Abu said,'l Abbás al-Mubarrad, "I set out one day with a company to Al-Bárid on an occasion and, coming to the monastery of Hirakl, we alighted in its shade. Presently, a man came out to us and said,

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'There are madmen in the monastery, and amongst them one who speaks wisdom; if you saw him, you would marvel at his speech.' So we arose all and went into the monastery, where we saw a man seated on a skin mat in one of the cells, with bare head and eyes intently fixed upon the wall. We saluted him, and he returned our salam, without looking at us; and one said to us, 'Repeat some verses to him; for, when he hears verse, he speaks.' So I repeated these two couplets,

O best of race to whom gave Hawwa boon of birth, Except for you the world were neither sweet nor fair! You'rt he, whose face, By God shown to man, Does ward off death, decay and hoary hair.'

When he heard from me this praise of the Apostle he turned towards us and repeated these lines,

'Well Allah knows I am sorely plagued: Nor can I show my pain to human sight. Two souls have I; one soul is here contained, While other wons in another site. Meseems the absent soul's like present soul, And that she suffers what to me is dressed,'

I Then he asked us, 'Have I said well or said ill?' And we answered, 'You have said the clean contrary of ill, well and right well.' Then he put out his hand to a stone, that was by him and took it up; whereupon thinking he would throw it at us we fled from him; but he fell to beating upon his breast therewith violent blows and said to us, 'Fear not, but draw near and hear something from me and receive it from me.' So we came back, and he repeated these couplets,

'When they made their camels yellow white kneel down at dawning grey, They mounted her on crupper and the camel went his way, My eye balls through the prison wall beheld them, and I cried With streaming eyelids and a heart that burnt in dire dismay 'O camel driver turn your beast that I farewell my love! In parting and farewelling her I see my doomed day: I'm faithful to my vows of love which I have never broke; Would Heaven I kenned what they have done with vows that vowed they!'

Then he looked at me and said, 'Say me, do you know what they did?' Answered I, 'Yes, they are dead; Almighty Allah have mercy on them!' At this his face changed and he sprang to his feet and cried out, 'How know you they be dead?;' and I replied, 'Were they alive they had not left you thus.' He said, 'By God, you are right, and I care not to live after them.' Then his side muscles quivered and he fell on his face; and we ran up to him and shook him and found him dead, the mercy of the Almighty be on him! At this we marvelled and mourned for him and, sore mourning, laid him out and buried him him."—

When it was the Four Hundred and Twelfth night

And amongst the tales they tell is one of

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