It is related that El Mutelemmis[FN#94] once fled from En Numan
ben Mundhir[FN#95] and was absent so long that the folk deemed
him dead. Now he had a handsome wife, Umeimeh by name, and her
family pressed her to marry again; but she refused, for that
she loved her husband El Mutelemmis very dearly. However, they
were instant with her, because of the multitude of her suitors,
and importuned her till she at last reluctantly consented and
they married her to a man of her own tribe.
On the night of the wedding, El Mutelemmis came back and
hearing in the camp a noise of pipes and tabrets and seeing
signs of festival, asked some of the children what was toward,
to which they replied, 'They have married Umeimeh, widow of El
Mutelemmis, to such an one, and he goes in to her this night.'
When he heard this, he made shift to enter the house with the
women and saw there the bride seated on her throne. By and by,
the bridegroom came up to her, whereupon she sighed heavily and
weeping, recited the following verses:
Ah would, (but many are the shifts of good and evil fate), I
knew in what far land thou art, O Mutelemmis mine!
Now El Mutelemmis was a renowned poet: so he answered her with
the following verse:
Right near at hand, Umeimeh! Know, whene'er the caravan Halted,
I never ceased for thee with longing heart to pine.
When the bridegroom heard this, he guessed how the case stood
and went forth from among them in haste, repeating the following
verse:
I was in luck, but now I'm fall'n into the contrary. A
hospitable house and room your reknit loves enshrine!
So El Mutelemmis took his wife again and abode with her in all
delight and solace of life, till death parted them. And glory
be to Him at whose command the earth and the heavens shall
arise!
THE KHALIF HAROUN ER RESHID AND THE
PRINCESS ZUBEIDEH IN THE BATH.
The Khalif Haroun er Reshid loved the Princess Zubeideh with an
exceeding love and laid out for her a pleasaunce, in which he
made a great pool and led thither water from all sides.
Moreover, he set thereabout a screen of trees, which so grew
and interlaced over the pool, that one could go in and wash,
without being seen of any, for the thickness of the leafage. It
chanced, one day, that Zubeideh entered the garden and coming
to the basin, gazed upon its goodliness, and the limpidity of
the water and the interlacing of the trees over it pleased her.
Now it was a day of exceeding heat; so she put off her clothes
and entering the pool, which was not deep enough to cover her,
fell to pouring the water over herself from an ewer of silver.
The Khalif heard she was in the pool; so he left his palace and
came down to spy upon her, through the screen of the leaves. He
stood behind the trees and saw her naked, with all her secret
charms displayed. Presently, she became aware of him and
turning, saw him behind the trees and was ashamed that he
should see her naked. So she laid her hands on her kaze, but it
escaped from between them, by reason of its much greatness and
plumpness; and the Khalif turned and went away, wondering and
reciting the following verse: