saw Luka bin Shamlut fall slain, they buffeted their faces and cried,
"Alas!" and "Woe worth the day!" and called upon the Abbots of the
monasteries and cried, "Where be the crosses?" So the Religious offered
up prayers and the Christians all drew together against Sharrkan; and,
brandishing their scymitars and lances, rushed forward to the attack.
Then army met army and breasts fell under hoof, whilst spear and sword
ruled the day and fore-arms and wrists grew weak and the coursers seemed
created without legs;[395] nor did the herald of war cease calling to
fight, till arms were aweary and day took flight and night came on with
darkness dight. So the two hosts drew apart, whilst every brave
staggered like a drunken knave, for that with so much cut and thrust
they strave; and the place was choked with the slain; fell were the
wounds and the hurt knew not by whom they fell. Then Sharrkan joined his
brother, Zau al-Makan, and the Chamberlain and the Wazir Dandan, and
said to them, "Verily Allah hath opened a door for the Infidels to fall,
praised be the Lord of the Worlds one and all!" Replied Zau al-Makan,
"Let us never cease to praise Allah, for that He hath dispelled trouble
from the Arab and the Ajam. Indeed the folk, generation after
generation, shall tell of thy derring-do against the accursed Luka, the
falsifier of the Evangel;[396] of thy catching the throw spear in
mid-flight, and how the enemy of Allah among men thou didst smite; and
thy fame shall endure until the end of time." Then said Sharrkan,
"Harkye, O grand Chamberlain and doughty Capitayne!" and he answered,
"Adsum!"[397] Quoth Sharrkan, "Take with thee the Wazir Dandan and
twenty thousand horse, and lead them seven parasangs towards the sea,
and force the march till ye shall have come near the shore, and there
remain only two parasangs between thee and the foe. Then ambush ye in
the hollows of the ground till ye hear the tumult of the Infidels
disembarking from their ships; and the war-cry from every side strike
your ear and ye know that the sabres have begun labour between us and
them; and, whenso ye see our troops falling back, as if defeated, and
all the Infidels following them, as well those in front as those from
the seaward and the tents, do ye still lie in wait for them: but as soon
as ye see the standard with the words, There is no god but _the_ God,
and Mohammed is God's Apostle (on whom be salutation and salvation!),
then up with the green banner, and do your endeavour and fall on their
rear and shout, Allaho Akbar! Allah is most Great! and circle round that
they may not interpose between the retreating army and the sea." He
replied, "To hear is to obey!"; and forthright they agreed upon this
matter and they went forth. Now the Chamberlain took with himself the
Wazir Dandan and twenty thousand men even as Sharrkan had commanded. As
soon as dawned the morn, the troops sprung to horse when they had donned
their armour-gear and drawn the scymitar and slung the spear. Then the
Christians dispread themselves over hill and dale and the
Ecclesiasts[398] cried out and all heads were bared, and those in the
ships hoisted the Cross at their mast-heads and began making for shore
from every side, and landed their horses and gat them ready for fight
and fray, whilst the sword-blades glittered bright and the javelins
glanced like leven-light on mail-shirt white; and all joined fight and
the grind-mill of Death whirled round and ground those who fought from
horse and aground: heads from bodies flew and tongues mute grew and eyes
no vision knew. Scymitars strave with utmost strain and heads flew over
the battle plain; gall-bladders clave and wrists were shorn in twain;
steeds plashed in pools of gore and beards were gripped right sore; the
host of Al-Islam called out, saying, "On the Prince of Mankind be
blessings and peace, and to the Compassionate glory and praise, which
ne'er shall cease, for His boons which aye increase;" and the host of
the Infidels shouted, "Glory to the Cross and the Belt and the
vine-prest juice, and the wine-presser and the Priests and the Monks and
the Festival of Palms and the Metropolitan!" Now Zau al-Makan and
Sharrkan held back and their troops gave way and feigned flight from
before the enemy, while the Infidel array pressed hard upon them deeming
them in rout, and made ready to foin and hew. Then the meiny of the
Moslems raised their voices, reciting the first verses of the Chapter of
the Cow,[399] whilst the dead were trampled under hoofs of steeds, and
the heralds of the Greeks cried out, "Ho, servants of the Messiah! Ho,
people of the True Faith! Ho, followers of the Primate![400] Verily
Divine grace upon you opes; for see, the hosts of Al-Islam like birds
with broken wings incline to elope! So turn ye not to them your backs,
but let your swords cleave deep in their necks and hold not your hands
from them, else are ye outcasts from the Messiah, Mary's son, who spoke
even when a cradled one!"[401] Now Afridun, King of Constantinople,
deemed that the Infidels were victorious, knowing not that this was but
a clever stratagem of the Moslems, and sent to King Hardub of Roum
congratulations on success, adding, "Availed us naught but the Holy
Merde of the Arch-Patriarch, whose fragrance exhaled from the beards and
mustachios of the slaves of the Cross near and far; and I swear, by the
Miracles of the Messiah; and by thy daughter Abrizah, the Nazarene, the
Mariolater; and by the Waters of Baptism, that I will not leave upon the
earth a single defender of Al-Islam! And to the bitter end will I carry
out this plan." So the messenger betook himself with the address to King
Hardub, whilst the Infidels called to one another saying, "Take we
vengeance-wreak for Luka!"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Ninety-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Infidels
called to one another, saying, "Take we vengeance-wreak for Luka!" while
Hardub King of Greece cried aloud, "Ho, to our revenge for Abrizah!"
