She gave me choice between her hosts，and I * The Whites like moonlight first to choose was fain；Saying，'This argent folk best fitteth me * I love them，but the Red by thee be ta'en！'
She play？d me for free accepted stake * Yet amorous mercy I could ne'er obtain：
O fire of heart，O pine and woe of me，* Wooing a fair like moon mid starry train：
Burns not my heart O no！ nor aught regrets * Of good or land，but ah！ her eyes'disdain！
Amazed I'm grown and dazed for drearihead * And blame I Time who brought such pine and pain.
Quoth she，'Why art thou so bedazed！'quoth I *'Wine-drunken wight shall more of wine assain？'
That mortal stole my sense by silk-soft shape，* Which doth for heart-core hardest rock contain.
I nerv？d self and cried，'This day she's mine'* By bet，nor fear I prove she unhum…ne：
My heart ne'er ceased to seek possession，till * Beggared I found me for conditions twain：
Will youth you loveth shun the Love-dealt blow，* Tho'were he whelmed in Love's high-surging main？
So woke the slave sans e'en a coin to turn，* Thralled to repine for what he ne'er shall gain！'
Zayn al-Mawasif hearing these words marvelled at the eloquence of his tongue and said to him，'O Masrur，leave this madness and return to thy right reason and wend thy ways；for thou hast wasted all thy moveables and immoveables at the chessgame，yet hast not won thy wish，nor hast thou any resource or device whereby thou mayst attain to it.'But he turned to her and said；'O my lady，ask of me whatso thou wilt and thou shalt have it；
for I will bring it to thee and lay it at thy feet.'Answered she，'O Masrur，thou hast no money left.''O goal of all hopes；if I have no money，the folk will help me.''Shall the giver turn asker？''I have friends and kinsfolk，and whatsoever I seek of them，they will give me.''O Masrur，I will have of thee four pods of musk and four vases of civet[324] and four pounds of ambergris and four thousand dinars and four hundred pieces of royal brocade，purfled with gold.An thou bring me these things；O Masrur，I will grant thee my favours.''This is a light matter to me，O thou that puttest the moons to shame，'replied he and went forth to fetch her what she sought.She sent her maid Hubub after him，to see what worth he had with the folk of whom he had spoken to her；but，as he walked along the highways he turned and seeing her afar off，waited till she came up to him and said to her，'Whither away，O Hubub？'So she said to him，'My mistress sent me to follow for this and that，'and he replied，'By Allah；O Hubub，I have nothing to hand！'She asked，'Then why didst thou promise her？'；and he answered，'How many a promise made is unkept of its maker！ Fine words in love-matters needs must be.'
When she heard this from him，she said，'O Masrur，be of good cheer and eyes clear for，by Allah，most assuredly I will be the means of thy coming to enjoy her！'Then she left him nor ceased walking till she stood before her mistress weeping with sore weeping，and said，'O my lady，indeed he is a man of great consideration，and good repute among the folk.'Quoth Zayn al-Mawasif，'There is no device against the destiny of Almighty Allah！ Verily，this man found not in me a pitiful heart，for that I despoiled him of his substance and he got of me neither affection nor complaisance in granting him amorous joy；but，if I
incline to his inclination，I fear lest the thing be bruited abroad.'Quoth Hubub，'O my lady，verily，grievous upon us is his present plight and the loss of his good and thou hast with thee none save thyself and thy slave-girl Sukub；so which of us two would dare prate of thee，and we thy handmaids？'With this，she bowed her head for a while ground-wards and the damsels said to her，'O my lady，it is our rede that thou send after him and show him grace and suffer him not ask of the sordid；for how bitter is such begging！'So she accepted their counsel and calling for inkcase and paper，wrote him these couplets；'Joy is nigh，O Masrār，so rejoice in true rede；* Whenas night shall fall thou shalt do kind-deed：
Crave not of the sordid a loan，fair youth，* Wine stole my wits but they now take heed：
All thy good I reft shall return to thee，* O Masrār，and I'll add to them amorous meed；
For indeed th'art patient，and sweet of soul * When wronged by thy lover's tyrannic greed.
So haste to enjoy us and luck to thee！ * Lest my folk come between us speed，love，all speed！
Hurry uswards thou，nor delay，and while * My mate is far，on Love's fruit come feed.'
Then she folded the paper and gave it to Hubub the handmaid，who carried it to Masrur and found him weeping and reciting in a transport of passion and love-longing these lines；'A breeze of love on my soul did blow * That consumed my liver for stress of lowe；
When my sweetheart went all my longings grew；* And with tears in torrent mine eyelids flow：
Such my doubt and fears，did I tell their tale * To deaf rocks and pebbles they'd melt for woe.
Would Heaven I wot shall I sight delight，* And shall win my wish and my friend shall know！
Shall be folded up nights that doomed us part * And I be healed of what harms my heart？'
--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-ninth Night； She pursued，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that while Masrur，transported by passion and love-longing，was repeating his couplets in sing-song tone Hubub knocked at his door；so he rose and opened to her，and she entered and gave him the letter.
He read it and said to her，'O Hubub，what is behind thee of thy lady's news[325]？'She answered，'O my lord，verily，in this letter is that dispenseth me from reply，for thou art of those who readily descry！'Thereat he rejoiced with joy exceeding and repeated these two couplets；'Came the writ whose contents a new joy revealed，* Which in vitals mine I would keep ensealed：
And my longings grew when I kissed that writ，* As were pearl of passion therein concealed.'
