with my new master, who bought me with all he owned?" He replied, "O
my lady, I gave him a thousand golden dinars,' and
related to her
Khalifah's history from first to last,
whereat she laughed and said:
"Blame him not, for he is but a common wight. These other thousand
dinars are a gift from me to him, and Almighty Allah
willing, he shall
win of the Caliph what shall
enrich him."
As they were talking, there came a
eunuch from the Commander of
the Faithful in quest of Kut al-Kulub, for when he knew that she was
in the house of Ibn al-Kirnas, he could not
endure, the severance, but
bade bring her
forthwith. So she repaired to the Palace,
takingKhalifah with her, and going into the presence, kissed ground before
the Caliph, who rose to her, saluting and welcoming her, and asked her
how she had fared with him who had brought her. She replied: "He is
a man, Khalifah the
fisherman hight, and there he standeth at the
door. He telleth me that he hath an
account to settle with the
Commander of the Faithful, by reason of a
partnership" target="_blank" title="n.合伙关系">
partnership between him
and the Caliph in fishing." Asked Al-Rashid, "Is he at the door?"
and she answered, "Yes." So the Caliph sent for him and he kissed
ground before him and wished him
endurance of glory and
prosperity.
The Caliph marveled at him and laughed at him, and said to him, "O
Fisherman, wast thou in very deed my
partner yesterday?" Khalifah took
his meaning, and heartening his heart and summoning spirit, replied:
"By Him who bestowed upon thee the
succession to thy cousin, I know
her not in anywise and have had no
commerce with her save by way of
sight and speech!"
Then he
repeated to him all that had
befallen him since he last
saw him,
whereat the Caliph laughed and his breast broadened and he
said to Khalifah, "Ask of us what thou wilt, O thou who bringest to
owners their own!" But he was silent, so the Caliph ordered him
fifty thousand dinars of gold and a
costly dress of honor such as
great sovereigns don, and a she-mule, and gave him black slaves of the
Sudan to serve him, so that he became as he were one of the kings of
that time. The Caliph was rejoiced at the
recovery of his favorite and
knew that all this was the doing of his cousin-wife, the Lady
Zubaydah,
wherefore he, was sore enraged against her and held aloof
from her a great while, visiting her not, neither inclining to
pardon her. When she was certified of this, she was sore
concerned for
his wrath, and her face, that was wont to be rosy, waxed pale and
wan till, when her
patience was exhausted, she sent a letter to her
cousin, the Commander of the Faithful, making her excuses to him and
confessing her
offenses, and
ending with these verses:
I long once more the love that was between us to regain,
That I may
quench the fire of grief and bate the force of bane.
O lord of me, have ruth upon the
stress my
passion deals,
Enough to me is what you doled of sorrow and of pain.
'Tis life to me an deign you keep the troth you deigned to plight,
'Tis death to me an troth you break and fondest vows profane.
Given I've sinned a sorry sin, yet grant me ruth, for naught,
By Allah, sweeter is than friend who is of
pardon fain.
When the Lady Zubaydah's letter reached the Caliph, and
reading it, he
saw that she confessed her
offense and sent her excuses to him
therefor, he said to himself, "Verily, all sins doth Allah
forgive-aye, Gracious, Merciful is He!" And he returned her an
answer expressing
satisfaction and
pardon and
forgiveness for what was
past,
whereat she rejoiced greatly.
As for Khalifah the
fisherman, the Caliph assigned him a monthly
solde of fifty dinars, and took him into
especial favor, which would
lead to rank and
dignity, honor and
worship. Then he kissed ground
before the Commander of the Faithful and went forth with
stately gait.
When he came to the door, the
eunuch Sandal, who had given him the
hundred dinars, saw him, and
knowing him, said to him, "O Fisherman,
whence all this?" So he told him all that had
befallen him, first
and last,
whereat Sandal rejoiced, because he had been the cause of
his
enrichment, and said to him, "Wilt thou not give me largess of
this
wealth which is now become thine?" So Khalifah put hand to
pouch and
taking out a purse containing a thousand dinars, gave it
to the
eunuch, who said, "Keep thy coins, and Allah bless thee
therein!" and marveled at his manliness and at the liberality of his
soul, for all his late
poverty.
Then, leaving the
eunuch, Khalifah mounted his she-mule and rode,
with the slaves' hands on her crupper, till he came to his lodging
at the khan,
whilst the folk stared at him in surprise for that
which had betided him of
advancement. When he alighted from his beast,
they accosted him and inquired the cause of his change from
poverty to
prosperity, and he told them an that had happened to him from incept
to
conclusion. Then he bought a fine
mansion and laid out thereon much
money, till it was perfect in all points. And he took up his abode
therein and was wont to
recite thereon these two couplets:
Behold a house that's like the Dwelling of Delight,
Its
aspect heals the sick and banishes despite.
Its
sojourn for the great and wise appointed is,
And Fortune fair
therein abideth day and night.
Then, as soon as he was settled in his house, he sought him in
marriage the daughter of one of the chief men of the city, a
handsome girl, and went in unto her and led a life of
solace and
satisfaction, joyaunce and
enjoyment; and he rose to passing affluence
and
exceedingprosperity. So when he found himself in this fortunate
condition, he offered up thanks to Allah (extolled and excelled be
He!) for what He had bestowed on him of
wealthexceeding and of favors
ever succeeding, praising his Lord with the praise of the grateful.
And
thereafter Khalifah continued to pay
frequent visits to the Caliph
Harun al-Rashid, with whom he found
acceptance and who ceased not to
overwhelm him with boons and
bounty. And he abode in the
enjoymentof the
utmost honor and happiness and joy and
gladness, and in
riches more than sufficing and in rank ever rising- brief, a sweet
life and a savory, pure as pleasurable, till there came to him die
Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies. And extolled be
the
perfection of Him to whom belong glory and permanence and He is
the Living, the Eternal, who shall never die!
And
amongst the tales they, tell is one of