Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 2.djvu/19

 Nur al-Din Alt and the Damsel Anis al-Jalis. 3 dealer came to the house and found him taking horse and intending for the palace. So he caught hold of his stirrup saying : O thou, who givest to royal state sweet savour, o Thou'rt a Wazir shalt never fail of favour ! Dead Bounty thou hast raised to life for men ; o Ne'er fail of Allah's grace such high endeavour ! Then qiroth he, " O my lord, that surpassing object for whom the gracious mandate was issued is at last found ; l " and quoth the Wazir, " Here with her to me ! " So he went away and returned after a little, bringing a damsel in richest raiment robed, a maid spear-straight of stature and five feet tall ; budding of bosom with eyes large and black as by Kohl traced, and dewy lips sweeter than syrup or the sherbet one sips, a virginette smooth cheeked and shapely faced, whose slender waist with massive hips was engraced ; a form more pleasing than branchlet waving upon the topmost trees, and a voice softer and gentler than the morning breeze, even as saith one of those who have described her : Strange is the charm which dights her brows like Luna's disk that shine ; o O sweeter taste than sweetest Robb 2 or raisins of the vine. A throne th' Empyrean keeps for her in high and glorious state, o For wit and wisdom, wandlike form and graceful bending line : She in the Heaven of her face 3 the seven-fold stars displays, o That guard her cheeks as satellites against the spy's design : If man should cast a furtive glance or steal far look at her, o His heart is burnt by devil-bolts shot by those piercing eyne. When the Wazir saw her she made him marvel with excess of admiration, so he turned, perfectly pleased, to the broker and asked, "What is the price of this girl?"; whereto he answered, "Her market-value stands at ten thousand dinars, but her owner swears that this sum will not cover the cost of the chickens she hath eaten, the wine she hath drunken and the dresses of honour bestowed upon her instructor : for she hath learned calligraphy and syntax and etymology ; the commentaries of the Koran ; the principles of law and religion ; the canons of medicine, and the calendar and the art of playing on musical instruments." 4 Said the Wazir, " Bring me her master." So the broker brought him at once and, The sentence is euphuistic. Arab. " Rubb" = syrup a word Europeanised by the " Rob Laffecteur." The Septentriones or four oxen and their wain. peare and the musical glasses."
 * The list fatally reminds us of " astronomy and the use of the globes" ..." Shakes-