cavalier thought it was the voice of a woman he had heard, but as Zohra's face was covered by a flap of her haik[1], he was not certain, and said to himself, "I would like to know whether this is a woman or a man." He asked one of the princes's servants, who dissipated his doubts. Approaching Zohra, he then conversed pleasantly with her till they made a halt for breakfast. He sat down near her to partake of the repast.
Disappointing the hopes of the cavalier, the princess did not uncover her face, and, pleading that she was fasting, ate nothing. He could not help admiring secretly her hand, the gracefulness of her waist, and the amorour expression of her eyes. His heart was seized with a violent love.
The following conversation took place between them:
The Cavalier: "Is your heart insensible for friendship?"
Zohra: "It is not proper for a man to feel friendship for a woman; for if their hearts once incline towards each other, libidinous desires will soon invade them, and with Satan enticing them to do wrong, their fall is soon known by everyone."
The Cavalier: "It is not so, when their affection is true and their intercourse pure without infidelity or treachery."
Zohra: "If a woman gives way to the affection she feels for a man, she becomes an object of slander for the whole world, and of general contempt, whence nothing arises but trouble and regrets."
The Cavalier: "But our love will remain secret, and in this retired spot, which may serve us as our place of
- ↑ The haik is a long piece of a light and white material, generally of wool or silk, with which the Arabs envelop body and head, and over which they wear the burnous.
