The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 4 | Page 5

she is thy handmaid." So he wedded and went in unto Naomi and loved
her; and two[FN#4] years passed over them whilst in this condition, nor
was there in all Cufa a fairer girl than Naomi, or a sweeter or a more

graceful. As she grew up she learnt the Koran and read works of
science and excelled in music and playing upon all kinds of instruments;
and in the beauty of her singing she surpassed all the folk of her time.
Now one day as she sat with her husband in the wine chamber, she took
the lute, tightened the strings, and sang these two couplets,
"While thou'rt my lord whose bounty's my estate, * A sword whereby
my woes to annihilate, Recourse I never need to Amru or Zayd,[FN#5]
* Nor aught save thee if way to me grow strait!"
Ni'amah was charmed with these verses and said to her, "By my life, O
Naomi, sing to us with the tambourine and other instruments!" So she
sang these couplets to a lively measure,
"By His life who holds my guiding rein, I swear * I'll meet on love
ground parlous foe nor care: Good sooth I'll vex revilers, thee obey *
And quit my slumbers and all joy forswear: And for thy love I'll dig in
vitals mine * A grave, nor shall my vitals weet 'tis there!"
And Ni'amah exclaimed, "Heaven favoured art thou, O Naomi!" But
whilst they led thus the most joyous life, behold! Al-Hajjáj,[FN#6] the
Viceroy of Cufa said to himself, "Needs must I contrive to take this girl
named Naomi and send her to the Commander of the Faithful, Abd
al-Malik bin Marwán, for he hath not in his palace her like for beauty
and sweet singing." So he summoned an old woman of the duennas of
his wives and said to her, "Go to the house of Al-Rabi'a and foregather
with the girl Naomi and combine means to carry her off; for her like is
not to be found on the face of the earth." She promised to do his
bidding; the next morning she donned the woollen clothes of a devotee
and hung around her neck a rosary of beads by the thousand; and,
henting in hand a staff and a leather water bottle of Yamani
manufacture.-- And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Two Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman
promised to do the bidding of Al-Hajjaj, and whenas it was morning

she donned the woollen clothes of a devotee[FN#7] and hung around
her neck a rosary of beads by the thousand and hent in hand a staff and
a leather water bottle of Yamani manufacture and fared forth crying,
"Glory be to Allah! Praised be Allah! There is no god but the God!
Allah is Most Great! There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great!" Nor did she leave off her lauds and her
groaning in prayer whilst her heart was full of guile and wiles, till she
came to the house of Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a at the hour of noon prayer,
and knocked at the door. The doorkeeper opened and said to her, "What
dost thou want?" Quoth she, "I am a poor pious woman, whom the time
of noon prayer hath overtaken, and fief would I pray in this blessed
place." Answered the porter, "O old woman, this is no mosque nor
oratory, but the house of Ni'amah son of al Rabi'a." She replied, "I
know there is neither cathedral-mosque nor oratory like the house of
Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a. I am a chamberwoman of the palace of the
Prince of True Believers and am come out for worship and the
visitation of Holy Places." But the porter rejoined, "Thou canst not
enter;" and many words passed between them, till at last she caught
hold and hung to him saying, "Shall the like of me be denied admission
to the house of Ni'amah bin al-Rabi'a, I who have free access to the
houses of Emirs and Grandees?" Anon, out came Ni'amah and, hearing
their loud language, laughed and bade the old woman enter after him.
So she followed him into the presence of Naomi, whom she saluted
after the godliest and goodliest fashion, and, when she looked on her,
she was confounded at her exceeding seemliness and said to her, "O my
lady, I commend thee to the safeguard of Allah, who made thee and thy
lord fellows in beauty and loveliness!" Then she stood up in the prayer
niche and betook herself to inclination and prostration and prayer, till
day departed and night darkened and starkened, when Naomi said