Dinar

“ When I have amassed a hundred thousand dinars I will send out marriage-brokers to demand for me in marriage the hand of the Vizier's daughter, for I hear that she is perfect in beauty and of surpassing grace. I will give her a dowry of a thousand dinars, and if her father consent, 'tis well; if not, I will take her by force, in spite of him. When I return home, I will buy ten little slaves and clothes for myself such as are worn by kings and sultans and get a saddle of gold, set thick with precious jewels. ”

“ Then he turned to the two dogs and said to them, ‘Was this so, O my brothers?’ And they bent their heads and lowered their eyes.
‘Then, O Vicar of God,’ continued Abdallah, ‘I said to them, “What hath befallen you and where are your goods?” Quoth they, “We fared up the river, [14] till we came to a city called Cufa, where we sold for ten dinars the piece of stuff that had cost us half a dinar and that which cost us a dinar for twenty. So we profited greatly and bought Persian [15] stuffs at the rate of ten dinars the piece of silk worth forty in Bassora. ”

“ And he said, “With all my heart; but, O my son, with me are many damsels, some whose night is ten dinars, some forty and others more. Choose which thou wilt have.” Quoth I, “I choose her whose night is ten dinars.” And I counted out to him three hundred dinars, being the price of a month; whereupon he committed me to a page, who carried me to a bath within the house and tended me on goodly wise. When I came out of the bath, he brought me to the door of a chamber and knocked, whereupon out came a damsel, to whom said he, “Take thy guest.” ”

“ The waiters in black, with a silver number in their button-holes, hover round the tables; somewhere below a string band, which does not impede conversation, plays. My old tutor rubbed his hands gently and smiled genially round at the gorgeousness, while I told the light-bearded manager that what I required was the ordinary table-d'hôte dinner, and picked out a Château Margaux from the long lists of clarets.
This was the menu of the table-d'hôte dinner:
Hors-d'œuvre variés. ”

“ Rise now and go to the Persian bazaar and give it to the broker, to cry for sale, and sell it not for less than twenty dinars, money down.’ ‘O princess of fair ones,’ said Noureddin, ‘how can a thing, that cost twenty dirhems and will sell for as many dinars, be made in a single night?’ ‘O my lord,’ replied she, ‘thou knowest not its value ”

“ I occupied myself with my affairs till sunset, when the ass-driver came for me and I took fifty dinars in a handkerchief and rode to the house, where I found the marble floor swept, the brass burnished, the lamps filled and the candles lighted, the meats ready dished and the wines strained. When my mistress saw me, she threw her arms round my neck and exclaimed, ‘Thou hast desolated me by thine absence!’ Then they set the tables and we ate till we were satisfied, when the serving-maids took away the tray of food and set on wine. ”

“ So the merchants fell to bidding for the jewels and bid, one against the other, till the price reached four hundred dinars.
Now the owner of the bag was an old acquaintance of mine, and when he saw me, he came down to me and saluting me, said, “Why dost thou not speak and bid like the rest of the merchants?” “O my lord,” answered I, “the shifts of fortune have run against me and I have lost my wealth and have but a hundred dinars left in the world.” Quoth he, “O Omani, after this vast wealth, do but a hundred dinars remain to thee?” ”

“ Thinkest thou I covet thy money?' And she took out from the bosom of her shift ten dinars and laid them before me, saying, 'By Allah, except thou take them, I will never come back!' So I accepted them, and she said to me, 'O my beloved, expect me again in three days' time, when I will be with thee between sundown and nightfall; and do thou provide us with these dinars the like of yesterday's entertainment.' So saying, she bade me adieu and went away, taking my reason with her. At the end of the three days, she came again, dressed in gold brocade and wearing richer ornaments than before. ”

“ The merchants clamour for their coin and tell me that thou owest them sixty thousand dinars, which thou hast borrowed and given away to the poor. How wilt thou satisfy the folk, seeing that thou neither sellest nor buyest?” Said Ma’aruf, “What matters it [40] ; and what are threescore thousand dinars? When my baggage shall come, I will pay them in stuffs or in gold and silver, as they will.” Quoth Merchant Ali, “Allah is Most Great! Hast thou then any baggage?” and he said, “Plenty.” Cried the other, “Allah and the Hallows [41] requite thee thine impudence! ”

