Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 2.djvu/305

281 described to him her dwelling-place and her island, whereupon quoth Er Reshid, ‘O Tuhfet es Sedr, tell me of El Anca, daughter of Behram Gour; is she of the Jinn or of mankind or of the birds? For this long time have I desired to find one who should tell me of her.’ ‘It is well, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered Tuhfeh. ‘I asked the queen of this and she acquainted me with her case and told me who built her the palace.’ Quoth Er Reshid, ‘I conjure thee by Allah, tell it me.’ And Tuhfeh answered, ‘It is well,’ and proceeded to tell him. And indeed he was amazed at that which he heard from her and what she told him and at that which she had brought back of jewels and jacinths of various colours and precious stones of many kinds, such as amazed the beholder and confounded thought and mind. As for this, it was the means of the enrichment of the Barmecides and the Abbasides, and they abode in their delight.

Then the Khalif went forth and bade decorate the city: [so they decorated it] and the drums of glad tidings were beaten. Moreover they made banquets to the people and the tables were spread seven days. And Tuhfeh and the Commander of the Faithful ceased not to be in the most delightsome of life and the most prosperous thereof till there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and the Sunderer of Companies; and this is all that hath come down to us of their story.”