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Indeed, I did not pick up the dirham off the ground because of its value in my eyes; but I raised it off the earth because on one of its faces is the likeness of the King and on the other his name; and I feared lest any should unwittingly set foot upon it, thus dishonouring the name and presentment of the King, and I be blamed for this offence."
She pleased him much whereat he asked, "O Hasan, what is bidden for this girl?" and he answered, "Four thousand five hundred dinars to open the door of sale." Quoth Al-Mu'in, "Four thousand five hundred is MY bid." When the merchants heard this, they held back and dared not bid another dirham, wotting what they did of the Wazir's tyranny, violence and treachery.
No living wight is he, yet, in honour he abides; * Nor dead yet he deserveth that Allah him assain." 'Two vests in one; blood flowing easiest wise; * Rosy red ears and mouth wide open lies; It hath a cock-like form, its belly pecks * And, if you price it, half a dirham buys." She replied, "The ink-case." Quoth he, "And in these,
"What hath troubled thee?" asked he; and she answered, "O husband, I dropped the dirham thou gavest me in the market-street and was ashamed to search for it before the folk; yet I grudged to lose the silver, so I gathered up the earth from the place where it fell and brought it away, thinking to sift it at home. Wherefore I went to fetch the sieve, but brought the cooking-pot instead."
Then the Christian carried the girl to his own house and setting her amongst his handmaids and concubines, said to her, "O strumpet, I am the old man whom thou didst reject and lampoon; but now I have thee, without paying diner or dirham." He rejoined, "Wanton minx and whore that thou art, thou shalt see how I will punish thee!
They sojourned in that place awhile, his weakness ever increasing and she attending him and buying necessaries for him and for herself, till all the money she had was expended and she became so poor that she had not so much as a dirham left.
Thereupon, quoth Mu'aykib, 'I returned to my own house, and while I was sitting there behold, a messenger came to me from Omar and I was afraid and went to him, and when I came into his presence, in his hand was the dirham I had given his son. He said to me, 'Woe to thee Mu'aykib!
And she ceased not to laugh at him and make sport of him, till they drew near the city of the Caliph, when she threw down a dinar with her own hand and said to Al-Hajjaj, "O camel-driver, I have dropped a dirham; look for it and give it to me." So he looked and seeing naught but the dinar, said, "This is a dinar." She replied, "Nay, 'tis a dirham." But he said, "This is a dinar."
Othman asked 'Why weepest thou?; and Ziyad answered, 'I once brought Omar bin al-Khattab the like of this and his son took a dirham, where upon Omar bade snatch it from his hand. Quoth Omar, 'O Aslam, I think these must be travellers who are suffering from the cold.
So now I will begin with thy dispraise, O black, O colour of ink and blacksmith's dust, thou whose face is like the raven which bringeth about the parting of lovers. Verily, the poet saith in praise of white and blame of black, 'Seest not that pearls are prized for milky hue, * But with a dirham buy we coals in load? And while white faces enter Paradise, * Black faces crowd Gehenna's black abode.
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