She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the damsel to her sister, "I have covenanted with him that I will not be united to him unlawfully; but, as he hath risked himself and incurred these perils, I will be earth for his treading and dust to his sandals!" Replied her sister, "In this intent may Allah deliver him!"; and my mistress rejoined, 'Soon shalt thou see how I will do, so I may lawfully foregather with him and there is no help but that I lavish my heart's blood to devise this.' Now as we were in talk, behold, we heard a great noise and turning, saw the Caliph making for her chamber, so engrossed was he by the thought of her; whereupon she took me, O Prince of True Believers and hid me in a souterrain[FN#362] and shut down the trap-door upon me. Then she went out to meet the Caliph, who entered and sat down, whilst she stood between his hands to serve him, and commanded to bring wine. Now the Caliph loved a damsel by name Banjah, who was the mother of Al-Mu'tazz bi 'llah[FN#363]; but they had fallen out and parted; and in the pride of her beauty and loveliness she would not make peace with him, nor would Al-Mutawakkil, for the dignity of the Caliphate and the kingship, make peace with her neither humble himself to her, albeit his heart was aflame with passion for her, but sought to solace his mind from her with her mates among the slave-girls and with going in to them in their chambers. Now he loved Shajarat al-Durr's singing: so he bade her sing, when she took the lute and tuning the strings sang these verses, 'The world-tricks I admire betwixt me and her; * How, us parted, the World would to me incline: I shunned thee till said they, 'He knows not Love;' * I sought thee till said they, 'No patience is mine!' Then, O Love of her, add to my longing each night, * And, O Solace, thy comforts for Doomsday assign! Soft as silk is her touch and her low sweet voice * Twixt o'er much and o'er little aye draweth the line: And eyne whereof Allah said 'Be ye!' and they * Became to man's wit like the working of wine.' When the Caliph heard these verses, he was pleasured with exceeding pleasure, and I also, O Commander of the Faithful, was pleasured in my hiding-place, and but for the bounty of Almighty Allah, I had cried out and we had been disgraced. Then she sang also these couplets, 'I embrace him, yet after him yearns my soul * For his love, but can aught than embrace be nigher? I kiss his lips to assuage my lowe; * But each kiss gars it glow with more flaming fire; 'Tis as though my vitals aye thirst unquencht * Till I see two souls mixt in one entire.'