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The Khalif Haroun er Reshid, being one night exceeding restless and oppressed with melancholy thought, went out and walked about his palace, till he came to a chamber, over whose doorway hung a curtain.
Now Ed Denef had told him that the Khalif sought him; but he said, 'I am bound first for Cairo, to salute my father and mother and the people of my house. So they all mounted the couch and it carried them to Cairo the Happy, where they alighted in the street called Yellow, where stood Shemseddin's house.
And there are many advantages in going over to your side: for the power is in your hands, and long may you keep it! We have got to be ruled by strangers; and who would not rather pay small tribute to the wise and healthy Khalif at Medina than a heavy one to the sickly imperial brood of Melchites at Constantinople.
After awhile, the Khalif said to Jaafer, 'O Vizier, bring me the young man with whom we were last night. 'I hear and obey, answered Jaafer, and going to the youth, saluted him, saying, 'The Commander of the Faithful calls for thee. So he returned with him to the palace, in great concern by reason of the summons, and going in to the Khalif, kissed the earth before him.
When the Khalif saw this, he was sore enraged and afflicted; the tears ran down his cheeks and he turned to Jaafer and said, "O dog of a Vizier, shall folk be murdered in my capital city and thrown into the river and their death laid to my account on the Day of Judgment? I must avenge this woman on her murderer and put him to death without mercy!
Thereupon Tabaristan came into the power of the Tahirides, the nominal governors of the Khalif in Khorasan. Our authorities are Beladhori 134, 14; Masudi 7, 137; Kitab ol Oyun 399, 6; Yaqut 3, 284, 4. 506, 10; Abulfida 2, 212, 2. The Bavend dynasty is a continuation of the Masmughans.
The Berbers and the Arabs on the African coast were jealous and antagonistic; the one was devout, credulous, and emotional; the other cool, crafty, and diplomatic. Suddenly the long-slumbering hatred burst into open revolt, and the Khalif sent thirty thousand Syrians to put down a formidable revolution in his African dominions.
It is no wonder that in fifty years, as Abderrahman wrote to the khalif, not only had the tribute from the entire north of Africa ceased, through the population having become altogether Mohammedan, but that the Moors boasted an Arab descent as their greatest glory.
The Khalif was astounded at her quickness and understanding and said to Ibrahim, 'Put off thy clothes. So he rose and said, 'I call all who are present in this assembly to witness that she is more learned than I and all the learned men. And he put off his clothes and gave them to her, saying, 'Take them and may God not bless them to thee! The Khalif ordered him fresh clothes and said to Taweddud, 'There is one thing left of that for which thou didst engage, namely, chess. And he sent for professors of chess and draughts and backgammon.
Just then, Jaafer the Barmecide, who had been absent on an important business for the Khalif, entered and seeing the poet in this plight, said to him, 'Hallo, Abou Nuwas! 'At thy service, O our lord, answered he. A certain man of Bassora once bought a slave-girl and reared and educated her excellent well.
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