sweareth not but by thy life; and her life is not pleasant to her, except she come to thee and see thee, what while thou seest her not.  As for me, I come to thee upon an affair, wherein thou shall find thine advantage and whereby thou shalt rise to high rank with the kings of the Jinn and rule them, even as thou rulest mankind; [and to that end I would have thee come with me and be present at the festival of my son’s circumcision;[FN#196]] for that the Jinn are agreed upon the manifestation of thine affair.’  And she answered, ’In the name of God.’

So she gave him the lute and he forewent her, till he came to the house of easance, and behold, therein was a door and a stairway.  When Tuhfeh saw this, her reason fled; but Iblis cheered her with discourse.  Then he descended the stair and she followed him to the bottom thereof, where she found a passage and they fared on therein, till they came to a horse standing, Teady saddled and bridled and accoutred.  Quoth Iblis, ’[Mount], in the name of God, O my lady Tuhfeh;’ and he held the stirrup for her.  So she mounted and the horse shook under her and putting forth wings, flew up with her, whilst the old man flew by her side; whereat she was affrighted and clung to the pummel of the saddle; nor was it but an hour ere they came to a fair green meadow, fresh-flowered as if the soil thereof were a goodly robe, embroidered with all manner colours.

Midmost that meadow was a palace soaring high into the air, with battlements of red gold, set with pearls and jewels, and a two-leaved gate; and in the gateway thereof were much people of the chiefs of the Jinn, clad in sumptuous apparel.  When they saw the old man, they all cried out, saying, ’The Lady Tuhfeh is come!’ And as soon as she reached the palace-gate, they came all and dismounting her from the horse’s back, carried her into the palace and fell to kissing her hands.  When she entered, she beheld a palace whereof never saw eyes the like; for therein were four estrades, one facing other, and its walls were of gold and its ceilings of silver.  It was lofty of building, wide of continence, and those who beheld it would be puzzled to describe it.  At the upper end of the hall stood a throne of red gold, set with pearls and jewels, unto which led up five steps of silver, and on the right thereof and on its left were many chairs of gold and silver; and over the dais was a curtain let down, gold and silver wrought and broidered with pearls and jewels.

The old man carried Tuhfeh up [to the dais and seated her] on a chair of gold beside the throne, whilst she was amazed at that which she saw in that place and magnified her Lord (extolled be His perfection and exalted be He!) and hallowed Him.  Then the kings of the Jinn came up to the throne and seated themselves thereon; and they were in the semblance of mortals, excepting two of them, who were in the semblance of the Jinn, with eyes slit endlong and jutting horns and projecting tusks.  After this there came up a young lady, fair of favour and pleasant of parts; the light of her face outshone that of the flambeaux, and about her were other three women, than whom there were no fairer on the face of the earth.  They saluted Tuhfeh and she rose to them and kissed the earth before them; whereupon they embraced her and sat down on the chairs aforesaid.