truction of the
Alexandrian Library, by order of the fanatical khalif 'Umar: One day
when Amir Abdullah Tahir, governor of Khurasan under the Abbasside
khalifs, was giving audience, a person laid before him a book, as a rare
and valuable present. He asked: "What book is this?" The man replied:
"It is the story of Wamik and Asra." The Amir observed: "We are the
readers of the Kuran, and we read nothing except that sacred volume, and
the traditions of the Prophet, and such accounts as relate to him, and
we have therefore no use for books of this kind. They are besides
compositions of infidels, and the productions of worshippers of fire,
and are therefore to be rejected and contemned by us." He then ordered
the book to be thrown into the water, and issued his command that
whatever books could be found in the kingdom which were the composition
of the Persian infidels should be immediately burnt.

ANOTHER FAMOUS ARABIAN LOVER.

Scarcely less celebrated than the story of Majnun and Layla--among the
Arabs, at least--is that of the poet Jamil and the beauteous damsel
Buthayna. It is said that Jamil fell in love with her while he was yet a
boy, and on attaining manhood asked her in marriage, but her father
refused. He then composed verses in her honour and visited her secretly
at Wadi-'l Kura, a delightful valley near Medina, much celebrated by the
poets. Jamil afterwards went to Egypt, with the intention of reciting to
Abdu-'l Aziz Ibn Marwan a poem he had composed in his honour. This
governor admitted Jamil into his presence, and, after hearing his
eulogistic verses and rewarding him generously, he asked him concerning
his love for Buthayna, and was told of his ardent and painful passion.
On this Abdu-'l Aziz promised to unite Jamil to her, and bade him stay
at Misr (Cairo), where he assigned him a habitation and furnished him
with all he required. But Jamil died there shortly after, A.H. 82 (A.D.
701).

The following narrative is given in the _Kitabal-Aghani_, on the
authority of the famous poet and philologist Al-Asma'i, who flourished
in the 8th century:

A person who was present at the death of Jamil in Egypt relates that the
poet called him and said: "If I give you all I leave after me, will you
perform one thing which I shall enjoin you?" "By Allah, yes," said the
other. "When I am dead," said Jamil, "take this cloak of mine and put it
aside, but keep everything else for yourself. Then go to Buthayna's
tribe, and