As for the Khalif, he swooned away for laughing and said, “O Aboulhusn, thou wilt never cease to be a wag and do rarities and oddities!” Quoth he, “O Commander of the Faithful, I played off this trick, for that the money was exhausted, which thou gavest me, and I was ashamed to ask of thee again.  When I was single, I could never keep money; but since thou marriedst me to this damsel here, if I possessed thy wealth, I should make an end of it.  So, when all that was in my hand was spent, I wrought this trick, so I might get of thee the hundred dinars and the piece of silk; and all this is an alms from our lord.  But now make haste to give me the thousand dinars and quit thee of thine oath.”

The Khalif and the Lady Zubeideh laughed and returned to the palace; and he gave Aboulhusn the thousand dinars, saying, “Take them as a thank-offering for thy preservation from death,” whilst the princess did the like with Nuzhet el Fuad.  Moreover, the Khalif increased Aboulhusn in his stipends and allowances, and he [and his wife] ceased not [to live] in joy and contentment, till there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and Sunderer of Companies, he who layeth waste the palaces and peopleth the tombs.

             TheKhalif Omar ben Abdulaziz and the
                         poets.[FN#41]

It is said that, when the Khalifate devolved on Omar ben Abdulaziz[FN#42] (of whom God accept), the poets [of the time] resorted to him, as they had been used to resort to the Khalifs before him, and abode at his door days and days, but he gave them not leave to enter, till there came to Omar Adi ben Artah,[FN#43] who stood high in esteem with him.  Jerir[FN#44] accosted him and begged him to crave admission for them [to the Khalif].  “It is well,” answered Adi and going in to Omar, said to him, “The poets are at thy door and have been there days and days; yet hast thou not given them leave to enter, albeit their sayings are abiding[FN#45] and their arrows go straight to the mark.”  Quoth Omar, “What have I to do with the poets?” And Adi answered, saying, “O Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet (whom God bless and preserve) was praised [by a poet] and gave [him largesse,] and therein[FN#46] is an exemplar to every Muslim.”  Quoth Omar, “And who praised him?” “Abbas ben Mirdas[FN#47] praised him,” replied Adi, “and he clad him with a suit and said, ’O Bilal,[FN#48] cut off from me his tongue!’” “Dost thou remember what he said?” asked the Khalif; and Adi said, “Yes.”  “Then repeat it,” rejoined Omar.  So Adi recited the following verses: 

I saw thee, O thou best of all the human race, display A book
     that came to teach the Truth to those in error’s way. 
Thou madest known to us therein the road of righteousness, When
     we had wandered from the Truth, what while in gloom it lay. 
A dark affair thou littest up with Islam and with proof