The Caliph Harun Al-Rashid was sleepless one night; so he sent for Al-Asma'i and Husayn al-Khalí'a and said to them, "Tell me a story you twain and do you begin, O Husayn." He said, " 'Tis well, O Commander of the Faithful;" and thus began: Some years ago, I dropped down stream to Bassorah, to present to Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Rabi'i a Kasidah or elegy I had composed in his praise; and he accepted it and bade me abide with him. One day, I went out to al-Mirbad, by way of Al-Muháliyah; and, being oppressed by the excessive heat, went up to a great door, to ask for drink, when I was suddenly aware of a damsel, as she were a branch swaying, with eyes languishing, eye brows arched and finely pencilled and smooth cheeks rounded, clad in a shift the colour of a pomegranate flower, and a mantilla of Sana'á work; but the perfect whiteness of her body overcame the redness of her shift, through which glittered two breasts like twin granadoes and a waist, as it were a roll of fine Coptic linen, with creases like scrolls of pure white paper stuffed with musk. Moreover, O Prince of True Believers, round her neck was slung an amulet of red gold that fell down between her breasts, and on the plain of her forehead were

The Lovers of Bassorah. 131 browlocks like jet. Her eyebrows joined and her eyes were like lakes; she had an aquiline nose and thereunder shell like lips showing teeth like pearls. Pleasantness prevailed in every part of her; but she seemed dejected, disturbed, distracted and in the vestibule came and went, walking upon the hearts of her lovers, whilst her legs made mute the voices of their ankle rings; and indeed she was as says the poet,

"Each portion of her charms we see Seems of the whole a simile."

I was overawed by her, O Commander of the Faithful, and drew near her to greet her, and behold, the house and vestible and highways breathed fragrant with musk. So I saluted her and she returned my salam with a voice dejected and heart depressed and with the ardour of passion consumed. Then I said to her, "O my lady, I am an old man and a stranger and sore troubled by thirst. Will you order me a draught of water, and win reward in heaven?" She cried, "Away, O Shaykh, from me! I am distracted from all thought of meat and drink." —

When it was the Six Hundred and Ninety fourth night

She pursued, the damsel said, "O Shaykh, I am distracted from all thought of meat and drink." I said,(continued Husayn), "By what ailment, O my lady?" and She said, "I love one who deals not justly by me and I desire one who of me will none. Why I am afflicted with the wakefulness of those who wake star gazing." I asked, "O my lady, is there on the wide expanse of earth one to whom you have a mind and who to you has no mind?" Answered she, "Yes; and this for the perfection of beauty and loveliness and goodliness wherewith he is endowed." "And why stands you in this porch?" enquired I. "This is his road," she replied, "and the hour of his passing by." I said, "O my lady, have you ever foregathered and had such commerce and converse as might cause this passion?" At this she heaved a deep sigh; the tears rained down her cheeks, as they were dew falling upon roses, and she versified with these couplets,

"We were like willow boughs in garden shining And scented joys in happiest life combining; Whenas one bough from other self would rend And oh! you see this for that repining!"

I said, "O maid, and what betids you of your love for this man?"; and She said, "I see the sun upon the walls of his folk and I think the sun is he; or Perhaps I catch sight of him unexpectedly and am confounded and the blood and the life fly my body and I abide in unreasoning plight a week or even a se'nnight." I said, "Excuse me, for I also have suffered that which is upon you of love longing and distraction of soul and wasting of frame and loss of strength; and I see in you pallor of complexion and emaciation, such as testify of the fever fits of desire. But how should you be unsmitten of passion and you a sojourner in the land of Bassorah?" She said, "By God, before I fell in love of this youth, I was perfect in beauty and loveliness and amorous grace which ravished all the Princes of Bassorah, till he fell in love with me." I asked, "O maid, and who parted you?"; and she answered, "The vicissitudes of fortune, but the manner of our separation was strange; and 'twas in this way. One New Year's day I had invited the damsels of Bassorah and amongst them a girl belonging to Siran, who had bought her out of Oman for four score thousand dirhams. She loved me and loved me to madness and when she entered she threw herself upon me and well near tore me in pieces with bites and pinches. Then we withdrew apart, to drink wine at our ease, till our meat was ready and our delight was complete, and

