At this he raised his head to me and I hastened to add these
verses:
Indeed, I've offended full sore, But thou art disposed to
forgive.
'Twere justice to punish my crime And grace to allow me to live.
Then he bowed his head and repeated the following verses:
Whenas a friend against me doth grievously offend And maketh me
with anger to choke, yet in the end,
I pardon his offending and take him back again Into my favour,
fearing to live without a friend.
When I heard this, I scented the odour of mercy, knowing his
disposition to clemency. Then he turned to his son El Abbas and
his brother Abou Ishac and other his chief officers there
present and said to them, "What deem ye of his case!" They all
counselled him to slay me, but differed as to the manner of my
death. Then said he to Ahmed ibn Ali Khalid,[FN#134] "And what
sayst thou, O Ahmed?" "O Commander of the Faithful," answered
he, "if thou put him to death, we find thy like who hath slain
the like of him; but, if thou pardon him, we find not the like of
thee that hath pardoned the like of him." At this Mamoun bowed
his head and repeated the following verse:
The people of my tribe, they have my brother slain; But, an I
shoot, my shaft reverts to me again.
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