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She turned her head and looking at me, made answer forthright with the following:
And surely, an ailing eye to have, for him Whom her looks invite, is a little thing, I trow.
I was astounded at the readiness of her reply and the sweetness of her speech and rejoined with this verse:
And doth then the heart of my fair indeed incline To favour him whose tears as a river flow?
She answered me, without hesitation, thus:
If thou desire us of love, betwixt us love Is a loan to be returned, I’d have thee know.
Never entered my ears sweeter than her speech nor ever saw I brighter than her face: so I changed the rhyme and measure, to try her, in my wonder at her speech, and repeated the following verse:
Will destiny e’er gladden us with union and delight And one desireful one at last with other one unite?
She smiled at this, (never saw I fairer than her mouth nor sweeter than her lips,) and answered me, without hesitation, as follows:
I prithee, what hath destiny to do betwixt us twain? Thou’rt destiny: rejoice us, then, with union and delight.
At this, I sprang up and kissing her hands, said, “I had not thought that Fortune would vouchsafe me such an opportunity. Do thou follow me, not of command or against thy will, but of thy grace and favour to me.” Then I went on and she after me.
Now I had not, at that time, a lodging I deemed fit for the like of her; Muslim ben El Welid[1] was my fast friend, and he had a handsome house. So I made for his abode and knocked at the door, whereupon he came out, and I saluted him, saying, “It is for a time like this that
- ↑ Another well-known poet of the time, Dibil’s teacher and friend.
