（Quoth Aboulabbas el Muberred ）I set out one day with a company to El Berid on an occasionand coming to the monastery of Heracliuswe alighted in its shade.
Presently a man came out to us and said'There are madmen in the monasteryand amongst them one who speaketh wisdom；if ye saw himye would marvel at his speech.'So we arose all and went into the monasterywhere we saw a man seated on a leather mat in one of the cellswith bare head and eyes fixed upon the wall. We saluted himand he returned our greetingwithout looking at us；and one said to us'Repeat some verses to him；forwhen he hears verseshe speaks.'So I repeated the following verses：
O best of all the race whom Eve gave birth untoExcept for thee the world were neither sweet nor bright：
Thou'rt hewhose face if God unveil to any manEternity is his；his head shall ne'er grow white.
When he heard thishe turned towards us and repeated these lines：
God indeed knows that I am sore afflicted： I suffer soI cannot tell the whole.
I have two souls；one in this place is dwelling；Another country holds my second soul.
Meseems the absent one is like the present And wearies under the same weight of dole.
Quoth he'Have I said well or ill？'Thou hast said well and excellent well，'replied we. Then he put out his hand and took a stonethat was by him；whereupon we fled from himthinking he would throw it at us；but he fell to beating his breast therewith violently and said to us'Fear notbut draw near and hear somewhat from me and receive it from me.'So we came backand he repeated the following verses：
When they made their beasts of burden kneel as day drew nigh and nigherThen they mounted and the camels bore away my heart's desire，--When my eyes perceived my loved one through the crannied prison-wallThen I criedwith streaming eyelids and a heart for love a-fire，'Turn thou leader of the camelslet me bid my love farewell！'
For her absence and estrangementlife and hope in me expire.
Still I kept my troth and failed not from her love；ahwould I knew What she did with that our troth-plightif she kept her faith entire！
Then he looked at me and said'Dost thou know what she did？'
'Yes，'answered I'she is dead；may God the Most High have mercy on her！'At this his face changed and he sprang to his feet and cried out'How knowest thou she is dead？'Were she alive，'answered I'she had not left thee thus.'By Allah，thou art right，'said he'and I care not to live after her.'
Then his nerves quivered and he fell on his face；and we ran up to him and shook him and found him deadthe mercy of God be on him！ At this we marvelled and mourned sore for him and laid him out and buried him. When I returned to Baghdad and went in to the Khalif El Mutawekkilhe saw the trace of tears on my face and said to me'What is this？'So I told him what had passed，and it was grievous to him and he said'What moved thee to deal thus with him？ By Allahif I thought thou didst this with intentI would punish thee therefor！'And he mourned for him the rest of the day.
