EL MAMOUN AND ZUBEIDEH.[1]
It is said that El Mamoun[2] came one day upon Zubeideh, mother of El Amin,[3] and saw her moving her lips and muttering somewhat he understood not; so he said to her, “O mother mine, dost thou imprecate [curses] upon me, for that I slew thy son and despoiled him of his kingdom?” “Not so, by Allah, O Commander of the Faithful!” answered she, and he said, “What then saidst thou?” Quoth she, “Let the Commander of the Faithful excuse me.” But he was instant with her, saying, “Needs must thou tell it.” And she replied, “I said, ‘God confound importunity!’” “How so?” asked the Khalif, and she said, “I played one day at chess with the Commander of the Faithful [Haroun er Reshid] and he imposed on me the condition of commandment and
- ↑ Breslau Text, vol. vii. pp. 261–2, Night dlxviii.
- ↑ Seventh Khalif of the house of Abbas, A.D. 813–33.
- ↑ Sixth Khalif of the house of Abbas, A.D. 809–13, a sanguinary and incapable prince, whose contemplated treachery against his brother El Mamoun, (whom, by the advice of his vizier, the worthless intriguer Fezl ben Rebya, the same who was one of the prime movers in the ruin of the illustrious Barmecide family and who succeeded Yehya and his sons in the vizierate (see my Essay), he contemplated depriving of his right of succession and murdering,) was deservedly requited with the loss of his own kingdom and life. He was, by the way, put to death by El Mamoun’s general, in contravention of the express orders of that generous and humane prince, who wished his brother to be sent prisoner to him, on the capture of Baghdad.
