' At this, Noureddin bowed his head and
exclaimed, 'There is no power and no virtue but in God!' When the
man who had followed him secretly to spy on him heard what the
steward said, he returned to his companions and said to them,
'Look what ye do; for Noureddin Ali is bankrupt.' When Noureddin
returned, they read trouble in his face; so one of them rose and
said to him, 'O my lord, maybe thou wilt give me leave to
retire?' 'Why wilt thou go away to-day?' said he. 'My wife is
brought to bed,' replied the other; 'and I cannot be absent from
her; I wish to return and see how she does.' So Noureddin gave
him leave, whereupon another rose and said, 'O my lord, I wish to
go to my brother, for he circumcises his son to-day.' And each
made some excuse to retire, till they were all gone and Noureddin
remained alone. Then he called his slave-girl and said to her, 'O
Enis el Jelis, hast thou seen what has befallen me?' And he
related to her what the steward had told him. 'O my lord,'
replied she, 'some nights ago I had it in my mind to speak with
thee of this matter; but I heard thee reciting the following
verses:
If fortune be lavish to thee, look thou be lavish with it Unto
all classes of men, ere it escapes from thy hand!
Munificence will not undo it, whilst it is constant to thee, Nor,
when it turneth away, will avarice force it to stand.
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