When Kamar alZaman heard these words，the light became darkness in his sight and he said，'O King，thou hast in thy household fair women and female slaves，who have not their like in this age： shall not these suffice thee without me？ Do thy will with them and let me go！'She replied，'Thou sayest sooth，but it is not with them that one who loveth thee can heal himself of torment and can abate his fever；for，when tastes and inclinations are corrupted by vice，they hear and obey other than good advice. So leave arguing and listen to what the poet saith，'Seest not the bazar with its fruit in rows？
These men are for figs and for sycamore[339] those！'
And what another saith，'Many whose anklet rings are dumb have tinkling belts，And this hath all content while that for want must wail：
Thou bidd'st me be a fool and quit thee for her charms；
Allah forfend I leave The Faith，turn Infidel！
Nay，by thy rights of sidebeard mocking all her curls，
Nor mott nor maid[340] from thee my heart shall spell.'
And yet another，'O beauty's Union！ love for thee's my creed，
Free choice of Faith and eke my best desire：
Women I have forsworn for thee；so may
Deem me all men this day a shaveling friar.'[341]
And yet another，'Even not beardless one with girl，nor heed
The spy who saith to thee ''Tis an amiss！'
Far different is the girl whose feet one kisses
And that gazelle whose feet the earth must kiss.'
And yet another，'A boy of twice ten is fit for a King！'
And yet another，'The penis smooth and round was made with anus best to match it，Had it been made for cunnus' sake it had been formed like hatchet！'
And yet another said，'My soul thy sacrifice！ I chose thee out
Who art not menstruous nor oviparous：
Did I with woman mell，I should beget
Brats till the wide wide world grew strait for us.'
And yet another，'She saith （sore hurt in sense the most acute
For she had proffered what did not besuit），'Unless thou stroke as man should swive his wife
Blame not when horns thy brow shall incornute！
Thy wand seems waxen，to a limpo grown，
And more I palm it，softer grows the brute！'
And yet another，'Quoth she （for I to lie with her forbore），
'O follyfollowing fool，O fool to core：
If thou my coynte for Kiblah[342] to thy coigne
Reject，we'll shall please thee more.'[343]
And yet another，'She proffered me a tender coynte
Quoth I 'I will not roger thee！'
She drew back，saying，'From the Faith
He turns，who's turned by Heaven's decree！[344]
And front wise fluttering，in one day，
Is obsolete persistency！'
Then swung she round and shining rump
Like silvern lump she showed me！
I cried： 'Well done，O mistress mine！
No more am I in pain for thee；
O thou of all that Allah oped[345]
Showest me fairest victory！'
And yet another，'Men craving pardon will uplift their hands；
Women pray pardon with their legs on high：
Out on it for a pious，prayerful work！
The Lord shall raise it in the depths to lie.'[346]
When Kamar alZaman heard her quote this poetry，and was certified that there was no escaping compliance with what willed she，he said，'O King of the age，if thou must needs have it so，make covenant with me that thou wilt do this thing with me but once，though it avail not to correct thy depraved appetite，and that thou wilt never again require this thing of me to the end of time；so perchance shall Allah purge me of the sin.'She replied 'I promise thee this thing，hoping that Allah of His favour will relent towards us and blot out our mortal offence；for the girdle of heaven's forgiveness is not indeed so strait，but it may compass us around and absolve us of the excess of our heinous sins and bring us to the light of salvation out of the darkness of error；and indeed excellently well saith the poet，'Of evil thing the folk suspect us twain；And to this thought their hearts and souls are bent：
Come，dear！ let's justify and free their souls
That wrong us；one good bout and thenrepent！'[347]
Thereupon she made him an agreement and a covenant and swore a solemn oath by Him who is Selfexistent，that this thing should befal betwixt them but once and never again for all time，and that the desire of him was driving her to death and perdition. So he rose up with her，on this condition，and went with her to her own boudoir，that she might quench the lowe of her lust，saying，'There is no Majesty，and there is no Might save in Allah，the Glorious，the Great！ This is the fated decree of the All powerful，the Allwise！'and he doffed his bagtrousers，shamefull and abashed，with the tears running from his eyes for stress of affright. Thereat she smiled and making him mount upon a couch with her，said to him，'After this night，thou shalt see naught that will offend thee.'Then she turned to him bussing and bosoming him and bending calf over calf，and said to him，'Put thy hand between my thighs to the accustomed place；so haply it may stand up to prayer after prostration.'He wept and cried，'I
am not good at aught of this，'but she said，'By my life，an thou do as I bid thee，it shall profit thee！'So he put out his hand，with vitals afire for confusion，and found her thighs cooler than cream and softer than silk. The touching of them pleasured him and he moved his hand hither and thither，till it came to a dome abounding in good gifts and movements and shifts，and said in himself，'Perhaps this King is a hermaphrodite，[348]neither man nor woman quite；'so he said to her，'O King，I cannot find that thou hast a tool like the tools of men；what then moved thee to do this deed？'Then loudly laughed Queen Budur till she fell on her back，[349] and said，'O my dearling，how quickly thou hast forgotten the nights we have lain together！'
Then she made herself known to him，and he knew her for his wife，the Lady Budur，daughter of King alGhayur，Lord of the Isles and the Seas. So he embraced her and she embraced him，and he kissed her and she kissed him；then they lay down on the bed of pleasure voluptuous，repeating the words of the poet，'When his softly bending shape bid him close to my embrace
