Quoth she，'I fear disgrace，'quoth I，'Cut short * This talk，no shift of days thy thoughts affray.'
Whereat she raised her veil from fairest face * And crystal spray on gems began to stray：
And I forsooth was fain to kiss her cheek，* Lest she complain of me on Judgment-Day.
And at such tide before the Lord on High * We first of lovers were redress to pray：
So'Lord，prolong this reckoning and review'* （Prayed I）'that longer I may sight my may.'
Then said the young gardener to her，'Know thou，O lady of the fair，brighter than any constellation which illumineth air we sought，in bringing thee hither naught but that thou shouldst entertain with converse this comely youth，my lord Nur al-Din；for he hath come to this place only this day.'And the girl replied，'Would thou hadst told me，that I might have brought what I have with me！'Rejoined the gardener，'O my lady，I will go and fetch it to thee.'As thou wilt，'said she： and he，'Give me a token.'So she gave him a kerchief and he fared forth in haste and returned after awhile，bearing a green satin bag with slings of gold.The girl took the bag from him and opening it shook it，whereupon there fell thereout two-and-thirty pieces of wood，which she fitted one into other，male into female and female into male[428] till they became a polished lute of Indian workmanship.Then she uncovered her wrists and laying the lute in her lap，bent over it with the bending of mother over babe，and swept the strings with her finger-tips；whereupon it moaned and resounded and after its olden home yearned；and it remembered the waters that gave it drink and the earth whence it sprang and wherein it grew and it minded the carpenters who made it their merchandise and the ships that shipped it；and it cried and called aloud and moaned and groaned；and it was as if she asked it of all these things and it answered her with the tongue of the case，reciting these couplets，[429]
'A tree whilere was I the Bulbul's home * To whom for love I bowed my grass-green head：
They moaned on me，and I their moaning learnt * And in that moan my secret all men read：
The woodman fell me falling sans offence，* And slender lute of me （as view ye） made：
But，when the fingers smite my strings，they tell * How man despite my patience did me dead；
Hence boon-companions when they hear my moan * Distracted wax as though by wine misled：
And the Lord softens every heart of me，* And I am hurried to the highmost stead：
All who in charms excel fain clasp my waist；* Gazelles of languid eyne and Houri maid：
Allah ne'er part fond lover from his joy * Nor live the loved one who unkindly fled.'
Then the girl was silent awhile，but presently taking the lute in lap，again bent over it，as mother bendeth over child，and preluded in many different modes；then，returning to the first；she sang these couplets；'Would they [430] the lover seek without ado，* He to his heavy grief had bid adieu：
With him had vied the Nightingale[431] on bough * As one far parted from his lover's view：
Rouse thee！ awake！ The Moon lights Union-night * As tho'such Union woke the Morn anew.
This day the blamers take of us no heed * And lute-strings bid us all our joys ensue.
Seest not how four-fold things conjoin in one * Rose，myrtle；scents and blooms of golden hue.[432]
Yea，here this day the four chief joys unite * Drink and dinars；beloved and lover true：
So win thy worldly joy，for joys go past * And naught but storied tales and legends last.'
When Nur al-Din heard the girl sing these lines he looked on her with eyes of love and could scarce contain himself for the violence of his inclination to her；and on like wise was it with her，because she glanced at the company who were present of the sons of the merchants and she saw that Nur al-Din was amongst the rest as moon among stars；for that he was sweet of speech and replete with amorous grace，perfect in stature and symmetry；brightness and loveliness，pure of all defect，than the breeze of morn softer，than Tasnim blander，as saith of him the poet，[433]'By his cheeks'unfading damask and his smiling teeth I swear，By the arros that he feathers with the witchery of his air；By his sides so soft and tender and his glances bright and keen；By the whiteness of his forehead and the blackness of his hair；By his arched imperious eyebrows，chasing slumber from my lids With their yeas and noes that hold me'twixt rejoicing and despair；By the Scorpions that he launches from his ringlet-clustered brows，Seeking still to slay his lovers with his rigours unaware；By the myrtle of his whiskers and the roses of his cheek，By his lips'incarnate rubies and his teeth's fine pearls and rare；By the straight and tender sapling of his shape，which for its fruit Doth the twin pomegranates，shining in his snowy bosom，wear；By his heavy hips that tremble，both in motion and repose，And the slender waist above them，all too slight their weight to bear；By the silk of his apparel and his quick and sprightly wit，By all attributes of beauty that are fallen to his share；
Lo，the musk exhales its fragrance from his breath，and eke the breeze From his scent the perfume borrows，that it scatters everywhere.
Yea，the sun in all his splendour cannot with his brightness vie And the crescent moon's a fragment that he from his nails doth pare.'
--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night； She continued，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that Nur al-Din was delighted with the girl's verses and he swayed from side to side for drunkenness and fell a-praising her and saying；'A lutanist to us inclined * And stole our wits bemused with wine：
And said to us her lute，'The Lord * Bade us discourse by voice divine.'
