day he took from me some quarter-pieces of money and went to work for another man called Shumooshag, and to work with Nagish, and with Gasis, and with Ghubar, and with Gushir, and every day working with someone.  They were jealous of my having him.  ’Odis the sweeper and Abu Butran the stoker, and everyone wanted to have him.  In vain I corrected him, but he would not abide corrected and ceased not to do thus until I killed him in the ruin, and I have delivered myself from the torment he gave me.  That is my story.  I kept silent until I saw thee when I made myself known at the time thou savest the head of this young man from the sword.  Here I am standing before you:  strike my neck and take life for life.  Pray do no harm to this young man, for he hath committed no fault.  The Wazir said, Neither to thee nor to him.  Then he ordered to be brought the parents of the dead lad and reconciled them with the old man, whom he pardoned.  He mounted Attaf upon a horse and took him to his house; then he entered the palace of the Caliph and kissed the earth before him and said, Behold Attaf, he who was my host at Damascus, and of whom I have related his treatment of me and his kindness and generosity, and how he preferred me to himself.  Er-Rashid said, Bring him in to me immediately.  He presented him to the Caliph in the miserable state in which he had found him; and when he entered, he made his salutations in the best manner and with the most eloquent language.  Er-Rashid answered and said to him, What is this state in which I find you? and Attaf wept and made his complaint in these verses:—­

Troubles, poverty and distant sojourn far away from the dear ones, and a
     crushing desire to see them: 
The soul is in them, they became like their fellows, thus the enigma remains in
     the world;
While the generous is stricken with misfortune and grief, where’s the miser that
     finds not good fortune therein?

When Attaf had finished he conversed with the Caliph about his history and all his life from beginning to end; and Er-Rashid cried and suffered at what had happened to him after the loss of his riches, nor did he cease to weep with Ja’afar until the close of Attaf’s story.  The Sheikh who had killed the lad and had been liberated by Ja’afar came in and Er-Rashid laughed at seeing him.  Then he caused Attaf to be seated and made him repeat his story.  And when Attaf had finished speaking the Caliph looked at Ja’afar and said, The proverb goeth:—­

Good for good, to the giver the merit remains; evil for evil, the doer’s most
     cruel.