(Quoth Ishac ben Ibrahim el Mausili), One day, being weary of
assiduous attendance upon the Khalif, I mounted my horse and
went forth, at break of day, having a mind to ride out and take
my pleasure in the open country, and I said to my servant, "If
there come a messenger from the Khalif or another, say that I
set out at daybreak, upon a pressing business, and that thou
knowest not whither I am gone." So I rode forth alone and went
round about the city, till the sun grew hot, when I halted in a
street, known as El Herem, and stood my horse under the
spacious jutting porch of one of the houses there, to shelter
me from the glare of the sun.
I had not stood long, before there came up a black slave,
leading an ass with jewelled housings, on which sat a damsel,
clad in the richest of clothes, richness can go no farther; and
I saw that she was elegantly made, with languorous looks and
graceful carriage. I asked one of the passers-by who she was,
and he said, "She is a singer." And I fell in love with her at
sight, so that I could scarce keep my seat on my horse's back.
She entered the house at whose gate I stood; and as I cast
about for a device to gain access to her, there came up two
comely young men, who sought admission, and the master of the
house gave them leave to enter. So they alighted and entered,
and I with them, they supposing that the master of the house
had invited me; and we sat awhile, till food was brought and we
ate. Then they set wine before us, and the damsel came out,
with a lute in her hand. She sang and we drank, till I rose to
do an occasion. During my absence, the host questioned the two
others of me, and they replied that they knew me not; whereupon
quoth he, "This fellow is a spunger, but he is well-bred and
pleasant; so entreat him fairly." Then I came back and sat down
in my place, whilst the damsel sang the following verses to a
pleasing air:
Say thou unto the she-gazelle, who yet is no gazelle, And the
wild heifer, languorous-eyed, who yet no heifer is,
"One, who in dalliance affects the male, no female is, And he
who is effeminate of step's no male, ywis."
She sang it excellent well, and the company drank and her song
pleased them. Then she sang various songs to rare tunes, and
amongst the rest one of mine, to the following words:
The pleasant girls have gone and left The homesteads empty and
bereft
Of their sweet converse, after cheer, All void and ruined by
Time's theft.
She sang this even better than the first; then she sang other
rare songs, old and new, and amongst them, another of mine,
with the following words:
To the loved one, who turneth in anger away And vrithdraweth
himself far apart from thee, say,
"The mischief thou wroughtest, thou wroughtest indeed, For all,
per-adventure, thou west but in play."
I asked her to repeat the song, that I might correct it for
her; whereupon one of the men turned to me and said, "Never saw
I a more brazen-faced parasite than thou. Art thou not content
with spunging, but thou must meddle, to boot? Verily, in thee
is the saying made true, 'A parasite and a meddler.'" I hung
down my head for shame and made him no answer, whilst his
companion would have restrained him from me; but he would not
be restrained. Presently, they rose to pray, but I hung behind
a little and taking the lute, tuned it after a particular
fashion and stood up to pray with the rest. When we had made an
end of prayer, the same man fell again to flouting and reviling
me and persisted in his churlishness, whilst I held my peace.
Then the damsel took the lute and touching it, knew that it was
other than as she had left it and said, "Who hath touched my
lute?" Quoth they, "None of us hath touched it." "Nay, by
Allah," rejoined she, "some one hath touched it, and he a past
master in the craft; for he hath ordered the strings and tuned
them after the fashion of one who is right skilled in the art."
Quoth I, "It was I tuned it." "Then, God on thee," answered
she, "take it and play on it!" So I took it and playing a rare
and difficult measure, that came nigh to deaden the live and
raise the dead, sang thereto the following verses:
I had a heart, wherewith of yore I lived: 'Twas seared with
fire and all consumed indeed.
Her love, alack I was not vouchsafed to me; Unto the slave
'twas not of Heaven decreed.
If what I taste be passion's very food, Then all who love upon
its like must feed.
When I had finished, there was not one of the company but
sprang from his place and sat down before me,[FN#147] saying
"God on thee, O our lord, sing us another song." "With all my
heart," said I and playing another measure in masterly fashion,
sang thereto the following:
O thou whose heart, for fortune's blows, is all consumed and
sped, Sorrows with whom from every side have taken up
their stead,
Unlawful unto her, my heart who pierces with her shafts, Is
that my blood which, breast-bones 'twixt and
vitals,[FN#148] she hath shed.
'Twas plain, upon the parting day, that her resolve, our loves
To sunder, unto false suspect must be attributed.
She pours forth blood she had not shed, if passion had not
been. Will none my murderess ensue and wreak me on her
head?
When I had made an end of this song, there was not one of them
but rose to his feet and threw himself to the ground, for
excess of delight. Then I cast the lute from my hand; but they
said, "Allah on thee, let us hear another song, so God increase
thee of His bounty!" "O folk," replied I, "I will sing you
another song and another and another and will tell you who I
am. Know that I am Ishac ben Ibrahim el Mausili, and by Allah,
I bear myself haughtily to the Khalif, when he seeks me. Ye
have today made me hear [abuse from] an unmannerly fellow such
as I loathe; and by Allah, I will not speak a word nor sit with
you, till ye put yonder quarrelsome churl out from among you!"
Quoth the latter's companion to him, "This is what I feared and
warned thee against." So they took him by the hand and put him
out; and I took the lute and sang over again the songs of my
fashion that the damsel had sung. Then I whispered the host
that she had taken my heart and that I had no patience to
endure from her. Quoth he, "Thou shalt have her and all that
pertains to her of clothes and jewels, on one condition." "What
is that?" asked I. "It is," answered he, "that thou abide with
me a month." "It is well," rejoined I; "I will do this." So I
abode with him a whole month, whilst none knew where I was and
the Khalif sought me everywhere, but could come by no news of
me; and at the end of this time, the merchant delivered to me
the damsel, together with all that pertained to her of things
of price and an eunuch to attend her.
I brought her to my lodging, feeling as I were lord of the
whole world, for stress of delight in her; then rode forthright
to El Mamoun. When he saw me, he said, "Out on thee, O Isaac,
where hast thou been all this while?" I acquainted him with the
story and he said, "Bring me the man at once." So I told him
where he dwelt, and he sent and fetched him and questioned him
of the case; whereupon he repeated the story and the Khalif
said to him, "Thou art a man of a generous mind, and it is just
that thou be upheld in thy generosity." Then he ordered him a
hundred thousand dirhems and said to me, "O Isaac, bring me the
damsel." So I brought her to him, and she sang and delighted
him. He was greatly gladdened by her and ordered her fifty
thousand dirhems, saying to me, "I appoint her of service every
Thursday, when she must come and sing to me from behind the
curtain." So, by Allah, this ride of mine was a source of
profit both to me and to others.