And as saith another：
O pearls of the teeth of my loveHave ruth on cornelian and spare To vie with it！ Shall it not find You peerless and passing compare？
In fineshe comprised all manner of loveliness and was a ravishment to men and womennor could the beholder satisfy himself with the sight of her beauty；for she was as the poet hath said of her：
Ifface to faceshe do appearunveiledshe slays；and if She turn her backshe makes all men her lovers far and near.
Like the full moon and eke the sun she isbut cruelty And inhumanity belong not to her nature dear.
The garden-gates of Paradise are opened with her shift And the full moon revolveth still upon her neck-rings'sphere.
As I looked at her through the opening of the curtainsshe turned and seeing me standing at the doorsaid to her maid，'See who stands at the door.'So the maid came up to me and said'O old manhast thou no shameor do gray hairs and impudence go together？'O my mistress，'answered I'I confess to the gray hairsbut as for unmannerlinessI think not to be guilty of it.'And what can be more unmannerly，'rejoined her mistress'than to intrude thyself upon a house other than thy house and gaze on a harem other than thy harem？'O my lady，'said I'I have an excuse.'And what is thine excuse？'asked she. Quoth I'I am a stranger and well-nigh dead of thirst.'
'We accept thine excuse，'answered she and calling one of her maidssaid to her'O Lutfgive him to drink in the golden tankard.'
So she brought me a tankard of red goldset with pearls and jewelsfull of water mingled with odoriferous musk and covered with a napkin of green silk；and I addressed myself to drink and was long about itcasting stolen glances at her the while，till I could prolong it no longer. Then I returned the tankard to the maidbut did not offer to go；and she said to me'O old mango thy way.'O my lady，'replied I'I am troubled in mind.'
'For what？'asked she；and I answered'For the uncertainty of fortune and the vicissitudes of events.'Well mayst thou be troubled thereanent，'replied she'for Time is the mother of wonders. But what hast thou seen of them that thou shouldst muse upon？'Quoth I'I was thinking of the former owner of this housefor he was my good friend in his lifetime.'