Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/288

 A guest who knocketh at thy door, hoping that thou wilt give him hospitality till the dawn;" and she answered; "Even so! I will serve him with my hearing and my sight." So she brought forward the wine and they drank together, after which she took the lute and tuning the strings, preluded in one-and-twenty modes, then returning to the first, played a lively measure and sang these couplets,

"The tongue of love from heart bespeaks my sprite, * Telling I     love thee with love infinite: I have an eye bears witness to my pain, * And fluttering heart     sore hurt by parting-plight. I cannot hide the love that harms my life; * Tears ever roll and     growth of pine I sight: I knew not what love was ere loving thee; * But Allah's destiny     to all is dight."

And when her verses were ended she said, "O Commander of the Faithful, I have been wronged!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel cried, "O Commander of the Faithful, I have been wronged!" Quoth he, "How so, and who hath wronged thee?" Quoth she "Thy son bought me awhile ago, for ten thousand dirhams, meaning to give me to thee; but thy wife, the daughter of thine uncle, sent him the said price and bade him shut me up from thee in this chamber." Whereupon said the Caliph, "Ask a boon of me," and she, "I ask thee to lie with me to-morrow night." Replied the Caliph, "Inshallah!" and leaving her, went away. Now as soon as it was morning, he repaired to his sitting-room and called for Abu Nowas, but found him not and sent his chamberlain to ask after him. The chamberlain found him in a tavern, pawned and pledged for a score of a thousand dirhams, which he had spent on a certain beardless youth, and questioned him of his case. So he told him what had betided him with the comely boy and how he had spent upon him a thousand silver pieces; whereupon quoth the chamberlain, "Show him to me; and if he be worth this, thou art excused." He answered, "Patience, and thou shalt see him presently.' As they were talking together, up came the lad, clad in a white tunic, under which was another of red and under this yet another black. Now when Abu Nowas saw him, he sighed a loud sigh and improvised these couplets,

"He showed himself in shirt of white, * With eyes and eyelids     languor-digit. Quoth I, 'Doss pass and greet me not? * Though were thy greeting     a delight? Blest He who clothed in rose thy cheeks, * Creates what wills He     by His might!' Quoth he, 'Leave prate, forsure my Lord * Of works is wondrous     infinite: My garment's like my face and luck; * All three are white on     white on white.'"