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God watered a land and straight a tree sprang up on its root: It cast forth branches and throve and flourished with many a shoot.
The birds, when the wood was green, sang o’er it, and when it was dry, Fair women sang to it in turn, for lo, ’twas a minstrel’s lute!
So they brought a bag of red satin, with tassels of saffron-coloured silk: and she opened the bag, and took out a lute, on which were graven the following verses:
Full many a tender branch a lute for singing-girl has grown, Wherewith at banquets to her mates she makes melodious moan.
She sings; it follows on her song, as ’twere to teach her how Heart’s troubles in clear perfect speech of music to make known.
She laid her lute in her lap and letting her breasts hang over it, bent to it as bends a mother, suckling her child; then preluded in twelve different modes, till the whole assembly was agitated with delight, and sang the following verses:
Leave your estrangement, I pray, and bid your cruelty hold, For, by your life, my heart will never for you be consoled.
Have pity on one who weeps, afflicted and ever sad, A slave of passion, who burns for thee with longings untold.
The Khalif was ravished and exclaimed, ‘May God bless thee and receive him who taught thee[1] into His mercy!’ Whereupon she rose and kissed the earth before him. Then he sent for money and paid her master Aboulhusn a hundred thousand dinars to her price; after which he said to her, ‘O Taweddud, ask a boon of me.’ ‘O Commander of the Faithful,’ replied she, ‘I ask of thee that thou restore me to my lord who sold me to thee.’ ‘It is well,’ answered the Khalif and restored her to her master and gave her five thousand dinars for herself. Moreover, he appointed Aboulhusn one of his boon-companions and assigned him a monthly stipend of a thousand dinars so long as he should live, Night cccclxii.and he abode with the damsel Taweddud in all delight of life.
- ↑ Assuming him to be dead.
