They named the boy
Bedreddin Hassan, and his grandfather, the Vizier of Bassora
rejoiced in him and gave feasts and public entertainments, as for
the birth of a king's son. Then he took Noureddin and went up
with him to the Sultan. When Noureddin came in presence of the
King, he kissed the ground before him and repeated the following
verses, for he was facile of speech, firm of soul and abounding
in good parts and natural gifts:
May all delights of life attend thee, O my lord, And mayst thou
live as long as night and morning be!
Lo! when meets tongues recall thy magnanimity, The age doth leap
for Joy and Time claps hands for glee.
The Sultan rose to receive them and after thanking Noureddin for
his compliment, asked the Vizier who he was. The Vizier replied,
"This is my brother's son." And the Sultan said, "How comes it
that we have never heard of him?" "O my lord the Sultan,"
answered the Vizier, know that my brother was Vizier in Egypt and
died, leaving two sons, whereof the elder became Vizier in his
father's stead and the younger, whom thou seest, came to me. I
had sworn that I would give my daughter in marriage to none but
him; so when he came, I married him to her. Now he is young and I
am old; my hearing grows dull and my judgment fails; wherefore I
pray our lord the Sultan to make him Vizier in my room, for he is
my brother's son and the husband of my daughter, and he is apt
for the Vizierate, being a man of sense and judgment.
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