the end of the forty days Hasan dreamed a dream concerning his mother, that she was wasted and worn through bitterly bewailing her loss of him, and that she as it were spoke to him, saying: "O my son, Hasan, how is it thou livest thy life of ease and forgettest me? I have made thee a tomb in my house that I may never forget thee. Would to heaven that I knew if I should live to see thee!" Then he awoke weeping, for he was very sorrowful. And his wife said to him: "What aileth thee, O my lord?" Then he moaned and groaned, and told her his dream. This she repeated to the Princesses, who had pity on him, and said: "Do as thou wilt, for it behoveth thee to visit thy mother: but see thou visit us, though it be only once a year." So he agreed to depart, and they made him and his bride ready for the voyage, and gave them raiment and jewels and five-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver. Then they beat the magic kettledrum so that the dromedaries appeared on all sides. And the youngest sister said: "If aught grieve thee, beat the kettledrum and return to us on the dromedaries." And when they had gone a little way with him they returned home sorrowing, especially the youngest sister, who wept for him night and day.
When Hasan with his wife reached Bassorah he went straight to his mother's house and was there received by her with great joy, for she had mourned him bitterly and was even weeping and wailing for him when he knocked at her door. Then Hasan told her all the story of his
