Presently, the Sultan’s daughter came forth and went round about the city and its thoroughfares and diverted herself by viewing it; then she repaired to the bath and when she came thither, she lifted her face-veil, as she entered; whereupon her face shone out, as it were the resplendent sun or a precious pearl, and she was as saith of her one of her describers: 

Who sprinkled the kohl of enchantment upon her eyes
     And gathered the bloom of the rose from her cheeks,
fruit-wise? 
And who was it let down the curtained night of her hair
     And eke through its glooms made the light of her forehead
rise?

When she raised the veil from her face and Alaeddin saw her, he said, “Verily, her fashion glorifieth the Great Creator and extolled be the perfection of Him who made her and graced her with this beauty and goodliness!” And his back was cloven in sunder, [FN#321] when he saw her; his thought was confounded and his understanding [FN#322] dazed and the love of her gat hold upon his whole heart; so he turned back and returning home, went in to his mother, like one distraught.  She bespoke him and he answered her neither yea nor nay; then she brought him the morning-meal, as he abode on this wise, and said to him, “O my son, what hath betided thee?  Doth there ail thee aught?  Tell me what hath befallen thee, for that, against thy wont, I bespeak thee and thou answerest me not.”

Now Alaeddin had been used to think that women were all like his mother and he had heard of the beauty of the Lady Bedrulbudour, daughter of the Sultan, but had not known what beauty and grace were; so he turned to his mother and said to her, “Leave me;” but she was instant with him to come and eat.  Accordingly, he came forward and ate a little; then, rising, he threw himself on his bed and lay musing till break of morn; and on this wise he abode all next day.  His mother was perplexed at his case, unknowing what had befallen him, and bethought herself that belike he was sick; so she came up to him and questioned him, saying, “O my son, an thou feel aught of pain or otherwhat, tell me, that I may go fetch thee a physician, more by token there is presently in the city a physician from the land of the Arabs, whom the Sultan hath sent to bring hither, and report saith of him that he is exceeding skilful; so [tell me] if thou art sick, that I may go and call him to thee.”

When [FN#323] Alaeddin heard his mother offer to fetch him the physician, he said to her, “O my mother, I am well and not sick, but I had thought that women were all like unto thee.  However, yesterday, I saw the Lady Bedrulbudour, the Sultan’s daughter, as she went to the bath;” and he told her all that had happened to him, adding, “And most like thou heardest the crier proclaiming that none should open his shop nor stand in the road, so the Lady Bedrulbudour might pass to the bath; but I saw her even as she is, for that, when she came to the door of the bath, she lifted her veil, and when I noted her favour and viewed that noble form of hers, there befell me, O my mother, a passion of yearning for love of her and desire of her [FN#324] usurped mine every part; nor can I ever more have ease, except I get her, and I purpose, therefore, to demand her of the Sultan her father in the way of law and righteousness.”