Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/76

58 Presently, El Abbas, son of King El Aziz, lord of the land of Yemen and Zebidoun and Mecca (which God increase in honour and brightness and beauty!), heard of her; and he was of the great ones of Mecca and the Hejaz and was a youth without hair on his cheeks. So he presented himself one day in his father’s sitting-chamber, whereupon the folk made way for him and the king seated him on a chair of red gold, set with pearls and jewels. The prince sat, with his head bowed to the ground, and spoke not to any; whereby his father knew that his breast was straitened and bade the boon-companions and men of wit relate marvellous histories, such as beseem the assemblies of kings; nor was there one of them but spoke forth the goodliest of that which was with him; but El Abbas still abode with his head bowed down. Then the king bade his session-mates withdraw, and when the chamber was void, he looked at his son and said to him, “By Allah, thou rejoicest me with thy coming in to me and chagrinest me for that thou payest no heed to any of the session-mates nor of the boon-companions. What is the cause of this?”

“O father mine,” answered the prince, “I have heard tell that in the land of Irak is a woman of the daughters