayst lie with thy wife." But I
was abashed at his generosity and was ashamed to foregather
with her in his house; so I said, "Equip her and send her to my
house." And by thy life, O Commander of the Faithful, he sent
me such an equipage with her, that my house was too strait to
hold it, for all its greatness! And I begot on her this boy
that stands before thee.'
The Khalif marvelled at the merchant's generosity and said,
'Gifted of God is he! Never heard I of his like.' And he bade
Ibrahim bring him to court, that he might see him. So he
brought him and the Khalif conversed with him; and his wit and
good breeding so pleased him, that he made him one of his chief
officers.
THE WOMAN WHOSE HANDS WERE CUT OFF FOR
THAT SHE GAVE ALMS TO THE POOR.
A certain King once made proclamation to the people of his
realm, saying, 'If any of you give alms of aught, I will
assuredly cut off his hand;' wherefore all the people abstained
from alms-giving, and none could give to any.
One day a beggar accosted a certain woman (and indeed hunger
was sore upon him) and said to her, 'Give me an alms.' 'How can
I give thee aught,' answered she, 'when the King cutteth off
the hands of all who give alms?' But he said, 'I conjure thee
by God the Most High, give me an alms.' So, when he adjured her
by God, she had compassion on him and gave him two cakes of
bread. The King heard of this; so he called her before him and
cut off her hands, after which she returned to her house.
A while after, the King said to his mother, 'I have a mind to
take a wife; so do thou marry me to a fair woman.' Quoth she,
'There is among our female slaves one who is unsurpassed in
beauty; but she hath a grievous blemish.' 'What is that?' asked
the King; and his mother answered, 'She hath had both her hands
cut off.' Said he, 'Let me see her.' So she brought her to him,
and he was ravished by her and married her and went in to her;
and she brought him a son.
Now this was the woman, who had her hands cut off for
alms-giving; and when she became queen, her fellow-wives envied
her and wrote to the King [who was then absent] that she was
unchaste; so he wrote to his mother, bidding her carry the
woman into the desert and leave her there. The old queen obeyed
his commandment and abandoned the woman and her son in the
desert; whereupon she fell to weeping and wailing exceeding
sore for that which had befallen her. As she went along, with
the child at her neck, she came to a river and knelt down to
drink, being overcome with excess of thirst, for fatigue and
grief; but, as she bent her head, the child fell into the
water.
Then she sat weeping sore for her child, and as she wept, there
came up two men, who said to her, 'What makes thee weep?' Quoth
she, 'I had a child at my neck, and he hath fallen into the
water.' 'Wilt thou that we bring him out to thee?' asked they,
and she answered, 'Yes.' So they prayed to God the Most High,
and the child came forth of the water to her, safe and sound.
Quoth they, 'Wilt thou that God restore thee thy hands as they
were?' 'Yes,' replied she: whereupon they prayed to God,
blessed and exalted be He! and her hands were restored to her,
goodlier than before. Then said they, 'Knowst thou who we are?'
'God [only] is all-knowing,' answered she; and they said, 'We
are thy two cakes of bread, that thou gavest in alms to the
beggar and which were the cause of the cutting off of thy
hands. So praise thou God the Most High, for that He hath
restored thee thy hands and thy child.' So she praised God the
Most High and glorified Him.