Good luck to him who in the bath doth serve him as his squire, Handling a body 'gotten sure 'twixt water and the fire! With skilful hands he showeth forth the marvels of his craft, In that he gathers very musk[FN#142] from what is like camphire. When the overseer heard that they had gone to the bath, he sat down to await them, and presently they came up to him, like two gazelles, with red cheeks and black eyes and shining faces, as they were two lustrous moons or two fruit-laden saplings. When he saw them, he rose and said to them, 'May your bath profit you ever!' Whereupon Taj el Mulouk replied, with the sweetest of speech, 'May God be bountiful to thee, O my father! Why didst thou not come with us and bathe in our company?' Then they both bent over his hands and kissing them, walked before him to the shop, to do him honour and show their respect for him, for that he was chief of the merchants and the market, as well as their sense of his kindness in giving them the shop. When he saw their hips quivering, emotion and longing redoubled on him and he could not contain himself, but puffed and snorted and devoured them with his eyes, repeating the following verses: The heart in them studies the chapter of worship unshared sheer No proofs of more gods to worship than one it readeth here. No wonder it is they tremble by reason of their weight; How much is there not of motion in that revolving sphere! And also these: Two fair ones walking on the earth mine eyes did late espy; Two that I needs must love although they walked upon mine eye. When they heard this, they begged him to enter the bath with them a second time. He could hardly believe his ears and hastening thither, went in with them. The Vizier had not yet left the bath; so when he heard of the overseer's coming, he came out and meeting him in the outer room of the bath, invited him to enter. He refused, but Taj el Mulouk took him by one hand and Aziz by the other and carried him into a cabinet, the impure old man submitting to them, whilst his emotion increased on him. Then Taj el Mulouk swore that none but he should wash him and Aziz that none but he should pour water on him. He would have refused, albeit this was what he desired; but the Vizier said to him, 'They are thy sons; let them wash thee and bathe thee.' 'God preserve them to thee!' exclaimed the overseer. 'By Allah, thy coming and theirs hath brought blessing and fortune upon our city!' and he repeated the following verses: Thou cam'st, and the mountains about us grew green And glittered, with flowers for the bridegroom beseen; Whilst earth and her creatures cried, 'Welcome to thee, Thrice welcome, that comest in glory and sheen!'