ne of the pious Friends of God?
But there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the
Supreme. By Allah. I did well in that I acquainted none with my sallying
forth neither related my dream unto any! [41] Indeed. I believed in
this old man and meseemed by that which appeared to me, he was none of
mankind, [42] extolled be His perfection and magnified be He who [alone]
knoweth the truth! By Allah, I will leave trusting in this old man
[neither will I comply with him] in that which he would have me do!"
Accordingly, he lay [the rest of] that night [in the mosque] and at
daybreak he arose and mounting his courser, set out on his return to
Bassora, [the seat of] his kingship, where, after a few days, he arrived
and went in that same night to his mother, who asked him if aught had
befallen him of that which the old man had promised him. He acquainted
her with that which he had seen [in his sleep] and she fell to condoling
with him and comforting him, saying, "Grieve not, O my son, for, an God
the Most High have appointed thee aught of [good] fortune, thou wilt
attain thereto without either travail or toil; but I would have thee
be understanding and discreet and leave these things which have brought
thee to poverty, O my son, and eschew singing-wenches and the commerce
of youths and women; all this is for the baser sort, not for kings' sons
like thee." And he swore to her that he would never more gainsay her
commandment, but would observe all that she should say to him and
would turn his mind to the governance and the kingship and leave that
wherefrom she forbade him. Then he slept that night and what while he
was on sleep, the old man appeared to him and said to him, "O Zein ul
Asnam, O valiant one, whenas thou arisest from thy sleep this day, I
will accomplish my promise to thee; wherefore take thou a pickaxe and
go to the palace of thy father Such-an-one [43] in such a place and dig
there in the earth and thou wilt find that which shall enrich thee."

When Zein ul Asnam awoke from his sleep, he hastened to his mother,
rejoicing, and acquainted her with his dream; whereupon she fell again
to laughing at him and said to him, "O my son, indeed this old man
laugheth at thee, nought else; wherefore do thou turn thy thought from
him." But he said to her, "Nay, mother mine, indeed he is soothfast and
lieth not; for that, in the first of his dealing, he tried me and
now his intent is to accomplish unto me his promise."