Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 3.djvu/392

362 The sable mole upon his cheek hath taken up its stead, Against the troubles of this life to ward his forehead bright. The censors, of their ignorance, bid me forget; but I From true-believer cannot turn an infidel forthright.

We were ravished by the sweet music she made and the beauty of the verses she sang and the other damsels went on to sing, one after another, till ten had done so; when the lady Dunya took the lute and playing a lively measure, sang these verses:

When she had finished, I took the lute and playing a quaint prelude, sang the following verses:

When she heard this, she rejoiced with an exceeding joy; then, dismissing her women, she brought me to a most goodly place, where they had spread us a bed of various colours. She did off her clothes and I had a lover’s privacy of her and found her an unpierced pearl and a filly no man had ridden. So I rejoiced in her and repeated the following verses:

Stay with us, Night, I prithee! I want no morning-white; The face of my beloved sufficeth me for light.