Here they entered and he found himself in a spacious saloon, at
the upper end of which was a great estrade, carpeted with various
kinds of silk, and round it open lattices giving upon trees and
streams. About the place were figures, so fashioned that the air
entered them and set in motion instruments of music within them,
and it seemed to the beholder as if they spoke. Here sat the
young lady, looking on the figures; but when she saw Sherkan, she
sprang to her feet and taking him by the hand, made him sit down
by her and asked him how he had passed the night. He blessed her
and they sat talking awhile, till she said to him, "Knowest thou
aught touching lovers and slaves of passion?" "Yes," replied he;
"I know some verses on the subject." "Let me hear them," said
she. So he repeated the following verses:
Pleasure and health, O Azzeh, and good digestion to thee! How
with our goods and our names and our honours thou makest
free!
By Allah, whene'er I blow hot, she of a sudden blows cold, And no
sooner do I draw near, than off at a tangent flies she!
Indeed, as I dote upon Azzeh, as soon as I've cleared me of all
That stands between us and our loves, she turns and abandons
me;
As a traveller that trusts in the shade of a cloud for his
noontide rest, But as soon as he halts, the shade flits and
the cloud in the distance cloth flee.
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