Thousand & One Nights 203rd Night: Anis al Jalis, The Slave Girl - 3

The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the broker turned to the vizier and said, "If my lord permits me, I have something to say."  The vizier replied, "Speak." The broker said, "In my opinion, you should not take the girl to the king today.  She is just out of a journey, and the change of air seems to have bothered her.  Keep her in your palace for fifteen days, and let her regain her good looks.  Then sent her to the bath and dress her in fine clothes, and take her to the king, and that will be more to your advantage."

The vizier considered his advice and found its merit, took the girl to his palace, lodged her in a private chamber in the inner quarters, and arranged to offer her a generous daily allowance of chicken, wine and fine clothes, and she lived in this way for a while.

The vizier had a son.  He was a full moon with radiant face, rosy cheeks covered with down like tender myrtle, and a mole like a disk of ambergris.
He was like him of whom the poet said:

He is a moon who slays with charm
A bough who captivates hearts
Fair and spearlike is his shape
With hard heart and slender waist.

The young man was not aware of the presence of the new member in his quarters.  His father cautioned Anis al Jalis, 'O my daughter, I have a devil
of a son who has slept with every girl in the neighborhood. Be on guard against him.  Do not let him see your face, or hear your voice.  You should know that I have bought you for none save King Muhammad ibn-Sulaiman al-Zainabi."

The girl replied, "I am obliged to obey you, lord."

A few days later Anis al Jalis had a bath, and after bath she appeared more beautiful and more graceful. Fully dressed, she went to vizier's wife, took her hand and kissed it. The lady said, "Anis, may the bath bring you blessing!"

Anis al Jalis replied, "May God send you all joy and blessing!"

"How did you find the bath?" asked the lady.

"My lady, it is fine.  At this moment water is just right and lacks nothing save your presence." The lady thought that she have not had a bath for a few days. She said to the maid, "Let us go to bath, I have not been in for  some days." The lady and the maid went for bath, while Anis al Jalis went to her chamber with two little maids, whom the vizier's wife had ordered to stand at the door, saying, "Be on guard, and do not let anyone come near the chamber."

Anil al Jalis had been sitting in her chamber and the two little maids were at her door.  At this time vizier's son, Nur al-Din Ali came into the chamber of his mother.  Not finding her in the chamber, he asked the little maids at door, about his mother, and they replied......

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.

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