Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied:——With love and good will! It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Ibn Ibrahim said to Al-Hayfa, “Verily Yusuf purposeth to visit thee after a little while.” But when the Princess heard his words she would not believe him albeit her heart palpitated with pleasure; whereupon Ibn Ibrahim improvised to her as follows:—
“O thou world-seducer and full moon bright, ✿ Stay thy speech and with boon of good news requite. Love pledged me his word he would see thee and said, ✿ Hie thee home and order the house aright. I awoke this morning in cark and care, ✿ In tears distraught and in dire despite; For the wrongs and farness thou doom’st me dree ✿ Have forced my forces to fright-full flight.”
And when Ibn Ibrahim had ended his verse, Al-Hayfa joyed with increased and exceeding joy, and in her delight she answered him according to the rhyme and rhythm of his verse:—
“O who spreadest clouds,[258] Son of Ibrahim hight; ✿ By the Lord who ruleth in ’Arshhis height, By Mohammed the bestest of men and by ✿ Th’ adorers of yore and the Tá-Há’s[259] might, By Zemzem, Safá and wall Hatím[260] ✿ And Ka’abah and glories of Ka’abah’s site, An this speech be sooth and my dearling come ✿ One thousand, two thousand dinars are thy right; And I’ll give thee a courser, O Ibrahim’s son, ✿ Selle, stirrups and bridle with gold bedight; Six turbands and robes that shall honour show ✿ With that courser the colour of blackest night. So hold me not like the most of mankind, ✿ Who joy the fair ones to twit and flyte.”
And when Al-Hayfa had finished her verses, Ibn Ibrahim brought out to her the letter of the Prince, and as soon as she read it her heart was comforted and she waxed glad with exceeding gladness and she bade them present him with largesse of value great and a thousand dinars upon a china plate. After this she took him by the hand and led him into a closet and said, “O Ibn Ibrahim, all that be in this cabinet is a free gift to thee when thou shalt have brought to me that lover of mine.” Such was the case with them; but as regards Prince Yusuf, when Ibn Ibrahim left him, he felt love-lowe aflaming in his heart, and he summoned his Mameluke Hilal and said to him, “Go saddle for us the steed known by the name of The Bull-aye-ready-and-for-Battle-day-steady.” Hereupon the slave arose and enselled the courser and Yusuf mounted; and, taking his Mameluke on the crupper, pushed his pace (and he madly in love with Al-Hayfa), and he ceased not faring till he reached her Palace. He then swam the stream with his Mameluke hanging on, as before, to the tail, and knocked at the door which was opened by a damsel hight Nuzhat al-Zaman[261] and she on recognising him kissed his hands and hurrying to her lady informed her of his coming. Al-Hayfa hearing of the arrival fell fainting to the ground and when she recovered she found Yusuf standing beside her head; so she arose and embraced him for a long while, after which she improvised and said:—