Thereupon King Zau al-Makan shouted "Ho, servants of the Requiting
King!: smite the children of denial and disobedience with the blanch of
sword and the brown of spear!" So the Moslems returned to the Infidels
and plied them with the keen-edged scymitar, whilst their herald cried
aloud, "Up, and at the foes of the Faith, all ye who love the Prophet
Elect, with hope of salvation on the Day of Fear, to win favour of the
Bountiful, the Forgiving One; for verily the Garden of Paradise is under
the shadow of swords!" And behold, Sharrkan and his men charged down
upon the Infidels and cut off their retreat and wheeled and tourneyed
among the ranks; when lo! a knight of goodly presence opened a passage
through the army of Unbelievers and circled hither and thither amongst
the Deniers, cutting and thrusting and covering the ground with heads
and trunks, so that the Faithless feared him and their necks bent under
his lunge and hew. He was girt with two swords, his glances and his
brand, and he was armed with two lances, one of bamboo-cane and the
other his straight wandlike shape; and his flowing hair stood him in
stead of many warriors, even as saith the poet:—
Laud not long hair,[402] except it be dispread ✿ In two-fold locks,
on day of fight and fray,
O'er youth who bears his lance 'twixt flank and thigh, ✿ From many
a whiskered knight to win the day.
And as singeth another:—
I say to him, what while he slings his sword, ✿ "For sword shall
serve those looks that sword-like show!"
Says he, "My sabre-looks for those I love, ✿ My sword for those
who sweets of love unknow!"
When Sharrkan saw him, he said to him, "I conjure thee by the Koran and
the attributes of the Compassionate One, O Champion of the Champions!
tell me who thou art: for verily by thy deeds this day thou hast pleased
the Requiting King, whom one thing distracteth not from other thing; in
that thou hast been discomfiting the children of impiety and in
rebellion revelling." Then cried the Cavalier to him saying, "Thou art
he who madest brother-covenant with me but yesterday: how quickly thou
hast forgotten me!" Thereupon he withdrew his mouth-veil,[403] so that
what was hidden of his beauty was disclosed, and lo! it was none other
than Zau al-Makan. Then Sharrkan rejoiced in his brother, save that he
feared for him the rush of fighting and the crush of braves a-smiting;
and this for two reasons, the first, his tender age and exposure to the
evil eye, and the second, that his safety was to the kingdom the greater
of the two overshadowing wings. So he said to him, "O King! thou riskest
thy life, so join thy steed to mine; in very sooth I fear for thee from
the foe; and better thou stint hazarding thyself forth of these
squadrons, that we may shoot at the enemy thine unerring shaft." Quoth
Zau al-Makan, "I desire to even thee in fray and I will not be niggard
of myself before thee in the mellay." Then the host of Al-Islam, heaping
itself upon the Infidels, girt them on all sides, warred on them a right
Holy War, and brake the power of the children of impiety and pride and
stowre. But King Afridun sighed when he saw the evil wreak that had
fallen on the Greek, and they turned their backs from fight and
addressed themselves to flight, making for the ships, when lo! there
came out upon them from the sea-coast another host, led by the Minister
Dandan, the champion who was wont to make champions bite the dust, and
to lay load on them with cut and thrust. Nor less came forth the Emir
Bahram, Lord of the Provinces of Sham, amid twenty thousand horse
doughty of arm; and the host of Al-Islam pressed them in front and on
flank and wrought them grievous harm. Then a body of the Moslems turned
against those who in the ships remained, and perdition on them rained,
till they threw themselves into the main, and they slew of them many
slain, more than a hundred thousand noblemen, nor was one of their
champions, great or small, saved from bale and bane. Moreover, they took
their ships, with all the money and treasure and cargo, save a score of
