It is related by El-Aṣma'ee, that Hároon Er-Rasheed, at a grand fête which he was giving, ordered the poet Abu-l-'Atáhiyeh to depict, in verse, the voluptuous enjoyments of his sovereign. The poet began thus:—
"Live long in safe enjoyment of thy desires, under the shadow of lofty palaces!"
"Well said!" exclaimed Er-Rasheed: "and what next?"
"May thy wishes be abundantly fulfilled, whether at eventide or in the morning!"
"Well!" again said the Khaleefeh: "then what next?"
"But when the rattling breath struggles in the dark cavity of the chest. Then shalt thou know surely, that thou hast been only in the midst of illusions."
—Er-Rasheed wept; and Faḍl, the son of Yaḥyà, said, "The Prince of the Faithful sent for thee to divert him, and thou hast plunged him into grief." "Suffer him," said the prince; "for he hath beheld us in blindness, and it displeased him to increase it."[146]
The family of the Barmekees (one of the most brilliant ornaments of which was the Wezeer Jaạfar, who has been rendered agreeably familiar to us by the many scenes in which he is introduced in the present work) earned a noble and enduring reputation by their attachment to literature, and the magnificent rewards they conferred on learned men. It was peculiarly hard, therefore, that literature contributed to their melancholy overthrow. Poets were employed by their enemies to compose songs artfully pointed against them, to be sung before the prince to whom they owed their power. Of one of these songs, the following lines formed a part:—
"Would that Hind had fulfilled the promises she made us, and healed the disease under which we suffer! That she had once, at least, acted for herself! for imbecile, indeed, is he who doth not so."
"Yea! By Allah! Imbecile!" exclaimed the Khaleefeh, on hearing these verses: his jealousy was roused; and his vengeance soon after fell heavily upon his former favourites.[147]