Naught startled us but her salám and first of words she said ✿ “May a belovèd enter in who standeth at the door!”
When the girl heard this, she looked at me askance and said, “What secret was between us could not thy breast hold for one hour, but thou must discover it to this man?” However, I swore to her that I had not told him and excused myself to her and fell to kissing her hands and tickling her breasts and biting her cheeks, till she laughed and, turning to the blind man, said to him, “Sing, O my lord!” So he took the lute and sang these two couplets:—
Ah, often have I sought the fair; how often lief and fain ✿ My palming felt the finger ends that bear the varied stain!
And tickled pouting breasts that stand firm as pomegranates twain ✿ And bit the apple of her cheek kissed o’er and o’er again.
So I said to her, “O my princess, who can have told him what we were about?” Replied she, “True,” and we moved away from him. Presently quoth he, “I must make water;” and quoth I, “O boy, take the candle and go before him.” Then he went out and tarried a long while. So we went in search of him, but could not find him; and behold, the doors were locked and the keys in the closet, and we knew not whether to heaven he had flown or into earth had sunk. Wherefore I knew that he was Iblís and that he had done me pimp’s duty, and I returned, recalling to myself the words of Abu Nowas in these couplets:—
I marvel in Iblis such pride to see ✿ Beside his low intent and villeiny: He sinned to Adam who to bow refused, ✿ Yet pimps for all of Adam’s progeny.
And they tell a tale concerning
[168]. Lane also omits this tale (iii. 252). See Night dclxxxviii., vol. vii. p. 113 et seq., for a variant of the story.
[169]. Third Abbaside, A. H. 158–169 (= 775–785), and father of Harun Al-Rashid. He is known chiefly for his eccentricities, such as cutting the throats of all his carrier-pigeons, making a man dine off marrow and sugar and having snow sent to him at Meccah, a distance of 700 miles.