So Nur al-Din turned to her at once and clasping her to his bosom，sucked first her upper lip and then her under lip and slid his tongue between the twain into her mouth.Then he rose to her and found her a pearl unthridden and a filly none but he had ridden.So he abated her maidenhead and had of her amorous delight and there was knitted between them a love-bond which might never know breach nor severance.[479] He rained upon her cheeks kisses like the falling of pebbles into water，and struck with stroke upon stroke，like the thrusting of spears in battle brunt；for that Nur al-Din still yearned after clipping of necks and sucking of lips and letting down of tress and pressing of waist and biting of cheek and cavalcading on breast with Cairene buckings and Yamani wrigglings and Abyssinian sobbings and Hindi pamoisons and Nubian lasciviousness and Rifi leg-liftings[480]
and Damiettan moanings and Sa'idi[481] hotness and Alexandrian languishment[482] and this damsel united in herself all these virtues，together with excess of beauty and loveliness，and indeed she was even as saith of her the poet；'This is she I will never forget till I die * Nor draw near but to those who to her draw nigh.
A being for semblance like Moon at full * Praise her Maker，her Modeller glorify！
Tho' be sore my sin seeking love-liesse * On esperance-day ne'er repent can I；
A couplet reciting which none can know * Save the youth who in couplets and rhymes shall cry；'None weeteth love but who bears its load * Nor passion，save pleasures and pains he aby.'
So Nur al-Din lay with the damsel through the night in solace and delight，--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night； She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that Nur al-Din lay with that damsel through the night in solace and delight，the twain garbed in the closely buttoned garments of embrace，safe and secure against the misways of nights and days，and they passed the dark hours after the goodliest fashion，fearing naught，in their joys love-fraught，from excess of talk and prate.As saith of them the right excellent poet，[483]
'Go，visit her thou lovest，and regard not The words detractors utter；envious churls Can never favour love.Oh！ sure the merciful Ne'er make a thing more fair to look upon；Than two fond lovers in each other's arms；Speaking their passion in a mute embrace.
When heart has turned to heart，the fools would part them Strike idly on cold steel.So when thou'st found One purely，wholly thine，accept her true heart；And live for her alone.Oh！ thou that blamest The love-struck for their love，give o'er thy talk How canst thou minister to a mind diseased？'
When the morning morrowed in sheen and shone，Nur al-Din awoke from deep sleep and found that she had brought water：[484] so they made the Ghusl-ablution，he and she，and he performed that which behoved him of prayer to his Lord，after which she set before him meat and drink，and he ate and drank.Then the damsel put her hand under her pillow and pulling out the girdle which she had knitted during the night，gave it to Nur al-Din，who asked，'Whence cometh this girdle？'[485] Answered she，'O my lord，'tis the silk thou boughtest yesterday for twenty dirhams.
Rise now and go to the Persian bazar and give it to the broker；to cry for sale，and sell it not for less than twenty gold pieces in ready money.'Quoth Nur al-Din，'O Princess of fair ones how can a thing，that cost twenty dirhams and will sell for as many dinars，be made in a single night？'；and quoth she，'O my lord；thou knowest not the value of this thing；but go to the market therewith and give it to the broker，and when he shall cry it；its worth will be made manifest to thee.'Herewith he carried the zone to the market and gave it to the broker，bidding him cry it；whilst he himself sat down on a masonry bench before a shop.The broker fared forth and returning after a while said to him，'O my lord，rise take the price of thy zone，for it hath fetched twenty dinars money down.'When Nur al-Din heard this，he marvelled with exceeding marvel and shook with delight.Then he rose，between belief and misbelief，to take the money and when he had received it，he went forthright and spent it all on silk of various colours and returning home，gave his purchase to the damsel；saying，'Make this all into girdles and teach me likewise how to make them，that I may work with thee；for never in the length of my life saw I a fairer craft than this craft nor a more abounding in gain and profit.By Allah，'tis better than the trade of a merchant a thousand times！'She laughed at his language and said；'O my lord，go to thy friend the druggist and borrow other thirty dirhams of him，and to-morrow repay him from the price of the girdle the thirty together with the fifty already loaned to thee.'So he rose and repaired to the druggist and said to him；'O Uncle，lend me other thirty dirhams，and to-morrow，Almighty Allah willing，I will repay thee the whole fourscore.'The old man weighed him out thirty dirhams，wherewith he went to the market and buying meat and bread，dried fruits，and flowers as before，carried them home to the damsel whose name was Miriam，[486] the Girdle-girl.She rose forthright and making ready rich meats，set them before her lord Nur al-Din；after which she brought the wine-service and they drank and plied each other with drink.When the wine began to play with their wits；his pleasant address and inner grace pleased her，and she recited these two couplets；'Said I to Slim-waist who the wine engraced * Brought in musk-scented bowl and a superfine；'Was it prest from thy cheek？' He replied'Nay，nay！ * When did man from Roses e'er press the Wine？'
