wrath, and the purse with the hundred dinars flew out of his collar



pocket and, lighting in midstream, was carried away by the strong

current. Whereupon he threw down the net, and doffing his clothes,



left them on the bank and plunged into the water after the purse. He

dived for it nigh a hundred times, till his strength was exhausted and



he came up for sheer fatigue, without chancing on it. When he

despaired of finding the purse, he returned to the shore, where he saw



nothing but staff, net, and basket and sought for his clothes but

could light on no trace of them. So he said in himself: "O vilest of



those wherefor was made the byword: 'The pilgrimage is not perfected

save by copulation with the camel!"' Then he wrapped the net about



him, and taking staff in one hand and basket in other, went trotting

about like a camel in rut, running right and left and backward and



forward, disheveled and dusty, as he were a rebel Marid let loose from

Solomon's prison.



So far for what concerns the fisherman Khalifah; but as regards

the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, he had a friend, a jeweler called Ibn



al-Kirnas, and all the traders, brokers, and middlemen knew him for

the Caliph's merchant. Wherefore there was naught sold in Baghdad by



way of rarities and things of price or Mamelukes or handmaidens but

was first shown to him. As he sat one day in his shop, behold, there



came up to him the Sheikh of the brokers, with a slave girl whose like

seers never saw, for she was of passing beauty and loveliness,



symmetry and perfect grace, and among her gifts that she knew all arts

and sciences and could make verses and play upon all manner musical



instruments. So Ibn al-Kirnas bought her for five thousand golden

dinars and clothed her with other thousand. After which he carried her



to the Prince of True Believers, with whom she lay the night, and

who made trial of her in every kind of knowledge and accomplishment



and found her versed in all sorts of arts and sciences, having no

equal in her time. Her name was Kut al-Kulub and she was even as saith



the poet:

I fix my glance on her, whene'er she wends,



And nonacceptance of my glance breeds pain.

She favors graceful-necked gazelle at gaze,



And "Graceful as gazelle" to say we're fain.

On the morrow the Caliph sent for Ibn al-Kirnas, the jeweler, and



bade him receive ten thousand dinars to her price. And his heart was

taken up with the slave girl Kut al-Kulub and he forsook the Lady



Zubaydah bint al-Kasim, for all she was the daughter of his father's

brother, and he abandoned all his favorite concubines and abode a



whole month without stirring from Kut al-Kulub's side save to go to

the Friday prayers and return to her all in haste. This was grievous



to the lords of the realm and they complained thereof to the Wazir

Ja'afar the Barmecide, who bore with the Commander of the Faithful and



waited till the next Friday, when he entered the cathedral mosque and,

forgathering with the Caliph, related to him all that occurred to



him of extraordinary stories anent seld-seen love and lovers, with

intent to draw out what was in his mind.



Quoth the Caliph, "By Allah, O Ja'afar, this is not of my choice,

but my heart is caught in the snare of love and wot I not what is to



be done!" The Wazir Ja'afar replied: "O Commander of the Faithful,

thou knowest how this girl Kut al-Kulub is become at thy disposal



and of the number of thy servants, and that which hand possesseth soul

coveteth not. Moreover, I will tell thee another thing, which is



that the highest boast of kings and princes is in hunting and the

pursuit of sport and victory; and if thou apply thyself to this,



perchance it will divert thee from her, and it may be thou wilt forget

her." Rejoined the Caliph: "Thou sayest well, O Ja'afar. Come let us



go a-hunting forthright, without stay or delay." So soon as Friday

prayers were prayed, they left the mosque, and at once mounting



their she-mules, rode forth to the chase, occupied with talk, and

their attendants outwent them.



Presently the heat became overhot and Al-Rashid said to his Wazir,

"O Ja'afar, I am sore athirst." Then he looked around, and espying a



figure in the distance on a high mound, asked Ja'afar, "Seest thou

what I see?" Answered the Wazir: "Yes; O Commander of the Faithful.



I see a dim figure on a high mound. Belike he is the keeper of a

garden or of a cucumber plot, and in whatso wise water will not be



lacking in his neighborhood," presently adding, "I will go to him

and fetch thee some." But Al-Rashid said: "My mule is swifter than thy



mule, so do thou abide here, on account of the troops, whilst I go

myself to him and get of this person drink and return." So saying,



he urged his she-mule, which started off like racing wind or railing

water, and in the twinkling of an eye made the mound, where he found



the figure he had, seen to be none other than Khalifah the

fisherman, naked and wrapped in the net.



And indeed he was horrible to behold, as to and fro he rolled with

• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• fisherman [´fiʃəmən] n.渔民，渔夫，打鱼人 (初中英语单词)


• belief [bi´li:f] n.相信；信仰，信条 (初中英语单词)


• conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)


• commander [kə´mɑ:ndə] n.指挥员，司令员 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)


• commit [kə´mit] vt.犯(罪)；把…判处 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• torture [´tɔ:tʃə] n.&vt.折磨；痛苦；拷问 (初中英语单词)


• lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)


• device [di´vais] n.装置；器具；策略 (初中英语单词)


• collar [´kɔlə] n.衣领；(狗等的)项圈 (初中英语单词)


• excess [´ekses] n.超过 a.过分的 (初中英语单词)


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• backward [´bækwəd] ad.向后 a.向后的 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• cathedral [kə´θi:drəl] n.大教堂 (初中英语单词)


• extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)


• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• keeper [´ki:pə] n.管理人；看守；保管人 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• nonsense [´nɔnsəns] n.胡说 int.胡说!废话 (高中英语单词)


• rejoicing [ri´dʒɔisiŋ] n.高兴；欢呼 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• lodging [´lɔdʒiŋ] n.寄宿，住宿 (高中英语单词)


• torment [´tɔ:ment] vt.(使)痛苦，折磨 (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• fatigue [fə´ti:g] n.&vt.(使)疲劳(劳累) (高中英语单词)


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


• divert [dai´və:t] vt.转移注意力；消遣 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)


• unlucky [ʌn´lʌki] a.倒霉的，不幸的 (英语四级单词)


• gotten [´gɔtn] get的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• whereof [weər´ɔv] ad.关于什么；关于那事 (英语四级单词)


• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)


• verily [´verili] ad.真实的；肯定地 (英语四级单词)


• lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)


• pilgrimage [´pilgrimidʒ] n.朝圣；远游；人生历程 (英语四级单词)


• morrow [´mɔrəu] n.翌日 (英语四级单词)


• stirring [´stə:riŋ] a.活跃的；热闹的 (英语四级单词)


• cucumber [´kju:kʌmbə] n.黄瓜 (英语四级单词)


• minded [´maindid] a.有…心的 (英语六级单词)


• beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)


• barter [´bɑ:tə] v.交换(货物) n.互换品 (英语六级单词)


• eunuch [´ju:nək] n.太监 (英语六级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• jeweler [´dʒu:ələ] n.珠宝商；宝石工人 (英语六级单词)


• forsook [fə´suk] forsake的过去式 (英语六级单词)


• abandoned [ə´bændənd] a.被抛弃的；无约束的 (英语六级单词)


• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)