director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the lad
who served the Sage fell in love with the Sultan's daughter by
hearsay. Presently he went in to his master and told him thereof
adding, "O my lord, verily the King hath a daughter beautiful and
lovesome and my soul longeth to look upon her an it be only a
single look." The Shaykh asked him saying, "Wherefore, O my son?
What have the like of us to do with the daughters of Sovrans or
others? We be an order of eremites and selfcontained and we fear
the Kings for our own safety." And the Sage continued to warn the
lad against the shifts of Time and to divert him from his intent;
but the more words he uttered to warn him and to deter him, the
more resolved he became to win his wish, so that he abode
continually groaning and weeping. Now this was a grievous matter
to the good Shaykh who loved him with an exceeding love passing
all bounds; and when he saw him in this condition he exclaimed,
"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great." And his heart was softened and he had ruth
upon the case of his scholar and pitied his condition, and at
last said to him, "O my son, dost thou truly long to look but a
single look at the Sultan's daughter?" Quoth he, "Yes, O my
lord," and quoth the other, "Come hither to me." Accordingly he
came up to him and the Shaykh produced a Kohl-pot and applied the
powder to one of his scholar's eyes, who behold, forthright
became such that all who saw him cried out, "This is a
half-man."[FN#118] Then the Sage bade him go about the city and
the youth obeyed his commands and fared forth; but whenas the
folk espied him they cried out, "A miracle! a miracle! this be a
half-man!" And the more the youth walked about the streets the
more the folk followed him and gazed upon him for diversion and