And when he had ended his recital, his verses pleased the
Overseer and he wondered at his words and savoured their grace
and fecundity and said to them, "By Allah, ye possess both beauty
and eloquence. But now listen to me, you twain!" And he began
chanting, and recited in song the following verses,

"O joy of Hell and Heaven! whose tormentry *
Enquickens frame and soul with lively gree:
I marvel so delightsome house to view, *
And most when 'neath it kindled fires I see:
Sojourn of bliss to visitors, withal *
Pools on them pour down tears unceasingly."

Then his eye-sight roamed and browsed on the gardens of their
beauty and he repeated these two couplets,

"I went to the house of the keeper-man; *
He was out, but others to smile began:
I entered his Heaven[FN#23] and then his Hell;[FN#24] *
And I said 'Bless Malik[FN#25] and bless Rizwan.' "[FN#26]

When they heard these verses they were charmed, and the Over seer
invited them to his house; but they declined and returned to
their own place, to rest from the great heat of the bath. So
they took their ease there and ate and drank and passed that
night in perfect solace and satisfaction, till morning dawned,
when they arose from sleep and making their lesser ablution,
prayed the dawn- prayer and drank the morning draught.[FN#27] As
soon as the sun had risen and the shops and markets opened, they