Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/92

74 Then he displayed to him his bosom, saying, ‘Look at my breasts. They are goodlier than girls’ breasts and my spittle is sweeter than sugar-candy. So leave scruple and abstinence and cast off piety and devoutness and take thy delight of my possession and enjoy my beauty. Fear nothing, for thou art safe from hurt, and leave this dulness, for it is an ill habit.’ And he went on to discover to him his hidden charms, striving to turn the reins of his reason with his [graceful] bendings, whilst the dervish averted his face and said, ‘I seek refuge with God! Shame upon thee, O my son! This is a forbidden thing, and I will not do it, no, not even in sleep.’ The boy pressed upon him, but the dervish escaped from him and turning towards Mecca, addressed himself to prayer.

When Kemerezzeman saw him praying, he left him till he had prayed a two-bow prayer and saluted, when he would have accosted him again; but the dervish again repeated the intent and prayed a second two-bow prayer, and thus he did a third and a fourth and a fifth time. Quoth Kemerezzeman, ‘What prayers are these? Art thou minded to take flight upon the clouds? Thou lettest slip our delight, whilst thou passest the whole night in the prayer-niche.’ So saying, he threw himself upon the dervish and kissed him between the eyes: and he said, ‘O my son, put away from thee the devil and betake thee to the obedience of the Compassionate One.’ Quoth Kemerezzeman, ‘An thou do not with me that which I wish, I will call my father and say to him, “The dervish is minded to do lewdness with me.” Whereupon he will come in to thee and beat thee, till thy bones be broken upon thy flesh.’

All this while Abdurrehman was watching with his eyes