"' Then he taught them what they should say to him and
how they should do with him, and withdrawing to a retired room, let
down a curtain before himself and slept.
Thus fared it with the Caliph, but as regards Abu al-Hasan, he
gave not over snoring in his sleep till the day brake clear and the
rising of the sun drew near, when a woman in waiting came up to him
and said to him, "O our lord, the morning prayer!" Hearing these
words, he laughed, and opening his eyes, turned them about the
palace and found himself in an apartment whose walls were Painted with
gold and lapis lazuli and its ceiling dotted and starred with red
gold. Around it were sleeping chambers with curtains of
gold-embroidered silk let down over their doors, and all about vessels
of gold and porcelain and crystal and furniture and carpets dispread
and lamps burning before the niche wherein men prayed, and slave girls
and eunuchs and Mamelukes and black slaves and boys and pages and
attendants.
When he saw this, he was bewildered in his wit and said: "By Allah
either I am dreaming a dream, or this is Paradise and the Abode of
Peace!" And he shut his eyes and would have slept again.
Pages:
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658