My tears thus flowing rival with my wine, ○ Pouring the like of what fills cup to brink:[1]
By Allah wot I not an run these eyne ○ Wi' wine, or else it is of tears I drink.
And when she ended her recitation, Ali bin Bakkar drained his cup and returned it to Shams al-Nahar. She filled it again and gave it to Abu al-Hasan who tossed it off. Then she took the lute, saying, "None shall sing over my cup save myself;" so she screwed up the strings and intoned these verses:—
The tears run down his cheeks in double row, ○ And in his breast high flameth lover-lowe:
He weeps when near, a-fearing to be far; ○ And, whether far or near, his tear-drops flow.
And the words of another:—
Our life to thee, O cup-boy Beauty-dight! ○ From parted hair to calves; from black to white:
Sol beameth from thy hands, and from thy lips ○ Pleiads, and full Moon through thy collar's night,[2]
Good sooth the cups, which made our heads fly round, ○ Are those thine eyes pass round to daze the sight:
No wonder lovers hail thee as full moon ○ Waning to them, for self e'er waxing bright:
Art thou a deity to kill and quicken, ○ Bidding this fere, forbidding other wight?
Allah from model of thy form made Beau ○ -ty and the Zephyr scented with thy sprite.
Thou art not of this order of human ○ -ity but angel lent by Heaven to man.
When Ali bin Bakkar and Abu al-Hasan and those present heard Shams al-Nahar's song, they were like to fly for joy, and sported and laughed; but while they were thus enjoying themselves lo! up came a damsel, trembling for fear and said, "O my lady, the Commander of the Faithful's eunuchs are at the door, Afíf and Masrúr and Marján [3] and others whom wot I not." When they heard
- ↑ i.e. blood as red as wine.
- ↑ The wine-cup (sun-like) shines in thy hand; thy teeth are bright as the Pleiads and thy face rises like a moon from the darkness of thy dress-collar.
- ↑ The masculine of Marjánah (Morgiana) "the she coral-branch;" and like this a name generally given to negroes. We have seen white applied to a blackamoor by way of metonomy and red is also connected with black skins by way of fun. A Persian verse says:
"If a black wear red, e'en an ass would grin."
