224
quoth she, and he said, “Good.” The little Num was reared with Er Rebya’s son Nimeh in one cradle and each grew up handsomer than the other. They were wont to call each other brother and sister, till they came to the age of ten, when Er Rebya said to Nimeh, “O my son, Num is not thy sister, but thy slave. I bought her in thy name, whilst thou wast yet in the cradle; so call her no more ‘sister’ from this day forth.” “If that be so,” quoth Nimeh, “I will take her to wife.” Then he went to his mother and told her of this, and she said to him, “O my son, she is thy handmaid.” So he went in to Num and loved her and two years passed over them, whilst Num grew up, nor was there in all Cufa a fairer or sweeter or more graceful girl than she. She learnt the Koran and all manner of knowledge and excelled in music and singing and playing upon all kinds of instruments, so that she surpassed all the folk of her time. One day, as she sat with her husband in the wine-chamber, she took the lute and tuning it, sang the following verses:
Nimeh was charmed with these verses and said to her, “I conjure thee, by my life, O Num, sing to us with the tambourine and other instruments!” So she sang the following verses to a lively air:
By him whose hand possesses the reins of my affair, On passion’s score, I swear it, my enviers I’ll dare.
Yea, I will vex my censors and thee alone obey And sleep and ease and solace, for thy sweet sake, forswear
And dig midmost my entrails, to hold the love of thee, A grave, of which not even my heart shall be aware.
And Nimeh exclaimed, “Gifted of God art thou, O Num!”