keel, and the Moslems got that loot whose like was never gotten in
bygone years; nor was such cut and thrust ever heard of by men's
ears.[404] Now amongst the booty were fifty thousand horses, besides
treasure and spoil past reckoning and arithmetic, whereat the Moslems
rejoiced with an exceeding joy for that Allah had given them victory and
protection. Such was the case with them; but as regards the fugitive
Infidels they soon reached Constantinople, whither the tidings preceded
them that King Afridun had prevailed over the Moslems; so quoth the
ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi, "I know that my son Hardub, King of Roum,
is no runagate and that he feareth not the Islamitic hosts, but will
restore the whole world to the Nazarene faith." Then she bade the Great
King, Afridun, give command that the city be decorated, and the people
held festival high and drank their wines drunkenly and knew not the
decrees of Destiny. Now whilst they were in the midst of their
rejoicings, behold, the raven of dule and downfall croaked over them,
and up came the twenty fugitive ships wherein was the King of Cæsarea.
So King Afridun, Lord of Constantinople, met them on the sea-shore, and
they told him all that had befallen them from the Moslem, and they wept
sore and groaned and moaned; and rejoicing at weal was turned into
dismay for unheal; and they informed him concerning Luka son of Shamlut,
how calamity had betided him and how Death had shot him with his shaft.
Thereat the horrors of Doomday rose upon King Afridun,[405] and he knew
that there was no making straight their crook. Then came up from them
the sound of weeping and wailing; the city was full of men mourning and
the keeners were keening, and sighs and cries were heard from all sides.
And when King Hardub of Greece met King Afridun he told him the truth of
the case and how the flight of the Moslems was by way of stratagem and
deceit, and said to him, "Look not to see any of the army, save those
who have already reached thee." When King Afridun heard these words he
fell down in a fainting fit, with his nose under his feet; and, as soon
as he revived, he exclaimed, "Surely the Messiah was wroth with them
that he caused the Moslems to prevail over them!" Then came the
Arch-Patriarch sadly to the King who said to him, "O our father,
annihilation hath overtaken our army and the Messiah hath punished us!"
Replied the Patriarch, "Grieve not nor feel concerned, for it cannot be
but that one of you have sinned against the Messiah, and all have been
punished for his offence; but now we will read prayers for you in the
churches, that the Mohammedan hosts may be repelled from you." After
which the old woman, Zat al-Dawahi, came to Afridun and said to him, "O
King, verily the Moslem hosts are many, and we shall never overcome them
save by wile: wherefor I purpose to work upon them by guile and repair
to this army of Al-Islam, haply I may win my wish of their leader and
slay their champion, even as I slew his father. If my stratagem succeed
in his case, not one of the host he leads shall return to his native
land, for all are strong only because of him; but I desire to have some
Christian dwellers of Syria, such as go out every month and year to sell
their goods, that they may help me (for this they can do) in carrying
out my plan." Replied the King, "Be it so whenever thou wilt." So she
bade fetch an hundred men, natives of Najrán,[406] in Sham, and the King
asked them, "Have ye not heard what hath befallen the Christians with
the Moslems?" "Yes," answered they; and he rejoined, "Know ye that this
woman hath devoted her life to the Messiah and purposeth to go forth
with you, disguised as Monotheists and Mohammedans, to work out a device
which shall profit us and hinder the Moslem from us: say, then, are ye
also willing to devote yourselves to the Anointed and I will give you a
quintal of gold?[407] He of you who escapeth shall have the money, and
him of you who dieth will the Messiah reward." "O King," replied they,
"we will devote our lives to the Messiah, and we will be thy sacrifice."
