So Nur al-Din landed, he and his handmaid and, giving the captain
five dinars, walked on a little way till the decrees of Destiny
brought them among the gardens, and they came to a place swept
and sprinkled, with benches along the walls and hanging jars
filled with water.[FN#41] Overhead was a trellis of reed-work
and canes shading the whole length of the avenue, and at the
upper end was a garden gate, but this was locked. "By Allah,"
quoth Nur al-Din to the damsel, "right pleasant is this place!";
and she replied, "O my lord sit with me a while on this bench and
let us take our ease." So they mounted and sat them down on the
bench, after which they washed their faces and hands; and the
breeze blew cool on them and they fell asleep and glory be to Him
who never sleepeth! Not this garden was named the Garden of
Gladness[FN#42] and therein stood a belvedere hight the Palace of
Pleasure and the Pavilion of Pictures, the whole belonging to the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid who was wont, when his breast was
straitened with care, to frequent garden and palace and there to
sit. The palace had eighty latticed windows and fourscore lamps
hanging round a great candelabrum of gold furnished with wax-
candles; and, when the Caliph used to enter, he would order the
handmaids to throw open the lattices and light up the rooms; and
he would bid Ishak bin Ibrahim the cup-companion and the slave-
girls to sing till his breast was broadened and his ailments were
allayed. Now the keeper of the garden, Shaykh Ibrahim, was a
very old man, and he had found from time to time, when he went
out on any business, people pleasuring about the garden gate with
their bona robas; at which he was angered with exceeding
anger.[FN#43] But he took patience till one day when the Caliph
came to his garden; and he complained of this to Harun al-Rashid
who said, "Whomsoever thou surprisest about the door of the