Bow down all beings between her hands * As she showeth charms with her veil undight
And she flooded cities¹ with torrent tears * When she flasheth her look of leven-light.
The Jinni seated her under the tree by his side and gazing at her said, "O choicest love of this heart of mine! O dame of noblest line, whom I snatched away on thy bride-night that none might prevent me taking thy first love, and whom none save myself hath loved or hath enjoyed: O my sweetheart! I would lief sleep a little while." He then laid his head upon the lady's thighs, and stretching out his legs which extended down to the sea, slept and snored and snarked like the roll' of thunder. Presently she raised her gracious head towards the tree-top and saw the two Kings perched near the summit; then she softly lifted off her lap the Jinni's pate which she was tired of supporting and placed it upon the ground; then standing upright under the tree signed to the Kings, "Come ye down, ye two, and fear naught from this Ifrit."² They were in a terrible fright when they found that she had seen them and answered her in the same manner, "Allah upon thee³ and by thy modesty, O lady, excuse us from coming down!" But she rejoined by saying, "Allah upon you both that ye come down forthright, and if ye come not, I will rouse upon you my husband, this Ifrit, and he shall do you to die by the illest of deaths;" and she continued making signals to them. So, being afraid, they came down to her and she rose before them, and urged them, saying "Do this without stay or delay, otherwise will I arouse and set upon you this Ifrit who shall slay you straightway." They said to her, "O our lady, we conjure thee by Allah, let us off this work, for we are fugitives from such and in extreme dread and terror of this thy husband. How then can we do in such a way as thou desirest?" "Leave this talk: it needs must be so," quoth she, and she swore them by Him4 who raised the
¹ Arab. "Amsár " (cities): in Bul. Edit. "Amtár " (rains), as in Mac. Edit. So Mr. Payne (I., 5) translates:—
And when she flashes forth the lightning of her glance, She maketh eyes to rain, like showers, with many a tear.
I would render it, " She makes whole cities shed tears;" and prefer it for a reason which will generally influence me—its superior exaggeration and impossibility.
² Not "A-frit," pronounced Aye-frit, as our poets have it. This variety of the Jinn, who, as will be shown, are divided into two races like mankind, is generally, but not always, a malignant being, hostile and injurious to mankind (Koran xxvii. 39).
³ i.e., "I conjure thee by Allah;" the formula is technically called "Inshád."
4 This introducing the name of Allah into such a tale is essentially Egyptian and Cairene. But see Boccaccio, ii. 6; and vii. 9.
