第137章 第五册(28)

answered, " sitting in thy palace, upon the royal couch. " He replied, "I am perplexed at my case; my reason hath departed, and it seemeth that I am asleep; but what shall I say of my yesterday"s guest? I imagine nothing but that he is a devil, or an enchanter, who has sported with my reason. "All this time, the Caliph was observing him from a place where Abou Hassan could not see him. Abou Hassan lookedtowards the chief servant, and called to him and said to him, "Who is the Prince of the Faithful? " "Thou, " he answered. Abou Hassan replied, "Thou liest. " Addressing another servant, he said to him, "O my chief, as thou hopest for Allah"s protection, tell me, am I the Prince of the Faithful?" "Yea, by Allah, " answered the man, "thou art at this present time the Prince of the Faithful, and the Caliph of the Lord of all Creatures. " Abou Hassan, perplexed at all that he beheld, said, "In one night do I become Prince of the Faithful! Was I not yesterday Abou Hassan; and to-day am I Prince of the Faithful? "He remained perplexed and confounded until the morning, when a servant advanced and said, " May Allah grant a happy morning to the Prince of the Faithful! " He handed to Abou Hassan a pair of shoes of gold stuff, adorned with precious stones and rubies; Abou Hassan took them, and, after examining them a long time, put them into his sleeve. So the servant said to him, "These are shoes to walk in. " And Abou Hassan replied, " Thou hast spoken truth. " He therefore took them forth, and put them on his feet. Shortly after, the slaves brought him a basin of gold and a ewer of silver, and poured the water upon his hands; and, when he had performed the ablution, they spread for him a prayer-carpet, and he prayed. They then brought him a magnificent dress, and, looking at himself as he sat upon the couch, he said, "All this is an illusion, and a trick of the genii. "While he was in this state, lo, a servant came in and said tohim, " O Prince of the Faithful, the chamberlain is at the door, requesting permission to enter!" "Let him enter, " replied Abou Hassan. So he came in, and, having kissed the ground before him, said, "Peace be on thee, O Prince of the Faithful. At thy service! " Abou Hassan said to him, " Repair immediately to such a street, and give a hundred pieces of gold to the mother of Abou Hassan the Wag, with my salutation; then take the imam of the mosque, and the four sheikhs; inflict upon each of them a thousand lashes; and, when thou hast done that, write a bond against them, confirmed by oath, that they shall not reside in the street. After, thou shalt have them paraded through the city, mounted on beasts, with their faces to the tails, and have proclaimed before them-"This is the recompense of those who annoy their neighbours !" Beware of neglecting that which I have commanded thee to do. " So the judge did as he was ordered. When Abou Hassan had exercised his authority until the close of the day, he called for a servant who was near at hand, and said to him, " I am hungry, and desire something to eat. " The servant replied, "I hear and obey, " and led him by the hand into the eating-chamber, where the attendants placed before him a table of rich viands; and ten slave-girls stood behind his head. Abou Hassan, looking at one of these, said to her, "What is thy name? " She answered, " Branch of Willow. " And he said to her, " O Branch of Willow, who am I? " "Thou art the Prince of the Faithful, " she answered. But he replied, " Thou liest, by Allah. You girls are laughing at me. " Then theslave-girls led him by the hand to the drinking chamber, wherehe saw what astonished the mind. One of the slave-girls filled for him a cup of wine; and he took it from her hand and drank it. After this the slave-girls plied him with wine in abundance, and one of them threw into his cup a lozenge of bhang; and, when it had settled in his stomach, he fell down senseless.