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delight and drank off her cup, saying, ‘Well done, O queen of hearts!’ Moreover, she took off a surcoat of blue brocade, fringed with red rubies, and a necklace of white jewels, worth an hundred thousand dinars, and gave them to Tuhfeh. Then she passed the cup to her sister Zelzeleh, who had in her hand sweet basil, and she said to Tuhfeh, ‘Sing to me on this sweet basil.’ ‘Hearkening and obedience,’ answered she and improvised and sang the following verses:
The crown of the flow’rets am I, in the chamber of wine, And Allah makes mention of me ’mongst the pleasures divine;
Yea, ease and sweet basil and peace, the righteous are told, In Eternity’s Garden of sweets shall to bless them combine.[1]
Where, then, is the worth that in aught with my worth can compare And where is the rank in men’s eyes can be likened to mine?
Thereat Queen Zelzeleh was moved to exceeding delight and bidding her treasuress bring a basket, wherein were fifty pairs of bracelets and the like number of earrings, all of gold, set with jewels of price, the like whereof nor men nor Jinn possessed, and an hundred robes of coloured brocade and an hundred thousand dinars, gave the whole to Tuhfeh. Then she passed the cup to her sister Sherareh, who had in her hand a stalk of narcissus; so she took it from her and turning to Tuhfeh, said to
- ↑ “As for him who is of those brought near unto God, [for him shall be] easance and sweet basil (syn. victual, rihan), and a garden of pleasance.”—Koran lvi. 87–8. It will be observed that this verse is somewhat garbled in the quotation.
