第21章 STORY OF ALI BEN BEKKAR AND SHEMSENNEHAR.(1)
There lived once [at Baghdad] in the days of the Khalif Haroun er Reshid a merchant named Aboulhusn Ali ben Tahir，who was great of goods and grace，handsome and pleasant-mannered，beloved of all.
He used to enter the royal palace without asking leave，for all the Khalifs concubines and slave-girls loved him，and he was wont to company with Er Reshid and recite verses to him and tell him witty stories. Withal he sold and bought in the merchants
bazaar，and there used to sit in his shop a youth named Ali ben Bekkar，a descendant of the ancient kings of Persia，who was fair of face and elegant of shape，with rosy cheeks and joined eyebrows，sweet of speech and laughing-lipped，a lover of mirth and gaiety. It chanced one day，as they sat laughing and talking，there came up ten damsels like moons，every one of them accomplished in beauty and symmetry，and amongst them a young lady riding on a mule with housings of brocade and golden stirrups. She was swathed in a veil of fine stuff，with a girdle of gold-embroidered silk，and was even as says the poet：
She hath a skin like very silk and a soft speech and sweet；
Gracious to all，her words are nor too many nor too few.
Two eyes she hath，quoth God Most High，'Be，'and forthright they were；They work as wine upon the hearts of those whom they ensue.
Add to my passion，love of her，each night；and，solacement Of loves，the Resurrection be thy day of rendezvous！
The lady alighted at Aboulhusns shop and sitting down there，saluted him，and he returned her salute. When Ali ben Bekkar saw her，she ravished his understanding and he rose to go away；but she said to him，Sit in thy place. We came to thee and thou goest away： this is not fair.'O my lady，'answered he，by Allah，I flee from what I see；for the tongue of the case saith：
Shes the sun and her dwellings in heaven on high；Look，then，to thine heart thou fair patience commend.
Thou mayst not climb up to her place in the sky，Nor may she to thee from her heaven descend.'
When she heard this，she smiled and said to Aboulhusn，What is the name of this young man？He is a stranger，'answered he.
What countryman is he？asked she，and the merchant replied，He is a descendant of the （ancient） kings of Persia；his name is Ali ben Bekkar，and indeed it behoves us to use strangers with honour.'When my damsel comes to thee，'rejoined she，come thou at once to us and bring him with thee，that we may entertain him in our abode，lest he blame us and say，'There is no hospitality in the people of Baghdad：'for niggardliness is the worst fault that a man can have. Thou hearest what I say to thee and if thou disobey me，thou wilt incur my displeasure and I will never again visit thee or salute thee.'On my head and eyes，'answered Aboulhusn；God preserve me from thy displeasure，fair lady！'
Then she rose and went away，leaving Ali ben Bekkar in a state of bewilderment. Presently，the damsel came and said to the merchant，O my lord Aboulhusn，my lady Shemsennehar，the favourite of the Commander of the Faithful Haroun er Reshid，bids thee to her，thee and thy friend，my lord Ali ben Bekkar.'So he rose and taking Ali with him，followed the girl to the Khalifs palace，where she carried them into a chamber and made them sit down. They talked together awhile，till she set trays of food before them，and they ate and washed their hands. Then she brought them wine，and they drank and made merry；after which she bade them rise and carried them into another chamber，vaulted upon four columns and adorned and furnished after the goodliest fashion with various kinds of furniture and decorations，as it were one of the pavilions of Paradise. They were amazed at the rarities they saw and as they were gazing at these marvels，up came ten damsels，like moons，with a proud and graceful gait，dazzling the sight and confounding the wit，and ranged themselves in two ranks，as they were of the houris of Paradise. After awhile，in came ten other damsels，with lutes and other instruments of mirth and music in their hands，who saluted the two guests and sitting down，fell to tuning their instruments.
Then they rose and standing before them，played and sang and recited verses： and indeed each one of them was a seduction to the faithful. Whilst they were thus occupied，there entered other ten damsels like unto them，high-bosomed and of an equal age，with black eyes and rosy cheeks，joined eyebrows and languorous looks，a seduction to the faithful and a delight to all who looked upon them，clad in various kinds of coloured silks，with ornaments that amazed the wit. They took up their station at the door，and there succeeded them yet other ten damsels，fairer than they，clad in gorgeous apparel，such as defies deion；and they also stationed themselves by the door. Then in came a band of twenty damsels and amongst them the lady Shemsennehar，as she were the moon among the stars，scarved with the luxuriance of her hair and dressed in a blue robe and a veil of silk，embroidered with gold and jewels. About her middle she wore a girdle set with various kinds of precious stones，and she advanced with a graceful and coquettish gait，till she came to the couch that stood at the upper end of the chamber and seated herself thereon.
When Ali ben Bekkar saw her，he repeated the following couplets：
Yes，this is she indeed，the source of all my ill，For whom with long desire I languish at Loves will.
Near her，I feel my soul on fire and bones worn waste For yearning after her that doth my heart fulfih Then said he to Aboulhusn，Thou hadst dealt more kindly with me to have forewarned me of these things；that I might have prepared my mind and taken patience to support what hath befallen me ；