Then they arose and went up to the palace, whereupon the trays of food were brought and they ate and drank; after which quoth Queen Es Shuhba, ’O Tuhfeh, sing to us, by way of thankoffering for thy deliverance, and favour us with that which shall solace our minds, for that indeed my mind hath been occupied with thee.’  Quoth Tuhfeh ‘Hearkening and obedience, O my lady.’  So she improvised and sang the following verses: 

Wind of the East, if thou pass by the land where my loved ones
     dwell, I pray, The fullest of greetings bear to them from
     me, their lover, and say
That I am the pledge of passion still and that my longing love
     And eke my yearning do overpass all longing that was aye.

Therewithal Queen Es Shuhba rejoiced and all who were present rejoiced also and admired her speech and fell to kissing her; and when she had made an end of her song, Queen Kemeriyeh said to her, ’O my sister, ere thou go to thy palace, I would fain bring thee to look upon El Anca, daughter of Behram Gour, whom El Anca, daughter of the wind, carried off, and her beauty; for that there is not her match on the face of the earth.’  And Queen Es Shuhba said, ‘O Kemeriyeh, I [also] have a mind to see her.’  Quoth Kemeriyeh, ’I saw her three years agone; but my sister Wekhimeh seeth her at all times, for that she is near unto her, and she saith that there is not in the world a fairer than she.  Indeed, this Queen El Anca is become a byword for loveliness and proverbs are made upon her beauty and grace’ And Wekhimeh said, ’By the mighty inscription [on the seal-ring of Solomon], there is not her like in the world!’ Then said Queen Es Shuhba, ’If it needs must be and the affair is as ye say, I will take Tuhfeh and go with her [to El Anca], so she may see her.’

So they all arose and repaired to El Anca, who abode in the Mountain Caf.[FN#248] When she saw them, she rose to them and saluted them, saying, ’O my ladies, may I not be bereaved of you!’ Quoth Wekhimeh to her, ’Who is like unto thee, O Anca?  Behold, Queen Es Shuhba is come to thee.’  So El Anca kissed the queen’s feet and lodged them in her palace; whereupon Tuhfeh came up to her and fell to kissing her and saying, ’Never saw I a goodlier than this favour.’  Then she set before them somewhat of food and they ate and washed their hands; after which Tuhfeh took the lute and played excellent well; and El Anca also played, and they fell to improvising verses in turns, whilst Tuhfeh embraced El Anca every moment.  Quoth Es Shuhba, ’O my sister, each kiss is worth a thousand dinars;’ and Tuhfeh answered, ’Indeed, a thousand dinars were little for it.’  Whereat El Anca laughed and on the morrow they took leave of her and went away to Meimoun’s palace.[FN#249]