of thy death, and the conclusion of thy term, and the end of thy life! For, by Allâh! I will sever thy neck unless thou inform me how this picture has been impressed upon thy heart."
"Willingly, O Prince!" I replied. "I was sitting before the door of thy brother Saʾad-ibn-ʾAbd-el-Málik,[1] when lo! I beheld a damsel escaping from the palace gate like a gazelle fleeing from the snare of the hunter. She wore a flowing Alexandrian robe, through which appeared the whiteness of her bosom, and the roundness of her form, and the embroidery of her belt. Her feet were shod in silk, and verily the whiteness of her instep gleamed brilliantly against the redness of her shoes. Two long tresses reached down to her hips, and her temples resembled two nūns.[2] Her eyebrows were indeed arched above her eyes; and her eyes were full of enchantment. Her nose was like a crystal reed, and her mouth like a
- ↑ This is an instance of the carelessness and inaccuracy of Arab writers with regard to names, whereby the labour of searching out historical facts belonging to those remote times is much increased. It is very possible that one of ʾAbd-el-Málik's sixteen sons may have been named Saʾad; but it is evident from the sequel that Sulaimân's predecessor in the Khalîfate is here intended; and his name was el-Walîd, not Saʾad.
- ↑ The Arabic N, which is thus formed ن.
