sooth my heart and my soul are taken up with you and your condition. I



wonder to see you single with ne'er a man about you and not a soul

to bear you company. And well you wot that the minaret toppleth o'er



unless it stand upon four, and you want this same fourth, and

women's pleasure without man is short of measure, even as the poet



said:

"Seest not we want for joy four things all told-



The harp and lute, the flute and flageolet-

And be they companied with scents fourfold,



Rose, myrtle, anemone, and violet.

Nor please all eight an four thou wouldst withhold-



Good wine and youth and gold and pretty pet.

"You be three and want a fourth who shall be a person of good



sense and prudence, smart-witted, and one apt to keep careful

counsel." His words pleased and amused them much, and they laughed



at him and said: "And who is to assure us of that? We are maidens, and

we fear to entrust our secret where it may not be kept, for we have



read in a certain chronicle the lines of one Ibn al-Sumam:

"Hold fast thy secret and to none unfold,



Lost is a secret when that secret's told.

An fail thy breast thy secret to conceal,



How canst thou hope another's breast shall hold?"

When the porter heard their words, he rejoined: "By your lives! I am a



man of sense and a discreet, who hath read books and perused

chronicles. I reveal the fair and conceal the foul and I act as the



poet adviseth:

"None but the good a secret keep,



And good men keep it unrevealed.

It is to me a well-shut house



With keyless locks and door ensealed."

When the maidens heard his verse and its poetical application



addressed to them, they said: "Thou knowest that we have laid out

all our moneys on this place. Now say, hast thou aught to offer us



in return for entertainment? For surely we will not suffer thee to sit

in our company and be our cup companion, and gaze upon our faces so



fair and so rare, without paying a round sum. Wettest thou not the

saying:



"Sans hope of gain

Love's not worth a grain"?



Whereto the lady portress added, "If thou bring anything, thou art a

something; if no thing, be off with thee, thou art a nothing." But the



procuratrix interposed, saying: "Nay, O my sisters, leave teasing him,

for by Allah he hath not failed us this day, and had he been other



he never had kept patience with me, so whatever be his shot and scot I

will take it upon myself."



The porter, overjoyed, kissed the ground before her and thanked her,

saying, "By Allah, these moneys are the first fruits this day hath



given me." Hearing this, they said, "Sit thee down and welcome to

thee," and the eldest lady added: "By Allah, we may not suffer thee to



join us save on one condition, and this it is, that no questions be

asked as to what concerneth thee not, and frowardness shall be soundly



flogged." Answered the porter: "I agree to this, O my lady. On my head

and my eyes be it! Look ye, I am dumb, I have no tongue." Then arose



the provisioneress and, tightening her girdle, set the table by the

fountain and put the flowers and sweet herbs in their jars, and



strained the wine and ranged the flasks in rows and made ready every

requisite. Then sat she down, she and her sisters, placing amidst them



the porter, who kept deeming himself in a dream. And she took up the

wine flagon and poured out the first cup and drank it off, and



likewise a second and a third. After this she filled a fourth cup,

which she handed to one of her sisters, and lastly, she crowned a



goblet and passed it to the porter, saying:

"Drink the dear draught, drink free and fain



What healeth every grief and pain."

He took the cup in his hand and, Touting low, returned his best



thanks and improvised:

"Drain not the bowl save with a trusty friend,



A man of worth whose good old blood all know.

For wine, like wind, sucks sweetness from the sweet



And stinks when over stench it haply blow."

Adding:



"Drain not the bowl, save from dear hand like thine,

The cup recalls thy gifts, thou, gifts of wine."



