ABSTRACT
It is related, O auspicious King, that there sat once upon the throne of the Umayyads in Damascus a Khalīfah who had for wazīr a man of great wisdom and eloquence, who, having read in the books of the poets and annalists, remembered his reading and was able to tell his master such stories as agreeably passed the time for him. One day, when he saw that the King had some grief, he resolved to distract him, and therefore said: ‘My Lord, you have often questioned me concerning the details of my life and have asked for the story of my past, before I became your slave and the wazīr of your power. Until now I have excused myself, fearing to seem conceited, and have preferred to tell you those things which have befallen others. But to-day, though manners still give me a certain hesitation, I will tell you of the set of extraordinary circumstances which marked my life and led me at last to the threshold of your greatness.’ Then, seeing that his master listened eagerly, the good wazīr told the following tale:
