and outshone, with the brightness of her countenance, the full
moon at its rising; for she was even as saith of her the poet in
the following verses:

A damsel made for love and decked with subtle grace; Thou'dst
deem the very sun had borrowed from her face.
She came in robes of green, the likeness of the leaf That the
pomegranate's flower doth in the bud encase.
"How call'st thou this thy dress?" quoth we, and she replied A
word wherein the wise a lesson well might trace;
"Breaker of hearts," quoth she, "I call it, for therewith I've
broken many a heart among the amorous race."

Then they displayed Shehrzad in the sixth and seventh dresses and
clad her in youths' apparel, whereupon she came forward, swaying
coquettishly from side to side; and indeed she ravished wits and
hearts and ensorcelled with her glances [all who looked on her].
She shook her sides and wagged her hips, then put her hair on the
hilt of her sword and went up to King Shehriyar, who embraced
her, as the hospitable man embraces the guest, and threatened her
in her ear with the taking of the sword; and indeed she was even
as saith of her the poet in these verses:


Were not the darkness[FN#193] still in gender masculine, As
ofttimes is the case with she-things passing fine,
Tirewomen to the bride, who whiskers, ay, and beard Upon her face
produce, they never would assign.[FN#194]

On this wise they did with her sister Dinarzad, and when they had