Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/24

12 aloes-wood and rose-water, returned with her to Zein el Mewasif and saluted her. She returned his greeting with the sweetest of speech, and he was confounded at her beauty and improvised the following verses:

When she heard his verses, she cast at him a look, that bequeathed him a thousand regrets and his heart and soul were ravished thereby, and answered him as follows:

When he heard this, he dissembled and took patience, saying in himself, ‘There is nothing for it but patience against calamity;’ and on this wise they abode till nightfall, when she called for food and they set before her a tray, wherein were all manner meats, quails and pigeons and mutton and so forth, of which they ate till they had enough. Then she bade take away the tables and they did so and brought washing gear. So they washed their hands, after which she ordered her women to bring the