Now when Shams al-Nahar heard these verses sung by the slave-girl, she could not keep her seat; but fell down in a fainting-fit whereupon the Caliph cast the cup from his hand and drew her to him crying out; and the damsels also cried out, and the Prince of True Believers turned her over and shook her, and lo and behold! she was dead.  The Caliph grieved over her death with sore grief and bade break all the vessels and dulcimers[FN#217] and other instruments of mirth and music which were in the room; then carrying her body to his closet, he abode with her the rest of the night.  When the day broke, he laid her out and commanded to wash her and shroud her and bury her.  And he mourned for her with sore mourning, and questioned not of her case nor of what caused her condition.  And I beg thee in Allah’s name’ (continued the damsel) ’to let me know the day of the coming of Ali bin Bakkar’s funeral procession that I may be present at his burial.’  Quoth I, ’For myself, where thou wilt thou canst find me; but thou, where art thou to be found, and who can come at thee where thou art?’ She replied, ’On the day of Shams al-Nahar’s death, the Commander of the Faithful freed all her women, myself among the rest;[FN#218] and I am one of those now abiding at the tomb in such a place.’  So I rose and accompanied her to the burial-ground and piously visited Shams al-Nahar’s tomb; after which I went my way and ceased not to await the coming of Ali bin Bakkar’s funeral.  When it arrived, the people of Baghdad went forth to meet it and I went forth with them:  and I saw the damsel among the women and she the loudest of them in lamentation, crying out and wailing with a voice that rent the vitals and made the heart ache.  Never was seen in Baghdad a finer funeral than his; and we ceased not to follow in crowds till we reached the cemetery and buried him to the mercy of Almighty Allah; nor from that time to this have I ceased to visit the tombs of Ali son of Bakkar and of Shams al-Nahar.  This, then, is their story, and Allah Almighty have mercy upon them!"[FN#219] And yet is not their tale (continued Shahrazad) more wonderful than that of King Shahriman.  The King asked her “And what was his tale?”—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

       When it was the One Hundred and Seventieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, as regards the

Tale of Kamar al Zaman,

That there was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a King called Shahriman,[FN#220] who was lord of many troops and guards, and officers, and who reigned over certain islands, known as the Khalidan Islands,[FN#221] on the borders of the land of the Persians.  But he was stricken in years and his bones were wasted, without having been blessed with a son, albeit he had four wives, daughters of Kings, and threescore concubines, with each of whom he was wont to lie one night in