danger, and thy passion will be kept concealed. But as to me, I shall fall into trouble, especially since I have made an appointment with the Khalifeh; for probably great danger will await me in consequence, on account of my desire and love and passion for thee, and my grief at having parted from thee. With what tongue shall I sing, and with what heart shall I present myself before the Khalifeh, and with what language shall I converse with the Prince of the Faithful, and with what look shall I behold a place where thou art not, and how shall I be in an assembly in which thou art not included, and with what taste shall I drink wine of which thou art not present to partake ?-Abu-l-Hasan said to her, Be not perplexed; but be patient; and be not remiss in conversing with the Prince of the Faithful this night, nor shew him any neglect.

And while they were thus talking, a slave-girl came, and said, O my mistress, the pages of the Prince of the Faithful are come. Whereupon she arose, and said to the slave-girl, Take Abu-l-Hasan and his companion, and conduct them to the upper projecting window that overlooketh the garden, and leave them there till it is dark: then contrive means of leading them forth. So the slave-girl took them, and ascended with them to the projecting window, and, having closed the door upon them, went her way; and they remained looking into the garden. And lo, the Khalifeh arrived, preceded by about a hundred eunuchs with swords in their hands, and around him were twenty female slaves, like moons, clad in the richest apparel, and each having upon her head a crown set with rubies and other jewels, and in her hand a lighted candle. The Khalifeh walked in the midst of them, while they surrounded him on every side, and Mesrur and 'Afif and Wasif preceded him; and he advanced among them with a graceful carriage. Shems-enNahar and all the female slaves who were with her rose to him, and met him at the gate of the garden, and, having kissed the ground before him, preceded him until he seated himself upon the couch, when all the female slaves and the eunuchs who were in the garden stationed themselves around him, and the candles were lighted, and the instruments of music were played upon until he commanded his attendants

to disperse, and to seat themselves upon the couches; whereupon Shems-en-Nahar took her seat upon a couch by the side of that of the Khalifeh, and began to converse with him. All this time, Abu-l-Hasan and 'Ali the son of Bekkar were looking on and hearing; the Khalifeh not seeing them. The Khalifeh then began to toy with Shems-enNahar, and gave orders to open the apartment where she had been sitting; and they opened its doors and its windows, and lighted the candles, so that the place, in the hour of darkness, shone like the day; after which, the eunuchs removed thither the drinking-vessels.-At the sight of these things, Abu-l-Hasan exclaimed, Verily I have never beheld the like of these vessels and beverages and rarities, nor have I ever heard of anything to be compared with these varieties of jewels! It seemeth to me as though I were dreaming! My reason is confounded, and my heart palpitateth!-But as to 'Ali the son of Bekkar, after Shems-en-Nahar had quitted him, he remained a while stretched upon the floor, through the violence of his passion; and when he recovered, he began to gaze at this unparalleled scene, and said to Abu1-Hasan, O my brother, I fear that the Khalifeh will see us, or become acquainted with our case; and my fear is chiefly on thine account; for as to myself, I know that I am of the number of those who are about to perish; and the cause of my death is nothing else than my love and desire, and the excess of my transport and distraction; and I beg deliverance of God from the affliction that I suffer.

'Ali the son of Bekkar, and Abu-l-Hasan, continued gazing from the projecting window at the Khalifeh and the scene around him until the feast was entirely prepared before him, when the Khalifeh looked towards one of the female slaves, and said, Let us hear, O Gharam, some of thy delightful singing :—whereupon, with charming modulations, she sang these verses :

3

The transport of a Bedawiyeh whose family are parted from her, and who yearneth towards the willow of the Hijaz, and its laurel,*

Whose ardour and tears at beholding a company of travellers are as the fire and the water for their entertainment,

Is not greater than the transport that I feel for my beloved, who regardeth me as guilty of an offence in loving him.

And when Shems-en-Nahar heard this song, she fell down in a swoon from the couch upon which she was sitting, and became unconscious. The female slaves, therefore, arose and lifted her up. And as soon as 'Ali the son of Bekkar beheld her from the window, he also fell down in a fit; and Abu-l-Hasan exclaimed, Verily, fate hath divided desire between you with equality! But while they were conversing, lo, the slave-girl who had brought them up to the window came to them, and said, O Abu-l-Hasan, arise, thou and thy companion, and descend; for the world hath become narrow unto us, and I fear that our affair will be exposed: arise, therefore, immediately, or we die. Abu-l-Hasan replied, How shall this young man arise with me? He hath not strength to raise himself. So the slave-girl sprinkled rosewater upon his face until he recovered, and Abu-l-Hasan and the slave-girl lifted him up, and carried him down from the window, and proceeded a little way, when the slave-girl opened a small door of iron, and placed Abu-l-Hasan and 'Ali the son of Bekkar upon a mastabah outside. She then clapped her hands, and there came a boat with a rower in it, and she led them on board of it, and said to the boatman, Land them on the opposite bank. And when they had embarked, and quitted the garden, 'Ali the son of Bekkar looked back towards the apartment and the garden, and bade them farewell in the words of these verses :

I stretch forth a feeble hand to take leave, with the other upon my burning bosom, beneath my heart.

