Then he looked about and，seeing a tall walnut-tree，said to Ja'afar，'I will climb this tree，for its branches are near the lattices and so look in upon them.'Thereupon he mounted the tree and ceased not climbing from branch to branch，till he reached a bough which was right opposite one of the windows，and here he took seat and looked inside the palace. He saw a damsel and a youth as they were two moons （glory be to Him who created them and fashioned them！），and by them Shaykh Ibrahim seated cup in hand and saying，'O Princess of fair ones，drinking without music is nothing worth； indeed I have heard a poet say，'Round with bit and little，the bowl and cup，Take either than moon[53] in his sheen hath crowned：
Nor drink without music，for oft I've seen，The horse drink best to the whistle's sound！'
When the Caliph saw this，the vein of wrath started up between his eyes and he came down and said to the Wazir，'O Ja'afar，never beheld I yet men of piety in such case； so do thou mount this tree and look upon them，lest the blessings of the blest be lost to thee.'Ja'afar，hearing the words of the Commander of the Faithful and being confounded by them，climbed to the tree-top and looking in，saw Nur al-Din and the damsel，and Shaykh Ibrahim holding in his hand a brimming bowl.At this sight he made sure of death and，descending，stood before the Commander of the Faithful，who said to him，'O Ja'afar，praise be to Allah who hath made us of those that observe external ordinances of Holy Law and hath averted from us the sin of disguising ourselves after the manner of hypocrites！'[54]But Ja'afar could not speak a word for excess of confusion； so the Caliph looked at him and said，'I wonder how they came hither，and who admitted them into my pavilion！But aught like the beauty of this youth and this damsel my eyes never yet saw！''Thou sayest sooth，O our Lord the Sultan！'replied Ja'afar （and he hoped to propitiate the Caliph Harun al-Rashid）.Then quoth the Caliph，'O Ja'afar，let us both mount the branch opposite the window，that we may amuse ourselves with looking at them.'So the two climbed the tree and，peering in，heard Shaykh Ibrahim say，'O my lady，I have cast away all gravity mine by the drinking of wine，but 'tis not sweet save with the soft sounds of the lute-strings it combine.'
'By Allah，'replied Anis al-Jalis，'O Shaykh Ibrahim，an we had but some instrument of music our joyance were complete.' Hearing this he rose to his feet and the Caliph said to Ja'afar，'I wonder what he is about to do！'and Ja'afar answered，'I know not.' The Shaykh disappeared and presently reappeared bringing a lute； and the Caliph took not of it and knew it for that of Abu Ishak the Cup-companion.[55]'By Allah，'said the Caliph，'if this damsel sing ill I will crucify all of you； but if she sing well I will forgive them and only gibbet thee.''O Allah cause her to sing vilely！'quoth Ja'afar. Asked the Caliph，'Why so？'；and he answered，'If thou crucify us all together，we shall keep one another company.' The Caliph laughed at his speech.
Presently the damsel took the lute and，after looking at it and tuning it，she played a measure which made all hearts yearn to her； then she sang these lines，'O ye that can aid me，a wretched lover，Whom longing burns nor can rest restore me！
Though all you have done I have well deserved，I take refuge with you，so exult not o'er me：
True，I am weak and low and vile，But I'll bear your will and whatso you bore me：
My death at your hands what brings it of glory？I fear but your sin which of life forlore me！'
Quoth the Caliph，'By Allah，good！O Ja'afar，never in my life have I heard a voice so enchanting as this.' 'Then haply the Caliph's wrath hath passed away，'said Ja'afar，and he replied，'Yes，'tis gone.' Thereupon they descended from the tree，and the Caliph said to Ja'afar，'I wish to go in and sit with them and hear the damsel sing before me.''O Commander of the Faithful，'replied Ja'afar，'if thou go in to them they will be terribly troubled，and Shaykh Ibrahim will assuredly die of fright.' But the Caliph answered，'O Ja'afar，thou must teach me some device wherewith to delude them and whereby I can foregather with them without their knowing me.' So they walked towards the Tigris pondering the matter，and presently came upon a fisherman who stood fishing under the pavilion windows.Now some time before this，the Caliph （being in the pavilion） had called to Shaykh Ibrahim and asked him，'What noise is this I hear under the windows？'and he had answered，'It is voices of fisher folk catching fish：'so quoth the Caliph，'Go down and forbid them this place；'and he forbade them accordingly.However that night a fisherman named Karim，happening to pass by and seeing the garden gate open，said to himself，'This is a time of negligence；and I will take advantage of it to do a bit of fishing.' So he took his net and cast it，but he had hardly done so when behold，the Caliph come up single-handed and，standing hard by，knew him and called aloud to him，'Ho，Karim！' The fisherman，hearing himself named，turned round，and seeing the Caliph，trembled and his side-muscles quivered，as he cried，'By Allah，O Commander of the Faithful，I did it not in mockery of the mandate； but poverty and a large family drove me to what thou seest！'Quoth the Caliph，'Make a cast in my name.' At this the fisherman was glad and going to the bank threw his net，then waiting till it had spread out at full stretch and settled down，hauled it up and found in it various kinds of fish.The Caliph was pleased and said，'O Karim，doff thy habit.' So he put off a gaberdine of coarse woollen stuff patched in an hundred places whereon the lice were rampant，and a turband which had never been untwisted for three years but to which he had sown every rag he came upon.
The Caliph also pulled off his person two vests of Alexandrian and Ba'lbak silk，a loose inner robe and a long-sleeved outer coat，and said to the fisherman，'Take them and put them on，'while he assumed the foul gaberdine and filthy turband and drew a corner of the head-cloth as a mouth-veil[56] before his face.
