Is there among you a merciful friend, who will aid me? I conjure you by Allah to answer me! My life hath passed, and my death is at hand! Is there any who will pity me, to obtain my recompense,[40] And consider my state, and relieve my anguish, by a draught of water that my torment may be lightened?
And the people were excited to tears for him; and the executioner took some water to hand it to him; but the Wezeer arose from his place, and struck the ḳulleh[41] of water with his hand, and broke it, and called to the executioner, commanding him to strike off his head; whereupon he bound Noor-ed-Deen's eyes. The people, however, called out against the Wezeer, and raised a tumultuous cry against him, and many words passed between them; and while they were in this state, lo, a dust rose, and filled the sky and the open tracts; and when the Sulṭán beheld it, as he sat in the palace, he said to his attendants, See what is the news. The Wezeer said, After thou shalt first have beheaded this man. But the Sulṭán replied, Wait thou until we see what is the news.
Now this dust was the dust of Jaạfar, the Wezeer of the Khaleefeh, and of his attendants; and the cause of their coming was this:—The Khaleefeh had passed thirty days without remembering the affair of 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, and no one mentioned it to him, until he came one night to the private apartment of Enees-el-Jelees, and heard her lamenting, as she recited, with a soft voice, the saying of the poet:—
Thine image [is before me] whether distant or near, and my tongue never ceaseth to mention thee.
Her lamentation increased, and lo, the Khaleefeh opened the door, and entered the chamber, and saw Enees-el-Jelees weeping. On beholding the Khaleefeh, she fell at his feet, and, having kissed them three times, recited these two verses:—
O thou of pure origin, and of excellent birth; of ripe-fruitful branch, and of unsullied race! I remind thee of the promise thy beneficence granted, and far be it from thee that thou shouldst forget it.
The Khaleefeh said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am the present given to thee by 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán; and I request the fulfilment of the promise which thou gavest me, that thou wouldst send me to him with the honorary gift; for I have now been here thirty days, and have not tasted sleep. And upon this, the Khaleefeh summoned Jaạfar El-Barmekee, and said to him, For thirty days I have heard no news of 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán, and I imagine nothing less than that the Sulṭán hath killed him: but, by my head! by the tombs of my ancestors! if any evil event hath happened to him, I will destroy him who hath been the cause of it, though he be the dearest of men in my estimation! I desire, therefore, that thou journey immediately to El-Baṣrah, and bring me an account of the conduct of the King Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee to 'Alee the son of El-Faḍl the son of Kháḳán.
So Jaạfar obeyed his commands, and set forth on his journey, and when he approached, and saw this tumult and crowd, he said, What is the occasion of this crowd? They related to him, therefore, the situation in which they were with regard to Noor-ed-Deen; and when he heard their words, he hastened to go up to the Sulṭán, and, having saluted him, acquainted him with the cause of his coming, and told him, that if any evil event had happened to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, the Khaleefeh would destroy him who was the cause of it. He then arrested the Sulṭán, and the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee, and gave orders to liberate 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and enthroned him as Sulṭán in the place of the Sulṭán Moḥammad the son of Suleymán Ez-Zeynee; after which he remained in El-Baṣrah three days, the usual period of entertainment; and on the morning of the fourth day, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen said to Jaạfar, I have a longing desire to see the Prince of the Faithful. So Jaạfar said to the King Moḥammad the son of Suleymán, Prepare thyself for travelling; for we will perform the morning-prayers, and depart to Baghdád. He replied, I hear and obey:—and they performed the morning-prayers, and mounted all together, with the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of Sáwee, who now repented of what he had done. As to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, he rode by the side of Jaạfar: and they continued their journey until they arrived at Baghdád, the Abode of Peace.