When the eighth handmaiden had ended her song, the twain marvelled at her eloquence and were like to rend that was upon them of raiment—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Seven Hundred and Fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and goodwill!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that King Yusuf and Ibrahim the Cup-companion were like to rend that was upon them of raiment and they joyed with extreme joy after hearing what Surur had sung to them. Hereupon she passed her cup to her fellow, hight Zahrat al-Hayy,[289] who took it and recited as follows,
"O cup-boy, I crave thee cup-comrade to be * And hearten my heart
of its malady;
Nor pass me the bowls for I sorely dread * when drunken all
dolours of Love- lowe to dree,
To be vilely reviled in the sittings of men, * To be frowardly
treated where zephyrs play free.
God-blest is the Lute for her melodies * Which pain me with
painfullest penalty,
With the jewels of speech whose transcendent charms * Like fires
of Jahím[290] burn the vitals of me.
By Allah, show ruth, be compassionate, * For Allah deals pardon
compassionately.
Yusuf and Ibrahim, hearing her words, were gladdened with excessive gladness and cried to the ninth handmaid, "May the lord be copious to thee like the fruitful years!" Then the Cup- companion bade gift her with one thousand gold pieces as like- wise did her lord. Hereupon she passed her cup to the tenth handmaiden known as Muhjat al-Kulúb[291] who fell to improvising these couplets,
"O Blamer, who canst not my case explain; * Cease, for who blame
friends shall of blame complain;
And whoso unknoweth the workings of Love * Mankind shall reckon
him mean and vain:
Alas for Love, O ye tribe-landers, I * Am weaned that wont
nipples of union to drain.
I have learnt the whole of Love's governance * Since my baby days
amid cradles lain.
Forbear by Allah to ask of my state * How shall morn one banned
with debtor bane?
O thou jewel of speech, O thou Yúsuf, laud * To the Lord who
robed thee with charms amain!
Deign the God of 'Arsh make thy days endure * In wealth and
honour sans pause or wane;
E'en as Ishak's son[292] every gift conjoined * Amid men,
making rulers to serve him fain."
When Muhjat al-Kulub ended her song, Yusuf gifted her with a splendid robe and a thousand gold pieces as eke did Ibrahim, and presently the courtier said to the handmaiden, "Who is Ibrahim that thou shouldst sing of him in song?" She replied, "Walláhi, O my lord, he is son of Ishak, amongst the pleasant ones sans peer and a cup-companion to the Caliphs dear and the pearl concealed and the boon friend of our lord the Commander of the Faithful Al-Maamún and his familiar who to him joy and enjoyment maketh known. Ah! happy the man who can look upon him and forgather with him and company with him before his death; and verily by Allah he is the Master of the Age and the one Wonder of the World. Moreover, by the Almighty, O my lord, wert thou to see this lute fall into his hands, thou wouldst hear it converse in every language with the tongues of birds and beasts and of the sons of Adam: and well nigh would the place dance ere he had improvised a word. And he the horizons can make to joy and lovers with overlove can destroy, nor shall any after his decease such excellence of speech employ." All this, and Muhjat al-Kulub knew not who was sitting beside them as she went on to praise Ibrahim. Hereupon he took the lute from her hand and smote it till thou hadst deemed that within the instrument lurked babes of the Jinns[293] which were crying and wailing while spake the strings, and in fine King Yusuf imagined that the palace had upflown with them between heaven and earth. And the handmaidens sang to his tunes in sore astonishment; when Ibrahim designed to talk but King Yusuf cut him short and fell to saying poetry in these couplets,
"By the rights of our lord who shows ruth in extreme, * And Giver
and Guide and boon Prophet we deem,
And by Ka'abah resplendent and all its site * And by Zemzem, Safa
and the wall Hatim,
Lo! thou'rt hight Ibrahim, and suppose I say * Thee sooth, my
wits thou must surely esteem:
And thy face shows signalled with clearest eyne * Deliv'rance
followed by Yá and Mím."[294]