Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/179

 she kissed ground before him and tuning the lute, sang thereto these two couplets,

"Thy breast thou baredst sending back the gift; *         Showing unlove for me withouten shift:    An thou bear spite of Past, the Past forgive, *         And for the Caliphate cast the Past adrift."

When she had made an end of her verse, Al-Amin looked at her and, seeing what was upon her skirt, could no longer control him self, And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Nineteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Al-Amin looked at the damsel and saw what was upon her skirt, he could no longer control himself, but drew near unto her and kissed her and appointed her a separate lodging in his palace. Moreover, he thanked his uncle for this and bestowed on him the government of Rayy. And a tale is told of AL-FATH BIN KHAKAN AND THE CALIPH AL-MUTAWAKKIL.

Al-Mutawakkil [FN#225] was once taking medicine, and folk sent him by way of solace all sorts of presents and rarities and things costly and precious. Amongst others, al-Fath bin Khákán [FN#226] sent him a virgin slave, high breasted, of the fairest among women of her time, and with her a vase of crystal, containing ruddy wine, and a goblet of red gold, whereon were graven in black these couplets,