Quoth I, “Far, far fro’ me that I should tell ✿ A love, which ever shall my heart engrace;
Loss of my hand for sin I have confessed ✿ To me were easier than to shame her face.”
The warders heard him and went and told Khalid who, when it was dark night, sent for the youth and conversed with him. He found him clever and well-bred, intelligent, lively and a pleasant companion; so he ordered him food and he ate. Then after an hour’s talk said Khalid, “I know indeed thou hast a story to tell that is no thief’s; so when the Kazi shall come to-morrow morning and shall question thee about this robbery, do thou deny the charge of theft and avouch what may avert the pain and penalty of cutting off thy hand; for the Apostle (whom Allah bless and keep!) saith:—In cases of doubt, eschew punishment.” Then he sent him back to prison——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Khalid, after conversing with the youth, sent him back to prison, where he passed the night. And when morning dawned the folk assembled to see his hand cut off, nor was there a soul in Bassorah, man or woman, but was present to look upon the punishment of that handsome youth. Then Khalid mounted in company of the notables of the city and others; and, summoning all four Kazis, sent for the young man, who came hobbling and stumbling in his fetters. There was none saw him but wept over him and the women all lifted up their voices in lamentation as for the dead. Then the Kazi bade silence the women and said to the prisoner, “These folk avouch that thou didst enter their dwelling-house and steal their goods: belike thou stolest less than a quarter dinar[[221]]?” Replied he, “Nay, I stole that and more.” “Peradventure,” rejoined the Kazi, “thou art partner with the folk in some of the goods?” Quoth the young man; “Not so: it was all theirs, and I had no right in it.” At this the Khalid was wroth and rose and smote him on the face with his whip, applying to his own case this couplet:—
Man wills his wish to him accorded be; ✿ But Allah naught accords save what He wills.
Then he called for the butcher to do the work, who came and drew forth his knife and taking the prisoner’s hand set the blade to it, when, behold, a damsel pressed through the crowd of women clad in tattered clothes,[[222]] and cried out and threw herself on the young man. Then she unveiled and showed a face like the moon; whereupon the people raised a mighty clamour and there was like to have been a riot amongst them and a violent scene. But she cried out her loudest, saying, “I conjure thee, by Allah, O Emir, hasten not to cut off this man’s hand, till thou have read what is in this scroll!” So saying, she gave him a scroll, and Khalid took it and opened it and read therein these couplets:—
“Ah Khalid! this one is a slave of love distraught, ✿ And these bowed eyelashes sent shaft that caused his grief:
Shot him an arrow sped by eyes of mine, for he, ✿ Wedded to burning love, of ills hath no relief:
He hath avowed a deed he never did, the while ✿ Deeming this better than disgrace of lover lief: