false to thine oath, for I see thou art an overmatch for me at
this game!" "Agreed," said she and they ranged their men and fell
again to playing and pushing on their pawns and catching them up
with the queens and aligning and matching them with the castles
and solacing them with the onslaught of the knights. Now the
"Adornment of Qualities" wore on head a kerchief of blue brocade
so she loosed it off and tucking up her sleeve, showed a wrist
like a shaft of light and passed her palm over the red pieces,
saying to him, "Look to thyself." But he was dazzled at her
beauty, and the sight of her graces bereft him of reason, so that
he became dazed and amazed and put out his hand to the white men,
but it alit upon the red. Said she, "O Masrur, where be thy wits?
The red are mine and the white thine;" and he replied, "Whoso
looketh at thee perforce loseth all his senses." Then, seeing how
it was with him, she took the white from him and gave him the
red, and they played and she beat him. He ceased not to play with
her and she to beat him, whilst he paid her each time ten dinars,
till, knowing him to be distraught for love of her, she said, "O
Masrur, thou wilt never win to thy wish, except thou beat me, for
such was our understanding; and henceforth, I will not play with
thee save for a stake of an hundred dinars a game." "With love
and gladness," answered he and she went on playing and ever
beating him and he paid her an hundred dinars each time; and on
this wise they abode till the morning, without his having won a
single game, when he suddenly sprang to his feet. Quoth she,
"What wilt thou do, O Masrur?"; and quoth he, "I mean to go to my
lodging and fetch somewhat of money: it may be I shall come to my
desire." "Do whatso seemeth good to thee," said she; so he went
home and taking all the money he had, returned to her improvising
these two couplets,