For among their effects, they prompt men to noble traits of character . . . and a man may weep by them over his sin, and his heart be softened of its harshness, and he remembers the blessings of the Kingdom and pictures them in his inmost mind."

This power of the beautiful voice over souls the ancient Arabs knew truly and well; and so al-Mawsili would soften the temper of Musa ibn al-Hadi, who was cantanker-ous and hard to satisfy — if he was pleased he poured out his gifts, and if he was angered he banished and wounded. Al-Mawsili once sang before him verses of Ibn Sakhr al-Hudhali, full of tenderness and sweetness:

Truly, at the memory of you a trembling comes over me, as the sparrow shivers when the raindrops wet him.

He struck his hand to the breast of his robe and tore it down a cubit, then said: Well done, by

God — give me more! So he gave him more, saying:

O love of her, increase my ardor every night; O solace of dreams, your appointed time is the Resurrection.

He struck his hand to his robe and tore it down another cubit or thereabouts, and said to him: More, confound you! Well done, by God — your award is granted, O Ibrahim. So he added:

I forsook you till it was said: he knows not passion; and I visited you till it was said: he has no patience. O estrangement from Layla, you have driven me to the limit and gone beyond what estrangement ever reached. Now, by Him who makes weep and makes laugh, by Him who gives death and gives life, by Him whose command is the command: you have left me envying the wild beasts, when I see two mates among them whom no terror startles.

Musa raised his voice and said to him: Well done — God bless your father! Ask whatever you will. He said: My lord — the spring of Marwan at Medina. At that his eyes rolled in his head till they were like two great jars, and he said: You son of a vile mother! Did you mean to make a scandal of me in this gathering, so that people would say: he delighted him, and so let him name his own reward — making me an evening's tale and gossip?!

O Ibrahim al-Harrani! Take this fool by the hand when I rise, and bring him into the privy treasury; and if he takes everything in it, leave it to him... But Ibrahim was a man of modest wants, and took no more than fifty thousand dinars!!...

And Ibrahim has delightful tales with devils and jinn, and with his sweetheart Dhat al-Khal, which we put off to another issue.