assembly; whereupon they came and the ten damsels foregathered.
The queen seated five of them on her son's right hand and other
five on his left and the folk assembled about them. Then she bade
the five who had remained with her speak forth somewhat of verse,
so they might entertain therewith the assembly and that El Abbas
might rejoice therein. Now she had clad them in the richest of
raiment and adorned them with trinkets and ornaments and
wroughten work of gold and silver and collars of gold, set with
pearls and jewels. So they came forward, with harps and lutes and
psalteries and recorders and other instruments of music before
them, and one of them, a damsel who came from the land of China
and whose name was Baoutheh, advanced and tightened the strings
of her lute. Then she cried out from the top of her head[FN#127]
and improvising, sang the following verses:

Unto its pristine lustre your land returned and more, Whenas ye
came, dispelling the gloom that whiles it wore.
Our stead, that late was desert, grew green and eke our trees,
That barren were, grew loaded with ripened fruits galore.
Yea, to the earth that languished for lack of rain, the clouds
Were bounteous; so it flourished and plenteous harvests
bore;
And troubles, too, forsook us, who tears like dragons' blood, O
lordings, for your absence had wept at every pore.
Indeed, your long estrangement hath caused my bowels yearn. Would
God I were a servant in waiting at your door!

When she had made an end of her song, all who were present were
moved to delight and El Abbas rejoiced in this. Then he bade the
second damsel sing somewhat on the like subject. So she came