The Six Hundred and Ninety-fourth 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 Al-Hayfa repaired to the saloon of seance, she and Yusuf, and summoned Ibn Ibrahim and bade the handmaids bring everything that was in the closet.  They obeyed her bidding and fetched her all the contents, amongst which were ten robes of honour and three coffers of silk and fine linen and a packet of musk and a parcel of rubies and pearls and jacinths and corals and similar objects of high price.  And she conferred the whole of this upon Mohammed ibn Ibrahim, the while improvising these verses,

“We are noblest of lords amongst men of might; * What we give and
     largesse bring the most delight: 
And when we strive with our hearts and souls * We strive in
     public nor rue our plight. 
With me the pact no regret shall breed * Save in head of
     suspecting envying wight. 
I am none who riseth sans bounteous deed; * I am none who giveth
     with felon sprite.”

And when Al-Hayfa had ended her poetry, Prince Yusuf largessed[FN#263] Ibn Ibrahim and said to him, “Thou shalt have on my part one thousand dinars and twenty robes of brocade and an hundred she-camels and eighty horses (whereof the meanest is worth five hundred gold pieces and each is saddled with a golden selle), and lastly forty handmaids.”  After which he began to improvise these couplets,

“Good signeth man to sight and all men see * Sahl’s son is lord
     of liberality: 
Time and the world and mortals one and all * Witness my goodness
     and for aye agree: 
Who comes for purpose him I gratify * With boons, though ’twere
     with eyen-light of me: 
I back my neighbour whenas harmed by * Dolour of debt and
     foeman’s tyranny: 
Whoso hath moneys lacking liberal mind * Though he snatch Fortune
     ’mid the vile is he.”

And when Yusuf had finished his verse, Ibn Ibrahim arose and bussed his hands and feet and cried, “Allah dole to thee all thou desirest.”  The other replied, “When thou shalt return to our city, do thou go to my quarters and therefrom take thee whatso I have promised.”  Then the Prince and Princess waxed assiduous in the eating of meat and the drinking of wine; and this continued for many successive months[FN#264] until Ibn Ibrahim craved leave to visit his folk; and, when he received permission, he took with him that was light in weight and weighty of worth.  And as he set forth, Al-Hayfa said to him, “When thou shalt return to thy people in safety, do thou salute for me my sire and name to him a certain stallion which same he shall largesse to thee and likewise