There were in the palace of the Khalif El Mutawekkil ala Allah four thousand concubineswhereof two thousand were Greeks [and other foreigners] and other two thousand native Arabians and Abyssinians；and Obeid ibn Tahir had given him two hundred white girls and a like number of Abyssinian and native girls . Among these latter was a girl of BassoraMehboubeh by namewho was of surpassing beauty and elegance and voluptuous grace. Moreovershe played upon the lute and was skilled in singing and making verses and wrote excellent well；so that El Mutawekkil fell passionately in love with her and could not endure from her a single hour.
When she saw thisshe presumed upon his favour to use him
haughtily and capriciouslyso that he waxed exceeding wroth with her and forsook herforbidding the people of the palace to speak with her.
On this wise she abode some daysbut the Khalif still inclined to her；and he arose one morning and said to his courtiers，'I dreamtlast nightthat I was reconciled to Mehboubeh.'
'Would God this might be on wake！' answered they. As they were talkingin came one of the Khalif's maidservants and whispered him that they had heard a noise of singing and luting in Mehboubeh's chamber and knew not what this meant. So he rose and entering the haremwent straight to Mehboubeh's apartment，where he heard her playing wonder-sweetly upon the lute and singing the following verses：
I wander through the hallsbut not a soul I seeTo whom I may complain or who will speak with me.