228
those with whom I was! When I sang, they hearkened not, and when I was silent, they despised me.’ So I said to him, ‘Art thou a singer?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he. Quoth I, ‘Wilt thou finish thy night with us and cheer us with thy company?’ ‘If it be thy will,’ replied he, ‘take my hand.’
So I took his hand and leading him to my house, said to the damsel, ‘O my mistress, I have brought a blind singer, with whom we may take our pleasure and he will not see us.’ ‘Bring him to me,’ said she. So I brought him in and invited him to eat. He ate a little and washed his hands, after which I brought him wine and he drank three cupsful. Then he said to me, ‘Who art thou?’ And I answered, ‘I am Isaac ben Ibrahim el Mausili.’ Quoth he, ‘I have heard of thee and now I rejoice in thy company.’ And I said, ‘O my lord, I am glad in thy gladness.’ ‘O Isaac,’ said he, ‘sing to me.’ So I took the lute, by way of jest, and said, ‘I hear and obey.’ When I had made an end of my song, he said to me, ‘O Isaac, verily thou comest nigh to be a singer!’ His words belittled me in mine own eyes and I threw the lute from my hand; whereupon he said, ‘Hast thou not with thee some one who is skilled in singing?’ ‘I have a damsel with me,’ answered I; and he said, ‘Bid her sing.’ Quoth I, ‘Wilt thou sing, when thou hast had enough of her singing?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he. So she sang and he said, ‘Nay, thou hast achieved nought.’ Whereupon she threw the lute from her hand in anger and said, ‘We have done our best: if thou have aught, favour us with it.’ Quoth he, ‘Bring me a lute which no hand has touched.’ So I bade the servant bring him a new lute and he tuned it and preluding in a mode I knew not, sang the following verses:
Across the middle dusk of night a maid fares swift and straight, Who knows the visitation-tides, to where her love doth wait.
’Twas but her greeting startled us and eke her voice that said, “Shall a belovéd enter in who standeth at the gate?”