After repeating this couplet he kissed their hands and drank and was

drunk and sat swaying from side to side and pursued:

• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• safely [´seifli] ad.安全地；平安地 (初中英语单词)


• banana [bə´nɑ:nə] n.香蕉 (初中英语单词)


• accordingly [ə´kɔ:diŋli] ad.因此；从而；依照 (初中英语单词)


• thereupon [,ðeərə´pɔn] ad.因此；于是 (初中英语单词)


• exceed [ik´si:d] v.超(胜)过；凌驾 (初中英语单词)


• violet [´vaiələt] n.&a.紫罗兰(的)；紫色 (初中英语单词)


• cheese [tʃi:z] n.干酪，乳酪 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• purely [´pjuəli] ad.仅仅；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• relieve [ri´li:v] v.救济，援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)


• mosquito [məs´ki:təu] n.蚊子 (初中英语单词)


• philosophy [fi´lɔsəfi] n.哲学；人生观 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)


• marvel [´mɑ:vəl] n.令人惊异的事；奇迹 (初中英语单词)


• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• entertainment [,entə´teinmənt] n.招(款)待；联欢会 (初中英语单词)


• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)


• patience [´peiʃəns] n.忍耐(力)；耐心；坚韧 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• porter [´pɔ:tə] n.守门人；勤杂工人 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• dessert [di´zə:t] n.(餐后)甜食 (高中英语单词)


• mansion [´mænʃən] n.大厦；宅第；官邸 (高中英语单词)


• spacious [´speiʃəs] a.广阔的，宽敞的 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)


• solomon [´sɔləmən] n.所罗门 (高中英语单词)


• fragrant [´freigrənt] a.芳香的，芬芳的 (高中英语单词)


• admirable [´ædmərəbəl] a.极佳的，值得赞美的 (高中英语单词)


• surrounding [sə´raundiŋ] n.周围的事物 (高中英语单词)


• saloon [sə´lu:n] n.大厅；餐车 (高中英语单词)


• therein [ðeə´rin] ad.在那里，在其中 (高中英语单词)


• theirs [ðeəz] pron.他们的 (高中英语单词)


• chronicle [´krɔnikl] n.历史 vt.记述 (高中英语单词)


• hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)


• eldest [´eldist] a.最年长的 (高中英语单词)


• girdle [´gə:dl] n.腰带 vt.用带束(缠) (高中英语单词)


• draught [drɑ:ft] n.通风，通气；吸出 (高中英语单词)


• sweetness [´swi:tnis] n.甜蜜；芳香；亲切 (高中英语单词)


• unmarried [,ʌn´mærid] a.未婚的，独身的 (英语四级单词)


• languishing [´læŋgwiʃiŋ] a.衰弱下去的 (英语四级单词)


• whereupon [,weərə´pɔn] ad.在什么上面；因此 (英语四级单词)


• hamper [´hæmpə] vt.&n.妨碍，阻止 (英语四级单词)


• platter [´plætə] n.(椭圆形的)大浅盘 (英语四级单词)


• anemone [ə´neməni] n.银莲花属植物 (英语四级单词)


• heifer [´hefə] n.小母牛 (英语四级单词)


• canopy [´kænəpi] n.(床上的)罩篷；天篷 (英语四级单词)


• stature [´stætʃə] n.身高；身材 (英语四级单词)


• lastly [´lɑ:stli] ad.最后，终于 (英语四级单词)


• uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)


• exceeding [ik´si:diŋ] a.超越的，非常的 (英语四级单词)


• prudence [´pru:dəns] n.谨慎；慎重；节俭 (英语四级单词)


• entrust [in´trʌst] vt.委托；信托 (英语四级单词)


• amidst [ə´midst] prep.=amid (英语四级单词)


• trusty [´trʌsti] a.可靠的 n.可信任的 (英语四级单词)


• myrtle [´mə:tl] n.桃金娘科 (英语六级单词)


• earthen [´ə:θən, -ðən] a.泥土做的；大地的 (英语六级单词)


• ointment [´ɔintmənt] n.软膏；药膏；油膏 (英语六级单词)


• beaming [´bi:miŋ] a.笑吟吟的 (英语六级单词)


• fraught [frɔ:t] a.充满…的 (英语六级单词)


• arched [´ɑ:tʃid] a.弓形(结构)的 (英语六级单词)


• wistfully [´wistfuli] ad.渴望地；不满足地 (英语六级单词)


• discreet [di´skri:t] a.谨慎的，考虑周到的 (英语六级单词)


• poetical [pəu´etikəl] a.理想化了的 (英语六级单词)