thou sing, when thou hast had enough of her singing?”; and he answered “Yes.” So she sang and he said, “Nay, thou hast shown no art.” Whereupon she flung the lute from her hand in wrath and cried, “We have done our best: if thou have aught, favour us with it by way of an alms.” Quoth he, “Bring me a lute hand hath not touched.” So I bade the servant bring him a new lute and he tuned it and preluding in a mode I knew not began to sing, improvising these couplets, “Clove through the shades and came to me in night so dark and sore * The lover weeting of herself ’twas trysting-tide once more: Naught startled us but her salaam and first of words she said * ‘May a beloved enter in who standeth at the door!’” When the girl heard this, she looked at me askance and said, “What secret was between us could not thy breast hold for one hour, but thou must discover it to this man?” However, I swore to her that I had not told him and excused myself to her and fell to kissing her hands and tickling her breasts and biting her cheeks, till she laughed and, turning to the blind man, said to him, “Sing, O my lord!” So he took the lute and sang these two couplets:— Ah, often have I sought the fair; how often lief and fain * My palming felt the finger ends that bear the varied stain! And tickled pouting breasts that stand firm as pomegranates twain * And bit the apple of her cheek kissed o’er and o’er again. So I said to her, “O my princess, who can have told him what we were about?” Replied she, “True,” and we moved away from him. Presently quoth he, “I must make water;” and quoth I, “O boy, take the candle and go before him.” Then he went out and tarried a long while. So we went in search of him, but could not find him; and behold, the doors were locked and the keys in the closet, and we knew not whether to heaven he had flown or into earth had sunk. Wherefore I knew that he was Iblis and that he had done me pimp’s duty, and I returned, recalling to myself the words of Abu Nowas in these couplets, “I marvel in Iblis such pride to see * Beside his low intent and villainy: He sinned to Adam who to bow refused, * Yet pimps for all of Adam’s progeny,” And they tell a tale concerning THE LOVERS OF AL-MEDINAH.