第42章 KEMEREZZEMAN AND BUDOUR.(4)

When Maimouneh saw him，she glorified God and said，Blessed be Allah，the best of Creators！'For she was of the true-believing Jinn.She stood awhile，gazing on his face，proclaiming the unity of God and envying the youth his beauty and grace.And she said in herself，By Allah，I will do him no hurt nor let any harm him，but will ransom him from all ill，for this fair face deserves not but that folk should look upon it and glorify God.

But how could his family find it in their hearts to leave him in this desert place，where if one of our Marids came upon him at this hour，he would kill him？Then she bent over him and kissing him between the eyes，folded back the coverlet over his face；after which she spread her wings and soaring into the air，flew upward till she drew near the lowest heaven，when she heard the noise of wings beating the air and making for the sound，found that it came from an Afrit called Dehnesh.So she swooped down on him like a sparrow-hawk；and when he was ware of her and knew her to be Maimouneh，daughter of the King of the Jinn，he feared her and his nerves trembled；and he implored her forbearance，saying，I conjure thee by the Most Great and August Name and by the most noble talisman graven upon the seal of Solomon，entreat me kindly and harm me not！'When she heard this，her heart inclined to him and she said，Verily，thou conjurest me with a mighty conjuration，O accursed one！

Nevertheless，I will not let thee go，till thou tell me whence thou comest at this hour.'O princess，'answered he，know that I come from the uttermost end of the land of Cathay and from among the islands，and I will tell thee of a wonderful thing I have seen this night.If thou find my words true，let me go my way and write me a patent under thy hand that I am thy freedman，so none of the Jinn，whether of the air or the earth，divers or flyers，[24] may do me let or hindrance.'And what is it thou hast seen this night，O liar，O accursed one？rejoined Maimouneh.'Tell me without leasing and think not to escape from my hand with lies，for I swear to thee by the inion on the beazel of the ring of Solomon son of David （on whom be peace，）

except thy speech be true，I will pluck out thy feathers with mine own hand and strip off thy skin and break thy bones.'I accept this condition，O my lady，'answered Dehnesh，son of Shemhourish the Flyer.'Know that I come to-night from the Islands of the Inland Sea in the parts of Cathay，which are the dominions of King Gha？our，lord of the Islands and the Seas and the Seven Palaces.There I saw a daughter of his，than whom God hath made none fairer in her time，--I cannot picture her to thee，for my tongue would fail to describe her aright；but I will name to thee somewhat of her charms，by way of approximation.Her hair is like the nights of estrangement and separation and her face like the days of union；and the poet hath well described her when he says：

She took up three locks of her hair and spread them out one night And straight four nights discovered at once unto my sight.

Then did she turn her visage up to the moon of the sky And showed me two moons at one season，both burning clear and bright.

She hath a nose like the point of the burnished sword and cheeks like purple wine or blood-red anemones： her lips are like coral and cornelian and the water of her mouth is sweeter than old wine，its taste would allay the torments of Hell.Her tongue is moved by abounding wit and ready repartee： her breast is a temptation to all that see it，glory be to Him who created it and finished it： and joined thereto are two smooth round arms.As says of her the poet El Welhan：

She hath two wrists，which，were they not by bracelets held，I trow，Would flow out of their sleeves as brooks of liquid silver flow.

She has breasts like two globes of ivory，the moons borrow from their brightness，and a belly dimpled as it were a brocaded cloth of the finest Egyptian linen，with creases like folded scrolls，leading to a waist slender past conception，over buttocks like a hill of sand，that force her to sit，when she would fain stand，and awaken her，when she would sleep，even as saith of her the poet：

Her slender waist a pair of buttocks overlies，The which both over her and me do tyrannize.

For they confound my wit，whenas I think on them，And eke enforce her sit，whenas she fain would rise.