Arabian Nights: 217th Night: Anis al Jalis, The Slave Girl -17

The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the girl filled the fourth cup and gave it to the old man, and he was about to drink it when Nur al-Din sat up and said, "Shaikh, what is this?" Did I not invite you to drink?  But you refused, saying, 'I have forsworn drinking.' The old man who was embarassed, replied, "It is not my fault."  Nur al-Din laughed and they resumed drinking. Then Anis al Jalis whispered to Nur al-Din, "Drink, but don't entreat him to drink, I will show you what he will do."
When the two of them began to drink and sat by themselves, the old man looked at them and asked, "What is this?  Why do you give me nothing to drink?"

They burst out laughing, then they drank and gave him to drink, well into the night.  When half of the night was gone, the girl said, "I will go and light one of these candles."  The old man said, "Do, but light only one."  But she went and lighted all candles, and came back.  A little later, Nur al-Din asked the old man, "Will you do me a favour? Let me light one of these lamps."  The old man said, "Very well, but light only one."  But Nur al-Din lighted all lamps, letting the palace ablaze with light.  The old man who was intoxicated by now, said to them, "You are more playful than I" and rose, and opened all windows.

The Caliph was at that moment,  sitting at one of the palace windows overlooking the Tigris River, and chancing to turn his head saw the Palace of statues ablaze with light.  He was furious, and summoning the vizier Ja'far, looked at him angrily, and said, "You dog of vizier, has Baghdad been taken from me and you do not tell me?
Ja'far replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, by God, these are harsh words."
The Caliph said, "You dog, if Baghdad was not taken from me, the palace would not be lighted, and the windows would not be opened, for who would dare do such a thing unless the Caliphate has been taken from me?"
Ja'far, trembling with fear said, "O Commander of the Faithful, who told you that the Palace of Statues was lighted and its windows opened?"
The Caliph said, "Damn you, come here and look."  Ja'far went to the window, and looking towards the garden found the Palace blazing in the darkness of the night, and thinking that something must have happened to the keeper Ibrahim, and wishing to make an excuse said a plain story as follows:

"Shaikh Ibrahim came to me last Friday to seek permission to conduct the circumcision of his sons in the palace during the Commander in Faithful's life time.  I said to him to proceed with it and that I will obtain the permission from your honour.  But I forget to tell you, O Commander of the Faithful."
The Caliph said, "Ja'far, I had thought that you had committed one offence against me.  But now I find that you had committed two, first by failing to tell me, but by failing to understand what Ibrahim really wanted.  For he came and told you only to ask indirectly some money to help him out with the expenses of the circumcision, yet you neither gave him any nor told me about him so that I might have given it to him myself."
Ja'far replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, I was distracted."
The Caliph said, "By the tombs of my fathers and forefathers, I will not pass the rest of night, but with him, for it will be to our mutual advantage, that my presence will mollify and please him, and that I can meet the holy and pious men assembled there.

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.




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