words, gently spoken, had the opposite effect from that intended.
They only inflamed her passion the more by feeding
her hopes. She said: "There, seest thou, thou dost love me
now! It sufficeth for me that thou takest thought for me
and for the safety of my children. I expect now that my
desire will be fulfilled." She did not know that Joseph spoke
as he did for the sake of God, and not for her sake.[110]

His mistress, or, as she was called, Zuleika, pursued him
day after day with her amorous talk and her flattery, saying:
"How fair is thy appearance, how comely thy form! Never
have I seen so well-favored a slave as thou art." Joseph
would reply: "God, who formed me in my mother's womb,
hath created all men."

Zuleika: "How beautiful are thine eyes, with which thou
hast charmed all Egyptians, both men and women!"

Joseph: "Beautiful as they may be while I am alive, so
ghastly they will be to look upon in the grave."

Zuleika: "How lovely and pleasant are thy words! I
pray thee, take thy harp, play and also sing, that I may hear
thy words."

Joseph: "Lovely and pleasant are my words when I proclaim
the praise of my God."

Zuleika: "How beautiful is thy hair! Take my golden
comb, and comb it."