第91章 STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK(13)

In my younger days I lived at Damascuswhere I studied my art；and one dayas I sat in my housethere came to me a servant with a summons from the governor of the city. So I followed him to the house and entering the saloonsawlying on a couch of juniper-woodset with plates of goldthat stood at the upper enda sick youthnever was seen a handsomer. I sat down at his head and offered up a prayer for his recovery. He made a sign to me with his eyes and I said to him'O my lordgive me thy hand.'So he put forth his left handat which I wondered and said to myself'By Allahit is strange that so handsome a young man of high family should lack good breeding！This can be nothing but conceit.'HoweverI felt his pulse and wrote him a preion and continued to visit him for ten daysat the end of which time he recovered and went to the bathwhereupon the governor gave me a handsome dress of honour and appointed me superintendent of the hospital at Damascus. I accompanied him to the baththe whole of which they had cleared for his accommodationand the servants came in with him and took off his clothes within the bathwhen I saw that his right hand had been newly cut offand this was the cause of his illness. At this I was amazed and grieved for him： then looking at his body I saw on it the marks of beating with rodsfor which he had used ointments. I was perplexed at this and my perplexity appeared in my face. The young man looked at me and reading my thoughtsaid to me'O physician of the agemarvel not at my case. I will tell thee my storywhen we leave the bath.'Then we washed and returning to his housepartook of food and rested awhile；after which he said to me'What sayest thou to taking the air in the garden？'I will well，'answered I；so he bade the slaves carry out carpets and cushions and roast a lamb and bring us some fruit. They did as he bade themand we ate of the fruitshe using his left hand for the purpose. After awhileI said to him，'Tell me thy story.'O physician of the age，'answered he'hear what befell me. Know that I am a native of Mosul and my father was the eldest of ten brotherswho were all marriedbut none of them was blessed with children except my fatherto whom God had vouchsafed me. So I grew up among my uncleswho rejoiced in me with exceeding joytill I came to man's estate. One FridayI went to the chief mosque of Mosul with my father and my uncles，and we prayed the congregational prayersafter which all the people went outexcept my father and uncleswho sat conversing of the wonders of foreign lands and the strange things to be seen in various cities. At last they mentioned Egypt and one of my uncles said'Travellers say that there is not on the face of the earth aught fairer than Cairo and its Nile.'Quoth my father，'Who has not seen Cairo has not seen the world. Its dust is gold and its Nile a wonder；its women are houris and its houses palaces： its air is temperate and the fragrance of its breezes outvies the scent of aloes-wood： and how should it be otherwise，being themother of the world？ Bravo for him who says，'And he repeated the following verses：

Shall I from Cairo wend and leave the sweets of its delight？ What sojourn after it indeed were worth a longing thought？

How shall I leave its fertile plainswhose earth unto the scent Is very perfumefor the land contains no thing that's naught？

It is indeed for loveliness a very ParadiseWith all its goodly carpet spread and cushions richly wrought.

A town that maketh heart and eye yearn with its goodliness，Uniting all that of devout and profligate is sought，Or comrades trueby God His grace conjoined in brotherhood，Their meeting-place the groves of palms that cluster round about.

O men of Cairoif it be God's will that I departLet bonds of friendship and of love unite us still in thought！

Name not the city to the breezelest for its rival lands It steal the perfumeswherewithal its garden-ways are fraught.

'And if，'added my father'you saw its gardens in the evenings，with the tree-shadows sloping over themyou would behold a marvel and incline to them with delight.'And they fell to describing Cairo and the Nile. When I heard their accounts of Cairomy mind dwelt on it and I longed to visit it；and when they had done talkingeach went to his own dwelling. As for me，I slept not that nightfor stress of yearning after Egyptnor was meat nor drink pleasant to me. After awhilemy uncles prepared to set out for Cairoand I wept before my fathertill he made ready for me merchandise and consented to my going wish themsaying to them'Let him not enter Egyptbut leave him to sell his goods at Damascus.'Then I took leave of my father and we left Mosul and journeyed till we reached Aleppowhere we abode some days. Then we fared ontill we came to Damascus and found it a city as it were a paradiseabounding in trees and rivers and birds and fruits of all kinds. We alighted at one of the Khanswhere my uncles tarried awhileselling and buying：