Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young man said to the Commander of the Faithful:—So after the Shaykh had spoken, I took this talisman and returned with it to the King. Now the Princess was bound with four chains, and every night a slave-girl lay with her and was found in the morning with her throat cut. The King took the amulet and laid it upon his daughter who was straightway made whole. At this he rejoiced with exceeding joy and invested me with a vest of honour and gave alms of much money; and he caused set the amulet in the Princess’s necklace. It chanced, one day, that she embarked with her women in a ship and went for a sail on the sea. Presently, one of her maids put out her hand to her, to sport with her, and the necklace brake asunder and fell into the waves. From that hour the possessor[293] of the Princess returned to her, wherefore great grief betided the King and he gave me much money, saying, “Go thou to Shaykh Sa’adu’llah and let him make her another amulet, in lieu of that which is lost.” I journeyed to Babel, but found the old man dead; whereupon I returned and told the King, who sent me and ten others to go round about in all countries, so haply we might find a remedy for her: and now Allah hath caused me happen on it with thee.” Saying these words, he took from me the amulet, O Commander of the Faithful, and went his ways. Such, then, is the cause of the wanness of my complexion. As for me, I repaired to Baghdad, carrying all my wealth with me, and took up my abode in the lodgings where I lived whilome. On the morrow, as soon as it was light, I donned my dress and betook myself to the house of Tahir ibn al-Alaa, that haply I might see her whom I loved, for the love of her had never ceased to increase upon my heart. But when I came to his home, I saw the balcony broken down and the lattice builded up; so I stood awhile, pondering my case and the shifts of Time, till there came up a serving-man, and I questioned him, saying, “What hath God done with Tahir ibn al-Alaa?” He answered, “O my brother, he hath repented to Almighty Allah.[294]” Quoth I, “What was the cause of his repentance?”; and quoth he, “O my brother, in such a year there came to him a merchant, by name Abu al-Hasan the Omani, who abode with his daughter awhile, till his wealth was all spent, when the old man turned him out, broken-hearted. Now the girl loved him with exceeding love, and when she was parted from him, she sickened of a sore sickness and came nigh upon death. As soon as her father knew how it was with her, he sent after and sought for Abu al-Hasan through the lands, pledging himself to bestow upon whoso should produce him an hundred thousand dinars; but none could find him nor come on any trace of him; and she is now hard upon death.” Quoth I, “And how is it with her sire?” and quoth the servant, “He hath sold all his girls, for grief of that which hath befallen him, and hath repented to Almighty Allah.” Then asked I, “What wouldst thou say to him who should direct thee to Abu al-Hasan the Omani?”; and he answered, “Allah upon thee, O my brother, that thou do this and quicken my poverty and the poverty of my parents[295]!” I rejoined, “Go to her father and say to him, Thou owest me the reward for good news, for that Abu al-Hasan the Omani standeth at the door.” With this he set off trotting, as he were a mule loosed from the mill, and presently came back, accompanied by Shaykh Tahir himself, who no sooner saw me than he returned to his house and gave the man an hundred thousand dinars which he took and went away blessing me. Then the old man came up and embraced me and wept, saying, “O my lord, where hast thou been absent all this while? Indeed, my daughter hath been killed by reason of her separation from thee; but come with me into the house.” So we entered and he prostrated himself in gratitude to the Almighty, saying, “Praised be Allah who hath reunited us with thee!” Then he went in to his daughter and said to her, “The Lord hath healed thee of this sickness;” and said she, “O my papa, I shall never be whole of my sickness, save I look upon the face of Abu al-Hasan.” Quoth he, “An thou wilt eat a morsel and go to the Hammam, I will bring thee in company with him.” Asked she, “Is it true that thou sayst?”; and he answered, “By the Great God, ’tis true!” She rejoined, “By Allah, if I look upon his face, I shall have no need of eating!” Then said he to his page, “Bring in thy lord.” Thereupon I entered, and when she saw me, O Prince of True Believers, she fell down in a swoon, and presently coming to herself, recited this couplet:—