Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/190

 dame she raised her head towards me and, opening wide her eyes, recited these two couplets,

'I dyed what years have dyed, but this my staining * Lasts not, while that of days is aye remaining: Days when beclad in gear of youth I fared, * Raked fore and aft by men with joy unfeigning.'

I cried, 'By Allah, favoured art thou for an old woman! How sincere art thou in thine after-pine for forbidden pleasures and how false is thy pretence of repentance from frowardness!'" And another tale is that of THE EMIR ALI BIN TAHIR AND THE GIRL MUUNIS.

Once on a time was displayed for sale to Ali bin Mohammed bin Abdallah bin Táhir [FN#252] a slave-girl called Muunis who was superior to her fellows in beauty and breeding, and to boot an accomplished poetess; and he asked her of her name. Replied she, "Allah advance the Emir, my name is Muunis." [FN#253] Now he knew this before; so he bowed his head awhile, then raising his eyes to her, recited this verse,

"What sayest of one by a sickness caught *         For the love of thy love till he waxed distraught?"

Answered she, "Allah exalt the Emir!" and recited this verse in reply,

"If we saw a lover who pains as he ought, *         Wi' love we would grant him all favours he sought."

She pleased him: so he bought her for seventy thousand dirhams and begat on her Obayd' Allah bin Mohammed, afterwards minister of Police. [FN#254] And we are told by Abu al-Ayná [FN#255] a tale of