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Presently, she called for wine and drank a cup, after which she filled another and gave it to me, saying, 'Now is the time for converse and story-telling. So I bethought myself and began to say, 'It hath reached me that such and such things happened and there was a man who said so and so, till I had told her a number of pleasing tales and adventures with which she was delighted and cried, ''Tis marvellous that a merchant should bear in memory such store of stories like these, for they are fit for Kings. Quoth I, 'I had a neighbour who used to consort with Kings and carouse with them; so, when he was at leisure, I visited his house and he hath often told me what thou hast heard. Thereupon she exclaimed 'By my life, but thou hast a good memory! So we continued to converse thus, and as often as I was silent, she would begin, till in this way we passed the most part of the night, whilst the burning aloes-wood diffused its fragrance and I was in such case that if Al-Maamun had suspected it, he would have flown like a bird with longing for it.
Quoth Al-Maamun, "Tell me whichever is the rarer; so Mohammed al-Basri began: "Know, then, O Commander of the Faithful that there lived once upon a time wealthy man, who was a native of Al-Yaman;but he emigrated from his native land and came to this city of Baghdad, whose sojourn so pleased him that he transported hither his family and possessions.
I hope, therefore, that the August Intelligence, of his power and bounty and royal-generosity and magnanimity, will not despoil his slave of this jewel." When the Caliph Al-Maamun heard his speech, he praised him and thanked him and making him sit down again in his place, showed him high honour and ordered him a present of an hundred thousand silver pieces.
When she saw me she wept and made a show of affliction and praised Almighty Allah for my safety. So she delivered me into their hands, and I saw death face to face. They carried me, in my woman's attire, to Al-Maamun who called a general-council and had me brought before him. So, if thou punish, it is of thine equity, and if thou pardon, it is of thy bounty. And I repeated these couplets,
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