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 good will! 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 hearing the song sung by Mubdi’, the third handmaiden, both fell to the floor aswoon; and when they revived after an hour or so, Ibrahim largessed to her one thousand dinars and a robe purfled with glistening gold. Then she drained her cup and crowning it again passed it to her compeer whose name was Nasím[[281]] and who took it and set it in front of her. Then hending in hand the lute she played upon it with manifold modes and lastly spake these couplets:—
“O Blamer, blaming me for draining lonely wine, ✿ Stint carping, I this day to Holy War incline:
Oh fair reflection she within her wine-cup shows ✿ Her sight makes spirit dullest earthly flesh refine:
How mention her? By Allah ’tis forbid in writ ✿ To note the meaner charms in Eden-garth divine.”
When the fourth handmaiden had ended her verse, Ibrahim gifted her with one thousand dinars and presented a sumptuous robe to her owner, then she drank off her cup and passed it to her compeer hight Al-Badr[[282]] and she sang the following lines:—
“One robbed of heart amid song and wine ✿ And Love that smiteth with babe of eyne:
His voice to the lute shall make vitals pain ✿ And the wine shall heal all his pangs and pine:
Hast e’er seen the vile drawing near such draught ✿ Or miser close-fisted thereto incline?
The wine is set free in the two-handed jar[[283]] ✿ Like sun of summer in Aries’ sign.”
When she had finished Ibrahim bade reward her like the rest with gold and gear and she passed her cup to her compeer whose name was Radáh.[[284]] The sixth handmaiden drained it and performed in four-and-twenty modes after which she sang these couplets:—