Vol. Ill, No. 7.] Seven Stories from the Nafhat^ 'l-Yaman. 531 



sought ^ him again and again, but he would not yield. Then the 

 father moved as though to ascend to them, when the slave lower- 

 ed* the two over the edge prepai^atory to casting them down 

 from that great height.^ The father said, *' Wait, wait till I 

 go and bring out a knife to do what you want." So he held up 

 the knife to show him what he was going to do, and then cut off 

 his member and cast it away while the slave looked on, Now 

 when the slave was certain he had done the act, he cast down 

 the two boys saying, " Tit for tat,* and one over." The two 

 children were dashed to pieces.^ The negro was taken, and Ah 

 MuHasim * was written to on the matter. He directed that the^ 

 youth should be slain and that all blacks should be expelled from 

 his kingdom. 



Story VI.'^ 



It is also related that Ar-Bashtd was wrath with Ahu Nu^Sls^^- 

 so he ordered some men to defile ^ the bedding on which he slept. 

 So these came to the house when Abu Nu^as was in, and said to 

 him, ^'The Khali j ah has ordered us to defile thy bedding." Ahu 

 Nu'&s said, **The order of the Khali f ah must be obeyed — but has^ 

 he ordered you to do anything else besides * * ? " They said, " No." 

 Then Ahu Nu^as took a club in both his hands, and said to them, 

 '^ Begin; but if any one of you passes water, 111 smash his head 

 with this club." As they were unable to do the one thing with- 

 out the other, they went back to the ^alifah and told him. He 

 laughed and ordered a present to be given to Abu Nu^as. 



Story VII, 



It is said that Ar-Rashtd *^ went out hunting one day and got 

 separated from his guard and AUFazl^ ^bn^-r-BahV ^^ was behind 

 him. The two encountered an old man riding on a donkey. Ar- 

 Bashid looked at the old man and saw that he had watery eyes, so 



1 jEjJi« jjij J lit, '* repeat (his prayer) time after time." 

 * W? i^y^f ^ ^JJ^ ' '* '^^® ^P' highest point." 



^ ^. ^ ^ 



♦ iilAj did , lit., " that for that." 5 ^\x^\ ^LM, 



« The eighth ^alifah of the hoase of 'Abbas, 



1 This story is an oriental versioo of the pound of fiesh. 



S i*|4i *j» , Poet of the Court of Harun^ W^Rashid. 



9 ^ ^ , f -^eu , *' Deposuit alvutn, 



10 According to another version Hdrun^-'r-Rashid was diagaiaed according 

 to his habit and accompanied by the famous Jajar Ar-Barmakl. 



U Chamberlain to four ^allfahs, and minister to HdrHn^-W-Bashtd. 



