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Ask favours, if thou needs must ask, of generous men, Who affluence all their lives have known and happy fate.
O’ the generous to ask brings honour, but upon The asking from a churl blame and dishonour wait.
When thou must needs abase thyself, if thou must ask, I rede thee still abase thyself unto the great.[1]
The generous to exalt no true abasement is; To magnify the mean doth men humiliate.
The company rejoiced in me with an exceeding joy and they ceased not from pleasure and delight, whilst anon I sang and anon the damsel, till we came to one of the landing-places, where the vessel moored and all on board went ashore and I with them. Now I was drunken with wine and squatted down to make water; but drowsiness overcame me and I slept, and the folk returned to the ship, without missing me, for that they also were drunken, and continued their voyage till they reached Bassora. As for me, I slept on till the heat of the sun aroused me, when I arose and looked about me, but saw no one. Now I had given my spending-money to the damsel and had not a rap left. Moreover, I had forgotten to ask the Hashimi his name and titles and where his house was at Bassora; so I was confounded and it was as if my joy at meeting the damsel had been but a dream; and I abode in perplexity till there came up a great vessel, in which I embarked and she carried me to Bassora.
Now I had never entered the place and knew none there; Night dcccxcix.so I accosted a grocer and taking of him inkhorn and paper, sat down to write. He admired my handwriting and seeing my dress soiled, questioned me of my case, to which I replied that I was a stranger and poor. Quoth he, ‘Wilt thou abide with me and order the accounts of my shop and I will give thee thy food and clothing and half a dirhem a day?’ ‘It is well,’ answered I and abode
- ↑ i.e. not unto the mean.
