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King to-day, for she is newly off a journey; the change of air
has affected her and the journey has fretted her. But let her
abide in thy palace ten days, that she may recover her good
looks. Then send her to the bath and dress her in the richest of
clothes and go up with her to the Sultan, and this will be more
to thy profit. The Vizier considered the man s advice and
approved it; so he took her to his palace, where he appointed her
a separate lodging and a daily allowance of meat and drink and so
forth, and she abode thus awhile.
Now the Vizier Fezl had a son like the rising full moon, with
shining visage, red cheeks covered with a tender down and a mole
like a grain of ambergris; as says of him the poet and therein
errs not:
A moon,[FN107] whose glances slay the folk, on whom he turns his
eye; A branch, whose graces break all hearts, as he goes
stately by
Slack as the night his browlocks are, his face the hue of gold;
Fair is his person, and his shape the spear-shaft doth
outvie.
Ah me, how hard his heart, how soft and slender is his waist! Why
is the softness not transferred from this to that, ah why?
Were but the softness of his sides made over to his heart, He d
ne er to lovers be unjust nor leave them thus to sigh.
O thou that blam st my love of thee, excuse me rather thou, Nor
chide me, if my body pine for languor like to die.
The fault, indeed, lies not with me, but with my heart and eye;
So chide me not, but let me be in this my misery.
Now he knew not the affair of the damsel, and his father had
lessoned her, saying, Know, O my daughter, that I have bought
thee for the bed of the King Mohammed ben Suleiman ez Zeini, and
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I have a son who leaves no girl in the quarter but he has to do
with her; so be on thy guard against him and beware of letting
him see thy face or hear thy voice. I hear and obey, replied
she; and the Vizier left her and went away. Some days after this
it chanced, as Fate would have it, that the damsel went to the
bath in the house, where some of the serving-women washed her,
after which she arrayed herself in rich apparel, and her beauty
and grace redoubled. Then she went in to the Vizier s wife and
kissed her hand; and the lady said to her, May it profit thee, O
Enis el Jelis! How didst thou find the bath? O my lady,
answered she, I lacked but thy presence there. Thereupon said
the mistress to her waiting-women, Come with me to the bath, for
it is some days since I went thither. We hear and obey,
answered they; and rose and accompanied her to the bath, after
Enis el Jelis had retired to her own chamber and the lady had set
two little slave-girls to keep the door, charging them to let
none go in to the damsel. Presently, as Enis el Jelis sat resting
after the bath, in came the Vizier s son, whose name was
Noureddin Ali, and asked after his mother and her women, to which
the two little slaves replied that they had gone to the bath. The
damsel heard Noureddin s voice and said to herself, I wonder
what like is this youth, of whom his father says that there is
not a girl in the quarter but he has had to do with her. By
Allah, I long to see him! So she rose, fresh as she was from the
bath, and going to the door, looked at Noureddin and saw that he
was like the moon at its full. The sight cost her a thousand
sighs, and Noureddin, chancing to look that way, caught a glance
of her that caused him also a thousand regrets, and each fell
into the snare of the other s love. Then he went up to the two
little slaves and cried out at them, whereupon they fled before
him and stood afar off to see what he would do. And behold, he
went up to the door of the damsel s chamber and entering, said to
her, Art thou she whom my father bought for me? Yes, answered
she: whereupon Noureddin, who was heated with wine, went up to
her and embraced her, whilst she wreathed her arms about his neck
and met him with kisses and sighs and amorous gestures. Then he
sucked her tongue and she his, and he did away her maidenhead.
When the two little slaves saw their young master go in to the
damsel, they cried out and shrieked. So, as soon as he had done
his desire, he rose and fled, fearing the issue of his conduct.
When the Vizier s wife heard the slaves cries, she sprang up and
came out of the bath, with the sweat dripping from her, saying,
What is this clamour in the house? Then she came up to the two
little slaves, and said to them, Out on you! what is the
matter? Our lord Noureddin came in and beat us, answered they:
so we fled and he went in to the damsel and embraced her, and we
know not what he did after this: but when we cried out to thee,
he fled. Thereupon, the mistress went in to Enis el Jelis and
enquired what had happened. O my lady, answered she, as I was
sitting here, there came in a handsome young man, who said to me,
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Art thou she whom my father bought for me? I answered, Yes;
(for by Allah, O my lady, I believed that he spoke the truth!)
and with this he came up to me and embraced me. Did he nought
else with thee? asked the lady. Yes, replied Enis el Jelis:
he took of me three kisses. He did not leave thee without
deflowering thee! cried the Vizier s wife, and fell to weeping
and buffeting her face, she and her women, fearing that
Noureddin s father would kill him. Whilst they were thus, in came
the Vizier and asked what was the matter, and his wife said to
him, Swear that thou wilt hearken to what I say. It is well,
replied he. So she told him what his son had done, and he was
greatly afflicted and tore his clothes and buffeted his face and
plucked out his beard. Do not kill thyself, said his wife: I
will give thee the ten thousand dinars, her price, of my own
money. But he raised his head and said to her, Out on thee! I
have no need of her price, but I fear to lose both life and
goods. How so? asked his wife, and he said, Dost thou not
know that yonder is our enemy Muin ben Sawa, who, when he hears
of this affair, will go up to the Sultan and say to him, Thy
Vizier, who thou wilt have it loves thee, had of thee ten
thousand dinars and bought therewith a slave-girl, whose like was
never seen; but when he saw her, she pleased him and he said to
his son, Take her: thou art worthier of her than the Sultan. So
he took her and did away her maidenhead, and she is now with
him. The King will say, Thou liest! To which Muin will reply,
With thy leave, I will fall on him at unawares and bring her to
thee. The King will order him to do this, and he will come down
upon the house and take the damsel and bring her before the King,
who will question her and she will not be able to deny what has
passed. Then Muin will say, O my lord, thou knowest that I give
thee true counsel, but I am not in favour with thee. Thereupon
the Sultan will make an example of me, and I shall be a
gazing-stock to all the people and my life will be lost. Quoth
his wife, Tell none of this thing, which has happened privily,
but commit thy case to God and trust in Him to deliver thee from
this strait. With this the Vizier s heart was set at rest, and
his wrath and chagrin subsided.
Meanwhile, Noureddin, fearing the issue of the affair, spent the
whole day in the gardens and came back by night to his mother s
apartment, where he slept and rising before day, returned to the
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