No words can adequately express the joy of Buddir ad Deen, when he saw his mother and his son.  They embraced, and shewed all the transports that love and tenderness could inspire.  The mother spoke to Buddir ad Deen in the most moving terms; she mentioned the grief she had felt for his long absence, and the tears she had shed.  Little Ajib, instead of flying his father’s embraces, as at Damascus, received them with all the marks of pleasure.  And Buddir ad Deen Houssun, divided between two objects so worthy of his love, thought he could not give sufficient testimonies of his affection.

While this passed, the vizier was gone to the palace, to give the sultan an account of the happy success of his travels; and the sultan was so moved with the recital of the story, that he ordered it to be taken down in writing, and carefully preserved among the archives of the kingdom.  After Shumse ad Deen’s return to his palace, he sat down with his family, and all the household passed the day in festivity and mirth.

The vizier Jaaffier having thus concluded the story of Buddir ad Deen, told the caliph that this was what he had to relate to his majesty.  The caliph found the story so surprising, that without farther hesitation he granted his slave Rihan’s pardon; and to console the young man for the grief of having unhappily deprived himself of a woman whom he had loved so tenderly, married him to one of his slaves, bestowed liberal gifts upon him, and maintained him till he died.

The history of Ganem, son of Abou Ayoub,
and known by the surname of love’s slave.

There was formerly at Damascus a merchant, who had by care and industry acquired great wealth, on which he lived in a very honourable manner.  His name was Abou Ayoub, and he had one son and a daughter.  The son was called Ganem, but afterwards surnamed Love’s slave.  His person was graceful, and the excellent qualities of his mind had been improved by able masters.  The daughter’s name was Alcolom, signifying Ravisher of hearts, because her beauty was so perfect that whoever saw her could not avoid loving her.

Abou Ayoub died, and left immense riches:  a hundred loads of brocades and other silks that lay in his warehouse were the least part.  The loads were ready made up, and on every bale was written in large characters, “For Bagdad.”

Mahummud, the son of Soliman, surnamed Zinebi, reigned at that time at Damascus, the capital of Syria.  His kinsman, Haroon al Rusheed, had bestowed that kingdom on him as his tributary.

Soon after the death of Abou Ayoub, Ganem conversed with his mother about their domestic affairs, and concerning the loads of merchandize in the warehouse, asked her the meaning of what was written upon each bale.  “My son,” answered his mother, “your father used to travel sometimes into one province, and sometimes into another; and it was customary with him, before he set out, to write the name of the city he designed to repair to on every bade.  He had provided all things to take a journey to Bagdad, and was on the point of setting out, when death”——­She had not power to finish; the lively remembrance of the loss of her husband would not permit her to say more, and drew from her a shower of tears.