HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE WOMAN OF THE BARMECIDES[124]
They tell[125] that Harun Al-Rashid was sitting one day to abate grievances, when there came up to him a woman and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, may Allah perfect thy purpose and gladden thee in whatso He hath given thee and increase thee in elevation! Indeed, thou hast done justice and wrought equitably." [126] Quoth the Caliph to those who were present with him, "Know ye what this one means by her saying?" and quoth they, "Of a surety, she meaneth not otherwise than well, O Prince of True Believers." Al-Rashid rejoined: "Nay, in this she purposeth only to curse me. As for her saying, 'Allah perfect thy purpose,' she hath taken it from the saying of the poet,
'When thy purpose is effected beginneth its decay; * when they
say 'Thy wish is won' feel thou sure 'twill pass away.'
As for her saying 'Allah gladden thee in whatso He hath given thee,' she took it from the saying of Almighty Allah,[127] 'Till, whenas they were gladdened in that they were given, We suddenly laid hold of them and lo, they were in despair!' As for her saying, 'Allah increase thee in elevation!' she took it from the saying of the poet:—
'No flier flieth however tall * but as he flieth shall come to
fall.'
And as for her saying, 'Indeed, thou hast done justice and wrought equitably, 'tis from the saying of the Almighty, 'If ye swerve[128] or lag behind or turn aside, verily, Allah of that which ye do is well aware;' and 'As for the swervers[129] they are fuel for Hell.'" Then he turned to the woman and asked her, "Is it not thus?" answered she, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful," and quoth he, "What prompted thee to this?" Quoth she, "Thou slewest my parents and my kinsfolk and despoiledst their good." Enquired the Caliph, "Whom meanest thou?" and she replied, "I am of the House of Barmak." Then said he to her, "As for the dead, they are of those who are past away, and it booteth not to speak of them; but, as for that which I took of wealth, it shall forthright be restored to thee, yea, and more than it." And he was bountiful to her to the uttermost of his bounties.
THE TEN WAZIRS: OR THE HISTORY OF KING AZADBAKHT AND HIS SON.[130]
There was once, of old days, a king of the kings, whose name was Azádbakht; his capital was hight Kunaym Madúd[131] and his kingdom extended to the confines of Sístán[132] and from the confines of Hindostan to the Indian Ocean. He had ten Wazirs, who ordered his kingship and his dominion, and he was possessed of judgment and exceeding wisdom. One day he went forth with certain of his guards to the chase and fell in with an Eunuch riding a mare and hending in hand the halter of a she-mule, which he led along. On the mule's back was a domed litter of brocade purfled with gold and girded with an embroidered band set with pearls and gems, and about it was a company of Knights. When King Azadbakht saw this, he separated himself from his suite and, making for the horsemen and that mule, questioned them, saying, "To whom belongeth this litter and what is therein?" The Eunuch answered (for he knew not that the speaker was King Azadbakht), saying, "This litter belongeth to Isfahand, Wazir to King Azadbakht, and therein is his daughter, whom he is minded to marry to the King hight Zád Sháh."