Arabian Nights: 214th Night: Anis al Jalis, The Slave Girl -14

The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard O happy King, that Shaikh Ibrahim, the keeper of garden, waited patiently until one day the Caliph came and informed him about the situation.  The Caliph said to him, "Whomever you find at the garden gate, do with him as you wish."

Shaikh Ibrahim went out on some business in the city on the very day of Nur al-Din Ali's arrival.  When he returned, he found two people covered with a cloak sleeping on a bench beside the gate.  He said to himself, "By God, this is fine!  Don't these two know that the Caliph has given me permission to kill anyone I catch here?  I will make an example of them, so that none may come near the gate in the future."  He went into the garden, and cutting a palm stick, came out, and raised his arm until his armpit showed, and he was about to fall on them with heavy blows, when he considered and said to himself, "Ibrahim, you are about to beat these two, who may be strangers or travelers, whom fate has brought here.  Let me uncover their faces and find out who they are."  He threw away the stick, and stepping closer, uncovered their faces and saw that they were as bright as two shining moons, just like those of whom the poet said:

A distant crescent, and a rising sun, 

A green bough and a wild deer divine.

When he saw them, he said to himself, "By God, they are a handsome pair."  Then he covered their faces again, and going to Nur al-Din's feet, began to rub them.  Nur al-Din awoke, and seeing a venerable old man rubbing his feet, felt embarassed, and drawing them in sat up, and took up the old man's hand and kissed it, and said, "Uncle, God forbid, and may he reward you!"

Shaik Ibrahim asked, "My son, where do you two come from?"

"We are strangers here," replied Nur al-Din.

Shaikh Ibrahim said, "You are honoured guests.  Will you not rise and come with me into the garden to relax and enjoy ourselves?"

Nur al-Din asked, "Shaik, to whom does this garden belong?" The old man wishing to put them at ease, and inducing them to enter, replied, "I inherited it from my father.  My son, I am inviting you in only so that you may forget your cares.  Relax and enjoy yourself." Nur al-Din thanked him and followed him into the garden with Anis al Jalis.

They entered through a vaulted gateway, passed through a bower of trellised boughs overhung with vines of grapes of different colours, red black and green. They found themselves in the garden, and what a garden!  There they found a variety of birds: nightingales, pigeons, thrushes, skylarks, ringdoves, and turtledoves.  The trees were laden with fruits: pomegranates, apples, plums and so on.

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.