And the captain of the guard, having seized him to kill him, said, "But perhaps he may belong to the noblest among the Arabs."
Then said the third young man,
My sire rushed boldly into the ranks,
And corrected with his sword until all was in order
His feet are never parted from his stirrups,
E'en when in raging fight the horsemen flee.
Then the captain of the guard, who had laid hold of him to kill him, said, "But maybe he is of the Arab heroes." And early next morning he reported their affair to el-Hajjâj, who ordered them to be brought before him. And he discovered their condition, and lo! the first was the son of a barber,[1]and the second was a son of a bean-seller,[2] and the third was the son of a weaver.[3] And el-Hajjâj was astonished at their quickness, and said to those seated
- ↑ Even to the present day, barbers in the East practise phlebotomy by cupping, bleeding, leeching, and teeth-drawing, as did English barbers until recent years.
- ↑ The bean-seller cooks his beans over an open fire in his shop. And these beans being a favourite article of food among the lower orders, he rarely wants for customers, some of whom sit round his fire and eat their beans on the spot, while others carry their purchase away with them.
- ↑ Any one who has seen a handloom will at once recognize the applicability of the weaver's son's enigma.
