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out and walked the streets awhile, but only redoubled in dejection and heaviness of heart. Presently, he came to a wine-shop and said to himself, ‘I will go in and drink wine.’ So he went in and seeing seven rows of people in the shop, said to the tavern-keeper, ‘Harkye, taverner! I will not sit but by myself.’ Accordingly, the vintner seated him in a chamber by himself and set wine before him, of which he drank till he lost his senses. Then he sallied forth again and walked till he came to the street called Red, whilst the people left the road clear before him, out of fear of him.
Presently, he turned and saw a water-carrier going along, with his skin and mug, crying out and saying, ‘O exchange! There is no drink but from raisins, there is no love-delight but of the beloved and none sitteth in the place of honour save the man of sense!’[1] So he said to him, ‘Here, give me to drink!’ The water-carrier looked at him and gave him the mug. He took it and looking into it, shook it up and poured it out on the ground. ‘Why dost thou not drink?’ asked the water-carrier; and he answered, saying, ‘Give me to drink.’ So the man filled the cup a second time and he took it and shook it and emptied it on the ground; and thus he did a third time. Quoth the water-carrier, ‘If thou wilt not drink, begone.’ And Ali said, ‘Give me to drink.’ So he filled the cup a fourth time and gave it him; and he drank and gave the man a dinar. The water-carrier looked at him with disdain and said, ‘Good luck to thee! Good luck to thee! Little folk are one thing and great folk another!’ Night dccix.When Ali heard this, he caught hold of the man’s gown and drawing on him a poignard of price, such an one as that whereof the poet speaks when he says,
- ↑ Nonsense-words, strung together for the sake of the jangle of rhyme, between the words sebib (raisins), hebib (beloved) and lebib (man of sense). The water-carrier was apparently selling nebis or raisin-wine, as a flavouring for his water.