Thereupon the old woman took all she required of aromatic roots and
placed them in water which she boiled over the fire till the black
essence of them was extracted. She waited till the decoction was cold,
then dipped the corner of a long kerchief therein and stained her face
therewith. Moreover, she donned over her clothes a long gaberdine with
an embroidered border and took in her hand a rosary, and afterwards went
in to King Afridun, who knew her not, nor did any of his companions know
her, till she discovered herself to them: and there was none in the
assembly but who thanked and praised her for her cunning; and her son
rejoiced and said, "May the Messiah never fail thee!" Thereupon she took
with her the Syrian Christians, and set out for the army of Baghdad.—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Ninety-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Afridun
heard these words, he fell into a fainting-fit with his nose under his
feet; and, as soon as he revived, fear fluttered the scrotum[408] below
his belly and he complained to the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi. Now this
accursed old woman was a witch of the witches, past mistress in sorcery
and deception; wanton and wily, deboshed and deceptious; with foul
breath, red eyelids, yellow cheeks, dull-brown face, eyes bleared, mangy
body, hair grizzled, back humped, skin withered and wan and nostrils
which ever ran. But she had studied the scriptures of Al-Islam and had
made the Pilgrimage to the Holy House of Meccah and all this that she
might come to the knowledge of the Mohammedan ordinances and the
miraculous versets of the Koran; and she had professed Judaism in the
Holy City of Jerusalem[409] for two years' space, that she might master
the magic of men and demons; so that she was a plague of plagues and a
pest of pests, wrong-headed as to belief and to no religion lief. Now
the chief reason of her sojourn with her son, King Hardub of Greece, was
on account of the slave virgins at his court: for she was given to
tribadism[410] and could not exist without sapphism or she went mad: so
if any damsel pleased her, she was wont to teach her the art of rubbing
clitoris against clitoris and would anoint her with saffron[411] till
she fainted away for excess of volupty. Whoso obeyed her she was wont to
favour and make her son incline towards her; but whoso repelled her she
would contrive to destroy; and so she abode for a length of time. This
was known to Marjanah and Rayhánah and Utrijah, the handmaids of
Abrizah, and their Princess loathed the old woman and abhorred to lie
with her, because of the rank smell from her armpits, the stench of her
fizzles more fetid than carrion, and the roughness of her hide coarser
than palm fibre. She was wont to bribe those who rubbed parts with her
by means of jewels and instructions; but Abrizah held aloof from her and
sought refuge with the Omnipotent, the Omniscient; for, by Allah, right
well quoth the poet:—
[Illustration]
Ho thou who grovellest low before the great ✿ Nor over-lording
lesser men dost blench,
Who gildest dross by dirham-gathering, ✿ No ottar-scent
disguises carrion-stench!
And now to return to the story of her stratagem and the woes of her
working. Presently she departed, taking the chief Nazarenes with their
hosts, and turned towards the army of the Moslems. Whereupon King Hardub
went in to King Afridun and said to him, "O King, we have no need of the
Chief Patriarch nor of his prayers, but will consult my mother's counsel
and observe what she will do with her craft unending against the Moslem
hosts; for these are marching with all their power, they will soon be
upon us and they will encircle us on all sides." When King Afridun heard
this, terror took hold upon his heart and he wrote letters, without stay
or delay, to all the nations of the Nazarenes, saying, "It behoveth none
of the Messiahites or Cross-knights to hold back, especially the folk of
the strongholds and forts: but let them all come to us, foot and horse,
women and children, for the Moslem hosts already tread our soil. So
haste! haste ye! ere what we fear to us here appear." Thus much
concerning them; but regarding the work of the old woman, Zat al-Dawahi;
when she went forth from the city with her suite, she clad them in the
clothing of Moslem merchants, having provided herself with an hundred
mules carrying stuffs of Antioch, such as goldwoven satins and royal
brocades and so forth. And she had taken a letter from King Afridun to
the following effect:—"These be merchantmen from the land of Sham who
have been with us: so it befitteth none to do them harm or hindrance,
nor take tax and tithe of them, till they reach their homes and safe
places, for by merchants a country flourisheth, and these are no men of
war nor of ill-faith." Then quoth the accursed Zat al-Dawahi to those
with her, "Verily I wish to work out a plot for the destruction of the
Moslem." Replied they, "O Queen, command us whatso thou wilt; we are at
thy disposal and may the Messiah never disappoint thy dealings!" Then
she donned a gown of fine white wool and rubbed her forehead, till she
made a great mark as of a scar and anointed it with an ointment of her
own fashion, so that it shone with prodigious sheen. Now the old hag was
lean-bodied and hollow-eyed, and she bound her legs tightly round with
cords[412] just above her feet, till she drew near the Moslem camp, when
she unwound them, leaving their marks deeply embedded in her ankles.
