and three lamps, and spreading the drinking-cloth, brought strained wine, clear, old and fragrant, whose scent was as that of virgin musk.  He filled the first cup and saying, “O my boon-companion, be ceremony laid aside between us by thy leave!  Thy slave is by thee; may I not be afflicted with thy loss!” drank it off and filled a second cup, which he handed to the Caliph with due reverence.  His fashion pleased the Commander of the Faithful, and the goodliness of his speech and he said to himself, “By Allah, I will assuredly requite him for this!” Then Abu al-Hasan filled the cup again and handed it to the Caliph, reciting these two couplets:[FN#18]—­

“Had we thy coming known, we would for sacrifice * Have poured
     thee out heart’s blood or blackness of the eyes;
Ay, and we would have spread our bosoms in thy way, * That so thy
     feet might fare on eyelids, carpet-wise.”

When the Caliph heard his verses, he took the cup from his hand and kissed it and drank it off and returned it to Abu al-Hasan, who make him an obeisance and filled it and drank.  Then he filled again and kissing the cup thrice, recited these lines:—­

“Your presence honoureth the base, * And we confess the deed of
     grace;
An you absent yourself from us, * No freke we find to fill your
     place.”

Then he gave the cup to the Caliph, saying, “Drink it in health and soundness!  It doeth away malady and bringeth remedy and setteth the runnels of health to flow free.”  So they ceased not carousing and conversing till middle-night, when the Caliph said to his host, “O my brother, hast thou in they heart a concupiscence thou wouldst have accomplished or a contingency thou wouldst avert?” said he, “By Allah, there is no regret in my heart save that I am not empowered with bidding and forbidding, so I might manage what is in my mind!” Quoth the Commander of the Faithful, “By Allah, and again by Allah,[FN#19] O my brother, tell me what is in thy mind!” and quoth Abu al-Hasan, “Would Heaven I might be Caliph for one day and avenge myself on my neighbors, for that in my vicinity is a mosque and therein four shaykhs, who hold it a grievance when there cometh a guest to my, and they trouble me with talk and worry me in words and menace me that they will complain of me to the Prince of True Believers, and indeed they oppress me exceedingly, and I crave of Allah the Most High power for one day, that I may beat each and every of them with four hundred lashes, as well as the Imam of the mosque, and parade them round about the city of Baghdad and bid cry before them:  ’This is the reward and the lest of the reward for whoso exceedeth in talk and vexeth the folk and turneth their joy to annoy.’  This is what I wish, and no more.”  Said the Caliph, “Allah grant thee that thou seekest!  Let us crack one last cup and rise ere the dawn draw near, and to-morrow night I will be with thee again.”  Said Abu al-Hasan, “Far be it!” Then