Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/227

199 THE KHALIF HAROUN ER RESHID AND THE ARAB GIRL.

The Khalif Haroun er Reshid was walking one day with Jaafer the Barmecide, when he espied a company of girls drawing water and went up to them, having a mind to drink. As he drew near, one of them turned to her fellows and recited the following verses:

The Khalif marvelled at her beauty and eloquence and said to her, ‘O daughter of nobles, are these verses thine own or a quotation?’ ‘They are my own,’ answered she. ‘If thou say sooth,’ rejoined the Khalif, ‘keep the sense and change the rhyme.’ So she said:

Quoth the Khalif, ‘This also is stolen.’ ‘Nay,’ replied she, ‘it is my own.’ ‘If it be indeed thine own,’ said Er Reshid, ‘change the rhyme again and keep the sense.’ So she recited the following: