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Full moons and fawns with him conclusions came to try In beauty and in grace; but ‘Soft!’ to them quoth I.
‘Forbear, gazelles; indeed, ye are no match for him; And spare your pains, O moons, ’tis vain with him to vie.
And how well saith another:
A slender one, from his brows and the night of his jetty hair, Mankind in alternate gloom and splendour of light do fare.
Blame not the mole on his cheek; is an anemone’s cup Perfect, except in its midst an eyelet of black it bear?
Night dccclxxiii.When she saw him he interposed between her and her wit; the love of him gat stark hold upon her soul and her heart was taken with passion for him; so she turned to the broker and said to him, ‘Will not yonder young merchant in the striped gown bid for me?’ ‘O lady of fair ones,’ replied the broker, ‘yonder young man is a stranger from Cairo, where his father is chief of the merchants and hath the pass over all the merchants and notables of the place. He is but lately come to our city and lodgeth with one of his father’s friends; but he hath made no bid for thee, more nor less.’
When she heard this, she drew from her finger a ruby ring of price and said to the broker, ‘Carry me to yonder youth, and if he buy me, this ring shall be thine, in requital of thy toil with me this day.’ The broker rejoiced at this and brought her up to Noureddin, and she considered him straitly and found him like the full moon, accomplished in grace and elegance and symmetry, even as saith of him one of his describers:
The waters of grace in his visage run clear And his glances cast arrows at all who draw near:
Sweet his favours, but lovers still choke, if he give Them to drink of the gall of his rigours austere.
His brow is perfection, perfection his shape, And my love is perfection, so true and sincere.
