Presently, she heard a blowing behind her; so she turned and behold, a head without a body and with eyes slit endlong; it was of the bigness of an elephant’s head and bigger and had a mouth as it were an oven and projecting tusks, as they were grapnels, and hair that trailed upon the earth.  So Tuhfeh said, ’I take refuge with God from Satan the Stoned!’ and recited the Two Amulets;[FN#217] what while the head drew near her and said to her, ’Peace be upon thee, O princess of Jinn and men and unique pearl of her age and her time!  May God still continue thee on life, for all the lapsing of the days, and reunite thee with thy lord the Imam!’[FN#218] ‘And upon thee be peace,’ answered she, ‘O thou whose like I have not seen among the Jinn!’ Quoth the head, ’We are a people who avail not to change their favours and we are called ghouls.  The folk summon us to their presence, but we may not present ourselves before them [without leave].  As for me, I have gotten leave of the Sheikh Aboultawaif to present myself before thee and I desire of thy favour that thou sing me a song, so I may go to thy palace and question its haunters[FN#219] concerning the plight of thy lord after thee and return to thee; and know, O Tuhfet es Sudour, that between thee and thy lord is a distance of fifty years’ journey to the diligent traveller.’  ‘Indeed,’ rejoined Tuhfeh, ’thou grievest me [for him] between whom and me is fifty years’ journey.  And the head said to her, ’Be of good heart and cheerful eye, for the kings of the Jinn will restore thee to him in less than the twinkling of an eye.’  Quoth she,’ I will sing thee an hundred songs, so thou wilt bring me news of my lord and that which hath befallen him after me.’  And the head answered, saying, ’Do thou favour me and sing me a song, so I may go to thy lord and bring thee news of him, for that I desire, before I go, to hear thy voice, so haply my thirst[FN#220] may be quenched.’  So she took the lute and tuning it, sang the following verses: 

They have departed; but the steads yet full of them remain:  Yea,
     they have left me, but my heart of them doth not complain. 
My heart bereavement of my friends forebode; may God of them The
     dwellings not bereave, but send them timely home again! 
Though they their journey’s goal, alas I have hidden, in their
     track Still will I follow on until the very planets wane. 
Ye sleep; by Allah, sleep comes not to ease my weary lids; But
     from mine eyes, since ye have passed away, the blood doth
     rain. 
The railers for your loss pretend that I should patient be: 
     ‘Away!’ I answer them:  ’ ’tis I, not you, that feel the
     pain.’ 
What had it irked them, had they’d ta’en farewell of him they’ve
     left Lone, whilst estrangement’s fires within his entrails
     rage amain? 
Great in delight, beloved mine, your presence is with me; Yet
     greater still the miseries of parting and its bane. 
Ye are the pleasaunce of my soul; or present though you be Or
     absent from me, still my heart and thought with you remain.