Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 3.djvu/117

99 his favourites before him, he bade them be seated in their places and made Shemsennehar sit by his side. (Now her patience was exhausted and her disorder redoubled upon her.) Then he bade one of the damsels sing: so she took a lute and tuning it, preluded and sang the following verses:

When Shemsennehar heard these verses, she could not keep her seat, but fell down in a swoon, whereupon the Khalif threw the cup from his hand and drew her to him, crying out. The damsels clamoured and he turned her over and shook her, and behold, she was dead. The Khalif grieved sore for her death and bade break all the vessels and lutes and other instruments of mirth and music in the place; then carrying her body to his closet, he abode with her the rest of the night. When the day broke, he laid her out and commanded to wash her and shroud her and bury her. And he mourned very sore for her and questioned not of her case nor what ailed her. And I beg thee in God’s name,’ continued the damsel, ‘to let me know the day of the coming of Ali ben Bekkar’s funeral train, that I may be present at his burial.’ Quoth I, ‘For myself, thou canst find me where thou wilt; but thou, who can come at thee where thou art?’ ‘On the day of Shemsennehar’s death,’ answered she, ‘the Commander of the Faithful freed all her women, myself among the rest; and we are now abiding at the tomb in such a place.’ So I accompanied her to the burial-ground and visited