Abou Hassan (story)

"Abou Hassan" is one of the Arabian Nights. It concerns Abú al-Hasan-al-Khalí'a (Abou Hassan), a young merchant of Baghdad who is conveyed while asleep to the palace of Haroun-al-Raschid, and on awakening is made to believe that he is in truth the Caliph. Twice this jest is played upon Abou by the facetious Haroun, who ends by making him his favourite. In English translation the tale is sometimes entitled "The Sleeper Awakened". Burton chose "The Sleeper and the Waker" for his translation.