mentioned and whom I love and of whom I boast，the bet shall be shine against me；but if my beloved prove the handsomer the bet shall be mine against thee.'Quoth Dahnash the Ifrit，'O my lady，I accept this thy wager and am satisfied thereat；so come with me to the Islands.'Quoth Maymunah；'No！ for the abode of my beloved is nearer than the abode of shine：here it is under us；so come down with me to see my beloved and after we will go look upon thy mistress.'I hear and I obey，'said Dahnash. So they descended to earth and alighted in the saloon which the tower contained；then Maymunah stationed Dahnash beside the bed and，putting out her hand，drew back the silken coverlet from Kamar alZaman's face，when it glittered and glistened and shimmered and shone like the rising sun. She gazed at him for a moment，then turning sharply round upon Dahnash said，'Look，O accursed，and be not the basest of madmen；I am a maid，yet my heart he hath waylaid.'
So Dahnash looked at the Prince and long continued gazing steadfastly on him then，shaking his head，said to Maymunah，'By Allah，O my lady，thou art excusable；but there is yet another thing to be considered，and this is，that the estate female differeth from the male. By Allah's might，this thy beloved is the likest of all created things to my mistress in beauty and loveliness and grace and perfection；and it is as though they were both cast alike in the mould of seemlihead.'Now when Maymunah heard these words，the light became darkness in her sight and she dealt him with her wing so fierce a buffet on the head as wellnigh made an end of him. Then quoth she to him，'I conjure thee，by the light of his glorious countenance，go at once，O accursed，and bring hither thy mistress whom thou lovest so fondly and foolishly，and return in haste that we may lay the twain together and look on them both as they lie asleep side by side；so shall it appear to us which be the goodlier and more beautiful of the two. Except thou obey me this very moment，O accursed，I will dart my sparks at thee with my fire and consume thee；yea，in pieces I will rend thee and into the deserts cast thee，that to stay at home and wayfarer an example thou be！'
Quoth Dahnash，'O my lady，I will do thy behests，for I know forsure that my mistress is the fairer and the sweeter.'So saying the If rit flew away and Maymunah flew with him to guard him. They were absent awhile and presently returned，bearing the young lady，who was clad in a shift of fine Venetian silk，with a double edging of gold and purfled with the most exquisite of embroidery having these couplets worked upon the ends of the sleeves，'Three matters hinder her from visiting us，in fear
Of hatefull，slandering envier and his hired spies：
The shining light of brow，the trinkets'tinkling voice，
And scent of essences that tell whene'er she tries：
Gi'en that she hide her brow with edge of sleeve，and leave
At home her trinketry，how shall her scent disguise？'[251]
And Dahnash and Maymunah stinted not bearing that young lady till they had carried her into the saloon and had laid her beside the youth Kamar alZaman.And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Eightyfirst Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the Ifrit Dahnash and the Ifritah Maymunah stinted not bearing Princess Budur till they descended and laid her on the couch beside Kamar al Zaman. Then they uncovered both their faces，and they were the likest of all folk，each to other，as they were twins or an only brother and sister；and indeed they were a seduction to the pious，even as saith of them the poet AlMubin，'O heart！ be not thy love confined to one，Lest thou by doting or disdain be undone：
Love all the fair，and thou shalt find with them
If this be lost，to thee that shall be won.'
And quoth another，'Mine eyes beheld two lying on the ground；
Both had I loved if on these eyne they lay！'
So Dahnash and Maymunah gazed on them awhile，and he said，'By Allah，O my lady，it is good！ My mistress is assuredly the fairer.'She replied，'Not so，my beloved is the fairer；woe to thee，O Dahnash！ Art blind of eye and heart that lean from fat thou canst not depart？ Wilt thou hide the truth？ Dost thou not see his beauty and loveliness and fine stature and symmetry？ Out on thee，hear what I purpose to say in praise of my beloved and，if thou be a lover true to her thou dost love，do thou the like for her thou Lovest.'Then she kissed Kamar alZaman again and again between the eyes and improvised this ode，'How is this？ Why should the blamer abuse thee in his pride？
What shall console my heart for thee，that art but slender bough？
A Nature Kohl'd[252] eye thou hast that witcheth far and wide；
From pure platonic love[253] of it deliverance none I trow！
Those glances，fell as plundering Turk，to heart such havoc deal As never havocked scymitar made keenest at the curve.
On me thou layest load of love the heaviest while I feel So feeble grown that under weight of chemisette I swerve.
My love for thee as wottest well is habit，and my lowe Is nature；to all others false is all the love I tender：
Now were my heart but like to shine I never would say No；
Only my wasted form is like thy waist so gracious slender：
Out on him who in Beauty's robe for moon like charms hath fame，And who is claimed by mouth of men as marvel of his tribe！
'Of man what manner may he be'（ask they who flyte and blame）
'For whom thy heart is so distressed？'I only cry 'Describe！'
Oh stoneentempered heart of him！ learn of his yielding grace And bending form to show me grace and yielding to consent.
Oh my Prince Beautiful，thou hast an Overseer in place[254]
Who irketh me，and eke a Groom whose wrong cloth ne'er relent.
Indeed he lieth who hath said that all of loveliness Was pent in Joseph：in thy charms there's many and many a Joe！
The Genii dread me when I stand and face to face address；
But meeting thee my fluttering heart its shame and terror show.