In every rejoicing a boon[FN#232] midst the singers and minstrels
     am I;
The folk witness bear of my worth and none can my virtues deny. 
My virtues ’mongst men are extolled and my glory and station rank
     high.

Her verses pleased the kings of the Jinn and they said, ’By Allah, thou sayst sooth!’ Then she rose to her feet, with the lute in her hand, and played and sang, whilst the Jinn and the Sheikh Aboultawaif danced.  Then the latter came up to her and gave her a carbuncle he had taken from the hidden treasure of Japhet, son of Noah (on whom be peace), and which was worth the kingdom of the world; its light was as the light of the sun and he said to her, ’Take this and glorify thyself withal over[FN#233] the people of the world.’  She kissed his hand and rejoiced in the jewel and said, ’By Allah, this beseemeth none but the Commander of the Faithful.’

Now the dancing of Iblis pleased Queen Es Shuhba and she said to him, ‘By Allah, this is a goodly dancing!’ He thanked her for this and said to Tuhfeh, ’O Tuhfeh, there is not on the face of the earth a skilfuller than Ishac en Nedim; but thou art more skilful than he.  Indeed, I have been present with him many a time and have shown him passages[FN#234] on the lute, and there have betided me such and such things with him.[FN#235] Indeed, the story of my dealings with him is a long one and this is no time to repeat it; but now I would fain show thee a passage on the lute, whereby thou shall be exalted over all the folk.’  Quoth she to him, ‘Do what seemeth good to thee.’  So he took the lute and played thereon on wondrous wise, with rare divisions and extraordinary modulations, and showed her a passage she knew not; and this was liefer to her than all that she had gotten.  Then she took the lute from him and playing thereon, [sang and] presently returned to the passage that he had shown her; and he said, ’By Allah, thou singest better than I!’ As for Tuhfeh, it was made manifest to her that her former usance[FN#236] was all of it wrong and that what she had learnt from the Sheikh Aboultawaif Iblis was the origin and foundation [of all perfection] in the art.  So she rejoiced in that which she had gotten of [new skill in] touching the lute far more than in all that had fallen to her lot of wealth and raiment and kissed the Sheikh’s hand.

Then said Queen Es Shuhba, ’By Allah, O Sheikh, my sister Tuhfeh is indeed unique among the folk of her time, and I hear that she singeth upon all sweet- scented flowers.’  ‘Yes, O my lady,’ answered Iblis, ’and I am in the utterest of wonderment thereat.  But there remaineth somewhat of sweet-scented flowers, that she hath not besung, such as the myrtle and the tuberose and the jessamine and the moss-rose and the like.’  Then he signed to her to sing upon the rest of the flowers, that Queen Es Shuhba might hear, and she said, ‘Hearkening and obedience.’  So she took the lute and played thereon in many modes, then returned to the first mode and sang the following verses: