THE LOVERS OF AL-MEDINAH.
Quoth Ibrahim the father of Ishak,[FN#172] I was ever a
devoted friend to the Barmecide family. And it so happened to
me one day, as I sat at home quite alone, a knock was heard at
the door; so my servant went out and returned, saying, "A
comely youth is at the door, asking admission." I bade admit
him and there came in to me a young man, on whom were signs of
sickness, and he said, "I have long wished to meet thee, for I
have need of thine aid." "What is it thou requirest?" asked I.
Whereupon he pulled out three hundred dinars and laying them
before me, said, "I beseech thee to accept these and compose
me an air to two couplets I have made." Said I, "Repeat them
to me;"--and Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
when the youth came in to Ibrahim and placed the gold in his
hands, saying, "Prithee accept it and compose me an air to two
couplets," he replied, "Recite them to me," whereupon he
recited,
"By Allah, glance of mine! thou hast opprest * My heart, so
quench the fire that burns my breast
Blames me the world because in him[FN#173] * I live Yet cannot
see him till in shroud I rest."
Accordingly, quoth Ibrahim, I set the verses to an air
plaintive as a dirge and sang it to him; whereupon he swooned
away and I thought that he was dead. However, after a while,
he came to himself, and said to me, "Repeat the air." But I
conjured him by Allah to excuse me, saying, "I fear lest thou
die." "Would Heaven it were so!" replied he and ceased not
humbly to importune me, till I had pity on him and repeated
it; whereupon he cried out with a grievous cry and fell into a
fit worse than before and I doubted not but that he was dead;
but I sprinkled rose water on him till he revived and sat up.
I praised Allah for his recovery and laying the ducats before
him, said, "Take thy money and depart from me." Quoth he, "I
have no need of the money and thou shalt have the like of it,
if thou wilt repeat the air." My breast broadened at the
mention of the money and I said, "I will repeat it, but on
three conditions: the first, that thou tarry with me and eat
of my victual, till thou regain strength; the second, that
thou drink wine enough to hearten thy heart, and the third,
that thou tell me thy tale." He agreed to this and ate and
drank; after which he said, "I am of the citizens of
Al-Medinah and I went forth one day a pleasuring with my
friends; and, following the road to Al-Akík,[FN#174] saw a
company of girls and amongst them a damsel as she were a
branch pearled with dew with eyes whose sidelong glances were
never withdrawn till they had stolen away his soul who looked
on them. The maidens rested in the shade till the end of the
day, when they went away leaving in my heart wounds slow to
heal. I returned next morning to scent out news of her, but
found none who could tell me of her; so I sought her in the
streets and markets, but could come on no trace of her;
wherefore I fell ill of grief and told my case to one of my
kinsmen, who said to me, 'No harm shall befall thee: the days
of spring are not yet past and the skies show sign of
rain,[FN#175] whereupon she will go forth, and I will go out
with thee, and do thou thy will.' His words comforted my heart
and I waited till al-Akik ran with water, when I went
forthwith my friends and kinsmen and sat in the very same
place where I first saw her. We had not been seated long
before up came the women, like horses running for a wager; and
I whispered to a girl of my kindred, 'Say to yonder damse--
‘Quoth this man to thee, He did well who spoke this couplet,
'She shot my heart with shaft, then turned on heel * And
flying dealt fresh wound and scarring wheel.'
So she went to her and repeated my words, to which she replied
saying, 'Tell him that he said well who answered in this
couplet,
'The like of whatso feelest thou we feel; * Patience!
perchance swift cure our hearts shall heal.'
I refrained from further speech for fear of scandal and rose
to go away. She rose at my rising, and I followed and she
looked back at me, till she saw I had noted her abode. Then
she began to come to me and I to go to her, so that we
foregathered and met often, till the case was noised abroad
and grew notorious and her sire came to know of it. However I
ceased not to meet her most assiduously and complained of my
condition to my father, who assembled our kindred and repaired
to ask her in marriage for me, of her sire, who cried, 'Had
this been proposed to me before he gave her a bad name by his
assignations, I would have consented; but now the thing is
notorious and I am loath to verify the saying of the folk.' "
Then (continued Ibrahim) I repeated the air to him and he went
away, after having acquainted me with his abode, and we became
friends. Now I was devoted to the Barmecides; so next time
Ja'afar bin Yahya sat to give audience, I attended, as was my
wont, and sang to him the young man's verses. They pleased him
and he drank some cups of wine and said, "Fie upon thee whose
song is this?" So I told him the young man's tale and he bade
me ride over to him and give him assurances of the winning of
his wish. Accordingly I fetched him to Ja'afar who asked him
to repeat his story. He did so and Ja'afar said, "Thou art now
under my protection: trust me to marry thee to her." So his
heart was comforted and he abode with us. When the morning
morrowed Ja'afar mounted and went in to Al-Rashid, to whom he
related the story. The Caliph was pleased with it and sending
for the young man and myself, commanded me to repeat the air
and drank thereto. Then he wrote to the Governor of Al-Hijaz,
bidding him despatch the girl's father and his household in
honour able fashion to his presence and spare no expense for
their outfit. So, in a little while, they came and the Caliph,
sending for the man, commanded him to marry his daughter to
her lover; after which he gave him an hundred thousand dinars,
and the father went back to his folk. As for the young man, he
abode one of Ja'afar's cup companions till there happened what
happened[FN#176] whereupon he returned with his household to
al-Medinah; may Almighty Allah have mercy upon their souls one
and all! And they also tell, O auspicious King, a tale of
