[for the use of the brides]; so they essenced it with rose-water
and willow-flower-water and bladders of musk and fumigated it
with Cakili[FN#191] aloes-wood and ambergris. Then Shehrzad
entered, she and her sister Dinarzad, and they cleansed their
heads and clipped their hair. When they came forth of the bath,
they donned raiment and ornaments, [such as were] prepared for
the kings of the Chosroes; and among Shehrzad's apparel was a
dress charactered with red gold and wroughten with semblants of
birds and beasts. Moreover, they both encircled their necks with
necklaces of jewels of price, in the like whereof
Iskender[FN#192] rejoiced not, for therein were great jewels such
as amazed the wit and the eye, and the thought was bewildered at
their charms, for indeed, each of them was brighter than the sun
and the moon. Before them they kindled lighted flambeaux in
torch-holders of gold, but their faces outshone the flambeaux,
for that they had eyes sharper than drawn swords and the lashes
of their eyelids ensorcelled all hearts. Their cheeks were rosy
and their necks and shapes swayed gracefully and their eyes
wantoned. And the slave-girls came to meet them with instruments
of music.

Then the two kings entered the bath, and when they came forth,
they sat down on a couch, inlaid with pearls and jewels,
whereupon the two sisters came up to them and stood before them,
as they were moons, swaying gracefully from side to side in their
beauty and grace. Presently they brought forward Shehrzad and
displayed her, for the first dress, in a red suit; whereupon King
Shehriyar rose to look upon her and the wits of all present, men
and women, were confounded, for that she was even as saith of her
one of her describers: