Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 3.djvu/192

166 place, and all sat on a couch before one of the windows, and she bade them sing; whereupon one of them took up the lute and began caroling, Her singing charmed Ali bin Bakkar, and he said to her, "Sing me more of the like of these verses." So she struck the strings and began to chaunt these lines,

By stress of parting, O beloved one, ○ Thou mad'st these eyelids torment- race to run: Oh gladness of my sight and dear desire, ○ Goal of my wishes, my religion! Pity the youth whose eyne are drowned in tears ○ Of lover gone distraught and clean undone.

When she had finished her verses, Shams al-Nahar said to another damsel, "Let us hear something from thee!" So she played a lively measure and began these couplets:—

His looks have made me drunken, not his wine; ○ His grace of gait disgraced sleep to these eyne: Dazed me no cup, but cop with curly crop; ○ His gifts overcame me not the gifts of vine: His winding locks my patience-clue unwound: ○ His robed beauties robbed all wits of mine.

When Shams Al-Nahar heard this recital from the damsel, she sighed heavily and the song pleased her. Then she bade another damsel sing; so she took the lute and began chanting:—