“ At noon we stopped at a handy inn or tea-house for tiffin and a long rest. I was ordinarily served at the back of the big eating-room open to the street in as dignified seclusion as my cook could achieve. Rice again, with perhaps stewed fowl or tinned beef, and a dessert of jam and biscuit, usually formed my luncheon, and dinner was like unto it, save that occasionally we succeeded in securing some onions or potatoes. ”

“ It hath been revealed to her that I am in want of money; so she hath conjured me these three dinars out of the air.’ Then said he to her, ‘O my aunt, take these three dinars that fell from thy pitcher.’ ‘Away with them from me!’ answered she. ‘I am of the folk that occupy not themselves with the things of the world. ”

“ So she gave him other thousand dinars, saying, ‘Go to the bazaar Night cccxii.and buy three hundred dinars’ worth of furniture and vessels for the house and three dinars’ worth of meat and drink, also a piece of silk, the size of a curtain, and gold and silver thread and [sewing] silk of seven colours.’ He did her bidding, and she furnished the house and they sat down to eat and drink; after which they went to bed and took their pleasure, one of the other. And they lay the night embraced and were even as saith the poet:
Cleave fast to her thou lov’st and let the envious rail amain ”

“ So he fell to turning over my wares, but took nought thereof save the amulet, which when he saw, he said, “Praised be God!” and kissed his hand. Then said he to me, “O my lord, wilt thou sell this?” And I said, “Yes,” being still angry. Quoth he, “What is its price?” And I, “How much wilt thou give?” “Twenty dinars,” answered he. I thought he was making mock of me and said, “Go thy ways.” Quoth he, “I will give thee fifty dinars for it.” I made him no answer, and he said, “A thousand dinars.” ”

“ One night, the merchant brought home great store of dinars and began to turn them over. When the mouse heard the chink of the coin, she put her head out of her hole and gazed at it, till the merchant laid it under his pillow and went to sleep, when she said to the flea, “Seest thou not the favourable opportunity and the great good fortune! Hast thou any device to bring us to our desire of yonder dinars?” “Verily,” answered the flea, “it is not good for one to strive for aught, but if he be able to compass his desire ”

“ The people of this country dine at noon, and travellers always find an ordinary prepared at every auberge, or public-house, on the road. Here they sit down promiscuously, and dine at so much a head. The usual price is thirty sols for dinner, and forty for supper, including lodging; for this moderate expence they have two courses and a dessert. If you eat in your own apartment, you pay, instead of forty sols, three, and in some places, four livres ahead. ”

“ Now when Zubaydah lifted the carpet she found beneath it the hundred dinars and she said to her husband, “Take these hundred dinars which I have found under the prayer-carpet; assuredly the Dervishes when about to leave us laid them there, without our knowledge.” So Ala al-Din took the money and, repairing to the market, bought therewith meat and rice and clarified butter and all they required. And when it was night, he lit the wax-candles and said to his wife, “The mendicants, it is true, have not brought the ten thousand dinars which they promised me; but indeed they are poor men.” ”

“ Meanwhile, I traded with the money and sold and bought and made other thousand dinars profit [on it] .
Presently, she came to me again and I said to her, “Here is thy money and I have gained [with it] other thousand dinars.” Quoth she, “Keep it by thee and take these other thousand dinars. As soon as I have departed from thee, go thou to Er Rauzeh [4] and build there a goodly pavilion, and when the building thereof is accomplished, give me to know thereof.” ”

“ So he carried her to the market and the first who saw her was a Hashimi [1] of Bassora, a man of taste and breeding and generosity, who bought her for fifteen hundred dinars. (Quoth the young man, the girl’s owner) , When I had received the price, I repented me and wept, I and the damsel ”

