The Scented Garden

54 The Infidelity and Ingratitude of Man. VIII. The Whore Art thou one or many,1 Habib ? Surely thou hast need to be a thousand, since thou hast taken to prostituting thyself to Hindus and Afghans, Nu- bian slaves and immodest boys from Bushir.2 When they saw thee of old, with thy tunic hang- ing upon thy jutting buttocks, like the flowing dra- peries of the Caliph’s tent, men said of thee : “ The complexions of the women are well shaded from the sun.” Now it is thin and transparent, that tun- ic of thine, and people are saying : “ Please Allah it may not rain ; else will the horses catch cold and die ! ”.3 Every gossip comes to me and prates of thy mis- demeanours ; my beard waves with anger like an old goat’s. Come to me, and I will beat thee sound- ly ; and if thou offendest again I will carry thee be- fore this ass-calibred Qazi—Allah on him !—I know well what punishment he will give thee—love ; but ever after thou shalt have no need to be a thou- sand, but accommodate thirty lovers at one time within thy podex. So saith El Qahar, but I am not so sure that if thou comest to him with thine impudence and prettiness, he will not forgive thee. Allah is the Forgiver.4 1. In reference to the problem of Greek philoso- phy, I may refer students to Erdmann’s History of