Supplemental Nights to The Book of the Thousand and One Nights | Page 8

sitting down, fell to cutting
off morsels and morselling the Caliph therewith. They gave not over eating till they were
filled, when Abu al-Hasan brought basin and ewer and potash[FN#17] and they washed
their hands. Then he lighted three wax-candles and three lamps, and spreading the
drinking-cloth, brought strained wine, clear, old and fragrant, whose scent was as that of
virgin musk. He filled the first cup and saying, "O my boon-companion, be ceremony laid
aside between us by thy leave! Thy slave is by thee; may I not be afflicted with thy loss!"
drank it off and filled a second cup, which he handed to the Caliph with due reverence.
His fashion pleased the Commander of the Faithful, and the goodliness of his speech and
he said to himself, "By Allah, I will assuredly requite him for this!" Then Abu al-Hasan
filled the cup again and handed it to the Caliph, reciting these two couplets:[FN#18]--
"Had we thy coming known, we would for sacrifice * Have poured thee out heart's blood
or blackness of the eyes; Ay, and we would have spread our bosoms in thy way, * That so
thy feet might fare on eyelids, carpet-wise."
When the Caliph heard his verses, he took the cup from his hand and kissed it and drank
it off and returned it to Abu al-Hasan, who make him an obeisance and filled it and drank.
Then he filled again and kissing the cup thrice, recited these lines:--
"Your presence honoureth the base, * And we confess the deed of grace; An you absent
yourself from us, * No freke we find to fill your place."
Then he gave the cup to the Caliph, saying, "Drink it in health and soundness! It doeth
away malady and bringeth remedy and setteth the runnels of health to flow free." So they
ceased not carousing and conversing till middle-night, when the Caliph said to his host,
"O my brother, hast thou in they heart a concupiscence thou wouldst have accomplished
or a contingency thou wouldst avert?" said he, "By Allah, there is no regret in my heart
save that I am not empowered with bidding and forbidding, so I might manage what is in
my mind!" Quoth the Commander of the Faithful, "By Allah, and again by Allah,[FN#19]
O my brother, tell me what is in thy mind!" and quoth Abu al- Hasan, "Would Heaven I
might be Caliph for one day and avenge myself on my neighbors, for that in my vicinity
is a mosque and therein four shaykhs, who hold it a grievance when there cometh a guest
to my, and they trouble me with talk and worry me in words and menace me that they
will complain of me to the Prince of True Believers, and indeed they oppress me
exceedingly, and I crave of Allah the Most High power for one day, that I may beat each
and every of them with four hundred lashes, as well as the Imam of the mosque, and
parade them round about the city of Baghdad and bid cry before them: ‘This is the reward
and the lest of the reward for whoso exceedeth in talk and vexeth the folk and turneth
their joy to annoy.' This is what I wish, and no more." Said the Caliph, "Allah grant thee
that thou seekest! Let us crack one last cup and rise ere the dawn draw near, and
to-morrow night I will be with thee again." Said Abu al-Hasan, "Far be it!" Then the
Caliph crowned a cup, and putting therein a piece of Cretan Bhang,[FN#20] gave it to his
host and said to him, "My life on thee, O my brother, drink this cup from my hand!" and
Abu al-Hasan answered, "Ay, by thy life, I will drink it from thy hand." So he took it and

drank it off; but hardly had it settled in his stomach, when his head forewent his heels and
he fell to the ground like one slain; whereupon the Caliph went out and said to his slave
Masrur, "Go in to yonder young man, the house master, and take him up and bring him to
me at the palace; and when thou goest, shut the door." So saying, he went away, whilst
Masrur entered, and taking up Abu al-Hasan, shut the door behind him, and made after
his master, till he reached with him the palace what while the night drew to an end and
the cocks began crowing,[FN#21] and set him down before the Commander of the
Faithful, who laughed at him.[FN#22] then he sent for Ja'afar the Barmecide and when he
came before him, said to him, "Note thou yonder young man" (pointing to Abu al-Hasan),
"and when thou shalt see him to-morrow seated in my place of