第58章

When it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the Persian continued： 'So being filled with rage，O Commander of the Faithful，I came forward and said，'Allah keep our lord the Kazi I had in this my wallet a coat of mail and a broadsword and armouries and a thousand fighting rams and a sheep-fold with its pasturage and a thousand barking dogs and gardens and vines and flowers and sweet smelling herbs and figs and apples and statues and pictures and flagons and goblets and fair-faced slave-girls and singing-women and marriage-feasts and tumult and clamour and great tracts of land and brothers of success，which were robbers，and a company of daybreak-raiders with swords and spears and bows and arrows and true friends and dear ones and Intimates and comrades and men imprisoned for punishment and cup-companions and a drum and flutes and flags and banners and boys and girls and brides （in all their wedding bravery），and singing-girls and five Abyssinian women and three Hindi maidens and four damsels of Al-Medinah and a score of Greek girls and eighty Kurdish dames and seventy Georgian ladies and Tigris and Euphrates and a fowling net and a flint and steel and Many-columned Iram and a thousand rogues and pimps and horse-courses and stables and mosques and baths and a builder and a carpenter and a plank and a nail and a black slave with his flageolet and a captain and a caravan leader and towns and cities and an hundred thousand dinars and Cufa and Anbar[213] and twenty chests full of stuffs and twenty storehouses for victuals and Gaza and Askalon and from Damietta to Al-Sawan[214]； and the palace of Kisra Anushirwan and the kingdom of Solomon and from Wadi Nu'uman to the land of Khorasan and Balkh and Ispahan and from India to the Sudan.Therein also （may Allah prolong the life of our lord the Kazi！） are doublets and cloths and a thousand sharp razors to shave off the Kazi's beard，except he fear my resentment and adjudge the bag to be my bag.' Now when the Kazi heard what I and the Kurd avouched，he was confounded and said，'I see ye twain be none other than two pestilent fellows，atheistical-villains who make sport of Kazis and magistrates and stand not in fear of reproach.Never did tongue tell nor ear hear aught more extraordinary than that which ye pretend.By Allah，from China to Shajarat Umm Ghaylan，nor from Fars to Sudan nor from Wadi Nu'uman to Khorasan，was ever heard the like of what ye avouch or credited the like of what ye affirm.Say，fellows，be this bag a bottomless sea or the Day of Resurrection that shall gather together the just and unjust？' Then the Kazi bade them open the bag； so I opened it and behold，there was in it bread and a lemon and cheese and olives.So I threw the bag down before the Kurd and ganged my gait.' Now when the Caliph heard this tale from Ali the Persian，he laughed till he fell on his back and made him a handsome present.[215] And men also relate a TALE OF HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE SLAVE-GIRL

AND THE IMAM ABU YUSUF.

It is said that Ja'afar the Barmecide was one night carousing with Al Rashid，who said，'O Ja'afar，it hath reached me that thou hast bought such and such a slave-girl.Now I have long sought her for she is passing fair； and my heart is taken up with love of her，so do thou sell her to me.' He replied，'I will not sell her，O Commander of the Faithful.' Quoth he，'Then give her to me.' Quoth the other，'Nor will I give her.' Then Al-Rashid exclaimed，'Be Zubaydah triply divorced an thou shall not either sell or give her to me！' Then Ja'afar exclaimed，'Be my wife triply divorced an I either sell or give her to thee！' After awhile they recovered from their tipsiness and were aware of having fallen into a grave dilemma，but knew not by what device to extricate themselves.Then said Al-Rashid，'None can help us in this strait but Abu Yusuf.'[216] So they sent for him，and this was in the middle of the night； and when the messenger reached him，he arose in alarm，saying to himself，'I should not be sent for at this tide and time，save by reason of some question of moment to Al-Islam.' So he went out in haste and mounted his she-mule，saying to his servant，'Take the mule's nose-bag with thee； it may be she hath not finished her feed； and when we come to the Caliph's palace，put the bag on her，that she may eat what is left of her fodder，during the last of the night.' And the man replied，'I hear and obey.' Now when the Imam was admitted to the presence，Al-Rashid rose to receive him and seated him on the couch beside himself （where he was wont to seat none save the Kazi），and said to him，'We have not sent for thee at this untimely time and tide save to advise us upon a grave matter，which is such and such and wherewith we know not how to deal.' And he expounded to him the case.Abu Yusuf answered，'O Commander of the Faithful，this is the easiest of things.' Then he turned to Ja'afar and said，'O Ja'afar，sell half of her to the Commander of the Faithful and give him the other half； so shall ye both be quit of your oaths.' The Caliph was delighted with this and both did as he prescribed.Then said Al-Rashid，'Bring me the girl at once，'--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.