The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
fullness and the old woman questioned Hasan of them, company by
company, if his wife were among them; but, as often as she asked him of
a troop, he made answer, "She is not among these, O my lady."—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventh Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman
questioned Hasan of the girls, company after company, if haply his wife
were among them; but as often as she asked him of a troop, he made
answer, "She is not among these, O my lady!" Last of all, there came up
a damsel, attended by ten slave-girls and thirty waiting-women, all of
them high-bosomed maidens. They put off their clothes and went down
into the river, where the damsel fell to riding the high horse over her
women, throwing them down and ducking them. On this wise she continued
for a full hour, after which all came up out of the water and sat down;
and they brought her napkins[FN#131] of gold-purfled silk, with which
she dried herself. Then they brought her clothes and jewels and
ornaments of the handiwork of the Jinn, and she donned them and rose
and walked with graceful pace among the troops, she and her maidens.
When Hasan saw her, his heart was ready to fly from his breast and he
said, "Verily this girl is the likest of all folk to the bird I saw in
the basin atop of the palace of my sisters the Princesses, and she
lorded it over her lieges even as doth this one." The old woman asked,
"O Hasan, is this thy wife?"; and he answered, "No, by thy life, O my
lady; this is not my wife, nor ever in my life have I set eyes on her;
neither among all the girls I have seen in these islands is there the
like of my wife nor her match for symmetry and grace and beauty and
loveliness!" Then said Shawaki, "Describe her to me and acquaint me
with all her attributes, that I may have her in my mind; for I know
every girl in the Islands of Wak, being commander of the army of maids
and governor over them; wherefore, an thou describe her to me, I shall
know her and will contrive for thee to take her." Quoth he, "My wife
hath the fairest face and a form all grace; smooth is she of cheeks and
high of breasts with eyes of liquid light, calves and thighs plump to
sight, teeth snowy white, with dulcet speech dight; in speech soft and
bland as she were a willow-wand; her gifts are a moral and lips are red
as coral; her eyes wear natural Kohl-dye and her lower labia[FN#132] in
softness lie. On her right cheek is a mole and on her waist, under her
navel, is a sign; her face shines as the rondure of the moon in sheen,
her waist is slight, her hips a heavy weight, and the water of her
mouth the sick doth heal, as it were Kausar or Salsabil."[FN#133] Said
the old woman, "Give me an increased account of her, Allah increase
thee of passion for her!" Quoth he, "My wife hath a face the fairest
fair and oval cheeks the rarest rare; neck long and spare and eyes that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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