When the Caliph saw this, the vein of wrath started up between
his eyes and he came down and said to the Wazir, "O Ja'afar,
never beheld I yet men of piety in such case; so do thou mount
this tree and look upon them, lest the blessings of the blest be
lost to thee." Ja'afar, hearing the words of the Commander of
the Faithful and being confounded by them, climbed to the tree-
top and looking in, saw Nur al-Din and the damsel, and Shaykh
Ibrahim holding in his hand a brimming bowl. At this sight he
made sure of death and, descending, stood before the Commander of
the Faithful, who said to him, "O Ja'afar, praise be to Allah who
hath made us of those that observe external ordinances of Holy
Law and hath averted from us the sin of disguising ourselves
after the manner of hypocrites!"[FN#54] But Ja'afar could not
speak a word for excess of confusion; so the Caliph looked at him
and said, "I wonder how they came hither, and who admitted them
into my pavilion! But aught like the beauty of this youth and
this damsel my eyes never yet saw!" "Thou sayest sooth, O our
Lord the Sultan!" replied Ja'afar (and he hoped to propitiate the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid). Then quoth the Caliph, "O Ja'afar, let
us both mount the branch opposite the window, that we may amuse
ourselves with looking at them." So the two climbed the tree
and, peering in, heard Shaykh Ibrahim say, "O my lady, I have
cast away all gravity mine by the drinking of wine, but 'tis not
sweet save with the soft sounds of the lute-strings it combine."
"By Allah," replied Anis al-Jalis, "O Shaykh Ibrahim, an we had
but some instrument of music our joyance were complete." Hearing
this he rose to his feet and the Caliph said to Ja'afar, "I
wonder what he is about to do!" and Ja'afar answered, "I know
not." The Shaykh disappeared and presently reappeared bringing a