in himself and was moved to mighty joy and solace.  Then he went up to the gate and saw within a great flower-garden wherein were pages and black slaves, and such a train of servants and attendants and so forth as is found only with Kings and Sultans; and his nostrils were greeted with the savory odors of all manner meats rich and delicate, and delicious and generous wines.  So he raised his eyes heavenwards and said, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, O Creator and Provider, who providest whomso Thou wilt without count or stint!  O mine Holy One, I cry Thee pardon for all sins and turn to Thee repenting of all offenses!  O Lord, there is no gainsaying Thee in Thine ordinance and Thy dominion, neither wilt Thou be questioned of that Thou dost, for Thou indeed over all things art Almighty!  Extolled be Thy perfection:  whom Thou wilt Thou makest poor and whom Thou wilt Thou makest rich!  Whom Thou wilt Thou exaltest and whom Thou wilt Thou abasest, and there is no god but Thou!  How mighty is Thy majesty and how enduring Thy dominion and how excellent Thy government!  Verily, Thou favorest whom Thou wilt of Thy servants, whereby the owner of this place abideth in all joyance of life and delighteth himself with pleasant scents and delicious meats and exquisite wines of all kinds.  For indeed Thou appointest unto Thy creatures that which Thou wilt and that which Thou hast foreordained unto them; wherefore are some weary and others are at rest, and some enjoy fair fortune and affluence whilst others suffer the extreme of travail and misery, even as I do.”  And he fell to reciting: 

How many by my labors, that evermore endure, All goods of
life enjoy and in cooly shade recline? 
Each morn that dawns I wake in travail and in woe, And
strange is my condition and my burden gars me pine: 
Many others are in luck and from miseries are free, And Fortune
never loads them with loads the like o’ mine: 
They live their happy days in all solace and delight; Eat, drink,
and dwell in honor ’mid the noble and the digne: 
All living things were made of a little drop of sperm, Thine
origin is mine and my provenance is thine;
Yet the difference and distance ’twixt the twain of us are far As
the difference of savor ’twixt vinegar and wine: 
But at Thee, O God All-wise!  I venture not to rail Whose ordinance
is just and whose justice cannot fail.

When Sindbad the Porter had made an end of reciting his verses, he bore up his burden and was about to fare on, when there came forth to him from the gate a little foot-page, fair of face and shapely of shape and dainty of dress, who caught him by the hand, saying, “Come in and speak with my lord, for he calleth for thee.”  The Porter would have excused himself to the page, but the lad would take no refusal; so he left his load with the doorkeeper in the vestibule and followed the boy into the house, which he found to be a goodly mansion, radiant and full of majesty,