253
throne of the circumcision[1] at the upper end of the hall, whereupon Tuhfeh took the lute and pressing it to her bosom, touched its strings on such wise that the wits of all present were bewildered and the Sheikh Iblis said to her, ‘O my lady Tuhfeh, I conjure thee, by the life of this worshipful queen, sing for me and praise thyself, and gainsay me not.’ Quoth she, ‘Hearkening and obedience; yet, but for the adjuration by which thou conjurest me, I had not done this. Doth any praise himself? What manner of thing is this?’ Then she improvised and sang the following verses:
In every rejoicing a boon[2] midst the singers and minstrels am I;
The folk witness bear of my worth and none can my virtues deny.
My virtues ’mongst men are extolled and my glory and station rank high.
Her verses pleased the kings of the Jinn and they said, ‘By Allah, thou sayst sooth!’ Then she rose to her feet, with the lute in her hand, and played and sang, whilst the Jinn and the Sheikh Aboultawaïf danced.
- ↑ The attainment by a boy of the proper age for circumcision, or (so to speak) his religious majority, is a subject for great rejoicing with the Mohammedans, and the occasion is celebrated by the giving of as splendid an entertainment as the means of his family will afford, during which he is displayed to view upon a throne or raised seat, arrayed in the richest clothes and ornaments that can be found, hired or borrowed for the purpose.
- ↑ Tuhfeh.
