Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/164

 desire in the only way pleasing to Allah. I am my own mistress and the Kazi shall act as my guardian in consenting to the marriage contract; for it is my will that I be to thee wife and thou be to me man.' Then she sent for the Kazi and the witnesses and busied herself with making ready; and, when they came, she said to them, 'Mohammed Ali, bin Ali the Jeweller, seeketh me in wedlock and hath given me the necklace to my marriage-settlement; and I accept and consent.' So they wrote out the contract of marriage between us; and ere I went in to her the servants brought the wine-furniture and the cups passed round after the fairest fashion and the goodliest ordering; and, when the wine mounted to our heads, she ordered a damsel, a lute-player, to sing. So she took the lute and sang to a pleasing and stirring motive these couplets,

'He comes; and fawn and branch and moon delight these eyne * Fie on his heart who sleeps o' nights without repine Pair youth, for whom Heaven willed to quench in cheek one light, * And left another light on other cheek bright li'en: I fain finesse my chiders when they mention him, * As though the hearing of his name I would decline; And willing ear I lend when they of other speak; * Yet would my     soul within outflow in foods of brine: Beauty's own prophet, he is all a miracle * Of heavenly grace, and greatest shows his face for sign. To prayer Bilál-like cries that Mole upon his cheek * To ward from pearly brow all eyes of ill design: The censors of their ignorance would my love dispel * But after Faith I can't at once turn Infidel.'

We were ravished by the sweet music she made striking the strings, and the beauty of the verses she sang; and the other damsels went on to sing and to recite one after another, till ten had