And moaned from the boughs with its cooing rhyme ✿ Voice of ring-doves plaining their love and care:
The branch dresses in suit of fine sendal green ✿ And in wine-hues borrowed from bloom Gulnare.[[197]]
Maymun the Sworder drained his bowl and said to her, “Brava, O perfection of qualities!” Then he signed to her and was absent awhile, after which he returned and with him a tray of jewels worth an hundred thousand ducats, which he gave to Tohfah. Thereupon Kamariyah arose and bade her slave-girl open the closet behind the Songstress, wherein she laid all that wealth; and committed the key to her, saying, “Whatso of riches cometh to thee, lay thou in this closet that is by thy side, and after the festivities, it shall be borne to thy palace on the heads of the Jinn.” Tohfah kissed her hand and another king, by name Munír,[[198]] took the bowl and filling it, said to her, “O ferly Fair, sing to me over my bowl somewhat upon the jasmine.” She replied with, “Hearkening and obedience,” and improvised these couplets:—
’Twere as though the Jasmine (when self she enrobes ✿ On her boughs) doth display to my wondering eyne;
In sky of green beryl, which Beauty enclothes, ✿ Star-groups like studs of the silvern mine.
Munir drank off his cup and ordered her eight hundred thousand dinars, whereat Kamariyah rejoiced and rising to her feet, kissed Tohfah on her face and said to her, “Be the world never bereaved of thee, O thou who lordest it over the hearts of Jinn-kind and mankind!” Then she returned to her place and the Shaykh Iblis arose and danced, till all present were confounded; after which the Songstress said, “Verily, thou embellishest my festivities, O thou who commandest men and Jinn and rejoicest their hearts with thy loveliness and the beauty[[199]] of thy faithfulness to thy lord. All that thy hands possess shall be borne to thee in thy palace and placed at thy service; but now the dawn is nearhand; so do thou rise and rest thee according to thy custom.” Tohfah turned and found with her none of the Jinn; so she laid her head on the floor and slept till she had gotten her repose; after which she arose and betaking herself to the lakelet, made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed. Then she sat beside the water awhile and meditated the matter of her lord Al-Rashid and that which had betided him after her loss and wept with sore weeping. Presently, she heard a blowing behind her;[[200]] so she turned and behold, a Head without a body and with eyes slit endlong: it was of the bigness of an elephant’s skull and bigger and had a mouth as it were an oven and projecting canines as they were grapnels, and hair which trailed upon the ground. So Tohfah cried, “I take refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned!” and recited the Two Preventives;[[201]] what while the Head drew near her and said, “Peace be with thee, O Princess of Jinn and men and union-pearl of her age and her time! Allah continue thee on life, for all the lapsing of the days, and reunite thee with thy lord the Imam!”[[202]] She replied, “And upon thee be Peace; O thou whose like I have not seen among the Jann!” Quoth the Head, “We are a folk who may not change their favours and we are hight Ghúls: mortals summon us to their presence, but we cannot present ourselves before them without leave. As for me, I have gotten leave of the Shaykh Abu al-Tawaif to appear before thee and I desire of thy favour that thou sing me a song, so I may go to thy palace and question its Haunters[[203]] concerning the plight of thy lord after thee and return to thee; and know, O Tohfat al-Sudur, that between thee and thy lord be a distance of fifty years’ journey for the bonâ-fide traveller.” She rejoined, “Indeed, thou grievest me anent him between whom and me is fifty years’ journey;” but the Head[[204]] cried to her, “Be of good cheer and of eyes cool and clear, for the sovrans of the Jann will restore thee to him in less than the twinkling of an eye.” Quoth she, “I will sing thee an hundred songs, so thou wilt bring me news of my lord and that which betided him after me.” And quoth the Head, “Do thou favour me and sing me a song, so I may go to thy lord and fetch thee tidings of him, for that I desire, before I go, to hear thy voice, so haply my thirst[[205]] may be quenched.” So she took the lute and tuning it, sang these couplets:—
They have marched, yet no empty stead left they: ✿ They are gone, nor heart grieves me that fled be they:
My heart forebode the bereaval of friends; ✿ Allah ne’er bereave steads wherefrom sped be they!
Though they hid the stations where led were they, ✿ I’ll follow till stars fall in disarray!
Ye slumber, but wake shall ne’er fly these lids; ✿ ’Tis I bear what ye never bore—well-away!