صفحة 376 من 1116

When it reached her face she wept and said, "I testify that there

is no god but the God and that Mahommed is the Apostle of God!"

And we looked at her and saw naught but a heap of ashes by the

side of the heap that had been the Ifrit. We mourned for her and

I wished I had been in her place, so had I not seen her lovely

face who had worked me such weal become ashes; but there is no

gainsaying the will of Allah. When the King saw his daughter's

terrible death, he plucked out what was left of his beard and

beat his face and rent his raiment; and I did as he did and we

both wept over her. Then came in the Chamberlains and Grandees

and were amazed to find two heaps of ashes and the Sultan in a

fainting fit; so they stood round him till he revived and told

them what had befallen his daughter from the Ifrit; whereat their

grief was right grievous and the women and the slave girls

shrieked and keened,[FN#253] and they continued their

lamentations for the space of seven days.