Then he lighted him three candles and three lamps and spreading the drinking-cloth, brought clarified wine, limpid, old and fragrant, the scent whereof was as that of virgin musk.  He filled the first cup and saying, “O my boon-companion, by thy leave, be ceremony laid aside between us!  I am thy slave; may I not be afflicted with thy loss!” drank it off and filled a second cup, which he handed to the Khalif, with a reverence.  His fashion pleased the Khalif and the goodliness of his speech and he said in himself, “By Allah, I will assuredly requite him for this!” Then Aboulhusn filled the cup again and handed it to the Khalif, reciting the following verses: 

Had we thy coming known, we would for sacrifice Have poured thee
     out heart’s blood or blackness of the eyes;
Ay, and we would have spread our bosoms in thy way, That so thy
     feet might fare on eyelids, carpet-wise.

When the Khalif heard his verses, he took the cup from his hand and kissed it and drank it off and returned it to Aboulhusn, who made him an obeisance and filled and drank.  Then he filled again and kissing the cup thrice, recited the following verses: 

     Thy presence honoureth us and we Confess thy magnanimity;
     If thou forsake us, there is none Can stand to us instead of
        thee.

Then he gave the cup to the Khalif, saying, “Drink [and may] health and soundness [attend it]!  It doth away disease and bringeth healing and setteth the runnels of health abroach.”

They gave not over drinking and carousing till the middle of the night, when the Khalif said to his host, “O my brother, hast thou in thy heart a wish thou wouldst have accomplished or a regret thou wouldst fain do away?” “By Allah,” answered he, “there is no regret in my heart save that I am not gifted with dominion and the power of commandment and prohibition, so I might do what is in my mind!” Quoth the Khalif, “For God’s sake, O my brother, tell me what is in thy mind!” And Aboulhusn said, “I would to God I might avenge myself on my neighbours, for that in my neighbourhood is a mosque and therein four sheikhs, who take it ill, whenas there cometh a guest to me, and vex me with talk and molest me in words and threaten me that they will complain of me to the Commander of the Faithful, and indeed they oppress me sore, and I crave of God the Most High one day’s dominion, that I may beat each of them with four hundred lashes, as well as the Imam of the mosque, and parade them about the city of Baghdad and let call before them, ’This is the reward and the least of the reward of whoso exceedeth [in talk] and spiteth the folk and troubleth on them their joys.’  This is what I wish and no more.”