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El Abbas might rejoice therein. Now she had clad them in the richest of raiment and adorned them with trinkets and ornaments and wroughten work of gold and silver and collars of gold, set with pearls and jewels. So they came forward, with harps and lutes and psalteries and recorders and other instruments of music before them, and one of them, a damsel who came from the land of China and whose name was Baoutheh, advanced and tightened the strings of her lute. Then she cried out from the top of her head[1] and improvising, sang the following verses:
Unto its pristine lustre your land returned and more, Whenas ye came, dispelling the gloom that whiles it wore.
Our stead, that late was desert, grew green and eke our trees, That barren were, grew loaded with ripened fruits galore.
Yea, to the earth that languished for lack of rain, the clouds Were bounteous; so it flourished and plenteous harvests bore;
And troubles, too, forsook us, who tears like dragons’ blood, O lordings, for your absence had wept at every pore.
Indeed, your long estrangement hath caused my bowels yearn. Would God I were a servant in waiting at your door!
When she had made an end of her song, all who were present were moved to delight and El Abbas rejoiced in this. Then he bade the second damsel sing somewhat on the like subject. So she came forward and tuning the strings of her harp, which was of balass
- ↑ i.e. in falsetto?
