صفحة 696 من 1116

When I entered and took a seat.-And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Twenty-sixth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young

merchant continued, When I entered and took a seat, the lady at

once came in crowned with a diadem[FN#533] of pearls and jewels;

her face dotted with artificial moles in indigo,[FN#534] her

eyebrows pencilled with Kohl and her hands and feet reddened with

Henna. When she saw me she smiled in my face and took me to her

embrace and clasped me to her breast; then she put her mouth to

my mouth and sucked my tongue[FN#535] (and I did likewise) and

said, "Can it be true, O my little darkling, thou art come to

me?" adding, "Welcome and good cheer to thee!