The Lovers of Bassorah. 133 she toyed with me and I with her, and now I was upon her and now she was upon me. Presently, the fumes of the wine moved her to strike her hand on the inkle of my petticoat trousers, by which it became loosed, unknown of either of us, and my trousers fell down in our play. At this moment he came in unobserved and, seeing me thus, was wroth at the sight and made off, as the Arab filly hearing the tinkle of her bridle." —

When it was the Six Hundred and Ninety fifth night

I said, "Harkye maid, is he an Arab or an Ajam?"; and She said, "Out on you! He is of the Princes of Bassorah." "Is he old or young?" asked I; and she looked at me laughingly and answered, "You are certainly a simpleton! He is like the moon on the night of its full, smooth cheeked and beardless, nor is there any defect in him except his aversion to me." Then I put the question, "What is his name?" and she replied, "What will you do with him?" I rejoined, "I will do my best to come at him, that I may bring about reunion between you." She said, "I will tell you on condition that you carry him a note;" and I said, "I have no objection to that." Then She said, "His name is Zamrah bin al-Mughayrah, called Abú al-Sakhá, and his palace is in the Mirbad." Therewith she called to those within for ink case and paper and tucking up her sleeves, showed two wrists like broad rings of silver. She then wrote after the Basmalah as follows, "My lord, the omission of blessings at the head of this my letter shows my insufficiency, and know that had my prayer been answered, you had never left me; for how often have I prayed that you should not leave me, and yet you did leave me! Were it not that distress with me exceeds the bounds of restraint, that which your servant has forced herself to do in writing this writ were an aidance to her, despite her despair of you, because of her knowledge of you that you will fail to answer. Do you fulfil her desire, my lord, of a sight of you from the porch, as you pass in the street, wherewith you will quicken the dead soul in her. Or, far better for her still than this, do you write her a letter with yours own hand (Allah endow it with all excellence!), and appoint it in requital of the intimacy that was between us in the nights of time past, whereof you must preserve the memory. My lord, was I not to you a lover sick with passion? If you answer my prayer, I will give to you thanks and to Allah praise; and so The Peace!"

Then she gave me the letter and I went away. Next morning I repaired to the door of the Viceroy Mohammed bin Sulayman, where I found an assembly of the notables of Bassorah, and amongst them a youth who adorned the gathering and surpassed in beauty and brightness all who were there; and indeed the Emir Mohammed set him above himself. I asked who he was and behold, it was Zamrah himself: so I said in my mind, "truly, there has befallen that unhappy one that which has befallen her!" Then I betook myself to the Mirbad and stood waiting at the door of his house, till he came riding up in state, when I accosted him and invoking more than usual blessings on him, handed him the missive. When he read it and understood it he said to me, "O Shaykh, we have taken other in her stead. Say me, will you see the substitute?" I answered, "Yes." Whereupon he called out a woman's name, and there came forth a damsel who shamed the two greater lights; swelling breasted, walking the gait of one who hastens without fear, to whom he gave the note, saying, "Do you answer it." When she read it, she turned pale at the contents and said to me, " O old man, crave pardon of Allah for this that you have brought." So I went out, O Commander of the Faithful, dragging my feet and returning to her asked leave to enter. When she saw me, she asked, "What is behind you?"; and I answered, "Evil and despair." She said, "Have you no concern of him.

The Lovers of Bassorah. 135

Where are Allah and His power?" Then she ordered me five hundred dinars and I took them and went away. Some days after I passed by the place and saw there horsemen and footmen. So I went in and lo! these were the companions of Zamrah, who were begging her to return to him; but she said, "No, By God, I will not look him in the face!" And she prostrated herself in gratitude to Allah and exultation over Zamrah's defeat. Then I drew near her, and she pulled out to me a letter, in which was written, after the Bismillah, "My lady, but for my forbearance towards you (whose life Allah lengthen!) I would relate something of what happened from you and set out my excuse, in that you transgressedst against me, whenas you were manifestly a sinner against yourself and myself in breach of vows and lack of constancy and preference of another over us; for, By God, on whom we call for help against that which was of your free will, you did transgress against the love of me; and so, The Peace!" Then she showed me the presents and rarities he had sent her, which were of the value of thirty thousand dinars. I saw her again after this, and Zamrah had married her. Al-Rashid said, "Had not Zamrah been beforehand with us, I should certainly have had to do with her myself." And men tell the tale of