第137章 ABOULHUSN AND HIS SLAVE-GIRL TAWEDDUD.(2)

A flower in a garden she isa pearl in an ouch of gold Or an image in chapel set for worship of high and low.

Slender and shapely she is；vivacity bids her ariseBut the weight of her hips says'Sitor softly and slowly go.'

Whenas her favours I seek and sue for my heart's desire'Be gracious，'her beauty says；but her coquetry answers，'No.'

Glory to Him who made beauty her portionand that Of her lover to be the prate of the censurersheigho！

Indeedshe captivated all who saw herwith the excellence of her beauty and the sweetness of her smileand transpierced them with the arrows she launched from her eyes；and withal she was eloquent of speech and excellently skilled in poetry.

When Aboulhusn had squandered all his wealth and there remained to him nought but this slave-girlwhen [I say] the wretchedness of his plight became manifest to himhe abode three days without tasting food or taking rest in sleepand Taweddud said to him'O my lordcarry me to the Khalif Haroun er Reshidfifth of the sons of Abbasand seek of him ten thousand dinars to my price. If he deem me dear at this pricesay to him'O Commander of the Faithfulmy slave is worth more than this： do but prove herand her value will be magnified in thine eyesfor she hath not her equaland it were unfit that any but thou should possess her.'And bewareO my lord，of selling me for less than the sum I have namedfor it is but little for the like of me.'（Now Aboulhusn knew not her worth nor that she had no equal in her day.）So he carried her to the Khalifto whom he repeated what she had bidden him sayand the Khalif said to her'What is thy name？'

'Taweddud，'answered she. 'O Taweddud，'asked he'in what branches of knowledge dost thou excel？'O my lord，'answered she'I am versed in syntax and poetry and jurisprudence and exegesis and lexicography and music and the knowledge of the Divine ordinances and in arithmetic and geodesy and the fables of the ancients. I know the sublime Koran [by heart] and have read it according to the seven and the ten and the fourteen[modes]. I know the number of its chapters and verses and sections and words and letters and its halves and fourths and eighths and tenthsthe number of acts of adoration，that occur in itand what there is in it of cancelling and cancelled；also what parts of it were revealed at Medina and what at Mecca and the manner of the different revelations. I know the Holy Traditionstheir history and variants and the manner of their recitation and interpretation，together with those of them whose chain of descent is unbroken and those for which it is broken；and I have studied the exact sciencesgeometry and philosophy and medicine and logic and rhetoric and composition；and I know many things and am passionately fond of poetry. I can play the lute and know its gamut and notation and so forth. If I sing and danceI ravish，and if I adorn and perfume myselfI slay. In fineI have reached a pitch of perfection such as can only be estimated by those who are stablished in knowledge.'

When the Khalif heard her wordshe wondered at them and at the eloquence of her speechseeing the tenderness of her ageand turning to Aboulhusnsaid to him'I will summon those who shall examine her in all she lays claim to；if she answer[correctly，] I will give thee the price thou askest for her and more；and if notthou art fitter to [possess] her [than I].'

'With all my heartO Commander of the Faithful，'replied Aboulhusn. So the Khalif wrote to the Viceroy of Bassorato send him Ibrahim ben Siyyar the poetwho was the first man of his day in argument and eloquence and poetry and logicand bade him bring with him readers of the Koran and doctors of the law and physicians and astrologers and sages and geometricians and philosophers；and Ibrahim was more learned than all. In a little while they all arrived at the Khalif's palaceknowing not what was to doand the latter sent for them to his sitting-chamber and bade them be seated. So they sat down and he bade fetch the damsel Taweddudwho came and unveiling，showed herselfas she were a sparkling star. The Khalif caused set her a stool of gold；and she saluted and speaking with an eloquent tonguesaid'O Commander of the Faithfulbid the learned men present contend with me in argument.'So he said to them'I desire of you that ye dispute with this damsel on the things of her faith and make void her argumentin all she avoucheth；'and they answeredsaying'We hear and obey God and theeO Commander of the Faithful.'

Thereupon Taweddud bowed her head and said'Which of you is the doctor of the lawthe scholarversed in the interpretation of the Koran and in the Traditions？'Quoth one of them'I am the man thou seekest.'Then，'said she'ask me of what thou wilt.'Quoth the doctor'Hast thou read the precious book of God and dost thou know its abrogating and abrogated parts and hast thou meditated its verses and expressions？'Yes，'answered she. 'Then，'said he'I will proceed to question thee of the obligatory ordinances and the immutable institutions： so tell me of theseO damseland who is thy Lordwho thy prophet，and who thy brethren. Alsowhat is thy [point of] fronting[in prayer]what thine exemplarwhat thy path and what thy highway？'Allah is my Lord，'replied she'and Mohammed（whom God bless and preserve）my prophet and the true-believers are my brethren. The Koran is my exemplar and the Kaabeh my [point of]fronting；the practice of good is my path and the Sunneh my highway.'（Q.）'With what do we know God the Most High？'

（A.）'With the understanding.'（Q.）'And what is the understanding？'

（A.）'It is of two kindsnatural and acquired. The first is that which God（to whom belong might and majesty）bestoweth on whom He will of His servants；and the other is that which men acquire by dint of study and fair knowledge.'（Q.）'Thou hast answered well. Where is the seat of the understanding？'（A.）'God casteth it in the heartwhence its lustre ascendeth to the brain and there becometh fixed.'（Q.）'How knowest thou the Prophet of God？'