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to him, ‘What ails thee and thy friend to be whispering together? Tell me what is to do with you.’ ‘It is nothing,’ replied Jaafer; but the mock Khalif rejoined, ‘I conjure thee, by Allah, tell me what ails you and hide from me nothing of your case.’ ‘O my lord,’ answered the Vizier, ‘my companion here saw on thy sides the marks of beating with whips and rods and marvelled thereat exceedingly, saying, “How came the Khalif to be beaten?” And he would fain know the cause of this.’ When the youth heard this, he smiled and said, ‘Know that my story is wonderful and my case extraordinary; were it graven with needles on the corners of the eye, it would serve as an admonition to him who can profit by admonition.’ And he sighed and repeated the following verses:
Strange is my story and outdoes all marvels that can be. By Love itself I swear, my ways are straitened upon me!
An ye would know my case, give ear and hearken to my tale And all be dumb, on every side, in this our company.
Take heed unto my speech, for lo! therein a warning is; Ay, and my words no leasing are, but naked verity.
I am a man of passion slain, the victim of desire, And she who slew me fairer is than all the stars to see.
A bright black eye she hath, whose glance is as an Indian sword, And from her eyebrows’ bended bows full many a shaft shoots she.
My heart forebodes me that ’mongst you the Khalif of the age, Our Imam[1] is, of high descent and noble pedigree,
And that the second of you he, that’s known as Jaafer, is, His vizier and a vizier’s son, a lord of high degree.
Yea, and the third of you Mesrour the eunuch is, I ween, The swordsman of his vengeance. So, if true my saying be,
I have of this my case attained to all for which I hoped And hearts’ content from every side is come, indeed, to me.
When they heard this, Jaafer swore to him a dissembling oath that they were not those he named; whereupon he laughed and said, ‘Know, O my lords, that I am not the
- ↑ Lit. “fugleman,” i.e. “leader of the people at prayer,” a title bestowed upon the Khalifs, in recognition of their spiritual headship.