“ On the morrow, Shemseddin gave his son ten thousand dinars, saying, ‘O my son, when thou comest to Baghdad, if thou find stuffs brisk of sale, sell them; but if they be dull, spend of these dinars.’ Then they loaded the mules and taking leave of their friends, set out on their journey. ”

“ I replied; and we drank till the wine turned our heads and slept till the morning, when she gave me other fifteen dinars, saying, "Add something to thy usual provision on account of the young lady who will come with me." Then she went away, and on the fourth day I made ready the house as usual, and soon after sunset behold, she came, accompanied by another damsel carefully wrapped in her mantilla. They entered and sat down; and when I saw them I repeated these verses:—
How dear is our day and how lucky our lot, ✿ When the cynic's away with his tongue malign! ”

“ So she entered and he brought her an ewer, wherewith to wash, and sat down, beside himself for joy in the dinars When she had made an end of her ablutions, she came up to where he sat and prayed a two-bow prayer, after which she offered up a goodly prayer my brother, who thanked her and putting his hand to the bag of money, gave her two dinars, saying in himself, "This is an alms from me." "Glory to God!" exclaimed she. "Why dost thou look on one, who loves thee, as if she were a beggar? Put up thy money! ”

“ So I arose and took stock and found I was worth two thousand dinars increase, in excess of capital, wherefore I praised the Divine Creator and gave my brother a thousand dinars, with which he opened a shop. In this situation we remained for some time, till one day, my brothers came to me and would have me go on a voyage with them; but I refused and said to them, “What did your travels profit you, that I should look to profit by the same venture?” ”

“ I will take the hundred dinars and bring somewhat worth a couple of dirhems and laugh at him.’ ‘O my lord,’ added the Christian, ‘I want but somewhat to stay my hunger, were it but a cake of dry bread and an onion; for the best food is that which does away hunger, not rich meats ”

“ His profit (he had said) , if I would give him a first choice, would be so considerable that he would be very ready to offer me a handsome commission on the completion of the bargain; quite apart from the 1,000 dinars which were but a little present from one man to another. ‘This thousand dinars,’ I added, ‘now in my possession, I have accepted. A present is a graceful act and can be taken with a clean conscience. ”

“ Then he welcomed the Bedouin and entertained him three days as an honoured guest; and when he was minded to depart, he gave him a thousand and five hundred dinars, saying, ‘The thousand are what is commanded to thee, and the five hundred are a gift from me to thee ”

“ It is in most things just like the dining-room of some big club.
I had asked to be given the ordinary dinner; but the Rising Legislator insisted on our having either a duck or a chicken in our menu. He ordered consommé Brunoise, which, looking at the bill of fare with him, I saw would cost him 5d. a portion; whitebait; noisettes de mouton aux haricots verts, two portions of which would cost him half [Pg 186] a crown. From the price list I gathered, too, that hon. members can have a dinner, at fixed price, of two courses for 1s. ”

“ Then she gave me other fifty dinars (making in all four hundred dinars I had of her) and bade me depart. So I went out from her and came hither, that I might pray God (blessed and exalted be He!) to make her husband return to the cook-maid, so haply I might be again admitted to her favours.’ When the governor of the pilgrims heard the man’s story, he set him free and said to the bystanders, ‘God on you, pray for him, for indeed he is excusable.’
↑ Witout the town. ”

“ Hast thou a pair of scales wherein I may weigh eleven hundred dinars? I will give thee somewhat of them for thy pains." "I have a son, a money-changer, who keepeth all kinds of scales," she answered, "so come with me to him before he goeth out and he will weigh thy gold." My brother answered "Lead the way!" She led him to the house and the young lady herself came out and opened it, whereupon the old woman smiled in her face and said, "I bring thee fat meat to-day." [678] Then the damsel took my brother by the hand, and led him to the same chamber as before ”

“ Quoth he, “Weigh down the money.” So I weighed out to him fifteen thousand dinars for a month’s hire and he took them and said to the page, “Carry him to thy mistress such an one!” Accordingly he took me and carried me to an apartment, than which my eyes never saw a goodlier on the earth’s face and there I found the young lady seated. ”