Pagina 568 di 1116

Now Badr al-Din Hasan of Bassorah was sitting in full gaze of the

folk, when the bride came forward with her graceful swaying and

swimming gait, and her hunchbacked groom stood up to meet

[FN#411] and receive her: she, however, turned away from the

wight and walked forward till she stood before her cousin Hasan,

the son of her uncle. Whereat the people laughed.

But when the wedding-guests saw her thus attracted towards Badr

al-Din they made a mighty clamour and the singing-women shouted

their loudest; whereupon he put his hand into his pocket and,

pulling out a handful of gold, cast it into their tambourines and

the girls rejoiced and said, "Could we win our wish this bride

were thine!" At this he smiled and the folk came round him,

flambeaux in hand like the eyeball round the pupil, while the

Gobbo bridegroom was left sitting alone much like a tail-less

baboon; for every time they lighted a candle for him it went out

willy-nilly, so he was left in darkness and silence and looking

at naught but himself.