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Then he came up to me and shaved part of my head; then he held

his hand and then he said, "O my lord, haste is Satan's gait

whilst patience is of Allah the Compassionate. But thou, O my

master, I ken thou knowest not my rank; for verily this hand

alighteth upon the heads of Kings and Emirs and Wazirs, and sages

and doctors learned in the law, and the poet said of one like

me:-

All crafts are like necklaces strung on a string, * But this

Barber's the union pearl of the band: High over all craftsmen he

ranketh, and why? * The heads of the Kings are under his

hand!"[FN#617]