Dinarzade was no sooner awake next morning, but she called, Sister,
if you are not asleep, pray continue the fine story of the three
sisters. The sultaness remembering where she left off, addressed
herself to the sultan, and went on as follows: Sir, after Zobeide
sat down, the whole company was silent for a while; at last Safie,
sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, spoke to her sister
Amine --Dear sister, I conjure you to rise up; you know well enough
what I would say. Amine rose, and went into another closet, near to
that where the bitches were, and brought out a case covered with
yellow satin, richly embroidered with gold, and green silk: she came
near Safie, and opened the case, from whence she took a lute, and
presented it to her; and after some time spent in tuning it, Safie
began to play, and accompanying it with her voice, she sung a song
about the torments that absence creates to lovers, with so much
sweetness, that it charmed the caliph and all the company. Having
sung with a great deal of passion and action, she said to lovely
Amine, Pray take it sister, for I can do no more; my voice fails me:
oblige the company with a tune, and a song, in my room. Very
willingly, replied Amine, who, taking the lute from her sister
Safie, sat down in her place.
Amine, after some small trial, to see whether the instrument was in
tune, played and sung almost as long upon the same subject, but with
so much vehemency, and she was so much affected, or rather
transported, by the words of the song, that her strength failed her
as she made an end of it.
Zobeide, willing to testify her satisfaction, said, Sister, you have
done wonders, and we may easily see that you feel the grief you have
expressed in so lively a manner. Amine was prevented from answering
this civility, her heart being so sensibly touched at the same
moment, that she was obliged, for air, to uncover her neck and
breast, which did not appear so fair as might have been expected
from such a lady as she, but on the contrary, black and full of
scars, which frighted all the spectators. However, this gave her no
ease, but she fell into a fit. --Here Scheherazade stopped, saying,
Sir, I had almost forgot that it is day. With this she ended her
discourse, and the sultan arose from bed. And though this prince had
not resolved to defer the death of the sultaness, he could not, at
this time, have determined to take away her life; his curiosity was
so great to hear out the story, which had so many unheard-of events.