ABU NOWAS WITH THE THREE BOYS AND THE
CALIPH HARUN AL-RASHID[FN#82]
Abu Nowas one day shut himself up and, making ready a
richly-furnished feast, collected for it meats of all kinds and
of every colour that lips and tongue can desire. Then he went
forth, to seek a minion worthy of such entertainment, saying,
"Allah, my Lord and my Master, I beseech Thee to send me one who
befitteth this banquet and who is fit to carouse with me this
day!" Hardly had he made an end of speaking when he espied three
youths handsome and beardless, as they were of the boys of
Paradise,[FN#83] differing in complexion but fellows in
incomparable beauty; and all hearts yearned with desire to the
swaying of their bending shapes, even to what saith the poet,
"I passed a beardless pair without compare *
And cried, 'I love you, both you ferly fir!'
'Money'd?' quoth one: quoth I, 'And lavish too;' *
Then said the fair pair, 'Pere, c'est notre affaire.'"
Now Abu Nowas was given to these joys and loved to sport and make
merry with fair boys and cull the rose from every brightly
blooming check, even as saith the bard,
Full many a reverend Shaykh feels sting of flesh, *
Loves pretty faces, shows at Pleasure's depot:
Awakes in Mosul,[FN#84] land of purity; *
And all the day dreams only of Aleppo.[FN#85]
So he accosted them with the salutation, and they returned his
greeting with civility and all honour and would have gone their
several ways, but he stayed them, repeating these couplets,
"Steer ye your steps to none but me *
Who hath a mine of luxury:-
Old wine that shines with brightest blee *
Made by the monk in monastery;
And mutton-meat the toothsomest *
And birds of all variety.
Then eat of these and drink of those *
Old wines that bring you jollity:
And have each other, turn by turn, *
Shampooing this my tool you see."[FN#86]
Thereupon the youths were beguiled by his verses and consented to
his wishes,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three hundred and Eighty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abu
Nowas beguiled the youths with his wishes, saying, "We hear and
obey;" and accompanied him to his lodging, where they found all
ready that he had set forth in his couplets. They sat down and
ate and drank and made merry awhile, after which they appealed to
Abu Nowas to decide which of them was handsometh of face and
shapliest of form. So he pointed to one of them and, having
kissed him twice over, recited the following verses,
"I'll ransom that beauty-spot with my soup; *
Where's it and where is a money-dole?[FN#87]
Praise Him who hairless hath made that cheek *
And bid Beauty bide in that mole, that mole!"
Then he pointed to another and, kissing his lips, repeated these
couplets,
"And loveling weareth on his cheek a mole *
Like musk, which virgin camphor ne'er lets off it:
My peepers marvel such a contrast seeing; *
And cried the Mole to me, 'Now bless the
Prophet.'"[FN#88]
Then he pointed to the third and, after kissing him half a score
times repeated these couplets,
"Melted pure gold in silvern bowl to drain *
The youth, whose fingers wore a winey stain:
He with the drawers[FN#89] served one cup of wine, *
And served his wandering eyes the other twain.
A loveling, of the sons of Turks,[FN#90] a fawn *
Whose waist conjoins the double Mounts Honayn.[FN#91]
Could Eve's corrupting daughers[FN#92] tempt my heart *
Content with two-fold lure 'twould bear the bane.
Unto Diyar-I-Bakr ('maid-land '[FN#93] this one lures; *
That lures to two-mosqued cities of the plain."[FN#94]
Now each of the youths had drunk two cups, and when it came to
the turn of Abu Nowas, he took the goblet and repeated these
couplets,
"Drink not strong wine save at the slender dearling's hand; *
Each like to other in all gifts the spirt grace:
For wine can never gladden toper's heart and soul, *
Unless the cup-boy show a bright and sparkling face."
Then he drank off his cup and the bowl went round, and when it
came to Abu Nowas again, joyance got the mastery of him and he
repeated these couplets,
"For cup-friends cup succeeding cup assign, *
Brimming with grape-juice, brought in endliess line,
By hand of brown-lipped[FN#95] Beauty who is sweet *
At wake as apple or musk finest fine.[FN#96]
Drink not the wine except from hand of fawn *
Whose cheek to kiss is sweeter than the wine."
Presently the drink got into his noddle, drunkenness mastered him
and he knew not hand from head, so that he lolled from side to
side in joy and inclined to the youths one and all, anon kissing
them and anon embracing them leg overlying leg. And he showed no
sense of sin or shame, but recited these couplets,
"None wotteth best joyance but generous youth *
When the pretty ones deign with him company keep:
This sings to him, sings to him that, when he wants *
A pick-me-up[FN#97] lying there all of a heap:
And when of a loveling he needeth a kiss, *
He takes from his lips or a draught or a nip;
Heaven bless them! How sweetly my day with them sped; *
A wonderful harvest of pleasure I reap:
Let us drink our good liquor both watered and pure, *
And agree to swive all who dare slumber and sleep."
While they were in this deboshed state behold, there came a
knocking at the door; so they bade him who knocked enter, and
behold, it was the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid.
When they saw him, they all rose and kissed ground before him;
and Abu Nowas threw off the fumes of the wine for awe of the
Caliph, who said to him, "Holla, Abu Nowas!" He replied, "Adsum,
at thy service, O Commander of the Faithful, whom Allah
preserve!" The Caliph asked, "What state is this?" and the poet
answered, "O Prince of True Believers, my state indubitably
dispenseth with questions." Quoth the Caliph, "O Abu Nowas, I
have sought direction of Allah Almighty and have appointed thee
Kazi of pimps and panders." Asked he, "Dost thou indeed invest
me with that high office, O Commander of the Faithful?"; and the
Caliph answered "I do;" whereupon Abu Nowas rejoined, "O
Commander of the Faithful, hast thou any suit to prefer to me?"
Hereat the Caliph was wroth and presently turned away and left
them, full of rage, and passed the night sore an-angered against
Abu Nowas, who amid the party he had invited spent the merriest
of nights and the jolliest and joyousest. And when day-break
dawned and the star of morn appeared in sheen and shone, he broke
up the sitting and, dismissing the youths, donned his court-dress
and leaving his house set out for the palace of the Caliph. Now
it was the custom of the Commander of the Faithful, when the
Divan broke up, to withdraw to his sitting-saloon and summon
thither his poets and cup-companions and musicians, each having
his own place, which he might not overpass. So it happened that
day, he retired to his saloom, and the friends and familiars came
and seated themselves, each in his rank and degree. Presently,
in walked Abu Nowas and was about to take his usual seat, when
the Caliph cried to Masrur, the sworder, and bade him strip the
poet of his clothes and bind an ass's packsaddle on his back and
a halter about his head and a crupper under his rump and lead him
round to all the lodgings of the slave-girls, --And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Three hundred and Eighty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
commanded Masrur, the sworder, to strip Abu Nowas of his
court-suit and bind an ass's packsaddle on his back and a halter
about his head, and a crupper under his rump and lead him round
to all the lodgings of the slave-girls, and the chambers of the
Harim, that the women might make mock of him; then cut off his
head and bring it to him. "Hearkening and obedience," replied
Masrur and, doing with Abu Nowas as the Caliph had bidden him,
led him round all the chambers whose number equalled the days of
the year; but Abu Nowas was a funny fellow, so he made all the
girls laugh with his buffooneries and each gave him something
whereby he returned not save with a pocketful of money. And
while this was going on behold, Ja'afar the Barmecide, who had
been absent on an important business for the Commander of the
Faithful, entered and recognising the poet, albeit in this
plight, said to him, "Holla, Abu Nowas!" He said, "Here at thy
service, O our lord." Ja'afar asked, "What offence hast thou
committed to bring this punishment on thee?" Thereupon he
answered, "None whatsoever, except that I made our lord the
Caliph a present of the best of my poetry and he presented me, in
return, with the best of his raiment." When the Prince of True
Believers head this, he laughed, from a heart full of
wrath,[FN#98] and pardoned Abu Nowas, and also gave him a myriad
of money. And they also recount the tale of
