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of the tent, where I saw a young man like the new moon, without hair on his cheeks, and on his right hand a slender damsel, as she were a willow wand. No sooner did I set eyes on the girl, than love of her got hold upon my heart and I saluted the young man, who returned my greeting. Then said I to him, ‘O brother of the Arabs, tell me who thou art and what is this damsel to thee?’ With this, he bent down his head awhile, then raised it and replied, ‘Tell me first who thou art and what are these horsemen with thee.’ ‘I am Hemmad, son of El Fezari,’ answered I, ‘the renowned cavalier, who is reckoned as five hundred horse among the Arabs. We went forth this morning to hunt and were overcome by thirst; so I came to the door of this tent, thinking to get of thee a draught of water.’ When he heard this, he turned to the fair maiden and said to her, ‘Bring this man water and what there is of food.’ So she went in, trailing her skirts, whilst her feet stumbled in her long hair and the golden bangles tinkled on her ankles, and returned after a little, bearing in her right hand a silver vessel of cold water and in her left a bowl full of milk and dates and flesh of wild cattle. But, of the excess of my passion for her, I could take of her nor meat nor drink, and I recited to her the following verses, applying them to her:
The dye of the henna upon her hand doth show, As ’twere a raven new lighted on fresh-fall’n snow;
And see the full moon and the sun beside her face, This dim and the other fearful for shame and woe.
Then, after I had eaten and drunk, I said to the youth, ‘O chief of the Arabs, I have told thee truly who and what I am, and now I would fain have thee do the like by me and tell me the truth of thy case.’ ‘As for this damsel,’ replied he, ‘she is my sister.’ Quoth I, ‘It is my desire that thou give her to me to wife of free will: else will I slay thee and take her by force.’ With this, he bowed his
