Suffices thee not ever weeping eye, ✿ And vitals on fire when thy name they say?
He must smile and laugh and in pride must cry ✿ “The promise of Night is effaced by Day.”
Last came Abu Nowas and recited the following couplets:—
As love waxt longer less met we tway ✿ And fell out, but ended the useless fray;
One night in the palace I found her fou’; ✿ Yet of modesty still there was some display:
The veil from her shoulders had slipt; and showed ✿ Her loosened trousers Love’s seat and stay:
And rattled the breezes her huge hind cheeks ✿ And the branch where two little pomegranates lay:
Quoth I, “Give me tryst;” whereto quoth she ✿ “To-morrow the fane shall wear best array:”
Next day I asked her, “Thy word?” Said she ✿ “The promise of Night is effaced by Day.”
The Caliph bade give a myriad of money each to Al-Rakashi and Abu Mus’ab, but bade strike off the head of Abu Nowas, saying, “Thou wast with us yesternight in the palace.” Said he, “By Allah, I slept not but in my own house! I was directed to what I said by thine own words as to the subject of the verse; and indeed quoth Almighty Allah (and He is the truest of all speakers):—As for poets (devils pursue them!) dost thou not see that they rove as bereft of their senses through every valley and that they say that which they do not?”[[110]] So the Caliph forgave him and gave him two myriads of money. And another tale is that of