Then she anointed the wheals with dragon's blood and bade her companions
beat her with a severe beating, and set her in a chest and, quoth she,
"Cry abroad the Refrain of Unity,[413] nor fear from it aught of
damage!" Replied they, "How can we beat thee, who be our sovereign lady,
Zat al-Dawahi, mother of the King we glory in?" Then said she, "We blame
not nor deal reproach to him who goeth to the jakes, and in need evil
becometh good deed. When ye have set me in the chest, take it and make
it one of the bales and place it on mule-back and fare forth with it and
the other goods through the Moslem camp, and fear ye no blame. And if
any of the Moslems hinder you, give up the mules and their lading and
betake yourselves to their King, Zau al-Makan, and implore his
protection saying:—We were in the land of the Infidels and they took
nothing from us, but wrote us a passport, that none shall do us
hindrance or work our mischance. If he ask you, What profit had ye of
your property in the land of Roum? answer him:—We profited in the
deliverance of a pious man, who had been bound down in an underground
cell nigh fifteen years, crying out for help yet none helped him. Nay,
the Infidels tortured him night and day. We knew not this; but, after we
had tarried in Constantinople for some time, having sold our goods and
bought others in their stead, we determined on and made ready for a
return to our native land. We spent that night conversing about our
journey, and when day broke, we saw figured upon the wall a human form;
and as we drew nigh it, behold, it moved and said:—O Moslems, is there
amongst you one who is minded to woo the favour of the Lord of the three
Worlds?[414] How so? asked we; and the figure answered:—Know that Allah
hath made me speak to you, to the intent that your faith be fortified,
and that your belief embolden you and that you may go forth of the
country of the Infidels and repair to the Moslem host; for with them
wones the Sword of the Compassionate One, of our Age the Champion, King
Sharrkan, by whom He shall conquer Constantinople town and destroy the
sect of the Nazarene. And when ye shall have journeyed three days, you
will find an hermitage known as the Hermitage of the ascetic
Matruhina[415] and containing a cell; visit it with pure intent and
contrive to arrive there by force of will, for therein is a Religious
from the Holy City, Jerusalem, by name Abdullah, and he is one of the
devoutest of mankind, endowed with the power of working saintly
miracles[416] such as dispel doubts and obscurity. Certain of the monks
seized him by fraud and shut him up in a souterrain where he hath lain a
long time. By his deliverance you will please the Lord of Faithful Men,
for such release is better than fighting for the Faith." Now when the
ancient dame and those with her had agreed upon such words, she said,
"As soon as that which I impart shall reach the ears of King Sharrkan,
say him further:—Hearing this from that image we knew that the holy
man"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Ninety-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old
woman, Zat al-Dawahi, and those with her had agreed upon such words, she
said, "Now as soon as that which I impart shall reach the ears of King
Sharrkan say him further:—Hearing these words from that image we knew
that the holy man was indeed of the chiefest devotees and Allah's
servants of purest qualities; so we made three days' march till we came
in sight of that hermitage, and then we went up to it and passed the day
in buying and selling, as is the wont of merchants. As soon as day had
departed our sight and night was come to darken light, we repaired to
the cell wherein was the dungeon, and we heard the holy man, after
chanting some verses of the Koran, repeat the following couplets:—
My heart disheartened is, my breast is strait, ✿ And sinks my soul
in sea of bale and bate:
Unless escape be near I soon shall die; ✿ And Death were better
than this doleful strait:
O Lightning an thou light my home and folk, ✿ An their still
brighter charms thy shine abate,
Say, what my path to meet them, being barred ✿ By wars; and
barricado'd succour's gate?"