O let not this be the end of our union; nor let this be the last refreshment that I enjoy !

The slave-girl then said to the boatman, Make haste with them. So he plied his oars to make all haste, and, accompanied by the slave-girl, they crossed over to the opposite bank, when she departed, taking leave of them, as they landed, and saying to them, It had been my desire not to part from you; but I cannot proceed further than this spot. And she returned.

'Ali the son of Bekkar lay prostrate before Abu-l-Hasan, unable to rise; so Abu-l-Hasan said to him, This is not a place of safety, and we are here in fear for our lives, on

account of the robbers and the sons of wickedness. And upon this, 'Ali the son of Bekkar rose, and advanced a little way; but he was unable to walk on. Now Abu-l-Hasan had friends in that quarter; and he repaired to one of them in whom he confided, and knocked at his door; upon which the man came forth to him quickly; and when he beheld him and his companion, he welcomed them, and conducted them into his house, and, having seated them, conversed with them, and asked them where they had been. Abu-lHasan answered, We came forth this evening, obliged to do so by a man with whom I had some pecuniary transactions, it having been told me that he was about to set forth on a journey with my property. So I went out this night and repaired to him, taking, to cheer me, this my companion, 'Ali the son of Bekkar, and we came hoping to see him; but he hid himself from us, and we saw him not. We therefore returned with nothing, and, finding it difficult to get back this night, and seeing no other lodging for us but thine abode, we came unto thee, depending on thy usual kindness. -The man of the house then welcomed them again, and studied to shew them honour; so they remained with him during the rest of the night; and when the morning came, they went forth from him, and proceeded until they arrived at the city, and entered it; and as they passed by the house of Abu-l-Hasan, he conjured his companion 'Ali the son of Bekkar to enter, and took him in. They then laid themselves down on beds for a little while, after which they awoke; and Abu-l-Hasan ordered his servants to furnish the house handsomely; and they did so; Abu-l-Hasan saying within himself, I must cheer this young man, and divert him from his present thoughts; for I know his case.

And when 'Ali the son of Bekkar recovered, he called for water, and they brought it him, and he arose and performed the ablution, and recited the divinely-ordained prayers which he had omitted during the preceding day and night, and began to console himself by conversation. When Abu-l-Hasan, therefore, saw him do thus, he approached him and said, O my master 'Ali, it will be most suitable to thy present case that thou remain with me this next night, in order that thy heart may become dilated, and the anguish of

desire that thou sufferest be dispelled, and that thou mayest beguile the time with us. He replied, Do what seemeth fit unto thee; for at all events I cannot escape from that which hath befallen me; so do as thou wilt. And Abu-l-Hasan arose and summoned his servants and brought his friends, and sent to the singers and instrumental performers, who came; and they remained eating and drinking and making merry during the rest of the day, until the evening, when they lighted the candles, and the wine-cups circulated among them, and the time passed with them pleasantly. Then a female singer took a lute, and thus sang :

I have been shot at by fortune with the arrow of an eye, which
hath struck me down, and I have parted from the beloved.
Fortune hath been hostile to me, and my patience hath failed;
I expected before that this would come to pass.

but

he

And when 'Ali the son of Bekkar heard these words, he fell down in a fit, and he remained in it until daybreak; and Abu-l-Hasan despaired of him; but when daylight came, recovered, and desired to return to his house. Abu-l-Hasan could not prevent him, fearing what might be the result of his case; and his servants brought him a mule, and mounted him upon it, and Abu-l-Hasan accompanied him until he took him into his house; and when he was safe there, Abu1-Hasan praised God for his escape from this calamity, and began to console him; but he had no power over himself, through the violence of his passion. Abu-l-Hasan then bade him farewell; and 'Ali the son of Bekkar said to him, O my brother, cease not to impart to me whatever information thou mayest have to give. He replied, I hear and obey.

So Abu-l-Hasan arose and departed from him to his shop, and opened it, and sat expecting some tidings from the damsel; but no one brought him any news. He passed the next night in his house, and when the morning came, he arose and proceeded to the house of 'Ali the son of Bekkar, and, going in to him, found him laid upon his bed, with his friends around him, and the physicians with him, each of them prescribing for him something, and feeling his pulse. And when Abu-l-Hasan entered, and beheld him, he smiled; and Abu-l-Hasan saluted him, and inquired respecting his