How the wife specified to her husband the way to earn daily bread and how he accepted (her proposal).
The wife said, “A sun has shone forth, a (whole) world has received light from him—
The Vicar of the Merciful (God), the Khalífa of the Creator: through him the city of Baghdád is (gay and happy) as the season of spring.
If thou gain access to that King, thou wilt become a king: how long wilt thou go after every (kind of) misfortune?”
Companionship with the fortunate is like the Elixir: indeed, how is an Elixir like (to be compared with) their looks (of favour)?
The eye of Ahmad (Mohammed) was cast upon an Abú Bakr: he by a single act of faith became a Siddíq.
Said the husband, “How should I go to meet the King? How should I go to him without a pretext?
I must have some reference or device: is any handicraft right (possible) without tools?
As (to mention a similar case) the famous Majnún, when he heard from some one that Laylá was a little unwell,
Cried, ‘Ah, how shall I go (to her) without a pretext? And if I fail to visit her when she is ill, how (wretched) shall I be!
Would that I were a skilled physician! I would have gone on foot to Laylá first of all (before any one else).’
God said to us, ‘Say, Come ye,’ in order to signify to us the (means of) vanquishing our feeling of shame.
If bats had sight and means (ability to bear the sunshine), they would fly about and enjoy themselves by day.”
The wife said, “When the gracious King goes into the field (maydán), the essence of every lack of means (inability) becomes a means (ability),
Because the means (ability) is (involves) pretension and self-existence: the (pith of the) matter lies in lack of means (inability) and non-existence.”
“How,” said he, “should I do business without means, unless I make it manifest that I (really) have no means?
Therefore I must needs have attestation of my want of means, that he (the King) may pity me in want.
Do thou produce some attestation besides talk and show, so that the beauteous King may take pity,
For the testimony that consisted of talk and show was (ever) invalidated before that Supreme Judge.
He requires truth (veracity) as witness to his (the indigent man's) state, so that his (inner) light shall shine forth (and proclaim his indigence) without any words of his.”