"When once ye have brought me into the Moslem camp, and I mix with them
you shall see," the old woman continued, "how I will make shift to
beguile them and slay them all, even to the last man." The Nazarenes
hearing what she said, kissed her hands and set her in the chest, after
they had beaten her with a grievous beating in obedience to her
commands, for they saw it was incumbent on them to do her bidding in
this; then they all made for the Moslem host as hath erst been said.
Such was the case with the damned hag, Zat al-Dawahi and her companions;
but as regards the Mohammedan army, they indeed, after Allah had given
them victory over their enemies and they had plundered everything in the
ships of money and hoards, all sat down to converse with one another and
Zau al-Makan said to his brother Sharrkan, "Verily, Allah hath granted
us to prevail because of our just dealing and discipline and concord
amongst ourselves; wherefore continue, O Sharrkan, to obey my
commandment, in submission to Allah (be He exalted and extolled!), for I
mean to slay ten Kings in blood-revenge for my sire, to cut the throat
of fifty thousand Greeks and to enter Constantinople." Replied Sharrkan,
"My life be thy ransom against death! Needs must I follow out the Holy
War, though I wone many a year in their country. But I have, O my
brother, in Damascus a daughter, named Kuzia Fakan, whom I love
heartily, for she is one of the marvels of the time and she will soon be
of age." Said Zau al-Makan, "And I also have left my wife with child and
near her time, nor do I know what Allah will vouchsafe me by her. But
promise me, O my brother, that if Allah bless me with a son, thou wilt
grant me thy daughter for wife to him, and make covenant with me and
pledge me thy faith thereon." "With love and good will," replied
Sharrkan; and, stretching out his hand to his brother, he said, "If she
bring thee a son, I will give him my daughter Kuzia Fakan, to wife." At
this Zau al-Makan rejoiced, and they fell to congratulating each other
on the victory over the enemy. And the Wazir Dandan also congratulated
the two brothers and said to them, "Know, O ye Kings, that Allah hath
given us the victory, for that we have devoted our lives to Him (be He
exalted and extolled!); and we have left our homes and households; and
it is my counsel that we follow up the foe and press upon him and harass
him; so haply Allah shall enable us to win our wishes, and we shall
destroy our enemies, branch and root. If it please you, do ye go down in
these ships and sail over the sea, whilst we fare forward by land and
bear the brunt of battle and the thrust of fight." And the Minister
Dandan ceased not to urge them to combat and repeated his words who
said:—
To slay my foes is chiefest bliss I wist, ✿ And on the courser's
back be borne a-list;
Comes promising tryst a messenger from friend ✿ Full oft, when
comes the friend withouten tryst.
And these words of another:—
War for my mother (an I live) I'll take; ✿ Spear for my
brother; scymitar for sire,
With every shag-haired brave who meets his death ✿ Smiling, till
won from Doom his dear desire!
And when the Wazir ended his verses, he said, "Praise be to Him who
aided us dear victory to uphold and who hath given us spoil of silver
and fine gold!" Then Zau al-Makan commanded the army to depart; and they
fared on forcing their marches for Constantinople, till they came to a
wide and spacious champaign, full of all things fair and fain, with wild
cattle frisking and gazelles pacing to and fro across the plain. Now
they had traversed great deserts and drink had been six days cut off
from them, when they drew near this meadow and saw therein waters
founting and ripe fruits flaunting and that land as it were Paradise;
for it had donned its adornments and decked itself.[417] Gently waved
the branches of its trees drunken with the new wine of the dew, and
combined with the nectar of Tasnim the soft breathings of the morning
breeze. Mind and gazer were confounded by its beauty, even as saith the
poet:—
Behold this lovely garden! 'tis as though ✿ Spring o'er its frame
her greeny cloak had spread.
Looking with fleshly eyne, thou shalt but sight ✿ A lake whose
waters balance in their bed;
But look with spirit-eyes and lo! shalt see ✿ Glory in every
leaf o'erwaves thy head.
And as another saith:—
The stream's a cheek by sunlight rosy dyed, ✿ Whose down[418]
is creeping shade of tamarisk-stems;
Round legs of tree-trunks wavelets roll in rings ✿ Silvern,
and blossoms are the diadems.