It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that in
Bassorah-city[FN#9] reigned a puissant Sultan, who was opulent
exceedingly and who owned all the goods of life; but he lacked a
child which might inherit his wealth and dominion. So, being
sorely sorrowful on this account, he arose and fell to doing
abundant alms-deeds to Fakirs and the common poor, to the Hallows
and other holy men and prayed their recourse to Allah Almighty,
in order that the Lord (to whom belong Might and Majesty!) might
of His grace bless him with issue. And the Compassionate accepted
his prayer for his alms to the Religious and deigned grant his
petition; and one night of the nights after he lay with the Queen
she went away from him with child. Now as soon as the Sultan
heard of the conception he rejoiced with exceeding great joyance,
and when the days of delivery drew near he gathered together all
the astrologers and sages who strike the sand-board,[FN#10]and
said to them, "'Tis our desire that ye disclose and acquaint us
anent the birth which is to be born during the present month
whether it shall be male or female, and what shall befal it from
the shifts of Time, and what shall proceed from it." Thereupon
the geomantists struck their sand-boards and the astrophils
ascertained their ascendants and they drew the horoscope of the
babe unborn, and said to the sovran, "O King of the Age and Lord
of the Time and the Tide, verily the child to which the Queen
shall presently give birth will be a boy and 't will be right for
thee to name him Zayn al-Asnam--Zayn of the Images." Then spake
the geomantists, saying, "Know then, Ho though the King, that
this little one shall approve him when grown to man's estate
valiant and intelligent; but his days shall happen upon sundry
troubles and travails, and yet if he doughtily fight against all
occurrence he shall become the most opulent of the Kings of the