Hassan: The Story of Hassan of Baghdad and How He Came to Make the Golden Journey to Samarkand | Page 9

in
the market-place, and your bodies flung to rot on a dung-heap. O, my
head aches! Ah, you foul swine! May you scream in hell for ever. O,
my head--my head. For ever. Thou and thy magic and thy Jew. There is
blood dripping from the wall. (Banging on the gate) I will break the
house in. I will kill you. Ya Allah, I am splitting in twain. It is my own
fault for having dreams and believing magic. Ya Allah, I am dying. Oh,
Yasmin, so beautiful, so brutal. O burning bright; you have killed me!
Farewell, and the Salaam!
(Falls under the shadow of the fountain. Silence. A light appears in the
next house. Soft music starts; the first light of dawn shines in the sky.)
(Enter the CALIPH HAROUN AR RASCHID, JAFAR, his Vizier,
MASRUR (a Negro), his Executioner, and ISHAK, a young man, his
poet, all attired as Merchants.)
CALIPH Ishak, my heart is heavy and still the night drags on, and still
we wander in the crooked streets, and still we find no entertainment,
and still the white moon shines.

ISHAK O Caliph of Islam, is there not vast entertainment for the wise
in the shining of the moon, in the dripping of that fountain, and in the
shape of that tall cypress that has leapt the wall to shoot her arrow at
the stars?
(The music which had stopped recommences.)
CALIPH But I hear music, and see lights. Come on, come on, we will
snatch profit from this cursed night even yet, my friends, even at the
eleventh hour.
JAFAR Master, the night is far advanced, and you have not slept. It is a
late hour to seek for entertainment.
CALIPH Jafar you are as prudent as a shopkeeper.
ISHAK There lies his merit, Haroun! For he keeps the great shop of
state, he sells the revenue of provinces, and buys in the lives of men.
CALIPH Enough, enough. Call to them, Jafar, and see if they will let
us in.
JAFAR Oh, gentlefolk, in the name of Allah!
VOICE (From window, the person invisible) Who calls?
JAFAR Sir, we are four merchants who came yesterday night from
Basra, and on our arrival we met in the street a man of Basra settled in
Bagdad, who prayed us to dine with him. So we accepted and stayed
late talking the talk of Basra, and left him but an hour ago. And since
we were strangers to the city, we lost our way, and have been
wandering ever since in search of our Khan and have not found it. And
now a happy chance has taken us to this street; for seeing lights and
hearing music, indeed, sir, we hope to taste the cup of thy kindness,
being men of honour, good companions and true believers.
VOICE Then you are not of Bagdad?
JAFAR No, sir, but of Basra.
VOICE Had you been a Baghdad, you should not have entered for all
the gold in the Caliph's coffers.
CALIPH Then we may enter, being of Basra?
VOICE If you enter, you will be in my power. And if you annoy me, I
will punish you with death. But no one constraineth you to enter. Go in
peace, O men of Basra.
CALIPH (Aside) A rare adventure. (Aloud) We take the risk of
annoying you, O host of terror, and are now looking for the door.
VOICE Since when did a door of good reputation open on to this street,

my masters? Our door is far from here, and you are strangers and merry,
and will not find it. But I will contrive a means for your ascent.
CALIPH Jafar, I never suspected there was a great house in this poor
quarter of the town. For from the outside it is a house like any other,
except that it has no door; but inside, if this is but the back of it, it is of
great extent and holds some secret. We shall make a discovery tonight,
O Jafar.
JAFAR Master, we have been warned of danger!
(A basket comes down.)
CALIPH Danger? What care I?
(Sits in the basket, and is drawn up.)
JAFAR Eh, Masrur, I could sleep a little.
MASRUR You would wake in paradise if the Caliph heard you, Jafar.
(MASRUR waves his sword dexterously near JAFAR's neck.)
JAFAR (As he ascends into the basket, pointing to Masrur's sword) The
path to Paradise is narrow and shiny, O Masrur.
MASRUR (With the grim motion of the sword) Ya, Jafar, it is a short
cut.
(Jafar having ascended, MASRUR ascends, and the basket is let down
for Ishak.)
ISHAK (Alone) Go on thy way without me, Commander of the Faithful.
I will follow you no further. Find one more adventure if you will. For
me