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amongst the rest goods that befit none but kings and kings
daughters; so tell me for whom thou seekest the stuff, that I may
show thee what will befit her. This he said, that he might learn
the meaning of her words; and she rejoined, I want a stuff fit
for the Princess Dunya, daughter of King Shehriman. When the
prince heard the name of his beloved, he rejoiced greatly and
said to Aziz, Give me such a bale. So Aziz brought it and
opened it before Taj el Mulouk, who said to the old woman,
Choose what will suit her; for these are goods only to be found
with me. So she chose goods worth a thousand dinars and said,
How much is this? And ceased not the while to talk with him and
rub the inside of her thighs with the palm of her hand. Shall I
haggle with the like of thee about this paltry price? answered
he. Praised be God who hath brought me acquainted with thee!
The name of God be upon thee! exclaimed she. I commend thy
fair face to the protection of the Lord of the Daybreak! Fair
face and pleasant speech! Happy the woman who lies in thy bosom
and clasps thy waist in her arms and enjoys thy youth, especially
if she be fair and graceful like unto thee! At this, Taj el
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Mulouk laughed till he fell backward and said (in himself), O
Thou who fulfillest desires by means of dissolute old women! They
are indeed the accomplishers of desires! Then said she, O my
son, what is thy name? And he answered, My name is Taj el
Mulouk. [FN148] This is a name of kings and kings sons,
rejoined she; and thou art clad in a merchant s habit. Quoth
Aziz, For the love his parents and family bore him and the value
they set on him, they named him thus. Thou sayst sooth,
replied the old woman. May God guard you both from the evil eye
and the malice of the enemy and the envious, though hearts be
broken by your charms! Then she took the stuff and went away,
amazed at the prince s beauty and grace and symmetry, and going
in to the Princess Dunya, said to her, O my lady, I have brought
thee some handsome stuff. Show it me, said the princess. Here
it is, answered the old woman; turn it over, O my treasure, and
examine it. So the princess looked at the stuff and was amazed
at its beauty and said, O my nurse, this is indeed handsome
stuff! I have never seen its like in our city. O my lady,
replied the nurse, he who sold it me is handsomer still. It
would seem as if Rizwan had left the gates of Paradise open and
this youth had come out. I would he might sleep this night with
thee and lie between thy breasts! He hath come hither with these
stuffs for amusement s sake, and he is a ravishment to all who
set eyes on him. The princess laughed at her words and said,
Allah afflict thee, O pernicious old woman! Thou dotest and
there is no sense left in thee. Give me the stuff, that I may
look at it anew. So she gave it her, and she examined it again
and seeing that though small, it was of great value, was moved to
admiration, for she had never in her life seen its like, and
exclaimed, By Allah, this is a handsome stuff. O my lady,
said the old woman, if thou sawest him who sold it to me, thou
wouldst know him for the handsomest of all that be upon the face
of the earth. Quoth the princess, Didst thou ask him if he had
any need, that we might satisfy it? The nurse shook her head and
answered, God keep thy sagacity! Assuredly he has a want, may
thy skill not fail thee. What man is free from wants? Go back
to him, rejoined the princess; salute him for me, and say to
him, Our land and town are honoured by thy visit, and if thou
hast any need, we will fulfil it to thee, on our head and eyes.
So the old woman returned to Taj el Mulouk, and when he saw her,
his heart leapt for joy and he rose to his feet and taking her
hand, seated her by his side. As soon as she was rested she told
him what the princess had said, whereat he rejoiced exceedingly;
his breast dilated and gladness entered his heart, and he said in
himself, Verily, I have gotten my desire. Then said he to the
old woman, Belike thou wilt take her a message from me and bring
me her answer. I hear and obey, replied she. So he said to
Aziz, Bring me inkhorn and paper and a pen of brass. Aziz
brought him what he sought, and he took the pen and wrote the
following verses: I send thee, O my hope, a letter, to complain
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Of all my soul endures for parting and its pain.
Six lines it hath; the first, A fire is in my heart; The next
line setteth forth my passion all in vain;
The third, My patience fails and eke my life doth waste; The
fourth, All love with me for ever shall remain.
The fifth, When shall mine eyes behold thee? And the sixth,
When shall the day betide of meeting for us twain?
And by way of subscription he wrote these words, This letter is
from the captive of desire, prisoned in the hold of longing, from
which there is no deliverance but in union and intercourse with
her whom he loveth, after absence and separation: for he
suffereth grievous torment by reason of his severance from his
beloved. Then his tears rushed out and he wrote the following
verses:
I write to thee, my love, and the tears run down as I write; For
the tears of my eyes, alack I cease never day or night.
Yet do I not despair; mayhap, of God His grace, The day shall
dawn for us of union and delight.
Then he folded the letter and sealed it and gave it to the old
woman, saying, Carry it to the lady Dunya. I hear and obey,
answered she; whereupon he gave her a thousand dinars and said to
her, O my mother, accept this, as a token of my affection. She
took the letter and the money, calling down blessings on him, and
returned to the princess. When the latter saw her, she said to
her, O my nurse, what is it he asks, that we may fulfil his wish
to him? O my lady, replied the old woman, he sends thee this
letter by me, and I know not what is in it. The princess took
the letter and reading it, exclaimed, Who and what is this
merchant that he should dare to write to me thus? And she
buffeted her face, saying, What have we done that we should come
in converse with shopkeepers? Alas! Alas! By Allah, but that I
fear God the Most High, I would put him to death and crucify him
before his shop! What is in the letter, asked the old woman,
to trouble thy heart and move thine anger thus? Doth it contain
a complaint of oppression or demand for the price of the stuff?
Out on thee! answered the princess. There is none of this in
it, nought but words of love and gallantry. This is all through
thee: else how should this devil know me? O my lady, rejoined
the old woman, thou sittest in thy high palace and none may win
to thee, no, not even the birds of the air. God keep thee and
keep thy youth from blame and reproach! Thou art a princess, the
daughter of a king, and needest not reck of the barking of dogs.
Blame me not that I brought thee this letter, knowing not what
was in it; but it is my counsel that thou send him an answer,
threatening him with death and forbidding him from this idle
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