Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/173

 and stood before him. Quoth al-Maamun, "Let us hear some pleasant and merry song." Replied Ali, "I hear and obey, O Commander of the Faithful," and said to one of his eunuchs, "Fetch the singing women." So the slave went out and presently returned, followed by ten castratos, bearing ten stools of gold, which they set down in due order; and after these came ten damsels, concubines of the master, as they were shining full moons or gardens full of bloom, clad in black brocade, with crowns of gold on their heads; and they passed along the room till they sat down on the stools, when sang they sundry songs. Al-Maamun looked at one of them; and, being captivated by her elegance and fair favour, asked her, "What is thy name, O damsel?"; and she answered, "My name is Sajáhí, [FN#215] O Commander of the Faithful," and he said, "Sing to us, O Sajahi!" So she played a lively measure and sang these couplets,

"I walk, for fear of interview, the weakling's walk *         Who sees two lion whelps the fount draw nigh:    My cloak acts sword, my heart's perplex'd with fright, *         Lest jealous hostile eyes th' approach descry:    Till sudden hapt I on a delicate maid *         Like desert-doe that fails her fawns to espy."

Quoth the Caliph, "Thou hast done well, O damsel! whose are these lines?" She answered, "Written by Amru bin Ma'di Karib al -Zubaydi, [FN#216] and the air is Ma'abid's." [FN#217] Then the Caliph and Abu Isa and Ali drank and the damsels went away and were succeeded by other ten, all clad in flowered silk of Al-Yaman, brocaded with gold, who sat down on the chairs and sang various songs. The Caliph looked at one of the concubines, who was like a wild heifer of the waste, and said to her, "What is thy name, O damsel?" She replied, "My name is Zabiyah, [FN#218] 0 Commander of the Faithful;" and he, "Sing to us Zabiyah;" so she warbled like a bird with many a trill and sang these two couplets,