She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that three girls met him bearing three skins of water; so he begged drink of them, and they gave him to drink. Then he sought of his men somewhat to give the damsels but they had no money; so he presented to each girl ten golden-piled arrows from his quiver. Whereupon quoth one of them to her friend, “Well-a-day! These fashions pertain to none but Ma’an bin Zaidah! so let each one of us say somewhat of verse in his praise.” Then quoth the first:—
He heads his arrows with piles of gold, ✿ And while shooting his foes is his bounty doled:
Affording the wounded a means of cure, ✿ And a sheet for the bider beneath the mould!
And quoth the second:—
A warrior showing such open hand, ✿ His boons all friends and all foes enfold:
The piles of his arrows of or are made, ✿ So that battle his bounty may not withhold!
And quoth the third:—
From that liberal hand on his foes he rains ✿ Shafts aureate-headed and manifold:
Wherewith the hurt shall chirurgeon pay, ✿ And for slain the shrouds round their corpses roll’d.[[135]]
And there is also told a tale of