Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 3.djvu/244

218 By the roses of his cheek, his face as fresh as myrtle wreath, His tulip lips, and those pure pearls that hold the places of his teeth; By his noble form, which rises featly turned in even swell To where upon his jutting chest two young pomegranates seem to dwell; By his supple moving hips, his taper waist, the silky skin, By all he robbed Perfection of, and holds enchained his form within; By his tongue of steadfastness, his nature true, and excellent, By the greatness of his rank, his noble birth, and high descent, Musk from my love her savour steals, who musk exhales from every limb And all the airs ambergris breathes are but the Zephyr's blow o'er him. The sun, methinks, the broad bright sun, as low before my love should quail As would my love himself transcend the paltry paring of his nail!"

So King Shahriman, having accepted the counsel of his Wazir, waited for another year and a great festival,And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shahriman having accepted the counsel of his Wazir, waited for another year and a great festival, a day of state when the audience hall was filled with his Emirs and Wazirs and Grandees of his reign and Officers of State and Captains of might and main. Thereupon he sent for his son Kamar al-Zaman who came, and kissing the ground before him three times, stood in presence of his sire with his hands behind his back the right grasping the left. Then said the King to him, "Know O my son, that I have not sent for thee on this occasion and summoned thee to appear before this assembly and all these officers of estate here awaiting our orders save and except that I may lay a commandment on thee, wherein do thou not disobey me; and my commandment is that thou marry, for I am minded to wed thee to a King's daughter and rejoice in thee ere I die." When the Prince heard this much from his royal sire, he bowed his head groundwards awhile, then raising it towards his father and being moved thereto at that time by youthful folly and boyish ignorance, replied, "But for myself I will never marry; no, not though I drink the cup of death! As for thee, thou art