When Masrur heard this, he looked in through the doorway and saw a garden of the goodliest of gardens, and at its farther end a curtain of red brocade, purfled with pearls and gems, behind which sat four damsels, and amongst them a young lady over four feet and under five in height, as she were the rondure of the lune and the full moon shining boon: she had eyes Kohl'd with nature's dye and joined eyebrows, a mouth as it were Solomon's seal and lips and teeth bright with pearls and coral's light; and indeed she ravished all wits with her beauty and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace. When Masrur espied her, he entered the porch and went on entering till he came to the curtain: whereupon she raised her head and glanced at him. So he saluted her and she returned his salam with sweetest speech; and, when he considered her more straitly, his reason was dazed and his heart amazed. Then he looked at the garden and saw that it was full of jessamine and gilly flowers and violets and roses and orange blossoms and all manner sweet-scented blooms and herbs. Every tree was girt about with fruits and there coursed down water from four daďses, which faced one another and occupied the four corners of the garden. He looked at the first Líwán and found written around it with vermilion these two couplets, "Ho thou the House! Grief never home in thee; * Nor Time work treason on thine owner's head: All good betide the House which every guest * Harbours, when sore distrest for way and stead!" Then he looked at the second daďs and found written thereon in red gold these couplets, "Robe thee, O House, in richest raiment Time, * Long as the birdies on the branchlets chime! And sweetest perfumes breathe within thy walls * And lover meet beloved in bliss sublime. And dwell thy dwellers all in joy and pride * Long as the wandering stars Heaven-hill shall climb." Then he looked at the third, whereon he found written in ultramarine these two couplets, "Ever thy pomp and pride, O House! display * While starkeneth Night and shineth sheeny Day! Boon Fortune bless all entering thy walls, * And whomso dwell in thee, for ever and aye!" Then he looked at the fourth and saw painted in yellow characters this couplet, "This garden and this lake in truth * Are fair sitting-steads, by the Lord of Ruth!"