Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/89

 greeting with civility and all honour and would have gone their several ways, but he stayed them, repeating these couplets,

"Steer ye your steps to none but me        * Who hath a mine of luxury:- Old wine that shines with brightest blee    * Made by the monk in monastery; And mutton-meat the toothsomest        * And birds of all variety. Then eat of these and drink of those        * Old wines that bring you jollity: And have each other, turn by turn,        * Shampooing this my tool you see." [FN#86]

Thereupon the youths were beguiled by his verses and consented to his wishes, --And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Three hundred and Eighty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abu Nowas beguiled the youths with his wishes, saying, "We hear and obey;" and accompanied him to his lodging, where they found all ready that he had set forth in his couplets. They sat down and ate and drank and made merry awhile, after which they appealed to Abu Nowas to decide which of them was handsometh of face and shapliest of form. So he pointed to one of them and, having kissed him twice over, recited the following verses,

"I'll ransom that beauty-spot with my soup; *         Where's it and where is a money-dole? [FN#87]    Praise Him who hairless hath made that cheek *         And bid Beauty bide in that mole, that mole!"

Then he pointed to another and, kissing his lips, repeated these couplets,

"And loveling weareth on his cheek a mole *         Like musk, which virgin camphor ne'er lets off it:    My peepers marvel such a contrast seeing; *         And cried the Mole to me, 'Now bless the Prophet.'" [FN#88]