Nur al-Din Ali and the Young Woman Anis al-Jalis

Hair like the curls of Africans original: "Zanj" and the golden shimmer of light; ◦ A graceful walk and a figure like a spear to be held:

Ah, hard-hearted one with such a soft and slender waist! ◦ Why not change that cruelty into kindness? Why not make your heart as soft as your body!

If the softness of your form were within your heart, ◦ your lover would never find you harsh and cold.

Oh, you who judge me! Excuse my love, ◦ and do not scold me if the pangs of love bring me endless sorrow!

I am not to blame; it is all the fault of my heart and eyes; ◦ so stop your criticism and let me long and ache.

Now, the handsome young man Nur al-Din Ali, the Wazir's son was unaware of the young woman's arrival. His father had strictly instructed her, saying, "Understand, my daughter, that I have bought you to be a companion for our King, Muhammad bin Sulayman al-Zayni. I have a son who is a devil when it comes to girls; he does not leave a single young woman in the neighborhood without taking her virginity. So, be on your guard against him, and take care never to let him see your face or hear your voice."

"I hear and obey," the girl replied. He left her and went on his way.

A few days later, as fate would have it, the girl went to the private baths in the house, where some of the slave women washed her. Afterward, she dressed herself in magnificent clothing, which made her beauty and charm even more radiant. Then she visited the Wazir's wife and kissed her hand.

The lady said to her, "Blessings on your bath! original: "Na'iman!" May it do you good, Anis al-Jalis! In older versions, she is called "The Fair Persian," likely after her owner. Her name means "The Cheerer of the Companion." Are our baths not beautiful?"

"My mistress," she replied, "I lacked nothing there except your own gracious presence."

Thereupon the lady said to her slave women, "Come with us to the bathhouse..." The word "Na'iman" is a blessing said to someone after they have bathed or had their head shaved. The proper response—as every polite gesture in the East has a counter-gesture—is "May Allah benefit you!" I have previously provided examples not only of these gestures but also of the rhyming banter that roguish people enjoy. For example: "May it be pleasant to you!" (said when someone drinks), to which the response is "May Allah give you pleasure!" (though some ruffians twist the words into something vulgar). Other rhyming insults involve calling someone a "hen" or making crude jokes about physical anatomy.