And as saith another：
O pearls of the teeth of my loveHave ruth on cornelian and spare To vie with it！ Shall it not find You peerless and passing compare？
In fineshe comprised all manner of loveliness and was a ravishment to men and womennor could the beholder satisfy himself with the sight of her beauty；for she was as the poet hath said of her：
Ifface to faceshe do appearunveiledshe slays；and if She turn her backshe makes all men her lovers far and near.
Like the full moon and eke the sun she isbut cruelty And inhumanity belong not to her nature dear.
The garden-gates of Paradise are opened with her shift And the full moon revolveth still upon her neck-rings'sphere.
As I looked at her through the opening of the curtainsshe turned and seeing me standing at the doorsaid to her maid，'See who stands at the door.'So the maid came up to me and said'O old manhast thou no shameor do gray hairs and impudence go together？'O my mistress，'answered I'I confess to the gray hairsbut as for unmannerlinessI think not to be guilty of it.'And what can be more unmannerly，'rejoined her mistress'than to intrude thyself upon a house other than thy house and gaze on a harem other than thy harem？'O my lady，'said I'I have an excuse.'And what is thine excuse？'asked she. Quoth I'I am a stranger and well-nigh dead of thirst.'
'We accept thine excuse，'answered she and calling one of her maidssaid to her'O Lutfgive him to drink in the golden tankard.'
So she brought me a tankard of red goldset with pearls and jewelsfull of water mingled with odoriferous musk and covered with a napkin of green silk；and I addressed myself to drink and was long about itcasting stolen glances at her the while，till I could prolong it no longer. Then I returned the tankard to the maidbut did not offer to go；and she said to me'O old mango thy way.'O my lady，'replied I'I am troubled in mind.'
'For what？'asked she；and I answered'For the uncertainty of fortune and the vicissitudes of events.'Well mayst thou be troubled thereanent，'replied she'for Time is the mother of wonders. But what hast thou seen of them that thou shouldst muse upon？'Quoth I'I was thinking of the former owner of this housefor he was my good friend in his lifetime.'
'What was his name？'asked she. 'Mohammed ben Ali the Jeweller，'answered I；'and he was a man of great wealth. Did he leave any children？'Yes，'said she；'he left a daughterBudour by namewho inherited all his wealth.'Quoth I'Meseems thou art his daughter？'Yes，'answered shelaughing；then added'O old manthou hast talked long enough；go thy ways.'
'Needs must I go，'replied I；'but I see thou art out of health.
Tell me thy case；it may be God will give thee solace at my hands.'O old man，'rejoined she'if thou be a man of discretionI will discover to thee my secret；but first tell me who thou artthat I may know whether thou art worthy of confidence or not；for the poet saith：
None keepeth secrets but the man who's trusty and discreet： A secret's ever safely placed with honest fold and leal；
For memy secrets I preserve within a locked-up houseWhose key is lost and on whose door is set the Cadi's seal.'
'O my lady，'answered I'an thou wouldst know who I amI am Ali ben Mensour of Damascusthe Wagboon-companion to the Khalif Haroun er Reshid.'When she heard my name she came down from her seat and saluting mesaid'WelcomeO Ibn Mensour！
Now will I tell thee my case and entrust thee with my secret.
Know that I am a lover separated from her beloved.'O my lady，'rejoined I'thou art fair and shouldst love none but the fair. Whom then dost thou love？'Quoth she'I love Jubeir ben Umeir es SheibaniPrince of the Benou Sheiban；'and she described to me a young man than whom there was none handsomer in Bassora. 'O my lady，'asked I'have letters or interviews passed between you？'Yes，'answered she；'but his love for me was of the tonguenot of the heart；for he kept not his covenant nor was faithful to his troth.'And what was the cause of your separation？'asked I.
'I was sitting one day，'replied she'whilst my maid here combed my hair. When she had made an end of combing itshe plaited my tressesand my beauty and grace pleased her；so she bent down to me and kissed my cheek. At that momenthe came inunawaresand seeing her kiss my cheekturned away in angervowing eternal separation and repeating the following verses：
If any share with me in her I loveincontinentI'll cast her off from me and be to live alone content.
A mistresssureis nothing worthifin the way of loveShe wish for aught but that to which the lover doth consent.
And from that time to thisO Ibn Mensour，'continued she'he hath neither written to me nor answered my letters.'And what thinkest thou to do？'asked I. Quoth she'I have a mind to send him a letter by thee. If thou bring me back an answerthou shalt have of me five hundred dinars；and if notthen a hundred for thy pains.'Do what seemeth good to thee，'answered I. So she called for inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses：
Whence this estrangement and despitebeloved of my soul？
Whither have kindliness and love between us taken flight？
What makes thee with aversion turn from me？ Indeedthy face Is not the face I used to knowwhen we our troth did plight.
Belikethe slanderers have made a false report of meAnd thou inclin'dst to themand they redoubled in despite.
If thou believedst their reportfarfar it should have been From theethat art too whole of wit at such a bait to bite！
YeaI conjure thee by thy lifetell me what thou hast heard：
For lo！ thou knowest what was said and wilt not do unright.
If aught I've said that angered theea speech of change admits；Ayand interpretingI trowmay change its meaning quite，Were it a word sent down from God；for even the Pentateuch Hath falsified and garbled been of this and th'other wight.
Whilstas for lieshow many were of folk before us told！
Joseph to Jacob was traduced and blackened in his sight.
Yeafor the slanderer and myself and theean awful day Of standing up shall comewhen God to judgment all shall cite.
