out the remains of some milk, and gave him to drink; after which he brought some wine in a bottle, and poured him out a glass. And when el-Máhdy had drank it, he said, "O brother of the Arabs! dost thou know who I am?"

"I am one of the personal attendants of the Commander of the Faithful," said el-Máhdy.

"May Allâh prosper thee in thy situation!" returned the Arab. Then he poured out a second glass; and when el-Máhdy had drank it, he cried, “O Arab! dost thou know who I am?"

He answered, "Thou hast stated that thou art one of the personal attendants of the Commander of the Faithful."

"No," said el-Máhdy; "but I am one of the chief officers of the Commander of the Faithful."

"May thy country be enlarged, and thy wishes fulfilled!" exclaimed the Arab. Then he poured out a third glass for him; and when el-Máhdy had drained it, he said, "O Arab! dost thou know who I am?"

The man replied, "Thou hast made me believe thou art one of the chief officers of the Commander of the Faithful."

"Not so," said el-Máhdy; “but I am the Commander of the Faithful himself."

Then the Arab took the bottle and put it away, and said, "By Allâh! wert thou to drink the fourth, thou wouldst declare thyself to be the Messenger of Allâh!"

Then el-Máhdy laughed until he lost his senses. And lo! the horsemen surrounded them, and the princes and nobles dismounted before him, and the heart of the Arab stood still. But el-Máhdy said to him, "Fear not: thou hast done no wrong." And he ordered a robe and a sum of money to be given to him.

EL

"A WONDERFUL TALE."

L-MUBÁRRAD* relates: As I was journeying from el-Básrah to Baghdâd, I passed by a lunatic asylum, and in it I beheld a madman than whom I never saw a more elegant or better dressed One of his hands was laid upon his breast;

man.

and as I drew near he recited, saying:

Allâh knows that I am sad;

It is impossible to reveal my pain.
Two souls are mine. One country
Holds the one, another land the other.

If I contemplate the Resurrection, even Patience' self
Against its sternness nought avails.†

And what my soul here present feels,

That feels my soaring soul in upward flight.

* It is an anachronism to introduce the following tale in this place. El-Mubárrad was not born till more than forty years after the death of el-Máhdy.

Abu-'l-'Abbâs Muhammad, generally known by the name of el-Mubárrad, was a native of el-Básrah, but resided at Baghdâd. He was an eminent author, philologer, and grammarian. He was born A.H. 210 (A.D. 826); or, as some say, A.H. 207, and died at Baghdâd A.H. 285 or 286 (A.D. 900).

+ Meaning that he was predestinated to his lot, and that nothing could change it.

So I said, "By Allâh! thou deservest praise. Allâh has richly endowed thee, O madman !”

Upon this, he seized hold of something to throw at me; so I placed myself at a distance from him. Then he exclaimed, "I recited to thee what thou dost like and approve, and thou sayest to me, 'O madman !' and dost league thyself with Fate against me!"

"I have done wrong," I said. To which he replied, "Thou art forgiven, having confessed thy fault ;" and presently added, "Shall I recite to thee another poem?" I said, "Yes." So he began, saying:

What slays more than separation from the beloved?
And what more fills the lover's heart with woe?

I myself brought to myself this pain,

Which has surely o'ercome both heart and brain.*
Alas! that I pass the night a captive

Between two rivals-grief and wakefulness."

Then I said to him, "Thou hast done excellently,

by Allâh! let us hear more."

So he continued:

Did they search me, burnt would they find my heart;
Or unclothe me, consumed would be seen my flesh.

What is in me has weakened me and increased my grief,
But to no one will I my misery unfold.

* Literally, liver. Arab poets suppose the liver to be the seat of love, and the heart to be that of reason. In European poetry, love resides in the heart, and reason in the head.

I said, "By Allâh! it is admirable. Let us hear more of it." To which he replied, "O young man! I perceive that each time I have recited verses, thou hast said, 'Let us hear more of it;' and this can only be because thou hast parted from a lover or a devoted friend." Then he added, "I believe in my heart that thou art Abu-'l-'Abbâs, el-Mubárrad. By Allâh! thou art he!"

I said, "I am he. But where hast thou known me?"

"Can the moon be hidden?" he asked; and then said, "O Abu-'l-'Abbâs! recite to me some of thy poetry, that my soul may be lifted out of its misery."

So I recited to him, saying:

I wept till the dew fell from Heaven for pity of me,
And my eyes wept for grief as the travellers departed.
O halting-place of the tribe! where has the tribe halted?
Whither the camels are driven, thither is driven my soul.
Rise, O Dawn! may Allâh water thee with dew,
And cause to descend upon thee heavy showers,

And for their sakes refresh thee! May the home be united !
May the re-union be complete and the cord rejoined !
Long lasted the pleasure, and her lover was near her
When times were propitious and busybodies asleep.
But times have changed from what I knew them,
For Time is a ruler, he has the power of change over men.