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One day, al-Rashid sent for Abu Nuwas and ordered that he be given a fur coat. They gave him one, and Abu Nuwas put it on, delighted with it, and went out for a stroll. He passed the house of one of the viziers. The vizier’s wife was at her window, and when she saw him in his new fur coat, she took a fancy to it. She told her maid, “Tell Abu Nuwas to come upstairs.” The maid went to Abu Nuwas and said, “My mistress asks you to come up.” Abu Nuwas went upstairs to the vizier’s wife and approached her. “Where did you get that fur coat?” she asked. “Al-Rashid gave it to me,” he replied. “Would you give it to me?” she asked. “I won’t give it to you unless you let me sleep with you.” “Very well, then,” she said. “Take off the coat.” He took it off and slept with her. When morning came, he went downstairs, saying to himself, “Now what shall I tell al-Rashid when he asks me, ‘Where is the fur coat I gave you?’” On reaching the stairs, Abu Nuwas turned and said to the maid, “Give me a drink of water.” They brought him some water. After drinking it, he broke the glass and sat down to weep. Just then, the vizier was coming upstairs;

he found Abu Nuwas weeping on the stairs. “What is the matter, Abu Nuwas? Why are you crying?” he asked. “I came into your house and asked for a drink of water. When I had drunk it, they took my fur coat away.” The vizier called the maid and told her, “Give him back his fur coat.” “But sir,” she said, “this man is mad!”

Abu Nuwas looked at her and said, “I spoke to him like a fool, and you’re speaking to him sensibly!” She laughed and brought him his fur coat from her mistress.