ABSTRACT
IT is related, O auspicious King, that the Commander of the Faithful, alMamun, sat one day upon the throne in his palace, surrounded not only by his wazirs, amirs and nobles, but by all the poets and pleasant wits with whom he was intimate. His greatest friend among them all was Muhammad of Basrah. It was to this man that the Khalifah turned, saying: ‘O Muhammad, I wish you to tell me some tale which has never been heard here before.’ ‘That is easy, Prince of Believers,’ answered the other. ‘Would you like a story which I have heard, or a tale of things which I have myself seen?’ ‘I wish the most marvellous; it does not matter of which kind,’ said al-Mamun, and straightway Muhammad of Basrah spoke as follows:
O Commander of the Faithful, lately I have become acquainted with a rich man, a native of Yaman, who left his own country and came to live in our city of Baghdad, in order to eat the fruits of joy and calm. This Ali al-Yaman, finding the conditions of life in Baghdad very much to his taste, ended by transferring all his belongings from Yaman, including his harim of six young slaves, each more beautiful than any moon.
