Arabian Nights: 216th Night: Anis al Jalis, The Slave Girl -16

The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that Shaikh Ibrahim said, "Take out what you need."  Nur al-Din opened all store rooms and cupboards, and took out 
whatever he needed and desired, while the old man brought them all fruits and flowers.  Anil al Jalis proceeded to prepare the table, and arranging the cups and beakers and the gold and silver utensils of all shapes, and the nuts and fruits,  and when everything was ready, they sat to carouse and drink.  Nur al-Din filled a cup, and turning to Anis al Jalis said, "Our journey has proved most fortunate by coming to this garden," and recited the following verses:

O what a lovely and a perfect day
What charm, what joy, what bliss
My right hand holds the cup, left 
The moon.  Why heed the one who
Censures me for doing this?

Then he drank with Anis al Jalis until nightfall.  The old man returned to see if they wanted anything else.  He stood at the door and said, "By God, my lord, this is a happy day, for you have honoured me by your presence as the poet says:

If the house knows who has visited 
It rejoices and kiss the very dust.
To say only the generous has by 
His gifts such welcome merited.

Nur al-Din, who was drunk by now
replied, "O Shaik Ibrahim, far be it, we to honour you.  By God we have imposed on your goodness and fully enjoyed your generosity."

Anil al Jalis turned to Nur al-Din Ali, and said to him, "My lord, I wonder what will happen if we make Shaikh Ibrahim drink?" He asked, "By my life can you?"

She replied, "Yes, by your life, I can."
"How?"
"My lord invite him and press him until he comes in and sit with us.  Then drink a cup and pretend to fall asleep and let me handle the rest."

Nur al-Din Ali went to Shaikh Ibrahim and said to him, "Shaikh Ibrahim, is this how people behave?"
The old man replied, "How so, my son?"
"We are your guests, yet you refuse to sit with us to entertain us and while away the night."

Shaikh Ibrahim looked at them.  The wine took hold of them.  Their cheeks flushed, forehead perspired, and their hair dishevelled.  Sheikh Ibrahim said to himself, "What is the harm in sitting with them, and when will I get an opportunity to meet people like them?"  He entered and sat in a corner.  Nur al-Din said to him, "By my life, you come and sit with us."  The old man joined them.  Nur al-Din Ali drank the cup and lay down.  The old man thought that he had fallen asleep.  Anis al Jalis turned to the old man and said, "See how he treats me!"  The old man asked, "What is the matter with him?" Anis al Jalis said,  "He always drinks a little and then falls asleep, leaving me all alone, with none to keep me company."  As the old man began to weaken, she filled a cup and said, "By my life, be kind to me and drink."  The old man took it and drank it off, and she filled a second cup and he drank it off too, and said, "Enough."  But she said, "It is all the same whether it is one or hundred" and gave him the third cup, which he drank off.  Then she filled the fourth cup and gave it to him, and he was about to drink it,  when Nur al-Din sat up.

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.







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