“My vitals restless bide for very jealousy * The while my heart
     must ever show unfriendly gree: 
Yet I obeyed my heart and tore it out for him * Albe man ever
     holds his heart in amity;
And I have heard my lover drives me forth from him * But Allah
     grant my prayer of benedicite. 
In anxious care I came and sought your side this day * Naught
     shall the youth exalt save generosity.”

Then Prince Yusuf passed the letter to Ibn Ibrahim who, after receiving his hundred dinars, repaired to Al-Hayfa and greeted her[FN#257] informing her the while that her lover was about to make act of presence.—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Six Hundred and Ninety-third Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Ibn Ibrahim said to Al-Hayfa, “Verily Yusuf purposeth to visit thee after a little while.”  But when the Princess heard his words she would not believe him albeit her heart palpitated with pleasure; whereupon Ibn Ibrahim improvised to her as follows,

“O thou world-seducer and full moon bright, * Stay thy speech and
     with boon of good news requite. 
Love pledged me his word he would see thee and said, * Hie thee
     home and order the house aright. 
I awoke this morning in cark and care, * In tears distraught and
     in dire despite;
For the wrongs and farness thou doom’st me dree * Have forced my
     forces to fright-full flight.”

And when Ibn Ibrahim had ended his verse, Al-Hayfa joyed with increased and exceeding joy, and in her delight she answered him according to the rhyme and rhythm of his verse,

“O who spreadest clouds,[FN#258] Son of Ibrahim hight; * By the
     Lord who ruleth in ’Arsh his height,
By Mohammed the bestest of men and by * Th’ adorers of yore and
     the Ta-Ha’s[FN#259] might,
By Zemzem, Safa and wall Hatim[FN#260] * And Ka’abah and glories
     of Ka’abah’s site,
An this speech be sooth and my dearling come * One thousand, two
     thou- sand dinars are thy right;
And I’ll give thee a courser, O Ibrahim’s son, * Selle, stirrups
     and bridle with gold bedight;
Six turbands and robes that shall honour show * With that courser
     the colour of blackest night. 
So hold me not like the most of mankind, * Who joy the fair ones
     to twit and flyte.”